BBCThu, 27 Sep 2007 10:53 UTC
Obesity levels in Scotland are the second highest in the developed world behind the USA, new statistics have revealed.
The figures were published as the Scottish Government announced plans to remove sweets and fizzy drinks from schools.
Under new rules, the amount of chips served in school meals will also be cut and more fruit and vegetables provided.
Children's Minister Adam Ingram said he wanted to change young people's habits.
The figures , released by ISD Scotland, the statistical wing of the NHS, said the "obesity epidemic" in Scotland must be addressed and outlines the extent of the "major public health problem".
David Rose
The TimesThu, 27 Sep 2007 10:49 UTC
Reaching for the paracetamol alongside your morning coffee may be bad for your health, researchers say.
A study indicated that a combination of large quantities of the pain-killer and caffeine appeared to increase the risk of liver damage. Scientists found that caffeine tripled the amount of a toxic by-product created when paracetamol was broken down.
However, the University of Washington team so far has plied only bacteria and rats with large doses. British scientists emphasised that far more research would be needed to prove any danger to humans.
A pair of Beckman Institute researchers has discovered that by directing the eye movements of test subjects they were able to affect the participants' ability to solve a problem, demonstrating that eye movement is not just a function of cognition but can actually affect our cognitive processes.
Previous research (Grant and Spivey, 2003) has shown a relationship between eye movements and problem-solving but Psychology Professor Alejandro Lleras, a member of the Human Perception and Performance group, and Ph.D. candidate Laura Thomas have taken that work in a groundbreaking direction.
They report in the current (Aug., 2007) issue of Psychonomic Bulletin and Review that by occasionally guiding the eye movements of participants with a tracking task unrelated to the problem, they were able to "substantially affect their chances of problem-solving success" to the point where those groups outperformed every control group at solving the problem. These results, they conclude, demonstrate that "it is now clear that not only do eye movements reflect what we are thinking, they can also influence how we think."
The film and television series "M*A*S*H*" featured the song "Suicide is Painless," but new research refutes that idea and indicates that being victimized because of sexual orientation is a chief risk factor for suicidal behavior among gay, lesbian and bisexual college students.
The study is the first to explore the link between victimization and suicidal behavior among college students. In the course of the study, University of Washington researcher Heather Murphy also uncovered a group of students who previously had not been studied and are at increased risk for suicidal behavior. These students identified themselves as heterosexual, but also reported being attracted to people of the same sex or engaging in same-sex behavior.
Dan Olmsted
UPISun, 30 Oct 2005 09:51 UTC
A specter is haunting the medical and journalism establishments of the United States: Where are the unvaccinated people with autism?
That is just about the only way to explain what now appears to be a collective resistance to considering that question. And like all unanswered questions, this raises another one: Why?
For the first year of his life, Yates Hazelhurst was a normal boy.
But then his parents took him to the doctor's office for a series of routine vaccinations, and shortly thereafter Yates began changing into something else altogether.
First, Angela Hazelhurst noticed that her son was growing oddly detached from her. Soon the boy began acting strangely - uncontrolled and wild. Then his speech regressed; his small vocabulary receding. He began flapping his hands and grew fascinated with spinning wheels.
The symptoms were unmistakable. Yates Hazelhurst was autistic.
A slightly greater number of males than females are born worldwide every year. In recent decades, although there are still more baby boys born than girls, there has been an apparent decline in the ratio of male to female newborns in several industrialized countries, including Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan and the United States. That has led researchers to ask: Are there any factors that can influence the probability of giving birth to a baby boy or girl? A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, found that mothers who experienced an increase in weight from the beginning of the first pregnancy to the beginning of the second pregnancy may be slightly more likely to give birth to a baby boy during their second pregnancy. The study appears online September 24, 2007 in the journal Fertility & Sterility.
Actress Jenny McCarthy set off a buzz throughout the Internet when she claimed the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine triggered her son's autism.
Following her appearance last week on "Oprah," where she was discussing her new book outlining her son's struggle with autism, many blogs picked up the story and parents began coming forward to back up McCarthy's claim about the MMR vaccine.
UPITue, 25 Sep 2007 16:29 UTC
Music training may be more important for enhancing verbal communication skills than phonics, a U.S. study found.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., say musicians use all of their senses to practice and perform a musical piece. The brain's alteration from the multi-sensory process of music training enhances the same communication skills needed for speaking and reading, explains researcher Nina Kraus.
John-Henry Westen
LifesiteWed, 26 Sep 2007 16:18 UTC
As Canada, in large part due to aggressive behind the scenes lobbying, rolls out the not-comprehensively-tested Merck HPV vaccine for girls as young as nine, a look at developments on the vaccine south of the border should cause Canadians serious concern. In the United States a similar lobby campaign by the same company launched the mass HPV vaccination of girls beginning in June last year.
