Culture

Heart patients get post-traumatic stress disorder too

New York, NY (June 20, 2012) — One in eight people who suffer a heart attack or other acute coronary event experience clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers. The study also shows that heart patients who suffer PTSD face twice the risk of having another cardiac event or of dying within one to three years, compared with those without PTSD.

Innovative, automated strategies to engage patients at home are key to improving health outcomes

PHILADELPHIA – In a Perspective piece published Online First this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania propose a multi-pronged approach to the new practice of so-called "automated hovering" that aims to improve patients' compliance with medication and dietary regimens and other positive health behaviors.

New delivery method improves efficacy of 2 common Parkinson's disease medications

A new delivery method for levodopa/carbidopa, a common dual-drug Parkinson's disease (PD) regimen, significantly improved the duration of the drugs' effectiveness in people with advanced PD, according to research by Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The new method is continuous delivery of an intestinal gel formulation of the therapies, which are traditionally taken orally. The study found that the continuous gel delivery reduced "off" time—when the medicine's effectiveness wears off—by an average of nearly two extra hours per day.

CRN assesses current state of scientific research for nutritional supplements

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2012—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry's leading trade association, today released its comprehensive report, The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements (4th Edition). The updated book, which assesses the current state of the science on the health benefits associated with select nutritional supplements, finds consistent and adequate use of these products contributes to overall health and wellness throughout all age groups, lifestyles, and life stages.

Human factors researcher pushes for safer gas fireplaces

With the increase in popularity of glass-fronted or "direct vent" gas fireplaces has come an alarming increase in the number of small children who have been seriously burned by touching the hot glass. Until very recently, U.S. law allowed the glass to reach the scorching temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260˚ C). Human factors/ergonomics researcher Carol Pollack-Nelson, in her upcoming Ergonomics in Design article, "The Burn Hazard Presented by Gas Fireplace Glass," describes how she called on the U.S.

Ethics should drive health policy reform, especially with physician-owned specialty hospitals

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The ethical principles that have for centuries shaped the relationship between patient and physician should also guide legislators, regulators -- and justices of the highest court -- charged with crafting U.S. health care policies that demarcate the boundaries of a physician's business practice, an Indiana University professor argues.

Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs

A protein required to regrow injured peripheral nerves has been identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The finding, in mice, has implications for improving recovery after nerve injury in the extremities. It also opens new avenues of investigation toward triggering nerve regeneration in the central nervous system, notorious for its inability to heal.

'Tell me no lies': New human factors/ergonomics research on deception may improve Homeland Security

Recent world tragedies have led to an increased emphasis on the importance of deception training - especially at security checkpoints in airports, bus terminals, and train stations – that is designed to avert potential terrorist attacks. Past research on deception has identified the physiological and behavioral cues that can expose the individual liar, but most major terrorist acts involve two or more coconspirators. In their upcoming Human Factors article, "Social Indicators of Deception," authors James E.

Carrots, not sticks, motivate workers

EAST LANSING, Mich. — What motivates people to work harder: The promise of reward or the threat of penalty?

A new study co-authored by a Michigan State University business scholar says it's the carrot – and not the stick – that drives productivity.

The study, which appears in The Accounting Review, challenges previous research that says the threat of penalty is more effective for getting increased effort, said Karen Sedatole, associate professor of accounting in MSU's Broad College of Business.

Wake Forest Baptist research provides clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 20, 2012 – The headlines are often filled with this scenario: a person displaying violent, bizarre and agitated behavior is subdued by law enforcement personnel and later dies in custody. It appears to be a case of police brutality – but is it?

According to William P. Bozeman, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, some of these deaths may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome.

Study: 21 percent of newly admitted nursing home residents sustain a fall during their stay

LOS ANGELES, CA — One in five short-stay nursing home patients sustains a fall after their admission, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing is associated with decreased fall risk, according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

STUDY: 21 percent of newly admitted nursing home residents sustain a fall during their stay

LOS ANGELES, CA — One in five short-stay nursing home patients sustains a fall after their admission, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing is associated with decreased fall risk, according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Stanford study shows opiates' side effects rooted in patients' genetics

STANFORD, Calif. — Genetics play a significant role in determining which patients will suffer the most from the disturbing side effects of opiates, commonly prescribed painkillers for severe to moderate pain, according to a new Stanford University School of Medicine study, which pinpoints nausea, slowed breathing and potential for addiction as heritable traits.

Regional anesthesia reduces complications and death for hip fracture patients

PHILADELPHIA - In a study of more than 18,000 patients having surgery for hip fracture, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that the use of regional anesthesia versus general anesthesia, was associated with a significant reduction in major pulmonary complications and death. The new study will be published in the July issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Mount Sinai is first in New York state to perform new Alzheimer's imaging test in clinical setting

The Mount Sinai Medical Center is the first institution in New York State to use in the clinical setting a newly approved imaging technique to detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people who are cognitively impaired. Until now, physicians have been limited in their ability to diagnose AD, guided almost exclusively by a patient's mental and behavioral symptoms and family history. The innovative technique—recently approved by the U.S.