Culture

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Republican senators, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, announced that they would neither consider nor vote on any nominee to the court picked by President Barack Obama. According to a new paper co-written by two University of Illinois legal experts, that position may be more problematic - both pragmatically and constitutionally - than those senators realize.

HOUSTON - (March 24, 2016) - Texans who bought their own health insurance were less likely to understand basic terms and how to use their plans compared with those who have Medicare, Medicaid or employee-sponsored health insurance. That's one of the findings of a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF).

Incretin-based drugs, a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used combinations of oral anti-diabetic drugs, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

PHILADELPHIA -- Penn's Innovative Community Health Worker (CHW) model, shown to reduce admissions and lead to better health outcomes for hospitalized patients, can now be used in outpatient settings, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine in the journal Population Health Management.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease in which the articular cartilage protecting the joint starts to degenerate and wear off over time. The main risk factors of osteoarthritis are advanced age and overweight-induced significant stresses on the knee joint. Current imaging methods such as MRI and X-ray provide information about the thickness and composition of the cartilage, but they do not provide a quantitative estimate of the patient-specific risk of osteoarthritis or its progression.

Chest pain and shortness of breath are the most common symptoms reported by both women and men with suspected heart disease, a finding that is in contrast to prior data, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

New research shows patients with a history of chest discomfort due to coronary artery disease -- a build up of plaque in the heart's arteries -- who are subsequently diagnosed with depression are much more likely to suffer a heart attack or die compared with those who are not depressed. The study, scheduled for presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

WASHINGTON (MARCH 23, 2016) -- Adding a digital health tool to traditional cardiac rehabilitation appears to help people recovering from a heart attack lose significantly more weight in a relatively short period of time, according to research scheduled for presentation at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Despite messages to the contrary, most women being seen by a doctor for the first time with suspected heart disease actually experience the same classic symptoms as men, notably chest pain and shortness of breath, according to a study led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

In a proof-of-concept study, NC State University researchers show that genetically engineered green bottle fly (Lucilia sericata) larvae can produce and secrete a human growth factor - a molecule that helps promote cell growth and wound healing.

Researchers have uncovered a metabolic defect that spurs T cells to go rogue in rheumatoid arthritis patients. The findings suggest that prooxidants, chemicals that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), rather than antioxidants that protect against ROS, may help fix this metabolic malfunction and quell joint inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease in which overactive T cells trigger joint damage and inflammation.

A new drug to treat the muscle wasting disease inclusion body myositis (IBM) reverses key symptoms in mice and is safe and well-tolerated in patients, finds a new study led by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases at University College London (UCL) and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Washington, DC--To provide integrated care for people who have diabetes and may be at risk of developing related medical complications, the U.S. health care system needs to continue building effective multidisciplinary care team models, according to new recommendations issued by the Endocrine Society today.

The Endocrine Society's analysis of the challenges and opportunities created by the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) implementation was published online today in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Ann Arbor, MI, March 23, 2016 - Sedentary behavior, particularly sitting, has recently become a prevalent public health topic and target for intervention. As work and leisure activities shift from standing to sitting, increased sitting time is starting taking a toll on our bodies. A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that sitting for more than three hours per day is responsible for 3.8% of all-cause mortality deaths.

In a study published online by JAMA Cardiology, Tracy Y. Wang, M.D., M.H.S., M.Sc., of Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, N.C., and colleagues examined whether earlier outpatient follow-up after acute myocardial infarction (AMI; heart attack) is associated with higher rates of medication adherence.