Research News:
Report: Strained Military Resulting in Abuse, Neglect
by Rose Hoban
All Things Considered, July 31, 2007 · The ongoing U.S. war on terrorism continues to strain military servicemembers and their families.
A new Journal of the American Medical Association study released Tuesday finds that deployments have resulted in increased rates of child abuse and neglect.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Research News:
Exercise, caffeine fight skin cancer
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID AP Science Writer
Article Last Updated: 07/30/2007 11:08:19 AM MDT
WASHINGTON—Can adding a cup or two of coffee to the exercise routine increase protection from skin cancer? New research indicates that just might be the case. The combination of exercise and caffeine increased destruction of precancerous cells that had been damaged by the sun's ultraviolet-B radiation, according to a team of researchers at Rutgers University.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Exercise, caffeine fight skin cancer
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID AP Science Writer
Article Last Updated: 07/30/2007 11:08:19 AM MDT
WASHINGTON—Can adding a cup or two of coffee to the exercise routine increase protection from skin cancer? New research indicates that just might be the case. The combination of exercise and caffeine increased destruction of precancerous cells that had been damaged by the sun's ultraviolet-B radiation, according to a team of researchers at Rutgers University.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Research News:
Multiple sclerosis findings could help pinpoint cause
By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY
Gene hunters from the USA and Europe have located two genes that appear to increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, studies released Sunday show. The findings are widely expected to help scientists figure out what causes MS, a baffling disease of the central nervous system that afflicts about 350,000 people in the USA. The hope is that new knowledge will lead to the development of more targeted treatments, says Jonathan Haines, director of the Center for Human Genetics Research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Multiple sclerosis findings could help pinpoint cause
By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY
Gene hunters from the USA and Europe have located two genes that appear to increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, studies released Sunday show. The findings are widely expected to help scientists figure out what causes MS, a baffling disease of the central nervous system that afflicts about 350,000 people in the USA. The hope is that new knowledge will lead to the development of more targeted treatments, says Jonathan Haines, director of the Center for Human Genetics Research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Research News:
Hearing loss may be a key to SIDS
By Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/28/2007 11:30:01 PM MDT
Hearing tests routinely administered to most newborns soon might be used to identify children at risk of sudden infant death syndrome, according to Seattle researchers.
Records of hearing tests administered to 62 infants in Delaware show that those who subsequently died of SIDS had a unique pattern of partial hearing loss, according to a report last week in the journal Early Human Development.
"This discovery opens a whole new line of inquiry into SIDS research," said the lead author, Dr. Daniel Rubens of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
About 3,600 children die from SIDS each year, generally in the second to fourth months of life and typically in their sleep. Although campaigns to have infants sleep on their backs have reduced the mortality rate, no cause for the deaths has been proved.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Early human development.
Hearing loss may be a key to SIDS
By Thomas H. Maugh II Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/28/2007 11:30:01 PM MDT
Hearing tests routinely administered to most newborns soon might be used to identify children at risk of sudden infant death syndrome, according to Seattle researchers.
Records of hearing tests administered to 62 infants in Delaware show that those who subsequently died of SIDS had a unique pattern of partial hearing loss, according to a report last week in the journal Early Human Development.
"This discovery opens a whole new line of inquiry into SIDS research," said the lead author, Dr. Daniel Rubens of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
About 3,600 children die from SIDS each year, generally in the second to fourth months of life and typically in their sleep. Although campaigns to have infants sleep on their backs have reduced the mortality rate, no cause for the deaths has been proved.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Early human development.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Research News:
Jump in psychosis risk among pot users, study
The study couldn't prove marijuana was the sole culprit but estimated that cutting its use could reduce the number of cases.
By Maria Cheng The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/27/2007 12:45:36 AM MDT
London - Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous.
The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.
Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana's long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published today in the medical journal The Lancet
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Lancet.
Jump in psychosis risk among pot users, study
The study couldn't prove marijuana was the sole culprit but estimated that cutting its use could reduce the number of cases.
By Maria Cheng The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/27/2007 12:45:36 AM MDT
London - Using marijuana seems to increase the chance of becoming psychotic, researchers report in an analysis of past research that reignites the issue of whether pot is dangerous.
The new review suggests that even infrequent use could raise the small but real risk of this serious mental illness by 40 percent.
Doctors have long suspected a connection and say the latest findings underline the need to highlight marijuana's long-term risks. The research, paid for by the British Health Department, is being published today in the medical journal The Lancet
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Lancet.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Research News:
Fat spreads among pals, study finds
By Denise Gellene Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/25/2007 11:58:53 PM MDT
People whose friends become obese have a greater chance of also getting too fat, a finding that suggests that obesity is "socially contagious," spreading from one person to another like a disease, according to a new study released Wednesday.
Geographic distance between friends doesn't matter - the influence of friendship is the same whether friends live next door or 500 miles away, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, conducted by Dr. Nicolas Christakis of Harvard Medical School and James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the first to document the spread of obesity through a social network - a pattern of contagion most often associated with infectious diseases, such as influenza and AIDS.
"People are interconnected and their health is interconnected," said Christakis, a professor of medical sociology.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Fat spreads among pals, study finds
By Denise Gellene Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/25/2007 11:58:53 PM MDT
People whose friends become obese have a greater chance of also getting too fat, a finding that suggests that obesity is "socially contagious," spreading from one person to another like a disease, according to a new study released Wednesday.
Geographic distance between friends doesn't matter - the influence of friendship is the same whether friends live next door or 500 miles away, according to the report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, conducted by Dr. Nicolas Christakis of Harvard Medical School and James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the first to document the spread of obesity through a social network - a pattern of contagion most often associated with infectious diseases, such as influenza and AIDS.
"People are interconnected and their health is interconnected," said Christakis, a professor of medical sociology.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Research News:
Scientists speed antidepressant action
BETHESDA, Md., July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have moved closer to producing faster acting antidepressants than exist today by using the experimental medication ketamine.
The research, conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, focused on how ketamine, when used experimentally for depression, relieves symptoms in hours instead of the weeks or months it takes for current antidepressants to work.
While ketamine itself probably won't be used as an antidepressant because of its side effects, researchers said the new finding moves scientists considerably closer to understanding how to develop faster-acting antidepressant medications.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Scientists speed antidepressant action
BETHESDA, Md., July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have moved closer to producing faster acting antidepressants than exist today by using the experimental medication ketamine.
The research, conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, focused on how ketamine, when used experimentally for depression, relieves symptoms in hours instead of the weeks or months it takes for current antidepressants to work.
While ketamine itself probably won't be used as an antidepressant because of its side effects, researchers said the new finding moves scientists considerably closer to understanding how to develop faster-acting antidepressant medications.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Research News:
Study: Diet sodas no heart-disease deterrent
Some experts doubt results, see other factors at play
By Jay Lindsay The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/24/2007 02:05:29 AM MDT
Boston - People who drank one or more diet soda a day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, a large but inconclusive study found.
The results surprised researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers. It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.
The study's senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran of Boston University School of Medicine, emphasized that the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. But he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Circulation.
Study: Diet sodas no heart-disease deterrent
Some experts doubt results, see other factors at play
By Jay Lindsay The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/24/2007 02:05:29 AM MDT
Boston - People who drank one or more diet soda a day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, a large but inconclusive study found.
The results surprised researchers who expected to see a difference between regular and diet soda drinkers. It could be, they suggest, that even no-calorie sweet drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and that people who indulge in sodas probably have less healthy diets overall.
The study's senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran of Boston University School of Medicine, emphasized that the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. But he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Circulation.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The News
Chimp research gives evolutionary clues
DAVIS, Calif., July 20 (UPI) -- A study by researchers at the University of California-Davis on chimpanzees found clues regarding the evolutionary concept of walking upright.
By analyzing how a group of trained chimps used a treadmill, the California anthropologists said they gained a better idea of why apelike beings stopped walking on all fours and began walking on two legs, a news release from the school said Friday.
"When our earliest ancestors started walking on two legs, they took the first steps toward becoming human," lead researcher Michael Sockol said. "Our findings help answer why."
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Chimp research gives evolutionary clues
DAVIS, Calif., July 20 (UPI) -- A study by researchers at the University of California-Davis on chimpanzees found clues regarding the evolutionary concept of walking upright.
By analyzing how a group of trained chimps used a treadmill, the California anthropologists said they gained a better idea of why apelike beings stopped walking on all fours and began walking on two legs, a news release from the school said Friday.
"When our earliest ancestors started walking on two legs, they took the first steps toward becoming human," lead researcher Michael Sockol said. "Our findings help answer why."
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The News
Computer wears the crown in checkers (LA Times)
reported in the Denver Post with the headline: Computer checks ancient board game.
By Karen Kaplan, Times Staff WriterJuly 20, 2007
After 13 years of brute-force computer analysis examining all 500 billion billion possible board positions, researchers announced Thursday that they had solved the centuries-old game of checkers. The result?A perfect game cannot be won or lost but will inevitably end in a draw, according to the research published in the journal Science online.The proof demonstrates that even the most skilled player can't count on executing a cunning move designed to win — he or she can only avoid making a mistake that leads to a loss.The complete solution to checkers marks a milestone in computing, achieving a goal that researchers had pondered since the earliest days of computers.It is not a victory of pure machine intelligence, but one based largely on rote calculating ability.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Computer wears the crown in checkers (LA Times)
reported in the Denver Post with the headline: Computer checks ancient board game.
By Karen Kaplan, Times Staff WriterJuly 20, 2007
After 13 years of brute-force computer analysis examining all 500 billion billion possible board positions, researchers announced Thursday that they had solved the centuries-old game of checkers. The result?A perfect game cannot be won or lost but will inevitably end in a draw, according to the research published in the journal Science online.The proof demonstrates that even the most skilled player can't count on executing a cunning move designed to win — he or she can only avoid making a mistake that leads to a loss.The complete solution to checkers marks a milestone in computing, achieving a goal that researchers had pondered since the earliest days of computers.It is not a victory of pure machine intelligence, but one based largely on rote calculating ability.
The Research
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
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