AScribe Health News Service articles from December 2005

AScribe Health News Service archives from December 2005

Dental Hygienists Supported in National Effort to Help Smokers Quit; Third-Year Grant Awarded From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
December 1, 2005... Byline: American Dental Hygienists' Association CHICAGO, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) announced today it will continue its Smoking Cessation Initiative (SCI) through the third installment...

Johns Hopkins Study Proves Cochlear Implants Prevent or Reverse Damage to Brain's Auditory Nerve System; Animal Study Advances Call for Early Implants in Children Born Deaf.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- New research at Johns Hopkins has clearly demonstrated the ability of cochlear implants in very young animals to forge normal nerve fibers that transmit...

Johns Hopkins Study Shows 30-Day Soft Contact Lenses Pose Very Small Risk of Vision Loss.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- A team of researchers led by the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute have determined that the corneal infection rate associated with the use of 30-day...

Jewelry-Making Program Empowers Participants, Reduces HIV Risk.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Bloomberg School of Public Health BALTIMORE, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a new way to address HIV and sexual risk taking among drug-using women...

Civic Ventures Announces National Initiative to Invest in Social Entrepreneurs Who Lead With Experience; Five Over 60 Will Win New $100,000 Purpose Prize.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Fenton Communications West SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- Civic Ventures announced today that nominations are open for the Purpose Prize, five $100,000 investments in Americans over the age of 60 who are combining...

Johns Hopkins Study Suggests Link Between Caffeine Dependence and Family History of Alcoholism; 'Genetic Vulnerability' Likely in Excessive Caffeine Use.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- A study led by Johns Hopkins investigators has shown that women with a serious caffeine habit and a family history of alcohol abuse are more likely to ignore...

The Connection Between Spirituality and Psychology: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology's Spirituality Program, Conference Seek to Build a Community.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology WEST ROXBURY, Mass., Dec. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Mental health experts estimate that about 80 percent of patients bring up their spiritual life during therapy but only about 15...

Breast CT More Comfortable Than Mammography, May Detect Tumors Better, Research Shows; Findings Reported at Annual Meeting of Radiological Society of North America.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Univ. of California, Davis, Medical Center SACRAMENTO, Calif.. Dec. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- Breast CT, an investigational technology for early breast cancer detection, may be better than mammography at detecting breast lesions and...

New American Society of Clinical Oncology Report Details Top Advances in Clinical Cancer Research Over Past Year; Eleven Study Areas Identified as 'Major Advances' in Cancer Care.
December 2, 2005... Byline: American Society of Clinical Oncology NEW YORK, Dec. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today released "Clinical Cancer Advances 2005: Major Research Advances in Treatment, Prevention, and...

Children With Heart Defects Found to Benefit From Exercise; Exercise Restrictions May Be Unnecessary for Most Children.
December 4, 2005... Byline: Children's Hospital Boston BOSTON, Dec. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- A small but compelling pilot study indicates that many children with serious congenital heart disease, who are typically urged to restrict their activity, can improve...

Modified Atkins Diet Effectively Treats Childhood Seizures; Two-Thirds of Children Benefited.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- A modified version of a popular low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet is nearly as effective at controlling seizures as the highly restrictive ketogenic diet,...

Civic Ventures Adds Experience to National Team, Hires Exec From American Society on Aging, Wall Street Journal Reporter; Promotes Former Washington Post Columnist.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Fenton Communications West SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- Civic Ventures, a nonprofit think tank and incubator working to capture the historic opportunity for social renewal created by the aging of the baby boom, added...

Teen Suicide and Antidepressants: Harvard Psychiatrists Review Black Box Warning.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Cambridge Health Alliance CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- Imagine your teenager over several weeks has no energy, is unable to get out of bed, and there are family members who have suffered from debilitating...

Early Intervention Key to Hearing Development in Deaf Children.
December 5, 2005... Byline: University of Maryland, College Park COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new study from the University of Maryland's Child Development Laboratory and Stanford University shows that early intervention with cochlear...

Chemotherapy After Surgery Reduces Recurrence, Extends Survival for Patients With Advanced Endometrial Cancer.
December 5, 2005... Byline: American Society of Clinical Oncology ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new study has shown for the first time that giving two chemotherapy drugs to women with advanced endometrial cancer after surgery reduced the risk...

Mayo Clinic Tips for Holiday Air Travel With Infants and Toddlers.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- Nervous about how your holiday plane flights will go with your little one? Mayo Clinic pediatric sleep specialist Suresh Kotagal, M.D., offers some suggestions for making...

Purdue University Students Get Fresh Look at Aging.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Dec. 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- Young graduate students in Karen Fingerman's gerontology class got a new sense of what it means to grow old when they looked in the mirror and saw an older person...

Current Lewis & Clark Law Review Focuses on Medical Marijuana Use.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Lewis & Clark College PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- Comments and reactions continue to swirl in the aftermath of last summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision on medical marijuana use. Lewis & Clark Law School's...

Jean Fain, Hypnosis Expert and Therapist, Releases Hypnotic Weight-Loss CDs.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Cambridge Health Alliance CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- Jean Fain is publishing her tried-and-true weight-loss strategies on a series of audio CDs and the series launches with -- "Eat to Live & Lose Weight!" The...

University of Colorado at Boulder Study: Moderate Exercise May Delay Congestive Heart Failure.
December 8, 2005... Byline: University of Colorado, Boulder BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new University of Colorado at Boulder study involving laboratory rats that indicates low-intensity exercise may significantly delay the onset of...

To Reduce Childhood Obesity, Fast-Food Companies Should Offer Smaller Sizes of Soft Drinks, Duke Business Professors Say.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Duke University DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 8 (AScribe Newswire) -- This week's Institute of Medicine recommendation that companies advertise only healthy food choices to children takes a heavy-handed approach to stemming the nation's...

Recovering Anorectic Voices Concerns About Today's Treatments for Anorexia.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Lucy Daniels RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Following is a commentary by writer and clinical psychologist Lucy Daniels, Ph.D. - - - - As a victim of anorexia nervosa now in my 50th year of recovery, I have had...

Researchers Find Youth Involvement in Various Extracurricular Activities Has Social, Psychological, Academic Benefits; 'The More Activities the Better,' Says Connecticut College Researcher.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Connecticut College NEW LONDON, Conn., Dec. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- Forget what you've heard about over-scheduling and over-stressing your teen-agers. It just may be that those dance classes, soccer practices, piano lessons and...

New Research Initiative Aims to Promote Healthy Eating, Prevent Obesity Among Children; Healthy Eating Research Proposals Due by March 7.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today launched Healthy Eating Research, a new program to determine effective changes in policies and...

The Best Way to Cope With the Flu: Don't Get It!
December 12, 2005... Byline: Michigan State University EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- Tissues. Wastebaskets. Hand sanitizers. These are some of the best weapons you may have in your arsenal to help you avoid getting - and giving - the...

New Case Study on Defined Benefit Pension Plans Released by Rotman International Centre for Pension Management.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Rotman School of Management TORONTO, Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new case study on defined benefit pension plans from the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM) takes a timely and realistic look at the...

Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh to Demonstrate Technologies That Help the Elderly at Center for Aging Services Technologies Exhibition in Washington, D.C.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Carnegie Mellon University PITTSBURGH, Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- In conjunction with the once-in-a-decade White House Conference on Aging, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh researchers will demonstrate new...

Study to Evaluate Procedure for Women With Chronic Constipation; Clinical Trial Testing Minimally Invasive Procedure Seeks Study Participants.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Medical College of Ohio TOLEDO, Ohio, Dec. 12 (AScribe Newswire) -- We all chuckle at "bathroom humor" from time to time, but for those who suffer from long-standing - or chronic - constipation, it is no laughing matter - just ask...

Mayo Clinic Reports Some Chronic Leukemia Patients May Improve by Taking an Extract of Green Tea.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new case study by Mayo Clinic researchers provides preliminary evidence to suggest a component of green tea may lead to clinical improvement in patients with chronic...

Three Times as Many Women as Men Died in Last Year's Tsunami; Report Highlights Women's Vulnerability in Natural Disasters.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Global Fund for Women SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Global Fund for Women today released its new report, "Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women." Throughout the last year, a series of...

Disability Organizations to Announce Opposition to Judge Samuel Alito .
December 13, 2005... Byline: Communications Consortium WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- Disability organizations will announce their opposition to the nomination of Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito to replace the retiring...

Clemson University Computer Science Research Aids Computer Users With Color-Deficient Vision.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Clemson University CLEMSON, S.C., Dec. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- Ten million Americans, primarily men, suffer from some degree of color-deficient vision. Reading a computer screen can be difficult, if not impossible, because of the...

Gender Plays Role in Religious Sensitivity For Medical Students.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Indiana University School of Medicine INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Can sensitivity to the role religion plays in a patient's life positively affect physician bedside manner and care of the patient? Yes, for female...

See the Ball, Hit the Ball: Study Correlates Perceived Ball Size With Batting Average.
December 14, 2005... Byline: University of Virginia CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- Athletes often say that when they are playing well - shooting hoops, hitting baseballs, catching passes - the ball appears bigger. Likewise, they say that...

Study Shows That Visually Impaired People Prefer to Watch Television Enhanced With Special Processing; Results Are First Step in Developing New Home Device.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Schepens Eye Research Institute BOSTON, Mass., Dec. 14 (AScribe Newswire) -- A scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute (SERI) found that increasing the contrast of details of certain sizes was of special importance in making...

Breast Cancer Drugs May Slow Growth of Lung Cancer.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Howard Hughes Medical Institute CHEVY CHASE, Md., Dec. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- A few years ago researchers discovered that, much like breast tumors, some lung tumors also thrive on estrogen. Now a medical student conducting...

Mayo Clinic Reports Tamoxifen Benefit for Breast-Cancer Patients Tied to Inherited Gene.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- One of the most commonly administered drugs for breast cancer, tamoxifen, may not be as effective for women who inherit a common genetic change, according to researchers...

Mayo Clinic Co-sponsoring FDA Forum on Patient-Reported Outcomes.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn., Dec. 19 (AScribe Newswire) -- Mayo Clinic and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are co-sponsoring a unique symposium Feb. 23-25, 2006, in Chantilly, Va., to discuss and respond to draft FDA...

Popular Antidepressants Boost Brain Growth, Johns Hopkins Scientists Report; Discovery in Rodents May Explain Why Some Antidepressants Require Weeks of Use Before They Work.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 19 (AScribe Newswire) -- The beneficial effects of a widely used class of antidepressants might be the result of increased nerve-fiber growth in key parts of the brain, according to...

File Compression Can Expand Mammography's Power.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Dec. 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- When it comes to the information in a mammogram, Purdue scientists say less is more - and their findings could bring medical care to many far-flung communities....

One Year After the Tsunami: Progress Made in Rebuilding Indonesia's Health Care System; Johns Hopkins Affiliate JHPIEGO Re-Establishes Services to Women, Families in Aceh.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins University BALTIMORE, Dec. 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- On December 26, 2004, a pregnant woman clung to a mango tree as a tsunami devastated Aceh, Indonesia, and took the lives of her husband and four children along with...

Scientist Victoria Hale, Founder of First Nonprofit Pharmaceutical Company in U.S., Kicks Off University of Georgia's 'Global Diseases: Voices from the Vanguard' Lecture Series.
December 21, 2005... Byline: University of Georgia ATHENS, Ga., Dec. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- Victoria Hale, an award-winning scientist and entrepreneur who defied skeptics by launching the first successful non-profit pharmaceutical company, will be the...

Feeling the Holiday Blues? Then You Must Have Children; Sociological Study Finds Parenthood Does Not Make People Happier.
December 21, 2005... Byline: American Sociological Association WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- Parenthood is not associated with enhanced mental health, and, in fact, is more likely to be associated with symptoms of depression, according to recently...

Parrots' Behaviors Mirror Human Mental Disorders.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Dec. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- The bird doing loop-the-loops in the cage and pulling out its feathers is not just playing and preening. Stress may cause these activities and also may provide...

Monitoring the Future Survey Shows Continued Reductions in Drug Use; 8th Grader Statistics Reiterate Need for Prevention, Early Intervention.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 21 (AScribe Newswire) -- This year's Monitoring the Future survey showed a 19 percent decline of past month illicit drug use over the past four years from 2001 and 2005...

As New York Transit Negotiations Continue, Manhattan Psychiatrist Weighs In on Psychology of Strikes.
December 22, 2005... Byline: William A. White Institute NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- The following is an interview with Joerg Bose, M.D., psychoanalyst, psychiatrist and director of the William Alanson White Institute for Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry,...

A New Year, a New Resolve to Lose Weight: Experts Available to Comment on Metabolism, Supplements, Weight Control; Can Certain Supplements Prevent Weight Gain?
December 22, 2005... Byline: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center SEATTLE, Dec. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- After the holidays, when gym memberships surge and people's thoughts turn from eggnog to egg-white omelets, they also may turn to over-the-counter...

New Neurons Take Baby Steps in the Adult Brain.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions BALTIMORE, Dec. 22 (AScribe Newswire) -- In experiments with mice, scientists from Johns Hopkins' Institute for Cell Engineering have discovered the steps required to integrate new neurons into the...

Sickle Cell Disease Corrected In Human Models Using Stem Cell-Based Gene Therapy.
December 25, 2005... Byline: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center NEW YORK, Dec. 25 (AScribe Newswire) -- In a study to be published in the January 2006 issue of Nature Biotechnology, researchers led by a team of scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer...

Develop a Habit to Keep That New Year's Resolution to Exercise More.
December 27, 2005... Byline: National Jewish Medical and Research Center DENVER, Dec. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- Many people make New Year's resolutions to get more exercise but most quit after only a few workouts. However, if you can keep at it long enough to...