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.

Gesturing while you talk linked to better speaking

Can't find the right word? You might want to start moving your hands. New research at the University of Alberta suggests that gesturing while you talk may improve your access to language.

9 May 2005

African Americans and Caucasians viewing African American faces display extremely similar changes in the activity of brain structures that respond to emotional events

The changes occur in the amygdala, a region of the brain that serves as an "alarm" to activate a cascade of other biological systems to protect the body in times of danger, said Matthew D. Lieberman, assistant professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study.

9 May 2005

American women focus on their own health more

According to "Women Talk," the first annual national women's health survey from the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), being healthy to women means both physical and emotional wellness and having a healthy family and suggests that women place a greater priority on the health of their family than their own personal health.

8 May 2005

Researchers develop promising new gene network analysis method

Compared with a long-used linear model, a correlation-based statistical method is a more reliable way to map complex gene interactions and pinpoint genes that may be potential cancer treatment targets, according to new Brown University research.

8 May 2005

Experts warn that osteoporosis is not a healthcare priority for patients or physicians

A panel of medical experts, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) gathered today on Capitol Hill to examine the barriers that currently exist to proper prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, a disease that affects up to 44 million Americans.

5 May 2005

National survey reveals critical barriers to improving women's health

For American women, being healthy is far more than getting a good checkup or being disease-free. According to "Women Talk," the first annual national women's health survey from the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), being healthy means both physical and emotional wellness and having a healthy family.

4 May 2005

Toronto hospitals implement new ethics strategy

Health care ethics gained the limelight during the recent battle over Terry Schiavo's fate, but ethical decision-making is already a growing part of the corporate culture at a number of Toronto hospitals, thanks to a "hub and spokes" strategy pioneered by the University of Toronto's Joint Centre for Bioethics.

2 May 2005

Specific behaviors seen in infants can predict autism, new research shows

Canadian researchers have become the first to pinpoint specific behavioral signs in infants as young as 12 months that can predict, with remarkable accuracy, whether a child will develop autism.

1 May 2005

Prenatal exposure to cocaine effects problem-solving later in life

Children exposed to cocaine before birth show subtle but discernible differences in their ability to plan and problem-solve once they reach school age, University of Florida researchers report.

1 May 2005

Discrimination leads to coronary artery calcification in African-American women

The more discrimination African-American women report, the more likely they are to have coronary artery calcification, a buildup of calcium in the vessels that is associated with atherosclerosis, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

1 May 2005

EU Commission provides further 1.5 million Euro to help tackle Marburg outbreak in Angola

The European Commission has approved a second emergency decision in response to the Marburg epidemic in northern Angola. The outbreak of this rare viral haemorrhagic fever has by now become the worst ever recorded of the disease. It is also the first time that cases have been diagnosed in an urban environment.

25 Apr 2005

Good communication skills can improve academic achievement, self-esteem, social adjustment

The most anticipated moment for many parents is the sound of a child’s first word. But what if the words are delayed, jumbled or never come at all?

23 Apr 2005

First study of mercury and cognitive function in urban, U.S. adults

Although the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are well known for their health benefits, many fish are also the primary source of mercury in the general population.

20 Apr 2005

What makes children laugh?

Children say the funniest things, but what makes them laugh? Do German and Israeli kids share the same sense of humour - or is the Simpsons the universal language of laughter?

20 Apr 2005

Protein studies may lead to new Alzheimer's test

A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, published by IOS Press, entitled "Quantitative proteomics of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer disease," may lead to a new test for diagnosing the devastating illness. About 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, characterized by memory loss and an inability to use language.

19 Apr 2005

Long term outcomes for children who undergo ear tube placement surgery

Infants and young children who undergo surgery to insert ventilation tubes in their ears as a treatment for ear infections have hearing levels comparable to normal children 14 years later, although children with more serious disease may require repeat procedures or other ear surgery, according to two studies in the April issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Apr 2005

Promise of effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost

Parents of autistic children can spend as much as $50,000 a year on therapies for their children. But a new research study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences shows promise of providing effective treatment for autism and other developmental disorders at a far lower cost.

12 Apr 2005

Consent forms should be more readable

When children are part of a clinical trial, their parents must sign a document agreeing to the treatment and procedures used in the study. But what if they don't understand what they're being asked to sign?

12 Apr 2005

NIH accused of sexual intimidation and safety violations

National Institute of Health (NIH) medical officer Betsy Smith has testified in a recent civil case that women at the NIH have faced sexual intimidation and repeated disregard of their concerns for the welfare of patients in AIDS experiments.

11 Apr 2005

A baby's understanding of language may begin with its own name

A baby's understanding of language may begin with its own name, which a baby uses to break sentences into smaller parts so it can learn other words, according to new research by Texas A&M University psychologist Heather Bortfeld, who studies language development in infants and children.

11 Apr 2005