Newswise: Latest News

SAMHSA Appoints Elinore F. McCance-Katz, M.D. To the New Position of Chief Medical Officer

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:50:00 EST

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Administrator Pamela S. Hyde is announcing the appointment of Elinore F. McCance-Katz, M.D., Ph.D. as SAMHSA's first chief medical officer. In this capacity she will provide medical-scientific expertise to SAMHSA's major behavioral health efforts including those promoting the prevention of mental illnesses and substance use disorders, as well as the treatment and recovery of people from these conditions.

New Test Better Detects Elephantiasis Worm Infection

Washington University in St. Louis — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST

A new diagnostic test for a worm infection that can lead to severe enlargement and deformities of the legs and genitals is far more sensitive than the currently used test, according to results of a field study in Liberia, in West Africa, where the infection is endemic.

Older Prostate Cancer Patients with Other Underlying Health Problems Ought to Think Twice Before Getting Treatment

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST

Older prostate cancer patients with other underlying health conditions should think twice before committing to surgery or radiation therapy for their cancer, according to a multicenter study led by researchers in the UCLA Department of Urology.

WCS Informs Discussion of Responses to a Changing Arctic

Wildlife Conservation Society — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST

In two critical reports released at the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden on May 15th, the scientific expertise of the Wildlife Conservation Society helped inform an international body of senior government officials about changing conditions in the Arctic, and potential responses to those changes.

Iowa State Design Prof Leads Team in Autism Research, Outreach

Iowa State University — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:25:00 EST

What started as a school project for a cognitively disabled son turned into a career focus for an Iowa State graphic design professor. Since Debra Satterfield discovered her son's talents as a painter, she has led a team who design educational, social inclusion and play experiences for kids with cognitive disabilities, including ASD.

IUPUI Professor Provides Retrospective as Rockefeller Foundation Turns 100

Indiana University — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

The Rockefellers' contributions went beyond funding to creating the mechanisms for dispersing funds. Lessons learned by the Rockefeller Foundation could well serve today's leading philanthropic giants, said IUPUI Professor William H. Schneider.

Bronchodilators Appear Associated with Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Events

American Medical Association (AMA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

A study of older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suggests that new use of the long-acting bronchodilators β-agonists and anticholinergics was associated with similar increased risks of cardiovascular events, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Less Sleep Associated With Increased Risk of Crashes for Young Drivers

American Medical Association (AMA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

A study by Alexandra L. C. Martiniuk, M.Sc, Ph.D., of The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues suggests less sleep per night is associated with a significant increase in the risk for motor vehicle crashes for young drivers.

Effect of Fluid And Sodium Restrictions On Weight Loss Among Patients with Heart Failure

American Medical Association (AMA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

A clinical trial of 75 patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) suggests that aggressive fluid and sodium restriction has no effect on weight loss or clinical stability at three days but was associated with an increase in perceived thirst, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Association Between In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates, Prevention of Cardiac Arrests

American Medical Association (AMA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

Hospitals with higher rates of survival among patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest also appear to have a lower incidence of in-hospital cardiac arrest, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

IMRT May Not Be More Effective Than Older Radiation Techniques After Prostatectomy

University of North Carolina School of Medicine — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy has become the most commonly used type of radiation in prostate cancer, but research from the University of North Carolina suggests that the therapy may not be more effective than older, less expensive forms of radiation therapy in patients who have had a prostatectomy.

Annual Sustainability Research Conference Inspires Collaboration and Shares Solutions

University of Virginia Darden School of Business — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

The Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS), housed at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, held its fifth annual research conference at the Berkeley-Haas School of Business on Monday, 29 April through Wednesday, 1 May.

Hospitals' Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Survival Rates Go Hand in Hand

University of Michigan Health System — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

Measuring hospitals' cardiac arrest survival rates appropriate first step in efforts to reduce cardiac arrest deaths.

Two Radiotherapy Treatments Show Similar Morbidity, Cancer Control After Prostatectomy

American Medical Association (AMA) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

Use of the newer, more expensive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and use of the older conformal radiotherapy (CRT) after surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland were associated with similar morbidity and cancer control outcomes, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Protein Study Suggests Drug Side Effects are Inevitable

Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

A new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets - sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins - is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid.

Study Suggests New Source of Kidneys for Transplant

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Nearly 20 percent of kidneys that are recovered from deceased donors in the U.S. are refused for transplant due to factors ranging from scarring in small blood vessels of the kidney's filtering units to the organ going too long without blood or oxygen. But, what if instead of being discarded, these organs could be "recycled" to help solve the critical shortage of donor organs?

Gym Class Reduces Probability of Obesity, Study Finds for First Time

Cornell University — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Little is known about the effect of physical education on child weight, but a new study from Cornell University finds that increasing the amount of time that elementary schoolchildren spent in gym class reduces the probability of obesity.

Leading Explanations for Whooping Cough's Resurgence Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny

University of Michigan — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence.

Timing of Cancer Radiation Therapy May Minimize Hair Loss, Researchers Say

Salk Institute for Biological Studies — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy might be minimized if these treatments are given late in the day.

Ant Study Could Help Future Robot Teams Work Underground

Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Future teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much-despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States.

High Fiber Diets May Increase Susceptibility to E. coli Infection

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Consuming diets higher in fiber may increase the risk for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 infection and severe disease according to a new study, "Dietary choice affects Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 colonization and disease," published in the online Early Edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 20.

Listening to Favorite Music Lowers Anxiety, Sedation in ICU Patients on Ventilators

Ohio State University — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

New research suggests that for some hospitalized ICU patients on mechanical ventilators, using headphones to listen to their favorite types of music could lower anxiety and reduce their need for sedative medications.

Prenatal Exposure to Traffic is Associated with Respiratory Infection in Young Children

American Thoracic Society (ATS) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study from researchers in Boston.

American Academy of Pediatrics Appoints Dr. Ihuoma Eneli to Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight Steering Committee

Nationwide Children's Hospital — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

Ihuoma Eneli, MD, MS, medical director for the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital, was recently named as a member of the Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight Steering Committee by the American Academy of Pediatrics. She will serve on the committee for at least two years.

Having a Nighttime Critical Care Physician in the ICU Doesn't Improve Patient Outcomes

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST

Having a nighttime intensivist had no clear benefit on length of stay or mortality for critical care patients, not even patients admitted at night or those with the most critical illnesses at the time of admission, according to new findings from Penn Medicine researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine.