How we measure death: from gruesome plague beginnings to the modern day and beyond
Main Points:
As the Black Death spread across England in the 1660s elderly women, known as searchers, would pick over the corpses of its victims to record causes of death. The searchers of the dead reported their findings back to their local parishes who published Bills of Mortality to warn that new pandemics of lethal plague, which could claim thousands of lives, were fast approaching. Read more…
VLT Spots Largest Yellow Hypergiant Star
The field around yellow hypergiant star HR 5171 (Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2)
Main Point:
Mix of new and old observations reveals exotic binary system.
Read more…
Categories: Technology Tags: astronomy, Astronomy & Astrophysics, European Southern Observatory (ESO), science, Very Large Telescope
Community action not enough to reduce problem drinking and related harms
Main Points:
Implementation of community-based interventions alone is unlikely to be effective for reducing most alcohol-related harms and risky alcohol consumption, according to a study by Australian researchers published in this week’s PLOS Medicine. Anthony Shakeshaft and colleagues from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW (University of New South Wales), report that alcohol-related crime, road-traffic crashes, and hospital inpatient admissions did not differ between communities that did and did not implement community-based interventions.
Published in:
PLOS Medicine
Study Further:
The researchers reached these conclusions by conducting a five year cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 20 communities in New South Wales. They quantified the effectiveness of 13 community-based interventions using routinely collected data on alcohol-related harms, and a survey of drinking habits and experiences of alcohol-related harm. Interventions included school and work-based education and training, media messaging on harms, screening and brief advice in general practice, pharmacies and hospital emergency departments, and targeting high risk individuals and high risk times.
Categories: Medical Tags: alcohol, medical, PLOS Medicine, science
Research Finds Discrepancies Between Trial Results Reported on Clinical Trial Registry and in High-Impact Journals
Main Points:
Chicago – During a one year period, among clinical trials published in high-impact journals that reported results on a public clinical trial registry (ClinicalTrials.gov), nearly all had at least 1 discrepancy in the study group, intervention, or results reported between the 2 sources, including discrepancies in the designated primary end points for the studies, according to a study in the March 12 issue of JAMA.
Published in:
JAMA
Study Further:
The 2007 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act expanded requirements for ClinicalTrials.gov, mandating results reporting within 12 months of trial completion for all FDA-regulated medical products. “To our knowledge, no studies have examined reporting and accuracy of trial results information. Accordingly, we compared trial information and results reported on ClinicalTrials.gov with corresponding peer-reviewed publications,” write Jessica E. Becker, A.B., of the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and colleagues.
Findings Indicate Technical Challenges Remain Before Reliably Using Whole-Genome Sequencing For Clinical Applications
Main Points:
Chicago – In an exploratory study involving 12 adults, the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was associated with incomplete coverage of inherited-disease genes, low reproducibility of detection of genetic variation with the highest potential clinical effects, and uncertainty about clinically reportable findings, although in certain cases WGS will identify genetic variants warranting early medical intervention, according to a study in the March 12 issue of JAMA.
Published in:
JAMA
Study Further:
As technical barriers to human DNA sequencing decrease and costs approach $1,000, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is increasingly being used in clinical medicine. Sequencing can successfully aid clinical diagnosis and reveal the genetic basis of rare familial diseases. Regardless of context, even in apparently healthy individuals, WGS is expected to uncover genetic findings of potential clinical importance. However, comprehensive clinical interpretation and reporting of clinically significant findings are seldom performed, according to background information in the article. The technical sensitivity and reproducibility of clinical genetic findings using sequencing and the clinical opportunities and costs associated with discovery and reporting of these and other clinical findings remain undefined.
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