http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- If you've ever tried to quit smoking, understanding how you got hooked in the first place probably seems irrelevant. But University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychologist Rick Bevins believes those first experiences play a key role in nicotine's grip on you today, and understanding that role will eventually help you quit. http://www.physorg.com/news180633033.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:01:15 EST news180633033 Depression and other emotional symptoms in survivors of torture and other traumatic experiences may be exacerbated by the effects of head injuries, according to a study from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT), based in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry. In the November 2009 Archives of General Psychiatry, the researchers report finding structural changes in the brains of former South Vietnamese political detainees who had suffered head injuries and clearly link those changes to psychiatric symptoms often seen in survivors of torture. http://www.physorg.com/news176734861.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:24:36 EST news176734861 Having children improves married peoples' life satisfaction and the more they have, the happier they are. For unmarried individuals, raising children has little or no positive effect on their happiness. These findings by Dr. Luis Angeles from the University of Glasgow in the UK have just been published online in Springer's Journal of Happiness Studies. http://www.physorg.com/news175861714.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:29:01 EST news175861714 As the national conversation about healthcare reform engages millions of Americans, a new Brandeis study sheds light on the values of medical faculty who train the nation's physicians and lead in health care and research in the U.S. The study, published this week in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, shows that faculty values regarding clinical care, education, community service and research correlate well with the stated missions of their institutions, but that in some instances, the institutions fall short of "practicing what they preach." http://www.physorg.com/news175177594.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:50:02 EST news175177594 (PhysOrg.com) -- A consortium led by UC Davis physics professor Robert Svoboda will design the world's largest neutrino detector under a $4.4 million contract recently awarded by the National Science Foundation. http://www.physorg.com/news174731920.html Physics Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:49:21 EST news174731920 A new neurosurgical procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally safe and provided significant improvement of depressive symptoms in a small group of patients, according to lead researcher Ziad Nahas, M.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina. The data are reported in the on-line issue of Biological Psychiatry. http://www.physorg.com/news174665333.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:40:20 EST news174665333 The National Institutes of Health has awarded Rush University Medical Center approximately $5.5 million in grants to study how epigenetic changes - chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures - define and contribute to memory formation and cognitive decline. Results from the studies could profoundly alter the way the medical community understands, diagnoses, and treats Alzheimer's disease, according to the researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news173552904.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:20:01 EST news173552904 Children who live in Afghanistan are particularly affected every day by a multitude of war time stressors which increase the likelihood of developing PTSD: trauma, child labor, and family and military violence. On a daily basis they are first-hand witnesses to the bombings, abuse, and the general upheaval of their home life and society as a result of war, including the effects of long-term poverty and familial turmoil. http://www.physorg.com/news164973652.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:10:01 EST news164973652 A recent surge in immigration rates has led psychologists to study how these families are coping and thriving in their adopted countries. In a special June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association, researchers report that close family ties are crucial for immigrants' successful transition to their new country. http://www.physorg.com/news163335051.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:51:15 EST news163335051 Despite advances in computer graphics, few people would think virtual characters or objects are real. Yet placed in a virtual reality environment most people will interact with them as if they are really there. European researchers are finding out why. http://www.physorg.com/news161251636.html Technology Mon, 11 May 2009 09:09:15 EST news161251636 In sub-Saharan Africa, the issue of infertility is often obscured by the region's high fertility rates. Though problematic, particularly for women, little is known about how different regions understand and respond to infertility or how coping mechanisms differ. New research by Marida Hollos, a Brown University anthropologist, investigates the cultural context and consequences of infertility within two high-fertility populations in Nigeria. The findings, published this month in Social Science and Medicine, illustrate how the stigma of infertility can disadvantage many aspects of a woman's life - from the inability to participate in certain activities to determining where and how she is ultimately buried. http://www.physorg.com/news159699827.html Other Sciences Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:04:18 EST news159699827 School-aged children who witness violence in urban communities show symptoms of post-traumatic stress. They also suffer physiological effects with a disruption to their normal cortisol production pattern during the day, which may have long-term negative effects on their health. According to Dr. Shakira Franco Suglia, from the Harvard School of Public Health, and her team lead by Dr. Rosalind J. Wright from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, because these children are not diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, these abnormal physiological symptoms are unlikely to be picked up by their doctors. The study1 has just been published online in Springer's International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news159541020.html Medicine & Health Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:57:58 EST news159541020 (PhysOrg.com) -- Want to know what will make you happy? Then ask a total stranger -- or so says a new study from Harvard University, which shows that another person's experience is often more informative than your own best guess. http://www.physorg.com/news156692570.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:43:20 EST news156692570 Should I spend money on a vacation or a new computer? Will an experience or an object make me happier? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it depends on different factors, including how materialistic you are. http://www.physorg.com/news154630684.html Other Sciences Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:58:30 EST news154630684 Growing up with a heroin-addicted parent exposes children to a variety of detrimental experiences before the age of 18 and new research indicates that girls are four times more resilient than boys in overcoming such adverse events. http://www.physorg.com/news153580111.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:09:28 EST news153580111 It matters whether you give your loved one a material gift or an experience for Valentine's Day, say researchers at The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business and Washington University in St. Louis. http://www.physorg.com/news153574928.html Other Sciences Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:42:52 EST news153574928 Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases? A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them. The findings will be presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting on Feb. 7. http://www.physorg.com/news153300326.html Medicine & Health Sun, 08 Feb 2009 07:26:09 EST news153300326 Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation. http://www.physorg.com/news152213411.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:30:41 EST news152213411 If a vacation starts out bad and gets better, you'll have a more positive memory than if it starts out good and gets worse -if you're asked about it right afterward, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news152205761.html Other Sciences Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:23:11 EST news152205761 It is common knowledge that when something becomes scarce, its value goes up. This concept does not just apply to material goods -time can be an extremely valuable commodity, especially when it is in short supply. According to a new study, thinking that we have a limited amount of time remaining to participate in an activity makes us appreciate the activity that much more and motivates us to make the most of it. http://www.physorg.com/news150993252.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:34:12 EST news150993252 (PhysOrg.com) -- Elizabeth Goldring smiles as she shows a visitor photos she's taken - and can see - with her blind eye. http://www.physorg.com/news150990251.html Technology Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:44:11 EST news150990251 Looking at yourself in the mirror every morning, you never think to question whether the person you see is actually you. You feel familiar -at home with your own unique self image. After all, you have been sporting the same old face for years. An innovative study published December 24, 2008 in the online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, by Dr Manos Tsakiris, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, challenges this common-sense notion about our own self image. The study shows for the first time that the image we hold of our own face can actually change through shared experiences with other people's faces. http://www.physorg.com/news150543530.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:38:50 EST news150543530 (PhysOrg.com) -- All spiritual experiences are based in the brain. That statement is truer than ever before, according to a University of Missouri neuropsychologist. An MU study has data to support a neuropsychological model that proposes spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain. The study is one of the first to use individuals with traumatic brain injury to determine this connection. Researchers say the implication of this connection means people in many disciplines, including peace studies, health care or religion can learn different ways to attain selflessness, to experience transcendence, and to help themselves and others. http://www.physorg.com/news148736876.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:47:56 EST news148736876 That unforgettable honeymoon has a special place in your memory -- so specialthat you might be reluctant to try to repeat it. A new study in the Journal ofConsumer Research says people tend to treat their memories of previous specialexperiences as assets to be protected. http://www.physorg.com/news146140316.html Other Sciences Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:31:56 EST news146140316 A study surveying patients in more than 1,500 physician practices has found racial and ethnic disparities in patient health-care experiences, with minority patients having worse experiences than white patients. The findings suggest that while all doctors should be attentive to differences in patient experiences, Hispanic, Native American, and black patients are often visiting physician practices that are less patient-centered. The study, which was led by a health services researcher at the University of Washington, appears in the October issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news144434210.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:36:50 EST news144434210 Hypnosis can induce synaesthetic experiences - where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another - according to a new study by UCL (University College London) researchers. The findings suggests that people with synaesthesia, contrary to popular belief, do not necessarily have extra connections in their brain; rather, their brains may simply do more 'cross talking' and this can be induced by changing inhibitory processes in the average brain. http://www.physorg.com/news143889431.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:17:11 EST news143889431