Medicine & Health
Hospital error blamed for more infant overdoses
The case of 14 babies who received accidental overdoses while in intensive care has raised new questions about how a common blood-thinning medication could be given to infants repeatedly in the wrong dosage.
Lightning claims 5 young lives in a week
(AP) — Five young lives have been ended by lightning in less than a week, a deadly reminder of one of summer’s leading hazards.
“Typically, July marks the peak in lightning activity. It’s also the time when people are vacationing, so they are outside and they are vulnerable to lightning,” said John Jensenius, a lightning safety [...]
Binge drinking tied to conditions in the college environment
Heavy alcohol use, or binge drinking, among college students in the United States is tied to conditions in the college environment. That is one of the key findings from research conducted by researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), a landmark study that surveyed more than 50,000 students at 120 [...]
Scientists discover key patterns in the packaging of genes
Although every cell of our bodies contains the same genetic instructions, specific genes typically act only in specific cells at particular times. Other genes are “silenced” in a variety of ways. One mode of gene silencing depends upon the way DNA, the genetic material, is packed in the nucleus of cells.
Research identifies brain cells related to fear
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about
40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that nearly 15 percent of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan develop [...]
Genetic variations put youth at higher risk for lifetime of tobacco addiction
Common genetic variations affecting nicotine receptors in the nervous system can significantly increase the chance that European Americans who begin smoking by age 17 will struggle with lifelong nicotine addiction, according to researchers at the University of Utah and their colleagues at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The study, published in the July 11, 2008 issue of [...]
Researches identify herpesvirus proteins that target key cellular processes
A study published July 11th in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens suggests that herpesviruses use multiple strategies to manipulate important components of the host cell nuclear environment during infection. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto in collaboration with Affinium Pharmaceuticals Inc., provides novel insights into the potential functions of over 120 [...]
Learning to talk to teens about sex — while at work
Sex is one of the most difficult topics a parent can bring up with an adolescent, but a new study finds that parents who are taught specific communication skills can more readily tackle these conversations and sustain them over time.
The study, published online by the British Medical Journal on July 11 with an accompanying editorial, [...]
Study reveals potential reasons for school absenteeism
A questionnaire of Swiss schoolchildren has revealed the extent of truancy and school fear. The research, published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, links truancy and school fear to life events, parental behaviour and school environment.
Children are naturally prone to be empathic and moral
Children between the ages of seven and 12 appear to be naturally inclined to feel empathy for others in pain, according to researchers at the University of Chicago, who used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans to study responses in children.