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Suicides by mental health patients preventable, says report

Preventing patients from leaving psychiatric wards without staff agreement could avoid up to 50 suicide deaths every year, say University of Manchester researchers.

A new report by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness suggests that the ward environment may play a part in the level of patients leaving the ward, and that attempts should be made to optimise it. It also urges mental health services to improve awareness among staff of the antecedents of suicide among high-risk groups.

How do grads fare in matching diplomas with jobs?

Montreal, February 3, 2010 -- Jake Murdoch spends much of his time examining how deftly graduates can match their degrees to eventual jobs. In the process, this professor at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Education has uncovered startling cultural and job market differences around the world.

Baker Institute Report: Mapping the territorial contours of an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement

A report published today by Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy offers concrete recommendations to U.S. negotiators on the territorial component of an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.

The report, "Getting to the Territorial Endgame of an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Settlement," draws on nearly two years of discussions between a working group of Israelis and Palestinians convened under the aegis of the institute's Conflict Resolution Forum and chaired by Baker Institute Founding Director Edward P. Djerejian.

Parkinson's disease research uncovers social barrier

To be or to become: That's the question for advertisers

If you won a million dollars today, what would you do? Say "sayonara" to your boss and head to Bora Bora, or invest your newfound wealth in a long-term T-bill?

According to new research by Dr. Danit Ein-Gar of Tel Aviv University's Recanati Graduate School of Business Studies, your answer may not be so clear-cut. She and her American colleague Dr. Camille Su Lin Johnson found that whether you'll indulge or be prudent is not necessarily based on your personality type or education, but may be strongly influenced by advertising and other environmental cues.

Workshop examines successful integration of imaging biomarkers into clinical trials

A community workshop sponsored by SNM's Clinical Trials Network (CTN) officially kicked off on Feb. 1, in Albuquerque, N.M., and presented participants with a series of educational sessions on the use of molecular imaging in clinical trials for investigational therapeutic drugs. Highly qualified leaders in medicine, industry and government shared their insights and expertise with a community that is given a unique opportunity to learn, in great detail, the inner workings of imaging in clinical trials.

SNM's nanomedicine summit advances molecular imaging

SNM's Nanomedicine and Molecular Imaging Summit wrapped up today in Albuquerque, N.M., with in-depth discussion—and a high sense of energy looking ahead.

Nanotechnology is a quickly growing, but still-evolving field with nearly limitless possibilities for applying technology in highly targeted ways. For the medical community, nanotechnology involves using nanoparticles to target disease—and treat many common and devastating diseases before they spread. Concomitantly, molecular imaging can be used to assess the health and environmental impacts of nanomaterials.

Virus pulls bait and switch on insect vectors

A common plant virus lures aphids to infected plants by making the plants more attractive, but when the insects taste the plant, they quickly leave for tastier, healthier ones. In the process, the insects rapidly transmit the disease, according to Penn State entomologists.

"The virus improves the cues that insects use to identify food by elevating some aspect of a trait that is already in the plant," said Mark C. Mescher, assistant professor of entomology. "In this case they appear to elevate the odor cue, without changing it."

Children of Spanish-speaking moms watch less TV

Young children of Hispanic mothers whose dominant language is Spanish spend less time in front of the TV than children whose mothers speak mostly English, according to research led by investigators at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and published in the February issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

Abstinence-only intervention may play a role in preventing sexual involvement among teens

A theory-based, abstinence-only intervention appears to be associated with a lower rate of sexual involvement among African American sixth- and seventh-graders, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Tweens sexual activity delayed by theory-based abstinence-only program

Philadelphia – A new study weighs in on the controversy over sex education, finding that an abstinence-only intervention for pre-teens was more successful in delaying the onset of sexual activity than a health-promotion control intervention. After two years, one-third of the abstinence-only group reported having sex, compared to one-half of the control group. The study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania appears in the February 1 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Studies provide insight into key oat chemical

Studies conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are helping to increase understanding about the environmental factors that regulate production of avenanthramides (Avns), metabolites with potent antioxidant properties, in oat grain.

Whole grain consumption by teens and young adults falls short of guidelines

St. Louis, MO, February 1, 2010, – Three daily servings of whole grains are recommended for prevention of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and excess weight gain. Yet few adolescents or young adults follow these guidelines, according to national survey data. In a study published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota report that young people are consuming less than 1 serving of whole grains per day.

1 billion are hungry -- can we reduce hunger now and by 2050?

Amsterdam, 1 February 2010 - As we begin the new decade, despite an abundance of food, worldwide, more than 1 billion persons are living with hunger. A Special Issue of Agricultural Water Management, "Investing in Water For Food, Ecosystems and Livelihoods", published by Elsevier, provides insight and recommendations regarding causes and potential solutions to the hunger crisis. Investments in agriculture have not kept pace with the need, particularly in developing countries.

National Jewish Health researchers discover how virulent bacteria

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the virulent food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response. The studies offer insight into host-pathogen interactions and suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, tuberculosis and autoimmune diseases.