Culture

Alcohol leaving the UK charts with a hangover

London -- Are we allowing alcohol marketing to children and teens via the music they love? As many as one in five songs in the UK top ten today include references to alcohol -- a figure rising partly due to US-imported songs. What impact is this having on the youth of today? Experts warn that fresh evidence demonstrates that public health messages on alcohol may no longer be audible over the louder message from some sections of the music industry.

New approaches to testing cancer drugs needed -- ESMO press commentary

Lugano, Switzerland, 28th September -- Research institutes, regulators and the pharmaceutical industry are urged to cooperate to develop new approaches to testing cancer drugs, in order to bring the revolution in personalised medicine to patients across Europe, says the European Society for Medical Oncology.

3 of 4 are aware of ACA individual mandate; only 4 of 10 aware of marketplaces, subsidies

New York, NY, September 30, 2013—As the key components of the Affordable Care Act roll out this week, more than three-quarters (76%) of U.S. adults are aware of the law's individual mandate, while only four of 10 are aware of the new health insurance marketplaces opening on October 1, or the financial assistance that is available to help people with low or moderate incomes pay their health insurance premiums, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey.

Longest follow-up of melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab shows some survive up to 10 years

Patients with advanced melanoma, who have been treated with the monoclonal antibody, ipilimumab, can survive for up to ten years, according to the largest analysis of overall survival for these patients, presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1] today (Saturday).

Professor Stephen Hodi (MD), Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, USA), told the congress: "Our findings demonstrate that there is a plateau in overall survival, which begins around the third year and extends through to the tenth year.

Research reveals the benefits of strength training as physical exercise for 90-year-olds

After doing specific training for 12 weeks, people over the age of 90 improved their strength, power and muscle mass. This was reflected in an increase in their walking speed, a greater capacity to get out of their chairs, an improvement in their balance, a significant reduction in the incidence of falls and a significant improvement in muscle power and mass in the lower limbs.

Rutgers study challenges view that immigrants' children hinder US economic future

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Contrary to perceptions shaped by media coverage and public discussion, the number of children in immigrant families is not the primary reason more children are living in poverty, a Rutgers study has found, raising the question of whether federal policies impacting immigrants should be significantly altered.

Over the limit: Size, shape and color of wine glass affect how much you pour

Pouring a glass of wine is rarely an exact measurement, especially in a social setting. While most people think of a glass as one serving, in reality it could be closer to two or three. Researchers at Iowa State and Cornell universities discovered just how much one pours is influenced by a variety of environmental factors and could have serious consequences when it comes to overconsumption.

Study finds socio-economic status impact mortality rates for certain stroke in US

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2013—Americans in the highest socio-economic groups have a 13 per cent greater chance of surviving a kind of stroke known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage than those in the lowest socio-economic groups, a new study has found.

However, social and economic status have no bearing on mortality rates for subarachnoid hemorrhages, or SAH, in Canada, according to the study led by Dr. Loch Macdonald, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Study reveals differences in post-operative complications

Older black and Hispanic patients have a greater risk than white patients of developing complications following surgery, a difference that can be explained by a patients' gender and pre-existing medical conditions. These findings, which are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), indicate that efforts to carefully evaluate risk factors prior to surgery need more attention, particularly for older minority patients.

Over the limit

AMES, Iowa – Pouring a glass of wine is rarely an exact measurement, especially in a social setting. While most people think of a glass as one serving, in reality it could be closer to two or three. Just how much one pours is influenced by a variety of environmental factors, researchers at Iowa State and Cornell universities discovered, and that could have serious consequences when it comes to overconsumption.

Getting better together: New study looks at shared medical decision making

Rosemont, Ill.–Shared decision making refers to a set of principles that can be employed by patients and their physicians to explicitly incorporate patient preferences and values into clinical decision making. Past research shows that patients, who have an enhanced knowledge of their medical conditions and treatment alternatives, demonstrate a reduced anxiety when it comes to medical decision making.

School outreach program may reduce African-American student mobility

Outreach programs that build relationships between families and schools may reduce the number of students who change schools for reasons other than grade promotion, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University.

The researchers used data from a five-year study that examined the negative consequences of students changing schools for reasons other than grade promotion and the impact of an outreach program designed to enhance relationships between families and school personnel.

European and Brazilian cardiology societies team up to tackle cardiovascular disease

Rio de Janeiro, 28 September 2013 – As the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (BSC) team up to deliver key cardio messages at the 68th BSC Congress in Rio de Janeiro (28 September to 1 October 2013), new research underscores the essential role of cardiology specialists in Brazil.

Michigan's Medicaid expansion: A model for pragmatic, bipartisan health reform?

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan's newly expanded Medicaid program could act as a model for other states to achieve bipartisan health care reform even in a heated national political climate, says the head of the University of Michigan's health policy institute in an article published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pharmacy research can help raise health literacy standards, say experts

Philadelphia, PA, September 25, 2013 – Limited health literacy can lead to difficulties in patients' self-care activities such as taking prescribed medications.