Culture | Page 2715 | Science Codex

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy linked to child behavior problems

A new study from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behaviour in different ways.

The study has just been published online in the international journal Addiction.

Lead author Colleen O'Leary said the analysis was drawn from a random sample of more than 2000 mothers who completed a questionnaire three months after the baby's delivery, and were then followed up when the child was 2, 5 and 8 years of age.

Daycare may double TV time for young children, study finds

In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares. This study is the first to examine screen time in child care settings in more than 20 years. The study looked at television use in 168 child care programs in four states, and was guided by lead researcher Dimitri A.

Cancer experts aim to promote scientific skepticism in the media

An editorial published online November 20 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute discusses the exaggerated fears and hopes that often appear in news coverage of cancer research. The editorial provides guidance for both the media and journals to help alleviate the problem.

Therapy 32 times more cost effective at increasing happiness than money

Research by the University of Warwick and the University of Manchester finds that psychological therapy could be 32 times more cost effective at making you happy than simply obtaining more money. The research has obvious implications for large compensation awards in law courts but also has wider implications for general public health.

Why shifting blame is socially contagious

Merely observing someone publicly blame an individual in an organization for a problem – even when the target is innocent – greatly increases the odds that the practice of blaming others will spread with the tenacity of the H1N1 flu, according to new research from the USC Marshall School of Business and Stanford University.

Medical researchers attempt to treat alcohol abuse and tuberculosis together

Treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and tuberculosis (TB) is rarely integrated, even though the two diseases have a high co-occurrence.
American and Russian researchers have jointly designed and are monitoring an innovative program that will deliver alcohol treatment as part of routine TB care.
The trial study is continuing.

Wealth redistribution won't cut it as anti-poverty program? Experts debate

BOSTON—November 19, 2009—Barack Obama promised to halve poverty within ten years. His Republican opponent, John McCain, vowed to "make the eradication of poverty a top priority of the McCain Administration." Even in the current economic situation, in developed countries, this kind of rhetoric about cutting "poverty" is misleadingly outmoded—because it implicitly suggests that government income transfers can be the vehicle for achieving substantial reductions in poverty.

Highlighting racial disparities improves media's coverage of health care debate

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Researchers explain why some people can't kick their cocaine habit

Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new study shows that, in the case of cocaine, a high score on the so-called 'scale of craving', an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse are the factors most commonly involved in people falling back into the habit.

Sushi fans unknowingly consuming endangered bluefin tuna

While most of us would never willingly consume a highly endangered species, doing so might be as easy as plucking sushi from a bento box. New genetic detective work from the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History shows that bluefin tuna is routinely plated in sushi bars sampled in New York and Colorado. A quarter of what was labeled as tuna on sushi menus was bluefin, and some was even escolar, a waxy, buttery fish often labeled "white tuna" that is banned for sale in Japan and Italy because it can cause gastrointestinal distress.

Dieting won't sabotage efforts to quit smoking, studies finds

CHICAGO --- Many women don't quit smoking because they are afraid of gaining weight. That's because nicotine suppresses the appetite and boosts a smoker's metabolism.

But a new meta-analysis (results of several studies) shows that women who quit smoking while receiving treatment for weight control are better able to control their weight gain and are more successful at quitting cigarettes.

The finding disproves current clinical guidelines that say trying to diet and quit smoking at the same time will sabotage efforts to ditch cigarettes.

Spanish biotechnology should focus on food and plant sectors to be more competitive

Spain and Latin American countries have an opportunity to take the lead in two small biotechnology sectors. Researchers from the University of Valencia (UV), working together with the IDICHUS Foundation, have studied the productive fabric of the Spanish biotechnology industry. Their conclusion is that Spain's food and plant sectors have more clout than those in English-speaking countries.

Biotechnology as applied to food and plants has been overlooked by the leading countries in this sector – the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries.

Are search engines making us smarter?

Search engine use is not just part of our daily routines; it is also becoming part of our learning process, according to Penn State researchers.

New antioxidant compounds identified in olive oil, honey and nuts

Scientists at the University of Granada have identified and characterized for the first time different antioxidant compounds from foods such as olive oil, honey, walnuts and a medicinal herb called Teucrium polium. They have used two new techniques, capillary electrophoresis and high resolution liquid chromatography, that have enabled them to identify and quantify a great part of the phenolic compounds contained in these foods.

Snail pie could reduce malnutrition in Nigeria

A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. In a research paper to be published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, she explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more protein.