Futurity.org » Boston University

Mind-body class helps med students cope

Jenny Ericksen-BU — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:20:27 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — A new class for medical students may increase their self-compassion and ability to manage thoughts and tasks more effectively, according to new research.

The study, published in Medical Education Online, also discusses how this innovative course may help medical students better manage stress and feel more empowered to use mind-body skills with their patients.

Don’t ignore the risks of moderate drinking

Rich Barlow-Boston U. — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:05:18 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — Researchers find that even moderate drinking, one and a half drinks per day, can be attributed to nearly 6,000 cancer deaths annually in the US.

Timothy Naimi, a Boston University School of Medicine and School of Public Health associate professor, and his team suggest that the number of deaths from moderate drinking should not be ignored. Add in alcohol consumption at all levels and the total surges to 20,000 cancer deaths a year, or 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the study.

For men, lethal alcohol-caused cancer typically afflicts the mouth, throat, and esophagus, the researchers say. In women, breast cancer is the most common cancer killer linked to alcohol consumption.

Kids raised by gay parents are ‘doing just fine’

Rich Barlow-Boston U. — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:40:03 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — Three decades of research suggest that kids of gay parents are faring well, a new report argues.

When the Supreme Court took up the issue of gay marriage recently, Justice Antonin Scalia claimed that experts debate whether same-sex parents are bad for children.

By 2035: Keep pneumonia, diarrhea from killing kids

Lisa Chedekel-Boston U. — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:22:28 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — Researchers say the goal of ending all preventable child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhea by 2035 is achievable.

In a series of articles published in The Lancet, leading academics and public health professionals lay out an action plan that they say could offer “an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate preventable child deaths” caused by these two diseases.

Ape-like human ancestor stirs debate

Karl Bates-Duke — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:42:05 +0000

BOSTON U. / DUKE (US) — New analysis of a pair of 1.98 million year old fossil proto-humans discovered in a South African cave in 2008 has yielded surprising insights into human evolution.

An international team of scientists has written seven papers appearing in Science. There were six earlier papers in September 2011 and two before that in 2010.

If climate heats up, will Boston Marathon slow down?

Sara Rimer-Boston U — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:26:51 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — Future winning times in the Boston Marathon may slow as the climate continues to warm, experts say.

Running times are already affected by weather on the day of the race.

Gene tied to double Alzheimer’s risk in African Americans

Michelle Falling-Columbia — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:57:20 +0000

COLUMBIA (US) — African Americans with a specific gene variant have almost double the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease compared with African Americans who lack the variant.

The ABCA7 gene is involved in the production of cholesterol and lipids, which suggests that lipid metabolism may be a more important pathway in Alzheimer’s disease in African Americans than in whites.

New path may lead to better HIV vaccine

Karl Bates-Duke — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:13:57 +0000

DUKE (US) — For the first time, researchers describe the co-evolution of antibodies and virus in a person with HIV whose immune system mounted a broad attack against the pathogen.

Most vaccines work by inducing this antibody response, but the HIV virus has proved to be a difficult vaccine target. When HIV antibodies are produced, they typically have a limited range, and the virus changes rapidly to escape harm, leading to an arms race that the virus usually wins.

The current research, published in Nature, was aided by new technologies that can detect early infection and track the subsequent immune response and virus evolution. It fills gaps in knowledge that have impeded development of an effective vaccine for a virus that has killed more than 30 million people worldwide.

Little kids know to share, but hoard anyway

Jared Wadley-Michigan — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:11:38 +0000

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Children as young as three years old know they should share, but putting it into practice is another story.

A new study shows it’s not until the age of seven or eight that kids actually are willing to share equally, instead of keeping things for themselves—even when they know sharing is the right decision.

Antibiotics work better when germs self-destruct

John Sullivan-Princeton — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:37:45 +0000

PRINCETON / BOSTON U. (US) — Scientists find that using bacteria’s own byproducts can make them far more vulnerable to antibiotics.

In a recent paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, first author Mark Brynildsen, a Princeton University assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, reports that scientists can force bacteria to increase their production of a class of molecules called reactive oxygen species, which can either kill the bacteria outright or make it easier to kill them with antibiotics.

Bacteria normally produce reactive oxygen species during growth. Small amounts don’t hurt them because of certain protective enzymes within the bacteria, but too much of the substances can lead to “oxidative stress.” The researchers decided this weakness could be exploited.