The use of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist in the operating room considerably lowers the risks of surgery. This is the conclusion of Axel Fudickar and co-authors in their article in Issue 42 of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109(42): 695). The most common errors in safety-related behavior in the operating room are attributable to inadequate communication and teamwork. The Surgical Safety Checklist, which was introduced by the World Health Organization in 2007, has the main effect of improving commmunication of the ...

A new University of Colorado Boulder study shows for the first time that episodes of reduced precipitation in the southern Rocky Mountains, especially during the 2001-02 drought, greatly accelerated development of the mountain pine beetle epidemic. The study, the first ever to chart the evolution of the current pine beetle epidemic in the southern Rocky Mountains, compared patterns of beetle outbreak in the two primary host species, the ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine, said CU-Boulder doctoral student Teresa Chapman. The current mountain pine beetle outbreak in the ...

New Rochelle, NY, November 5, 2012—Spinal cord injury (SCI) can disrupt the body's sensitive signaling mechanisms that control blood pressure, breathing, and oxygen delivery to the heart and other organs during changes in body position. Cardiovascular (CV) disease is a leading cause of illness and death following SCI, and changes in baroreflex sensitivity—the body's ability to detect and respond to changes in blood pressure—may be predictive of a CV event. A comprehensive review article on baroreflex sensitivity after SCI is published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed ...

Alexandria, VA — Genetic testing for a certain mutation in pediatric patients is valuable in determining a cause for unexplained hearing loss, according to a study in the November 2012 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. The study's authors state that testing for some of the most common mutations that cause sensorineural hearing loss in a targeted way, rather than through generalized screening of hearing loss patients, yields the best results. University of Miami NIH-funded researchers led by Dr. Xue Zhong Liu, a physician-scientist, conducted a nine-year ...

Many animal species transmit information via chemical signals, but the extent to which these chemosignals play a role in human communication is unclear. In a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, researcher Gün Semin and colleagues from Utrecht University in the Netherlands investigate whether we humans might actually be able to communicate our emotional states to each other through chemical signals. Existing research suggests that emotional expressions are multi-taskers, serving more than one function. Fear ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A new study analyzing the previous math standards of each state provides strong support for adoption of common standards, which U.S. students desperately need to keep pace with their counterparts around the globe, a Michigan State University scholar argues. Forty-six states are implementing the Common Core math and reading standards, which nonetheless have come under fire recently by some researchers and would-be politicians. But William Schmidt, MSU Distinguished Professor of statistics and education, said the Common Core is a world-class set ...

This press release is available in Spanish. Spanish legislation on waste management changed in July last year. Until then, the consumer was responsible for the disposal of products. According to Mr Unai Tamayo, economist at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the new laws "foment the construction of closed systems, such as in taverns: the container being taken out and subsequently returned. Moreover, when a manufacturer launches a product on to the market, once consumed, the packaging is considered waste, and the responsibility for this now falls on the manufacturer ...

VIDEO: Princeton University research suggests that a common strain of herpes virus causes cold sores with only one or two viral particles, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection is... Click here for more information. New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment. Unlike most viruses that ...

Boston, Mass, Nov. 5, 2012— A new study by researchers in Boston Children's Hospital's Division of Emergency Medicine indicates that a nationwide standard on booster seat laws for children 4 feet 9 inches and shorter, or up to 8 years old, would save lives. The findings were published online Nov. 5, 2012, in the journal Pediatrics. Boston Children's researchers reviewed data from Fatality Analytic Reporting System, analyzing child deaths in motor vehicle accidents, looking specifically at whether the crash and resulting deaths or injuries took place in a state with or ...

Johns Hopkins researchers have succeeded in teaching computers how to identify commonalities in DNA sequences known to regulate gene activity, and to then use those commonalities to predict other regulatory regions throughout the genome. The tool is expected to help scientists better understand disease risk and cell development. The work was reported in two recent papers in Genome Research, published online on July 3 and Sept. 27. "Our goal is to understand how regulatory information is encrypted and to learn which sequence variations contribute to medical risks," says ...

A computer animation produced by University of Delaware researchers shows the explosive development of Hurricane Sandy, the superstorm and its unusual track. View the animation on the University's UDaily website at http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/nov/animation110212.html Matt Shatley, computer research specialist in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), assembled the animation by digitally stitching together about 800 infrared images taken by GOES, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, which keeps a continuous eye on the continental United ...

Family members didn't give CPR for cardiac arrests as often as passers-by or friends in a Japanese study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012. Cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of heart function, typically resulting from an abnormal heart rhythm that causes the heart to quiver erratically and stop pumping blood. According to the American Heart Association, effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim's chance of survival. In a review of 547,218 cardiac arrests occurring in 2005-09, ...

An experimental device converted energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012. The findings suggest that patients could power their pacemakers — eliminating the need for replacements when batteries are spent. In a preliminary study, researchers tested an energy-harvesting device that uses piezoelectricity — electrical charge generated from motion. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts ...

A study estimating the death rate from heart and circulatory disease in each electoral ward in England has found that despite considerable improvements since the 1980s, the difference between the wealthiest and poorest communities has widened for people over 65. Mortality from heart and circulatory disease – the leading cause of death in the UK – declined in most places between 1982 and 2006, but for men and women aged 65 or older, the decline was smaller in the most deprived communities, resulting in a wider gap between rich and poor. The authors, from Imperial College ...

ADDIS ABABA (5 NOVEMBER 2012)—A new book finds that the Nile river, together with its associated tributaries and rainfall, could provide 11 countries—including a new country, South Sudan, and the drought-plagued countries of the Horn of Africa—with enough water to support a vibrant agriculture sector, but that the poor in the region who rely on the river for their food and incomes risk missing out on these benefits without effective and inclusive water management policies. The Nile River Basin: Water, Agriculture, Governance and Livelihoods, published by the CGIAR Challenge ...

Adults with diabetes and multi-vessel coronary heart disease who underwent cardiac bypass surgery had better overall heart-related outcomes than those who underwent an artery-opening procedure to improve blood flow to the heart muscle, according to the results from an international study. The research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study compared the effectiveness of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with a non-surgical procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention ...

LOS ANGELES – A crowdsourcing contest that sent hundreds of Philadelphians to locate and catalog the locations of AEDs throughout the nation's fifth largest city led to the identification of more than 1,400 automated external defibrillators in public places, according to a study from researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 (Abstract #17478). The efforts of these "citizen scientists" are expected to help provide crucial data to ensure quick ...

DreamQuest Games has luanched its Kickstarter campaign for all new family-friendly game, Alpha Colony. What makes the game wholly unique is it's interesting balance of competitive and cooperative play. The goal of the game is to build the most prosperous prospector on a new and distant colony. But in Alpha Colony, it takes more than being the best to win. If the colony doesn't cooperate to thrive as a whole, everyone loses. Alpha Colony's emphasis on cooperation makes it a game the whole family can enjoy. While creating an interesting dynamic for stronger players, it ...

Elegant Ballroom, Spicy Latin, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and steamy Belly Dance performed by individuals, couples, and choreographed groups all under the lights of Strom Auditorium (Strom Auditorium is located within Camden Hills Regional High School, Rt. 90, Rockport, Maine). Watch gorgeous costuming and stage settings from your comfortable seats in this beautiful state of the art facility. Dancers from all age groups will perform and there is something for every age group to see! Tickets just $12 in advance or $15 at the door. 207-594-0940 or http://www.swingnsway.com/showcase.htmlTickets ...

Compliance Consultant Jennifer Young of Kung Fu Family LLC shifts focus from the Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification program implementation she is leading at Honolulu Hawaii-based Norpac Fisheries Export and travels to lead the same implementation at Marshall Islands Fishing Venture in Majuro. Ms. Young grew up in the major fishing markets of Honolulu and Louisiana. She has owned KFF LLC since 1995. The partnership with Norpac Fisheries Export began in 2009. She develops, leads, trains and implements over 40 key industry regulatory programs and requirements onsite, such ...

VanMarter Project, a nationally touring rock band from the Northwest, has committed to supporting music education in cities they tour. They will be performing a fundraising concert November 19, 2012 for Granite Park Junior High School, located at 3031 S. 200 E. Salt Lake City, Utah. General admission is $5 and tickets are available at http://www.vanmarterproject.com or in the school's front office. All ages are welcome. Opening talent showcase by Granite Park students; doors open at 5:30pm. The debut album Don't Look Back by VanMarter Project continues to gain momentum ...

PROLIM Corporation, a full service IT and PLM consulting firm, announced today the acquisition of stake in Able Design Engineering Services (P) Ltd, an end-to-end Engineering Design and PLM Consulting Services Company specialized in Transportation (Automotive, Rail, Aerospace), Power Generation, Medical. Able is an authorized SIEMENS PLM Channel partner to sell and service NX, Solid Edge, FEMAP, Cam Express, Tecnomatix and Teamcenter in India. The acquisition will allow both companies to provide clients with seamless, consistent solutions around the world. Through the Able ...

Christy Prentice is a photographer who dabbles in conning wealthy families out of a tiny serving of their legacy pie. They may not be convinced she's the long lost daughter of the deceased, but it's worth it to them to send her a small check just to hedge their bets. The DeLune family in Nashville is unlike the other families in many ways; not the least of which is that they want her to hang around after the check clears. And it's not just the immediate family who hangs onto Christy. For some reason, even the estate attorneys are happy to have made her acquaintance. The ...

Nancy Kaiser, animal communicator and author of 'Tales Of An Animal Communicator: Master Teachers' has been chosen as a finalist for '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading'. Winners will appear in this years edition of the book. Kaiser was chosen as the result of her appearance on The Authors Show Radio. "One of the greatest gifts I received," Ms. Kaiser stated, "from navigating my 'dark night of the soul' was the discovery of my talent for writing. The act of writing allowed me to heal from the most traumatic time in my life. Not having possessed a lifelong ...

Nami Media, provider of the leading pay-per-click (PPC) performance ad solutions for networks, has broadened its product development capabilities with the hires of Stefanie Rubin as VP Product Development and three supporting staff, bringing Nami's total team to 32 people. Nami's product team has streamlined their turnkey PPC platform into three core products—adManager, adConnect, and adPublisher—that serve the PPC market from end to end. The platform operates on a massive scale, handling billions of queries and tens of millions of clicks per day, connecting direct advertisers ...