Monday 4 November 2019

Your eating-on-the-job problems, solved

Few meals may be less loved than the workday lunch. Pulled from a brown bag, yanked from a microwave in the middle of a shift or nabbed from a bland cafeteria between meetings, it's more associated with frustration than nutrition.

One in three young adults get meds for opioid use disorder after overdose

(HealthDay)—One in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder in the 12 months after surviving an overdose, according to a study published online Oct. 4 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Coronary calcium score may ID CV risk in rheumatoid arthritis

(HealthDay)—The Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) may be a useful tool in cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment among female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published in the October issue of the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

2007 to 2016 saw increase in child psychiatrists in U.S.

(HealthDay)—The number of child psychiatrists has increased in the United States, although there is considerable regional variability, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Pediatrics.

Google employees call for corporate climate change action

Google employees are demanding the company issue a climate plan that commits it to zero emissions by 2030.

New Facebook logo arrives as its 'family' grows

Facebook on Monday unveiled a new logo to represent the Silicon Valley company, distinct from its core social network.

Snowden warns of Web giants' 'irresistible power'

Technology has given internet giants "irresistible power" when they work in concert with governments, whistleblower Ed Snowden told the Web Summit that opened in Lisbon on Monday.

Fighting the HIV epidemic

Stigma is an important contributor to the continued HIV epidemic in the United States. While pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication that can be taken to prevent HIV infection, previous research has shown that a barrier preventing gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men from using PrEP is fear that partners, family members or community members would believe that those who use PrEP are HIV infected. Less is known, however, about these factors among women.

Some CBD products may yield cannabis-positive urine drug tests

In a study of six adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that a single vaping episode of cannabis that is similar in chemical composition to that found in legal hemp products could possibly result in positive results on urine drug screening tests commonly used by many employers and criminal justice or school systems.

Biosimilar drugs can reduce costs but still face challenges in the US

Biologics used to treat patients can be incredibly expensive, so there was significant hope that biosimilar drugs—which are highly similar to an existing biologic drug on the market—could serve as a less-costly substitute. However, new research from the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic finds that while physicians are indeed willing to prescribe these drugs, the cost savings are minor and there remains a number of regulatory barriers to their use.

Characteristics beyond intelligence influence long-term achievement, study finds

People often ask University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth what predicts success.

Scientists identify protein that promotes brain metastasis

A protein that breast, lung and other cancers use to promote their spread—or metastasis—to the brain, has been identified by a team led by Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian investigators. The protein, CEMIP, will now be a focus of efforts to predict, prevent and treat brain metastases, which are a frequent cause of cancer deaths.

Daylight Saving Time has long-term effects on health

The annual transition to and from daylight saving time (DST) has clinical implications that last longer than the days where clocks "fall back" or "spring forward."

Economists tally societal cost of preterm birth

In the United States, 1 in 10 babies is born preterm, or at a gestational age of less than 37 weeks. The causes of preterm birth are complicated but the effects are clear: Preterm birth has lasting consequences for the child and their family.

Better autonomous 'reasoning' at tricky intersections

MIT and Toyota researchers have designed a new model to help autonomous vehicles determine when it's safe to merge into traffic at intersections with obstructed views.

Deep neural networks uncover what the brain likes to see

Opening the eyes immediately provides a visual perception of the world—and it seems so easy. But the process that starts with photons hitting the retina and ends with 'seeing' is far from simple. The brain's fundamental task in 'seeing' is to reconstruct relevant information about the world from the light that hits the eyes. Because this process is rather complex, nerve cells in the brain—neurons—also react to images in complex ways.

Study reveals how brain injury can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. military members frequently follows a concussion-like brain injury. Until now, it has been unclear why. A UCLA team of psychologists and neurologists reports that a traumatic brain injury causes changes in a brain region called the amygdala; and the brain processes fear differently after such an injury.

Eye on research: A new way to detect and study retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a cancer that forms in the light-detecting cells in the back of the eye. It often appears in children under two years of age and can lead to blindness or eye removal. Most cancers are biopsied and studied so that medical research can design targeted treatments. Unfortunately, this is not possible with retinoblastoma. Thanks to research led at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, this is no longer the case.

Survey: Seriously ill Medicare beneficiaries can face considerable financial hardship

Despite high beneficiary satisfaction with Medicare overall, a new national survey led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Business School, and colleagues finds that its coverage gaps may cause considerable financial distress for the most seriously ill patients. About half reported a significant problem paying medical bills, with prescription drugs posing the most hardship.

Health care provider deserts may leave patients in the cold

People with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have access to fewer health care providers—and may also have to drive further to see them—than people with other plans, according to researchers.

Study offers alternative explanation for much-heralded decline in hospital readmission rates under pay-for-performance

The decline in hospital readmission rates that occurred following the launch of a federal program designed to improve quality of care and reduce repeat hospitalizations has been lauded as proof of the program's effectiveness.

New research links SNAP participation to reduced risk of premature deaths among US adults

A new study published in the journal Health Affairs by researchers from Syracuse University's Maxwell School and the University of Kentucky reveals that participation in the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reduces the risk of premature mortality among U.S. adults.

Combination gene therapy treats multiple age-related diseases

As we age, our bodies tend to develop diseases like heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes, and obesity, and the presence of any one disease increases the risk of developing others. Traditional drug development targets only one condition per drug, largely ignoring the interconnectedness of age-related diseases and requiring patients to take multiple drugs, which increases the risk of negative side effects.