PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

For kids with injured ankles, less treatment may be more

2015-07-20
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON --Emergency physicians can safely reduce x-rays in children with hurt ankles by as much as 23 percent and save emergency patients both money and time. The results of a cost analysis of the Low Risk Ankle Rule (LRAR) were published online Tuesday in Annals of Emergency Medicine "Cost Consequence Analysis of Implementing the Low Risk Ankle Rule in Emergency Departments".

"Currently, x-rays are ordered for up to 95 percent of children who come to emergency departments with ankle injuries, though only 12 percent of those x-rays show fractures," said lead study author Kathy Boutis, MD, MSc, of The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. "Widespread implementation of the LRAR could lead to a safe reduction of x-rays in children with ankle injuries, reducing unnecessary radiation exposure and health care costs."

Researchers compared children with ankle injuries at emergency departments that did and did not use the LRAR. At emergency departments using the LRAR to assess children with acute ankle injuries, there were 22.9 percent fewer ankle x-rays and health care costs were $36.93 less compared with those that did not use the rule. Importantly, in reducing x-rays, there were no significant differences in the frequency of missed clinically important fractures or in use of health care resources after a patient was discharged from the emergency department.

"Our findings are good news for the two million American and Canadian children with hurt ankles who visit emergency departments each year: although most currently receive x-rays, many do not actually need them," said Dr. Boutis. "There are also potential cost savings. In a publicly funded health care system, using the LRAR to decide if x-rays are necessary in children with ankle injuries modestly reduced health system costs without increasing patient costs. In a privately funded health care system like the one in the Unites States, the cost savings would likely be realized by the patient or insurer."

INFORMATION:

Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed scientific journal for the American College of Emergency Physicians, the national medical society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.acep.org.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Perovskite solar technology shows quick energy returns

2015-07-20
Solar panels are an investment -- not only in terms of money, but also energy. It takes energy to mine, process and purify raw materials, and then to manufacture and install the final product. Silicon-based panels, which dominate the market for solar power, usually need about two years to return this energy investment. But for technology made with perovskites -- a class of materials causing quite a buzz in the solar research community -- the energy payback time could be as quick as two to three months. By this metric, perovskite modules are better than any solar technology ...

Satellite data shows Tropical Cyclone Halola getting stronger

Satellite data shows Tropical Cyclone Halola getting stronger
2015-07-20
Tropical Depression Halola is getting stronger. NASA data pinpointed the area of strongest sustained winds on July 19 and the extent of those winds expanded on July 20 as Halola became a tropical storm again. NASA also gathered infrared data that showed cloud top temperatures getting colder, indicating more uplift or strength in the storm. On July 19 at 2 p.m. GMT (10 a.m. EDT), the RapidScat instrument aboard the International Space Station gathered data on surface winds in Tropical Depression Halola. RapidScat saw the strongest sustained winds were on the northeastern ...

HIV control through treatment durably prevents heterosexual transmission of virus

2015-07-20
Antiretroviral treatment that consistently suppresses HIV is highly effective at preventing sexual transmission of the virus in heterosexual couples where one person is HIV-infected and the other is not, investigators report today at the 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention (IAS 2015) in Vancouver, Canada. The finding comes from the decade-long HPTN 052 clinical trial funded primarily by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted by the NIH-funded ...

Novel glycoengineering technology gives qualitative leap for biologics drug research

2015-07-20
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a way of improving biotech drugs. Better, cheaper and more effective drugs to combat cancer, arthritis and many other disorders. This is the result of a ground-breaking new technique developed by a group of researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. The method can improve a large number of so-called glycoprotein-based pharmaceuticals used to treat a variety of diseases. The technique has recently been described in one of the world's most distinguished scientific ...

Adolescent friendship study confirms 'birds of a feather flock together -- stay together'

2015-07-20
No one likes to lose a friend, especially adolescents. But why do friendships end? Researchers in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University sought to answer this question with a study examining whether adolescent friendships end because of undesirable characteristics of friends, because of differences between friends, or both. Findings from this long-term longitudinal study of 410 adolescents involved in 573 friendships are published in the current issue of Psychological Science. Adolescent friendships are fleeting. The majority dissolve ...

The chemistry of wine (video)

The chemistry of wine (video)
2015-07-20
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2015 -- If you're stumped in the wine aisle of the store, then you're not alone. Every bottle has unique nuances of taste and smell. How can something made of grapes smell buttery or taste like grass? Learn about the complex chemistry behind wine and then impress your friends at your next party thanks to Reactions. Check out our wine chemistry primer here: http://youtu.be/_UaS743_aEs. Subscribe to the series at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions, and follow us on Twitter @ACSreactions to be the first to see our latest videos. INFORMATION: The American ...

Life-saving breast cancer drugs going untaken in Appalachia

2015-07-20
Nearly a third of breast cancer survivors in Appalachia are not taking the critical, potentially life-saving follow-up treatment - despite having insurance that would pay for it, a troubling new study has found. Researchers cross-examined cancer registries with Medicare claims data and determined that of 428 women, approximately 30 percent failed to follow through with their prescribed adjuvant hormone therapy, a treatment to prevent the cancer's recurrence. "Almost a third of the prescriptions for adjuvant hormone therapy were not filled, which is much, much higher ...

Georgia State study finds state regulations linked to late cancer diagnoses

2015-07-20
ATLANTA--States' regulations of health insurance and practitioners significantly influence when patients receive colorectal or breast cancer diagnoses, especially among people younger than the Medicare-eligible age of 65, according to a new study by researchers at Georgia State University's School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study suggests that where people live is a strong predictor of whether they will receive potentially life-saving cancer screenings. Dr. Lee Rivers Mobley, associate professor of spatial science and health ...

Ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton

2015-07-20
Oceans have absorbed up to 30 percent of human-made carbon dioxide around the world, storing dissolved carbon for hundreds of years. As the uptake of carbon dioxide has increased in the last century, so has the acidity of oceans worldwide. Since pre-industrial times, the pH of the oceans has dropped from an average of 8.2 to 8.1 today. Projections of climate change estimate that by the year 2100, this number will drop further, to around 7.8 -- significantly lower than any levels seen in open ocean marine communities today. Now a team of researchers from MIT, the University ...

Marine travellers best able to adapt to warming waters

Marine travellers best able to adapt to warming waters
2015-07-20
Marine species that already roam far and wide throughout our oceans are extending their territories further and faster in response to climate change, according to new research involving the University of Southampton and an international team of biodiversity experts. The study found that while species that have large ranges are able to make their way to cooler waters, small-ranging species are in increased jeopardy as our planet's oceans continue to warm. "Our findings indicate that animals which already have wide-latitudinal ranges, habitat generalists, and species with ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] For kids with injured ankles, less treatment may be more