British hospitals need clinical ethicists
"We need to introduce clinical ethicists in hospitals in the United Kingdom," says a researcher in medical ethics in this week's BMJ....... A sound knowledge of medical ethics is essential to the good practice of medicine, yet conclusive evidence exists that doctors need help with ethical problems, writes Daniel Sokol of Imperial College London....... About a fifth of NHS acute trusts currently h...Sexual lifestyles vary among ethnic groups in Britain
Patterns of sexual lifestyles and sexually transmitted infections (STI) vary among ethnic groups in Great Britain, concludes a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET....... Kevin Fenton (University College London, UK) and colleagues used data from the second British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, involving 12,110 men and women aged 16-44 years resident in Great Britain, to...Do minorities survive hospitalization better than others?
A Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order can certainly guide family members who are faced with difficult end-of-life decisions and might have simplified the plight of Terry Schiavo. Increasing usage of these orders can factor into the interpretation of clinical observations. While two recent studies showed lower in-hospital mortality for African-Americans than for non-Hispanic whites, in a study publishe...RIT takes eye-tracking research to next level
How do we use our eyes to perceive the world? Could eye movements be windows into human cognition? ... Scientist Jeff Pelz thinks so. The director of the Visual Perception Laboratory at Rochester Institute of Technology studies the link between eye movements and cognition. His latest research, in collaboration with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), focuses on how deaf student...Sudan surveys show high rates of death and malnutrition among displaced population
An assessment of the people living in three communities in South Darfur, Sudan found a high number of deaths from violence and disease, according to a brief report in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA....... In background information, the authors write mass violence against civilians in the west of Sudan started in 2003 and has continued. "More than 1.5 million people (25 percent of the population of...Study finds majority of women willing to accept cervical cancer vaccine for self and children
Miami, March 20, 2005--In a study of 200 women, a group of physicians has found that a vast majority of women would be willing to take a cervical cancer vaccine themselves and would allow it to be administered to their children. The findings, which were presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer in Miami, describes women's attitudes toward a potent...University seeks recruits for arthritis study
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are seeking people with arthritis to help them better understand how mood-- particularly depression-- affects their symptoms. The study will investigate the way depression and pain impact on the thinking processes of those with arthritis....... Research psychologist Anthoula Lioni said: "Depression is common in people with arthritis, and arthritis patien...Cardiologists underestimate racial and ethnic disparities in care
NEW YORK, March 15 Only one-third of cardiologists surveyed believe racial and ethnic disparities in care occur often in the United States despite extensive documentation of the problem, according to a survey published in a special disparities issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.... In the 2004 Rand Corporation survey, 34 percent of cardiologists agreed that differenc...Stroke awareness low among women, especially minorities
NEW YORK, March 15 Knowledge of stroke warning signs remains low among U.S. women, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, according to a national survey reported in a special disparities themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.... Each year about 700,000 Americans have a new or recurrent stroke and nearly 40,000 more women than men die of a stroke, accord...Minorities, poor, uneducated bear the burden
NEW YORK, March 15 Disparities in health care are pervasive in America. These disparities adversely impact the cardiovascular health of Americans, especially African Americans, Hispanics, poor and uneducated people, according to a report in a special disparities themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.... Health disparities refer to differences in health indicator...Cardiovascular health disparities must be eradicated
NEW YORK, March 15 Research, advocacy and education must "close the gaps" in cardiovascular health disparities among races, an American Heart Association writing group reports in today's special disparities issue of ..."Discovering the full spectrum of cardiovascular disease: The minority health summit" is an executive summary based on reports from a meeting held in October 2003 in Atlanta, Ga....Health care report cards may increase racial/ethnic disparities in bypass operations
NEW YORK, March 15 Medical "report cards" intended to improve the quality of health care may sometimes reduce it for racial and ethnic minorities, according to a report in a special disparities themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. ...Several states began publishing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) report cards in the 1990s in an effort to improve the quality...A shallow hip socket predicts osteoarthritis of the hip
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip is one of the leading causes of disability among elderly men and women. This progressive joint disease involves multiple factors, including genes, age, gender, hormones, as well as body mass index, mechanical stress. In addition, a developmental condition known as acetabular dysplasia can contribute to disease risk. Often present at birth, acetabular dysplasia is...The impact of cruciate ligament rupture on osteoarthritis of the knee
As many professional athletes know, tears of the cruciate ligaments the two ligaments that in the knee that keep it stable can lead to short-term as well as long-term problems, including severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Rupture of the front or anterior cruciate ligament is, in fact, known to provoke premature knee OA. However, much about the relationship between knee OA and cruciate lig...Inflammation elevates risk of cardiac death in rheumatoid arthritis patients
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic epidemiologists have found that the systemic inflammation characterizing rheumatoid arthritis may be to blame for the increased risk of cardiovascular death in patients with the disease. ...... "We believe that inflammation is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease among rheumatoid arthritis patients," says Hilal Maradit Kremers, M.D., lead study investiga...Job satisfaction? Not much for Britain's hard slog 'robot' workers
Having to work harder and act like 'robots', with little scope for personal initiative, are the chief reasons for declining job satisfaction in Britain, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC....... Feelings of insecurity, too high expectations and people being 'over-educated' and unable to find work to match their qualifications, are largely dismissed as factors, in the study led by Pro...Both inherited traits and tumor mutations affect response to treatment of leukemia
The outcome of chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) depends not only on the acquired genetic make-up of the leukemic cells, but on genes that children inherit from their parents. This study, from investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is published in the online edition of Blood.... The study provides strong evidence that it might be possible to design ALL...Molecule important in cell construction also critical in learning and memory
New Haven, Conn.--A family of proteins that help build the cytoskeleton, or the bones of the cell, also play an important role in learning and memory, according to a study published this month in ....... Marina Picciotto, associate professor of psychiatry, pharmacology and neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine, and the senior author of the study, studied mice missing one of these proteins---ad...Concerns over the future of children's health care in British general practice
The British model of general practice is rightly admired, but there are several causes for concern regarding the future of children's health care in general practice, argues an editorial in this week's BMJ....... For instance, new out of hours arrangements may encourage parents to bypass primary care and seek emergency care in hospitals, while general practitioners have yet to take on a major rol...Lack of specific collagen type leads to osteoarthritis
DURHAM, N.C. Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that joints whose cartilage lacks a specific type of collagen will develop osteoarthritis the so-called "wear-and-tear" form of the disease at a greatly accelerated rate....... The results of their experiments with mice provide new insights that could lead to potential treatments for a disease that afflicts more than 40 million...'Marital strain' increases women's risk of death, heart disease
ORLANDO, Feb. 17 Married women who avoid conflict with their spouses have an increased risk of dying from any cause, researchers report today at the Second International Conference on Women, Heart Disease and Stroke.... Researchers also found that men whose wives' come home upset with work outside the home have an increased risk of developing heart disease.... Researchers examined information...Sites chosen for public-private Osteoarthritis Initiative
Four clinical centers and a data coordinating center have been selected to conduct the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), the public-private partnership that will bring together new resources and commitment to... help find biological and structural markers (biomarkers) for development and progression of this joint disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and the major cause...Nutrition status affects cognitive impairment in the elderly
Old age is often associated with cognitive impairment that can range in severity from mild memory loss to severely debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer disease. By current estimates, more than one million of the elderly in Europe and about 750,000 elderly in the United States and Canada become cognitively impaired each year, and often require expensive long-term care. Though it was previou...Science backs Cod Liver Oil as cure for arthritis
Scientists at Cardiff University (Wales, UK) have confirmed what thousands of people with arthritis have believed for years. Cod Liver Oil really is effective in treating joint pain and can slow, even reverse, the destruction of joint cartilage. ......Cartilage is the gristle that cushions bones and prevents them from grinding against each other. Loss of cartilage leads to osteoarthritis, the...Major review reveals that osteoarthritis is a complex disease with new solutions
.A multidisciplinary group of scientists has declared that osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is "surprisingly complex," but has outlined a number of new approaches to its understanding, prevention and treatment. Their report, a review by 28 researchers at 17 academic and government institutions, cites over 250 published articles and is presented in two parts in the Annals o...Survey Finds Increasing Popularity Of Acute Stroke Teams In U.S. Hospitals
. ORLANDO, FLA. -- In the past, the brain and heart have received different.treatment, at least when it comes to emergencies.. When "code blue" teams rush to someone having a heart attack, their goal.is to jump-start the heart to re-establish blood flow to the brain. Such teams.have been hospital staples for years; however, the emergence of similar teams to.help patients sufferi....SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- A survey of experts conducted during a seminar on social.security and mortality improvement in the NAFTA countries calls for development.of forecasting methods with greater heed to uncertainty so that financing needs.for social security can be more accurately projected.. A preliminary analysis of the survey points to the "medical advances,.lifestyle changes, economi...NIH Honors Emory Researcher With Merit Award For Work On Renin-Angiotensin System
.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.(NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted Kenneth.Bernstein, MD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, a MERIT award in.recognition of his "consistent and excellent contributions to scientific.knowledge." MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) awards extend the.normal time period for a...Social Security reform proposals raise concerns for older women
Several popular plans for the revamping the Social Security system contain clauses that could fail to significantly protect older women, according to research reported in the February 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 1). The study discusses the potential effects of implementing several different minimum benefits scenarios in Social Security, which have accompanied proposals to reform...British conservatives should beware of Australian health service reforms
Australia is held up as a model of how to increase use of private health care in the United Kingdom. But experts in this week's BMJ warn that the effects of its reforms are not all beneficial and ask what can British and European conservatives learn from an Australian colleague who has deliberately sought to enhance the role of the private sector?...... The Australian prime minister, John Howard,...Rheumatoid arthritis patients have double the risk of heart failure
ROCHESTER, MINN. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have found that rheumatoid arthritis patients have twice the risk of heart failure, or a weakening of the heart's ability to pump blood, as those without rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study to be published in the February edition of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, . About one-third of the rheumatoid arthritis patients studied developed h...Rheumatoid arthritis linked to excess risk of congestive heart failure
A serious chronic disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by inflammation and damage of the joint, major organ involvement and increased mortality. Among patients, about one in three deaths results from cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels). Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major contributor to cardiovascular-related deaths but not just among RA...Rheumatoid arthritis patients at higher risk for unrecognized heart disease and cardiac sudden death
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- People with rheumatoid arthritis not only have a higher risk of coronary heart disease than those in the general population, but they have more silent, unrecognized heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the February issue of ). They are also much less likely to complain of chest pain. ...... The increased heart disease risk may...Minorities who experience pain don't receive the same care as Caucasians
The first issue of Pain Medicine in 2005 will focus on the inequalities and differences in how pain is assessed and treated amongst various racial and ethnic minority groups. Data from the articles in this themed edition provide evidence that African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians and other racial and ethnic minorities do not receive optimal care in treatment for pain. ......"Each articl...More Britons are living alone than ever before, with more men than women living on their own between the ages of 25 and 44. And once someone has gone solo, they are more likely to remain living alone shows new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). ...... Using census statistics and data tracking the lives of more than 150,000 individuals in England and Wales since 19...Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells
MADISON - After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body. ...The new findings, reported online today (Jan. 30, 2005) in the journal Nature Biotechnology by scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are important because they prov...Article highlights confusion about Homeland Security safety symbols
SANTA MONICA, CA-- Safety symbols designed to instruct American citizens how to react if terrorists strike may confuse them, according to an article in the latest issue of Ergonomics in Design. For example, the symbol meaning "Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort" was interpreted to mean "Yell when you hear a whistle."...... In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security (...Severity of liver disease not a reliable indicator of quality of life
A new study on the determination of how livers are allocated for transplants examined the relationship between liver disease severity and quality of life, and found that the commonly used model for liver allocation is not a reliable indicator of general quality of life.... ...The results of this study appear in the February 2005 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American...Hospital admissions for asthma more likely for ethnic minorities in the UK
South Asian and black people in the UK are more likely to be admitted to hospital for asthma-related problems than white people, concludes a study published in this week's issue of THE LANCET. ...... The frequency of asthma varies between countries and may vary between ethnic groups within a country. However, reliable data on ethnic variations in UK asthma frequency have been lacking. ...... Aziz...2005: A critical year for action towards millennium development goals
...Today the UN Millennium Project will deliver its reports to the UN Secretary-General. A series of articles to be published by THE LANCET over the next few weeks--starting with an overview published online--will highlight the global efforts required in 2005 to ensure that the millennium goals are realisable by 2015. ......Jeffrey Sachs and John McArthur highlight in the first article how 2005...