EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-May-2013

JAMA Internal Medicine
Hospitals' cardiac arrest incidence and survival rates go hand in hand
Hospitals' cardiac arrest rates tend to be linked to survival rates of cases.

NIH/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Public Release: 20-May-2013

Cancer
Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer
A new measure of the heterogeneity -- the variety of genetic mutations -- of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer better than most traditional risk factors.

NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Public Release: 20-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Leading explanations for whooping cough's resurgence don't stand up to scrutiny
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.

National Institutes of Health, US Department of Homeland Security

Public Release: 20-May-2013

Arthritis Care & Research
Blame your parents for bunion woes
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot Study -- the first to estimate the heritability of foot disorders in humans -- appear in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Public Release: 19-May-2013

Nature Medicine
New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage. In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a critical bone regulation protein in mice halts progression of the disease.

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Public Release: 18-May-2013

Digestive Disease Week
Consuming coffee linked to lower risk of detrimental liver disease, Mayo Clinic finds
Regular consumption of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis, an autoimmune liver disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were being presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2013 conference in Orlando, FL.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 17-May-2013

Journal of the American College of Surgeons
More than one-third of Texas women still receive unnecessary breast biopsy surgery
Many women in Texas who are found to have an abnormality on routine mammogram or discover a lump in one of their breasts end up having an old-fashioned surgical biopsy to find out whether the breast abnormality is malignant. Since 2001, national expert panels have recommended that the first course of action for women with breast lumps or masses should be minimally invasive biopsy.

National Institutes of Health, Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Public Release: 17-May-2013

EMBO Molecular Medicine
Study identifies new approach to improving treatment for MS and other conditions
Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.

National Institutes of Health, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Feldstein Medical Foundation

Public Release: 17-May-2013

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting
Study: Peer-referral programs can increase HIV-testing in emergency departments
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that incorporating a peer-referral program for HIV testing into emergency departments can reach new groups of high-risk patients and brings more patients into the health care system for testing.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 17-May-2013
Underrepresented minority students receive fellowships in digestive disease and nutrition research
Illustrating a commitment to the support of underrepresented minority researchers, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Research Foundation has announced the inaugural AGA Investing in the Future Student Research Fellowship Award recipients. Supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, this new award helps underrepresented minority students to further their research careers in digestive disease and nutrition research.

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Public Release: 17-May-2013

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Beer-industry advertising guidelines: Rating panels may help industry assess itself
The alcohol industry has developed and regulates its own guidelines regarding advertising. A new study has investigated the ability of panels to find consensus around code violations. Results indicate that a modified Delphi Technique may enhance the ability of regulatory agencies to monitor the content of alcohol-beverage advertising.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Public Release: 17-May-2013

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
College women exceed NIAAA drinking guidelines more frequently than college men
In 1990, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism issued guidelines that define low-risk drinking, which differ for men and women. New research shows that female college student drinkers exceed NIAAA guidelines for weekly drinking more frequently than their male counterparts.

NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Public Release: 17-May-2013

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Individuals who drink heavily and smoke may show 'early aging' of the brain
Alcohol treatment interventions work best when patients understand and are actively involved in the process. A first-of-its-kind study looks at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in one-month-abstinent alcohol dependent (AD) individuals in treatment. Results show that AD individuals who currently smoke have more problems with memory, ability to think quickly and efficiently, and problem-solving skills than those who do not smoke, effects which seem to become greater with increasing age.

National Institutes of Health