Consumers Seek Answers as Economy Falters
January 30, 2008 on 7:34 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments OffThe Federal Reserve has reduced a key interest rate for the second time in just over a week, cutting its federal funds rate by a half point to 3 percent. What does this mean for the consumer? Callers share their questions about the country's precarious economic situation.
Political Junkie: Parsing Primary Results
January 30, 2008 on 7:19 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments OffIn this week's installment of the Political Junkie, guests discuss Sen. Barack Obama's big win in South Carolina, Sen. John McCain's victory in Florida's Republican primary, and look ahead to two dozen presidential contests coming up on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Judea Pearl Reflects on Death of Murdered Son
January 30, 2008 on 7:01 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments OffSix years after journalist Daniel Pearl was killed by terrorists while working in Pakistan, his father, Judea Pearl, reflects on what the world learned from the tragic death. His article, "The Daniel Pearl Standard," appeared Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal.
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Mouth burns during tonsillectomy underreported
January 29, 2008 on 11:41 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Burns around the lips and mouth - primarily from the use of a cauterizing device -- are an underreported complication of tonsillectomy, and can result in long-term problems, according to a study reported in the Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.Removal of the tonsils (along with the nearby adenoid glands) "remains one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States," Dr. Albert H. Park, of The University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, and colleagues write. While most patients do very well, a number of complications can occur, included bleeding, pain, and voice changes.
In the present study, the team conducted a review of children and teens who sustained a mouth burn during a tonsillectomy at Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) in Salt Lake City between January 1997 and December 2005. In addition, they conducted an online national survey of pediatric ear, nose, and throat doctors.
Of the 4,327 surgeries performed at PCMC, 7 patients sustained mouth burns, including one that required reconstructive surgery.
Of 298 surveys sent to physicians, 101 were completed. A total of 61 respondents reported having a patient develop a burn around the mouth. Roughly 10 percent of the burns were severe, necessitating additional treatment.
As expected, most of the burns occurred when the tonsils were removed with devices used to cauterize the area. However, a few cases accured even when a scalpel was the main instrument for removal and cautery was simply used to control bleeding.
The most common cause of injury was a defective cautery device tip. The surgeon's experience level, by contrast, had no impact on the risk of a mouth burn.
The authors conclude that "because tonsillectomy remains one of the most frequently performed procedures, measures to avoid this complication exist and should be considered for every case. In addition, consideration should be given to discussing this potential complication during preoperative counseling for informed consent."
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, January 2008.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.Genes plus neglect may raise depression risk
January 29, 2008 on 11:41 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A combination of genes and neglectful parenting may make some young people more vulnerable to major depression, new research conducted in northern Russia suggests.In a study of 176 teenage boys recruited from a juvenile detention center, researchers found a higher depression risk among those who had both a neglectful mother and a particular variant of a gene called DAT1, or the dopamine transporter gene. DAT1 helps regulate brain levels of dopamine, a chemical "messenger" that transmits nerve impulses among cells.
While the gene variant and a neglectful mother together affected depression risk, neither one alone did, the study found.
The findings, published in the journal Psychological Science, add to evidence that depression is a product of both nature and nurture.
"This study indicates that people with a particular variant of the DAT1 gene may be at heightened risk for depression when stress occurs -- in this case, maternal rejection," explained lead researcher Dr. Gerald J. Haeffel, of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
It's known that stressful life events play a major role in depression, Haeffel told Reuters Health, but not everyone becomes depressed in response to such experiences. So, he said, "it is critical to determine what makes some people susceptible to depression in the face of stress, whereas others are resilient."
Most research on the gene-environment interaction in depression has focused on genes regulating serotonin, a brain chemical involved in mood. But dopamine activity has also been linked to depression.
Dopamine plays a role in a range of vital functions, including movement, emotional responses and the capacity to feel pleasure. For their study, Haeffel and his colleagues focused on three variations in the DAT1 gene.
The researchers tested the boys, all considered to be at high risk of depression, for the three DAT1 variants; assessed them for depression; and questioned them about their mothers' parenting.
Overall, they found, boys who carried one particular DAT1 variant, called rs40184, and who said they were rejected by their mothers were at elevated risk of depression.
If further studies confirm these findings, dopamine could become a good target for depression therapy, according to Haeffel. Treatment would not necessarily mean taking a drug, he said.
Haeffel explained that dopamine is involved in the "approach motivation system," which regulates people's behavior toward goals and rewards. Behavioral therapies that, for example, help people develop new goals might help alter dopamine functioning in the brain.
"Prior work has shown that psychosocial interventions can have a significant impact on brain functioning," Haeffel noted.
Future studies on depression, he and his colleagues recommend, should look at the interaction between environment and the DAT1 gene, as well as other genes related to dopamine.
SOURCE: Psychological Science, January 2008.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited.
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