A recent study of 27 European countries points to the children of the United Kingdom (UK) leading the way in the obesity crisis that is sweeping the industrialized world in recent years. Almost one-third of all British children weigh more than they should.
Doctors from all across Europe report seeing a dramatic rise in obesity-related illnesses among children, including type 2 diabetes, a disease which has historically stricken overweight, middle-aged adults, and the need for children to sleep with masks to prevent suffocation caused by excessive weight blocking the airways. Doctors say measures as drastic as stomach surgery, including gastric banding, is becoming more common as children are thus treated as a means of last resort.
Daisuke Wakabayashi
ReutersThu, 22 May 2008 10:54 UTC
A Greenpeace report has called video game consoles a "toxic menace", saying they contain chemicals that could affect memory and sexual development.
The USDA Is Eliminating a Program That Many Groups Rely on to Track Pesticide Use and Safety - but Why?
In investigating the intricacies of the body's biological rhythms, scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have discovered the existence of a "food-related clock" which can supersede the "light-based" master clock that serves as the body's primary timekeeper.
The findings, which appear in the May 23 issue of the journal Science, help explain how animals adapt their circadian rhythms in order to avoid starvation, and suggest that by adjusting eating schedules, humans too can better cope with changes in time zones and nighttime schedules that leave them feeling groggy and jet-lagged.
"For a small mammal, finding food on a daily basis is a critical mission," explains the study's senior author Clifford Saper, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at BIDMC and James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. "Even a few days of starvation is a common threat in natural environments and may result in the animal's death."
BBCSun, 25 May 2008 10:57 UTC
Even very premature babies benefit from skin to skin contact with their parents, research suggests.
A Canadian study found that cuddling babies born as early as 28 weeks reduced the stress of painful medical procedures which many must undergo.
Gadi Schwartz
KOB-TVTue, 20 May 2008 10:41 UTC
A group in Santa Fe says the city is discriminating against them because they say that they're allergic to the wireless Internet signal. And now they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings.
Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones.
"I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said.
Firstenberg and dozens of other electro-sensitive people in Santa Fe claim that putting up Wi-Fi in public places is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Even though stevia has not been authorized as a food ingredient in the United States, a number of food, beverage and ingredient companies are investing significant money to expand production for what they view as its inevitable approval.
Studies reveal that in the dog-eat-dog, look-out-for-No. 1, highly competitive business world, only the aggressive, risk-taking alpha male can expect to succeed as an entrepreneur. That statement may sound sexist, but it represents a commonly held gender stereotype. A team led by a University of Missouri researcher found that these stereotypes influence whether or not men and women decide to pursue entrepreneurship as a viable career option.
"Perception may limit both men and women in the decision to become entrepreneurs," said Daniel Turban, professor and chair of the Department of Management in the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business. "One sex is not inherently more qualified than the other; unfortunately, the underlying societal stereotypes associating entrepreneurship with masculine characteristics may influence people's intentions to pursue entrepreneurial careers. An interesting result of our study is that both men and women reported similar intentions when entrepreneurship was presented as gender neutral. This suggests that common gender stereotypes can be nullified."
University of Alberta Educational Psychology PhD student Lindsey Leenaars has completed a study that assessed what types of high school students are being indirectly victimized. This includes being involved in emotionally damaging scenarios such as receiving hurtful anonymous notes, being socially excluded, or having rumours spread about them, including threats of physical harm.
Leenaars analyzed data that was collected in Ontario in 2003. More than 2,300 students aged 12 - 18 filled out an anonymous questionnaire asking them questions, including how they rate their attractiveness, their sexual activity, their friendships and school social problems.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries are well known for their cholesterol busting properties, but scientists in India say that its leaves are also rich in anti-oxidants and may help ward off liver disease, according to new research due to be published in the Society of Chemical Industry's (SCI) Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Indigineous to the mountainous regions of China and Russia, sea buckthorn has been shown to be rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids and essential fatty acids. The leaves are also used to make a tea.
In a clinically controlled study, scientists looked at whether the leaves had any protective effects by testing a group of rats, some of whom were given the leaf extract before being administered with a liver damage agent, carbon tetrachloride (CCI4).
