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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.

Increasing marijuana-like chemicals in the brain can help correct behavioral issues related to fragile X

American and European scientists have found that increasing natural marijuana-like chemicals in the brain can help correct behavioral issues related to fragile X syndrome, the most common known genetic cause of autism.

26 Sep 2012

Study finds risk factors for weight problems among children in the US and England

With ties to diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, childhood obesity in wealthy countries is certainly of growing concern to researchers. A new study explores the ties between childhood weight problems, socioeconomic status, and nationality and finds that race, ethnicity, and immigrant status are risk factors for weight problems among children in the US and England.

26 Sep 2012

Tips for health care providers when communicating with deaf or hearing impaired

This week is the International Week of the Deaf, held to draw attention to deaf and hearing-impaired people, their accomplishments and challenges they face. One health care issue is a potential communication barrier between medical providers and deaf or hard-of-hearing patients.

25 Sep 2012

Study uses white matter to study brain function

Most people equate "gray matter" with the brain and its higher functions, such as sensation and perception, but this is only one part of the anatomical puzzle inside our heads. Another cerebral component is the white matter, which makes up about half the brain by volume and serves as the communications network.

25 Sep 2012

Bilateral cochlear implants may restore binaural sound processing in the brain

Cochlear implants - electronic devices surgically implanted in the ear to help provide a sense of sound - have been successfully used since the late 1980's. But questions remain as to whether bilateral cochlear implants, placed in each ear rather than the traditional single-ear implant, are truly able to facilitate binaural hearing. Now, Tel Aviv University researchers have proof that under certain conditions, this practice has the ability to salvage binaural sound processing for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

24 Sep 2012

Romney touts his health care credentials

During a forum hosted by Univision, the GOP presidential nominee embraced his role as the "grandfather of Obamacare." Elsewhere on the camapign trail, the Service Employees International Union launches a Medicare attack ad against the Romney-Ryan campaign and other Republicans.

21 Sep 2012

Mathematical modeling can help treat several diseases

Mathematical modeling being tested by researchers at the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the IU School of Medicine has the potential to impact the knowledge and treatment of several diseases that continue to challenge scientists across the world.

21 Sep 2012

First extensive analysis of Allen Human Brain Atlas

Scientists at the Allen Institute for Brain Science reported in the latest issue of the journal Nature that human brains share a consistent genetic blueprint and possess enormous biochemical complexity. The findings stem from the first deep and large-scale analysis of the vast data set publicly available in the Allen Human Brain Atlas.

21 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 20, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that the health law's penalty for not obtaining health insurance could hit as many as 6 million people.

21 Sep 2012

NIH announces multiple awards to UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment

The National Institutes of Health, recognizing UCLA's preeminence in both research and clinical care for children with autism, has announced multiple awards to the university as part of the agency's Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program.

20 Sep 2012

Adults with autism have unreliable neural sensory responses to visual, auditory and touch

Autistic adults have unreliable neural sensory responses to visual, auditory, and touch stimuli, according to research published in the journal Neuron. This poor response reliability, the study's authors conclude, appears to be a fundamental neural characteristic of autism.

20 Sep 2012

Pacifiers may stunt emotional development of baby boys

Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

20 Sep 2012

Music underlies the ability to acquire language

Contrary to the prevailing theories that music and language are cognitively separate or that music is a byproduct of language, theorists at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) advocate that music underlies the ability to acquire language.

19 Sep 2012

Alexithymia linked to white matter integrity in schizophrenia

Increased levels of alexithymia among patients with schizophrenia are associated with reductions in white matter integrity in specific regions of the corpus callosum, researchers report.

19 Sep 2012

Roundup: Filipino nurses in Calif. win $1M in language discrimination lawsuit; Texas Lawmakers hear of Medicaid managed care woes; Calif. soda limits could be next

A group of Filipino nurses who claimed they were mocked for their accents and ordered to speak "English only" won a nearly $1-million settlement against a Central California hospital where bosses and co-workers were allegedly urged to eavesdrop on the immigrant workers.

19 Sep 2012

Apixaban offers minor added benefit for adult patients after hip replacement

The clot-inhibiting drug apixaban was approved in May 2011 for the prevention of thrombosis (blood clots) after operations to replace a hip or knee joint.

18 Sep 2012

NIH announces multiple awards to UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment

The National Institutes of Health, recognizing UCLA's preeminence in both research and clinical care of children with autism, has announced multiple awards to the university as part of its Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program.

17 Sep 2012

Limited positive effect of Tafamidis in neurological disorders

Tafamidis meglumine was approved in November 2011 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis in adults.

17 Sep 2012

Bahamas' Ministry of Health unveils plans to advance breast cancer programs

Bahamas' Ministry of Health on Wednesday unveiled its plans to advance breast cancer programs in The Bahamas through a public-private partnership with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's leading breast cancer organization.

15 Sep 2012

A mysterious form of cell death uncovers prime suspect for new cancer drug development

A mysterious form of cell death, coded in proteins and enzymes, led to a discovery by UNC researchers uncovering a prime suspect for new cancer drug development.

15 Sep 2012