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We may learn best on an empty stomach!

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found evidence that a hormone produced in the stomach directly stimulates the higher brain functions of spatial learning and memory development.

23 Feb 2006

Discovery of mechanisms responsible for the difference in immune response between male and female mice

The differences in the male and female immune responses, which make females more prone to autoimmune disease and males more subject to infections, are established during puberty.

23 Feb 2006

Discovery of molecule that may hold key to learning and memory

Independent research teams from Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston have identified a master protein that sheds light on one of neurobiology's biggest mysteries--how neurons change as a result of individual experiences.

23 Feb 2006

Unique program to get pediatric residents to think outside the box

As part of a unique program to get pediatric residents to think outside the box, Indiana University School of Medicine pediatric residents are being taught to reach their patients outside the confines of the traditional health care system.

23 Feb 2006

Media campaigns that remind parents to talk with their children about sex are effective

Robert H. DuRant, Ph.D., and his colleagues studied a public service announcement (PSA) campaign aired recently in North Carolina that conveyed the message, "Talk to your kids about sex. Everyone else is."

23 Feb 2006

India and Malaysia breathe sigh of relief as suspects cleared of bird flu

The news that people being treated for suspected bird flu in India and Malaysia, do not in fact have the virus will come as a relief to many and calm fear that the disease has spread to humans.

22 Feb 2006

Teens think oral sex is not sex

According to a new national survey almost a quarter of sexually active Canadian teens between the ages of 14 and 17 have unprotected sex and 68 per cent have oral sex, although many are unaware that STIs can be transmitted through this particular sexual activity.

22 Feb 2006

Rotavirus vaccine given the green light

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has recommended a new vaccine for routine use against rotavirus infection.

22 Feb 2006

Vitamin B3 variant reverses effects of fetal alcohol syndrome in mice

A form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide can reverse the molecular, cellular, and behavioral effects of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in mice, according to a study by physician-scientists at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

21 Feb 2006

Organic diet for children means less exposure to pesticides

In a new study researchers in the U.S. have shown that organic diets meant that children had less exposure to two common pesticides.

21 Feb 2006

Expert panel dispels the many myths of Autism

A panel of autism experts at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, have presented reports which comment on the assumptions about the developmental disability.

21 Feb 2006

Gum destruction can start in diabetic children as young as six years old

A new study from Columbia University Medical Center has shown that the destruction of the gums can start in diabetic children as young as six years old. While the link between diabetes and periodontal disease was previously established, it was believed that the regression of gums began much later and increased with age.

21 Feb 2006

Persistent fatigue immediately following birth may be the best predictor of postpartum depression

Persistent fatigue immediately following birth may be the best signal to determine whether a woman will develop postpartum depression, a new study suggests.

21 Feb 2006

Media coverage on flu influences parents to vaccinate their children

Media coverage about influenza and the importance of flu shots influenced parents to vaccinate their children against the influenza virus, according to a study done by researchers and information officers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

21 Feb 2006

Effects of cancer treatment among children of survivors

Can the high doses of chemotherapy and radiation that young cancer patients receive cause inherited health problems for their children? Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center member, John Boice, Sc.D., and an international team of colleagues have just been awarded a $4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to try to find out.

21 Feb 2006

Antidepressants may affect fetus

A University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine collaborative study with Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center found an increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) in newborns of mothers who used certain commonly prescribed antidepressants in late pregnancy.

20 Feb 2006

Certain chemicals in the blood may indicate brain injury

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have found that increased levels of certain proteins in the blood or spinal fluid may signal brain injury in infants with vomiting, fussiness and several other common symptoms.

20 Feb 2006

Comprehensive schooling is neither less nor more effective at promoting social mobility than a selective system

Current debate about the UK government's proposed education reforms may be based on a false premise. Recent research suggests that education policy by itself contributes little to the rate at which people move between social classes, according to a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

20 Feb 2006

Fast food giant heading for court

International fast food giant McDonald's is currently facing at least three lawsuits in the United States.

20 Feb 2006

Mystery of evolutionary growth in hominid brain size

Forget the textbook story about tool use and language sparking the dramatic evolutionary growth of the human brain. Instead, imagine ancient hominid children chasing frogs. Not for fun, but for food.

19 Feb 2006