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A..
Researchers Develop a Quick Plague Detection System
Narrator:
This is Science Today. When most people hear the
word 'plague', they invariably think of the infamous
Black Death that swept through Europe in the Middle
Ages, killing up to forty percent of the population.
But plague is still around today. However, unlike
the Middle Ages, Bert Weinstein of the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory says it's very treatable
with antibiotics if detected early enough. One of
the drawbacks has been that it would take about
a week to test for the disease. But now Weinstein
and a team of researchers at the Lab have developed
a system that detects plague in a matter of hours.
Weinstein:
So that's the value of what of what we're trying to
do - develop diagnostics that let us recognize these
diseases early while they can be treated, while you
can intervene, both to treat the people that have
been exposed and to prevent other people from getting
exposed.
Narrator:
A quick detection system would be also be useful
in the case of bioterrorism.
Weinstein:
Many of the bioterrorism agents are very treatable
if you recognize early what's happening and also
if you recognize early what's happening you can
prevent the spread.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
A West Coast Tree Disease Can Potentially Spread East
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A disease that's killed many
thousands of trees on the West Coast can potentially
move east. Dr. David Rizzo, a plant pathologist at
the University of California, Davis, says sudden oak
death was first discovered in California in 1995.
It since killed tens of thousands of coastal oak varieties
and Rizzo says there's evidence that the same fungus
responsible for sudden oak death was also found in
Europe on rhododendrons as early as 1993.
Rizzo: We are now collaborating
with colleagues in Europe to compare side by side
the fungus from California and the fungus from Europe
to definitively say they are the same thing. At this
stage of the game, the evidence suggests that they
are the same thing.
Narrator: This suggests the disease
could spread - especially by hiking shoes or car tires
that are carrying contaminated soil.
Rizzo:
So if somebody is doing off road driving and getting
mud in the tires, before they head to an area that
does not have the disease, they should probably run
their car through a car wash to get the mud off their
tires.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Why Dentists Should be Aware of People at Risk of
Stroke
Narrator:
This is Science Today. People at risk of having at
stroke can find out if they're in danger while sitting
in the dentist's chair. Dr. Arthur Friedlander of
UCLA's School of Dentistry has conducted a recent
study demonstrating that panoramic x-rays used in
many dental offices, can detect the hardening of the
arteries in the neck that may lead to a stroke.
Friedlander:
Not infrequently in high risk patients - those
in their fifties, sixties and above - with high blood
pressure and a history of smoking may on their dental
x-rays, have areas that appear white.
Narrator:
These white areas are frequently plaque, which if
broken off, can float up towards the brain, blocking
oxygen and causing a stroke. According to Friedlander's
study, dentists should be especially observant when
examining post-menopausal women because strokes are
a major cause of death in that group.
Friedlander:
Once having identified these lesions, it's incumbent
upon the dentist to refer the patient back to their
family physician for confirmation of the diagnosis
and for the management of the disorder.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Profit-making Nursing Homes are More Likely than Non-Profits
to Have Poor Quality Care
Narrator:
This is Science Today. About two-thirds of all nursing
homes in this country are profit-making and a new
study has found that these institutions are more likely
than their non-profit counterparts to be cited for
deficient quality care. Study author Charlene Harrington,
a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the
University of California, San Francisco says that's
because profit-making nursing homes often have inadequate
staffing for patients.
Harrington:
We found from national data on nursing homes is that
only thirty-six percent of every dollar in a nursing
home goes to the staff that are giving the direct
care. So there's twenty-seven percent going off in
administrative cost and a lot going off for paying
for the building and so on.
Narrator:
Harrington says this brings up the issue of accountability.
Harrington:
Because they're being paid, largely by government,
about sixty-five percent of every dollar comes from
government and yet, the services are not being provided.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
A Rising Trend of Adults at Play is a Good Thing
Narrator:
This is Science Today. There have been recent media
reports that across the nation, some adults are returning
to the games of their youth, including kick-ball and
dodge-ball. While some may laugh at the thought, this
type of adult play is what University of California,
San Francisco psychiatrist Lenore Terr calls one of
the essentials of life.
Terr:
Freud had been asked many, many years ago what made
a normal adult and Freud said, "the ability to
love and work." Now that was 19th Century Vienna
talking and in the 21st Century America, we have to
say to love, to work and to play.
Narrator:
But Terr says that doesn't just mean sports. Play
can be defined as anything done just for the fun of
it and can give people fulfillment, make them more
flexible and Terr says can even save some marriages.
Terr:
I think that a lot of marriages fall apart because
the play aspect of the marriage isn't good enough.
It is difficult because men and women play differently
and that they traditionally have different ways of
playing. I think that in long-term relationships,
they have to compromise and find some ways of play
that they both enjoy.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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