Culture

A new study into the social networks of Tasmanian devils may help prevent the further spread of an extinction-threatening disease. The research, published in Ecology Letters, has produced an intricate social network of devil social relationships, revealing how disease can spread through a population.

Expansion of renewable energies should appreciably improve the health status of the 700,000 US workers employed in the energy sector, according to a commentary by Medical College of Wisconsin researchers, in Milwaukee. Their review is published in JAMA.

An analysis of the adverse events reported following distribution of quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine since 2006 indicates that adverse event rates were consistent with pre-licensing data and expected background rates of other vaccines, with the exception of a higher proportion of reports of fainting and blood clots, according to a study in JAMA.

The nation's home foreclosure epidemic may be taking its toll on Americans' health as well as their wallets. Nearly half of people studied while undergoing foreclosure reported depressive symptoms, and 37 percent met screening criteria for major depression, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published online this week in the American Journal of Public Health. Many also reported an inability to afford prescription drugs, and skipping meals.

Patients with advanced cancer who received a palliative care intervention focused on addressing physical and psychosocial issues and care coordination that was provided at the same time as cancer treatment reported improved quality of life and mood but did not experience a significant change in the number of days in the hospital or the severity of their symptoms compared to patients who received usual care, according to a study in JAMA.

A nearly two-decade trend that is stripping away employer-provided health-care benefits for retirees in private business will likely continue and could soon hit an even deeper pool of government retirees, new research by a University of Illinois elder law expert warns.

Richard L. Kaplan says the steady erosion of private sector benefits stems largely from a 1992 change in accounting standards that requires employers to project future coverage costs, rather than just booking expenses when payouts are made years down the road.

The results of a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) study that rapidly measures stream habitat have been adopted by a government agency working with private landowners to restore waterways throughout the U.S.

The results of the study, which assess the relationship between streamside vegetation and migratory songbirds, are being used by the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS works with landowners on restoring and protecting the millions of miles of streams that flow through private lands.

Most of us can name our favorite "comfort foods" and believe that we are most prone to seek them out during times of stress and upheaval—like moving to a new town or starting (or ending!) a job. Contrary to this well-engrained belief, this research shows the surprising result that our choices of old favorites happen at the opposite times that we predict.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2009 — One chemist plus one new scientific discovery yields. . . an economic and environmental miracle. Almost overnight, a whole new industry springs up and breathes life into an economically-devastated region of the country. It creates millions of new jobs and pumps billions of dollars into the economy. Thousands of miles away, the discovery helps avert the potential decimation of old growth forests, where millions of spruce, fir, poplar, and other trees were being cut each year.

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The explosive growth of genomic and proteomic data has ushered in a new era of molecular medicine in which cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment are tailored to each individual's molecular profile. But this personalized medicine approach requires that researchers discover and link biomarkers -- such as genes or proteins -- to specific disease behaviors, such as the rate of tumor progression and different responses to treatments.

It is widely understood that, ideally, schools and parents should work together to ensure that children can succeed as students and citizens. But what is the right balance? And how much do teachers want parents involved in the classroom? A new study from North Carolina State University identifies ways that schools and communities can work with parents to give children the greatest chance of success.

Children with arm fractures fared as well with ibuprofen to control their pain as acetaminophen with codeine, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Children's Research Institute.

The study, which was led by Amy Drendel, D.O., assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College, will appear in the Aug. 18, 2009, issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Drendel also is a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by Indiana University archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a small primate skull in remarkable condition, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths.

San Diego, CA, August 18, 2009 – While video gaming is generally perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, research shows that the average age of players in the United States is 35. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and Andrews University analyzed survey data from over 500 adults ranging in age from 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors.

A Policy Forum published in this week's open access journal PLoS Medicine argues that twenty-five years of health care reforms in Mexico have increased insurance coverage but have not resulted in greater efficiency and have not significantly reduced health inequities despite their costs in a country that has huge divisions between the rich and the poor.