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A.
Dispelling the Myth of a 'Rootless' Society
Narrator:
This is Science Today. There's a tendency to regard
today's society as being more on the move and less
rooted, geographically, than our great-grandparents
were. But historical records indicate the opposite.
Claude Fischer, a sociologist at the University
of California, Berkeley, says the major reason people
moved in the past was because of financial constraints.
Fischer: Farm failed or there were too many
people trying to live off the same farm or factory
closed down or somebody got flooded out - or people
just had economic hard times. They would move from
place to place - whether it's from Europe to the
United States or within the United States.
Narrator: But Fischer says a lot of those
economic pressures have eased as we've become a
more affluent and mobile society.
Fischer: Back in the 19th Century, when commuting
meant walking basically, if your new job was more
than two miles away, you probably would move. Today
somebody can change jobs, fifty miles may not make
a difference one way or the other, so it's easier
to go from job to job today if you stay in the same
metropolitan area and stay in the same neighborhood.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa
Branin.
B.
A National Campaign to Target Heart Attack Patients
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Media campaigns have helped
increase public awareness of heart attack symptoms
and treatment, but what hasn't changed is the delay
time in seeking help - which can lead to significant
heart damage. Because of this, Kathleen Dracup of
the University of California, San Francisco, is proposing
a national intervention program very much like a fire
drill.
Dracup: The analogy is a very similar one -
if you think about a fire occurring in your house,
the first reaction is panic. You wake up to smoke
and what to do? But the American public has been taught
is rehearse what you would do. And similarly, we believe
that by emotionally rehearsing and giving people the
steps to take in a one-to-one where we can actually
personalize the information, that we may be more successful
than the media campaigns because we're not only dealing
with knowledge, but we're dealing with behavior.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Maintaining Healthy Bones with Fruits & Vegetables
Narrator: This is Science Today. Dietary guidelines
have long recommended eating less animal protein and
more vegetables to prevent heart disease and cancer.
Now, a University of California, San Francisco study
has found this type of diet is also good for bone
health - especially in older women. Dr. Deborah Sellmeyer,
director of the university's Bone Density Clinic,
says women eating more animal protein and fewer vegetables
suffered more bone loss and fractures.
Sellmeyer: I think this study brings out that
there's another area that these fruits and vegetables
are extremely important for and that's bone.
Narrator: Since protein is also vital to bone
health, Sellmeyer says the key is making sure there's
enough room in the diet to work in more fruits and
vegetables.
Sellmeyer: I think where we need to cut back
is start cutting back on some of the baked goods,
some of the fats and the sweets and those extra things
in our diet, which don't get me wrong- they're tasty
and we all enjoy them. But we'd like to start seeing
people maybe cutting back on some of that and starting
to work more of these fruits and vegetables into their
diets.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
An Asthma Study with Major Public Health Implications
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Since the late 1980s, rates
of asthma - especially in children - have been greatly
rising. Kathleen Mortimer, an epidemiologist at the
University of California, Berkeley has recently found
children born prematurely or of low birth weight,
are the most susceptible to smog-induced asthma.
Mortimer: This was the first study that identified
that as a susceptible subgroup as far as I know. I
mean, there's been lots of evidence that in general,
children of low birth weight have more respiratory
problems throughout life and it lasts even until adulthood.
But this was the first one that looked particularly
at air pollution.
Narrator: This study may have major public
health implications because this higher susceptibility
doesn't just affect asthmatic children….
Mortimer: It may be that in the general population,
children who were born low birth weight or premature
also show this greater response and that has a bigger
public health impact because in general, only less
than ten percent of the population has asthma. But
if worldwide or nationwide, children even without
asthma are greater responders if they're premature,
then it hits a bigger population.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
Computer Guided Imaging Benefits Sinus Surgery
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Computer guided imaging systems
are allowing many surgeons to better navigate through
the sinuses during standard endoscopic sinus surgery.
Dr. Brad Strong, an otolaryngology professor at the
University of California, Davis, says image guided
surgery, which displays a three dimensional model
of the patient on a TV monitor, reduces the risk of
complications and allows a more accurate and complete
surgical procedure.
Strong:
It gives us certainly that sense of security when
we're operating using traditional endoscopic-guided
instruments to locate where the sinus cavities openings
and other vital structures like the brain or the eyes
are and then confirm that location on the video monitor.
Narrator: Generally, image guidance is not
crucial for routine sinus surgery.
Strong: Certainly for patients who are having
revision procedures, where the anatomy is distorted,
they're difficult cases or there's something unique
about their anatomy, this is something that certainly
is an added benefit.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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