How Infants Start the Journey to Their First Wordhave shown that adults cannot successfully distinguish as wider a range of phonemes as infants. This is because until about 11 months of age infants are masters of discriminating phonemes used in all different types of languages. But after 11 months infants settle down with one set of phonemes for their first language, and lose the ability to discriminate the phonemes from other languages. Infants are beginning to specialise in their own........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 4:17:53 PM)
Standards in stem cell researchStandards in stem cell research help both researchers and regulators to manage uncertainty and the unknown, as per new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Efforts to standardise practices across different labs is, however, a balancing act where the autonomy of researchers and fragility of living material need to be weighed against the need for comparable data.
The ambition in a number of quarters to scale up the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 2:57:35 PM)
Give antibiotics within hour before first incisionGiving children preventive antibiotics within one hour before they undergo spinal surgery greatly reduces the risk for serious infections after the surgery, suggests a Johns Hopkins study would be reported in the recent issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (also available online ahead of print). Children who received antibiotics outside of the golden one-hour window were three and half times more likely to develop serious infections at........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/19/2008 10:24:25 AM)
Genetic contribution to autismSome parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us--and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, as per new research by neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs of the California Institute of Technology and psychiatry expert Joe Piven at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Adolphs, Bren Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and professor of biology, and his........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/15/2008 10:08:06 PM)
Cancer drug against graft vs. host diseaseA new University of Michigan study in mice suggests that a drug recently approved to fight cancer tumors is also able to reduce the effects of graft-versus-host disease, a common and sometimes fatal complication for people who have had bone marrow transplants.
Plans are under way at U-M for an initial trial of the drug in people as a new way to prevent graft-versus-host disease. Scientists expect to begin a trial within a year.
The U-M........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 7/10/2008 8:16:42 PM)
Frequent dialysis may benefit but at what cost?More frequent hemodialysis sessions might improve the health of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but under reasonable assumptions of expected benefit, the overall costs are likely to increase, as per a research studyappearing in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that strategies are needed to reduce the costs of delivering hemodialysis if patients receive........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/9/2008 9:05:26 PM)
Recommends increased adolescent immunizationVaccinating infants and toddlers is an almost universal practice in the United States. Vaccines to prevent flu are a regular part of medical care for senior citizens and at-risk patients. But, as per a research studyreported in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the US healthcare system is not very effective in getting vaccines to the adolescent population.
In response to a request from the Assistant........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/7/2008 10:11:37 PM)
Early-life nutrition and adult intellectual functioningAdults who had improved nutrition in early childhood may score better on intellectual tests, regardless of the number of years they attended school, as per a report in the recent issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Schooling is a key component of the development of literacy, reading comprehension and cognitive functioning, and thus of human capital," the authors write as background........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/7/2008 9:10:22 PM)
Making more bone and less fatA small protein may have a big role in helping you make more bone and less fat, scientists say.
"The pathways are parallel, and the idea is if you can somehow disrupt the fat production pathway, you will get more bone," says Dr. Xingming Shi, bone biologist at the Medical College of Georgia Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics.
He's found the short-acting protein GILZ appears to make this desirable shift and wants to better........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/1/2008 9:55:48 PM)
HIV death rate has decreasedIn industrialized countries, persons infected sexually with HIV now appear to experience mortality rates similar to those of the general population in the first 5 years following infection, though a higher risk of death remains as the duration of HIV infection lengthens, as per a research studyin the July 2 issue of JAMA
Many studies have reported the dramatic decreases in mortality among individuals infected with human immunodeficiency........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/1/2008 9:35:59 PM)
Allergy expert has advice for flood victimsAs if the emotional and financial impact of flood damage isn't bad enough, floodwaters can also bring health problems. H. James Wedner, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says after the water recedes, damp homes and businesses are fertile grounds for mold growth, which can cause allergic reactions and asthmatic symptoms in sensitive people.
........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/19/2008 9:31:48 PM)
Hypertension Treatment To Reversing Vascular DamageA high blood pressure medicine called olmesartan medoxomil is effective in reversing the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in patients with high blood pressure, as per a new study.
Carlos M. Ferrario, M.D., one of the study's lead researchers and director of the High blood pressure and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said, "We believe the data add to the growing evidence for the role of........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 9:50:33 PM)
People with lower incomes, lower education levels have higher death ratesScientists have long suspected that socioeconomic factors like education level and income also might affect survival rates following heart attack. In the recent issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic scientists present new data suggesting that people with lower incomes and education levels are more likely to die after heart attack than more affluent, educated people. Over the past several decades, medical research has helped identify a........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 9:44:16 PM)
Gene variants linked to metabolic syndrome and HDL cholesterol levelsNutrition scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified five common genetic variations that increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of factors associated with heart disease and diabetes. Another variant they found appeared to protect against the condition.
People with metabolic syndrome have at least three of the following symptoms: abdominal obesity, high blood triglyceride levels, lower good........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 8:55:36 PM)
Drink and drugs fuel Scottish suicide and homicide ratesAlcohol and drug misuse mean Scots are almost twice as likely to kill or take their own life in comparison to people living in England and Wales, research published recently (Monday, June 16) reveals.
The findings by The University of Manchester's National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCI) also show that the number of mental health patients committing homicide or suicide was proportionately........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/16/2008 10:19:36 PM)
First national study to examine golf cart-related injuriesThe popularity of golf carts has skyrocketed in recent years, and unfortunately so has the number of golf cart-related injuries. In fact, a new study conducted by scientists in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital observed that the number of golf cart-related injuries rose 132 percent during the 17-year study period.
As per the study, reported in the recent issue of the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/10/2008 8:34:52 PM)
Does everyone really want to be a macho man?Traditional attitudes of masculinity, such as physical toughness and personal sacrifice, are valued in Mexican culture. A University of Missouri researcher observed that Mexican-American men, as a group, are more likely to endorse traditional 'macho man' attitudes than European-American or black men. Certain factors influenced this attitude, including socioeconomic status (SES). The higher the SES, the greater the likihood that Mexican-American........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/4/2008 10:33:19 PM)
Succinobucol: New Antioxidant DrugAs presented in medical meetings, the new antioxidant drug succinobucol showed promising benefits in the prevention and treatment of diabetes
© Buck McDanie
Though side effects (aside from already known: diarrhea) and potential cardiovascular risks, still needs investigation, preliminary results on the drug and the full study is published in the May 24 issue of The Lancet
According to study author Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 5/24/2008 4:26:59 PM)
U of T research supports Ontario ban on cigarette displaysToronto, ON. Just weeks before Ontario implements a ban on the retail display of all tobacco products, new research from the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit at the University of Toronto shows that consumers have been bombarded by extensive tobacco promotion at point of sale.
Places where tobacco is sold have become important environments for the tobacco industry to communicate with current, former and potential smokers through large tobacco........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 5/22/2008 10:27:42 PM)
Premature tooth loss can affect oral health for years to comeThe prospect of exchanging a tooth for that coveted reward from the tooth fairy often has kids wiggling teeth with vigor, but what happens when a primary or permanent tooth is lost prematurely due to trauma? As per a research studyreported in the March/April 2008 issue of General Dentistry, the AGDs clinical, peer-evaluated journal, parents and caretakers more often than not do not know what to do with a traumatically affected tooth and do not........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 5/22/2008 10:09:07 PM)
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How HIV conquers immune systemNew research into the earliest events occurring immediately upon infection with HIV-I shows that the virus deals a stunning blow to the immune system earlier than was previously understood. As per researchers at Duke University Medical Center, this suggests the window of opportunity for successful intervention may be only a matter of days not weeks after transmission, as scientists had previously believed.
Appearing in the recent issue of........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 5:04:23 PM)
Stem cell chicken and egg debateLogic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in a number of tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents.
A team of researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies led by Leanne Jones, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Laboratory of Genetics, now suggests that this........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/20/2008 2:13:46 PM)
Genetic variation increases HIV risk in AfricansA genetic variation which evolved to protect people of African descent against malaria has now been shown to increase their susceptibility to HIV infection by up to 40 per cent, as per new research. On the other hand, the same variation also appears to prolong survival of those infected with HIV by approximately two years.
The discovery marks the first genetic risk factor for HIV found only in people of African descent, and sheds light on........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/16/2008 8:56:35 PM)
Psychological and social issues associated with tooth lossAre feelings of depression overwhelming you? Is your self-esteem an issue? Having problems advancing in life or your career? Maybe you feel nervous or self conscious in social settings? Do you avoid social settings all together? Check your smile; tooth loss could be the culprit and you're not alone. Nearly 20 million teeth are extracted each year leaving scores of people to deal with the psychological affects of a less than perfect smile.........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/16/2008 8:06:51 PM)
Middle Eastern families yield intriguing clues to autismResearch involving large Middle Eastern families, sophisticated genetic analysis and groundbreaking neuroscience has implicated a half-dozen new genes in autism. More importantly, it strongly supports the emerging idea that autism stems from disruptions in the brain's ability to form new connections in response to experience consistent with autism's onset during the first year of life, when a number of of these connections are normally made.
........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/10/2008 9:41:53 PM)
Protein marker for schizophrenia riskA protein found in immune cells may be a reliable marker for schizophrenia risk, report scientists in a new proteomics study appearing in the recent issue of Molecular and Cellular proteomics.
Schizophrenia is a severe and complex psychiatric illness that affects about 1% of the population. Diagnosis currently relies on subjective clinical interviews and the assessment of ambiguous symptoms, which frequently leads to delayed diagnosis and........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/8/2008 8:58:04 PM)
Relationship violence among college studentsViolence between partners, friends and acquaintances appears prevalent both during and before college, as per results of a survey of students at three urban college campuses reported in the recent issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The transition from living at home to attending college may increase adolescents' vulnerability to relationship violence, as per background information in the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/7/2008 9:15:06 PM)
Brain noise is a good thingToronto, Canada Canadian researchers have shown that a noisy brain is a healthy brain.
"Brain noise" is a term that has been used by neuroresearchers to describe random brain activity that is not important to mental function. Intuitive notions of brain-behaviour relationships would suggest that this brain noise quiets down as children mature into adults and become more efficient and consistent in their cognitive processing.
But new........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/3/2008 9:05:16 PM)
When Children Begin to Simulate Other Mindsof the world that represented Maxi''s experience - they weren''t capable of a theory of mind. From about 4 to 5-years-old the situation changed dramatically. Suddenly the children tended to point to the cupboard where Maxi thought the chocolate was, rather than where they knew it was. However in some variations of the experiment children up to 5-years-old still had problems understanding someone else''s false belief. Finally, at 6-years-old,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/2/2008 8:11:17 PM)
Newborns in ICUs often undergo painful proceduresAn examination of newborn intensive care finds that newborns undergo numerous procedures that are linked to pain and stress, and that a number of of these procedures are performed without medicine or treatment to relieve pain, as per a research studyin the July 2 issue of JAMA
"Repeated invasive procedures occur routinely in neonates [a baby, from birth to four weeks] who require intensive care, causing pain at a time when it is........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 7/1/2008 9:34:50 PM)
Fish-based fatty acids in preventing asthmaAsthma and allergic reactions have observed that a molecule produced by the body from omega-3 fatty acids helps resolve and prevent respiratory distress in laboratory mice. The research, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, was led by a research team at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Resolvin E1 (RvE1) is a metabolic product of an omega-3........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/23/2008 7:05:41 PM)
Save Precious Minutes In Deploying AmbulancesEvery extra second it takes an ambulance to get to its destination can mean life or death. But how, besides driving faster, can ambulances get emergency services to people in need as efficiently as possible, every day? It's a classic operations research question that three Cornell scientists are tackling in groundbreaking ways.
A National Science Foundation grant of almost $300,000 is allowing associate professor of operations research Shane........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 10:05:00 PM)
Grape seed extract for Alzheimer's diseaseA compound found in grape seed extract reduces plaque formation and resulting cognitive impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, new research shows. The study appears in the June 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience
Lead study author Giulio Pasinetti, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and his colleagues observed that the grape seed extract prevents amyloid beta accumulation in cells, suggesting that it may block the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/17/2008 9:34:01 PM)
Aging and bone mineral density"Change in bone mineral density as a function of age in women and men and association with the use of antiresorptive agents".
Older women and men experience increasing rates of hip fracture because of the age-related acceleration in bone loss. David Goltzman and his colleagues studied a large cohort of Canadians and observed that antiresorptive medicine attenuates this loss.
The authors observed that even among women aged 50-54, the range........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/16/2008 10:21:08 PM)
Immune molecule that plays a powerful role in avoiding organ rejectionWhen a mouse's immune system is deciding whether to reject a skin graft, one powerful member of a molecular family designed to provoke such a response can effectively reduce the visibility of the mouse's own cells and help the graft survive, scientists say.
"This is a molecule with huge potential to regulate immune response," Dr. Anatolij Horuzsko, reproductive immunologist at the Medical College of Georgia Center for Molecular........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/16/2008 9:23:35 PM)
Cancer-killing viruses influence tumor blood-vessel growthViruses genetically designed to kill cancer cells offer a promising strategy for treating incurable brain tumors such as glioblastoma, but the body's natural defenses often eliminate the viruses before they can eliminate the tumor.
The findings of an animal study by scientists at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center help explain why this happens and could improve this treatment for brain cancer patients.
The research,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/10/2008 8:17:33 PM)
Poor sleep can affect a student's gradesInsufficient sleep among adolescents may not only contribute to lower grades and a lack of motivation, but may also increase the odds of serious levels of emotional and behavioral disturbances, including ADHD, as per a research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by Fred Danner, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, focused........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 6/9/2008 9:58:11 PM)
Perspectives In Brain CancerThe other day, news broke out that doctors found malignant brain tumor in Senator Edward Kennedy
From The Washington Post
Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), the liberal icon who has spent more than four decades at the forefront of social-change efforts in Congress, has a cancerous brain tumor, physicians at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital said yesterday
A biopsy of a portion of Kennedy's brain identified a malignant glioma........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 5/24/2008 4:23:44 PM)
Stress in Pregnancy Increases Baby's Asthma and Allergy RiskHere's another item to be included in the list of things pregnant women should avoid to reduce their kid's risk of having allergies and asthma: stress
Babies born to mothers experiencing high levels of stress had more IgE in their blood at birth than did babies born to less-stressed moms. IgE is an antibody involved in allergic and asthmatic reactions
"Moms who had elevated levels of stress had children who seemed to be more........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 5/24/2008 4:19:35 PM)
Study reveals link among childhood allergiesA study released by scientists at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, shows that cat ownership may have a protective effect against the development of asthma symptoms in young children at age five. The study, published by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, observed that children with cats in the home were more likely to have made allergy-related........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 5/20/2008 9:40:54 PM)
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