Stalin’s leadership style undermined the USSR by setting unrealistic targets and placing penalties on subordinates telling the truth, according to Leeds University historian James Harris, who has been looking at newly-opened archives of the Soviet leader’s correspondence.
In his leadership of five-year plans Stalin ignored data which cast doubt on the possibility of achieving targets and put disincentives in the way of telling the truth – removal or execution – that massively distorted infor
Results of a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlight how improved treatment and management of risk factors have reduced the incidence of stroke by 40% in a region of the UK over the past 20 years.
Stroke is the second largest cause of death worldwide, the largest cause of long-term neurological disability, and the single most costly condition for the UK National Health Service and social services. The rise in the elderly population would be expected to increase the incidence of a
Reduction is significant enough that it might lead to a reduction in the risk of heart disease caused by testosterone suppression
A small adhesive estrogen patch worn by men being treated for advanced prostate cancer lowers cholesterol, according to a new study conducted by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.
This is important because men who have advanced prostate cancer are often treated with hormone deprivation therapy, which turns off testos
Tactile input has a greater impact on visual perception than we thought
When vision alone can’t tell you what’s going on in your environment, touch can lend a helping hand. A recent study from Vanderbilt University looked at the way this works by forcing people to feel out a visually ambiguous situation.
Researchers Randolph Blake, Kenith V. Sobel and Thomas W. James created such a scenario by asking subjects to describe the rotation of a virtual sphere with an ind
Findings may explain mood and behavior changes in women
Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a synthetic form of the naturally occurring steroid hormone progesterone widely used in contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), increases aggression and anxiety and reduces sexual activity in female monkeys, according to a study published in the June edition of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The investigators, from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center
Survival, toxicity greater in Japanese patients, “common arm” analysis shows
A chemotherapy regimen commonly used to treat non-small cell lung cancer is both more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients, researchers reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. The first of its kind, this analysis underscores the importance of genetic variations in medicine and points to a need for increased international colla
One of the most common challenges facing oncologists today is determining the best course of treatment for their patients – one that would be effective and have the fewest possible side effects. In a study presented today at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in New Orleans, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have identified genetic markers in the blood that can help predict a patient’s response to and side effects from irinotecan, a common chemotherapy drug fo
Why do political theories so often fail the test of common sense? And why do individual political studies often seem to stop short of providing general guidance about political matters?
James Granato and Frank Scioli, National Science Foundation (NSF), managers of the political science program, write in the newly published June issue of Perspectives on Politics that the separation of theory and real-world tests often sharply limit the usefulness of each. They identify three methods commonly
Two dozen volunteers bravely exposed their arms to jellyfish tentacles as part of a new Stanford University School of Medicine study to test a topical, over-the-counter cream designed to protect against stinging nettles. Fortunately for the volunteers, the cream appeared to be relatively effective.
“It didn’t completely inhibit the stings, but it came pretty darn close,” reported Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of dermatology who directed the study. The study appears in
UCSF scientists are publishing sweet results of a study examining chocolate’s effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. The team reports that small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved blood vessels’ ability to dilate, or expand. They also report that a particular flavonoid thought to be beneficial for blood vessel function, epicatechin, was absorbed at high levels in the blood.
“This is the longest clinical trial to date to show i
Evidence based practice is currently in vogue, and basing medical practice on published evidence is clearly a good idea, but what if the published findings are inaccurate? An article published this week in BMC Medical Research Methodology shows that a large proportion of articles in top science and medical journals contain statistical errors, 4% of which may have caused non-significant findings to be misrepresented as being significant. Thirty-eight percent of the Nature papers and a quarter
OHSU study finds tiny crystals also help brain lesion tissue to be viewed under microscope
A research team from Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center is demonstrating some of the world’s first clinical applications for nanometer-size particles in the brain.
The OHSU scientists have shown that an iron oxide nanoparticle as small as a virus can outline not only brain tumors under magnetic resonance imaging, but also other lesi
Werewolves notwithstanding, the full moon does not influence the frequency of epileptic seizures, reports a University of South Florida study.
“Contrary to the myth, epileptic seizures are not more common during a full moon,” said Selim Benbadis, MD, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the USF College of Medicine. “In fact, we found the number of epileptic seizures was lowest during the full moon and highest in the moon’s last quarter.”
The study, to be publi
In the years at the dangerous border between adolescence and adulthood, about three men die for every woman, according to a new University of Michigan study of the ratio of male to female mortality rates in 20 nations, including the United States.
The study, selected as a “hot topic talk” to be presented May 28 at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society, also appears in the current issue of the journal Evolutionary Psychology.
“Being male is now the single largest
In laboratory experiments, women — but not men — who had been exposed to frustrating noise stress ate more cheese, chocolate, potato chips and popcorn after the stressful session was over.
Dr. Laura C. Klein, assistant professor of biobehavioral health who led the study, says, “Although other researchers have shown that both men and women eat more during stressful periods, this is the first study to show that eating is affected in some individuals after a stress is stopped.
“In
Moderate exercise in conjunction with common dietary supplements significantly reduce the risk of atherosclerosis because, combined, they boost the body’s production of nitric oxide, which protects against a variety of cardio-vascular disorders, a new UCLA study led by 1998 Nobel Laureate in medicine Louis J. Ignarro shows.
The study, “Long Term Beneficial Effects of Physical Training and Metabolic Treatment on Atherosclerosis in Hypercholesterolemic Mice,” will be published the week o
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