Study Singles Out Four Med Schools with Troubled Doctors June 30, 2003 • A Hartford Courant investigation finds an unusually high number of disciplinary actions against doctors that graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., Howard University in Washington, D.C., Manila Central University in the Philippines and Autonomous University in Guadalajara, Mexico. The schools produce troubled doctors at about 10 times the rate of top medical schools, the study finds. Hear reporter Jack Dolan.
Dutch 'Abortion' Boat Aids Polish Women June 30, 2003 • A floating women's health clinic leaves a Polish port and heads for waters outside the nation's strict anti-abortion jurisdiction. Once in international waters, Women on Waves, the Dutch group that operates the boat, plans to offer counseling, birth control and the abortion pill known as RU-486. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.
Radio Expeditions Patagonia's Marine Menagerie June 30, 2003 • Join an NPR/National Geographic Radio Expedition for a journey to Patagonia in Argentina. Visit with hundreds of thousands of Magellanic penguins and the researchers who study them.
Pain Research Focuses on Brain's Role June 28, 2003 • Pain is a private, subjective thing, making it difficult for doctors to assess how much distress a patient is really experiencing. Research at Wake Forest focuses on the role certain sections of the brain play in evaluating pain. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
Stem Cells Reverse Paralysis in Rats June 27, 2003 • Scientists at Johns Hopkins University reverse nerve damage in rats using a kind of human embryonic stem cell. Following the treatment, some of the previously partially paralyzed rats were able to walk again. The research appears in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. NPR's Joe Palca reports.
Study: Education Helps Ward Off Alzheimer's June 26, 2003 • The more education people have the less likely they are develop Alzheimer's symptoms of dementia, a new study published in the journal Neurology suggests. Another recent study finds that seniors who play board games and crossword puzzles lower their risk of dementia. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.
U.S. Birth Rate Lowest in Nearly a Century June 26, 2003 • America's birth rate in 2002 fell to its lowest point since 1909. The drop was due in large part to a decline in teenage pregnancies and a reduction in the proportion of women of childbearing age. Hear Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demographer Brady Hamilton.
Study: Fewer Immigrants Seek Treatment for Depression June 25, 2003 • A new report by the U.S. Surgeon General suggests that many immigrants who suffer from depression fail to seek treatment because of language and cultural barriers, costs and the stigma of mental illness. In Chicago, one Mexican immigrant suffered depression for years because he couldn't find a therapist that spoke his language. Hear Jay Field of Chicago Public Radio reports.
Drug Cuts Prostate Cancer Rate, Study Finds June 24, 2003 • Researchers halt a federally financed study of the prostate-shrinking drug finasteride 15 months early, saying results so far prove the drug can also reduce a man's chance of developing prostate cancer by 25 percent. But the study also found that men who develop the disease while taking the drug have a higher chance of getting more aggressive tumors. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
WHO Lifts SARS Travel Advisory on Beijing June 24, 2003 • Nearly a month after Beijing health officials reported the city's last new case of SARS, the World Health Organization lifts its advisory warning against travel to the Chinese capital. At the peak of the SARS outbreak, Beijing was reporting more than 100 new infections every day. Hear WHO spokesman Iain Simpson.
Internet Aids Suicide Pacts in Japan June 24, 2003 • Already plagued with the world's highest suicide rate, Japan is now battling a dangerous new trend: groups of people who meet online to arrange to commit suicide together. Experts say shutting down the Web sites is futile and instead urge counselors to go online to help despondent people. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.
Study: Seniors Favor Medicare over Private Plans June 23, 2003 • As the House and Senate prepare to vote to add prescription drug coverage to the Medicare program, some polls show low public support among seniors for the plan. A poll by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests most seniors, concerned with stability, prefer to stay with Medicare than switch to private health plans. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.
Culture Archaeologists Cite Threat to Antiquities Beyond Iraq June 23, 2003 • At a meeting of the World Archaeological Congress in Washington, D.C., archaeologists say post-war instability masks the full extent of Iraq's missing antiquities. But archaeologists stress that while looting is rampant in Iraq, similar destruction is occurring at museums and excavation sites around the world, including China, Guatemala and Afghanistan. Hear David D'Arcy.
AIDS Patients Criticize China's Aid to SARS Sufferers June 22, 2003 • Stung by criticism over the way it initially covered up the SARS outbreak, the Chinese government offers free medical treatment to those infected with the respiratory virus. But some Chinese AIDS patients criticize the program, saying they are victims of a similar medical cover-up but have received none of the benefits offered SARS sufferers. Hear NPR's Rob Gifford.
Study: Childhood Temperament Lasts into Adulthood June 20, 2003 • A study in the current issue of the journal Science shows that differences in the temperaments of young children can persist into adulthood. Researchers found that adults who were shy and cautious as toddlers have a distinctive reaction in their brains when they see new faces. NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports.