Culture | Science Codex

Comments by the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research

Summary: In 2008, the NHMRC commissioned the Dieticians Association of Australia to undertake systematic literature reviews to support the revision of the Dietary Guidelines for Australians. The primary aim was to undertake a series of systematic reviews of the national and international literature from the year 2002 on the food-diet-health-disease inter-relationship for different population subgroups. One of the 29 sections in the report (pp 613-678) covered the evidence for the risks and benefits of alcohol drinking. This critique is only of the alcohol section.

Thinking outside sustainability's box at the intersection of art and science

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Science is about facts, but the science of sustainability also involves questions underpinned by values.

With this in mind, a Michigan State University environmental sociologist will ask scientists to consider how art can provoke people to consider their perceptions of sustainability at this year's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Modern health mapping shows how poverty and ill health persist over 100 years

Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London are aiming to improve the health of Londoners by combining a century-old mapping technique with up-to-the-minute technology.

Using type 2 diabetes as their example, the researchers have compiled detailed maps of east London highlighting the geographical 'hotspots' of disease risk.

The maps, which are published today in BMJ Open* reveal startling similarities to the renowned 'poverty maps' created in the late 19th Century by Victorian reformist, Charles Booth.

Patient education classes may reduce disparities in kidney transplantation

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Physician reminders don't improve care for kidney disease patients

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Study documents the importance of supportive spouses in coping with work-related stress

The growth of two-income families and increasing levels of job stress are two of the most significant work trends affecting American businesses and families in recent years. Having just one stressed-out spouse can harm couple's work and home lives — but what about when it's both?

A new study conducted by Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Business Administration in the Florida State University College of Business, examines the role of support in households where daily stress is common to both spouses.

Study: Weight training improves Parkinson's symptoms

NEW ORLEANS – New research suggests weight training for two years significantly improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease compared to other forms of exercise such as stretching and balance exercises. The clinical trial, which compared two forms of exercise for Parkinson's disease, was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.

Post-stroke language impairment adds thousands to medical costs

Stroke-related language impairment adds about $1,703 per patient to medical costs the first year after stroke, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers retrospectively examined the records of 3,200 South Carolina Medicare patients who had ischemic strokes in 2004 and found:

Inspired by gecko feet, UMass Amherst scientists invent super-adhesive material

AMHERST, Mass. – For years, biologists have been amazed by the power of gecko feet, which let these 5-ounce lizards produce an adhesive force roughly equivalent to carrying nine pounds up a wall without slipping. Now, a team of polymer scientists and a biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered exactly how the gecko does it, leading them to invent "Geckskin," a device that can hold 700 pounds on a smooth wall.

As diabetes emerges, researchers track disease's first steps

Scientists have taken a remarkably detailed look at the initial steps that occur in the body when type 1 diabetes mellitus first develops in a child or young adult.

The analysis comes from a team of researchers and physicians at the University of Rochester Medical Center who have expertise both in the laboratory and in treating patients. The team studied children from ages 8 to 18 within 48 hours of their diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

First successful human results achieved: Implantable wireless microchip drug delivery device

Waltham, Mass. – February 16, 2012 – MicroCHIPS, Inc., a developer of implantable drug delivery devices and biosensors, announces today the results of the first successful human clinical trial with an implantable, wirelessly controlled and programmable microchip-based drug delivery device. The MicroCHIPS study was published in today's online edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Successful human tests for first wirelessly controlled drug-delivery chip

(Cambridge, MA) – About 15 years ago, MIT professors Robert Langer and Michael Cima had the idea to develop a programmable, wirelessly controlled microchip that would deliver drugs after implantation in a patient's body. This week, the MIT researchers and scientists from MicroCHIPS Inc. reported that they have successfully used such a chip to administer daily doses of an osteoporosis drug normally given by injection.

Faculty retention proves a major challenge for universities

Troy, N.Y. – Attracting and retaining the world's brightest students is on the mind of every university official. But a new, unprecedented study in the journal Science suggests leaders in higher education face an understated, even more pressing challenge: the retention of professors.

National guardsmen face a high risk of developing alcohol abuse problems following deployment

February 16, 2012 -- Soldiers in the National Guard with no history of alcohol abuse are at significant risk of developing alcohol-related problems during and after deployment, according to a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal. Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues at three other institutions found that the soldiers at greatest risk of developing alcohol-related problems also experienced depression and/or PTSD during or after deployment.

Study evaluates faster treatment for seizures

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2012) — Results have just been released from an NIH study conducted at multiple sites, including the University of Kentucky, indicating that an autoinjector pen is a faster and possibly more effective way for emergency medical personnel to treat serious seizures. The study appears in the Feb. 16, 2012 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.