ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• How household dogs protect against asthma and infection
• Computer security: Reducing risks of malware infections
• Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are
• Canadian youth choosing transit-rich urban cores over suburbs
• Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother
• No math gene: Learning mathematics takes practice
• Five most effective parenting programs to reduce problem behaviors in teens
• Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women
• Income inequality rising, but maybe not as fast as you think
• How healthy is Santa Claus?
• Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery
• Health spending more efficient for men than women
• Hormones in the crosshairs
• Longer maternity leaves lower women's risk of postpartum depression
• New diagnostic test can detect chlamydia trachomatis in less than 20 minutes
• High levels of maternal care has life-long impact on vulnerability to stress, study says
• Study shows families don't understand genetic test results or their implications
• First test to predict acute mountain sickness
• Exercise can reduce drug-related joint pain in breast cancer patients, study shows
• Overcoming linguistic taboos: Lessons from Australia
• Poverty influences children's early brain development

How household dogs protect against asthma and infection Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Children's risk for developing allergies and asthma is reduced when they are exposed in early infancy to a dog in the household, and now researchers have discovered a reason why.

Computer security: Reducing risks of malware infections Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:29 AM PST Installing computer security software, updating applications regularly and making sure not to open emails from unknown senders are just a few examples of ways to reduce the risk of infection by malicious software, or "malware". However, even the most security-conscious users are open to attack through unknown vulnerabilities, and even the best security mechanisms can be circumvented as a result of poor user choices.

Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:25 AM PST Many parents say when their second child is born that their first child suddenly appears to have grown overnight. Now, researchers have an explanation: until the birth of the new child, those parents were subject to a "baby illusion," routinely misperceiving their youngest child as smaller (and younger) than he or she really was.

Canadian youth choosing transit-rich urban cores over suburbs Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:25 AM PST Young adults want to live close to transit, high-density housing, and urban amenities, says Canadian research.

Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:04 AM PST Enduring the last few weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging for some women. The aches and pains, the swelling of the limbs and the anxiety of when labor may start are part of the natural gestation process, but they also can seem unbearable. It may seem easier to relieve symptoms associated with late pregnancy by electing to deliver early, but researchers caution that there can be an increased risk of complications to the mother and the newborn associated with early-term deliveries.

No math gene: Learning mathematics takes practice Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:28 AM PST New research shows that if you want to be good at math, you have to practice all different kinds of mathematics.

Five most effective parenting programs to reduce problem behaviors in teens Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST Researchers evaluated about 20 parenting programs and found five that are especially effective at helping parents and children at all risk levels avoid adolescent behavior problems that affect not only individuals, but entire communities.

Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:53 AM PST Despite their changed body size, pregnant women are just as good as other people at judging whether they are able to fit through openings, such as doorways, or not. This is thanks to a process called perceptual-motor recalibration that helps people to adjust their spatial awareness of their environment based on changes in their body's size and abilities. This research is the first to report such perceptual recalibration in response to actual growth rather than on the experimentally induced manipulation of body size.

Income inequality rising, but maybe not as fast as you think Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:05 AM PST Americans' perceptions of income inequality are largely over-inflated when compared with actual census data, according to new research.

How healthy is Santa Claus? Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Children around the world look to Santa Claus as a model of good behavior. But can this sleigh-riding bearer of goodies also be a model good health habits for adults?

Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:28 AM PST Children had long been prescribed codeine for pain relief after having surgery to remove their tonsils -- until the FDA banned use of the drug in February. Now a new study finds that acupuncture can be a safe and effective alternative.

Health spending more efficient for men than women Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:34 PM PST Health care spending is a large – and ever increasing - portion of government budgets. Improving its efficiency has therefore become critically important. In the first-ever study to estimate health spending efficiency by gender across 27 industrialized nations, researchers discovered significant disparities within countries, with stronger gains in life expectancy for men than for women in nearly every nation.

Hormones in the crosshairs Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:02 AM PST When it comes to hunting, anthropologists and evolutionary scientists have long wondered -- and debated -- what, exactly, is the motivating factor behind hunting. Do men take down game for the purpose of feeding their families, or is there an element of showmanship and the hope of gaining access to healthier, more fertile mates?

Longer maternity leaves lower women's risk of postpartum depression Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:01 AM PST The more leave time from work that a woman takes after giving birth, the lower her risk of experiencing postpartum depression, according to a study. The research concludes that the current 12 week leave duration provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act may be inadequate for mothers at risk for or experiencing postpartum depression.

New diagnostic test can detect chlamydia trachomatis in less than 20 minutes Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a new assay for rapid and sensitive detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmitted infection in humans. This procedure takes less than 20 minutes and can be easily performed at the point of care during the patient's visit.

High levels of maternal care has life-long impact on vulnerability to stress, study says Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST A new study shows that high levels of maternal care during the early post-natal period in rodents can reduce the sensitivity of the offspring to stressful events during adulthood. Maternal care is shown to chemically modify and thereby re-program genes that control stress responses, making them less likely to be activated. The findings have important implications for understanding early environment influences on stress-related disorders.

Study shows families don't understand genetic test results or their implications Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:59 AM PST A study done shows that many relatives of patients who undergo testing for a gene linked to breast and ovarian cancers misinterpret the results, and less than half of those who could benefit from genetic testing say they plan to get tested themselves -- despite the fact that knowing your genetic status may help catch the disease in its earliest stages.

First test to predict acute mountain sickness Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:59 AM PST The first test to identify acute mountain sickness has been developed by a team of researchers in Italy and France. The test could revolutionize trekking and climbing by predicting who will develop the potentially deadly condition so they can avoid high altitudes, ascend more gradually or take preventative medication.

Exercise can reduce drug-related joint pain in breast cancer patients, study shows Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:49 AM PST Women being treated with breast cancer drugs known as aromatase inhibitors can markedly ease the joint pain associated with the drugs by engaging in moderate daily exercise, investigators report in a study.

Overcoming linguistic taboos: Lessons from Australia Posted: 11 Dec 2013 03:55 PM PST Grammar is sometimes shaped by restrictions on language use. This is the key finding of a new study to be published, demonstrating how taboos can bring on changes to language structures.

Poverty influences children's early brain development Posted: 11 Dec 2013 03:37 PM PST Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers.

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