Culture | Page 2750 | Science Codex

Routine screening for gestational diabetes: IQWiG finds indication of positive effect

Pregnant women who develop marked increased blood sugar levels during pregnancy can reduce the risk of certain birth complications if they receive treatment. This is a prerequisite for offering all pregnant women routine screening for gestational diabetes. However, potential disadvantages of this type of routine screening have not been thoroughly researched. This is the conclusion of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in its final report published on 3 September 2009 and for which an English-language summary is now available.

Anti-smoking law helps waiters to quit smoking

Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology have studied the impact of the law banning smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants on those working in these places. The results are positive – 5% of waiters have stopped smoking, and the number of cigarettes smoked by those who still smoke has fallen by almost 9%.

New approaches to capturing the value of culture, media and sport

This new booklet highlights these approaches and the views of leading experts, policymakers and academic researchers as presented during a Public Policy Seminar jointly organised by the Economic and Social Council (ESRC), the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), held in June 2009.

Early spring time for Edinburgh? Study predicts effect of global warming on spring flowers

Link found between common sexual infection and risk of aggressive prostate cancer

A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers has found a strong association between the common sexually transmitted infection, Trichomonas vaginalis, and risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer in men.

The study appears online on September 9, 2009, on the Journal of the National Cancer Institute website and will appear in a later print edition.

Canadian biotech companies have chance to grow in developing countries

Collaboration with health biotech companies in developing countries represents a major opportunity to strengthen their market reach and innovation potential, acording to the results of a new study.

The study by the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health (MRC), based at the University Health Network and the University of Toronto, found that one in four Canadian health biotech firms are involved in some form of partnership initiative in developing countries.

Sharing research results critical to advancement of biological sciences, researcher argues

Sharing the fruits of research in the biomedical sciences is critical for the advance of knowledge, yet with the advent of large-scale data gathering following the completion of the genome projects this is becoming harder to facilitate and more difficult to monitor, as reported in Nature today.

Scientists may not be so press shy after all, study finds

MADISON — The prevailing wisdom among many scientists and scientific organizations is that, as a rule, scientists are press shy, and those who aren't are mavericks.

Kids need family dinners and fewer calories

In a new report, University of Illinois professor Barbara H. Fiese urges local, state, and federal governments, as well as business, and community leaders to promote family mealtimes as a matter of public policy.

"There are few things parents can do that are as effective in protecting their families as taking 18 to 20 minutes to eat together and talk with each other three to five times a week," said Fiese, a U of I professor of human development and family studies and the director of the U of I's Family Resiliency Center.

Survey: most businesses foresee trouble during potential H1N1 flu outbreak

Boston, MA—In a national survey of businesses that looks at their preparations for a possible widespread H1N1 outbreak, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that only one-third believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1 (also known as "swine flu"). Just one-fifth believe they could avoid such problems for one month with half their employees out.

Lead in bone linked to risk of cardiovascular disease

Growing evidence shows that exposure to lead in the environment is associated with cardiovascular disease, including increased risk of hypertension. However, those studies have looked at lead concentrations in blood, not bone lead, a better indicator of cumulative lead exposure over time. In a new study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that bone lead was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes, particularly from cardiovascular disease.

Homeland security has a new standard for explosives

Security personnel need to be able to find explosive materials and persons who have been in contact with them. To aid such searches, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the Department of Homeland Security, has developed a new certified reference material, Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2905, Trace Particulate Explosives. Compatible with field and laboratory assay methods, the SRM will be helpful in calibrating, testing and developing standard best operating procedures for trace-explosives detectors.

Huge collection of coins from Bar-Kokhba revolt found

The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University.

The coins were discovered in three batches in a deep cavern located in a nature reserve in the Judean hills. The treasure includes gold, silver and bronze coins, as well as some pottery and weapons.

Calculating the human impact of the ongoing economic crisis

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (September 9, 2009) – As the economy continues to unravel, a series of papers published today assess the effects of the crisis on children's health, education, and rights in East Asia and the Pacific. Crisis for Children, a special issue of the journal Global Social Policy, asserts investments can be made that will not only advance children's rights and break the cycle of poverty, but also safeguard countries' future economic growth and human development.

If it meant quicker surgery, majority of patients say they'd let unsupervised trainee operate

Three-quarters of surgical patients would consider allowing a competent unsupervised trainee junior doctor perform their entire operation if it meant they could have it done more quickly, according to a survey published in the September issue of BJUI.

The responses were high regardless of how complex the surgery was, with 80 per cent of those facing minor surgery and 68 per cent of those facing major surgery saying they would consider the suggestion.