ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Vibration energy the secret to self-powered electronics
• Premature infants benefit from adult talk, study shows
• Human and dog brains both have dedicated 'voice areas'
• The way a room is lit can affect the way you make decisions
• Evidence mixed on the usefulness of echinacea for colds
• Meet your match: Using algorithms to spark collaboration between scientists
• Cavities are contagious, research shows
• High cost of fruits, vegetables linked to higher body fat in young children
• Dermatologists prescribe steroids for psoriasis management, despite guidelines that discourage use
• Aging men: More uplifts, fewer hassles until the age of 65-70
• Researching Facebook business: The business of 'unfriending'
• Dishonesty and creativity: Two sides of the same coin?
• Seasonal flu vaccine may cut stroke risk
• Involved parents raise slimmer adults
• Two-thirds of women in the U.K. not taking folic acid before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida
• Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk through sticky blood
• Vitamin D, calcium disparities found among American subpopulations
• Genetics linked to children viewing high amounts of violent media
• Job interviews: Pointers for making every second count
• 'Beautiful but sad' music can help people feel better
• Probiotic treatment for vaginal thrush on the way
• Low rate of surgical site infections following ambulatory surgery, study shows
• Prison-based education declined during economic downturn, study finds
• Ticks may cause double trouble, spreading both Lyme disease, B. miyamotoi infection
• Police officers move very little on the job; consequences potentially dangerous
• Parents are not more likely to split up if mothers earn more than fathers
• Surprising differences in brain activity of alcohol-dependent women discovered
• Mother's voice improves hospitalization, feeding in preemies, studies show
• 'Legal highs,' PMMA and zombie panic: Real dangers of the lacing of ecstasy pills
• Obese patients who feel judged by doctors less likely to shed pounds, study shows

Vibration energy the secret to self-powered electronics Posted: 20 Feb 2014 04:33 PM PST Engineers have developed what could be a promising solution for charging smartphone batteries on the go -- without the need for an electrical cord. Incorporated directly into a cell phone housing, the team's nanogenerator could harvest and convert vibration energy from a surface, such as the passenger seat of a moving vehicle, into power for the phone.

Premature infants benefit from adult talk, study shows Posted: 20 Feb 2014 01:13 PM PST Premature babies benefit from being exposed to adult talk as early as possible, new research concludes. The goal of the study was to test the association of the amount of talking that a baby was exposed to at what would have been 32 and 36 weeks gestation if a baby had been born full term. It was hypothesized that preterm infants exposed to higher word counts would have higher cognitive and language scores at seven and 18 months corrected age. The results showed the hypothesis to be true.

Human and dog brains both have dedicated 'voice areas' Posted: 20 Feb 2014 10:21 AM PST The first study to compare brain function between humans and any non-primate animal shows that dogs have dedicated voice areas in their brains, just as people do. Dog brains, like those of people, are also sensitive to acoustic cues of emotion, according to a new study.

The way a room is lit can affect the way you make decisions Posted: 20 Feb 2014 10:20 AM PST The next time you want to turn down the emotional intensity before making an important decision, you may want to dim the lights first. A new study shows that human emotion, whether positive or negative, is felt more intensely under bright light. under bright lights emotions are felt more intensely. In the brighter room participants wanted spicier chicken wing sauce, thought the fictional character was more aggressive, found the women more attractive, felt better about positive words and worse about negative words, and drank more of the "favorable" juice and less of the "unfavorable" juice.

Evidence mixed on the usefulness of echinacea for colds Posted: 20 Feb 2014 10:13 AM PST For people seeking a natural treatment for the common cold, some preparations containing the plant Echinacea work better than nothing, yet "evidence is weak," finds a new report.

Meet your match: Using algorithms to spark collaboration between scientists Posted: 20 Feb 2014 08:25 AM PST Speed dating, in which potential lovers size each other up in brief 10 minute encounters before moving on to the next person, can be an awkward and time-wasting affair. Finding the perfect research partnership is often just as tough. Speed dating-style techniques are increasingly used at academics conferences, but can be equally frustrating -- with busy academics being pushed into too many pointless encounters. But now a group of scientists have constructed a system that could revolutionize conference speed dating -- by treating scientists like genes.

Cavities are contagious, research shows Posted: 20 Feb 2014 08:24 AM PST Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay, is the single most common chronic childhood disease. In fact, it is an infectious disease, new research demonstrates. Mothers with cavities can transmit caries-producing oral bacteria to their babies when they clean pacifiers by sticking them in their own mouths or by sharing spoons. Parents should make their own oral health care a priority in order to help their children stay healthy.

High cost of fruits, vegetables linked to higher body fat in young children Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:29 AM PST High prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with higher Body Mass Index in young children in low- and middle-income households, according new research. Research showed that when the prices of fruits and vegetables go up, families may buy less of them and substitute cheaper foods that may not be as healthy and have more calories. The study also identified a small association between higher-priced soft drinks and a lower likelihood of obesity among young children.

Dermatologists prescribe steroids for psoriasis management, despite guidelines that discourage use Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:27 AM PST A new study indicates that systemic corticosteroids are prescribed by dermatologists even though expert guidelines discourage their use for psoriasis treatment. Researchers found that systemic corticosteroids were prescribed at 650,000 of 21 million psoriasis visits. Of these prescriptions, 93 percent were from dermatologists. Corticosteroids were the second most commonly prescribed systemic medication for psoriasis, according to the study.

Aging men: More uplifts, fewer hassles until the age of 65-70 Posted: 20 Feb 2014 06:50 AM PST How men approach their golden years, and how happy individuals are remains relatively stable for some 80 percent of the population, but perceptions of unhappiness -- or dealing with "hassles" -- tends to get worse once you are about 65-70 years old, shows a new study. Possible causes are health issues, cognitive decline or the loss of a spouse or friends. Aging is neither exclusively rosy nor depressing, researchers said, and how you react to hassles and uplifts as a 55- to 60-year-old may change as you enter what researchers call "the fourth age," from 75 to 100, based on your perceptions and/or your life experiences.

Researching Facebook business: The business of 'unfriending' Posted: 20 Feb 2014 06:49 AM PST Establishing and maintaining relationships online is becoming ever more important in the expanding global knowledge economy. But what happens to the relationship between business and consumer when a user 'unfriends'? Researchers have found that there are many online and offline reasons why a person might 'unfriend' another party. The team has examined these factors and offer insights into how virtual business relationships might be sustained and promoted.

Dishonesty and creativity: Two sides of the same coin? Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:33 AM PST Lying about performance on one task may increase creativity on a subsequent task by making people feel less bound by conventional rules, according to new research.

Seasonal flu vaccine may cut stroke risk Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:31 AM PST Having the seasonal flu jab could reduce the risk of suffering a stroke by almost a quarter, researchers have found. Academics discovered that patients who had been vaccinated against influenza were 24% less likely to suffer a stroke in the same flu season. In 2010, the same research team showed a similar link between flu vaccination and reduced risk of heart attack. "Further experimental studies would be needed to better understand the relationship between flu vaccination and stroke risk. However, these findings reinforce the value of the U.K.'s national flu vaccination program with reduced risk of stroke appearing to be an added health benefit," the authors noted.

Involved parents raise slimmer adults Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST Remember that slim kid in school -- the one with the cook-from-scratch mom? He's likely one of the fittest dudes at your high school reunion, according to new research. "One of the best safeguards against your children becoming overweight as adults is how involved you are with their lives," one of the researchers said.

Two-thirds of women in the U.K. not taking folic acid before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida Posted: 19 Feb 2014 02:48 PM PST Less than one in three women have taken folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and other birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord (neural tube defects). This is despite research from 1991 showing that such conditions could be prevented in most cases by increasing the intake of the B-vitamin folic acid before pregnancy. Each year in Britain there are about 1,000 pregnancies affected by spina bifida or other birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. Most of these lead to a termination of pregnancy which is an agonizing decision for couples who want a child.

Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk through sticky blood Posted: 19 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST Iron deficiency may increase stroke risk by making the blood more sticky, scientists have discovered. Every year, 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke. Nearly six million die and another five million are left permanently disabled. The most common type, ischaemic stroke, occurs because the blood supply to the brain is interrupted by small clots. In the last few years, several studies have shown that iron deficiency, which affects around two billion people worldwide, may be a risk factor for ischaemic stroke in adults and in children.

Vitamin D, calcium disparities found among American subpopulations Posted: 19 Feb 2014 01:27 PM PST Many Americans do not meet recommended intakes of calcium and vitamin D, despite the important role these vital nutrients play in bone health during all stages of the lifecycle. Researchers set out to determine calcium and vitamin D intakes among specific subpopulations of Americans in order to identify those most in need of fortification/enrichment and supplementation. Their findings showed for the first time that low-income, overweight, and/or obese minority populations may be at a greater risk of calcium and vitamin D insufficiency, and that calcium and vitamin D intakes from food and dietary supplements were not related to vegetarian status.

Genetics linked to children viewing high amounts of violent media Posted: 19 Feb 2014 08:34 AM PST The lifelong debate of nature versus nurture continues -- this time in what your children watch. A recent study found that a specific variation of the serotonin-transporter gene was linked to children who engaged in increased viewing of violent television and playing of violent video games.

Job interviews: Pointers for making every second count Posted: 19 Feb 2014 07:53 AM PST It's hard enough to make a good first impression in a job interview. But what if you have only two minutes to show your stuff? Eighteen students gave it their best shot at a recent speed sell competition. Students dressed in business attire rotated through two-minute job interviews with a dozen participating corporate executives and recruiters. A teaching assistant signaled when each meeting started and stopped. The pros gave their feedback after each pitch in a summary article. The students are enrolled in Dr. Howard Dover's advanced sales class. Dover, clinical professor of marketing, joined UT Dallas in 2012 to expand the professional sales curriculum and launch the Professional Sales Concentration. The Jindal School is an associate member school of the University Sales Center Alliance.

'Beautiful but sad' music can help people feel better Posted: 19 Feb 2014 06:55 AM PST Music that is felt to be 'beautiful but sad' can help people feel better when they're feeling blue, new research concludes. The research investigated the effects of what the researchers described as Self-Identified Sad Music (SISM) on people's moods, paying particular attention to their reasons for choosing a particular piece of music when they were experiencing sadness -- and the effect it had on them. The results showed that if an individual has intended to achieve mood enhancement through listening to 'sad' music, this was in fact often achieved by first thinking about their situation or being distracted, rather than directly through listening to the music chosen.

Probiotic treatment for vaginal thrush on the way Posted: 19 Feb 2014 04:57 AM PST Scientists are testing vaginal pessaries containing 'good' probiotic bacteria for the treatment of vaginal thrush. The research shows that this approach is likely to be a viable alternative to using precious antimicrobial drugs.

Low rate of surgical site infections following ambulatory surgery, study shows Posted: 18 Feb 2014 01:34 PM PST In an analysis that included nearly 300,000 patients from eight states who underwent ambulatory surgery (surgery performed on a person who is admitted to and discharged from a hospital on the same day), researchers found that the rates of surgical site infections were relatively low. Surgical site infections are among the most common health care-associated infections, accounting for 20 percent to 31 percent of health care-associated infections in hospitalized patients. Although ambulatory surgeries represent a substantial portion of surgical health care, there is a lack of information on adverse events, including health care-associated infections.

Prison-based education declined during economic downturn, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2014 12:38 PM PST Although recent findings confirm that prison-based education saves money in the long term, state-level spending on prison education programs declined sharply during the economic downturn, according to a new study. The sharpest drop occurred in states that incarcerate the most prisoners, with large states trimming spending by an average of 10 percent between the 2009 and 2012 fiscal years, while medium-sized states cut spending by 20 percent.

Ticks may cause double trouble, spreading both Lyme disease, B. miyamotoi infection Posted: 18 Feb 2014 11:33 AM PST Ticks infected with Lyme disease and newly identified human pathogen are widespread in San Francisco Bay Area. A newly recognized human pathogen with unknown health consequences has been found to occur over a large part of the San Francisco Bay Area. A study details how researchers found the bacterium, Borrelia miyamotoi, as well as Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in ticks they sampled throughout the area.

Police officers move very little on the job; consequences potentially dangerous Posted: 18 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST Police officers move as much on the job as someone holding a baby or washing dishes. The finding comes from police wearing armbands that monitored their physical activity. Police work mimics many other present-day jobs, and, like other occupations, the workers need encouragement to move during the workday. Some low-cost aids would be to have standing computer workstations and to introduce regular computer prompts to alert workers to leave their desks and move around, the authors suggest.

Parents are not more likely to split up if mothers earn more than fathers Posted: 18 Feb 2014 09:48 AM PST Couples with young children are as likely to stay together if the mother is the main breadwinner rather than the father, new research shows. The relationships of parents are, in some cases, more stable if the mother earns more than the father. The researchers said that at some points in time mothers earning more meant "there is a lowered rather than raised hazard of relationship dissolution and that this applies to both married and cohabiting parents."

Surprising differences in brain activity of alcohol-dependent women discovered Posted: 18 Feb 2014 08:42 AM PST The brain activity of alcohol-dependent women were compared in a recent study to women who were not addicted. Results found stark and surprising differences. "We see that the network dynamics of alcohol-dependent women may be really different from that of healthy controls in a drinking-related task," said a researcher. "We have evidence to suggest alcohol-dependent women have trouble switching between networks of the brain." The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study patterns of brain network activation. The findings indicate that the anterior insular region of the brain may be implicated in the process, suggesting a possible new target of treatment for alcohol-dependent women.

Mother's voice improves hospitalization, feeding in preemies, studies show Posted: 18 Feb 2014 08:09 AM PST Premature babies who receive an interventional therapy combining their mother's voice and a pacifier-activated music player learn to eat more efficiently and have their feeding tubes removed sooner than other preemies, according to a study. To qualify for the study the babies had to have reached 34-36 weeks postmenstrual age, be in stable condition, and able to breathe on their own. The participating babies received the intervention for 15 minutes a day for five days in a row. When they sucked correctly on their pacifier, a special device with sensors and speakers, they were rewarded by hearing their mother singing a lullaby. If they stopped sucking, the music would stop. "A mother's voice is a powerful auditory cue," said one author. "Babies know and love their mother's voice. It has proven to be the perfect incentive to help motivate these babies."

'Legal highs,' PMMA and zombie panic: Real dangers of the lacing of ecstasy pills Posted: 18 Feb 2014 08:07 AM PST Recent deaths in both Canada and the UK linked to PMA/PMMA in ecstasy pills has brought public scrutiny to this little known drug. With Canada producing most of the ecstasy in the North American market, this timely paper looks at trends in ecstasy adulteration, the facts around PMA/PMMA-linked deaths and explores alternatives to the endless banning of new drugs. Among its findings, the paper states that in 2007, only 3% of seized ecstasy tablets contained pure MDMA compared to 69% in 2001, suggesting that there has been a major increase in the lacing of ecstasy pills available.

Obese patients who feel judged by doctors less likely to shed pounds, study shows Posted: 18 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST Overweight and obese people who feel their physicians are judgmental of their size are more likely to try to shed pounds but are less likely to succeed, according to results of a study. The findings suggest that primary care doctors should lose the negative attitudes their patients can sense if the goal is to get patients with obesity to lose 10 percent or more of their body weight -- an amount typically large enough to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes risk.

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