Parental Divorce Linked to Suicidal Thoughts

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on divorce and suicides among children.

In a paper published online in the journal Psychiatry Research, investigators examined gender specific differences among a sample of 6,647 adults, of whom 695 had experienced parental divorce before the age of 18. The study found that men from divorced families had more than three times the odds of suicidal ideation in comparison to men whose parents had not divorced. Adult daughters of divorce had 83 per cent higher odds of suicidal ideation than their female peers who had not experienced parental divorce.

When Video Games Get Problematic So Do Smoking, Drug Use and Aggression

ScienceDaily for January 19, 2011 reported on gaming by adolescents.

A new study on gaming and health in adolescents, conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, found some significant gender differences linked to gaming as well as important health risks associated with problematic gaming. Published November 15 in the journal Pediatrics, the study is among the first and largest to examine possible health links to gaming and problematic gaming in a community sample of adolescents.

Risks Associated With Second-Hand Smoke in Cars Carrying Children

ScienceDaily for January 14, 2011 reported on second-hand smoke in automobiles.

While trying to determine the risks involved, the authors first looked at the mixture of chemicals that make up second-hand smoke and its concentration in cars under different conditions such as volume, speed and ventilation. Second, they looked at how long a person would be in the car. Third, they observed how long a person would be exposed to the second-hand smoke. Fourth, the extent of difference between how second-hand smoke affects children compared to adults was added to the risk equation and finally, the authors looked at the health impact, which is hard to determine because of all the different chemicals and toxins a person is exposed to in their lifetime.

High Sugar Consumption May Increase Risk Factors for Heart Disease in American Teenagers

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on effects of high amounts of sugar in the diets of teenagers.

The American Heart Association recently recommended a specific upper limit for added sugars intake, based on the number of calories an individual needs throughout the day, according to their energy expenditure, sex and age. For example, an appropriate amount for an individual with an energy requirement of 1,800 calories per day (an average teenage girl ages 14-18 might be in this calorie range) would be no more than 100 calories from added sugars. An individual with a requirement of 2200 calories per day should eat or drink no more than 150 calories from added sugars.

Eating Vegetables Gives Skin a More Healthy Glow Than the Sun, Study Shows

ScienceDaily for January 12, 2011 reported on an effect on ones skin from eating vegetables.

Dr Stephen and his team in the Perception Lab found that people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin colour, thanks to substances called carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help soak up damaging compounds produced by the stresses and strains of everyday living, especially when the body is combating disease. Responsible for the red colouring in fruit and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes, carotenoids are important for our immune and reproductive systems.

Smoking Around Your Kindergartner Could Raise Their Blood Pressure

ScienceDaily for January 11, 2011 reported on second-hand smoke and young children.

"The prevention of adult diseases like stroke or heart attack begins during childhood," said Giacomo D. Simonetti, M.D., first author of the study at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and currently assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of the University of Berne in Switzerland. "Parental smoking is not only negative for children's lung function, but poses a risk for their future cardiovascular health."

Tomatoes Found to Contain Nutrient Which Prevents Vascular Diseases

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on tomatoes and vascular diseases.

The team led by Dr Teruo Kawada, from Kyoto University and supported by the Research and Development Program for New Bio-industry Initiatives, Japan, focused their research on extracts which tackle dyslipidemia, a condition which is caused by an abnormal amount of lipids, such as cholesterol or fat, in the blood stream.

High Dietary Fat, Cholesterol Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily for January 7, 2011 reported on cholesterol and breast cancer.

The study, published in the January issue of The American Journal of Pathology, examines the role of fat and cholesterol in breast cancer development using a mouse model. The results show that mice fed a Western diet and predisposed to develop mammary tumors, can develop larger tumors that are faster growing and metastasize more easily, compared to animals eating a control diet.

Exercise May Lower Risk of Death for Men With Prostate Cancer

ScienceDaily for January 6, 2011 reported on exercise and Prostate cancer.

The results showed that both non-vigorous and vigorous activity were beneficial for overall survival. Compared with men who walked less than 90 minutes per week at an easy pace, those who walked 90 or more minutes per week at a normal to very brisk pace had a 46% lower risk of dying from any cause.

Evolution in Action: Lizard Moving From Eggs to Live Birth

National Geographic Daily News for September 1, 2010 reported on evolution in Australian lizzards.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales (map), the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state's higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

Vitamin D Deficiencies May Impact Onset of Autoimmune Lung Disease

ScienceDaily for January 5, 2011 reported on vitamin D and lung disease.

Researchers evaluated 118 patients from the UC ILD Center database -- 67 with connective tissue disease-related ILD and 51 with other causes of lung fibrosis -- for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, which indicate levels of vitamin D in the body. Then, they evaluated associations between these serum levels and the patients' conditions.

Resiliency on the Battlefield: Soldiers With a Positive Outlook Less Likely to Suffer Anxiety, Depression

ScienceDaily for January 5. 2011 reported on anxiety and depression in combat soldiers.

The study, which surveyed Army troops fighting in Iraq, could have implications for police officers, firefighters and others who regularly deal with traumatic events such as death. Training these first-responders to think in less catastrophic terms could help them better cope with distressing events and function more effectively in the long term, said MSU's John Schaubroeck, lead researcher on the project.

Walking Slows Progression of Alzheimer's, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for January 2, 2011 reported on the effect of walking on people who have Alzheimer's.

"We found that walking five miles per week protects the brain structure over 10 years in people with Alzheimer's and MCI, especially in areas of the brain's key memory and learning centers," said Cyrus Raji, Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. "We also found that these people had a slower decline in memory loss over five years."

Bonding With Newborn Baby: Once Upon a Time in the Intensive Care Unit ...

ScienceDaily for December 28, 2010 reported on bonding of newborns and their parents.

The first few days after birth is an important time when babies learn to recognize the sound of their parents' voice and the parents in turn bond with their children. However, the separation between parents and newborns admitted to the intensive care unit can be very difficult and can disrupt the early development of this relationship.

Newborns With Low Vitamin D Levels at Increased Risk for Respiratory Infections

ScienceDaily for December 28, 2010 reported on vitamin D levels in newborns.

The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D deficiency contributes to risk of infections.

You Are What Your Father Ate, Too: Paternal Diet Affects Lipid Metabolizing Genes in Offspring, Research Suggests

ScienceDaily for December 24, 2010 reported on how the diet of fathers affects the offspring.

We aren't just what we eat; we are what our parents ate too. That's an emerging idea that is bolstered by a new study showing that mice sired by fathers fed on a low-protein diet show distinct and reproducible changes in the activity of key metabolic genes in their livers. Those changes occurred despite the fact that the fathers never saw their offspring and spent minimal time with their mothers, the researchers say, suggesting that the nutritional information is passed on to the next generation via the sperm not through some sort of social influence.

A LiveScience article is here.

Placebos Work -- Even Without Deception

ScienceDaily for December 23, 2010 reported on placebos.

Placebos -- or dummy pills -- are typically used in clinical trials as controls for potential new medications. Even though they contain no active ingredients, patients often respond to them. In fact, data on placebos is so compelling that many American physicians (one study estimates 50 percent) secretly give placebos to unsuspecting patients.

Component in Common Dairy Foods May Cut Diabetes Risk, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for December 23, 2010 reported on dairy foods and diabetes.

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and collaborators from other institutions have identified a natural substance in dairy fat that may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. It is not produced by the body and so only comes from the diet.

Eating Less Healthy Fish May Contribute to America's Stroke Belt

ScienceDaily for December 23, 2010 reported on fish and strokes.

Studies have shown that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, especially fatty fish, may reduce the risk of stroke. Research has shown that frying fish leads to the loss of the natural fatty acids.

'Un-Growth Hormone' Increases Longevity, Researchers Find

ScienceDaily for December 23, 2010 reported on hormones and aging.

A compound which acts in the opposite way as growth hormone can reverse some of the signs of aging, a research team that includes a Saint Louis University physician has shown. The finding may be counter-intuitive to some older adults who take growth hormone, thinking it will help revitalize them.