Radiologic signs of injury – injuries that appear on X-rays – could be used to help identify victims of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago. The study suggests X-ray images in medical records can be used to detect patterns of recurrent injury, which may indicate physical abuse and domestic violence – a problem that affects 1 in 4 women in the United States.

For the study, which was conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, researchers reviewed electronic medical records (EMRs) from patients referred to domestic abuse and sexual assault programs from January to October 2016. They discovered characteristic injuries among the victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, who were overwhelmingly female.

Common injuries observed by the researchers included soft tissue injuries, fractures of the hands and arms indicating attempts at defense, facial fractures, and head injuries. Through Brigham and Women’s picture archiving and communication system, emergency room physicians, radiologists, and primary care doctors can compare current injuries and prior, healed injuries and intervene when abuse is suspected.

Sourced from: Radiological Society of North America

Arthritis is significantly more prevalent in the United States than previously estimated, especially in adults 65 and under, according to research published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Results of the study, conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, suggest a need to better monitor rates of arthritis and develop effective prevention strategies.

Current arthritis estimates are based on whether survey respondents have ever been told by a health care provider that they have arthritis. According to the researchers, these estimates do not take patient symptoms like joint pain and stiffness into consideration, which means they’re inaccurate and underestimate the true number of U.S. arthritis cases.

To better estimate how many people have arthritis, researchers developed a method that considers doctor-diagnosed arthritis, chronic joint symptoms, and symptom duration. Using this method, they found that arthritis prevalence is actually 68 percent higher than previously reported. Of 33,672 study participants, 19.3 percent of men and 16.7 percent of women between 18 and 64 reported joint symptoms but didn’t have a diagnosis of arthritis.

Sourced from: Wiley

Mindful meditation may be helpful for controlling weight gain and maintaining weight loss, according to a new scientific review conducted by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The researchers discovered that the simple technique of mindfulness is “largely effective” for weight control and provided long-term results.

Researchers analyzed 19 studies focusing on mindfulness and its relevance to diet and weight loss. The studies involved 1,160 participants and were conducted over the past 10 years. Three techniques were evaluated: formal meditation, casual mindfulness focusing on eating habits, and a combination of meditation and mindfulness strategies.

Compared with weight-loss regimens based on dietary changes and exercise alone, mindfulness produced better results long term, according to researchers. Those who practiced mindfulness initially lost 3.3 percent of body weight on average, while those who dieted and exercised alone lost an average of 4.7 percent. However, mindfulness techniques produced continued, steady weight loss while diet and exercise alone resulted in weight loss plateaus and weight re-gain.

Sourced from: MNT