Singing News and Research

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First Edition: September 12, 2013

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the politics and policies in play as Oct. 1 -- the health law's big day -- quickly approaches.

12 Sep 2013

Study suggests that social media can be used to successfully improve medical practice

Barcelona, Spain: A doctor from the UK has shown how an innovative music video can help increase awareness of how to treat asthma.

11 Sep 2013

Scientists uncover neural mechanisms that may help in treatment of language disorders in children

USC scientists have discovered a population of neurons in the brains of juvenile songbirds that are necessary for allowing the birds to recognize the vocal sounds they are learning to imitate.

5 Sep 2013

First Edition: August 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the ongoing battles between those who support the implementation of the health law, and those who oppose it.

26 Aug 2013

Listen-and-repeat singing method can improve foreign language learning

Singing in a foreign language can significantly improve learning how to speak it, according to a new study.

20 Jul 2013

Music can provide tangible health advantages to older adults

Music - as poets have noted - has the power to wash away the dust of everyday life, and medical experts believe it may also imbue physical and social benefits. Now a new UC San Francisco research project is exploring whether singing in a community choir can provide tangible health advantages to older adults.

10 Jul 2013

Researchers hope voice therapy in aging humans may help improve quality of life

A new study shows that the vocal training of older rats reduces some of the voice problems related to their aging, such as the loss of vocal intensity that accompanies changes in the muscles of the larynx. This is an animal model of a vocal pathology that many humans face as they age.

25 Jun 2013

Brains of different people respond in same way to music, Stanford study says

Do the brains of different people listening to the same piece of music actually respond in the same way? An imaging study by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists says the answer is yes, which may in part explain why music plays such a big role in our social existence.

12 Apr 2013

Genes activated for human speech are similar to ones used by singing songbirds

The genes activated for human speech are similar to the ones used by singing songbirds, new experiments suggest.

15 Feb 2013

New heart valve procedure saves life of 94-year old with aortic stenosis

94-year old Santa Monica resident Vivian Valentine has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. A new life-saving heart valve procedure done without traditional open heart surgery has given her a new lease on life.

20 Nov 2012

New CAM2 method could improve sound perception for users of hearing aids

A new software product developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could greatly improve sound perception for users of hearing aids.

9 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Dukakis on keeping 'Obamacare'; Are Medicare patients being pressured into concierge medicine?

The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't guarantee access to health care for all its citizens. ... That's what Obamacare is designed to fix. ... That's why the next president – whether it is Barack Obama or Mitt Romney - should defend Obamacare and make sure it's fully implemented. Despite what he's said on the campaign trail, Gov. Romney knows this is the responsible thing to do because of what has happened in Massachusetts since the passage of "Romneycare."

1 Nov 2012

Gibbons use same vocal techniques as professional soprano singers

Have you ever heard an opera singing ape? Researchers in Japan have discovered that singing gibbons use the same vocal techniques as professional soprano singers. The study, published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, explains how recording gibbons singing under the influence of helium gas reveals a physiological similarity to human voices.

24 Aug 2012

Research on language gene seeks to uncover origins of the singing mouse

Singing mice (Scotinomys teguina) are not your average lab rats. Their fur is tawny brown instead of the common white albino strain; they hail from the tropical cloud forests in the mountains of Costa Rica; and, as their name hints, they use song to communicate.

12 Aug 2012

Choir participation improves quality of life factors for cancer survivors and their carers

The Welsh cancer charity Tenovus and Cardiff University, both based in the UK, have reported that participation in a choir improves a number of quality of life factors for cancer survivors and their carers.

20 Jul 2012

CDC launches Let's Stop HIV Together campaign

To combat two major obstacles to HIV prevention—stigma associated with the infection and complacency about the epidemic—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched Let's Stop HIV Together, a national communication campaign that gives voice to Americans living with HIV, and to their loved ones.

17 Jul 2012

Cystic fibrosis patient receives generous 'gift of life'

Meara Schmidt, 28, almost died a few weeks ago. Lying in her hospital bed at UCLA, the seriously ill cystic fibrosis patient felt herself slipping away and her life flashing by. But then the image of her husband appeared, and she knew she was not ready to go.

7 Jul 2012

Study investigates EEGs as potential diagnostic tool for autism

Widely available EEG testing can distinguish children with autism from neurotypical children as early as age 2, finds a study from Boston Children's Hospital. The study is the largest, most rigorous study to date to investigate EEGs as a potential diagnostic tool for autism, and offers hope for an earlier, more definitive test.

26 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Puzzling slowdown in health spending; Court decision could help end businesses' fears about health law

Economists will debate the causes of the great slowdown in health-care spending that's now underway for a long time to come. ... And last year, preliminary government estimates released Tuesday showed, health care spending once again grew at just a 3.9 percent rate.

14 Jun 2012

India's most-renowned homeopath receives Padma Shri award

Dr. Mukesh Batra, India's most-renowned homeopath, was conferred with the Padma Shri today, the country's fourth highest civilian award, by the President, Smt. Pratibha Patel for his exceptional and distinguished service in the field of medicine.

23 Apr 2012