Culture

America's communities are becoming increasingly diverse, but there are still important concerns about racial and ethnic integration in the future, according to researchers.

A new US2010 report shows whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians are increasingly sharing American communities, said Barry Lee, professor of sociology and demography, Penn State.

New Rochelle, NY, October 1, 2013—People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and death. A new study involving a comprehensive review of the medical literature shows that PTSD also increases an individual's risk of metabolic syndrome. What links these two disorders is not clear, according to a study published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.

New Haven, Conn. – A Yale-led study has identified a gene expression profile that can predict outcomes and lead to better treatment for one of the most lethal lung diseases, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study appears in Science Translational Medicine.

Technology, not uninsured patients, likely explains the steep rise in the cost of hospital care in Texas in recent years, according to Vivian Ho, the chair in health economics at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, a professor of economics at Rice and a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Her findings were reported in an article appearing in the Oct. 1 online edition of the journal Healthcare Management, Practice and Innovation.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new analysis by Oregon State University researchers of California's mental health system finds that comprehensive, community-based mental health programs are helping people with serious mental illness transition to independent living.

Published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health, this study has important implications for the way that states finance and deliver mental health programs, and speaks to the effectiveness of well-funded, comprehensive community programs.

Bethesda, MD -- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) leads to remission for 91 percent of patients with dysplastic Barrett's esophagus, according to new figures published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Dysplastic Barrett's esophagus is the most serious grade of the condition in which precancerous cells are detected in the esophagus.

This news release is available in French.

The researchers argue that more trials comparing the effectiveness of exercise and drugs are urgently needed to help doctors and patients make the best treatment decisions. In the meantime, they say exercise "should be considered as a viable alternative to, or alongside, drug therapy."

Women who gain excessive weight in pregnancy are more likely to have overweight and obese children, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine. A study by David Ludwig from Boston Children's Hospital in the USA and colleagues has concluded that even after making allowances for differences in birthweight, the likelihood of a child becoming obese is linked to the amount of weight that the mother gained in pregnancy.

In Denmark between 2001 and 2010 there was an increase in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that was associated with an increase in survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to a study in the October 2 issue of JAMA.

People place higher value on what they're waiting for; higher value makes them more patient

Let's face it – no one likes to wait. We're a culture of instant gratification. But what if the very act we dislike can actually help make us more patient and help us make better financial decisions?

Ann Arbor, Mich. — End-stage renal disease is one of the major public health problems among solid organ transplant recipients that is associated with death after transplant and high cost of care.

DETROIT -- You may be able to eat all of the ice cream you want after having your tonsils removed, but researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit say you don't necessarily need a prescription to reduce post-operative pain -- an over-the-counter pain-reliever is just as effective.

The study shows over-the-counter ibuprofen manages pain after a tonsillectomy for children and adults as well as the prescription pain medications acetaminophen with hydrocodone and acetaminophen with codeine, which is no longer recommended for use in children.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Oct. 1, 2013 — A groundbreaking study of nearly 2,300 extremely obese diabetes patients, led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), has identified genes associated with unhealthy liver function.

This is believed to be the nation's first large-scale genome-wide association study in overweight patients with diabetes.

Ever since cruise lines first began building mock suites for passengers to try out before installing the rooms on ocean liners in the 1940s, businesses have been devising trial runs for a small number of consumers to test merchandise prior to mass production. Today, companies still make important changes based on this "usability testing" before taking their goods to the wider market, and researchers now say that what works for cell phones and video games may also work for human services.