Social Sciences

When it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be more important than what you eat, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined the relationship between beverage consumption among adults and weight change and found that weight loss was positively associated with a reduction in liquid calorie consumption and liquid calorie intake had a stronger impact on weight than solid calorie intake. The results are published in the April 1, 2009, issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "Both liquid and solid calories were…

Milan, Italy, 2 April 2009 - In a study conducted by the Laboratory of Neuropsychology of the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie and published by Elsevier in the April 2009 issue of Cortex (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cortex), researchers studied for the first time autobiographical memory in a group of semantic dementia (SD) patients according to disease progression. They highlighted that at early stages of the disease those patients could recall recent memories, but also lasting memories from their youth which tend to disappear as dementia evolves. Mechanisms at the root of this…

Philadelphia, PA, 2 April 2009 – Treatment with the glitazone class of diabetes drugs leads to a "modest" increase in the risk of diabetic macular edema (DME)—a common complication that can lead to vision loss, reports a study in the April issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ajo), published by Elsevier. Using a database of about 170,000 patients with diabetes, Drs. Donald S. Fong and Richard Contreras of Southern California Permanente Medical Group analyzed the link between glitazones and the development of DME. Diabetic macular edema is a common…

Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia can be a consequence of myocarditis – an inflammation of the cardiac muscle that can be caused by the Coxsackievirus. In mice, Dr. Yu Shi, Chen Chen, and Professor Michael Gotthardt of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have now abolished the infection by blocking the receptor which is required for virus entry. "We did not detect a single cardiomyocyte that was infected by the virus. Inflammation of the heart muscle associated with this virus infection did not develop," Dr. Shi said. (Journal of American College of…

Cincinnati, OH, April 2, 2009--Little is known about the long-term effects of the death of a child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on survivor siblings. These siblings may encounter unforeseen emotional difficulties and developmental consequences that can occur whether the siblings are born before or after the infant's death. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics explores the psychological and emotional issues related to siblings of children who died in the NICU. Dr. Joanna Fanos and colleagues from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center surveyed the siblings…

Some of the symptoms of the autistic condition Asperger Syndrome, such as a need for routine and resistance to change, could be linked to levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggests new research led by the University of Bath. Normally, people have a surge of this hormone shortly after waking, with levels gradually decreasing throughout the day. It is thought this surge makes the brain alert, preparing the body for the day and helping the person to be aware of changes happening around them. However, a study led by Dr Mark Brosnan and Dr Julie Turner-Cobb from the Department of Psychology…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The only available screening tests for ovarian cancer fail to catch early signs of the disease and often result in unnecessary surgery, said researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center. The new study looked at a screening regimen that combines ultrasound and a blood test for CA-125, a marker for women's cancer. Results showed the combo screening caught 70 percent of the ovarian cancers in their late stages, when effective treatment options are limited. Knowing this screening limitation means the search has intensified for a…

There are Web cams focused on falcons, ferrets and fish, virtual tours of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and robotic dogs, seals and even dinosaurs. But what about the real deal: observing animals in their natural habitat, hiking the John Muir Trail or a playing with a live pet? Modern technology increasingly is encroaching into human connections with the natural world and University of Washington psychologists believe this intrusion may emerge as one of the central psychological problems of our times. "We are a technological species, but we also need a deep connection with nature in our…

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Women's health is increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights, including clashes based on moral objections under so-called conscience clauses, a new study by a University of Illinois legal expert found. Beth Burkstrand-Reid says a review of recent reproductive rights cases shows that judges may shortchange women's health when it is pitted against other legal interests, such as religious freedom, potentially leading to rulings that could put health at risk. "Judges may understandably be reluctant to decide who wins in a battle between religious freedom,…

In female cancer patients of reproductive age, radiation treatment directly to the ovaries should be avoided because there is a direct relationship between certain types of radiation therapy and fertility problems, according to a review in the April 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Radiation therapy to the pelvic region can cause ovarian failure or result in damage that makes the uterus unable to accommodate the growth of a fetus. These effects are not a great concern to…