Difference in difference is a statistical technique used in observational studies. It can provide insight – but don't be fooled by numbers and p-values into believing it is necessarily true.
Disease
Synthetic trans-fatty acids have been restricted in several NY State counties since 2007. Now a new study says it was a good move, since that restriction was responsible for a greater decrease in the hospital admissions for heart attack and stroke than occurred in unrestricted counties. We're not so sure, however, it's really that straightforward.
Should we all be taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins? Even if one has never had a heart attack or stroke, should they be on a statin for so-called primary prevention? The USPSTF has reviewed the data and answers with a qualified "yes."
Bacteria are ubiquitous. While most are benign, they inhabit every surface we touch. They're on our companion animals, as well as all over our food and loved ones. Perhaps the scariest is Yersinia pestis — the cause of the black plague – which killed 60 percent of Europe during a 14th century outbreak. So, can it return?
The key to preventing Alzheimer's Disease may lie in the North Atlantic island of Iceland. Its relatively homogeneous population has been a treasure trove for genetic researchers looking for mutated genes that either increase or decrease the disease's risk.
Of all the nasty things floating around out there just waiting around to kill us, viruses are the nastiest. You've all heard of smallpox, rabies, Spanish flu, polio, AIDS and Ebola. But emerging viral infections are seriously scary.
Prions are the smallest and possibly the most dangerous of all infectious pathogens. They are also unique in that they contain no genetic material at all — just proteins. But as guest writer Steve Schow describes, those proteins can do some horrible things if they get into your brain.
Good dental hygiene can prevent periodontal disease and tooth loss. And according to recent research, it just might also be a means of preventing rheumatoid arthritis, by eliminating a bacterium whose products incite the immune system to attack the joints.
Two new articles on disease transmission – one by Steve Schow, PhD, and the other by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mark Johnson – shed light on an important, overlooked topic: how infections spread from animals to humans.
In the battle against antibiotic resistance, here's an interesting proposal: salted doorknobs [in hospitals, or elsewhere] could fight super bug infections. Intrigued? So are we. Bummed you didn't think of it first? So are we.
Regardless of our brain's natural security, some pathogens still get in. One is called Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungus that can be found in the excrement of flying tree rats, like pigeons and bats. After being inhaled into the lungs, the fungus makes its way into the brain using a clever mechanism.
Regardless of where one falls on the HPV vaccine debate, there's good news from Australia. New research shows that men who are unvaccinated for HPV are receiving protective benefits from the women who are vaccinated.