Which Came First? The Stem Cell or the Skin Cell? Part 1 - Today's Top Story for 19 April 2008

Take skin cells, tweak them a bit, and they can become heart cells for a patient with chronic heart disease or insulin-producing cells for a patient with diabetes. Such cell-based therapies in which stem cells give rise to specific types of cells to repair damaged cells or tissues, also referred to as regenerative medicine, are still in the future. But two recent studies conducted by groups based at NCRR-funded National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) are helping to pave the way toward custom-made cells and tissues for patients. more  

Research unit goes to extremes

Each year when summer comes to the southern hemisphere, hundreds of researchers and support staff descend on the South Pole. And every year, despite careful health screening, a few researchers may need to be evacuated because of severe altitude illness, and scores more may experience milder symptoms, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue. more

A planetarium show on diabetes

“Not all children who play baseball become professional ball players, but they do learn to appreciate the sport,” says John A. Pollock, biology professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Through innovative methods, including movies, video and board games, and Internet sites, Pollock has been finding ways to get children and their families to appreciate not baseball but science. “We don’t intend all children to become scientists; rather, we hope to foster an appreciation and understanding of science and its influence on their lives.” more  

Reduced funds for cancer is cost of Iraq, Say ex-White House aide, cancer researchers

An ex-White house aide, Robert Weiner, and Dr. Patricia Berg, director of a GWU Medical Center breast cancer lab, are reporting that many scientists believe that "the cost of the Iraq war is largely responsible for a drop in real dollars for cancer research, and private organizations, though critical, are a pale substitute for the power of the federal government." Discoveries are being lost due to "the high funding bar." more

Depression stigma in the eye of the older beholder  

Less educated, older men are more likely to view depression negatively, while almost one in five Australians say they wouldn’t work with someone suffering depression, according to researchers from The Australian National University. more

Wanted: Forty-thousand More Health IT Professionals 

A Study by OHSU expert says a 40 percent hike in IT workforce will be needed to move U.S. healthcare toward a paperless system that controls costs and reduces medical errors more

National call for reducing screen time during turnoff week

Children and teens who spend more than a couple of hours a day on average in front of a TV, video, or computer screen, are more likely to be overweight than their peers who limit their screen time. We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition), a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help children ages 8-13 stay at a healthy weight, is working with the Center for Screen Time Awareness (CSTA) and other national and community organizations to raise public awareness about the negative impact of excessive screen time. CSTA is a leading nonprofit organization focused on the impact of electronic media on society, health, education, family and community. more

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