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Technology26 May 2011

'Guide vests' -- robotic navigation aids for the visually impaired

VIDEO: A totally blind subject makes her way up a corridor. The system uses Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) software to build maps of the environment and identify a safe path... Click here for more information. For the visually impaired, navigating city streets or neighborhoods has constant challenges. And most such people still must rely on a very rudimentary technology—a simple cane—to help them make their way through a complex world. A group of University ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Study shows 19 percent of young adults have high blood pressure

Roughly 19 percent of young adults may have high blood pressure, according to an analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which is supported by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers took blood pressure readings of more than 14,000 men and women between 24 and 32 years of age who were enrolled in the long-running study. The analysis was conducted by Kathleen Mullan Harris, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study, and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study's first author was Quynh ...

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Science26 May 2011

What to Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have suffered a personal injury in the Atlanta area, you will probably need to find a qualified Georgia personal injury attorney. You may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries, but it can be difficult to collect the compensation you deserve. If the other party denied fault or the insurance only offered you a portion of the money to which you are entitled, an experienced lawyer can help you protect your rights. Beginning Your Search As you are searching for an Atlanta personal injury lawyer, carefully investigate and speak with several personal ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Drug may help overwrite bad memories

MONTREAL, March 26, 2011 – Recalling painful memories while under the influence of the drug metyrapone reduces the brain's ability to re-record the negative emotions associated with them, according to University of Montreal researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital. The team's study challenges the theory that memories cannot be modified once they are stored in the brain. "Metyrapone is a drug that significantly decreases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is involved in memory recall," explained lead author Marie-France ...

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Space26 May 2011

NASA's Hubble finds rare 'blue straggler' stars in Milky Way's hub

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has found a rare class of oddball stars called blue stragglers in the hub of our Milky Way, the first detected within our galaxy's bulge. Blue stragglers are so named because they seemingly lag behind in the aging process, appearing younger than the population from which they formed. While they have been detected in many distant star clusters, and among nearby stars, they never have been seen inside the core of our galaxy. It is not clear how blue stragglers form. A common theory is that they emerge from binary pairs. As the more massive ...

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Science26 May 2011

Latisse a Happy Accident for Allergan and Women With Inadequate Eyelashes

Allergan seems to have a history of happy accidents. The specialty pharmaceutical company came across the wrinkle-smoothing benefits of BOTOX while testing the compound as a treatment for eyelid spasms. Then it stumbled onto the eyelash-stimulating abilities of bimatoprost, a topical glaucoma medication that became the active ingredient in Latisse. Latisse is currently the only FDA-approved treatment for eyelash hypotrichosis, abnormal or inadequate eyelash growth. Latisse is thought to work by increasing the number of eyelashes your eyelid can sprout and extending ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Oncologists hold key to curbing cancer costs

Richmond, Va. (May 25, 2011) – The cost of cancer care is threatening to bankrupt our healthcare system. New drugs are prolonging life, but at staggering costs. This coupled with aging baby boomers and an increasing population mean the U.S. will spend $173 billion annually on cancer care by the year 2020. This trend is not sustainable; however, there are evidence-based ways to maintain or improve the quality of care while saving money for the new therapies being discovered every day. So argue VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers Thomas Smith, M.D., and Bruce E. Hillner, ...

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Science26 May 2011

New Jersey Agency Lax on Doctor Sanctions Following Malpractice

New Jersey's State Board of Medical Examiners proclaims its mission as the protection of the public's health, safety and welfare. Functionally, that means providing licenses to medical professionals, adopting practice standards, looking into allegations of misconduct and, most important of all, meting out discipline to physicians who fail to provide competent, qualified and ethical service to patients. But a report from the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen finds that the board failed to discipline 57 percent of licensed health professionals whose practice privileges ...

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Science26 May 2011

Not all citizens' votes created equal, and study says it shows in funding

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — "One person, one vote" is often the rallying cry for democratic reform, suggesting everyone should get an equal say in their government. Yet in some of the oldest and largest democracies, some votes are worth far more than others by design. A Wyoming voter, for instance, is significantly over-represented compared with a California voter. Each state has two U.S. senators, but California has 66 times more people. How much does it matter? According to a recent study of decades of data, from the U.S. and eight other countries, it matters a lot when it ...

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Science26 May 2011

Dos and Don'ts Of Divorce When You Have a Toddler

Young children cope with divorce differently than older children. Toddlers are just beginning to become facile with language and parents may not always know what they need. So, what are some basic rules that parents can follow to help toddlers transition from one home to two homes as painlessly as possible. 1. Do not trash talk your ex in front of your child. Toddlers and preschoolers pick up on even the subtlest conflict between parents. When parents are living in the same home, it can be hard on a child. But when parents move into separate home, the child may internalize ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

New drug treatment extends lives of men with prostate cancer

AURORA, Colo. (May 25, 2011) - A drug recently approved by the Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of prostate cancer is proving to give some patients the gift of time. A new study shows abiraterone acetate extends the lives of men with the most advanced form of the disease by about four months. The study in the May 26, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine was co-authored by Thomas W. Flaig, MD, medical oncologist at the University of Colorado Hospital's Tony Grampsas Urologic Oncology Clinic and assistant professor at the University of Colorado School ...

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Science26 May 2011

Tinted specs offer real migraine relief, says fMRI study

Los Angeles, CA (May 26, 2011) – Precision tinted lenses have been used widely to reduce visual perceptual distortions in poor readers, and are increasingly used for migraine sufferers, but until now the science behind these effects has been unclear. Now research published in the journal Cephalalgia, published by SAGE, uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for the first time to suggest a neurological basis for these visual remedies. The new research shows how coloured glasses tuned to each migraine sufferer work by normalizing activity in the brain. The researchers ...

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Science26 May 2011

Identity Theft - What to Do When You Are a Victim of a Scam Artist

A few months ago I received a message from an attorney in Louisiana asking if I knew the whereabouts of a man I had never heard of. My interest peaked when I realized the person calling me was attempting to collect a debt. Since I have years of experience of working as a creditor attorney I knew right away that there was a problem when the creditor verified my social security number had been used for an account that I did not open or authorize. In the end I was able to rectify the situation by showing that the creditor had inadvertently entered the wrong social security ...

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Science26 May 2011

Why caffeine can reduce fertility in women

Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes that carry eggs from a woman's ovaries to her womb. "Our experiments were conducted in mice, but this finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant," says Professor Sean Ward from the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, USA. Ward's study is published today in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Human eggs are microscopically small, but need to travel to a woman's womb if she is going to have a successful pregnancy. Although ...

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Environment26 May 2011

Dramatically raising low metal recycling rates part of path to green economy: UNEP

Smarter product designs, support for developing country waste management schemes, and encouraging developed country households not to 'squirrel away' old electronic goods in drawers and closets could help boost recycling of metals world-wide. According to a report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recycling rates of metals are in many cases far lower than their potential for re-use. Less than one-third of some 60 metals studied have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50 per cent and 34 elements are below 1 per cent recycling, yet many ...

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Science26 May 2011

Texas Attorney, Quinton Grant Pelley, Selected for Inclusion in Super Lawyer -- Rising Stars Edition, 2011

Quinton Grant Pelley, a Texas criminal defense and bankruptcy lawyer at Pelley Law Office, L.L.P., has been selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers - Rising Stars Edition, 2011. Born in Sherman, Texas, Quinton Pelley received his J.D. from Texas Tech School of Law. With legal experience in medical malpractice, tort litigation and contract law, Mr. Pelley now focuses his practice in criminal defense, bankruptcy, family law and personal injury. He is admitted to practice in Texas' state courts, the Northern United States District Court of Texas and the Eastern United ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Health reform essential to young adults: Nearly half can't afford needed health care

New York, NY, May 26, 2011—Young adults ages 19-29 are struggling to get the health care they need more than almost any other age group, demonstrating the need for Affordable Care Act provisions, some already in place, that will expand health insurance and make it more affordable, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report found that in 2010, 45 percent of young adults couldn't afford the care they needed, meaning they didn't fill a prescription, didn't go to the doctor when they were sick, or skipped a test, treatment, or follow-up visit, up from 32 percent ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

New imaging method allows Stanford scientists to identify specific mental states

STANFORD, Calif. — New clues to the mystery of brain function, obtained through research by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, suggest that distinct mental states can be distinguished based on unique patterns of activity in coordinated "networks" within the brain. These networks consist of brain regions that are synchronously communicating with one another. The Stanford team is using this network approach to develop diagnostic tests in Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders in which network function is disrupted. In a novel set of experiments, ...

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Science26 May 2011

Jumeirah Emirates Towers Holds Vertical Marathon

Jumeirah Emirates Towers has hosted this year's Vertical Marathon to raise funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). The event saw 236 runners ascending Jumeirah Emirates Towers for the annual fundraising event, with participants raising a total of AED 177,000 for MSF. This brings the total amount raised for MSF through this popular event to AED 1.083 million to date. The event, which is in its ninth year, was organised by Jumeirah Emirates Towers with the support of the Red Crescent Society. The Vertical Marathon requires participants to climb the 52 floors ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Patients with RA receive less protection from pandemic influenza with H1N1 vaccine

A Brazilian hospital-based study assessed responses to flu vaccines in 340 RA patients in regular follow-up compared to 234 healthy patients. Measures of protection obtained by vaccination (seroprotection rate (SP)) after immunization was over 20% lower for RA patients compared to healthy individuals (60.1% vs. 82.9% comparatively (p END ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

Several abstracts on gout reveal true burden of disease and highlight promising new treatments

A pan-European study of 755 gout patients found that prevalence of self-reported gout was highest in the UK (2.2%) and lowest in France (0.76%). French, German and British gout patients all had lower quality of life scores, and had significant work and social impairment compared to controls (p 2 years). Conclusions from an analysis of these responder patients suggests that subjects who have normalised their sUA after six months on pegloticase (8 mg every 2 weeks) may be able to experience a gap in therapy for as long as 167 days without losing subsequent responsiveness ...

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Science26 May 2011

Study confirms link between rheumatoid arthritis and COPD

The study of 15,766 patients with RA and 15,340 controls found that the prevalence of COPD was significantly higher in RA patients than healthy controls (8.9% vs 4.4%, p END ...

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Social Science26 May 2011

Bupa Care Homes 'Grow Their Own' for Community Initiative

Bupa care homes' residents have their watering cans at the ready as they prepare to 'grow their own' for 'Community Crops'. 'Community Crops' is a Bupa care homes initiative which promotes the health benefits associated with gardening and growing your own fruit and veg. The project is being supported by young people involved with The Prince's Trust, who are linking up with Bupa homes, including nursing care homes, across the UK to help sow and grow the crops. Residents have also been inviting local schools and community groups to lend a hand with planting and ...

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Science26 May 2011

Studies show siginificant benefits of yoga in 2 conditions

The results of the study conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) among 47 patients (26 yoga patients and 21 controls) demonstrate that patients who completed 12 sessions of Raj yoga** which is one of the gentler styles of yoga, combining exercise and breathing techniques showed significant improvements in disease activity scores (DAS28) of p=0.021 and health assessment questionnaire's (HAQ†) of p=0.0015. However there was no statistically significant improvement on the quality of life scale (QoL). "Most patients with RA do not exercise regularly despite the fact that ...

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Medicine26 May 2011

UK survey shows differences between clinicians treating rheumatology in pregnancy

This study, which is one of the first of its kind, collated responses from rheumatologists (52% consultants) and obstetricians (94% consultants) on the subject of patient education on safe treatments for use during pregnancy, the existence of local guidelines on treating this patient population, and recorded HCP use of several individual drugs used during the pre-conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding period. The survey results outlined variations around the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) with 32% of rheumatologists and 18% of obstetricians ...

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