Curated News: JAMA

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Released: 15-Sep-2015 12:05 PM EDT
Study Identifies Why More People Die After Hip Fracture Surgery Than Hip Replacement Surgery
McMaster University

The researchers studied almost 700,000 hip surgery patients more than 45 years old in France between 2010 and 2013, and found that the total hip replacement patients were younger, more commonly men and had less other medical problems than hip fracture patients.

11-Sep-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Additional Time Spent Outdoors by Children Results in Decreased Rate of Nearsightedness
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

The addition of a daily outdoor activity class at school for three years for children in Guangzhou, China, resulted in a reduction in the rate of myopia (nearsightedness, the ability to see close objects more clearly than distant objects), according to a study in the September 15 issue of JAMA.

11-Sep-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Sex Differences in Academic Faculty Rank, Institutional Support for Biomedical Research
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Women are less likely than men to be full professors at U.S. medical schools, and receive less start-up support from their institutions for biomedical research, according to two studies in the September 15 issue of JAMA.

11-Sep-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Factors for Higher Risk of Death Following Hip Fracture Surgery Compared to Hip Replacement
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Patients undergoing surgery for a hip fracture were older and had more medical conditions than patients who underwent an elective total hip replacement, factors that may contribute to the higher risk of in-hospital death and major postoperative complications experienced by hip fracture surgery patients, according to a study in the September 15 issue of JAMA.

Released: 10-Sep-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Reduced Heart Rate Variability May Indicate Greater Vulnerability to PTSD
UC San Diego Health

A prospective longitudinal study of U.S. Marines suggests that reduced heart rate variability – the changing time interval between heartbeats – may be a contributing risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings are reported in the September 9 online issue of JAMA Psychiatry by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.

Released: 9-Sep-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Paying Women to Have Mammograms Is Unethical, Penn Medicine Ethicist Says
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The widespread practice of incentivizing mammogram completion via cash payments, typically by insurance companies and ranging from $10 to $250, is unethical according to a Viewpoint article published this week in JAMA by an expert from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Instead, incentives should be offered to women to use evidence-based decision aids to decide if they want a mammogram, even if this policy likely averts fewer breast cancer deaths overall.

Released: 8-Sep-2015 2:15 PM EDT
NEI Team in Liberia Investigates Ocular Effects Among Ebola Survivors
NIH, National Eye Institute (NEI)

Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that took the lives of more than 11,200 people in the region, the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has deployed a team of clinicians and technical experts to Monrovia, Liberia to investigate the long-term effects of Ebola on the eye.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Outcomes Improve for Extremely Preterm Infants
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Over the last 20 years, complications have decreased and survival has improved for extremely preterm infants, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Iron Supplementation During Pregnancy and Risk of Malaria in Malaria-Endemic Region
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among women in a malaria-endemic region in Kenya, daily iron supplementation during pregnancy did not result in an increased risk of malaria, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA. Iron supplementation did result in increased birth weight, gestational duration, neonatal length, and a decreased risk of low birth weight and prematurity.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Lack of Adherence to Usability Testing Standards for Electronic Health Record Products
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

The lack of adherence to usability testing standards among several widely used electronic health record (EHR) products that were certified as having met these requirements may be a major factor contributing to the poor usability of EHRs, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Study Finds High Prevalence of Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes in U.S.
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

In 2011-2012, the estimated prevalence of diabetes among U.S. adults was 12 percent to 14 percent and the prevalence of prediabetes was 37 percent to 38 percent, indicating that about half of the U.S. adult population has either diabetes or prediabetes, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA. Though data from recent years suggests that the increasing prevalence of diabetes may be leveling off.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Outcomes Improve for Extremely Preterm Infants
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Over the last 20 years, complications have decreased and survival has improved for extremely preterm infants, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Iron Supplementation During Pregnancy and Risk of Malaria in Malaria-Endemic Region
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among women in a malaria-endemic region in Kenya, daily iron supplementation during pregnancy did not result in an increased risk of malaria, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA. Iron supplementation did result in increased birth weight, gestational duration, neonatal length, and a decreased risk of low birth weight and prematurity.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Lack of Adherence to Usability Testing Standards for Electronic Health Record Products
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

The lack of adherence to usability testing standards among several widely used electronic health record (EHR) products that were certified as having met these requirements may be a major factor contributing to the poor usability of EHRs, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

3-Sep-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Smoke-Free Zones, Higher Taxes Deter Youth Smoking, Study Shows
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Banning smoking in the workplace and increasing taxes on cigarettes have discouraged teens and young adults from taking up smoking, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Merced.

2-Sep-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Genetic Testing All Women for Breast Cancer Might Not Be Worth the Cost
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Women who are carriers of mutated BRCA genes are known to have a significantly higher risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers than those who don’t have the mutations. But a new study by UCLA faculty questions the value of screening for the genetic mutations in the general population—including those who do not have cancer or have no family history of the disease— because of the high cost.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Medication Improves Measure of Kidney Disease in Patients with Diabetes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with diabetes and kidney disease, most receiving an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker, the addition of the medication finerenone compared with placebo resulted in improvement in albuminuria (the presence of excessive protein [chiefly albumin] in the urine), according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Medication Improves Measure of Kidney Disease in Patients with Diabetes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with diabetes and kidney disease, most receiving an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker, the addition of the medication finerenone compared with placebo resulted in improvement in albuminuria (the presence of excessive protein [chiefly albumin] in the urine), according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Newer Genetic Testing Methods May Provide Benefit For Children With Suspected Autism
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

The use of two newer genetic testing technologies (chromosomal microarray analysis and whole-exome sequencing) among children with autism spectrum disorder may help identify genetic mutations potentially linked to the disorder, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA. The study also found that children with certain physical anomalies were more likely to have genetic mutations, findings that may help identify children who could benefit most from genetic testing.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Inadequate BP Control Linked With Increased Risk of Recurrence of Intracerebral Hemorrhage
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Survivors of an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH; a type of hemorrhagic stroke in which bleeding occurs directly into the brain) who had inadequate blood pressure (BP) control during follow-up had a higher risk of ICH recurrence, with this association appearing stronger with worsening severity of hypertension, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Incorporating Genomic Sequencing, Counseling into Pediatric Cancer Treatment Shows Benefit
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

In a study that included children and young adults with relapsed or refractory cancer, incorporation of integrative clinical genomic sequencing data into clinical management was feasible, revealed potentially actionable findings in nearly half of the patients, and was associated with change in treatment and family genetics counseling for a small proportion of patients, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

27-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Increase Seen in Bicycle-Related Injuries, Hospital Admissions
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Between 1998 and 2013, there was a large increase in bicycle-related injuries and hospital admissions of adults in the United States, with the increase in injuries driven by more injuries among adults older than 45 years of age, according to a study in the September 1 issue of JAMA.

Released: 31-Aug-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Vitamin D May Play Key Role in Preventing Macular Degeneration
University at Buffalo

Women who are deficient in vitamin D and have a specific high-risk genotype are 6.7 times more likely to develop AMD than women with sufficient vitamin D status and no high risk genotype.

Released: 27-Aug-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Degenerating Neurons Respond to Gene Therapy Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
UC San Diego Health

Degenerating neurons in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) measurably responded to an experimental gene therapy in which nerve growth factor (NGF) was injected into their brains, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the current issue of JAMA Neurology.

Released: 27-Aug-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Breast Cancer Risk Score Impacts Use of Chemotherapy
Duke Health

A genetic test that helps predict whether some women’s breast cancer will recur might influence how chemotherapy is used, according to a study from Duke Medicine. The study found that low-risk patients who had the test appeared to opt for more treatment, and high-risk patients who were tested got less.

21-Aug-2015 4:30 PM EDT
Relapse, Poor Survival in Leukemia Linked to Genetic Mutations That Persist in Remission
Washington University in St. Louis

For patients with an often-deadly form of leukemia, new research suggests that lingering cancer-related mutations – detected after initial treatment with chemotherapy – are associated with an increased risk of relapse and poor survival. Using genetic profiling to study bone marrow samples from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), researchers found that those whose cells still carried mutations 30 days after the initiation of chemotherapy were about three times more likely to relapse and die than patients whose bone marrow was cleared of these mutations. The study, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is published Aug. 25 in JAMA.

Released: 20-Aug-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Teen E-Cig Users More Likely to Smoke
Texas A&M University

As e-cigarette usage among high school students continues to climb, a recent study from The Journal of the American Medical Association reveals an unsettling trend: that adolescent e-cigarette users are more likely than their non-vaping peers to initiate use of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and hookahs.

   
14-Aug-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Teens Who Use E-Cigarettes May Be More Likely to Begin Smoking
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among high school students in Los Angeles, those who had ever used electronic cigarettes were more likely to report initiation of smokable (“combustible”) tobacco (such as cigarettes, cigars, and hookah) use over the next year compared with nonusers, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.

14-Aug-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Study Compares Heparin to Warfarin for Treatment of Blood Clots in Patients with Cancer
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with active cancer and acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE; blood clots in the deep veins), the use of the low molecular-weight heparin tinzaparin daily for 6 months compared with warfarin did not significantly reduce recurrent VTE and was not associated with reductions in overall death or major bleeding, but was associated with a lower rate of clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA.

Released: 17-Aug-2015 6:15 PM EDT
Johns Hopkins Researchers Sound Off on the Dangers of Hospital Consolidation
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a commentary published in the Aug. 13 issue of JAMA, Johns Hopkins experts say consolidation of hospitals into massive chains threatens healthy competition, reduces patient choice and could drive up medical expenses.

13-Aug-2015 1:00 PM EDT
In First Year, Two Florida Laws Reduce Amount of Opioids Prescribed, Study Suggests
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Two Florida laws, enacted to combat prescription drug abuse and misuse in that state, led to a small but significant decrease in the amount of opioids prescribed the first year the laws were in place, a new study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers suggests.

   
Released: 13-Aug-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Mayo Clinic-Led Study Validates Tool for Patient Reporting of Side Effects in Cancer Clinical Trials
Mayo Clinic

A multicenter study involving Mayo Clinic researchers has found that the National Cancer Institute's Patient Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE), was accurate, reliable and responsive, compared to other, established patient-reported and clinical measures. The study is published today in the journal JAMA Oncology.

11-Aug-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Fears Of Potentially Blinding Complication From Avastin Eye Injections Are Overblown, According to Penn Study
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Eye injections of the drug Avastin, used to treat retinal diseases, bring no greater risk of endophthalmitis, a potentially blinding eye infection, than injections with the much more expensive drug Lucentis made by the same company, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their findings are published today in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Released: 13-Aug-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Study Validates Method for Patient Reporting of Cancer Drug-Related Adverse Events
University of North Carolina Health Care System

In an article published in JAMA Oncology, a study led by a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher and colleagues shows that a system they developed accurately and reliably captures the patient experience with cancer drug side effects.

Released: 10-Aug-2015 2:05 PM EDT
Clinical Performance Measures for Healthcare Target Underuse of Care Yet Fail to Adequately Measure Overuse
Stony Brook University

Researchers assessing clinical performance measures examined 16 national collections of performance measures and found that more than 90 percent of 521 outpatient measures targeted underuse of care and only 7 percent addressed overuse of care.

Released: 7-Aug-2015 10:05 AM EDT
Emergency Department Counseling Program Fails to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence or Heavy Drinking Among At-Risk Women
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A large randomized clinical trial of an emergency department (ED)-based program aimed at reducing incidents of excessive drinking and partner violence in women did not result in significant improvements in either risk factor, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Released: 6-Aug-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Shorter Course of Radiation Therapy Associated with Less Toxicity, Improved Quality of Life in Women with Early Stage Breast Cancer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Women who receive a shorter course of whole breast radiation therapy for early stage disease experience less toxicity and improved quality of life compared to those who undergo a longer course of treatment, researchers report from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

4-Aug-2015 7:00 PM EDT
WashU Expert: Picking Up the Phone to Improve Mental Health in Seniors
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study in JAMA Psychiatry shows that therapy provided via telephone for older adults in rural areas is effective in treating anxiety disorder. In an accompanying editorial, Eric J. Lenze, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, wrote that the health-care system lacks the capacity to help the growing elderly population and that relying too heavily on sedative medications isn’t the answer.

5-Aug-2015 12:05 AM EDT
Gastric Bypass Surgery Lowers Women’s Alcohol Tolerance
Washington University in St. Louis

Women who have gastric bypass surgery to lose weight should keep a close eye on their alcohol consumption, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers found that changes in how alcohol is metabolized after surgery can speed its delivery into the bloodstream, resulting in earlier and higher peaks in blood-alcohol levels.

30-Jul-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy Decreases PTSD Symptom Severity Among Veterans
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

In a randomized trial that included veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), those who received mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy showed greater improvement in self-reported PTSD symptom severity, although the average improvement appears to have been modest, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a violence/human rights theme issue.

30-Jul-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Progress Has Been Made in Reducing Rates of Violence in U.S.; Overall Numbers Remain High
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Even though homicide and assault rates have decreased in the U.S. in recent years, the number of these and other types of violent acts remains high, according to a report in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a violence/human rights theme issue. The authors write that multiple strategies exist to improve interpersonal violence prevention efforts, and health care providers are an important part of this solution.

30-Jul-2015 3:05 PM EDT
Emergency Department Intervention Does Not Reduce Heavy Drinking or Partner Violence
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A brief motivational intervention delivered during an emergency department visit did not improve outcomes for women with heavy drinking involved in abusive relationships, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a violence/human rights theme issue.

30-Jul-2015 4:05 PM EDT
Intervention to Screen Women for Partner Violence Does Not Improve Health Outcomes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Screening women for partner violence and providing a resource list did not influence the number of hospitalizations, emergency department, or outpatient care visits compared with women only receiving a resource list or receiving no intervention over 3 years, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a violence/human rights theme issue.

30-Jul-2015 4:05 PM EDT
One-Fourth of Female Sex Workers in Northern Mexican Cities Enter Sex Trade As Minors
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

More than 1 in 4 female sex workers in the northern Mexico cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez reported entering the sex trade as minors, and entering the sex trade as an adolescent vs as an adult was associated with a greater risk for HIV infection, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a violence/human rights theme issue.

30-Jul-2015 6:05 PM EDT
High Rates of Violence, HIV Infection for Adolescents in Sex Trade on U.S.-Mexico Border
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that more than one in four female sex workers in two Mexican cities on the U.S. border entered the sex trade younger than age 18; one in eight before their 16th birthday. These women were more than three times more likely to become infected with HIV than those who started sex work as adults.

22-Jul-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Hospital Penalties Based on Total Number of Blood Clots May Be Unfairly Imposed, Study Shows
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers say their review of 128 medical case histories suggests that financial penalties imposed on Maryland hospitals based solely on the total number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg fail to account for clots that occur despite the consistent and proper use of the best preventive therapies.

Released: 28-Jul-2015 9:05 PM EDT
Hospitals’ Compliance with Guidelines for Treating Brain Injuries Doesn’t Guarantee Better Outcomes
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A study by the Los Angeles County Trauma Consortium has found that compliance with Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines for treating traumatic brain injury do not necessarily lead to lower mortality rates.

24-Jul-2015 7:45 AM EDT
Rates of Death, Hospitalizations and Expenditures Decrease for Medicare Patients
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries age 65 years or older, all-cause mortality and hospitalization rates, along with inpatient expenditures per beneficiary, decreased from 1999 to 2013, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Medicare and Medicaid at 50. There has also been a decrease in recent years in total hospitalizations and inpatient expenditures for the last 6 months of life.

24-Jul-2015 7:40 AM EDT
ACA Open Enrollment Periods Associated With Improved Coverage, Access to Care and Health
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Results of a national survey that included more than half a million adults indicates significant improvements in trends for self-reported insurance coverage, access to a personal physician and medications, affordability and health after the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) first and second open enrollment periods, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Medicare and Medicaid at 50.

24-Jul-2015 7:40 AM EDT
Findings Question Measures Used to Assess Hospital Quality
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Hospitals that were penalized more frequently in the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program offered advanced services, were major teaching institutions and had better performance on other publicly reported process-of-care and outcome measures, according to a study in the July 28 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Medicare and Medicaid at 50.



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