Culture | Page 2756 | Science Codex

Psychological bullying hurts too, especially in private schools

A University of Illinois study suggests that classroom disruptions and psychologically hostile school environments can contribute to a climate in which good students have difficulty learning and students who are behind have trouble catching up.

"We need to get away from the idea that bullying is always physical. Bullying can also include verbal harassment, which can be just as damaging and detrimental to student learning," said Christy Lleras, a U of I assistant professor of human and community development.

The Cradle Of Civilization identified - for dogs (and date of origin too)

Previous studies in the field have indicated that East Asia is where the wolf was tamed and became the dog. It was not possible to be more precise than that. But now researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to zero in on man's best friend.

"For the first time in world history it is possible to provide a detailed picture of the dog, with its birthplace, point in time, and how many wolves were tamed," says Peter Savolainen, a biology researcher at KTH.

Doctors who accept responsibility are less likely to be sued

When reporting medical errors, patients' perceptions of their physicians' disclosure may be key to gaining their trust, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. However, a positive perception of the disclosure has little effect on the lawsuit risk a physician faces.

Doctors dislike internet diagnosing, feel undermined

Patients who ask their doctor about information they have read on the Internet, or webs that better inform them of their diagnosis, are no longer a rarity. A study undertaken by Spanish researchers reveals the advantages and disadvantages of online medical inquiries. Some 31% of doctors believe that the Internet complicates their relationship with patients and undermines their credibility.

Workplace bullying is associated with sleep disturbances

Westchester, Ill. —A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that current or past exposure to workplace bullying is associated with increased sleep disturbances. Associations also were found between observed bullying and sleep disruption, indicating that bullying has detrimental effects even when it is experienced indirectly.

Don't bother with the long lines of urgent care or the ER, retail medical clinics are equally effective

Retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other stores can provide care for routine illnesses at a lower cost and similar quality as offered in physician offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Patients look to friends and family when deciding about breast cancer surgery

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Children are not the only ones in the game when it comes to sports

Parents who sign their children up for sports as part of an educational experience and to learn about teamwork may be learning some of the same lessons themselves, according to new research from Purdue University.

"People often think about how youth sport benefits children because of physical activity, self-confidence and friendships, but we found that parents also are affected when their children play organized team sports," said Travis Dorsch, a doctoral student in health and kinesiology who led the study.

How important is convenience for patients in need of care?

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have recently documented a growing trend in the centralization of cancer surgery —— more patients seeking care at high volume centers, which are generally located in metropolitan areas. While trends like this should improve patient outcomes, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that there are still a good number of patients who will not travel a long distance to get their care.

Northeast US coastal ecosystems are undergoing drastic changes

Fish in U.S. waters from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border have moved away from their traditional, long-time habitats over the past four decades because of fundamental changes in the regional ecosystem, according to a new report by NOAA researchers.

The 2009 Ecosystem Status Report also points out the need to manage the waters off the northeastern coast of the United States as a whole rather than as a series of separate and unrelated components.

The effect of economic recessions on population health

Paradoxically, mortality rates during economic recessions in developed countries decline rather than increase, according to an analysis http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090553.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmja.ca. In poor countries with less than $5000 GDP per capita, economic growth appears to improve health by increasing access to food, clean water and shelter as well as basic health services.

Planned home birth with registered midwife as safe as hospital birth

The risk of infant death following planned home birth attended by a registered midwife does not differ from that of a planned hospital birth, found a study http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj081869.pdf published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

Should Canada's universal health care system fund in-vitro fertilization?

Canada should extend universal health coverage to fund in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, writes Dr. Renda Bouzayen, Division Head, Reproductive Endocrine and Infertility, Dalhousie University in an editorial http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj091344.pdf with the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca editorial writing team.

Weighing two options may require a balance

Weighty. Heavy. What do these words have to do with seriousness and importance? Why do we weigh our options, and why does your opinion carry more weight than mine?

New research suggests that we can blame this on gravity. Heavy objects require more energy to move, and they can hurt us more if we move them clumsily. So we learn early on in life to think more and plan more when we're dealing with heftier things. They require more cognitive effort as well as muscular effort.

Is restricted access to DNA data hurting research?

Last year, after a published paper found serious security holes in the way DNA data is made publicly available, health institutes in the United States and across the world removed all genetic data from public access.

"Unfortunately, that knee-jerk response stymied potential breakthrough genetic research," says Dr. Eran Halperin of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Sciences and Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology. He wants to put this valuable DNA information back in circulation, and has developed the tool to do it — safely.