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.

SAHA and LAN partner to provide video language interpretation services

The Southern Atlantic Hospital Alliance announced the selection of the Language Access Network as its exclusive partner to provide video language interpretation services.

7 May 2011

Researchers use virtual computer model to understand schizophrenic brains

Computer networks that can't forget fast enough can show symptoms of a kind of virtual schizophrenia, giving researchers further clues to the inner workings of schizophrenic brains, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Yale University have found.

6 May 2011

Longer looks: States creating health compacts; IPAB under fire; is GOP redefining rape?

In late April, Colorado and Oklahoma became the latest states to vote on whether to join an interstate agreement with like-minded legislatures to put health care decisions more firmly into the hands of state governments.

6 May 2011

St. Vincent RNs sign agreement with management to withdraw strike for patient safety

After a 6 -hour negotiating session, the registered nurses of the St. Vincent Hospital have reached a tentative agreement with management tonight, averting a strike that was set to begin on Friday May 6.

5 May 2011

Submandibular gland transfer can help prevent dry mouth in cancer patients

For patients suffering from cancer in the mouth or throat, a recent study shows that a treatment called submandibular gland transfer will assist in preventing a radiation-induced condition called xerostomia.

5 May 2011

Patients with LEP less likely to receive home health care referral

Among children whose parents and other primary caregivers have limited English proficiency, there is an associated increased length of hospital stay and decreased number of home health care referrals for pediatric inpatients with infections requiring long-term antibiotics, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 May 2011

New study: Text-heavy labels can reduce acetaminophen overdose

While well known for relieving everyday aches and pains, few realize that when misused, acetaminophen can lead to acute liver failure and even death, often due to accidental overdose by an uninformed consumer. A new small study looked at what's missing in consumer education about acetaminophen and how to overcome those gaps.

3 May 2011

State roundup: Assisted living hazards in Fla.; Ariz.'s Medicaid limits

Despite some efforts to ease the blow to pediatric health care providers, Texas' proposed budget cuts will most likely have a disproportionate effect on children's hospitals.

3 May 2011

NCI survey: Most people do not know much about clinical trials

Most people don't know much about clinical trials, according to surveys across all races and groups. Yet many members of the Hispanic community fear and distrust doctors, hospitals, and medical research. Part of this distrust may have come from the legacy of enforced sterilizations that Latinas experienced before World War II in Puerto Rico.

2 May 2011

Premature infants who screen positive for ASD at 18 months may not have autism

Extremely premature infants who screen positive for autism spectrum disorder at 18 months of age may not actually have autism. Rather, they may fail screening tests due to an unrelated cognitive or language delay, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

2 May 2011

Positive health messages can help African-Americans to quit smoking

While African-American smokers are less likely to receive quitting advice from their doctors or use quit aids, media campaigns that offer positive encouragement can have an impact on getting them to quit, finds a new study.

30 Apr 2011

Research roundup: Saving lives through health literacy

Health Literacy And Outcomes Among Patients With Heart Failure -- This study examines the correlation between health literacy, or the ability to understand basic health information, and the mortality rate among patients with heart failure, which is a condition that "requires self-management and frequent interactions with the health care system."

30 Apr 2011

IMPAKT 2011 conference to highlight new breast cancer studies

"The presentations at this year's IMPAKT reveal the innovative and diverse approaches that investigators are taking to identify the most encouraging new agents both before clinical evaluation and in early clinical studies. These range from ideas for novel clinical designs to the development of more sensitive and specific biomarkers and to data sharing that allows a more objective assessment of compounds prior to commitment of major clinical resources."

30 Apr 2011

Monkeys can recall and reproduce simple shapes from memory

A new study shows for the first time that monkeys can recall and reproduce simple shapes from memory. Identifying this recall ability is critical to our understanding of the evolution of memory and other cognitive abilities, and it could be applied to better diagnosing and treating memory impairments in humans.

29 Apr 2011

5 minute Autism detection test

According to a study published Thursday, a brief screening in a pediatrician's office can detect autism-like symptoms in children as young as 12 months old, giving them an important head start on treatment. The screening test used in the study also flagged some babies who later turned out to be developing normally, raising a false alarm for families. But early diagnosis and treatment of autism and other developmental delays are thought to improve outcomes, and researchers said the benefits of early intervention outweighed the downsides.

29 Apr 2011

Health effects of Chernobyl nuclear crisis remain unknown 25 years after incident

Though it has been 25 years since a disastrous explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine sent radioactive material into the air, affecting Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the rest of the world, "experts are still debating the long-term health effects of the disaster," the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog reports.

28 Apr 2011

Five-minute screening program can help track children with autism

A five-minute checklist that parents can fill out in pediatrician waiting rooms may someday help in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

28 Apr 2011

Novel strategy for physicians to detect Autism Syndrome Disorder in babies

A novel strategy developed by autism researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, called "The One-Year Well-Baby Check Up Approach," shows promise as a simple way for physicians to detect cases of Autism Syndrome Disorder, language or developmental delays in babies at an early age.

28 Apr 2011

Botox injections: Reading and mimicking emotions hampered

In cosmetics, a Botox injection, consisting of a small dose of botulinum toxin, can be used to prevent formation of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles and can therefore make users appear less emotional. Now a new study finds that the cosmetic toxin may also make recipients less able to read the emotions of others.

26 Apr 2011

New research collaborations to explore music's role in human cognition

Distinguished neuroscientists and musicians from around the world will gather at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music June 13-17 to collaboratively explore music's role in human cognition and behavior and present the latest research findings from this emerging field of study.

26 Apr 2011