Studies and Analyses

Penn study shows that computerized physician-order entry systems often facilitate medication errors

Health-care policymakers and administrators have championed specialty-designed software systems – including the highly-touted Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems – as the cornerstone of improved patient safety. CPOE systems are claimed to significantly reduce medication-prescribing errors. “Our data indicate that that is often a false hope,” says sociologist Ross Ko

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer an automatic death sentence, thanks to the use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). However, several studies questions have suggested that HIV infection poses a serious threat to the heart — specifically, that HIV positivity leads to an increased risk for the development of angiographically severe coronary artery disease (CAD). But Emory research presented by Amar D. Patel, MD, today at the American College of Cardiol

Researchers exploring the brain structures involved in recalling an emotional memory a year later have found evidence for a self-reinforcing “memory loop” — in which the brain’s emotional center triggers the memory center, which in turn further enhances activity in the emotional center.

The researchers said their findings suggest why people subject to traumatic events may be trapped in a cycle of emotion and recall that aggravates post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They s

Mild cognitive impairment in older people is not a normal part of growing old but rather appears to be an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or cerebral vascular disease, according to a study published in the March 8 issue of the journal, Neurology.

“The study shows that mild cognitive impairment is often the earliest clinical manifestation of one or both of two common age-related neurologic diseases,” said Dr. David A. Bennett, director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease C

One-third of children with asthma who go into remission by the age of 18 will relapse and redevelop asthma by the time they are 26, says a new study published in the March issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. The findings also suggest that children with certain common allergies, such as house dust mite sensitivity, and/or poor lung function are more likely to redevelop asthma following remission.

“While we cannot definitively expl

Broadest-to-date US lung cancer study compares gender with incidence

Results of the most comprehensive analysis to date of the impact of gender differences in lung cancer incidence in the United States indicate that lung cancer rates among men are on the decline, while the rate in women remains steady. A new study in the March issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, shows that, in addition to the unequal incidence of lung cancer in