A novel learning platform that uses a variety of mature technologies to support and expand teaching practices has recently completed testing, proving popular among high school students and teachers.

“The main part of the project used established pedagogical theories, such as the activity theory and the theory of expansive learning in a normal school environment. Of course we used technology to support this,” says Dr Costas Davarakis, project manager at Systema Technologies, the coord

Doctors “talking” to computer screens instead of patients during a physical exam is a problem easily cured, say researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc.

Their comprehensive study of the effect of exam room computer placement and the doctor-patient relationship appears in the August issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The researchers found that doctors with poor communications skills tended to get lost

Further significance for those women taking low-dose oral contraceptives who already are at increased risk for such events because of polycystic ovary syndrome, or metabolic disorder

Women using low-dose oral contraceptives are at an increased risk for a heart attack or stroke while taking the pill – however the risk disappears after discontinuation, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University study published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Meta

Age may work in reverse when it comes to raising grandchildren, suggests a University of Florida study that finds younger grandmothers in this role are depressed more often than their older counterparts.

“Unlike older grandparents who are frequently retired, middle-aged grandparents face problems trying to balance their newfound parenting roles with other responsibilities, including the demands of careers and personal interests,” said Terry Mills, a UF sociologist who did the study,

Why does it seem like some people can eat all the ice cream they want without increasing their cholesterol or gaining much weight, while others with high cholesterol have to watch their diets like a hawk? Because no matter what their lifestyle, people’s genes play an overriding role in their cholesterol response.

So says a new study by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Ins

The Swiss economy is undergoing a change from a production economy to an economy of knowledge. In the future, Switzerland’s added value will be acquired primarily through the formulation and exploitation of product knowledge, and its wealth will be sustained mostly through the realization of these knowledge-based products. Further development of innovation in Switzerland is having a correspondingly significant role. It was for this reason that ETH Zurich set up the International Competence Cent

The inequalities that mark American life maintain their hold through age and even death, a new study shows.

Wealthier elders are significantly less likely than poorer ones to suffer pain at the end of their lives, according to a University of Michigan study forthcoming in the August issue of the Journal of Palliative Care.

Specifically, men and women age 70 or older whose net worth was $70,000 or higher were 30 percent less likely than poorer people to have felt pain of

Dutch researcher Anna-Karina Hermkens has produced a description and analysis of the dynamics of gender and identity in the culture of the Maisin, an indigenous group from Papua New Guinea. She made this analysis by following the production and use of an object made by the women, painted barkcloth.

In her thesis Anna-Karina Hermkens provides insights into the life and culture of the Maisin from a previously undescribed female perspective. This reveals the importance of women and f

Envision new type of saliva diagnostic test

Scientists at the Forsyth Institute have found that three bacterial species are associated with the most common form of oral cancer–a discovery the researchers hope will lead to a simple diagnostic test for the often-fatal disease. The findings also open the question of whether bacteria might, in some way, play a causal role.

The current discovery, reported in the July 7 Journal of Translational Medicine, suggests that el

New study strengthens the case for development of vaccine to prevent mosquitoe-borne virus

A new study of the disease burden of dengue fever in Malaysia strengthens the case for development of a vaccine against the mosquito-borne illness.

Despite the nation’s efforts at treatment and control, 10,000 cases are reported each year at a l cost of almost $13 million, slightly less than half for vector control and the rest for treating hospitalized patients with dengu

An enzyme known to cause hypertension increases blood pressure by activating tiny pores, or channels, in kidney cells that allow increased levels of sodium to be reabsorbed into the blood, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. The findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms that cause hypertension, and may also help explain why patients with hypertension linked to salt intake often need to take potassium supplements in order to keep their high blood pressure in check.

Overactive dopamine receptors may help explain eating disorder’s symptoms

Just why those with anorexia nervosa are driven to be excessively thin and seem unaware of the seriousness of their condition could be due to over-activity of a chemical system found in a region deep inside the brain, a University of Pittsburgh study suggests. Reporting in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers found an over-activity of dopamine receptors in the brain’s basal ganglia,

Men and women differ in how they decide which strangers they can trust, according to new research.

A study found that men tended to trust people who were part of a group with them. Women, on the other hand, were more likely to trust strangers who shared some personal connection, such as a friend of a friend.

“There are different ways to determine who is a part of your in-group, to decide who you can trust when you first meet a stranger,” said Marilynn Brewer, co-auth

The largest study to date on the early detection of colorectal cancer offers benchmark data for what could be expected from large-scale use of flexible sigmoidoscopy as a screening tool for colorectal cancer. The report, published in the July 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), is part of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized, community-based longitudinal study evaluating the effectiveness of cancer screening tests

By wearing a unique weighted back support device and participating in a special exercise program, women over 60 with osteoporosis-caused curvature of the spine improved their balance and experienced diminished back pain, giving researchers at Mayo Clinic a promising therapy to reduce falls among this population.

Falls present a serious risk of injury in the older population. Falls also can lead to permanent lifestyle changes, such as hospitalization, long-term rehabilitation and

A new study being released today demonstrates that the health of area restaurant and bar workers has improved dramatically since the enactment last year of Lexington’s Smoke-Free Law.

The study, conducted by the University of Kentucky College of Nursing in collaboration with the UK Prevention Research Center, examined hair nicotine of 106 employees at nearly 50 randomly selected Lexington bars and restaurants.

Hair samples were analyzed four months before the law t