News briefs from the journal Chest, August 2007
...e in CT-Measured Emphysema Identified A new study reveals that in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at all stages of severity, men have more CT-measurable emphysema than women with COPD. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama, the Birmingham VA Medical Center...Study reveals gaps in vaccine financing for underinsured children
...onal survey of state immunization program managers reveals gaps in coverage for the current vaccine financing system, suggesting that many underinsured children may not receive recommended vaccinations, such as for pneumonia and meningitis, according to a report in the August 8 issue of JAMA. The number an...Sports concussion research using fMRI provides insight for safe return-to-play decisions
...sponse to different cognitive activities. fMRI reveals preliminary evidence and lays ground work for future research In our study, using fMRI, we demonstrate that the functioning of a network of brain regions is significantly associated with both the severity of concussion symptoms and time to recover...... new research at The University of Texas at Austin reveals hundreds of varied and complex motivations that range from the spiritual to the vengeful. After conducting one of the most comprehensive studies on why people have sex, psychology researchers David Buss and Cindy Meston uncovered 237 motivations, w...Patients with soft tissue sarcomas should be treated at high volume centers
...ect the patients survival chances. This analysis reveals a direct correlation between hospital surgical volume and both short-term and long-term treatment outcomes for STS. While the observations reported here require confirmation with additional independent data sets they argue persuasively for exclusive ...Case study: cross-cultural bioethics training program helps fight African 'brain drain'
...demic Medicine. For the first time, the case study reveals some potent lessons in what it takes to deliver a ...ally work in their own countries. The case study reveals that Johns Hopkins Fogarty Bioethics trainees return to Africa well-equipped for the practicum and s...Detecting cold, feeling pain: Study reveals why menthol feels fresh
...ed on-line in the journal "Nature" (May 30, 2007), reveals one of the key mechanisms by which the body detects temperature sensation. But in so doing it also illuminates a mechanism that mediates how the body experiences intense stimuli temperature, in this case that can cause pain. As such, the recepto...Inactive kids storing up illness for the future
...ester study funded by the British Heart Foundation reveals that the level of physical inactivity among children today has reached epidemic levels. Researchers from Leicester -Professor Kamlesh Khunti, Professor Melanie Davies and Dr Margaret Stone- have just published one of the largest studies of physical a...Transplanting human gut bugs into mice helps understanding of metabolic system
...standing of the human and animal metabolic system, reveals a new study in the journal Molecular Systems Biology. Bugs in the gut are known as gut microbes and they live symbiotically in human and animal bodies. The new study involved understanding the major role that gut microbes have in determining how t...UCLA imaging study reveals how pure oxygen harms the brain
...For the first time, a new UCLA brain-imaging study reveals why. Published in the May 22 edition of Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine, the findings fly in the face of national guidelines for medical practice and recommend a new approach adding carbon dioxide to the gas mix to preserve brain function ...How insulin-producing cells develop -- new finding could help fight against diabetes
... by insufficient levels of insulin. The research reveals that glucose plays a key role in enabling healthy beta cells, which secrete insulin, to develop in the pancreas of an embryo. Glucose prompts a gene called Neurogenin3 to switch on another gene, known as NeuroD, which is crucial for the normal develo...New study: Pycnogenol reduces heart failure
...dition of the journal of Cardiovascular Toxicology reveals Pycnogenol natural pine bark extract from the French maritime pine tree, helps prevent damage that high blood pressure causes to the heart. The study demonstrates Pycnogenol counteracts the "wearing out" of the heart, which may aid the five million ...New update of international health system comparisons: US continues to lag on most measures
...ing data in industrialized nations published today reveals that despite spending more than twice as much per capita on health care as other nations ($6,102 vs. $2,571 for the median of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD] countries in 2004) the U.S. spends far less on health informati...'Lite' low tar cigarettes impair blood flow as much as regular cigarettes
...rough the heart as severely as regular cigarettes, reveals a small study published ahead of print in the journal Heart. The findings are based on 62 people in their mid 20s, with no evidence of coronary artery disease. Twenty had smoked low tar, low nicotine cigarettes (8 mg tar, 0.6 mg nicotine, and 9 m...Mediterranean diet halves risk of progressive lung disease
...ping progressive inflammatory lung disease (COPD), reveals a large study, published ahead of print in Thorax. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is an umbrella term for chronic progressive lung disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis. It is expected to become the third leading cause of death wo...Comparison of patients' access to new and better cancer drugs reveals inequalities between countries
... looks at access to 67 innovative cancer drugs. It reveals that Austria, France, Switzerland and the US are the leaders in the use of new cancer drugs, with France replacing Spain among the top four since the 2005 report was published. The authors report that uptake of new cancer drugs is "low and slow" in...Decrease in breast cancer rates likely reflect HRT reduction and saturation of mammography
...Online Open Access journal Breast Cancer Research, reveals two distinct patterns in the recent breast cancer rates in U.S. women: a downturn in the incidence rates in almost all age groups above 45 years beginning in 1998/1999, consistent with a levelling off of mammography utilization, and a sharp fall in t...Research demonstrates link between domestic violence and asthma
...d for identifying stress-induced episodes and also reveals another terrible health risk of domestic violence."...1 in 3 HIV positive gay men report unprotected sex
...IV positive gay men say they have unprotected sex, reveals a community survey, published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. And almost one in five HIV negative men said that they do the same, the figures show. The findings are based on a survey of men at gay bars, clubs, and s...Significant rise in proportion of chronically ill children dying in intensive care
...ily risen year on year since the end of the 1990s, reveals a study in the Journal of Medical Ethics . The researchers analysed the records of one large childrens hospital, to find out where children had died, and of what causes. The period of analysis spanned seven years from 1997 to 2004 and included ...