Even the subtlest hints of anger or hostility in their environment sets physically abused children on prolonged ’alert’, even if a conflict has nothing to do with them.
The tendency to stay attentive of nearby discord is probably a natural form of self-preservation in children who routinely face aggression. But it may also explain why abused children are often so distracted at school, write researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the journal Child Developme
In a study of adult monkeys who were exposed to moderate amounts of alcohol in utero, scientists have found that prenatal exposure to alcohol – even in small doses – has pronounced effects on the development and function later in life of the brain’s dopamine system, a critical component of the central nervous system that regulates many regions of the brain.
Writing in the current issue (Sept. 15, 2005) of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, a team of re
Researchers say marital problems affect men and women equally
Spouses in a poor marriage are more likely to be stressed during the workday, a finding that could mean a greater likelihood of strokes and heart disease for both husband and wife, according to researchers at Brandeis University and University College in London.
In a study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, the researchers also found that a bad marriage impacts stress levels of men and women equall
A respiratory disorder that causes thoroughbred racehorses to hemorrhage during competition may seriously hamper some horses’ chances of winning a race.
A new study in Australia found that horses with more severe forms of this disorder, called exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) trailed the winner by an average of 14 feet (4.36 meters). EIPH causes blood to leak from the pulmonary artery into the bronchial tubes and windpipe during intense exercise, making it harder
With rising concern over the cost of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit program – going into effect January, 2006 and estimated to cost $593 billion over the next decade – a new UCSF study reveals that a key cost-cutting strategy employed by HMOs for 15 years is simply not working.
Health insurance companies have increasingly sought to limit the amount of expensive drugs doctors prescribe to patients in order to keep drug costs form spiraling, according to the study autho
Drugs already in development to target the genetic pathway
In a new study, scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Hospital have shown that two genes called Notch1 and Jagged1 are linked to more aggressive breast cancers and that patients are less likely to survive the disease when these two genes are highly expressed.
The study is published in the September 15th issue of the journal Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association f
Scientists have discovered a new and potent anti-cancer compound in everyday food. The collaborative study led by UCL (University College London) shows that the compound – inositol pentakisphosphate – found in beans, nuts and cereals inhibits a key enzyme (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) involved in tumour growth. The findings, published in the latest issue of Cancer Research, suggest that a diet enriched in such foods could help prevent cancer, while the inhibitor offers a new tool for anti-cancer
A new study to detect an elevated rate of mutations in a gene on the X chromosome holds promise for developing a test that could identify individuals at risk for developing cancer. In the study, led by David J. Araten, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology at NYU School of Medicine, the rate of mutations in the gene, called PIG-A, was significantly higher in individuals born with defects in the cellular machinery to repair DNA compared to people without these genetic cond
Set of known errors is merely tip of the iceberg, UCI researcher says
While forensic scientists have long claimed fingerprint evidence is infallible, the widely publicized error that landed an innocent American behind bars as a suspect in the Madrid train bombing alerted the nation to the potential flaws in the system. Now, UC Irvine criminologist Simon Cole has shown that not only do errors occur, but as many as a thousand incorrect fingerprint “matches” could be made each yea
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine provide direct evidence that two parts of a neuronal system, one that promotes eating and another that suppresses eating, are critical for the acute regulation of eating and body weight, according to a study published online in the September 11 issue of Nature Neuroscience.
The paper makes it clear that the agouti-related peptide-expressing (AgRP) neurons are mandatory for eating. “Previous studies showed that the brain, particularly the hy
Oddly enough, having an aneurysm in the ascending aorta is significantly associated with decreased incidence of atherosclerosis, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers published this month in Chest.
An aortic aneurysm is a widening of the major artery leading from the heart that may rupture, causing hemorrhage, or may split into layers, jeopardizing blood flow to internal organs. When split into layers it is called “aortic dissection.”
“This is a sil
An Internet-based examination system enables stroke patients to be treated as rapidly in rural communities as they are in bigger hospitals with stroke teams, researchers have found.
A study of 194 stroke patients in eight rural Georgia hospitals seen via the REACH system by stroke team members at an academic medical center showed most patients got clot-dissolving tPA in less than two hours, says Dr. David Hess, chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Neurology and
Testing for exercise capacity and heart rate recovery improves on traditional risk-factor scoring
Performing cardiac stress tests that measure exercise capacity and heart rate recovery can improve dramatically on existing techniques that predict who is most likely to suffer a heart attack or die from coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading cause of death in the United States, a team of cardiologists at Johns Hopkins reports.
In the Sept. 13 edition of the journal C
Take a young child at high risk of doing poorly in the elementary school years, put him or her in a classroom with a great teacher, and that child will do just as well as children who have no such risks. This finding, published in the September/October issue of the journal Child Development, provides important evidence that the quality of everyday experiences in schools can greatly reduce children’s academic and social problems, even closing gaps between children of varying demographic, experi
A large body of research finds that physically abused children have a very high risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems later in life. Now a study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison finds that these children have a tendency to focus and respond to even subtle signs of anger from others, one explanation for their distraction in classroom and social situations.
The researchers had previously shown that physically abused children tended to become especiall
Although preadolescents and adolescents might think their parents hold no sway over them, a study published in the September/October issue of the journal Child Development finds just the opposite – early parenting style makes a big difference in how a child turns out.
Researchers from Arizona State University in Tempe evaluated 186 adolescents three times over a six-year period, once every two years from the time the children were about 9 to about age 13. They used parent and
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