A. A New Laser Disc
Treatment For Astigmatism
Narrator: This is Science Today. A new laser
disc technology has recently been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration to correct astigmatism.
This optic condition is caused by an elongated cornea
that distorts or blurs vision. Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler
of UCLA says the laser disc can be used during the
LASIK procedure, which is a laser eye surgery designed
to correct nearsightedness.
Boxer Wachler: People know that we can correct
nearsightedness but this laser disc technology has
only been available since March of 1998, so a lot
of people don't realize that we can correct astigmatism
with a laser as well.
Narrator: Astigmatism is melted away in
seconds using the laser disc technique.
Boxer Wachler: The laser disc is a very
specialized piece of equipment that actually fits
into the laser itself and the little disc has the
astigmatism correction on it for the patient's eye
and as the laser then comes down, this little disc
is reshaping it to correct the astigmatism as well
as the nearsightedness which the laser was programmed
for.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa
Branin.
B. Uncovering The Secret Of Happiness
Narrator: This is Science Today. It seems
the sometimes elusive road to happiness may be found
by not comparing yourself to others. Research conducted
by Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University
of California, Riverside, found unhappy people tend
to be much more influenced by social comparisons.
Lyubomirsky: Every day in our lives, we're
inundated with information about how other people
are faring, relative to us. By other people's successes
and failures, their personalities, their lifestyles,
how much money they make, how attractive they are.
People who are unhappy are much more influenced
by this kind of information. They think about it
a great deal and that makes them even more unhappy.
People who are happy, while they can not ignore
information about how people are doing, they don't
worry about it too much, they just focus on themselves.
Narrator: The key for unhappy people is
not to dwell.
Lyubormirsky: If you find yourself thinking
about how your friend is more attractive than you
are or your colleague is making more money than
you are - distract yourself. Think about something
else. Do something engaging or fun.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa
Branin.
C. A Tuberculosis Molecule May
Help Heart Attack Patients
Narrator: This is Science Today. A chemical
found in tuberculosis may greatly reduce the amount
of damage the heart sustains after a heart attack.
Dr. Marcus Horwitz, a professor of medicine at UCLA,
says exochelins, a chemical produced by a bacteria
that causes TB, prevents the second phase of a heart
attack known as reperfusion injury.
Horwitz: Reperfusion injury occurs because
white blood cells migrate from the blood into the
heart tissue that has been deprived of blood flow
and they release very toxic oxygen molecules and
those molecules damage the heart cells and they
can lead to congestive heart failure or death if
there's enough damage.
Narrator: This damage can not occur without
a chemical reaction involving iron and since the
TB molecule specifically seeks out iron, reperfusion
injury is prevented.
Horwitz: There would be no danger of TB
from the molecule. It would just be produced by
the TB organism and in fact in practice it would
be synthesized, it wouldn't even come from the organism.
Narrator: If further tests prove successful,
Horwitz could start human trials within a year.
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D. The Magic Trees Of The Mind
Narrator: This is Science Today. A brain
at any age benefits from enrichment. Marian Diamond,
a professor and brain researcher at the University
of California, Berkeley, says that's because dendrites
- the branches on nerve cells - flourish with stimulation.
Diamond: When we stimulate a nerve cell,
the branches grow just like the fingers unwinding
from a folded hand and when we cut out the input
to that nerve cell, you lose those branches.
Narrator: Diamond has studied the brains
of rats for over 30 years and although the young
benefit the most, rats of all ages grow these new
branches when stimulated.
Diamond: Providing they were healthy, had
good diets, had clean conditions and so forth and
a minimum of stress as far as we know, we could
stimulate the branches of the nerve cells which
receive the stimuli that are coming in. These are
the receptive surface, so the more branches that
you have, the more options the nerve cell can take.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa
Branin.
E. The Good Side of Electromagnetic
Fields
Narrator: This is Science Today. Electromagnetic
fields, or EMFs, are most often in the news for
their possible link to certain cancers. But Richard
Luben, a professor of biomedical sciences at the
University of California, Riverside, says EMFs do
have good points in biology.
Luben: EMFs are used to stimulate the healing
of bone fractures. At the moment people are working
hard on trying to develop new applications of helping
bones keep their density. Osteoporosis, which is
a big health concern, may be treatable at least
partly. And pain perception can be altered by EMF
treatment, there's evidence that nerve healing may
be influenced by EMF treatment.
Narrator: In such a medical setting, high
doses of EMFs are given, but not enough to hurt
anyone.
Luben: It's directed in such a way and it
has the kinds of frequency and wave form characteristics
that makes it a positive influence on health rather
than a possible risk.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa
Branin.
