Culture

Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), a condition mostly observed in older patients following surgery under general anesthesia, is characterized by impaired memory and concentration. The impairment may be temporary or permanent and incapacitating.

The problem has become more frequent as the population ages and also as a growing number of older adults undergo surgical procedures made possible by more advanced medical technology. Data from the scientific literature suggest a rise in mortality from POCD in the first year after surgery under general anesthesia.

Chew on this: rice farming is a far older practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest evidence of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it's about 9,000 years old.

The discovery, made by a team of archaeologists that includes University of Toronto Mississauga professor Gary Crawford, sheds new light on the origins of rice domestication and on the history of human agricultural practices.

FINDINGS

A UCLA-led study estimates that almost 28,500 deaths could be prevented each year in the U.S. through use of a new FDA-approved class of cardiovascular medication that helps reduce mortality in patients diagnosed with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, the percentage of blood pumped from the heart with each contraction.

OAKLAND, Calif., June 22, 2016 -- In the first trial of an intervention focused on increasing alcohol and drug treatment patients' engagement in their own health care, researchers found that patients who received 6 intervention sessions had greater involvement in managing their health and health care than those receiving fewer sessions. The Kaiser Permanente study was published today in JAMA Psychiatry.

Depression in African Americans, according to Sirry Alang, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at Lehigh University, is expressed in ways that are inconsistent with symptoms of depression laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).

Children and adolescents with epilepsy experience significant long-term socioeconomic consequences and higher personal health care costs. The findings come from a study that followed young epilepsy patients until 30 years of age.

The study--which included more than 11,000 Danish youths with epilepsy and more than 23,000 controls--found that people with epilepsy, even many years after diagnosis, are neither able to compensate nor catch up with their peers in relation to overall health, education, and social status.

Marijuana has never been highly regarded by the federal government, which considers it a dangerous and addictive drug. But many states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes and four states allow its recreational use. Now, activists are calling for the drug to be reclassified to make it easier to study its health benefits and untangle regulations, according to the cover story of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.

New research indicates that crime committed in 2011 in England and Wales gave rise to more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents.

In the Journal of Industrial Ecology study, burglary resulted in the largest proportion of the total carbon footprint (30%), attributed to the carbon associated with replacement of stolen and damaged goods. Emissions arising from criminal justice system services, such as police investigations and the running of prisons and court buildings, also accounted for a large proportion.

TORONTO, ON - According to University of Toronto research, having the face of a leader may depend on whether the enterprise being led is a for-profit business or a non-profit organization.

In a paper entitled "Predicting Firm Success from the Facial Appearance of Chief Executive Officers of Non-Profit Organizations," Daniel Re, a postdoctoral fellow and Nicholas Rule, an associate professor of psychology, report on three separate studies that suggest the facial features of successful non-profit CEOs are noticeably different from leaders of for-profit companies.

Ann Arbor, MI, June 22, 2016 - Who should consider colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and why? CRC is a common and costly disease, largely of the elderly, with nearly 25% of cases diagnosed among patients aged 75-84 years, but the guidelines for CRC screening of Americans aged 75 or older vary according to the source. In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that CRC screening, consistent with recommendations of the U.S.

Sophia Antipolis, 22 June 2016: Male general practitioners (GPs) are more likely to consider heart disease a "man's issue" and neglect to assess cardiovascular risk in female patients, reports a study of 52 GPs and more than 2200 patients published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.1

DURHAM, N.C. -- Few might think to seek insights on Middle Eastern conflict or modern poverty in court records of the Ottoman empire. Yet when Duke University economist Timur Kuran combed through those centuries-old court documents, he made a surprising discovery with implications for modern times: The courts' actions had unintended consequences that inadvertently undercut people's finances.

In Ottoman Istanbul, court biases resulted in high interest rates for the rich and privileged. These days, Kuran says, the poor are paying the price.

Toronto, ON - Adults who have drug or alcohol dependency have experienced very high rates of early adversities, according to a new study published by University of Toronto researchers. One in five drug dependent Canadian adults and one in six alcohol dependent adults were survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This compares to one in 19 in the general Canadian population. More than one half of substance abusers had been physically abused in childhood compared to one-quarter of those who were not addicted.

In metal-on-metal pairings, both the shell and head of an implant consist of a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy. The release of metal ions into the body has been reported as a result of implant wear. Bone loss (osteolysis) was observed in many cases. Some implant manufacturers have withdrawn devices of this type from the market. Recently, physicians and researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and DRK Klinikum Westend have been able to show that cobalt and chromium release contributes to bone loss.

Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology has published the review "Efficacy of the low FODMAP diet for treating irritable bowel syndrome: the evidence to date".