| News Briefs - November-December - Page 2 |
Improving Night Vision
Years ago a British marine
biologist, Ron Douglas,
discovered that the deep sea
dragonfish Malacosteus used
chlorophyll to help it to perceive
red light. More recently, animal
experiments by ophthalmic
scientist lyas Washington has
suggested that administering
chlorophyll to the eyes can double
the ability to see in low light.
Washington is now working on
ways to deliver chlorophyll to
human eyes safely and easily.—
Discover (September, 2009)
Risk in Using Sun beds
Sun beds may pose as big a risk
for cancer as cigarettes and
asbestos. According to the
International Agency for Research
on Cancer (IARC), tanning
machines should now be
classified in “the highest cancer
risk category” and labeled as
“carcinogenic to humans.” The
IARC reviewed research showing
the risk of deadly melanoma, a
skin cancer, increased by 75% in
people who started using sun
beds regularly before age 30. —
CNN (7/29/09)
Scientists Try to Fix
Heart Attack Scarring
Israeli scientists have developed a
possible way of fixing damage
from heart attacks. Using a
“patch” made from heart muscle,
scarring left over from a heart
attack can be fixed. The
scientists described in the journal
PNAS how the method was used
to strengthen the hearts of rats
which had suffered heart attacks.
Eventually the technique may be
used in humans. — BBC News
(8/24/09)
Years ago a British marine
biologist, Ron Douglas,
discovered that the deep sea
dragonfish Malacosteus used
chlorophyll to help it to perceive
red light. More recently, animal
experiments by ophthalmic
scientist lyas Washington has
suggested that administering
chlorophyll to the eyes can double
the ability to see in low light.
Washington is now working on
ways to deliver chlorophyll to
human eyes safely and easily.—
Discover (September, 2009)
Risk in Using Sun beds
Sun beds may pose as big a risk
for cancer as cigarettes and
asbestos. According to the
International Agency for Research
on Cancer (IARC), tanning
machines should now be
classified in “the highest cancer
risk category” and labeled as
“carcinogenic to humans.” The
IARC reviewed research showing
the risk of deadly melanoma, a
skin cancer, increased by 75% in
people who started using sun
beds regularly before age 30. —
CNN (7/29/09)
Scientists Try to Fix
Heart Attack Scarring
Israeli scientists have developed a
possible way of fixing damage
from heart attacks. Using a
“patch” made from heart muscle,
scarring left over from a heart
attack can be fixed. The
scientists described in the journal
PNAS how the method was used
to strengthen the hearts of rats
which had suffered heart attacks.
Eventually the technique may be
used in humans. — BBC News
(8/24/09)
Depression in Children
A study has found that depression
in children as young as 3 can be
real and not just a passing phase
of grumpiness. Until now
researchers assumed that
children younger than 6 were
immune to depression. A team
lead by Dr. Joan Luby of
Washington U. in St. Louis
followed more than 200
preschoolers, ages 3 to 6, for up
to two years with children given as
many as four mental health exams
during the study. Some 75
children were diagnosed with
major depression, and there was
a link between child depression
and depression or other mood
disorders in the mothers. — www.
usatoday.com (8/4/09)
Showerhead Pathogens
Biofilms on the inside of bathroom
showerheads can contain up to
100 times the levels of pathogens
found in municipal water, says a
new U. of Colorado study. The
research team used high-tech
instruments and methods to
analyze some 50 showerheads
found in nine cities in seven
states. About 30% of the devices
had significant levels of
Mycobacterium avium, a pathogen
linked to pulmonary disease.
Water spurting from showerheads
can distribute pathogens into the
air which then easily can be
inhaled into the lungs. — www.
science daily.com (9/15/2009)
Phy Ed Injuries Grow
The number of injuries to
American students during physical
education classes increased by
150% between 1997 and 2007, a
new study has found. While this
discovery may put a damper on
efforts to encourage more
vigorous exercise, the injuries
may have less to do with the
actual activities and more to do
with larger classes, less adult
supervision, and fewer school
nurses. Boys suffered more cuts
and broken bones and girls more
strains and sprains.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (8/3/09)
British Soldiers Too Fat
According to a leaked memo, the
British are worried that their
soldiers are getting so fat, the
situation is putting their lives at
risk. The Sunday Observer said
an emergency memo sent to all
units of the British army warned
that an increasing number of
soldiers were so overweight they
couldn’t be sent to conflict zones.
It urged commanders to focus on
physical fitness. The report
comes three years after the
British military lowered its fitness
requirements in order to attract
more recruits.—Milwaukee
Journal Times (8/3/09)
The number of injuries to
American students during physical
education classes increased by
150% between 1997 and 2007, a
new study has found. While this
discovery may put a damper on
efforts to encourage more
vigorous exercise, the injuries
may have less to do with the
actual activities and more to do
with larger classes, less adult
supervision, and fewer school
nurses. Boys suffered more cuts
and broken bones and girls more
strains and sprains.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (8/3/09)
British Soldiers Too Fat
According to a leaked memo, the
British are worried that their
soldiers are getting so fat, the
situation is putting their lives at
risk. The Sunday Observer said
an emergency memo sent to all
units of the British army warned
that an increasing number of
soldiers were so overweight they
couldn’t be sent to conflict zones.
It urged commanders to focus on
physical fitness. The report
comes three years after the
British military lowered its fitness
requirements in order to attract
more recruits.—Milwaukee
Journal Times (8/3/09)
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