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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.

Unique resource for families facing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

When she was forty-two, Joi Morris learned that she has a genetic mutation on a gene known as BRCA2. This meant that her risk of getting breast cancer could be as high as 84 percent by age seventy, and that her risk for ovarian cancer was also high.

23 Feb 2010

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

While the majority of children who were affected by consuming toxic melamine-contaminated products in China recovered, kidney abnormalities remained in 12% of the affected children.

23 Feb 2010

Early Cochlear implantation removes word-learning skill defects in deaf children

Learning words may be facilitated by early exposure to auditory input, according to research presented by the Indiana University School of Medicine at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in San Diego, Feb. 18-22.

22 Feb 2010

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

At an 11 a.m. press briefing, Saturday, Feb. 20, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist will argue that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education.

22 Feb 2010

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

Anyone who grew up in a large family likely remembers hearing "Don't wake the baby." While it reinforces the message to older kids to keep it down, research shows that sleep also is an important part of how infants learn more about their new world.

22 Feb 2010

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Health Affairs: Chronic Conditions Account For Rise In Medicare Spending From 1987 To 2006 - "Medicare beneficiaries' medical needs, and where beneficiaries undergo treatment, have changed dramatically over the past two decades." For example, the authors write, "heart disease ranked first among the top-ten conditions in terms of attributable share of growth from 1987 to 1997, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the increase in Medicare spending."

20 Feb 2010

Obama plans to offer own health bill before summit as parties stake claims

President Obama will offer "comprehensive" health reform legislation in advance of next week's planned summit with Republicans, The New York Times reports. "Democratic officials said the president's proposal was being written so that it could be attached to a budget bill as a way of averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The procedure, known as budget reconciliation, would let Democrats advance the bill with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority."

20 Feb 2010

University of California researchers awarded AAN's 2010 Potamkin Prize

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is awarding its 2010 Potamkin Prize to two researchers for their work in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), a common type of dementia. Bruce L. Miller, MD, and Lennart Mucke, MD, both of the University of California San Francisco will receive the Award during the AAN's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world's largest gathering of neurologists with more than 2,000 presentations made on the latest advances in neurologic research.

19 Feb 2010

Two UCSF scientists selected for Potamkin Prize for their achievements in research on dementias

Two UCSF scientists have been selected for the American Academy of Neurology's prestigious Potamkin Prize, for their "outstanding achievements" in research on dementias.

19 Feb 2010

Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients seeking treatment at OIP to receive interpreters for effective communication

Patients who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who seek treatment at the Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania, will receive qualified interpreters when needed for effective communication as required by federal law under a Settlement Agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Feb 2010

COBRA expansion, Medicare payments to doctors 'fix' looming over Congress

Lawmakers seek ways to expand COBRA and address the Medicare doctor payment "fix."

17 Feb 2010

Researchers find food safety violations in independently owned ethnic restaurants in Kansas

In a study of independently owned restaurants in 14 Kansas counties, Kansas State University researchers found a significantly higher number of food safety violations in ethnic restaurants than in nonethnic restaurants. The next step for their research is to understand the reasons for these differences and to work alongside restaurant operators to remedy the problems.

17 Feb 2010

Infants born to bilingual mothers exhibit different language preferences

It may not be obvious, but hearing two languages regularly during pregnancy puts infants on the road to bilingualism by birth. According to new findings in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, infants born to bilingual mothers (who spoke both languages regularly during pregnancy) exhibit different language preferences than infants born to mothers speaking only one language.

17 Feb 2010

Plagiocephaly babies need to be screened and monitored early in life for possible cognitive, motor delays

In a new study, infants averaging six months of age who exhibited positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) had lower scores than typical infants in observational tests used to evaluate cognitive and motor development. Positional or deformational plagiocephaly may occur when external forces shape an infant's skull while it is still soft and malleable, such as extended time spent lying on a hard surface or in one position. This is the first controlled study to suggest that babies who have flattened areas on the back of their heads during the first year of life may be at risk for developmental delay.

15 Feb 2010

Administration rejects Anthem Blue Cross' defense of premium hike

WellPoint Inc., the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California, is defending its rate hike for customers with individual health insurance, but critics, including the Obama administration, are dubious.

15 Feb 2010

Spanish-language media campaign increases number of QuitLine callers

It pays to advertise. It especially pays to advertise in Spanish if you want Spanish speakers to use a telephone helpline to quit smoking.

12 Feb 2010

Today's opinions and editorials: A litigation explosion, Anthem Blue Cross and starting fresh

What would a fresh start look like? It would begin with a new bill. Amending the 2,000 pages in either the Senate or House bill would prove to be impossible. They were born of an unseemly process and based on a premise already rejected by the American people. Language from the existing bills, in areas of agreement, could obviously be used to expedite drafting (Michael O. Leavitt, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

Gregg ready for 'dialogue' on health reform, Pelosi ready for reconciliation fight

Politico: "Is [Sen.] Judd Gregg [R- N.H.] a tease or a real potential partner for President Barack Obama in trying to salvage some health care reform in this Congress? ... [T]he New Hampshire conservative brings both a proven ability to swing Republican votes and a background in health care and deficit issues. In a letter to Obama released late Tuesday, Gregg welcomed the [Feb. 25] meeting as a chance for 'constructive dialogue'" and he told Politico he is "open to specific deficit-reduction and cost-containment steps that could be taken to win Republicans' support for health reform," though he has rejected the president's proposals.

12 Feb 2010

Critical phases of brain development may be mistimed in autistic patients, says study

Research into Fragile X Syndrome - a genetic condition that is the leading known cause of autism - has discovered that critical phases in the brain's development may be mistimed in people with the condition.

11 Feb 2010

Healthcare for detained immigrants: Language barriers, costs, and government and institutional perceptions

Over 300,000 immigrants a year are detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. These immigrants are held at facilities run by, or under contract with, USICE. In recent years, studies by community-based organizations, the government, and the media have identified systemic deficiencies in the provision of healthcare to immigrant detainees and have described incidents of inadequate medical treatment, suffering and, in some cases, death.

11 Feb 2010

Language News and Research

Further Reading

Unique resource for families facing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Melamine-contaminated dairy products leave 12% children with kidney abnormalities

Early Cochlear implantation removes word-learning skill defects in deaf children

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

Research Roundup: Financing boomers' care; California's budget cuts; Racial disparities in surgical outcomes

Obama plans to offer own health bill before summit as parties stake claims

University of California researchers awarded AAN's 2010 Potamkin Prize

Two UCSF scientists selected for Potamkin Prize for their achievements in research on dementias

Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients seeking treatment at OIP to receive interpreters for effective communication

COBRA expansion, Medicare payments to doctors 'fix' looming over Congress

Researchers find food safety violations in independently owned ethnic restaurants in Kansas

Infants born to bilingual mothers exhibit different language preferences

Plagiocephaly babies need to be screened and monitored early in life for possible cognitive, motor delays

Administration rejects Anthem Blue Cross' defense of premium hike

Spanish-language media campaign increases number of QuitLine callers

Today's opinions and editorials: A litigation explosion, Anthem Blue Cross and starting fresh

Gregg ready for 'dialogue' on health reform, Pelosi ready for reconciliation fight

Critical phases of brain development may be mistimed in autistic patients, says study

Healthcare for detained immigrants: Language barriers, costs, and government and institutional perceptions

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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