Three studies are underway at the NYU School of Medicine to find out whether short-term counseling can ease the psychological stress and depression of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their family members. These studies were inspired by the success of a previous trial at the NYU School of Medicine that showed that even a short period of counseling can have a long-term beneficial impact on the emotional well-being of people taking care of spouses with Alzheimer’s disease.

A study published in the February issue of the journal Radiology shows that a positron emission mammography (PEM) device designed and built by Jefferson Lab scientists is capable of imaging breast cancer tumors. In the pilot study, conducted by Duke University Medical Center researchers, the unit imaged 18 malignant tumors in 23 patients receiving additional screening due to suspicious mammograms.

For many women, regular mammograms allow physicians to spot breast cancer tumor

Brain tests at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggest that autistic children shy from eye contact because they perceive even the most familiar face as an uncomfortable threat.

The work deepens understanding of an autistic brain’s function and may one day inform new treatment approaches and augment how teachers interact with their autistic students.

Tracking the correlation between eye movements and brain activity, the researchers found that in autistic subjects, t

The use of motorbikes among children and adolescents is dangerous, on the rise and leading to a greater number of injuries, according to a new Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study. In addition, the study shows that children often ride motorbikes on public roads and, most of the time, without wearing helmets, leading to significantly increased severity of injury.

The study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics, concludes that children should not operate m

A new study documenting the treatment of late-life depression by Canadian health professionals will be presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. The study is the first to assess whether people diagnosed with late-life depression receive ’guideline concordant pharmacotherapy’ medication recommended in guidelines issued by the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

The research, conducted by Dr. Maida Sewitch at the McGill University Hea

A study finds that forced distribution ratings systems, where a predetermined percentage of low-performing employees is fired every year, can be an effective way to improve a company’s workforce, although these benefits diminish over time.

“A significant number of organizations either already use, or are considering using, ’rank and yank’ systems of the type we studied, said Steve Scullen, one of the authors and associate professor of management at Drake University.

Gap-toothed youngsters may not be the only ones who are a little sore when they leave the orthodontist’s office. While they sport tight braces on their teeth, their doctors may be nursing tight, aching backs, according to a study from the University of Alberta.

A study of graduate orthodontic students at the university and a practising orthodontist–who’d been working for 18 years–showed that long hours of bending low and working in patients’ mouths put heavy strain

Having to work harder and act like ‘robots’, with little scope for personal initiative, are the chief reasons for declining job satisfaction in Britain, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.

Feelings of insecurity, too high expectations and people being ‘over-educated’ and unable to find work to match their qualifications, are largely dismissed as factors, in the study led by Professor Francis Green of the University of Kent. His team found no evidence to back suggestio

Forgiveness is hard to do…especially for entitled people

When harsh words or actions tear a relationship apart, forgiveness can sometimes mend it. Because forgiveness implies letting go of justified feelings of resentment, it can be costly in terms of pride. Certain types of people–those with a high sense of narcissistic entitlement–may be especially reluctant to face the costs of forgiving others, according to Case Western Reserve University psychologist Julie Exline. The Case ass

Finding could further improve understanding of disease mechanism, lead to new treatments

Researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (MIND) have identified a gene variant that may increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In the March 3 New England Journal of Medicine they report that specific changes in the gene for a protein called ubiquilin-1 are associated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s in two large study samples

Surgery gives normal life expectancy to patients with severe mitral regurgitation; death risk for medically treated patients is five times greater

“We know from previous studies that patients with symptomatic mitral regurgitation are at increased risk of death, but for those without symptoms the picture has been murkier,” says Maurice Enriquez-Sarano, M.D., the Mayo Clinic cardiologist who led the study. “In this study we followed a large population of asymptomatic patients pros

Mistakes made by human subjects in identifying the facing direction of faces, cars or meaningless objects have yielded evidence that the brain contains nerve cells, or neurons, whose job is to encode the viewing angle of objects. It is well known that certain neurons respond to color, motion, edges and other aspects of our environment. Now, University of Minnesota researchers have found that our visual cortex contains neurons that tell us, for example, whether a face is turned in our directio

In a new and novel study, scientists are looking to nature — specifically, to ants, bees and viruses — for ways to improve human collaboration during disaster relief efforts.

At the center of the scientists’ sights are a sub-group of their own species — specifically, civil engineers, who historically have had a limited role in such efforts, especially those involving critical physical infrastructures.

Supported by a five-year $2.37 million grant from the Nationa

Columbia University Medical Center researchers publish JAMA study showing that clearing fatty deposits in angioplasty procedures during heart attack fails to improve patient outcomes

Interventional cardiologists from Columbia University Medical Center have shown that a commonly used procedure to remove fatty debris from blocked arteries during a heart attack does not improve patient outcomes.

The procedure, called distal microcirculatory protection, is commonly and suc

A post-graduate student from The University of Manchester’s School of Psychological Sciences is investigating the theory that children with imaginary companions are quicker to develop language skills and retain knowledge.

Anna Roby, who is studying for her Master of Science degree in Applied Psychology, is carrying out the research, which aims to test whether having an imaginary friend can help children’s learning, development and creativity.

The theory is that by cha

A new study finds men treated with hormone therapy for prostate cancer may experience temporary cognitive changes that can affect verbal fluency, visual recognition and visual memory. The study, published in the April 1, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, finds the degree of cognitive dysfunction appeared to be related to a decline in serum estradiol brought on by hormonal treatment.

Androgen-deprivation therapy (AD) is an effective adjuvan