Study Investigates Cannabis Use Among University Students
New information published in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research explores University students’ motivations for using or not using cannabis and found various factors that might encourage use.
Researchers at Griffith University in Australia administered a survey to students aged 17 to 29 asking about their beliefs about the advantages and disadvantages of using cannabis, their perceptions of what others think they should do in relation to cannabis use, and reasons that might cause them to use or not use.
For babies with heart defects, death risk is far lower at most experienced hospitals
Each year, thousands of babies are born with severe heart defects that must be operated on within days or weeks of their birth. And though the odds for these infants are much better now than they were even 10 years ago, a new study suggests that there may be a way to give them an even better chance at living: Get them to the hospitals that are the most experienced at handling such cases.
In the first national study of this issue, a team of University of Michigan researchers found that infants with specific complex heart defects are much less likely to die before leaving the hospital if they are treated at the centers that treat the largest numbers of these patients. This relationship between hospital volume and mortality has been seen in adult heart operations, but the new study suggests it holds true for infants as well. The study is published online in the journal Pediatric Cardiology.
Severe psoriasis associated with increased risk of death
Patients with severe psoriasis appear to have an increased risk of death compared with patients without the skin condition, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Psoriasis is a common inflammatory disorder that affects the skin and joints, according to background information in the article. The condition has been associated with various other factors, including smoking, alcohol use and diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Antibiotic treatment targets difficult asthma
Hunter researchers have shown that a commonly available antibiotic can improve the quality of life of patients with difficult asthma, and may also generate significant health care savings.
Results of a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a top international journal, indicate that macrolide antibiotics could prove a successful therapy in conjunction with current asthma treatment.
Constipation Most Common Cause of Children’s Abdominal Pain
A new study led by a University of Iowa researcher showed that acute and chronic constipation together accounted for nearly half of all cases of acute abdominal pain in children treated at one hospital.
The study also suggests that physicians should do a simple rectal examination for constipation when trying to determine the cause of abdominal pain in children. The findings, which were based on medical records of 962 children ages 4 to nearly 18, appear in the December issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.
Shorter Legs Linked to Liver Disease
Short legs are linked to an increased risk of liver disease, suggests a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The research contributes to a growing body of evidence on the link between leg length and health.
