ScienceBlog.com

Health

CDC analysis finds unique social and behavior intervention helps reduce MRSA rates up to 62 percent

Princeton, NJ - The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Plexus Institute (Plexus) today announce results from an analysis of a multifaceted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) prevention program that employed positive deviance (PD), a novel approach to social and behavioral change, to trigger significant reductions in MRSA incidence ranging from 26 to 62 percent

Mar 22, 2009

Health

Hopkins scientists ID 10 genes associated with a risk factor for sudden cardiac death

One minute, he's a strapping 40-year-old with an enviable cholesterol level, working out on his treadmill.The next, he's dead.

Mar 22, 2009

Health

Study quantifies racial disparities in cancer mortality rates between blacks and whites

African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than whites, and cancer plays a major role in this disparity. African Americans are more prone to get cancer; they tend to present at a later, deadlier stage; and they have poorer survival rates after diagnosis.

Mar 20, 2009

Health

Penn medicine draws road map for elimination of central line-associated bloodstream infections

(SAN DIEGO) - Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) fell by more than 90 percent during the past three years at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania due to a multi-pronged approach combining leadership initiatives, electronic infection surveillance, checklists to guide line insertion and maintenance, and implementation of the Toyota Production System to encourage bes

Mar 20, 2009

Earth & Environment

University of Washington scientists one step closer to stopping bone loss during spaceflight

Bone loss in long-duration spaceflight has been identified for decades as a significant problem affecting astronauts.

Mar 20, 2009

Earth & Environment

Research synthesis shines light on several management options after fires in diverse ecosystems

Portland, Ore. March 19, 2009. No single decision-support system exists for selecting alternatives for postfire management. That thesis is what a recently released report on management after fire hinges upon.

Mar 20, 2009

Health

Mayo Clinic study suggests those who have chronic pain may need to assess vitamin D status

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic research shows a correlation between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain. This correlation is an important finding as researchers discover new ways to treat chronic pain.

Mar 20, 2009

Health

Lombardi research: Monoclonal antibodies primed to become potent immune weapons against cancer

Washington, DC - New research suggests that monoclonal antibody therapy of cancer can be improved to be much more powerful than it is today, says a researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in the March 21 issue of the Lancet.

Mar 20, 2009

Health

Environmental cleaning intervention reduces transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in ICUs

San Diego, CA (March 20, 2009) -A rigorous environmental cleaning intervention can reduce the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multidrug-resistant organisms in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), according to a new study released today at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

Mar 20, 2009

Health

Study finds most adolescents sent to group homes still involved with drugs/crime seven years later

Most adolescents referred to long-term group homes in Los Angeles County after being charged with a serious offense reported they were still involved with crime or drugs seven years later, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Mar 19, 2009

Health

Perceptions of similar language may prevent understanding of sexual harassment policies

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Although the Society for Human Resource Management reports that 97 percent of U.S. companies have a written sexual harassment policy, a recent University of Missouri study indicates that those policies might not be effective in preventing workplace harassment.

Mar 19, 2009

Health

Syracuse University researchers build a new surface material that resists biofilm growth

This is the tale of two biological substances--cells from mammals and bacteria. It's a story about the havoc these microscopic entities can wreak on all manner of surfaces, from mighty ships to teeth and medical devices, and how two Syracuse University researchers are discovering new ways prevent the damage.

Mar 19, 2009

Health

Differences in neighborhood food environment may contribute to disparities in obesity

March 19, 2009 - Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health examined the association of neighborhood food environments and "walkability" with body mass index (BMI) and obesity in New York City and found that a higher density of BMI-healthy food outlets is associated with a lower BMI and lower prevalence of obesity.

Mar 19, 2009

Earth & Environment

Zero Point Energy via Casimir effect - Catalysts as relativistic detours based on Casimir geometry

A frequent criticism of Jovians' proposed energy extraction from Casimir cavities using hydrogen atoms is that the energy required to push the gas into the Casimir cavity will at least equal the energy released by the photon.

Mar 19, 2009