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Medicine 2011-02-15

Less is more when prescribing acid suppressive drugs for non-ICU patients

BOSTON – Over the last several decades, the prophylactic use of acid-suppressive medications to help prevent gastrointestinal bleeding (GI) in hospitalized patients has increased significantly, with some studies estimating that as many as 40 to 70 percent of all medical inpatients are given these drugs at some point during their hospitalization. But, for patients who are not critically ill, the actual incidence of GI bleeding has not been well investigated. Now, a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and reported in today's on-line ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Living fast but dying older is possible -- if you're a sheep

According to Dr Annette Baudisch of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, current methods of comparing patterns of ageing are limited because they confound two different elements of ageing – pace and shape. "Some organisms live a short time, others live a long time. This is the pace of ageing. Short-lived species have a fast pace of ageing, and long-lived species have a slow pace of ageing. Pace describes how quickly the clock of life ticks away. For humans it ticks slowly, for small songbirds like the robin it ticks very fast," explains ...
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Lavender oil has potent antifungal effect
Science 2011-02-15

Lavender oil has potent antifungal effect

Lavender oil could be used to combat the increasing incidence of antifungal-resistant infections, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. The essential oil shows a potent antifungal effect against strains of fungi responsible for common skin and nail infections. Scientists from the University of Coimbra in Portugal distilled lavender oil from the Lavandula viridis L'Hér shrub that grows in southern Portugal. The oil was tested against a range of pathogenic fungi and was found to be lethal to a range of skin-pathogenic strains, known as dermatophytes, ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Most medical devices recalled because of serious risks did not undergo clinical trials

Most medical devices recently recalled by the Food and Drug Administration because of very serious risks were initially approved through an expedited process or were exempt from regulatory review, according to a report posted online today that will be published in the June 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Unlike prescription drugs, medical devices are reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) using two alternative regulatory standards: (1) premarket approval, which requires clinical testing and inspections; ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Obesity is heart disease killer in its own right, irrespective of other risk factors

Obesity is a killer in its own right, irrespective of other biological or social risk factors traditionally associated with coronary heart disease, suggests research published online in Heart. Increasing weight is associated with a higher prevalence of known risk factors for coronary artery disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. And it has been assumed that these have been responsible for the increased risk of heart disease seen in obesity, say the authors. The research team tracked the health of more than 6,000 middle aged men with high cholesterol, ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Portable pedal machines may help counter harmful effects of sedentary jobs

Portable pedal machines could help counter the harmful effects of prolonged periods spent at a desk or workstation among an increasingly sedentary workforce, suggests a small study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The researchers base their findings on 18 full time employees who were given a pedal exercise machine for four weeks, specifically designed to be used while seated at a desk in the workplace. The mini exercise bike comprised a set of pedals that can be set up in front of most standard office chairs for use while seated, and which ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Fiber intake associated with reduced risk of death

Dietary fiber may be associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases, as well as a reduced risk of death from any cause over a nine-year period, according to a report posted online today that will be published in the June 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Fiber, the edible part of plants that resist digestion, has been hypothesized to lower risks of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and obesity, according to background information in the article. It is known to assist ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Automatic referrals, plus a patient discussion, may increase use of cardiac rehab

Automatically referring patients with heart disease to cardiac rehabilitation—when followed by a discussion between patient and clinician—was associated with an increased rate at which patients use this beneficial service, according to a report in the February 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and this is chiefly attributable to modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking, unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle," the ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Hearing loss associated with development of dementia

Older adults with hearing loss appear more likely to develop dementia, and their risk increases as hearing loss becomes more severe, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. By the year 2050, an estimated 100 million people or nearly one in 85 individuals worldwide will be affected by dementia, according to background information in the article. Interventions that could delay the onset of dementia by even one year could lead to a more than 10 percent decrease in the prevalence of dementia in 2050, the authors ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Cigarette smoking associated with increased risk of developing ALS

Cigarette smoking may be associated with an increased risk of developing the muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder of motor neurons affecting more than 5,500 newly diagnosed patients every year in the United States," according to background information in the article. "There is no cure for ALS, and the few available treatments have limited efficacy. About 90 percent of ALS cases ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Study identifies blood glucose levels that predict 10-year risk of retinopathy

Individuals who have higher blood glucose levels and poorer control of those levels over time appear more likely to develop eye-related complications 10 years later, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The high blood glucose levels accompanying diabetes are known to be associated with microvascular complications, including the eye condition retinopathy, according to background information in the article. "However, some controversy concerns the actual value of this glycemic threshold for identifying ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Obese women may be less likely to develop glaucoma

Obesity may be associated with higher eye pressure and a decreased risk of open-angle glaucoma in women but not men, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Open-angle glaucoma is a chronic eye disease characterized by glaucomatous optic neuropathy and corresponding glaucomatous visual field loss," the authors write as background information in the article. Previous research has identified several risk factors for open-angle glaucoma, including intraocular pressure (pressure ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

An early step in Parkinson's disease: Problems with mitochondria

For the last several years, neurologists have been probing a connection between Parkinson's disease and problems with mitochondria, the miniature power plants of the cell. Toxins that mimic Parkinson's effects act specifically to poison mitochondria, and mitochondria appear to be damaged in the brain cells that are endangered in the disease. But one unresolved question has been: are mitochondria simply the vulnerable "canaries in the coal mine" or is their deterioration a key step on the way to neurodegeneration? Now researchers at Emory University School of Medicine ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Hershey scientists improve methods for analysis of healthful cocoa compounds

Two scientific publications report on improved methods for determining the amounts of flavanol antioxidants in cocoa and chocolate. The research, sponsored by The Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, was a collaboration between scientists at The Hershey Company and other scientific laboratories. Scientists at Planta Analytica (Danbury, CT) isolated and separated cocoa flavanol antioxidants on a large scale. The Hershey scientists and collaborating scientists at the Pennsylvania State University-M.S. Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, PA) teamed up to determine the ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Commonly prescribed osteoporosis drug associated with very low risk of serious jaw disease

(PORTLAND, Ore.) February 14, 2011 — A commonly prescribed osteoporosis drug is associated with a slightly elevated risk of developing the rare, but serious condition, osteonecrosis of the jaw; nonetheless the risk remains extremely low. These findings are published online in the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International and American Associations for Dental Research. Although the findings are provocative, study authors say they should be carefully considered against the large benefit of these drugs to prevent and treat osteoporosis. The study ...
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Ground-based lasers vie with satellites to map Earth's magnetic field
Space 2011-02-15

Ground-based lasers vie with satellites to map Earth's magnetic field

Mapping the Earth's magnetic field – to find oil, track storms or probe the planet's interior – typically requires expensive satellites. University of California, Berkeley, physicists have now come up with a much cheaper way to measure the Earth's magnetic field using only a ground-based laser. The method involves exciting sodium atoms in a layer 90 kilometers above the surface and measuring the light they give off. "Normally, the laser makes the sodium atom fluoresce," said Dmitry Budker, UC Berkeley professor of physics. "But if you modulate the laser light, when ...
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Science 2011-02-15

The UK is a nation of happy couples

Researchers at the Institute for Social and Economic Research asked both individuals in the couple to rate their happiness on a seven point scale; from the lowest score of 'extremely unhappy' to the middle point of 'happy', the highest point being 'perfect'. The self-reported happiness rating revealed that 90 percent of married women and 88 percent of cohabiting women are happy in their relationships. Ninety-three percent of married men and 92 percent of cohabiting men said they were happy in their relationship. The findings indicate the happiest couples are those in ...
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Space 2011-02-15

British scientists develop control system to allow spacecraft to think for themselves

The world's first control system that will allow engineers to programme satellites and spacecraft to think for themselves has been developed by scientists from the University of Southampton. Professor Sandor Veres and his team of engineers have developed an artificially intelligent control system called 'sysbrain'. Using natural language programming (NLP), the software agents can read documents written in English, rather than needing specially programmed code to be uploaded, to obtain new instructions or new information. This gives the vehicles advanced guidance, navigation ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Estrogen reduces aggression in breast cancer

A team of researchers at CIC bioGUNE has revealed that oestrogen can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Their work shows that oestrogen is capable of reducing the number of breast cancer stem cells, which may explain the lower aggression of the tumour and, as a consequence, the possibility of a better prognosis. The project was published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment and the team will present the results under the auspices of the International Conference on Breast Cancer to be held in Madrid. The research combined the use of human samples and laboratory cell lines. The ...
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Science 2011-02-15

Moderate-to-heavy alcohol intake may increase risk of atrial fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm). Its name comes from the fibrillating (i.e., quivering) of the heart muscles of the atria, instead of a coordinated contraction. The result is an irregular heartbeat, which may occur in episodes lasting from minutes to weeks, or it could occur all the time for years. Atrial fibrillation alone is not in itself generally life-threatening, but it may result in palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or congestive heart failure. There is no doubt that heavy alcohol intake and binge drinking ...
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Total cooperation among people is not viable
Science 2011-02-15

Total cooperation among people is not viable

The objective of this research is to understand how cooperation works in nature in general, and among humans in particular. "From the evolutionary point of view it is very difficult to understand why we would help others when what interests us is helping ourselves," explained the authors of this study, which was recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. One of the most striking conclusions drawn is that there are different types of people: those who always try to help their neighbors (around 5 percent), those who never do so (35 percent), and others who cooperate depending ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

Hand movements in children with ADHD hold clues to understanding and predicting symptom severity

(Baltimore, MD) – Two research studies published today in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found markers for measuring the ability of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to control impulsive movements, which may reveal insights into the neurobiology of ADHD, inform prognosis and guide treatments. In one of two studies conducted by researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, children with ADHD performed a finger-tapping task. Any unintentional ...
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More deep-sea vents discovered
Science 2011-02-15

More deep-sea vents discovered

Scientists aboard the Royal Research Ship James Cook have discovered a new set of deep-sea volcanic vents in the chilly waters of the Southern Ocean. The discovery is the fourth made by the research team in three years, which suggests that deep-sea vents may be more common in our oceans than previously thought. Using an underwater camera system, the researchers saw slender mineral spires three metres tall, with shimmering hot water gushing from their peaks, and gossamer-like white mats of bacteria coating their sides. The vents are at a depth of 520 metres in a newly-discovered ...
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Culling can't control deadly bat disease
Medicine 2011-02-15

Culling can't control deadly bat disease

Culling will not stop the spread of a deadly fungus that is threatening to wipe out hibernating bats in North America, according to a new mathematical model. White-nose syndrome, which is estimated to have killed over a million bats in a three year period, is probably caused by a newly discovered cold-adapted fungus, Geomyces destructans. The new model examines how WNS is passed from bat to bat and concludes that culling would not work because of the complexity of bat life history and because the fungal pathogen occurs in the caves and mines where the bats live. "Because ...
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Medicine 2011-02-15

NIH study finds 2 pesticides associated with Parkinson's disease

New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users. The study was a collaborative effort conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center in Sunnyvale, Calif. "Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the structure responsible for making ...
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