Heart failure patients with depression have four times risk of death

Mar. 19, 2013 ? Heart failure patients who are moderately or severely depressed have four times the risk of dying and double the risk of having to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized compared to those who are not depressed, according to new research reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association Journal.

"Depression is a key driver of healthcare use in heart failure," said Alanna M. Chamberlain, Ph.D., M.P.H., the study's lead author and assistant professor of epidemiology in the Department of Health Sciences Research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Treatment programs should be tailored to each patient's needs with greater emphasis on managing depression either through medication or lifestyle interventions."

In 2007-10, 402 heart failure patients (58 percent male, average age 73) in three Minnesota counties completed a nine-question survey. Based on the answers, 59 percent of patients were classified as having no depression, 26 percent had mild depression and 15 percent had moderate-to-severe depression. Researchers gathered information on the participants for about a year and a half.

Even those who reported mild depression had almost a 60 percent increased risk of death, but a much smaller increased risk of emergency room visits (35 percent) and hospitalizations (16 percent), researchers found.

Because the patients studied were mostly white and lived in southeastern Minnesota, the results may not apply to all heart failure patients throughout the United States, researchers said only a third of the patients with moderate-to-severe depression were taking antidepressant medication. Depression may be underdiagnosed in these patients; however, some may have been undergoing therapy that didn't include prescription drugs, researchers said.

"We measured depression with a one-time questionnaire so we cannot account for changes in depression symptoms over time," Chamberlain said. "Further research is warranted to develop more effective clinical approaches for management of depression in heart failure patients."

Co-authors are: Amanda R. Moraska, B.A.; Nilay D. Shah, Ph.D.; Kristin S. Vickers, Ph.D.; Teresa A. Rummans, M.D.; Shannon M. Dunlay, M.D., M.Sc.; John A. Spertus, M.D., M.P.H; Susan A. Weston, M.S.; Sheila M. McNallan, M.P.H.; Margaret M. Redfield, M.D.; and Veronique L. Roger, M.D., M.P.H.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute on Aging funded the study.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/heart_disease/~3/7dzU9mcWW_M/130319202146.htm

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About 130,000 lack power in Southeast after storms

(Reuters) - About 130,000 homes and businesses were still without power early Tuesday in Alabama and Georgia following severe thunderstorms on Monday.

Alabama Power, a unit of Southern Co, said on Tuesday that it had about 98,200 customers still without power, down from more than 222,000 overnight.

Most of the Alabama outages, about 50,000, are in the Birmingham area, Alabama Power said.

In Georgia, Southern's Georgia Power said it still had less than 30,000 customers without power.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/100-000-without-power-alabama-storms-113712932--finance.html

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'Mama Grizzly' Sarah Palin dishes red meat to CPAC conservative activists (+video)

Sarah Palin fired up the conservative CPAC crowd Saturday with tart one-liners aimed at mainstream Republicans as well as President Obama. But how long can she keep it up?

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / March 16, 2013

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

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?Mama Grizzly? Sarah Palin served up red meat at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday, lambasting President Obama and the ?mainstream media,? sneering at efforts to ?rebrand? the Republican Party, and telling political ?architects? like Texan Karl Rove to ?go back to the Lone Star State and put their name on the ballot.?

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The former governor of Alaska and 2008 losing vice presidential candidate may have no prospects of (or interest in) becoming an elected official again; she may no longer have a high-paying sinecure as a Fox News pundit; and she may be too hot to handle, too tea-party threatening for mainstream Republicans looking to break a string of five losses in the last six presidential popular votes.

?Moderation? and ?accommodation? ? ideas the GOP may need to approach if not adopt on issues like immigration and gay rights ? would not be appropriate characteristics to describe Mrs. Palin.

But, boy, can she stir up a crowd ? especially if they?ve been holed up in a conference room for nearly three days listening to what may have been inspiring speeches (some of them, anyway) delivered by lesser mortals. Her stand-up shtick killed.

But will it make any difference?

In a piece headlined ?Sarah Palin's next act: Candidate or 'Kardashian'?? Politico?s Maggie Haberman asked conservative leaders about Palin?s possible future. Some of their responses:

Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, who backed John McCain?s picking Palin as his running mate in 2008: ?There was a ton of potential there, and it?s conceivable that there could be a second act, but it?s a little hard to see it now?. She didn?t run, obviously, in 2012, and she hasn?t really made herself a leader on any particular issue?. Usually you have to do one of those things ? otherwise you?re just another pundit.?

Conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer: ?Her act as a celebrity is done. Her act as a political figure is possible ? if she applies herself.?
?
?Ed Rollins, who managed campaigns for Ronald Reagan and Michele Bachmann: ?Her moment in the sun has gone?. Being a talking head was not something that sustained her as a viable candidate?. She?s a personality in the same way the Kardashian family is.?

Matthew Continetti, author of ?The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star?: ?I think there?s no question her influence has waned.?

But for 20 minutes Saturday afternoon, at least, and preaching to the conservative choir, Palin?s influence showed no sign of waning.

It was mostly one-liners ? her forte ? not detailed policy pronouncements on the economy or social issues, certainly no soul-searching of today?s Republican state of affairs. Some examples:

?We don?t have leadership coming out of Washington. We have reality television. Except it?s really bad TV, and America tuned out a long time ago.?

On gun sales: ?More background checks? Dandy idea, Mr. President. Shoulda started with yours.?

On Obama?s reelection: ?You won. We get it. Now step away from the teleprompter and do your job.?

?Barack Obama promised the most transparent administration ever. Barack Obama: You lie!? It was an obvious reference to when Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina shouted ?You lie? during Obama?s speech on health care to a joint session of Congress in 2009 ? a breach of decorum for which Rep. Wilson was formally rebuked by the House of Representatives.

To the Republican establishment: ?They talk about rebuilding the party? How about rebuilding the middle class? They talk about rebranding the GOP, instead of restoring the trust of the American people. We're not here to dedicate ourselves to new talking points coming from D.C. We're not here to put a fresh coat of rhetorical paint on our party."

Palin may never run for election again. Her experience in office is neither broad nor deep: Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, (population 8,000), then half-term governor of a state with a population considerably smaller than Fresno County, California.

Alaska does have more bears and wolves than any other state, however, and it?s the mystique attached to such facts that stirs many tea party conservatives deeply dissatisfied with the political status quo ? including most of those, apparently, at this weekend?s CPAC convention to whom ?Mama Grizzly? Sarah Palin remains a hero.

And they love her provocative appearance. They howled like school boys at her ribald comment about exchanging Christmas gifts with her husband Todd: ?He got the rifle and I got the rack.?

CPAC keynoter Ted Cruz ? the freshman Republican US senator from Texas ? notes that he among other new conservative senators (Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Pat Toomey, Nikki Haley, Deb Fischer, and Jeff Flake) owe their victories at least in part to Palin?s endorsement.

?I would not be in the US Senate today without Sarah Palin,? Sen. Cruz told the crowd in introducing Palin Saturday.

If she continues to get receptions like she did at CPAC, Palin may have another electoral cycle or two in which to work her political magic.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QcmCH4MiDMQ/Mama-Grizzly-Sarah-Palin-dishes-red-meat-to-CPAC-conservative-activists-video

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Nest's Matt Rogers backstage at Expand (video)

Hot off his interview on the Expand main stage, Matt Rogers, Founder and VP of Engineering at Nest, saddled up to the rather more temperate seat in our backstage interview room with Joseph Volpe. Among other things, Matt opened up about design in the 21st century household and Nest's ultimate plan to take over the whole home. Check out the video after break for the full interview.

Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from San Francisco right here!

Filed under: Household

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/16/nests-matt-rogers-backstage-at-expand-video/

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Stocks soar; Dow nears all-time high

Stocks rose on Wall Street for a second day Wednesday. The stock market surged on good news from retailers and the US housing market. The Dow came within 100 points of its all-time high.

By Steve Rothwell,?AP Business Writer / February 27, 2013

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, February 27, 2013. Stocks have surged since the start of the year.

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The Dow came within 100 points of its all-time high Wednesday after rising sharply for a second straight day.

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The market surged following more evidence that the Fed will keep interest rates low, housing will keep recovering and shoppers aren't pulling back on spending, even with a payroll tax hike.

The gains were broad: Twenty-nine of 30?stocks?in the Dow Jones industrial average rose. All 10 industries in the Standard and Poor's 500 index climbed.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 175.24 points, or 1.2 percent, to 14,075.37. The index is now less than 100 points away from its record close of 14,164 reached in October 2007.

The Dow has surged 290 points in the past two days, erasing its drop of 216 points Monday when inconclusive results from an election in Italy renewed worries that Europe's fiscal crisis could flare up again.

"The market psychology has clearly shifted. It's no longer sell the rally, it's buy the dips," said Dan Veru, chief investment officer of Palisade Capital Management. "The economic data continues to be strong."

Stocks?have surged since the start of the year. The Dow is up 7.4 percent.

Earnings for S&P 500 companies will climb 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter, the third straight quarter of growth, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

The Standard and Poor's 500 index gained 19.05 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,515.99. The Nasdaq composite rose 32.61 points, or 1.3 percent, to 3,162.26. The index is 6.5 percent higher for the year, and is about 3.1 percent short of its record close of 1,565.

Investors were also encouraged Wednesday that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stood behind the central bank's low-interest-rate policies as he faced lawmakers for a second day. His comments dissipated worries about the bank's resolve to keep up the program. Those worries sprung up last week when minutes from the bank's last policy meeting revealed disagreement among Fed officials.

Also, the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes rose in January from December to the highest level in almost three years. The report continued a string of positive housing news. Sales of new homes jumped 16 percent last month to the highest level since July 2008, the government reported Tuesday.

Home builder?stocks?rose for the second day in a row. PulteGroup climbed 25 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $19.30, after rising 5.7 percent the day before. The government reported Tuesday that sales of new homes jumped 16 percent last month.

"Some encouraging news for the bulls has been the housing data that has come out over the past couple of days," said Todd Salamone, director of research at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

The analyst said he remained "extremely bullish," on?stocks?in the medium and long-term, but cautioned that a pullback may lie ahead in coming days after the year's strong gains.

Discount retailers rose Wednesday. Dollar Tree jumped $4.31, or 11 percent, to $45.39 after reporting a 22 percent profit increase. Dollar General also rose $1.61, or 3.6 percent, to $46.56. Family Dollar Stores rose $1.39, or 2.5 percent, to $57.68.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose two basis points to 1.90 percent.

Among other?stocks?making big moves;

? Priceline.com rose $17.42 to $695.91 after reporting that its net income jumped in the fourth quarter as bookings grew.

? First Solar plunged $4.32, or 13.8 percent, to $27.04 after the company posted disappointing sales for the fourth quarter and gave a weak early outlook for the year.

? Target fell 93 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $63.12 after the No. 2 discount chain's quarterly income fell 2 percent as it dealt with intense competition during the holiday shopping season.

? DreamWorks Animation fell 30 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $16.31 after posting a loss of $82.7 million. The company booked a write-off on its November release "Rise of the Guardians" and on an upcoming movie that needs to be reworked.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/R-CRFitOAik/Stocks-soar-Dow-nears-all-time-high

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