Researchers have developed a powdered form of an anthrax vaccine that could potentially be inhaled through the nose and eliminate the need for needle injections. The new vaccine, which appears promising in preliminary animal studies, may offer a faster and easier way to protect the general population as well as soldiers on the battlefield in the event of a deadly bioterror attack, the researchers say.

The development, a joint project of BD Technologies and the U.S. Army Medical Res

Researchers in Italy have observed significant reductions of gray matter volume in areas of the brain associated with language processing among people with a family history of dyslexia in comparison with controls with no reading problems. Published in the August 24 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the study also lends support to previous studies suggesting intensive reading therapy activates areas of the brain necessary for word de-coding.

Researchers may get some indication of how aggressively an angry person will react by measuring the size relationship between a person’s ears and other body parts, according to a new study.

Research showed that the farther certain paired body parts were from symmetry – if one ear, index finger or foot was bigger than another, for example – the more likely it is was that a person would show signs of aggression when provoked. The symmetry effects were different in men and women, howe

Researchers at the University of Arkansas who have been studying the effects of stress on caregivers’ health have found a surprising link between the type of assistance caregivers provide and the amount of stress they report.

“It came as no surprise to us that caregivers are under stress,” remarked Barbara Shadden, director of the program in communication disorders, who, with fellow researcher Ro DiBrezzo, director of the UA Human Performance Lab, serves as co-director of the UA O

A new long-term study finds over 20 years, only one in five women who have mammograms every two years will have to undergo follow up evaluation for a false positive finding. Only one in 16 will have an unnecessary invasive procedure over two decades. The study, published August 23, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, should reassure physicians and patients that the risks of breast cancer screening are minimal given the notable benefit

Since rain and freshwater flooding are the number one causes of death from hurricanes in the United States over the last 30 years, better understanding of these storms is vital for insuring public safety. A recent study funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation offers insight into patterns of rainfall from tropical storms and hurricanes around the world.

Researchers at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, and the National Oc

The United Nations’ strategies to increase gender equality in the field of human rights have increased our knowledge of the situation of women, but in the meantime the variety of violations has become invisible. This is one of the findings of a doctoral dissertation in international law written by Sari Kouvo of the School of Economics and Commercial Law at Göteborg University , Sweden.

Since its inception in 1945 the UN has been one of the foremost international players for human ri

The Olympiad kick off marks the return of the Games to their ancient birthplace. In Ancient Greece the land’s best athletes would test their skills in events like wrestling, and running. However, one constant of the Olympics is the significance of sporting superstars. Philosopher Dr Angie Hobbs from the University of Warwick contends that some top athletes fulfil a vital social function, as they can provide happiness, hope, inspiration, release from care and a sense of national identity.

The science and engineering (S&E) workforce of the United States depends heavily on graduates with at least a four-year college education. However, individuals employed in S&E occupations with less than a bachelor’s degree account for more than one-fifth of those employed in S&E occupations.

These S&E workers, more than 1 million people, hold high school diplomas (5 percent of the S&E workforce) or associate’s degrees (17 percent). These data, from the April 2003 “Current Population

The trend for young people to continue in education and postpone independence is creating problems for them and parents, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.

A study led by Professor Gill Jones, at Keele University, found that with the age of independence now effectively 24, there are difficulties both for parents with limited financial resources and other responsibilities, and for young adults who want to be able to make and act on their own decisions. By offering o

Family businesses can be dynamic engines of local economic growth in rich economies, but if a few wealthy families control many of the large businesses in the country where you live, chances are the economy is in the dumps.

Using statistical measures, a University of Alberta business professor and his colleague have shown a correlation between extensive family control of the large business sector and struggling economies in the countries where they are based. Their research has b

Indiana University School of Medicine study published in Science

Blood-making stem cells found in bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and some adult blood products have been used in transplants to treat cancers, leukemia and immune system disorders and to restore blood cell production compromised by chemotherapy and irradiation. But insufficient numbers of donor cells sometime limit success, especially with cord blood transplants.

An Indiana University School of Medicine s

Mayo Clinic Proceedings study highlights Òreal-lifeÓ ICU experience

A study in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings outlines how strictly controlling the levels of glucose, or sugar, in a patient’s blood can increase the survival rate of critically ill patients.

James Krinsley, M.D., the author of the study, is director of critical care at The Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., and associate clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Phy

Senior citizens living alone and independently in apartments should interact often with others—both friends and family members—if they want to maintain their ability to communicate, a new University of Michigan study showed.

A lifestyle with organized activities seems to provide the best social opportunities for the elderly, said Deborah Keller-Cohen, a U-M professor of women’s studies and linguistics.

Much is known about the association between declines in cognitive f

Scientists at the Babraham Institute have made significant advances in understanding schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental illness which has been estimated to affect over 1% of the population and costs the NHS over £2.5 billion per year. Babraham scientists have pinpointed a breakdown in mitochondria – the power stations of the cell – as a key factor.

The discovery, described in an article published in Molecular Psychiatry, was made by a team of scientists working in Dr Sabine Ba

How do men and women in the UK work and live together in the 21st Century? How do they compare as children and how do parents shape their upbringing? What choices do we make academically, what are male and female attitudes towards family and relationships? How do men and women share childcare, and what career paths do they choose, or have forced upon them? And how do the two genders compare in retirement?

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has just awarded some of the co