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Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

Second language that can be learned quickly and with amazing ease

The study, which is one of the first to look at how fast second-language words are learned and how the brain responds to words with increasing experience with the new language, was published June 13 in the on-line edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

15 Jun 2004

Being bilingual helps keep the brain sharper with age

Most will agree that two heads are better than one in solving problems. The same logic may be true for language and retaining cognitive processes as we age. Being fluent in two languages seems to prevent some of the cognitive decline seen in same-age monolingual speaking persons, according to the findings of a study appearing in this month’s journal of Psychology and Aging.

14 Jun 2004

New guidelines over the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual partners over hospital visiting and involvement in treatment decisions

The guidance compiled by UNISON and the Royal College of Nursing provides detailed information on how healthcare workers can give confidence to lesbian, gay and bisexual service users and has been endorsed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, College of Occupational Therapists, Royal College of Midwives and the Society of Radiographers.

14 Jun 2004

EU plan to reduce diseases caused by a polluted environment

The European Commission has launched an action plan to reduce diseases caused by a polluted environment. The plan would develop an EU system integrating information on the state of the environment, the ecosystem and human health.

11 Jun 2004

The Population Health Complex to improve the health of all New Zealanders

Research teams dedicated to improving the health of all New Zealanders now have a new home at The University of Auckland’s Population Health Complex. The new purpose-built complex is located at the University’s Tamaki Campus, which is distinguished by its collaborative, inter-disciplinary, and research-intensive profile.

11 Jun 2004

Joint framework for partnership action on disability

The Partnership Framework will help the NHS comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995. The Act requires that service providers must not discriminate or provide a poorer quality of service to disabled people because of their disability.

10 Jun 2004

New UK government plan aims at helping disabled people

The joint framework for partnership action, announced today by the Health Secretary and the chair of the Disability Rights Commission, will help the NHS to meet the requirements set out in the Disability Discrimination Act.

10 Jun 2004

5 percent of young people consider themselves lesbian, gay or bisexual

Approximately 5 percent of young people consider themselves lesbian, gay or bisexual, and many adolescents know a friend, classmate, neighbor or relative who is nonheterosexual.

9 Jun 2004

New medical imaging research helps diagnosis fetal brain abnormalities, epilepsy and autism

The world's leading neuroscience and radiology experts today shared new research and technological developments in medical imaging that facilitate diagnosis and breakthrough treatments of fetal brain abnormalities, epilepsy and cognitive disorders such as autism and Alzheimer's.

7 Jun 2004

How the brain interprets electrical impulses sent by neurons

University of California, San Diego neurobiologists have uncovered evidence that sheds light on the long-standing mystery of how the brain makes sense of the information contained in electrical impulses sent to it by millions of neurons from the body.

3 Jun 2004

The new European Health Insurance Card explained

The European Health Insurance Card has come into circulation today (1st June 2004). The aim of the card is to simplify procedures for accessing the healthcare system in another Member State.

1 Jun 2004

An insight into caring for dementia in particular 'aggressive dementia'

By the age of 65 one out of every ten persons has some form of dementia, and by the age of 85 (the fastest growing segment of the population), one out of every two. Statistically families (and many doctors who are not dementia specialists) ignore the early warning signs because they incorrectly believe that the odd behaviors are just a normal part of aging and untreatable senility.

27 May 2004

Genes and family support can buffer children against behavioral problems for which poverty puts them at risk

According to a new study, the genes and warm support received from parents also can buffer these children against many of the cognitive and behavioral problems for which poverty puts them at risk. The findings are published in the May issue of the journal Child Development.

26 May 2004

New International Portal for Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today launched the International Portal for Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health at a Regional Conference on Food Safety for Asia and the Pacific.

25 May 2004

Researchers dedicated to improving the health of all New Zealanders now have a new home

Research teams dedicated to improving the health of all New Zealanders now have a new home at The University of Auckland’s Population Health Complex.

25 May 2004

Damage to the left half side of brain may make a right-handed person more susceptible to infection

A major immunological difference between the opposite halves of the human brain is now confirmed in a study published May 24, 2004 in the online edition of the Annals of Neurology. Researchers have found that damage or surgery to the left half of the brain may make a right-handed person more susceptible to being immunocompromised.

24 May 2004

Cochlear implant early in life helps children with hearing loss to acquire language and communication skills

Receiving a cochlear implant early in life helps children with profound hearing loss to acquire language and communication skills similar to their hearing peers, according to an article in the May issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, a theme issue on pediatric cochlear implants and one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

22 May 2004

Study helps to visualize how brain develops with age

The brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is among the last to mature, a new study graphically reveals. The decade-long magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of normal brain development, from ages 4 to 21, by researchers at NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that such "higher-order" brain centers, such as the prefrontal cortex, don't fully develop until young adulthood.

18 May 2004

Speaking their language aids dementia patients

Elderly dementia patients from non-English speaking backgrounds communicate more with others and take fewer psychiatric medications when living in ethno-specific nursing homes, an Australian study at Monash University has revealed.

17 May 2004

Health care and cultural differences at centre of Australian study

Ever wondered how difficult it must be for patients from different cultural backgrounds to be hospitalised in Australia? RMIT researchers will investigate whether these patients are at risk in a predominantly white Anglo health system.

12 May 2004