Differential heart-attack risks among blacks, whites remain mystery
...art Study have ruled out one of the most prominent explanations of why elevated levels of a fat-carrying protein called "lipoprotein(a)" lead to increased risks for heart attacks among whites but not among African-Americans. Researchers say the study, which appeared last month in the journal Circulation, points t...Can hospital data detect poor performing doctors?
...r. They recommend a structured approach to seeking explanations for outlier status. "Further evaluation of our method is warranted, but our overall approach may be potentially useful in other settings, especially where performance entails several indicator variables," they conclude....American Thoracic Society Journal news tips for April 2005 (second issue)
...s of medical ethics and palliative care, including explanations of patient preferences, surrogate decision-making, and affirmation of non-abandonment. They said that the most common missed opportunity occurred when clinicians failed to listen and respond appropriately and directly to comments made by family memb...Is there a link between childhood cancer and overhead power lines?
...es, researchers have studied a variety of possible explanations including genetic susceptibility, ionising radiation, unusual patterns of exposure to infection, and electromagnetic fields. The electric power system produces extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields, and since 1979 there has been concer...Mayo Clinic case series illuminates connection between welding, brain damage
...ise healthy welders, there are no other reasonable explanations than the fume exposure for the damage present in the MRI findings," he says. Syndromes Dr. Josephs says previous case reports have linked manganese fumes generated by welding with various symptoms, but none has identified the syndromes or actual ...Risk of heart attack may increase with certain anti-inflammatory drugs
...an observational study may make it prone to other explanations for the findings, say the authors. "However, enough concerns exist to warrant a reconsideration of the cardiovascular safety of all NSAIDS", they conclude. A separate editorial in the BMJ urges caution when interpreting the study, and suggests that ...Seven deadly sins: A new look at society through an old lens
...Conyon suggests that there other equally plausible explanations that explain pay outcomes, such as the need to recruit, retain and motivate talented CEOs to manage increasingly complex organisations in the competitive global economy. The evidence suggests that CEO compensation both current pay and aggregate shar...Japanese doctors likelier than US counterparts to involve patients' families in decisions
...reasons for the differences in approaches, several explanations have been hypothesized from previous studies. One cause for that divergence may stem from the types of cancers that are prevalent in each country. One of the most common cancers in Japan is gastric cancer, which has a high mortality rate. Given thi...New study examines characteristics of women with an aggressive form of breast cancer
...nging patterns of risk factor exposure as possible explanations for the rise in reported cases. Although they report that their study helps create a comprehensive definition for IBC in the SEER database, the authors state that finding a molecular determinant and genetic profile for the disease is still needed to...The rich die differently from you and me, U-M study shows
...ospitalized." The authors offered several possible explanations for their "most unique and sobering finding"---that wealthier elders suffer less than poorer ones at the end of life. When personal resources are limited, elders without coverage for prescription medications, including those on Medicare, may choose t...Study reveals $20 billion in untapped generic drug savings
...io and Pennsylvania, at $1 billion each. Possible explanations for the variations in generic fill rates include divergence in prescribing patterns, state regulations, differences in disease prevalence and varying use of drug-benefit programs that encourage greater use of generics. Miller outlined four steps con...Single-visit program for cervical cancer screening increases rate of follow-up, treatment
...y hypothesized that women who received results and explanations about the importance of follow-up for an abnormal Papanicolaou test result on the same day as the test would be more likely to follow up. The randomized trial included 3,521 women aged 18 or older recruited between January 1999 and April 2002 from U...Tryptophan no turkey in boosting immune system, Stanford study shows
... than activate it. Steinman admitted that the only explanations of this phenomenon currently amount to "hand waving." "One of the questions that is bound to come up with all this is, 'So, doctor, if I eat a lot of this or that, can I cure my autoimmune disease?'" said Steinman. "Even though many of the things we ...Women are receiving less aggressive treatment for chest pain and heart attacks than men, study finds
...than men," she said. "There are a lot of potential explanations as to why women wouldn't get the same number of procedures." Dr. Anand is working to find the root of the problem through several new studies, including an online survey of physicians who are presented with patient scenarios and asked to respond with...Statins may simulate stem cells for heart repair
...essel relaxation have been thought to be the major explanations for their beneficial actions. "These new findings raise the possibility that statins can also recruit endogenous repair of cardiac muscle cells in some disease states. This could lead to a broader application in treating heart failure arising fro...Short-term survival rates better for US vs. Canadian heart failure patients
...rsity of Toronto, said there are several potential explanations for our results. "The Canadian system has a greater emphasis on primary care and all patients have health insurance, including a drug benefit. It is possible that our approach leads to better patient follow-up and fewer financial barriers to care." ...New technique puts brain-imaging research on its head
...a long time and there have been numerous different explanations for it. What we see with the MRI is quite a bit of mechanical deformation in the front of the brain when the skull is hit from the rear. It seems to be because the brain is trying to pull away from some constraints in the front of the brain." Bayl...Risk of second cancer after breast cancer
...ss of cancer suggests that there may be additional explanations such as increased surveillance and general cancer susceptibility," the authors note. The study found an almost 6-fold increase in the risk of cancer in connective tissue of the thorax and upper limbs, which suggests that radiation therapy, which has ...Cultural differences may explain variations in home remedy use
...rategies for maintaining health may provide better explanations for ethnic difference in home remedy use," said Gr...s and other similar factors "suggest that cultural explanations likely hold more promise for explaining ethnic differences in home remedy use among older adults."...Pay cuts lead to worker insomnia, but supervisor training helps
...tance of providing thorough, accurate and complete explanations of key decisions, and the importance of being accessible to discuss issues with employees. "Everyone I know in management agrees these types of behaviors are important and necessary," Greenberg said. "But just because people say it is important does...