Culture

DARIEN, IL - Today the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) released a new analysis, titled "Hidden health crisis costing America billions," that reveals the staggering cost of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea. A companion report was also released , titled "In an age of constant activity, the solution to improving the nation's health may lie in helping it sleep better," which summarizes the results of an online survey completed by patients currently being treated for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

ATLANTA--Older adults in assisted-living facilities experience limits to their rights to sexual freedom because of a lack of policies regarding the issue and the actions of staff and administrators at these facilities, according to research conducted by the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University.

Becoming a volunteer later on in life can result in good mental health and wellbeing, according to researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Birmingham.

However, the study which is published in the BMJ Open online, found these effects did not apply before the age of 40, suggesting that the association with volunteering may be stronger at certain points of the life course. The results also point to the need for further efforts to engage middle aged and older people in volunteering activities.

PHILADELPHIA - Programs aimed at helping patients adhere to prescription medication regimens have become an area of interest for researchers as nearly half of patients do not take medications as prescribed. In a new study, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Humana Inc. show that a refill synchronization program - in which patients were able to receive all refills at the same time - increased medication adherence by more than 10 percent in some patient subgroups. The results are published today in Health Affairs.

LOS ANGELES - With cardiovascular disease being the No. 1 cause of death in end-stage kidney disease patients on peritoneal dialysis, a new study examined two classes of medications commonly prescribed to prevent cardiovascular events in these patients and found no significant difference in outcomes.

The study, published online in the Journal of Nephrology, noted that the two classes of medications, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARB), have slightly different mechanisms and could theoretically have differing outcomes.

An interdisciplinary, international group of researchers has found new biophysical markers that could help improve the understanding of treatments for sickle cell disease, a step toward developing better methods for treating the inherited blood disorder that affects an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Americans each year.

Today Brain publishes a new study indicating that antiepileptic drugs designed to reduce seizures, may also induce psychotic disorders in some patients.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. People with epilepsy have increased vulnerability to psychiatric problems.

However, it is also possible that the drugs used by patients to control their seizures may increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in certain people.

Dr. Astha Singhal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), published a study that found a racial disparity in opioid prescriptions for emergency department visits for non-definitive pain-related conditions. Titled "Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Opioid Prescriptions at Emergency Department Visits for Conditions Commonly Associated with Prescription Drug Abuse," the paper was published in PLOS ONE on Aug 8th.

With a growing aging population in South Florida, a University of Miami geographer who specializes in public health teamed up with geriatricians and other geographers to conduct the first age-adjusted analysis of socially and medically vulnerable older adults in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Aug. 5, 2016)--Patient safety before, during, and after surgery requires an appropriately educated, committed and empowered health care team, according to recommendations being presented today at the inaugural National Surgical Patient Safety Summit (NSPSS).

Catholic hospitals, which represent a growing share of health care in the United States, prohibit staff from providing many common reproductive health services, including ones related to sterilization, contraception, abortion, and fertility. While professional ethics guidelines recommend that clinicians who deny patients reproductive services for moral or religious reasons provide a timely referral to prevent patient harm, a new study shows that some Catholic hospitals make it difficult for clinicians to do so.

Argonne, Ill. (Aug. 5, 2016) - Fans of Superman surely recall how the Man of Steel used immense heat and pressure generated by his bare hands to form a diamond out of a lump of coal.

Golden, Colorado, USA August 5, 2016 -- CoorsTek, the world's leading engineered ceramics manufacturer, today announced that a team of scientists from CoorsTek Membrane Sciences, the University of Oslo (Norway), and the Instituto de Tecnología Química (Spain) has developed a new process to use natural gas as raw material for aromatic chemicals. The process uses a novel ceramic membrane to make the direct, non-oxidative conversion of gas to liquids possible for the first time -- reducing cost, eliminating multiple process steps, and avoiding any carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Washington, DC--A combination of three medications--dapagliflozin, liraglutide and insulin--helped people with Type 1 diabetes improve blood sugar control and lose weight, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A new study challenges earlier interpretations of an important burial mound at Cahokia, a pre-Columbian city in Illinois near present-day St. Louis. The study reveals that a central feature of the mound, a plot known as the "beaded burial," is not a monument to male power, as was previously thought, but includes both males and females of high status.