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These RSS news feeds are provided by the identified mental health resources.
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Please review for the latest in psychology, mental health, and psychiatry news.
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| Forced into manhood: Males and homesickness at camp |
| The Camping Magazine May 13, 2008 Originally Published:20080501. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Mental suffering of American soldiers |
| International Herald Tribune May 13, 2008 The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling to cope with a task for which it was tragically unready: the care of soldiers who left Afghanistan and Iraq with an extra burden of brain injury and psychic anguish. The last thing they need is the blend of secrecy and heedlessness that... |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Older brains don't benefit from painkillers |
| Associated Press May 12, 2008 CHICAGO - Results from a large government experiment are dimming hopes that two common painkillers can prevent Alzheimer's disease or slow mental decline in older people. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Families will make case for vaccine link to autism |
| Associated Press May 12, 2008 WASHINGTON - The Institute of Medicine said in 2004 there was no credible evidence to show that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal led to autism in children. But thousands of families have a different take based on personal experience. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Some factors limit ADHD medication |
| McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- Unrestricted May 12, 2008 It was almost like the medication wasn't working. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| 'Mad pride' gives voice to mentally ill |
| United Press International May 10, 2008 NEW YORK, May 10, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. residents suffering from mental illnesses have a new public voice, owing to the growth of so-called mad pride events, mental health professionals say. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Teen use of pot can lead to dependency, mental illness |
| Associated Press May 09, 2008 WASHINGTON - Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Of youths in custody, half have mental health problems |
| Houston Chronicle May 09, 2008 May 9--Nearly half of the youths locked up in the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center suffer from mental health problems -- far more than the estimated 20 percent with mental disorders in the general youth population -- figures released Thursday show. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Study pegs mom's market value at nearly $117,000 |
| Associated Press May 08, 2008 BOSTON - If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Medical know-how raises suicide risk for doctors |
| Associated Press May 08, 2008 CHICAGO - There's a grim, rarely talked-about twist to all that medical know-how doctors learn to save lives: It makes them especially good at ending their own. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Mental health survey: Moms deserve a day off |
| Canada NewsWire May 08, 2008 TORONTO, May 8, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Desjardins Financial Security survey shows that Canadian moms are healthy |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Kids still need post-Katrina mental health aid |
| The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss. May 08, 2008 May 8--Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of Coast children still need mental health counseling and are not be getting help, say local mental health professionals and community organizers. This week is National Children's Mental Health Week, and all over the state people are sporting green ribbons... |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Men suffer from postpartum depression |
| United Press International May 08, 2008 WASHINGTON, May 8, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. psychologist said a study of fathers who suffer postpartum depression suggests the condition can hurt child development. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Too much, too little sleep tied to obesity |
| Associated Press May 07, 2008 ATLANTA - People who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Post-Katrina mental health issues continue |
| The Mississippi Business Journal May 07, 2008 Originally Published:20080421. |
| Read More...(Source: PsycPORT.com) |
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| Antidepressants And Immunity |
| "Antidepressants may help body fight HIV and cancer" was the headline in The Independent recently. The newspaper article was on research that suggests that antidepressant drugs may help the immune system to fight off serious infection. The newspaper says the drugs could increase the activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells, a part of the immune system that targets cancerous and infected cells and induces "apoptosis" or "cell suicide". |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 14 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| New Research Reveals 32% Of Those With Depression Experience Frequent Thoughts Of Death Or Suicide |
| Launched recently, Mind Yourself - The Lundbeck Mental Health Barometer report has revealed the most common symptoms amongst those with personal experience of depression are frequent thoughts of death or suicide (32%), low self esteem (29%) and sleep disturbance (28%). |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mind: Return Of The Great Depression Causing Great Depression |
| Leading mental health charity Mind publishes a shocking new report that shows that debt is a significant factor in worsening our mental health. As the credit crunch hits and the cost of living soars, this worrying new evidence shows the extent of debt's impact, with over 50% of respondents going without food and heating. 'In the red: debt and mental health' (1) is the first ever report to specifically examine the links between mental distress and debt. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 12 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Antidepressants Do Work In Depression While Evidence For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Is Poorer Say Experts |
| British Association of Pharmacology evidence-based guidelines published this month by SAGEA new revision of clinical guidelines to help doctors manage patients with depression has challenged the rationale behind the UK government's policy of rolling out of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for milder depression. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| Untreated Depressed People Have Fewer Serotonin & Opioid Receptors, And Variation Is Linked To Symptoms And Treatment Response |
| Depressed people may have far fewer of the receptors for some of the brain's "feel good" stress-response chemicals than non-depressed people, new University of Michigan Depression Center research shows.And even among depressed people, the numbers of these receptors can vary greatly. What's more, the number of receptors a depressed person has appears to be linked with the severity of their symptoms - and the chances that they'll feel better after taking a medication. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Sun, 11 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT) |
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| Ex Vivo Results From HIV Positive Individuals With And Without Depression |
| Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is an epidemic of global concern. According to the most recent estimates, released in November 2007, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 33.2 million worldwide are living with HIV infection currently. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Treatments Reviewed By NeuroInvestment |
| NeuroInvestment announced the release of its May issue, which reviews novel treatments being developed for depression. Even though depression can be argued to be the success story of psychopharmacology, the current array of largely similar monoamine-targeting drugs leave 30% of patients without adequate relief, and incur significantly aversive side effects for the majority. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Study Demonstrates Lexapro(R) Significantly Improves Depression Symptoms In Adolescents |
| Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced that study results show Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) significantly improved symptoms of depression as compared to placebo treatment and was well tolerated in adolescents, aged 12-17, with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to phase III data presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| New Evidence-Based Guidelines For Antidepressants |
| A new revision of clinical guidelines to help doctors manage patients with depression has challenged the rationale behind the UK government's policy of rolling out of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for milder depression.According to a comprehensive review of treatments for depression, there is a lack of evidence for CBT being more helpful than other forms of psychological support in mild depression or for its efficacy in severe depression. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Studies Show Workplace Depression Is Significantly Under-Treated |
| The Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine (JOEM) has published a series of new studies that suggest depression in the workplace may be a much bigger problem - with more serious social and economic impacts - than employers realize. The peer-reviewed journal has devoted an entire special-edition, titled "Depression in the Workplace," to the topic, with 15 papers prepared by experts on depression and workplace health. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Aspect Medical Systems Presents Positive Results Of BRITE Major Depression Study At Scientific Conferences |
| Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPM) will present study results from the BRITE (Biomarkers for Rapid Identification of Treatment Effectiveness) trial in major depression at the Society of Biological Psychiatry and American Psychiatric Association Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. this week. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Results Of Brodmann Area 25 Deep Brain Stimulation Pilot Study Offer Hope For Patients With Severe Depression |
| St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced pilot study results from the first multi-center study investigating deep brain stimulation (DBS) of Brodmann Area 25 for major depressive disorder. Results of the study, which were presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting in Washington, D.C., found that 6 months after the procedure, 56 percent of the patients experienced at least a 40 percent decrease in depressive symptoms. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| News From The Canadian Medical Association Journal |
| 1. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors confirmed as treatment for depressionIn treating depression, a 6 to 9 month course of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors following initial recovery after a first episode of depression is confirmed by this study. This systematic review, based on six classic long-term randomized controlled trials, supports current clinical practice guidelines. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Seroquel Evaluation On Improvement In Short And Long-Term Symptoms |
| AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) announced new study data on SEROQUEL XR™ (quetiapine fumarate) Extended-Release Tablets (quetiapine XR) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adult patients. The results from the studies were presented today at the 161st Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Washington, DC. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Sudden Death Of A Parent Raises Risk Of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Surviving Children, Pitt Researchers Find |
| The children of parents who die suddenly - whether by suicide, accident or natural causes - are three times more likely to develop depression and are at higher risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than children who don't face such a difficult life event, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Low Blood Levels Of Vitamin D May Be Associated With Depression In Older Adults |
| Older adults with low blood levels of vitamin D and high blood levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands may have a higher risk of depression, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depressed People Have High Rates Of Physical Illness |
| People with recurrent depression have high rates of many common physical illnesses, such as gastric ulcer, rhinitis/hay fever, osteoarthritis, thyroid disease, hypertension and asthma, a new study has found. Published in the May 2008 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study compared 1546 people with recurrent depression with 884 psychiatrically healthy controls in terms of past treatment for 16 different physical disorders. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Heart Failure Patients May Suffer Similarly To Advanced Cancer Patients |
| Heart failure outpatients have similar numbers of symptoms and levels of depression and spiritual well-being as patients with advanced lung and pancreatic cancer, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 9th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depressed Heart Failure Patients May Benefit From Exercise Plus Psychological Counseling |
| Aerobic exercise combined with cognitive behavioral therapy may improve physical function, reduce depressive symptoms and enhance quality of life in depressed heart failure patients, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 9th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Multiple Sclerosis Activity May Be Affected By Prozac |
| A new study published in the Journal ofNeurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry finds that Prozac, acommonly prescribed antidepressant, may be an agent in slowingdown the disease process of the relapsing remitting form of multiplesclerosis (MS).Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease where the immune systemattacks the central nervous system. In the relapsing remitting form,new symptoms occur in discrete attacks. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Turns Off The Music In The Mother-Baby Dance |
| Your newborn is crying. If it's a cry of pain, you're going to respond more strongly than you would to a cry of hunger - that's the normal pattern. But if you suffer from post-partum depression, the difference between your response to the pain cry and the hunger cry is going to be even greater. And this, says psychologist Alison Fleming, isn't necessarily a good thing. As part of a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Women & Depression |
| The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released a new brochure, Women and Depression, about the many dimensions of major depression in women. It can be downloaded at http://www.nami.org/womendepression. - 1 in 8 women experiences depression in their lifetime; twice the rate as men, regardless of race or ethnic background. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Deep Brain Stimulation May Offer Hope For Select Patients With Treatment Resistant Major Depression |
| Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, Brown University, and Massachusetts General Hospital will present results of a long-term outcome study that builds on previous promising research, which has shown that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a potentially effective treatment option for people with treatment resistant major depression.The World Health Organization rates major depression as the top cause of disability worldwide. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT) |
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| According To Research From The University Of Navarra, Smokers Have A 41% Higher Risk Of Suffering Depression |
| The risk of suffering depression increases 41% in smokers, in comparison with non-smokers. This was the conclusion of a study undertaken with 8,556 participants by scientists of the University of Navarra, in collaboration with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Harvard School of Public Health (USA), and which demonstrates, in a pioneering way, the direct relationship between tobacco use and this disease.The article, whose first author is Prof. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Biovail Receives FDA Approval For Aplenzin (BVF-033) For The Treatment Of Depression |
| Biovail Corporation (NYSE: BVF) (TSX: BVF) announced that it has received Approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Aplenzin™ (formerly known as BVF-033), a once-daily formulation of bupropion hydrobromide developed by Biovail for the treatment of depression in adults. |
| Read More...(Source: Depression News From Medical News Today - Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Connecticut House Approves Bill To Eliminate Three-Day Hospitalization Rule For Residential Treatment Insurance Coverage |
| The Connecticut House on Wednesday approved a bill that intends to make it easier for patients to receive insurance coverage for treatment in residential facilities, the Hartford Courant reports. The bill, which passed in the Senate on May 1, will be sent to Gov. Jodi Rell (R) for final approval. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 13 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT) |
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| Quit Smoking Message Not Getting Air Time In Mental Health Care |
| People with mental illness are not receiving the support they need to stop smoking, despite high rates of nicotine dependence and deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.According to Professor Steve Kisely, from Griffith University's School of Medicine, health services are failing to provide appropriate smoking cessation strategies to people with problems including depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Alzheimer' S Society Comment On A Review Of Palliative Care Published In The May Issue Of Journal Of Clinical Nursing, UK |
| One in three people over 65 will die with dementia and too many of them are subjected to an undignified and unnecessarily painful death. This is often because staff lack the specialist training to provide good care at the end of someone's life. It is vital that all people, not just those with cancer, benefit from good palliative care. The number of people living with dementia in the UK is set to soar to more than a million in less than twenty years. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 13 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| From Engineering Solutions To Extending Human Healthspan To Developing Socially Assistive Robotics For Physical And Cognitive Health |
| The National Academies Keck FUTURES INITIATIVE has announced the recipients of its 2007 FUTURES grants, each awarded to support interdisciplinary research on aging and healthspan -- the period of life that is free from serious or chronic illness. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Study Shows Racial Discrimination Has Different Mental Health Effects On Asians |
| The first national study of Asians living in the United States shows that for some individuals, strong ties to their ethnicity can guard against the negative effects of racism. For others, strong ties to ethnicity can actually make the negative effects of discrimination worse. And the mental health effects of such discrimination may shift over a lifetime as Asian-Americans continue to examine their ethnic ties, say researchers. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Sun, 11 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mind Comments On New Public Attitudes Survey |
| Commenting on the release of the Department of Health's 2008 survey into public attitudes towards mental ill health, Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said: "Overall, the general picture is that attitudes towards mental health are at best static - it's the reason why some of the leading mental health charities got together to form |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| 2008 May Is Mental Health Month: Stressed "Sandwich Generation" Mothers Must Care For Themselves |
| Today's mother often juggles full-time employment, household chores and parenting, but a growing number of women are taking on yet another responsibility-caring for an aging loved one. Next week, as Americans observe both Mother's Day and Mental Health Month, Mental Health America encourages mothers to take the Mental Health Connection Challenge by building their social support networks to help cope with the stress of their demanding lives. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| VYVANSE Demonstrated Significant Improvement In ADHD Symptoms In Adults |
| Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, presented the results of a phase III pivotal study in which VYVANSE demonstrated significant improvements in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adults and met all safety and efficacy endpoints. "Adults with ADHD often find it challenging to focus and organize during the day. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Attitudes To Mental Health Remain Broadly Sympathetic, Department Of Health, UK |
| Public attitudes in England towards people with mental health problems remain broadly sympathetic, according to a new survey by the Department of Health. The public is generally understanding of people with mental health problems, with 85% thinking they deserve our sympathy and more than 8 out of 10 saying society needs to be more tolerant towards them. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Not In My Back Garden - Government Figures Show Mental Health Stigma Is Still Rife, UK |
| Mental health charity Rethink has branded findings released by the Department of Health on attitudes towards people with mental health problems as "shocking, ignorant, and unacceptable in today's society. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Fritzl Says He Knew He Was Hurting His Daughter, "it Was Like An Addiction" |
| Joseph Fritzl says he knew Elizabeth did not want him to do what he was doing to her - having sex with her - but it was "like an addiction". We added that he wanted to have children with her. He said he knew the whole time that was he was doing was wrong. He sometimes wondered whether he was crazy for doing such acts. However, his double life became quite "matter of fact", he says. He had two families, one upstairs and the other downstairs - two parallel lives. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:00:00 PDT) |
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| VA Director Denies Being Intentionally Vague Regarding Veterans' Suicide Data, Says E-mail Was 'Unfortunate' |
| Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Director Ira Katz on Tuesday during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing denied that he was intentionally vague during a committee hearing last year about the high rates of suicide among VA patients, |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Call For 'Serious Commitment To Improve Mental Health' |
| "We need to move ahead with a serious commitment to improve mental health," said Pan American Health Organization Deputy Director Dr. Cristina Beato at the launch of The Lancet's Global Mental Health series in the Americas. "The key messages are clear: Mental health has been neglected, and the resources for it are inadequate, insufficient, and inadequately distributed," Dr. Beato said. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT) |
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| Depression Treatments Reviewed By NeuroInvestment |
| NeuroInvestment announced the release of its May issue, which reviews novel treatments being developed for depression. Even though depression can be argued to be the success story of psychopharmacology, the current array of largely similar monoamine-targeting drugs leave 30% of patients without adequate relief, and incur significantly aversive side effects for the majority. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Cannabis - Decision To Reclassify Is Wrong, Says Mental Health Charity Rethink, UK |
| Mental health charity Rethink has today expressed its disappointment at the government's decision to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. Paul Corry, director of public affairs, says: "The government has made a mistake by choosing to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. This decision goes against all the evidence. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Schizophrenia - Risperidone Long-Acting Injection Extends Time To Relapse Compared To Oral Quetiapine |
| A new study, presented for the first time at an international psychiatric meeting, examined the time to relapse in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) or oral quetiapine. The data show that the mean time free from relapse for patients treated with RLAI was statistically longer than those treated with quetiapine (607 days RLAI versus 533 days with quetiapine, p |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Thu, 08 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| Studies Show Workplace Depression Is Significantly Under-Treated |
| The Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine (JOEM) has published a series of new studies that suggest depression in the workplace may be a much bigger problem - with more serious social and economic impacts - than employers realize. The peer-reviewed journal has devoted an entire special-edition, titled "Depression in the Workplace," to the topic, with 15 papers prepared by experts on depression and workplace health. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT) |
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| Mental Disorders Cost Society Billions In Unearned Income |
| Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT) |
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| Magellan Health Services Sponsors 2008 Children's Mental Health Awareness Week |
| Magellan Health Services, Inc., the nation's leading manager of behavioral health and substance abuse benefits, is helping draw attention to children's mental health issues as a national sponsor of Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, being held this week, May 4-10, by the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (National Federation). |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| NAMI Echoes Iowa State Television And Mental Health Study Findings |
| Statement of Bob CarollaNational Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Director of Media RelationsThe National Alliance on Mental Illness's Bob Carolla responded to a recent Iowa State University influence of television on mental health treatment study, "The Iowa State study is right. Television's portrayal of people who live with mental illnesses and people who work in mental health professions too often reflects negative stereotypes. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Wed, 07 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT) |
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| 2008 May Is Mental Health Month: Help Kids Thrive Through Better Parent-Child Communication |
| As Americans observe 2008 May is Mental Health Month and National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, Mental Health America asks families to recognize and promote their children's mental health and overall development through increased communication, guidance and emotional support. The theme for this year's Mental Health Month is "Get Connected" to emphasize the important role of social relationships in protecting and improving mental health and building resiliency. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 PDT) |
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| Nondisclosure Of Mental Health Treatments Policy 'Welcome Sign' For Improved Care Of Service Members, Editorial Says |
| A new policy ending a requirement that military personnel applying for security clearance disclose any treatment they received for service-related mental health problems is a "welcome sign that the military is serious about changing how those in need of mental care are perceived and treated," a |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT) |
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| Autism In Children And Mental Disorders In Parents Linked |
| Parents of children with autism were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher and colleagues in the U.S. and Europe. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Sudden Death Of A Parent Raises Risk Of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Surviving Children, Pitt Researchers Find |
| The children of parents who die suddenly - whether by suicide, accident or natural causes - are three times more likely to develop depression and are at higher risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than children who don't face such a difficult life event, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT) |
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| Department Of Defense Announces New Policy On Disclosure Of Mental Health Treatment For Military Personnel |
| Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday announced a new policy that seeks to reduce the stigma for military personnel who seek mental health treatment, the Washington Post reports (Scott Tyson, Washington Post, 5/2). |
| Read More...(Source: Mental Health News From Medical News Today - Mon, 05 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT) |
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| Do Infants See Colors Differently? [Mind Matters] |
| How do we perceive a rainbow? And does everyone perceive a rainbow in the same way? These seemingly simple questions can reveal some interesting features of the human brain. For instance, is the “striped” appearance of the rainbow--the seven distinct bands of color that we see--a construct of our higher mental processes, or do the mechanics of human color vision determine it at a very early perceptual level? If your language does not have separate words for “blue” and “green” (and many languages, including Welsh, do not), do you perceive these shades as more similar than a speaker of English? [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 EST) |
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| How does gene therapy work? [Ask the Experts] |
| Gene therapy is the addition of new genes to a patient's cells to replace missing or malfunctioning genes. Researchers typically do this using a virus to carry the genetic cargo into cells, because that’s what viruses evolved to do with their own genetic material.The treatment, which was first tested in humans in 1990, can be performed inside or outside of the body. When it’s done inside the body, doctors may inject the virus carrying the gene in question directly into the part of the body that has defective cells. This is useful when only certain populations of cells need to be “fixed.” For example, researchers are using it to try to treat Parkinson's disease, because only part of the brain must be targeted. This approach is also being used to treat eye diseases and hemophilia, an inherited disease that leads to a high risk for excess bleeding, even from minor cuts. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 18:00:00 EST) |
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| Self-Sterilizing Plastics Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria [News] |
| Despite the proliferation of antibiotics and assorted antibacterial hand lotions and wipes, bacteria remain a moving target for hospitals and clinics seeking to protect their patients from infections. One approach gaining traction in the effort to banish bacteria is to mimic the way the human body attacks these microorganisms by punching holes in bacterial cell membranes and hobbling their ability to morph into antibiotic-resistant pathogens. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 17:30:00 EST) |
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| Can HGH Reverse Brain Damage in Drug Addicts? [News] |
| Abuse of opiates such as heroin, methadone and morphine destroy brain cells, reducing attention span and memory. But new research shows there may be a way to regain some lost patience and recall. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:00 EST) |
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| Luring HIV from Hiding [Features] |
| Twelve years ago, biologists and clinicians hoped for a fleeting moment that combining several new drugs might completely eliminate HIV from the body and thus achieve a cure. Those hopes quickly vanished when it was discovered that the virus hides in a dormant state inside certain cells out of reach of this therapeutic cocktail.Ever since, researchers in the war against AIDS have looked for drugs to coax the elusive virus out of hiding so that other drugs or the patients' own immune systems could target them. But most of the meds were either toxic or ineffective. A few compounds derived from plants showed promise in the laboratory, but scientists could not procure sufficient quantities to move ahead with drug development. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 12:45:00 EST) |
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| Platypus Genome Is Duckbill Oddball [60-Second Science] |
| [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]Robin Williams thought that the platypus was cobbled together by an inebriated deity: “Let’s take a beaver. Let’s put on a duck’s bill.” Now we know how weird the platypus is at the genetic level. Because researchers published the sequence of the platypus genome in the May 8th issue of the journal Nature. Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller commented on the platypus genome research that same night at the American Museum of Natural History: [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 10:45:08 EST) |
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| Thousands Dead, Missing in China Earthquake [News] |
| SHANGHAI, China--The death toll from a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked western China yesterday rose to nearly 12,000 and scores more were feared dead as rescuers continued to sift through the rubble of flattened schools and homes in search of thousands still missing, according to Xinhua news agency reports from the local government.Wang Zhengyao, disaster relief division director at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that 11,921 people had died so far in the country's worst earthquake in three decades. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 08:30:00 EST) |
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| The Brain Is Not Modular: What fMRI Really Tells Us [Scientific American Magazine] |
| The atom is like a solar system, with electrons whirling around the nucleus like planets orbiting a star. No, actually, it isn’t. But as a first approximation to help us visualize something that is so invisible, that image works as a metaphor.Science traffics in metaphors because our brains evolved to grasp intuitively a world far simpler than the counterintuitive world that science has only recently revealed. The functional activity of the brain, for example, is nearly as invisible to us as the atom, and so we employ metaphors. Over the centuries the brain has been compared to a hydraulic machine (18th century), a mechanical calculator (19th century) and an electronic computer (20th century). Today a popular metaphor is that the brain is like a Swiss Army knife, with specialized modules for vision, language, facial recognition, cheating detection, risk taking, spirituality and even God. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 13 May 2008 08:20:00 EST) |
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| Feces May Transmit Fatal Cheetah Disease [News] |
| A fatal, Alzheimer's-like disease that attacks cheetahs' internal organs and has impeded breeding of the cats in captivity may be spread by their feces. Researchers from Japan and China report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that the disease, AA amyloidosis, was transmitted to mice exposed to fecal proteins from a cheetah that died of it.The cheetah is classified as an endangered species. Only 12,000 to 15,000 are believed to remain in about 25 countries, down from 100,000 in 44 countries in 1900, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Breeders would like to have a self-sustaining population of cheetahs in captivity, but in North America only 20 percent of captive cheetahs reproduce, and only 75 to 80 percent of cubs survive to reproductive age, says Adrienne Crosier, a reproductive biologist at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 18:20:00 EST) |
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| You Say "Ga," I say "Ba," but Everyone Hears "Da" [60-Second Psych] |
| [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]So this week I'm taking it back to a study published in Nature in 1976 to tell you about a freaky auditory illusion called the McGurk effect. However, it also requires some visual input, so I'll have to send you to a video at http://snipurl.com/sciam-illusion (or simply click to play the video posted below this transcript.) [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 17:45:08 EST) |
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| Where Are They Now? [Features] |
| From chemistry to code-breaking, genetics to geology, these scientifically precocious young men and women have gone on to win Nobel Prizes--and live fascinating livesSince 1942 the science talent search first sponsored by Westinghouse, and later by the Intel Corporation, has launched approximately 2,500 young finalists and winners into the national limelight. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 14:30:00 EST) |
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| The Watcher: Roald Hoffmann [Where Are They Now?] |
| FINALIST YEAR: 1955HIS FINALIST PROJECT: Measuring the movement of cosmic ray particles [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 14:29:00 EST) |
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| Beijing, a city looking for the blues [Sciam Observations Blog] |
| BEIJING, China As I look out of my hotel room window on my first full day here, it is hard to tell where the clouds end and the haze of pollution begins. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 11:13:39 EST) |
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| The Chaotic Genesis of Planets [Scientific American Magazine] |
| Although they are, in cosmic terms, mere scraps--insignificant to the grand narrative of heavenly expansion--planets are the most diverse and intricate class of object in the universe. No other celestial bodies support such a complex interplay of astronomical, geologic, and chemical and biological processes. No other places in the cosmos could support life as we know it. The worlds of our solar system come in a tremendous variety, and even they hardly prepared us for the discoveries of the past decade, during which astronomers have found more than 200 planets.The sheer diversity of these bodies’ masses, sizes, compositions and orbits challenges those of us trying to fathom their origins. When I was in graduate school in the 1970s, we tended to think of planet formation as a well-ordered, deterministic process--an assembly line that turns amorphous disks of gas and dust into copies of our solar system. Now we are realizing that the process is chaotic, with distinct outcomes for each system. The worlds that emerge are the survivors of a hurly-burly of competing mechanisms of creation and destruction. Many are blasted apart, fed into the fires of their system’s newborn star or ejected into interstellar space. Our own Earth may have long-lost siblings that wander through the lightless void. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 08:01:00 EST) |
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| The Chaotic Genesis of Planets [Slideshow] [Features] |
| Editor's Note: This slideshow is a supplement to the Feature "The Chaotic Genesis of Planets" from the May 2008 issue of Scientific American.Barely a decade ago scientists who study how planets form had to base their theory on a single example--our solar system. Now they have dozens of mature systems and dozens more in birth throes. No two are alike. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 EST) |
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| Genesis of Planets: Meteorites--Emissaries from the Past [Features] |
| Editor's Note: This story is a supplement to the Feature "The Chaotic Genesis of Planets" from the May 2008 issue of Scientific American.Meteorites are not just space rocks but space fossils--planetary scientists’ only tangible record of the origin of the solar system. Planetary scientists think that they come from asteroids, which are fragments of planetesimals that never went on to form planets and have remained in deep freeze ever since. The composition of meteorites reflects what must have happened on their parent bodies. Intriguingly, they bear the scars of Jupiter’s early gravitational effects. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 07:59:00 EST) |
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| Olive Oil Yields Soar with NMR [60-Second Science] |
| [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]Olive oil producers generally guess the best time to harvest their olives by [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| Volcano Blankets Chile in Dust [Image Gallery] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| Scientists Know Better Than You--Even When They're Wrong [Features] |
| If you take scientists at their word, human-induced climate change is well underway, evolution accounts for the diversity of life on Earth and vaccines do not cause autism. But the collective expertise of thousands of researchers barely registers with global warming skeptics, creationist movie producers and distrustful parents. Why is scientific authority under fire from so many corners? Sociologist Harry Collins thinks part of the answer lies in a misunderstanding of expertise itself. Like Jane Goodall living among the chimps, Collins, a professor at Cardiff University in Wales, has spent 30 years observing physicists who study gravitational wave detection--the search for faint ripples in the fabric of spacetime. He's learned the hard way about the work that goes into acquiring specialized scientific knowledge. In a recent book, Rethinking Expertise, he says that what bridges the gap--and what keeps science working--is something called "interactional expertise". Collins spoke recently with ScientificAmerican.com about his view of expertise; what follows is an edited transcript of that interview.How did we get to the point where scientific authority is so easily challenged? [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 EST) |
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| News Bytes of the Week--Could Coastal Trees Have Saved Lives in Myanmar? [News] |
| Felled mangrove trees may have doomed the coast of Myanmar [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:00 EST) |
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| Are Backyard Ethanol Brewers an Answer to High-Priced Gas? [News] |
| A company banking on drivers' weariness of skyrocketing gasoline prices unveiled a home refinery device on Thursday offering another option: ethanol. E-Fuel Corporation says its EFuel100 MicroFueler can produce up to 35 gallons (132 liters) of ethanol a week that consumers can pump directly into their cars and trucks. There is no combustion inside the device, which runs on a standard household 110- to 220-volt AC power supply (consuming about 150 watts*) and uses a membrane system to distill the sugar, yeast and water solution required to make ethanol rather than combustion heating elements, as commercial ethanol producers do. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:00 EST) |
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| Plans for Large Hadron Collider visible in screen shot of first Web site [Sciam Observations Blog] |
| Remember the foreshadowing of the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode II? Check out this screen shot from the world's first Web site, http://info.cern.ch/, which went live 15 years ago on April 30, 1993.Note the multicolored diagram in the background. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 14:20:16 EST) |
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| From Bountiful to Barren: Rainfall Decrease Left the Sahara Out to Dry [News] |
| In a finding that may help scientists better predict the pace of climate change, research published in Science shows how the Sahara Desert, a region as big as the U.S. that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea across northern Africa, went from bountiful to bone-dry over a period of several thousand years.Scientists peered into the Sahara's verdant past by analyzing sediment samples drilled out of the bottom of one of the desert's last living lakes. The samples revealed long-held secrets of how desert-friendly species replaced tropical plants and animals as monsoon rains retreated farther south into the continent. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 14:10:00 EST) |
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| Mailbag: Is Fluoride Dangerous? Is a Solar Grand Plan a Good Idea? [Scientific American Magazine] |
| Fluoride FindingsA report by the National Research Council (NRC) is cited as suggesting negative effects of fluoride in “Second Thoughts about Fluoride,” by Dan Fagin. But the NRC notes that its report was not initiated because of concerns about the low levels of fluoride used in community water fluoridation, nor did it examine that issue. Instead the report is part of a routine review by the Environmental Protection Agency to address whether the higher levels of naturally occurring fluoride currently allowed in drinking water pose a health risk. The EPA is evaluating the report. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 11:14:00 EST) |
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| The Evolving Web of Future Wealth [Edit This] |
| Editor's Note: Stuart Kauffman has a well-earned reputation as a scientific provocateur, albeit one with the weight of data and wisdom on his side. Kauffman, a complexity researcher and biologist of the University of Calgary and the Santa Fe Institute, has argued, for example, that self-organization--the propensity for systems to become more complex without outside guidance--was just as important as natural selection in shaping evolution. (Intelligent design advocates, take note.)In his new book Reinventing the Sacred: A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion (Basic Books, New York; May 2008), Kauffman develops a larger argument: Understanding what's happening in complex systems could help modern science break free of what some consider its too-reductionistic underpinnings. One controversial idea that Kauffman develops in his book is that by failing to take this approach to economics, traditional economists are unable to explain something that seems obvious but isn't: How does innovation drive growth? [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 10:25:00 EST) |
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| Training Scientists to Run for Office [60-Second Science] |
| [The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]Would America be a better place if more people with science training held elective office? One organization that thinks so is Scientists and Engineers for America, or SEA. On May 10th, they’re holding a daylong workshop in Washington, D.C., to teach researchers the nuts and bolts of running for office. More than 70 attendees have signed up. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| Legislation Introduced to Spur Treatments for Brain Ailments [News] |
| Lawmakers yesterday introduced legislation designed to speed the development of new, safer therapies for brain and nervous system disorders and injuries, which affect an estimated 100 million Americans and costs an estimated $1.3 trillion annually to treat. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 17:00:00 EST) |
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| Scientists Build Nano Hot Rods [News] |
| Like a team of laboratory gearheads, Arizona State University (A.S.U.) researchers have found a way to soup up microscopic "nanomachines" that may someday be used to deliver lifesaving medications or test the quality of drinking water in remote regions of the world. In place of turbochargers and high-octane gas, the scientists tweaked their engine design and used an additive to speed the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide into fuel to create nanomachines 350 times more powerful than any previously built. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 16:00:00 EST) |
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| To Catch a Plutonium Thief, Try Antineutrinos [News] |
| A new more secure technology for guarding against theft from nuclear reactors has passed its first test.Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif., successfully monitored the power output of a relatively small nuclear power reactor by measuring the number of antineutrinos--ghostly particles generated by nuclear fission--that struck a refrigerator-size tank of liquid. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:35:00 EST) |
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| What's Our Connection to the Platypus? [News] |
| The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an odd-looking creature whose features combine the furry torso and wide, flat tail of a beaver with the rubbery bill and webbed feet of a duck. But its looks are not all that is strange about it. A new study indicates that the distinctive mammal's genetic code is an eclectic brew of bird, reptile and mammal. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 13:00:00 EST) |
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| Whatever Happened to the Pioneer Spacecraft? [Scientific American Magazine] |
| Mystery Cruise ControlThe velocities of Pioneer 10 and 11, now speeding out of the solar system, are mysteriously changing, as if an extra force from the sun were tugging at them. Explanations have ranged from gas leaks and observational error to modified theories of gravity [see “A Force to Reckon With”; SciAm, October 2005]. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 11:08:00 EST) |
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| An Uninsured Doctor in the House [Features] |
| One of the first things U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen (D–Wisc.) did when he took office last year was to nix his congressional health care coverage. The move stunned a human resources staffer, who, the lawmaker says, looked at him as though he were insane."I'll respectfully decline until you can make that same offer for all of my constituents," he says he told her, explaining his decision to turn down what many say is the Cadillac of U.S. health plans. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EST) |
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| Cloth-Eating Fungus Could Make Fuel [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: It sounds like something out of a bad science fiction novel. During World War II, a fungus called Tricoderma reesei ate its way through US military uniforms and tents in the South Pacific. It chewed up the cloth and used special enzymes to convert the indigestible cellulose into simple sugars. Now that infamous fungus is getting some good publicity. It looks like it might hold a key to improving the production of biofuels. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 10:30:08 EST) |
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| Myanmar Cyclone: Before and After [Image Gallery] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| Quake Shakes Tokyo [News] |
| Japan was rocked by a series of earthquakes today about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Tokyo that injured two, cut off power to some 2,100 homes, and left the country on high alert for possible aftershocks. The largest quake hit at 1:45 a.m. local time in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Ibaraki Prefecture and measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, but Japan's meteorological agency told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it does not expect the tremors to result in a tsunami. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 18:00:00 EST) |
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| Evolution Enclaves: Darwin the Botanist and Origins of Life Research [Science Talk] |
| David Kohn, curator of the Darwin's Garden exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden, discusses Darwin's botanical studies. And Harvard Medical School's Jack Szostak talks about research into the origins of life. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.nybg.org/darwin; www.hhmi.org; www.sciam.com/daily The text transcript is currently not available. Transcripts are posted about a week after the podcast airs. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 14:30:08 EST) |
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| Are Personal Genome Scans Medically Useless? [Scientific American Magazine] |
| For $1,000 and up, several new companies will scan an individual’s entire genome for clues about ancestry, potential health limitations and the inheritance of traits such as lactose intolerance. Clients can compare their DNA with a celebrity’s or invite friends and family members to share genetic profiles. Despite the comprehensive reports and background data these Web-based services deliver, some observers believe the information is more recreational than relevant.Direct-to-consumer genetic tests have existed for at least a decade, and in recent years the number of choices has exploded. Whereas most of these offerings probe for only a small number of gene variants, advances in genome chips now allow a quick, inexpensive search for a wide range of targets all at once. Navigenics in Redwood Shores, Calif., 23andMe in Mountain View, Calif., and deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, recently began scanning for markers associated with as many as two dozen conditions and traits. And for upward of $350,000, Knome in Cambridge, Mass., enables customers to join J. Craig Venter and James D. Watson in the elite cadre of humans who have had their entire genome sequenced, analyzed and interpreted. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 08:16:00 EST) |
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| Virus Outbreak Shakes China [Sciam Observations Blog] |
| Updated from a May 5 blog entryChinese health-care officials are scrambling to contain the outbreak of a contagious and sometimes deadly intestinal virus--known as Enterovirus 71 (EV71)--that has already claimed the lives of at least 28 children and is likely to continue spreading. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 07:33:58 EST) |
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| Mind Control by Cell Phone [Mind Matters] |
| Hospitals and airplanes ban the use of cell phones, because their electromagnetic transmissions can interfere with sensitive electrical devices. Could the brain also fall into that category? Of course, all our thoughts, sensations and actions arise from bioelectricity generated by neurons and transmitted through complex neural circuits inside our skull. Electrical signals between neurons generate electric fields that radiate out of brain tissue as electrical waves that can be picked up by electrodes touching a person's scalp. Measurements of such brainwaves in EEGs provide powerful insight into brain function and a valuable diagnostic tool for doctors. Indeed, so fundamental are brainwaves to the internal workings of the mind, they have become the ultimate, legal definition drawing the line between life and death.Brainwaves change with a healthy person's conscious and unconscious mental activity and state of arousal. But scientists can do more with brainwaves than just listen in on the brain at work-they can selectively control brain function by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This technique uses powerful pulses of electromagnetic radiation beamed into a person's brain to jam or excite particular brain circuits. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 EST) |
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| Were Dinos on Their Way Out Before the Meteor? [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: It’s accepted that a large meteor impact 65 million years ago was responsible for the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Which opened up niches for birds and mammals. But last week at an evolution conference at The Rockefeller University in New York City, New Zealand biologist David Penny questioned whether the dinosaurs might not have already been on their way out. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| New Twist on Nanowires [Image Gallery] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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| The Monitor, ep. 13--Colossal Squid, Narwhals and Improvisational Robotics [The Monitor] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 17:15:00 EST) |
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| Toasted Bugs? Tropical Insects May Not Thrive in Warming World [News] |
| Global warming may prove worse for insects--and other cold-blooded critters--living in the steamy tropics than for their counterparts living closer to the frigid polar regions, according to a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Even though climate change is likely to affect areas near the poles, tropical insects are already living in conditions that verge on being too hot for them, which means they could be teetering on the edge of extinction.Take the shield bug--also known as the stinkbug for the nasty smelling liquid it spews when attacked. There are varieties of the insect in both the U.K. and Kenya. But although the shield bugs in the former may prosper as a result of a warmer climate in their region, their counterparts in Kenya (and other parts of Africa) may find themselves unable to cope with the heat, according to the research--and, if they cannot adapt or move, they may perish. "The current climate is at its optimum temperature," says study co-author and biogeochemist Curtis Deutsch of the University of California, Los Angeles. "Any warming was going to push them towards reduced fitness." [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 16:20:00 EST) |
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| Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep? [Fact or Fiction] |
| Let's do some sleep math. You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, you slept in, getting four extra hours. Come Monday morning, you were feeling so bright-eyed, you only had one cup of coffee, instead of your usual two. But don't be duped by your apparent vim and vigor: You're still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call "sleep debt"--in this case something like six hours, almost a full nights' sleep. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 13:10:00 EST) |
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| Chile Volcano Eruption Sends Residents Fleeing, Causes One Death [News] |
| Lava began to flow today from Chile's Chaitén volcano, chasing remaining residents out of a nearby town and putting the government of the affected Palena Province on high alert. The country had already been on edge following the volcano's initial eruption this past weekend, spewing hot ash, gas and smoke into the air for several days, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,200 residents and leading to the death of a 92-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack aboard a navy boat as she was being taken to Puerto Montt, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of the volcano. No lava flow, however, had been reported until Tuesday. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:45:00 EST) |
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| How Boys Become Boys (and Sometimes Girls) [News] |
| In research that could give doctors a way to reassign sex in cases of unclear gender, scientists report this week that they have figured out why some children with genes that should make them boys are instead born as girls. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 12:00:00 EST) |
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| A Dump Truck for the 21st Century [News] |
| Slideshow: View the "super tipper" [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EST) |
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| Why the Next President Needs a Powerful Science Adviser [Scientific American Magazine] |
| In the wake of the near panic over the launch of Sputnik in 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed James Killian, the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to become the first special assistant to the president for science and technology. Ever since, the relationship between the nation’s chief executive and the White House’s resident authority on nuclear fission, the workings of DNA and the greenhouse effect, among an array of topics, has had its highs and lows.To be sure, advice has flowed freely at times. Eisenhower consulted frequently with Killian and other scientists, and in the Kennedy years Jerome Wiesner, another M.I.T. president, helped to coordinate the government’s response to the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a book that spurred a national grassroots environmental movement by pointing out the dangers of pesticides. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 08:19:00 EST) |
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| Cell Number Is Future Fat Fight Front [60-Second Science] |
| Podcast Transcript: Losing weight is no walk in the park. (Although a walk in the park wouldn’t hurt). Seems no matter what diet you try, those stubborn love handles just won’t go away. Part of the problem is that the bulk of your bulk is stored inside fat cells. And the number of fat cells you have is set before you reach adulthood. So if you chunked up as a child, that battalion of fat cells is with you for life. It’s enough to make you want to bury your face in a tray of brownies, I know. But hold off. Because researchers from Stockholm think they’ve found a loophole. [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:08 EST) |
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| The Monitor: Episode 13 [SciAm Exclusives Video] |
| [More] |
| Read More...(Source: Scientific American - Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EST) |
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