Culture

In Annals of Surgery: The Association Between Medicare Eligibility and Rehabilitative Care For Patients Aged 64 versus 65 Years

Putnam Valley, NY. (June 1, 2016) - A two-year, multi-center clinical study with 167 patients with class III-IV refractory angina randomized to low and high dose CD34+ cells or placebo has revealed that patients who received either a high or low dose of CD34 -- a member of a family of proteins that have an impact on vascular-associated tissue -- cells had a significant reduction in angina frequency over patients who received placebo. The patients, who were unresponsive to other treatments, were considered to have no other options (refractory).

June 1, 2016: Aortic disease, including aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection, is an important cause of cardiovascular morbidity and death. There have been exciting developments in caring for patients with aortic aneurysm and dissection, including great advances in diagnosis and endovascular therapies. Despite this, there remains significant gaps in knowledge of the understanding of mechanisms of aortic pathology and opportunity to further improve patient care.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - It takes an astounding 17 years, on average, for laboratory breakthroughs to reach patients. A big part of the delay is the time it takes to recruit patients into clinical trials to test new treatments or devices: only 5 to 10 percent of eligible adults enroll in these trials and some studies have found that only 5 percent of patients who showed initial interest in a clinical trial will complete it.

CHAPEL HILL - Although the United States' current political environment is rancorous, a national survey has found strong support in all regions of the United States for raising the legal age of tobacco sales.

Psoriasis: Targets and Therapy has published the review "Psoriasis and smoking: links and risks".

(Brussels, 31 May, 2016) A report investigating the current state of digestive health in children has revealed alarming trends in disease incidence and inequalities in the provision of digestive healthcare services for children across Europe.

'Paediatric Digestive Health Across Europe', commissioned by United European Gastroenterology (UEG), is published today and highlights how the current health burden and economic pressure of paediatric digestive health issues, in particular the increasing levels of childhood obesity, have become a pandemic issue throughout the continent.

May 31, 2016 - A surgically implanted neuroprosthesis--programmed to stimulate coordinated activity of hip, knee, and ankle muscles--has led to substantial improvement in walking speed and distance in a patient with limited mobility after a stroke, according to a single-patient study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists.

Authors from the Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute recommend physicians use obesity staging models to recognize and manage weight-related health issues that may not be captured by traditional diagnosis criteria. The review article was published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

The authors urge physicians to take a broader view of what constitutes obesity, which is traditionally defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Social and economic disadvantages play a significant role in why blacks face a much higher risk than whites of developing cognitive impairment later in life, indicates a national study led by a Michigan State University sociologist.

CHICAGO: Readmission rates after complex cancer operations tend to be higher in hospitals that are considered to be vulnerable because they serve as safety nets in their communities or have a high number of Medicaid patients. Reasons for higher readmission rates are highly complex and involve socioeconomic and hospital institutional characteristics.

HOUSTON - (May 31, 2016) - The percentage of Texans without health insurance has dropped by 30 percent since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect, cutting the state's uninsured rate below 1999 levels. That's one of the conclusions of a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF).

CINCINNATI--Female atrial fibrillation patients are less likely than their male counterparts to receive blood thinning therapies to prevent stroke, say University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers.

Philadelphia, PA, May 31, 2016 - As hospitals try to maintain effective and efficient operations, physician call systems can be a critical element in maintaining quality medical care and financial stability. In a new report published in The American Journal of Medicine, a decade-long study from a large teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada, shows that a change in staff scheduling resulted in 26% higher readmissions, an unintended and negative result.

A study presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 shows that noise levels in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) can go well above recommended levels, disturbing both patients and the medical teams that care for them. The study is by Dr Eveline Claes, Jessa Ziekenhuis Hospital, Hasselt, Belgium and colleagues.