Yale
An abnormal pattern in an area of the brain that governs hearing may be an accurate method of diagnosing schizophrenia, according to a study by Yale researchers and collaborators. "These results seem to point to a cardinal abnormality in schizophrenia," said Godfrey Pearlson, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, director of the Olin Neurospychiatry Research Center at the Institute of Living in Hartford, and senior author of the study published in Biological Psychiatry. "Using this imaging test, we were able to identify patients with schizophrenia with 97 percent accuracy."
Consuming foods high in animal protein, saturated fat, eggs and dairy leads to an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that attacks the lymphatic system, part of the body's immune system, Yale researchers have found. The study also showed that diets high in dietary fiber -- tomatoes, broccoli, mixed lettuce salad with vegetables, cauliflower, etc.-- were associated with a reduced risk of NHL.
High levels of estrogen may enhance the brain's response to stress, making women more vulnerable to mental illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a Yale study. This finding may explain why stress-related mental illnesses occur at least twice as often in women as in men. It also may explain why the discrepancy in prevalence begins in women at puberty, continues through the childbearing years, and then declines in postmenopausal years.
Today, we know a little bit more about one of mankind's deadliest enemies, the mosquito. Scientists have taken an important step toward understanding the mosquito's sense of smell, an avenue of research that may lead to better ways to repel the deadly insect. In a joint effort, researchers at Vanderbilt and Yale universities have verified that the antennae of female Anopheles mosquitoes that prey on humans contain receptors that respond to one of the chemical compounds found in human sweat.
Obesity specialists from physicians and researchers to pharmacologists and psychologists, showed significant anti-fat bias according to a recent Yale study. ?The stigma of obesity is so strong that even those most knowledgeable about the condition infer that obese people have blameworthy behavioral characteristics that contribute to their problem, i.e. being lazy,? said Marlene Schwartz, associate research scientist in the Deparment of Psychology and lead researcher of the study published this month in the journal, Obesity Research. ?Furthermore, these biases extend to core characteristics of intelligence and personal worth.?
A Yale researcher has identified an area of the brain he calls the brain temperature tunnel, which transmits brain temperature to an area of skin and has the potential to prevent death from heat stroke and hypothermia, and detect infectious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The researcher found that a small area of skin near the eyes and the nose is the point of entry for the brain temperature tunnel. His research shows that this area is connected to a thermal storage center in the brain, and the area has the thinnest skin and the highest amount of light energy.
