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A.
Childhood Obesity Reaching Epidemic Proportions
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Type 2 diabetes, which was
once considered 'adult-onset', is now being diagnosed
among children and teenagers. That's partly because
an estimated fifteen percent of children and teens
aged six to nineteen are overweight - and the rate
of childhood obesity is on the rise. In fact, Joanne
Ikeda, co-director of the Center for Weight and
Health at the University of California, Berkeley,
says it's becoming an epidemic.
Ikeda:
So if you have a child who is large, you need to
ask your doctor to be sure to check their blood
sugar levels.
Narrator:
While some kids may be more genetically susceptible
to Type 2 diabetes, another contributing factor
to the disease is a sedentary lifestyle.
Ikeda:
When it's recess time, you often find the large
children sitting on the sidelines, rather than running
around and playing. It's really very important that
children who are large and who have a parent or
a relative with Type 2 diabetes become more physically
active.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Inflammatory Protein Strongly Linked to Heart Disease
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Researchers at the University
of California, San Francisco have discovered the earliest,
molecular steps of pregnancy - when a human embryo
attaches to the uterus. Dr. Susan Fisher, who led
the research, says this discovery may help contribute
to the understanding of the placental defects associated
with preeclampsia, the most common cause of maternal
death in developed countries.
Fisher:
It's characterized by a sudden increase in maternal
blood pressure, sudden onset of high blood pressure
with no history in the women of high blood pressure
episodes previously. Vascular damage and the fetus
stops growing.
Narrator:
Fisher's
previous research has shown that the roots of preeclampsia
lie very early in pregnancy, most related to faulty
adhesion of the placenta to the uterine wall.
Fisher:
So by discovering the earliest steps in placentation,
we hope to be able to determine if defects in these
early steps lead to faulty adhesion that we see later
in preeclampsia.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
A Surprising Finding in the Life Expectancy Gap Between
Races
Narrator:
This is Science Today. UCLA researchers have identified
that hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, accounts
for 15% of the life expectancy gap between blacks
and whites- making it the leading contribution. Mitchell
Wong, an assistant professor of medicine, led the
study and says that these findings were surprising.
Wong:
Looking at the differences in life expectancy between
blacks and whites, we were surprised to see that hypertension
was number one. We in fact expected that heart attacks
would be number one - basically because it's the leading
cause of death among both blacks and whites.
Narrator:
Wong says that hypertension's effect on younger populations
accounts for the gap.
Wong:
Hypertension
is often considered a contributing disease. But in
fact, really hypertension is the underlying cause
for many people and although it's a less common cause,
it does cause death perhaps because hypertension starts
at a much younger age and thus can cause death at
a younger age. But the good news is that some primary
prevention - meaning, screening - and change in behaviors
that promote or make certain diseases more likely
- we can do quite a lot.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
A Way to 'LINC' Prediction Models with Cities During
Disaster
Narrator:This
is Science Today. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory are working to provide cities
with a quick ability to predict the path of biological,
chemical or radioactive releases into the atmosphere.
Lab scientist John Nasstrom says their project works
by linking advanced Internet technology with three-dimensional
atmospheric models.
Nasstrom:
We're starting a project called LINC, which is deploying
this capability to local government agencies such
as cities and counties. Seattle is our pilot city.
You can envision all kinds of applications where there
might be interested in 'what if' scenarios for radiological
dispersal devices or anthrax releases or sarin releases
and they can do those calculations by accessing our
computers here in Livermore automatically over the
Internet and we provide them tools that display the
results over the roads, fire stations, hospitals,
water bodies, political boundaries, those kinds of
things.
Narrator:
The
ultimate goal is to have an integrated system, tying
in cities, counties, states and federal agencies.
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
Surgical Technology that Improves Performance and
Patient Safety
Narrator:
This is Science Today. The new UCLA Center for Advanced
Surgical and Interventional Technology, or CASIT,
is increasing safety in the operating room with advancements
in virtual imaging and robotic surgery. Dr. Carlos
Gracia, the co-director of CASIT, explains how surgical
imaging technology is improving performance and patient
safety.
Gracia:You
take your patient's CAT Scan, you put it through a
software program that creates your patient's virtual
world in front of a monitor on the robot, and now
you're actually rehearsing, practicing, preparing
the operation on your patient-not just some generic,
computer world.
Narrator:
Gracia says this imaging technology allows the surgeon
to program in "danger zones," such as areas
where there might be critical blood vessels, making
it impossible for the instrument to enter those places.
Gracia:
That
has great implications for patient's safety and for
training. Doctors will be able to map out a safety
area-a zone of safety where a student doctor or surgeon
would be able to operate safely.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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