Studies and Analyses

An international team of scientists has traced the evolution of hearing in modern cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). “This study of the early evolution of whales demonstrates the changes that took place in whales’ outer and middle ears, required for the transition from a land-based to a marine-based existence,” said Rich Lane, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s geology and paleontology program, which funded the research. The findings are published in the Au

Simply sending reminder letters to physicians caring for heart attack patients saved lives and cut costs by increasing use of a recommended but underused drug, according to a new study.

The drug, called a beta-blocker, should be prescribed for many patients who have suffered a heart attack, according to national evidence-based guidelines. Beta-blockers improve survival and lessen chances of second heart attacks.

The research appears in the American Journal of Managed Care.

A newly designed endoscope, capable of providing sub-second polarized spectral images of tissue in vivo (in the body), allows physicians and surgeons to non-invasively survey and sample an entire area without actually removing tissue, and may offer hope as a new tool for detecting cancer early. Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh describe the instrument’s capabilities and clinical applications in the July 2004 issue of Progres

USC study shows high rates of certain vision disorders among Mexican-Americans

Many Latinos have eye diseases that may potentially blind them or impair vision, according to the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study. Diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication of diabetes, and open-angle glaucoma, which damages the optic nerve, pose a particular problem among Latinos, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Results appear in the June, J

New research from the University of Warwick examining return to school and classroom performance following head injury reveals that teachers are often unaware of the injury and that children only very rarely receive specialist help, despite having attention and memory problems.

The results show that regardless of injury severity many children have difficulties in retrieving and retaining information, and these impairments are particularly handicapping in the classroom. The stud

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have launched the first government-sponsored study to measure the effectiveness of a Web- and community-based home test kit for common sexually transmitted diseases, such as Chlamydia and gonorrhea.

The study will measure how many women make use of the kit, determine disease prevalence among respondents, record how effectively test results can be returned to the participants, and assess how well respondents who test positive follow through with therapy.