Studies and Analyses

Researchers at the University of Arkansas who have been studying the effects of stress on caregivers’ health have found a surprising link between the type of assistance caregivers provide and the amount of stress they report.

“It came as no surprise to us that caregivers are under stress,” remarked Barbara Shadden, director of the program in communication disorders, who, with fellow researcher Ro DiBrezzo, director of the UA Human Performance Lab, serves as co-director of the UA O

A new long-term study finds over 20 years, only one in five women who have mammograms every two years will have to undergo follow up evaluation for a false positive finding. Only one in 16 will have an unnecessary invasive procedure over two decades. The study, published August 23, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, should reassure physicians and patients that the risks of breast cancer screening are minimal given the notable benefit

Since rain and freshwater flooding are the number one causes of death from hurricanes in the United States over the last 30 years, better understanding of these storms is vital for insuring public safety. A recent study funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation offers insight into patterns of rainfall from tropical storms and hurricanes around the world.

Researchers at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, and the National Oc

Indiana University School of Medicine study published in Science

Blood-making stem cells found in bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and some adult blood products have been used in transplants to treat cancers, leukemia and immune system disorders and to restore blood cell production compromised by chemotherapy and irradiation. But insufficient numbers of donor cells sometime limit success, especially with cord blood transplants.

An Indiana University School of Medicine s

Mayo Clinic Proceedings study highlights Òreal-lifeÓ ICU experience

A study in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings outlines how strictly controlling the levels of glucose, or sugar, in a patient’s blood can increase the survival rate of critically ill patients.

James Krinsley, M.D., the author of the study, is director of critical care at The Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., and associate clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Phy

Scientists at the Babraham Institute have made significant advances in understanding schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental illness which has been estimated to affect over 1% of the population and costs the NHS over £2.5 billion per year. Babraham scientists have pinpointed a breakdown in mitochondria – the power stations of the cell – as a key factor.

The discovery, described in an article published in Molecular Psychiatry, was made by a team of scientists working in Dr Sabine Ba