2008 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
2 December 2008
EEGs show brain differences between poor and rich kids
UC Berkeley researchers have shown for the first time that the brains of low-income children function differently from the brains of high-income kids. In a study recently accepted for publication by the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, scientists at UC Berkeley's Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and the School of Public Health report that normal 9- and 10-year-olds differing only in socioeconomic status have detectable differences in the response of their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is critical for problem solving and creativity.
12 November 2008
Vitamin C lowers levels of heart disease biomarker, finds study, adds to debate of health benefits
A new study led by UC Berkeley researchers adds to the evidence that vitamin C supplements can lower concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), a central biomarker of inflammation that has been shown to be a powerful predictor of heart disease and diabetes. The same study found no benefit from daily doses of vitamin E, another antioxidant.
20 October 2008
Study links higher risk of adult obesity with extra cash from government program
While a poverty-alleviation program launched by the Mexican government that has been modeled in the United States and around the world has led to improved health and cognition outcomes in children, a new study by UC Berkeley researchers says that the cash component of the program has a downside for adults.
27 August 2008
New article says action needed to address growing problem of fish contamination
Shoppers may be getting a lot more than they bargain for when they add fish to their grocery carts. According to the feature article in the latest issue of UC Berkeley's Health Research for Action Perspectives, public health officials are struggling with the dilemma between promoting consumption of high-protein fish and safeguarding the public from the growing risk of seafood contamination.
27 August 2008
New article says action needed to address growing problem of fish contamination
Shoppers may be getting a lot more than they bargain for when they add fish to their grocery carts. According to the feature article in the latest issue of UC Berkeley's Health Research for Action Perspectives, public health officials are struggling with the dilemma between promoting consumption of high-protein fish and safeguarding the public from the growing risk of seafood contamination.
14 July 2008
New light shed on how intracellular pathogens trigger the immune system
Disease-causing microbes like the food-borne bacterium Listeria monocytogenes specialize in invading and replicating inside their animal hosts' own cells, making them particularly tricky to defeat. Now, a new study led by biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified a molecular alarm system in which the intracellular pathogen sends out signals that kick the immune response into gear.
28 April 2008
New analysis finds day care attendance early in life cuts childhood leukemia risk by about 30 percent
Children who attend day care or play groups have about a 30 percent lower risk of developing the most common type of childhood leukemia than those who do not, according to a new analysis of studies investigating the link.
21 April 2008
Low cortisol levels found in kids whose mothers who show signs of depression
A new study of young children living in extreme poverty found that those whose mothers showed symptoms of depression had low levels of cortisol, a hormone activated during times of stress, compared with children whose mothers did not exhibit depressive symptoms.
1 April 2008
New study finds glamorization of drugs in rap music jumped dramatically over two decades
A new study finds that references to illegal drug use in rap music jumped sixfold in the two decades since 1979, the year Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" hit the charts and introduced to a mainstream audience a music genre born from inner-city America.
19 March 2008
Folate intake linked to genetic abnormalities in sperm, says new study
Healthy men who report lower levels of the nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
6 March 2008
Extra cash from government program linked to better child development, new study says
Children in impoverished families that received an extra amount of cold, hard cash from a government support program were taller, less likely to be overweight, and scored higher on cognitive, motor and language tests, compared with kids in families that received less money, says a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
26 February 2008
Strong community networks linked to fewer recurring heart problems, new study finds
Home may be where the heart is, but it could be one's surrounding community that helps keep the ticker healthy, according to a new study led by researchers at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Specifically, the study found, low-income patients with existing heart problems are significantly less likely to have another heart attack or a recurrence of chest pain if they live in a county with higher measures of trust, cooperation and social networks - something researchers call "social capital." This was true even after researchers accounted for such factors as gender, age, race or ethnicity, and the existence of other concurrent health problems.
17 January 2008
UC policy report says chemical exposures cost state estimated $2.6 billion
Serious gaps in existing laws regulating the production and use of hazardous chemicals fail to protect public health and the environment, according to a new report released Jan. 17 by researchers at UC Berkeley, and UCLA. As a result of this inadequate oversight, chemical and pollution-related diseases among children and workers in California cost the state's insurers, businesses and families an estimated $2.6 billion in direct and indirect costs, says the report, which includes a set of recommended policy reforms for the state.