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A.
The Biology Behind Drug Addiction
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Evidence that drug addiction
has a biological basis is being studied at the University
of California, San Francisco. Dr. Robert Malenka,
a professor of psychiatry, says drug addiction is
now viewed by many scientists as a biological brain
disorder, similar to depression.
Malenka: Obviously, it's not just biology.
There's incredibly important environmental influences,
individual psychological differences that contribute
to whether somebody becomes addicted or not, I mean
those influences are clearly incredibly important.
Narrator: But Malenka says so are biological
influences. Clinical studies have found drugs of
abuse can activate neural circuits in the brain
responsible for a natural reward process.
Malenka: A natural reward is associated with
feelings of warmth - filling up your stomach when
you eat food. The thought is that a drug of abuse
sort of goes in there, interacts with these neural
circuits and activates them, but in an unnatural
way.
Narrator: Chronic intake of drugs seems to
alter the natural reward process permanently. For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Lead Poisoning: A Silent Enemy
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Although Congress banned the
use of lead paint back in 1971, there are still about
57 million homes in the country which are contaminated
with lead based paints. But Los Alamos National Laboratory
researcher, Chuck Wilkerson says paint flakes are
not the only way children get lead in their system.
Wilkerson: Certainly having the lead flakes
is a higher source in terms of concentration of lead,
but it's not the only one they're exposed to as constantly.
With the reduction of the amount of use of lead in
fuels, lead in the environment has decreased a lot,
but there's still so many places industrially, that
lead is used.
Narrator: Once in the atmosphere, this lead
is deposited in the soil and inhaled, which can lead
to a variety of very serious physical and mental problems.
Wilkerson:It
has been shown to decrease the IQ of developing children.
It's been shown to cause behavioral problems. It's
been shown to affect neuro-muscular development. It's
been shown to affect blood production. And so it's
a very, very serious problem.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Estrogen's Effects On The Brain
Narrator: This is Science Today. The hormone
estrogen has recently been suggested to have an effect
on Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Gary Small, director of
UCLA's Center on Aging and a professor of psychiatry
says estrogen seems to increase memory in patients
who already have Alzheimer's.
Small: In addition to that, there are epidemiological
observational studies where it seems that women who
take estrogen have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer's
Disease.
Narrator: UCLA is currently involved in a multi-site
study on estrogen's effects on the brain, including
it's seeming role as an anti-depressant.
Small: I think it's an exciting time to be
looking at estrogen effects on the brain. There's
greater recognition of some of the mental problems
affecting women as they age and certainly depression
and cognitive impairment are the major problems that
older women face and estrogen may help them deal with
some of these problems.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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D.
Increasing The Range Of Laser Surgery
Narrator:This
is Science Today. You may have heard about those new
laser dental drills, which actually cut through hard
tissue more efficiently and less painfully. Well,
UCLA School of Dentistry professor Roy Eversole says
these new types of laser systems don't have to be
limited to just teeth.
Eversole: It is very, very effective in cutting
bone. We see that these systems have wide applicability
in plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, podiatric
surgery with a system that is number one, basically
bloodless. It doesn't char. It doesn't burn, it doesn't
heat up the tissue. It's very, very clean.
Narrator: Eversole says as a surgical device,
using laser technology with hard tissue is minimally
invasive and would probably minimize complications
in wound healing.
Eversole: I think this new system, although
it's first developed for dentistry, will become a
very important surgical tool for really precise, little
micro-surgical things in the medical fields.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
What Couples Should Know About Fertility
Narrator:
This is Science Today. About 15 percent of American
couples have trouble conceiving a child. According
to male fertility specialist Paul Turek of the University
of California, San Francisco, about 40 percent of
the problem is male related and since it's sometimes
easily correctable, Turek says it's important for
a man to see a specialist.
Turek:
: It's just as important that the man go see someone
who knows a lot about him as the woman goes to see
someone who knows a lot about her. Now women tend
to be more proactive about it, take care of themselves
better medically. Men sort of have a cultural problem
because they have to work hard and have to make money
and they can't be weak or ill because then things
will fall apart, supposedly .
Narrator: But Turek says about one out of five
men don't know the proper techniques of conceiving
a child, so simple counseling can greatly help.
Turek: What kinds of lubricants do you use,
avoiding hot tubs, all things in moderation. Keeping
healthy overall, exercising, you know eating a good
diet makes good reproductive sense, too. A healthy
body is a healthy reproductive body.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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