Culture | Page 2777 | Science Codex

Generic medicines help third world stem HIV/AIDS epidemic

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] ‹ Brazil's nearly two-decade effort totreat people living with HIV and AIDS shows that developing countries cansuccessfully combat the epidemic. Inexpensive generic medicines are a largepart of the solution, say researchers from Brown University and the HarvardSchool of Public Health.

Brazil did this, researchers said, largely by pursuing controversialpolicies that prompted pharmaceutical companies with exclusive drugs tolower their prices dramatically and generic companies to develop lower-costalternatives for use in emerging markets.

Promoting exercise: Mass media campaigns may work best, say researchers

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine has found that of six interventions promoting exercise in adults in Australia, encouraging the use of pedometers – simple step counting devices that can be used as a motivational tool – and promoting physical activity through mass media campaigns are the most cost-effective in terms of the money spent for the health benefits they result in.

Child porn consumption insufficient catalyst for hands-on sex offense - psychiatrists

For people without a prior conviction for a hands-on sex offense, the consumption of child pornography alone does not, in itself, represent the risk factors for committing such an offense. Researchers writing in BMC Psychiatry studied 231 men convicted of consuming child pornography in 2002 and found that only 1% had gone on be convicted of committing a hands-on sex offense in the following six years.

Convictions not being instances, of course, nor did the study determine how many child abusers did not look at child pornography at all.

105-day Mars simulation teaches invaluable lessons about manned space missions

HOUSTON - From March 31 to July 14, a six-man international crew called an isolation chamber in Moscow their home. The crew, composed of four Russians and two Europeans, simulated a 105-day Mars mission full of experiments and realistic mission scenarios, including emergency situations and 20-minute communications delays.

Physician groups support proposed legislation

The American College of Physicians (ACP) joined with two other physician groups to offer strong support for the Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) provisions included in the Tri-Committee health reform bill about to be considered in the House. The Tri-Committee, which unveiled its proposed legislation on June 19, is made up of the House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor Committees.

How news stories live and die in blogs and mainstream media

By observing the global flow of news online, Cornell computer scientists have tracked and analyzed the "news cycle" – the way stories rise and fall in popularity.

Jon Kleinberg, Cornell professor of computer science, Jure Leskovec, postdoctoral researcher, and graduate student Lars Backstrom tracked 1.6 million online news sites, including 20,000 mainstream media sites and a vast array of blogs, over the three-month period leading up to the 2008 presidential election – a total of 90 million articles, one of the largest analysis anywhere of online news.

Glaucoma treatments becoming more expensive due to decreased Medicare

The overall number of glaucoma surgical procedures appears to be increasing, but payments by Medicare for the procedures have been decreasing, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Thinking of moving in together? Study says wait until after the wedding

University of Denver (DU) researchers found that couples who live together before they are engaged have a higher chance of getting divorced than those who wait until they are married to live together, or at least wait until they are engaged. In addition, couples who lived together before engagement and then married, reported a lower satisfaction in their marriages.

The research, which appears in the "Journal of Family Psychology," was conducted by Galena Rhoades, senior researcher, Scott Stanley, research professor, and Howard Markman, professor of psychology.

Cats get what cats want, and we are just observers

Anyone who has ever had cats knows how difficult it can be to get them to do anything they don't already want to do. But it seems that the house cats themselves have had distinctly less trouble getting humans to do their bidding, according to a report published in the July 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.

Scientists one step closer to virtually engineerd power plants

The design engineer's head is spinning. He has been analyzing data on his computer for hours, with no end in sight. Designing a hydroelectric power station, he would like to know what the pressures, temperatures and fluid flows will be in the facility. He may simulate them with simulation software. However, this only delivers vast columns of numbers or a one-dimensional representation which he will have to analyze bit by bit – a laborious task.

Doctors - what impedes early diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Vienna, July 12, 2009 – A doctor's positive attitude to Alzheimer's diagnosis and their trusting, personal relationships with local dementia support service providers are powerful enablers for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

How to better recruit volunteers for Alzheimer's clinical studies

Vienna, July 12, 2009 – Partnering with local physicians, working with local clinics, and conducting educational seminars and health fairs were found to be the most effective tools in recruiting people for Alzheimer's clinical studies, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

Delaying ACL reconstruction in young athletes risky, study shows

More and more children are participating and getting hurt playing sports each year. A new study presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, (July 9-12) details the benefits and risks of repairing a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in young athletes under the age of 14.

ACS happy about Francis Collins as NIH Director

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2009 — The President of the American Chemical Society, Thomas H. Lane, Ph.D., issued the following statement today on President Obama's nomination of Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., to be Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH):"At no other time in recent memory has there been such a sense of opportunity — and expectation — in the power of science to deliver solutions to the grand challenges facing our nation, and indeed, all of humanity. As the nation's largest source of basic research funding, NIH will be looked to, to lead and deliver.

Uphold the ban on legalized tiger farming, says advocacy group

Geneva, Switzerland – The 40 member organizations of the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) applaud remarks by the World Bank today stating that legalizing tiger farming is too great a gamble for the world to take if tigers are to have a future in the wild.