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Marijuana :: No ‘smoking’ gun – teen marijuana use does not predict drug, alcohol abuse

Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. The study, which found that young men who chose to initiate their drug use with marijuana were no more likely to go on to abuse drugs or alcohol than those who smoked or drank first, calls into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades.

The message in advertising is irrelevant, new research shows

Creativity and emotion are what makes advertising successful, not the message it is trying to get over, new research shows. Dr Robert Heath, from the University of Bath’s School of Management, found that advertisements with high levels of emotional content enhanced how people felt about brands, even when there was no real message.

Healthcare :: Hospital emergency departments vary greatly across country

A database developed by a research team based at Massachusetts General Hospital — the first comprehensive list of emergency departments (EDs) across the country — shows that one-third of all EDs care for less than one patient each hour, on average. The database is the first step in a process that may lead to the development of an ED classification system, similar to what currently exists for trauma centers.

Autism :: Oxytocin’s potential for treatment of two core autism symptom domains

Preliminary new research discussed today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Annual Meeting finds that oxytocin, when administered using intravenous fluid and nasal technology may have significant positive effects on adult autism patients.

Psychiatry :: New direction for development of psychotropic drugs

A panel of academic, industry and government representatives, presenting at the ACNP Annual Meeting, concluded that several factors have impeded the development of novel treatments for mental illness, including: incomplete understanding of the impact of mental illness on the brain; continued skepticism of results from animal models for certain disorders, and an outdated paradigm of treatment and the industry preference toward so-called “me-too” drugs.

Video Games :: Violent video games not good for kids

Adolescents who play violent video games may exhibit lingering effects on brain function, including increased activity in the region of the brain that governs emotional arousal and decreased activity in the brain’s executive function, which is associated with control, focus and concentration, revealed in a study.

Miscarriage :: Underweight women with higher risk of miscarriage

A London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine team revealed that women who are very underweight before they become pregnant are 72% more likely to miscarry in the first three months of pregnancy.

Psychology :: Efforts for whites to appear colorblind may backfire

New research shows that whites often avoid using race to describe other people, particularly in interactions with blacks. However further research reveals that such efforts to appear colorblind and unprejudiced are associated with less-friendly nonverbal behaviors. “By their nonverbal behavior alone, the whites who are trying to appear colorblind to impress their black partners ironically come across as distant and unfriendly,” said Samuel R. Sommers, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University.

Heartburn :: Better screening for people with chronic heartburn, precancer of the esophagus

Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Digestive Health Center are first to report that screening people with chronic heartburn or pre-cancer of the esophagus in an office setting using a “skinny scope” is as accurate, less expensive and less risky than a traditional sedated screening in a procedure room — and patients prefer it. The findings are published online and in print in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Pediatrics :: Pediatric specialists often far from home

Taking your child to a pediatric subspecialist may mean a big-time travel commitment, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health have found.