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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.

Researchers to create tool for diagnosing children with apraxia of speech

A new National Institutes of Health grant will enable Oregon Health & Science University researchers to create a tool for diagnosing children with apraxia of speech -- a neurologically based speech motor disorder.

27 Apr 2004

Researchers show that language “center” of brain shifts with age

Along with left- or right-handedness, the hemisphere of the brain where language capacity resides is likely predetermined. Researchers have now shown that with age, language capacity in the brain becomes more evenly distributed between hemispheres.

27 Apr 2004

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States and may have led to a doubling of its occurrence during the past 200 years, according to a study by hereditary deafness experts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

27 Apr 2004

Taiwan gives all clear to lab technicians from possible SARS infection

The Taiwan CDC reported a suspected SARS fever case on a return trip from Beijing was sent to hospital on the night of April 24, 2004.

25 Apr 2004

UK's NHS selects Health Language for IT healthcare solution

Health Language, Inc., (HLI) the world's leading supplier of medical vocabulary and concept-based technology, announced an agreement with the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom

20 Apr 2004

Cognitive Neuroscientists Reveal Creative Brain Processes

Think Isaac Newton getting hit on the head with an apple or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone. While these creative or “Aha!” moments often are associated with scientific discoveries and inventions, most people occasionally feel the thrill of insight when a solution that had eluded them suddenly becomes obvious.

20 Apr 2004

Researchers use MRI to capture the intricacies of speech

A team of University of Southern California researchers has brought cutting-edge imaging tools to the study of human speech, capturing the clearest moving images of the rapid vocal movements that turn sound to language.

20 Apr 2004

Study reveals brain function of poor readers can improve

A brain imaging study has shown that, after they overcome their reading disability, the brains of formerly poor readers begin to function like the brains of good readers, showing increased activity in a part of the brain that recognizes words.

19 Apr 2004

Three actors tested positive for HIV - Quarantine list update

The US pornographic film industry is in turmoil from a two-month production shutdown after three actors tested positive for HIV.

17 Apr 2004

How to beat throat cancer

Rochesterian Jim Toole is looking forward to a warm summer filled with hearty picnic barbecues after beating throat cancer.

16 Apr 2004

Free software helps capture the molecular signatures of cells

A new, free software package developed by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard makes it easier and faster for scientists to capture the molecular signatures of cells in a particular state--information that's crucial to disease diagnosis and prognosis.

14 Apr 2004

Autism Associations shows CDC and FDA to be negligent

National Autism Association announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some pharmaceutical companies have become a target for investigation.

14 Apr 2004

First Lady to help hispanic kids kick the habit

In an effort to educate and engage Hispanic parents in youth drug prevention, the nation's Drug Czar, John P. Walters, First Lady Columba Bush, and Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control Policy, Jim McDonough, today unveiled a new national Spanish-language advertising campaign.

14 Apr 2004

FDA makes moves to block foreign drug imports

The Food and Drug Administration today announced a new partnership with the Virginia Pharmacists Association to distribute consumer educational materials outlining the risks of purchasing medicines outside of FDA’s regulatory scope. Over the past month, FDA has co-sponsored agreements with state pharmacists associations in Illinois, California, Texas, Maryland, New York, and Nebraska, and the Agency anticipates that additional agreements will be signed in the weeks ahead.

13 Apr 2004

British Asian cancer patients are not being met because of a lack of consideration for cultural differences

The study, carried out in Leicester, looked at the information preferences of British Asian patients – the majority of which were first generation and spoke English as well as their native language. It found that over half of English-speaking Asian patients would prefer to discuss their cancer and read health leaflets in their mother tongue.

6 Apr 2004

Common cholinesterase inhibitor eases behavioral symptoms like agitation, depression, and psychosis in patients

The so-called "memory drugs" used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia also ease or prevent a barrage of troublesome behaviors that affect the majority of patients, ultimately lightening the burden on caregivers, researchers have found. They report their results in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

5 Apr 2004

Machine can switch off brain by transmitting harmless magnetic pulses

Professor Snyder's creativity machine was developed at the Centre for the Mind, a joint venture between The Australian National University and the University of Sydney. The machine transmits harmless magnetic pulses through the brain, temporarily switching part of it off, with the potential to reveal an inner genius

1 Apr 2004

Scientists find parallels between human speech and bird song which gives clues to human speech disorders.

The research by a team led by Stephanie White, UCLA assistant professor of physiological science, supports the theory that two genes shared by humans and songbirds, FoxP1 and FoxP2, may play a critical role in human speech, and speech disorders. The study is published March 31 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

30 Mar 2004

Discovery of new gene sheds light on human brain development

With the identification of the gene responsible for a newly recognized type of mental retardation, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have also discovered what appears to be the key target in the evolution of the frontal lobes of the brain's cerebral cortex. The findings offer a key insight into the complex puzzle of human brain development - and the evolution of human behavior.

25 Mar 2004

Study tracks behaviour changes in Alzheimer sufferers

Alzheimer’s sufferers are having their DNA measured and behaviour monitored to pinpoint who is most at risk from developing behaviour problems from dementia.

24 Mar 2004