Health & WellnessS


People

Being born bottom first is inherited

A baby is twice as likely to be born bottom first if either or both the parents were themselves breech deliveries, according to a study published ahead of print on bmj.com. The results suggest genes are a contributing factor.

The vast majority of babies are delivered head first. Fewer than one in twenty are delivered the other way round - what is known as a breech delivery. Such deliveries carry significantly greater risks for the baby: they are more likely to die or suffer from health problems.

Factors such as premature delivery and low birth weight are also known risk factors associated with a breech delivery but these only account for up to one in seven of all such breech births. Until now knowledge of whether genes could also be a factor has been lacking.

People

Cooperative classrooms lead to better friendships, higher achievement in young adolescents

Students competing for resources in the classroom while discounting each others' success are less likely to earn top grades than students who work together toward goals and share their success, according to an analysis of 80 years of research.

Competitive environments can disrupt children's ability to form social relationships, which in turn may hurt their academic potential, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Cary J. Roseth, PhD, David W. Johnson, PhD, and Roger T. Johnson, PhD, reviewed the last eight decades of research on how social relationships affect individual behavior and achievement. Their findings are published in the current issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.

The researchers examined 148 studies that compared the effects of cooperative, competitive and individualistic goals on early achievement and peer relationships among 12- to 15-year-olds. The studies included more than 17,000 adolescents from 11 countries and used four multinational samples. No one was excluded from the analysis because of gender, nationality, or academic or physical ability.

Health

UW study finds surprising genetic causes of schizophrenia

Errors in DNA don't seem to follow pattern

Health

Flashback Choosing feminism over therapy: One woman's account

We are sitting down for dinner at the Chinese Restaurant. Our family fits in with all the other white, well-dressed families. Judging by the pricey menu and the line of Mercedes and BMWs in the parking lot, the families here are wealthy. I make polite chit-chat and play my role as part of a "happy family." To the people at the next table everything appears to be quite pleasant. They don't know that my father is censoring our vocabulary and our conversation. They can't see the leash my father has on us or the reins he's pulling. They can't feel the eggshells under our feet. My stepmother abruptly but politely, quietly, leaves the restaurant, leaving a plate of untouched Peking duck on the table. Something -- it could have been anything -- must have just triggered my father's anger. I was in the washroom so I missed what was said. Having just returned to England to visit my family, I'm unsure as to what has been going on. But the pattern is familiar, and soon my survival techniques kick on. It's like a reflex, like I'm on "auto-pilot" now. I bite my lip, keep my head down, listen to his ranting, do as I am told. The rest of the family synchronizes their behavior to protect each other.

Health

Over 220 poisoned by chlorine at Russian aquapark

A total of 224 people, including 181 children, have sought medical treatment for chlorine poisoning after visiting an aquapark in St. Petersburg, the city's health service said on Friday.

A total of 48 people, including 34 children, have so far been hospitalized. The youngest of the victims is nine months old.

Visitors to the Waterville aquapark in Russia's second-largest city started experiencing health problems, including skin complaints, on Wednesday evening. It is believed that the swimming pools had been over-chlorinated.

Health

US, Minnesota: Chlorine poisoning 'a mystery'

Investigators have been unable to determine what caused an apparent chlorine leak that sickened about 40 students at a Minnesota high school.

Don Adams, Sterans County director of environmental services, said two independent tests Thursday found no fault in chlorination equipment in the swimming pool at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Water samples both Wednesday and Thursday showed no excessive chlorine in the pool.

Question

Are teenage brains really different?

Many parents are convinced that the brains of their teenage offspring are different than those of children and adults. New data confirms that this is the case. An article by Jay N. Giedd, MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health describes how brain changes in the adolescent brain impact cognition, emotion and behavior.

Smiley

Preschool kids do better when they talk to themselves, research shows

Parents should not worry when their pre-schoolers talk to themselves; in fact, they should encourage it, says Adam Winsler, an associate professor of psychology at George Mason University. His recent study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly showed that 5-year-olds do better on motor tasks when they talk to themselves out loud (either spontaneously or when told to do so by an adult) than when they are silent.

X

The bullying epidemic

I find it interesting that the NY Times published this article about bullying at school and then published this one about workplace bullies. I thought that this meant that the Times was doing a series, but unfortunately, they're not. Which is too bad, because I think bullying is an interesting area to explore. It's like there's two worlds in America - the officially recognized one where people are kind and polite, and the one lurking right underneath where bullying happens.

Stop

A Boy the Bullies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly



billy wolfe
©Angel Franco/The New York Times
Billy Wolfe, a target of bullies for years, at the school bus stop near his home in Fayetteville, Ark.

All lank and bone, the boy stands at the corner with his younger sister, waiting for the yellow bus that takes them to their respective schools. He is Billy Wolfe, high school sophomore, struggling.

Moments earlier he left the sanctuary that is his home, passing those framed photographs of himself as a carefree child, back when he was 5. And now he is at the bus stop, wearing a baseball cap, vulnerable at 15.