Language News and Research

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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.

Sign language users may simultaneously keep words and signs in their minds as they read

People fluent in sign language may simultaneously keep words and signs in their minds as they read, according to an international team of researchers.

23 Mar 2011

New research on brain plasticity may delay onset of Alzheimer's disease

The human brain loses 5 to 10% of its weight between the ages of 20 and 90 years old. While some cells are lost, the brain is equipped with two compensatory mechanisms: plasticity and redundancy.

23 Mar 2011

Strong 'innate immunity' effective in chikungunya patients

Chikungunya is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. The disease is spreading in the world and periodically sparks new outbreaks. Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean and even Southern Europe are now affected.

23 Mar 2011

Iron deficiency during pregnancy may impact child's brain development

A mother's iron deficiency early in pregnancy may have a profound and long-lasting effect on the brain development of the child, even if the lack of iron is not enough to cause severe anemia, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the scientific journal PLoS One.

23 Mar 2011

Potential bias seen in informed consent language when describing trials, say researchers

When presented with different terms to describe a clinical trial, parents were far more likely to consent to enroll their child if it was called a "research study" than if it was called a "medical experiment" or a "research project," in large part because they perceived the former as safer, even though that was not necessarily the case, according to a report in IRB: Ethics & Human Research.

19 Mar 2011

Ontario announces passage of regulations that fully enable remote pharmacy dispensing

The Government of Ontario today announced passage of regulations that fully enable remote pharmacy dispensing in all areas of the province. Further to the provisions of Bill 179, passed in December 2009, these regulations provide the framework for how remote dispensing will occur in Ontario, and mark a historic moment in health care delivery in Canada.

19 Mar 2011

HRSA report finds only 57% of children in the U.S. have access to medical home

Researchers at the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau publish their findings on health care for children in medical homes in the April issue of Pediatrics.

19 Mar 2011

Opinions: TB funding; BBC World Service funding; direct cash transfer programs

"Prevention and control of tuberculosis on our globe is crumbling" and "[i]t needs fixing," retired pediatrician Elinor Graham writes in a Seattle Times opinion piece. She describes the burden of TB in developing countries and the costs associated with treatments, including those for drug-resistant forms of the disease.

18 Mar 2011

Exerting more self control leads to negative emotions

People who make an effort to exert self-control are attracted to aggressive art and public policy appeals, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. They also don't appreciate messages that nag them to control their behavior.

18 Mar 2011

New information on how best to teach children with hearing loss

Two to three in every 1,000 children are born with a hearing loss that is likely to impact development. Research of the auditory system at its early developmental stages, and efforts to identify hearing loss and initiate appropriate rehabilitation strategies, can be crucial to the healthy development of a child.

18 Mar 2011

Research on electrophysiological assessment of hearing in patients with acoustic neuromas

Manuel Don, Ph.D., is a principal investigator in the Division of Communication and Auditory Neuroscience at the House Ear Institute. Dr. Don joined the House Ear Institute in 1976 after working as an assistant research auditory physiologist at the University of California, Irvine.

17 Mar 2011

Computer-based tools can help improve relationship between patients, healthcare workers

A vast computer based glossary of healthcare terms culled from so-called e-health tools, medical news sites, telemedicine applications, home care-management systems, internet-based public health records, and even health-oriented and medical blogs could help improve the relationship between patients and healthcare workers, according to research published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

17 Mar 2011

Updated NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer outline new treatment options for women

Although finding effective screening tools remains a priority, new treatment options for women with ovarian cancer, such as the ones outlined in the updated NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer, are vital to making steady progress against the disease according to Robert J. Morgan, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Ovarian Cancer.

16 Mar 2011

Depressed, older people who have a stroke are more likely to be dependent

People who have a stroke are more likely to be dependent if they are depressed, older or have other medical problems, according to a study published in the March 15, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Mar 2011

Medica Foundation awards $1 million in grants to five Minnesota organizations

The Medica Foundation today announced $1 million in grants to five Minnesota organizations. The grant amounts range from $100,000 to $300,000 each and are designed to provide funding to the recipients over a three-year period.

14 Mar 2011

MEDecision, Health Language enter strategic partnership

MEDecision, Inc., a leading provider of collaborative health management solutions, and Health Language, Inc. (HLI), a global leader in medical terminology management, today announced that the companies have entered into a strategic partnership that will enable MEDecision to help its healthcare payer and provider customers transition to, comply with and capitalize on the industry's forthcoming ICD-10 requirements.

14 Mar 2011

Hospice and Palliative care

The word hospice originated from the Latin hospitium, which means "to host or offer a place of shelter." In 2009, an estimated 1.56 million patients, more than 40 percent of deaths, received hospice services in the United States.

14 Mar 2011

GOP's new short-term budget fix does not include health cuts

Buying more time for budget talks, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a three-week stop-gap bill Friday that will carry the government through April 8 while Republicans and the White House try to hammer out a spending plan for the second half of this fiscal year.

14 Mar 2011

New book on toxins

Toxins are a burning issue. A straightforward guide to a closer understanding of toxins in our daily lives is published by Wiley. The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, 3rd Edition cuts through the fear generated by the media, which leads to a distortion in many people's conceptions of toxins and chemicals.

14 Mar 2011

Polyglot Systems, CCNC offer Meducation technology to North Carolina residents

Polyglot Systems, Inc. recently partnered with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), a Raleigh based health network operated by physicians, hospitals, health departments, and departments of social services, to offer Meducation® technology to support North Carolina residents who are considered low-health literate.

11 Mar 2011