The Quinceañera, Redefined

Jayla Sheffield, 15, looked to her left and right. She and six friends, all wearing black shorts, white Nikes and T-shirts with the words “Jayla’s Quince,” paused, ready to kick off a night of festivities with a dance routine they had practiced for months. The occasion, which brought over 100 people together in Pomona, Calif.,…

Program linking patients to community resources shows no significant impact on well-being

A social prescribing initiative, designed to improve patients’ well-being and quality of life by connecting them to non-medical resources, did not prove effective overall. The study assessed the efficacy of a Scottish government-funded program that was developed to target social determinants of health among some of the most socioeconomically vulnerable adults in Glasgow. In the…

Spero Renewables signs $2 million DOE agreement to advance ‘wood-based’ plastic technology

Spero’s form of plastic, thermoset plastics come from renewable sources, which are easily molded, strengthen when heated, provide strong insulation and are also resistant to corrosion and chemicals. They have wide applications from the automotive to electronic industry. These types of plastics are currently used for epoxies, silicone products and polyurethane products. “With this new…

Practice characteristics and job satisfaction among GPs in 11 countries

Organizational and functional features of general practitioner practices in 11 countries were studied in search of underlying reasons for job dissatisfaction. This was done by conducting a secondary analysis of 12,049 subjects in the 2015 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians. Job dissatisfaction was measured on a four-point Likert scale using…

Study tests ‘medically tailored’ meals for patients with lung cancer to fight malnutrition

A new clinical trial at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) aims to reduce malnutrition among patients with lung cancer by offering nutritional counseling and medically tailored meals to at-risk patients. The project is funded by a $2.3 million…