All Weight Loss Isn’t Equal For Reducing Heart Failure Risk

DALLAS – Nov. 9, 2020 – Reducing the level of body fat and waist size are linked to a lower risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes, a study led by UT Southwestern researchers indicates. The findings, reported today in Circulation, suggest that all weight loss isn’t equal when it comes to mitigating the risk of heart disease.

Marine Fisheries Will Not Offset Farm Losses after Nuclear War

After a nuclear war, wild-catch marine fisheries will not offset the loss of food grown on land, especially if widespread overfishing continues, according to a Rutgers co-authored study. But effective pre-war fisheries management would greatly boost the oceans’ potential contribution of protein and nutrients during a global food emergency, according to the study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study for the first time explored the effects of nuclear war on wild-catch marine fisheries.

A better understanding of coral skeleton growth suggests ways to restore reefs

In a new study, University of Wisconsin–Madison physicists observed reef-forming corals at the nanoscale and identified how they create their skeletons. The results provide an explanation for how corals are resistant to acidifying oceans and suggest that controlling water temperature, not acidity, is crucial to mitigating loss and restoring reefs.

Young survivors of acute myeloid leukemia have long-term complications from treatment

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a high risk of developing several long-term health complications after treatment, a study led by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers has found. The most common complications were cardiovascular, endocrine and respiratory diseases. The complications – known as late effects – were more present among non-white AYA patients and those living in more deprived neighborhoods.

Rapid test shows ‘solid performance’ for diagnosing infection around joint implants

The recently FDA-authorized alpha-defensin lateral flow test is a highly accurate, ten-minute test for diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) – a serious and costly complication of total joint replacement, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

Study finds that clinicians who prescribe unnecessary antibiotics fuel future antibiotic use

At a glance:
• Receipt of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections makes it more likely that patients and their families will seek care and receive antibiotics for future respiratory viral infections.
• Antibiotics work against bacteria but not against viruses, and improper use can make bacteria resistant to these drugs.
• The analysis reveals concerning variations in the prescribing patterns of urgent care clinicians.
• In the year after their visit, patients randomly assigned to clinicians who prescribed more antibiotics got 15 percent more antibiotics for viral respiratory infections compared with patients seen by clinicians who prescribed the fewest antibiotics.
• The findings underscore the importance of judicious antibiotic prescribing only for infections that can benefit from antibiotic therapy.

Newly discovered fossil documents small-scale evolutionary changes in an extinct human species

Males of the extinct human species Paranthropus robustus were thought to be substantially larger than females — much like the size differences seen in modern-day primates such as gorillas, orangutans and baboons. But a new fossil discovery in South Africa instead suggests that P. robustus evolved rapidly during a turbulent period of local climate change about 2 million years ago, resulting in anatomical changes that previously were attributed to sex.

EMBARGOED: Combining electronic and photonic chips enables new record in super-fast quantum light detection

Researchers from the University of Bristol’s Quantum Engineering Technology Labs (QET Labs) and Université Côte d‘Azur have made a new miniaturized light detector to measure quantum features of light in more detail than ever before. The device, made from two silicon chips working together, was used to measure the unique properties of “squeezed” quantum light at record high speeds.

Low risk of cancer spread on active surveillance for early prostate cancer

Men undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer have very low rates – one percent or less – of cancer spread (metastases) or death from prostate cancer, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Urology®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Penn Medicine Researchers Find Link Between Food Insecurity and Cardiovascular Death Risk

According to preliminary research conducted by Penn Medicine, increasing rates of food insecurity in counties across the U.S. are independently associated with an increase in cardiovascular death rates among adults between the ages of 20 and 64. This is one of the first national analyses to evaluate changes in both food security and cardiovascular mortality over time, and to see if changes in food insecurity impact cardiovascular health.

How a foreign market entry fails: the case of Guggenheim Helsinki

Researchers at the Aalto University School of Business followed the Guggenheim Helsinki project closely for several years: they interviewed different parties, observed meetings and analysed news related to the project. According to the researchers, Guggenheim’s conquest of Helsinki failed due to a long political struggle that effectively produced stigma.

Study Compares Racial Disparities in Unilateral Vs. Bilateral Knee Replacement

Analyzing data from the NIS – Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database, HSS researchers found that African Americans were much less likely to undergo bilateral knee replacement compared to white patients. With respect to in-hospital complication rates, there was no significant difference.

Investigators Discover Unique Immune Cells in Patients with Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Arthritis

A study from investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has found that the synovial fluid and blood of people experiencing checkpoint inhibitor-induced arthritis is populated by a type of T cells rarely seen in people with other types of inflammatory arthritis. The findings are being presented at the virtual American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

Children with Arthritis Living in Less Affluent Families More Likely to Report Longer Duration of Morning Joint Stiffness

Children with arthritis affecting five or more joints, called polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (polyarticular JIA), living in less affluent families were twice as likely to report more than an hour of morning joint stiffness, compared to their counterparts from more affluent families, according to a study by investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Parents and physicians should be aware that morning joint stiffness may indicate early disease symptoms of polyarticular JIA and serve as a more reliable indicator than pain.

Sugar-coated viral proteins hijack and hitch a ride out of cells

Researchers from the Universities of Melbourne, York, Warwick and Oxford have shed light on how encapsulated viruses like hepatitis B, dengue and SARS-CoV-2 hijack the protein manufacturing and distribution pathways in the cell – they have also identified a potential broad spectrum anti-viral drug target to stop them in their tracks.

Get on the grid: ‘Micro-doses’ of Botox provide up-close improvement of facial skin

Botulinum toxin – best known by the brand name Botox – is a popular treatment to reduce facial lines and wrinkles. Over the years, plastic surgeons have explored alternative approaches to maximize effectiveness while minimizing side effects of botulinum toxin injection, including smaller doses and more-diluted concentrations.

Artificial Intelligence Accurately Detects Radiographic Sacroiliitis in Axial Spondyloarthritis, Improving Diagnosis and Research

New research presented at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows that an artificial intelligence-based analysis model enables accurate detection of definite radiographic sacroiliitis in people with axial spondyloarthritis, an advance that could be useful for both diagnosis in the clinic and classification of patients for inclusion in clinical trials.