Getting Better: 200 Years of Medicine

To celebrate 200 years of the publication of the New England Journal of Medicine, a 45-minute documentary explores three remarkable stories of medical progress that have taken place over the course of the long history of NEJM.  In 1812, we had no understanding of infectious disease, surgery was unsanitary and performed without anesthesia, and cancer was unrecognized. Two centuries later, this film tells the story of research, clinical practice, and patient care, and of how we have continued to get better over the last 200 years. 


Le Beaumont team salutes to all the pioneers and people who participated in the grueling process of research and pioneering work. We are conducting an equally important research in early brain development which helps to reduce the occurrence of  autism & language impairment, and to better realize the potential of new born babies in IQ, EQ & LQ. 


Getting Better: 200 Years of Medicine
Part 1  The Rise of Surgery
http://nejm200.nejm.org/explore/medical-documentary-video/?v=1
Part 2   Targeting Cancer: The Story of Leukemia
http://nejm200.nejm.org/explore/medical-documentary-video/?v=2
Part 3   The Plague of Our Time: HIV/AIDS Epidemic
http://nejm200.nejm.org/explore/medical-documentary-video/?v=3

Bronze Age Facebook

Large clusters of rock art spanning thousands of years but located at the same site may hold key to detecting massive cultural changes in prehistoric hunter-gatherers of the north.

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/bronze-age-facebook/

First 3D Movie of Orgasm in the Female Brain

By MAIA SZALAVITZ | @maiasz | December 1, 2011 | 22

An orgasm has now been imaged in 3D video in the brain as it happens — and for possibly the first time in the history of science, women came first.

The video, which was presented at the recent Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C., is the first to look at the exact order in which women’s brain regions are activated in the progression that culminates in sexual climax. The findings have not yet been peer reviewed for publication.

While this may seem like a silly line of research, in fact, understanding how the brain experiences the most pleasurable sensations may be essential for figuring out what underlies conditions in which desire and motivation go awry, like addiction and depression.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/01/first-3d-movie-of-orgasm-in-the-female-brain/#ixzz1yJcQhWGH

Time has changed. Young parents need support

英國首相卡梅倫推出每名新生兒父母可獲100鎊(約1200元)學券，報讀育兒課程。
育兒課程，更新育兒知識，交換經驗，避免像語障、智障、自閉等可預防的嚴重發育問題。育兒課程，價值難以計算，卻最受父母忽略。


Kristal Tips 
COMMENT NUMBER 350 IS ANEDITORS' PICK
18TH MAY 2012 - 15:22

In generations gone by, most families lived in extended families, knew everyone in the neighbourhood and had a mum at home full time. Things are harder now, we all live more independently of each other, everyone has to be able to do everything (career and home). Support networks of "other older mums" to chat with aren't there. These groups help to compensate for that.

Stormin Norman 
COMMENT NUMBER 290 IS ANEDITORS' PICK
18TH MAY 2012 - 14:45

In school we used to have a class called "Home Economics" that would teach us lifeskills like cooking and sewing etc (both boys and girls). I don't see why we cant add in new stuff like balancing a budget, parenting etc.
I really benefitted from the cooking classes. My own mother used to use frozen pre-packaged foods all the time and never made anything from scratch. Classes are awesome!

 Itakethatback 
COMMENT NUMBER 136 IS ANEDITORS' PICK
18TH MAY 2012 - 13:30

Well, without any parenting classes we had 4 kids. They grew up into sane(ish) decent, middle aged individuals with jobs. Our parents brought up 2 kids each seemingly without too much trauma & difficulty. Our kids only have 3 between them & they have grown into selfish demanding teenagers who expect to be waited upon & given all they desire. Perhaps the problem is deeper than parenting classes.

Bubonic 
COMMENT NUMBER 48 IS ANEDITORS' PICK
18TH MAY 2012 - 12:55

I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent and capable in terms of parental responsibility. I learned a lot from ante-natal classes and from the health workers who visited. I would attend good quality, ongoing parent training. It's not Nanny State, it's part of responsible supportive society. Any parent who says they have nothing to learn about parenting is, in my opinion, delusional.

CatEssex 
COMMENT NUMBER 46 IS ANEDITORS' PICK
18TH MAY 2012 - 12:54

Well its not compulsory, so I am not sure about it being "nanny state".
There are probably some people out there that could do with some help and support, nothing wrong in that.
Perhaps we will see less children growing up entering a life of crime and wanting to be a part of society.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18114587?postId=112562425#comment_112562425

Exercise Affects the Brain

"In the last several years there have been data suggesting that neurobiological changes are happening -- [there are] very brain-specific mechanisms at work here," says Bucci, an associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

From his studies, Bucci and his collaborators have revealed important new findings:

• The effects of exercise are different on memory as well as on the brain, depending on whether the exerciser is an adolescent or an adult.
• A gene has been identified which seems to mediate the degree to which exercise has a beneficial effect. This has implications for the potential use of exercise as an intervention for mental illness.

"The implication is that exercising during development, as your brain is growing, is changing the brain in concert with normal developmental changes, resulting in your having more permanent wiring of the brain in support of things like learning and memory," says Bucci. "It seems important to [exercise] early in life."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120518132812.htm

Delay school entry until six

Delay school entry until six, researchers urge

By Katherine SellgrenBBC News education reporter

Children in England - and the rest of the UK - start school earlier than their European peers

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Early years learning measures cut
• Review backs later formal lessons
• More choice on school start age

Schooling in England should not start until the age of six because having formal lessons too early can put bright children off learning, research claims.

Formal lessons should be delayed at least a year, says Dr Richard House, of the Research Centre for Therapeutic Education at Roehampton University.

Dr House is calling on the government to slow down the "premature adultification" of children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18084204

[This refers to formal education, which is very adultish, not playgroups which engage infants and toddlers, and encourage them to explore the world around them. Sam]

Phonological awareness training

University of Luxembourg research exploring language learning revealed that acquiring an unfamiliar second language requires the ability to analyse speech sounds in words, which has implications for curriculum in preschool.

Learning (an unfamiliar language) represents a cognitively challenging task. Study findings, published on 15 May 2012 in the Journal of Educational Psychology, have implications in the teaching of second languages.

Dr. Pascale Engel de Abreu found that for young Luxembourgish-speaking children, French words contain unfamiliar sounds and sound combinations, which means children need to first recognise and analyse the individual sounds to efficiently learn the new word. Research findings suggest that basic phonological processing abilities are an important springboard to the success of learning a second language with an unfamiliar sound structure.


"Phonological awareness training should be an explicit part of the curriculum in preschool and early elementary school."


http://www.innovation.public.lu/en/actualites/2012/05/german-french-learning/index.html

Childhood obesity

UK surveys have shown that more than one in five children are overweight or obese by the time they start school. “Little research has looked at how best to protect the health of bottle-fed babies, who gain weight rapidly and tend to be at higher risk of childhood obesity,” said Wareham. It turns out that many mothers lack information about how best to bottle-feed their babies and mistakes in feed preparation are common. 
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/unhealthy-diet-and-physical-inactivity-understanding-these-silent-killers/

Early learning costs money

Early learning costs money, but if we don’t make the investment while children are young, the costs become much greater later on. The same research showing the academic benefits of quality early childhood education also shows that a lack of early learning increases the likelihood of academic failure, dropping out of high school and teen pregnancy. Those stumbling blocks often lead to crime, substance abuse and reliance on public assistance.

Ted Kleisner

All businesses need access to creative, reliable employees, and we are working to assure a vibrant talent pool, now and in the future. 

I don’t believe that those skills are innate. They develop when parents and teachers work together to immerse children in an environment of enrichment.  As Pennsylvanians, we can point with pride to our support for quality early childhood education. Our state’s system to fund and set high standards for early learning is considered a model for the nation.

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/05/early_learning_costs_are_worth.html

Talk to your baby (1)

Speech is powerful. Because a baby's brain is constantly developing, connections in the brain will increase and become stronger each time he or she hears new (or familiar) words. These connections are responsible for learning.

A baby's brain makes most of its language pathways during the first three years of life. A 3-year-old's brain is twice as active as an adult's, so nurture your baby's growing brain by introducing music, books, pictures, voice and a nurturing touch.

Here are some suggestions for talking with your baby:

Read every day to your baby. Even though babies may seem more interested in nibbling on the book, they are listening and learning.

Sing your favorite song or a classic lullaby. Your baby doesn't care what you sing; he or she just enjoys hearing your voice.

Narrate your daily activities. Talk about what you are doing as you wash, dress, feed and change your baby. "I am combing my hair." "Let's pour some milk." "Let's get your diaper changed." Your baby will begin to connect your speech to these objects and experiences.

Play many different types of music to expose your baby to different rhythms.

Don't use the TV as a babysitter. Talking to a real person is what makes the brain respond and grow.

When you talk to your baby, use a soft, gentle voice and smile. When your baby makes sounds, repeat them back.

As your baby's vocabulary begins to grow, encourage him or her to learn new words. Repeat names of things for your baby. When your baby points to something, for example, name the object and repeat it multiple times. ("Do you want your bottle? Here is your bottle.") Eventually, the baby will begin to say it, too. Your baby's desire to talk will increase as you continue to name, describe and explain things. Simple statements work best to encourage vocabulary growth.

Remember that you are your baby's first and most important teacher. Praise your baby for even the smallest attempts at baby talk. By offering your loving attention, your baby feels rewarded for trying to talk. Long before he or she can effectively speak, your baby will gain the ability to understand your words. Teaching your baby about his or her surroundings will provide the sense of mastery and confidence to keep learning. Talking to your child also shows mutual respect and builds trust. This connection is extremely important as you continue along your path as a family.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/13/guest-column-talk-to-your-baby----in-utero-and/

How Motherhood Changes the Brain

Chocolate treats and sentimental cards may sweeten mom's belly and heart this Mother's Day, but it turns out motherhood also goes right to the noggin, with plenty of research showing how having kids, and even the process of childbirth, can change a mama's brain.
http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/2580-motherhood-brain.html

The critical early years

May 13, 2012, 12:47am

ACCORDING to a study of former Harvard professor Burton White, each of the four educational foundations — the development of language, curiosity, intelligence, and socialness — is at risk during a child’s eight months to two years development.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ronald Kotulak argues in his book Inside the Brain, the first three years of life are vital because this is when the foundations of thinking, language, vision, attitudes, and aptitude are laid down.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/359385/more-critical-than-ever-first-teacher

Identifying special needs

When it comes to identifying special needs in a child, Dennis Cavitt — special education instructor in the Teacher Education Program at Abilene Christian University — points out early signs for which parents should be looking concerning possible delays in development.

Cavitt said he most common delay may occur between the ages of 3-5 in the area of speech and language development. A child may not develop language or articulation appropriately. Delay in acquisition and use of speech and language is the largest category of disabilities in children. In school, there is a relationship between delayed speech and language, which can be manifested as a learning disability.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/may/06/family-life-identifying-special-needs/

School readiness study

The CANDLE study in Memphis is designed to find correlations between the psychological, physical and social factors in a child's early life and his or her brain development and social-emotional state -- issues that have a profound effect on school readiness.

Just as early vision and hearing screenings can help a child find success academically, researchers believe, screening for social-emotional problems can help set the child on the right course. For more information, please go to http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/may/06/shining-a-light/

Classroom Practices That Accelerate Language Acquisition for ESL Students

By Angela

“We acquire language in only one way, when we understand messages, that is when we obtain “comprehensible input.”  Thus, we acquire when we understand what people tell us or what we read, when we are absorbed in the message.” 

Krashen’s research and writing highlighted the need for teachers to create comprehensible input in their classrooms. To that end, comprehensible input practices can be categorized into three types: visual, graphic and linguistic.
Visual supports include meaningful, relevant pictures, icons, symbols, videos.

Graphic supports include all forms of graphic organizers.  In social studies, historical figures can be divided by which side of the war they supported (e.g. Allies or Axis in World War II).

Linguistic supports Small group andpair work can be considered a linguistic support because it provides the ELL with a non-threatening situation to ask for clarification on a word or phrase he may not understand.  Peer-to-peer learning is well documented as an effective learning tool.

Review your lesson plans for these 3 types of supports for English Language Learners - no matter which content subject you teach. Keep it comprehensible. As you complete your lesson plans, be sure to include visual, graphic, and/or linguistic supports. 

Hebrew professor says key is to focus on person, not language

Vardit Ringvald's methods have helped make Brandeis Modern Hebrew a bestseller

Photo/Mike Lovett

Professor Vardit Ringvald

By Debra FilcmanMay 4, 2012

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Vardit Ringvald visualizes the acquisition of language as a spiral, not a line. 

She found that 80 percent of language learners quit at the intermediate level out of frustration when their skills fail to improve at the previous rate. So Ringvald set out to understand why. She sought to learn what separates the 20 percent of students who move into the advanced category for what are considered difficult second languages – Chinese, Japanese and Hebrew – and how teachers could increase that percentage. “Learning a language opens a door to understanding themselves a little better. The language becomes part of who they are. Language is not about grammar, it’s about the person.”

“We understand we have a mission, and the mission is not completed yet,” she says, pledging that she and her colleagues, all of whom have worked at Brandeis together for years, will continue to innovate. “Brandeis is not a place where you go to work,” she says. “It’s a way of life.”

http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2012/may/ringvald.html

Read to Grow

“I knew it was important to read but never would have started as early as I did without you. My son has been read to since he was a couple days old. I can see the difference in what he understands and says in comparison to others his age and older.”

“I wanted to thank you for sending books for Isa. I just got out of the army and am having trouble finding a job. I love reading to my baby but can’t afford books right now.”

“I am a pediatric nurse practitioner and even I learned more about the benefits of reading to babies and tips on how to do so.”

http://www.readtogrow.org/images/customer-files/Brochure_2010.pdf

Early childhood education is our best investment

Research has shown that early experiences make a substantial difference in children's lives and bring lasting benefits to communities. Because 85-90% of brain development occurs in the first three years of life, making important investments in our very youngest children is a smart use of public and private resources. 


http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/05-01-2012/Early_childhood_education_is_our_best_investment_for_Oak_Park