Although people with diabetes are twice as likely as the general population to develop depression, the cause of this increased risk is not well understood. Now, a Joslin Diabetes Center-led collaboration has documented for the first time subtle changes in the gray matter of the brain of type 1 diabetes patients compared to control subjects who did not have diabetes. They made these observations using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), a relatively new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that all

Fatty acids such as those found in corn oil turn on genes that stimulate tumor growth

Omega-6 fatty acids–such as those found in corn oil–caused human prostate tumors in cell culture to grow twice as quickly as tumors to which omega-6 fats had not been added, according to a study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

An omega-6 fatty acid known as arachidonic acid turns on a gene signaling pathway that leads directly to tumor growth, according to prin

A study involving researchers from the Universities of Leicester, Birmingham and Sheffield has highlighted significant variation in the development of intermediate care in England.

The study, which included a national survey of intermediate care co-ordinators, data collection in five case-study sites and a systematic review of previous research, focused upon the costs and outcomes of intermediate care for older people.

Research Fellow Emma Regen said: “Findings from t

Many of us have experienced déjà vu – the unsettling sensation of knowing that a situation could not have been experienced, combined with the feeling that it has. It is usually so fleeting that psychologists have until recently thought it impossible to study. But for some people, the feeling of having been there before is a persistent sensation, making every day a ‘Groundhog Day’. Psychologists from Leeds’ memory group are working with sufferers of chronic déjà vu on the world’s first study

A forthcoming article in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research compares the attitudes of American and Singaporean subjects toward well-known brands in order to assess how a consumer’s self-view influences perception of consumer goods. The researchers found that Westerners, who tend to have a personality-oriented independent self-view, focus on the general qualities of the brand. Easterners, who focus more interdependently on contextual factors and their relationships to other

Hidden toll of dying and disabled children; A comprehensive global analysis identifies trends and interventions

Every year an estimated 8 million children — about 6 percent of total births worldwide — are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin, according to a new report from the March of Dimes.

Additionally, hundreds of thousands more are born with serious birth defects of post-conception origin due to maternal exposure to environmental

A shoulder shrug. Lack of eye contact. A hand gesture. What patients don’t say can be just as important as what they do, according to a study of nonverbal behavior published in a January issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

According to the study by Richard Frankel, Ph.D., professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and the Center for Implementing Evidence Based Practice at the Indian

A study released by the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts, Inc. (MHSACM), a statewide organization representing over 100 community-based mental health and substance abuse service providers, found that the MassHealth behavioral health carve-out provides efficient and effective mental health and substance abuse services and is of good taxpayer value to the Commonwealth.

The Romney Administration is currently considering dismantling the program.

Reduction in small-fiber nerves may underlie complex regional pain syndrome-I (reflex sympathetic dystrophy)

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found the first evidence of a physical abnormality underlying the chronic pain condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome-I (CRPS-I). In the February issue of the journal Pain, they describe finding that skin affected by CRPS-I pain appears to have lost some small-fiber nerve endings

People who feel sad or anxious without knowing the source of their sulkiness will let negative feelings affect their decision-making on unrelated issues. However, a groundbreaking new study in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals a surprisingly simple way to combat the rule of bad feelings: identify the source of the negative emotion.

“When we do not know the cause of our negative states – referred to as mood states by psychologists–we use the moo

An important new study explores the impact of artificial bonuses on customer loyalty. For example, putting a few extra “bonus” stamps on a frequent-buyer card – instead of just requiring more purchases in the first place – leads to an artificial feeling of advancement towards a goal…and repeat business. In a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Consumer Research, this phenomenon is termed the “endowed progress effect.”

“The endowed progress effect we document is shown to affect the attr

Many dog owners who relinquish their pets to animal shelters are not entirely honest about their dogs’ behavioral problems probably for fear that their pets will be put to sleep, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania and University of California veterinary schools. According to the researchers, these behavioral problems may sometimes pose a risk to an adopting family who could unknowingly take in an aggressive animal.

The researchers studied behavioral questionn

Diabetes prevention study reveals another benefit of lifestyle changes

Losing a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity reduces the occurrence of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. This finding comes from a new study, published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, of women who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP),

People with strong views on abortion and other controversial issues tend to exaggerate differences of opinion they have with their opponents, a new University of Florida study finds.

The research shows that the middle ground can be reached on intellectual terms but often is not because individuals view their opponents’ arguments as attacks upon their core values and therefore themselves, said John Chambers, a UF psychology professor.

“Members of partisan social grou

These findings set the stage for clinical research into stroke prevention

Among patients who have suffered a single stroke, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at other institutions, have found that severe stenosis, or narrowing, of the arteries in the head represents a major risk factor for the development of a subsequent stroke. Patients with recent symptoms were also at high risk. Further, women faced a greater risk of sub

Children’s first dental visit should come soon after their first teeth sprout, says UCSF researcher

Fluoride varnish, a dental preventive treatment, reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay in combination with dental health counseling for parents, according to a study by investigators at the UCSF School of Dentistry.

The investigators examined cavity-free infants and young children, primarily from low-income Chinese or Hispanic families in San Francis