Joking, pretending with toddlers gives them head start in life skills

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Parents who joke and pretend with their toddlers are giving their children a head start in terms of life skills. Most parents are naturals at playing the fool with their kids, says a new research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). However parents who feel they may need a little help in doing this can learn to develop these life skills with their tots."Parents, carers and early years educators shouldn't underestimate the importance of...

Read More

Gender differences: Viewing TV coverage of terrorism has more negative effect on women, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Exposure to television coverage of terrorism causes women to lose psychological resources much more than men, which leads to negative feelings and moodiness. This has been shown in a new study, conducted at the University of Haifa and soon to be published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping, that examined the differences between men and women in a controlled experiment environment.An earlier study conducted by Prof. Moshe Zeidner of the Department of Counseling and Human...

Read More

Speedy 3-D X-rays in the operating room

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Having an operation always places strain on patients, and this is especially true of complicated operations. Surgeons use 3D X-rays to check the results before the patient has left the operating room. This does help to avoid possible complications, but it also means interrupting the surgery. Fraunhofer researchers are now developing a 3D X-ray system that can be integrated seamlessly into operating procedure -- with no more forced interruptions. To find out how this...

Read More

Lung stem cells offer therapeutic clues

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Guided by insights into how mice recover after H1N1 flu, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, together with researchers at A*STAR of Singapore, have cloned three distinct stem cells from the human airways and demonstrated that one of these cells can form into the lung's alveoli air sac tissue. What's more, the researchers showed that these same lung stem cells are rapidly deployed in a dynamic process of lung regeneration to combat...

Read More

Body’s molecular sensors may trigger autoimmune disease

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Bruce Beutler, MD, a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine, has coauthored an article describing a novel molecular mechanism that can cause the body to attack itself and trigger an autoimmune disease. The article is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.In the article, entitled "Intracellular Nucleic Acid Sensors and Autoimmunity," Argyrios Theofilopoulos,...

Read More

What role do cytokines play in autoimmune diseases?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Cytokines, a varied group of signaling chemicals in the body, have been described as the software that runs the immune system, but when that software malfunctions, dysregulation of the immune system can result in debilitating autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and diabetes. Leading experts in the field of cytokine research present their most up-to-date findings and unique perspectives on the role of cytokines in autoimmune diseases in a special issue of...

Read More

Belief in god cuts two ways, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Being reminded of the concept of God can decrease people's motivation to pursue personal goals but can help them resist temptation, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association."More than 90 percent of people in the world agree that God or a similar spiritual power exists or may exist," said the study's lead author, Kristin Laurin, PhD, of the University of Waterloo in Canada. "This is the first empirical evidence that simple reminders...

Read More