Culture

A long-term field and DNA study by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, University of Miami, Field Museum of Chicago and others has shown that young lemon sharks born at the Bimini islands, Bahamas, tend to stay near their coastal birthplace for many years. While shark research and conservation typically focuses on baby sharks confined to shallow habitats, or ocean-roaming adults, less is known about these intermediate-aged animals, which are roughly similar in development to human teenagers.

New Rochelle, NY, August 24, 2009—Twitter, the increasingly popular social networking tool that was at first merely a convenient way to stay in touch with friends and family, is emerging as a potentially valuable means of real-time, on-the-go communication of healthcare information and medical alerts, as described in a feature article in the Medical Connectivity section of the latest issue of Telemedicine and e-Health, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

People over the age of 60 are the most vulnerable to heat waves, with 82% to 92% more deaths than average occurring in this age group. Risks for heat-related illness or injury – such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps – are also heightened in people with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions as these decrease the body's ability to adapt to temperature changes. A review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)describes the effect of heat on human physiology and factors that increase the risk of heat stress.

A Kansas State University study shows that invigorated and dedicated employees carry over their positive work experiences for a happier home life.

K-State psychology researchers studied how positive work experiences extend into family life and facilitate family interactions. They found that employees who are engaged in their work, which includes higher levels of vigor, more dedication and absorption in daily activities, have better moods and more satisfaction at home.

The program created to provide Medicare recipients with prescription drug benefits exceeded expectations during its first two years, extending pharmacy coverage to most seniors while reducing their overall spending on drugs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Although Medicare Part D generated confusion when it was introduced in January 2006, the program has worked well for most seniors and is comparable to other non-Medicare drug plans that cover large groups of seniors, according to the report published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

INDIANAPOLIS — Do Americans believe controversial assertions about health care reform including death panels, threats to Medicare, abortions, illegal immigrants, and other claims which the White House have labeled as untrue "myths?"

Findings from a national survey of Americans by researchers from Indiana University Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research (CHPPR) and the Indiana University Center for Bioethics says that Americans do believe the "myths" about health care reform, confirming that the White House may indeed be losing this battle.

A new study published in the International Journal of Obesity reports that consumption of sugar-free beverages sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners increases dietary restraint, a key aspect of successful weight maintenance.

Researchers analyzed calorie, protein, carbohydrate, fat and beverage intake, as well as the dietary restraint of over 300 individuals. The researchers concluded, "Our findings…suggest that the use of artificially sweetened beverages may be an important weight control strategy among WLM [weight loss maintainers]."

A new analysis has found that adolescents and young adults who were recently diagnosed with blood-related cancers have better long-term survival rates than those who were diagnosed in the 1980s. Published in the November 1, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that significant advances have been made in the treatment of 15 to 24 year-olds with leukemias and lymphomas; however, survival rates in this age group are still lower than those seen in younger children.

Among unmarried cancer patients, those who are separated at the time of diagnosis do not live as long as widowed, divorced, and never married patients. That is the conclusion of a new study to be published in the November 1, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The authors of the study say its results suggest that the stress associated with marital separation may compromise an individual's immune system and lead to a greater susceptibility to cancer.

Mortality remains high among patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension awaiting lung transplant, despite changes to the allocation system that were designed to reduce mortality and increase the equitable distribution of donor organs, according to new research out of University of California San Francisco.

The study is reported in the September 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.

Smoking is a risk factor for active tuberculosis (TB) disease, according to a new study on TB incidence in Taiwan.

The research analyzed data from nearly 17,000 individuals in Taiwan as part of Taiwan's 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget—which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University.

The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Although agriculture, particularly in the developing world, is often associated with massive deforestation, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre demonstrated today, in a study using detailed satellite imagery, that almost half of all farmed landscapes worldwide include significant tree cover.

The findings were announced at the opening of the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry, which is being held in Nairobi, Kenya this week. The World Agroforestry Centre is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry, sociologists from four major research institutions focus on one of the most curious aspects of the 2004 presidential election: the strength and resilience of the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Although this belief influenced the 2004 election, they claim it did not result from pro-Bush propaganda, but from an urgent need by many Americans to seek justification for a war already in progress.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Despite mounting public health concerns about obesity and persistent social pressures dictating that slim is beautiful, young women in their '20s consistently exercise less than young men.

And young black women showed significant declines in exercise between 1984 and 2006, according to a University of Michigan study to be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health.