News to Live By - Fall 2005

Where TVs Don't Make the Grade

Elementary school students who had TVs in their bedrooms scored significantly lower on school achievement tests than those without their own TVs, according to a new study by researchers from the Bloomberg School and Stanford. By contrast, having a computer in the home was associated with higher test scores, reports Dina Borzekowski, EdD, assistant professor of Population and Family Health Sciences, and colleagues in the July 4 Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

New Promise for Treating Asthma?

Shyam Biswal, PhD, assistant professor, Environmental Health Sciences, and colleagues have pinpointed a single gene whose absence worsens asthma attacks in mice, a finding that could hold therapeutic potential for treating asthma in humans. Their report is in the July 4 Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Moody Moms-to-Be Don't Always Eat Well

Women who feel fatigued, stressed and anxious during pregnancy tend to eat more, particularly carbohydrates. The upside: more consumption of some micronutrients. The downside: a decrease in folate and vitamin C, reports Laura Caulfield, PhD, associate professor, International Health, and colleagues in the June Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Keeps HIV at Bay

When African infants of HIV-infected mothers were fed nothing but breast milk, they had only a quarter the risk of contracting HIV through mother's milk than infants who also received some solid foods or animal milk, reports Jean Humphrey, ScD '92, MSPH, associate professor, International Health, and colleagues in the April 29 AIDS.

New Thinking on Mercury in Elderly?

A study of adults aged 50 to 70 with relatively low blood mercury levels showed the toxicant was not consistently associated with adverse performance on a broad range of cognitive tests, according to Megan Weil, MHS '01, a recent PhD graduate in Environmental Health Sciences, and colleagues in the April 20 JAMA.

Drug-Resistant Bacteria on Poultry Products

Meat products from poultry companies not using antibiotics during production were significantly less likely to contain antibiotic-resistant, pathogenic bacteria than meat from those that do, according to Lance Price, a doctoral candidate and fellow at the School's Center for a Livable Future, and colleagues in an article published online in Environmental Health Perspectives.