Research Highlights
Archived article from Sep 23, 2002
1. Cranberries as infection fighters
2. School violence
3. Corn, now a better source of protein
4. The rise and fall of dinosaurs
6. Good golf grip
7. Intent to kill
8. Why men are slow to marry
9. Acetaminophen, aid to the heart
10. Caffeine may prevent skin cancer
Cranberries as infection fighters
Public health officials concerned about the rising problem of antibiotic resistance --the immunity that bacteria develop to common prescriptions -- may have an ally in a common household beve-rage. Findings published in a research letter to the editor in the June 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reveal that regular consumption of cranberry juice cocktail may offer protection against certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.
In this latest research, conducted jointly by Rutgers and the University of Michigan, scientists tested the effectiveness of cranberry juice cocktail in disabling a number of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, some of which are resistant to certain drugs.
"We found that when subjects consumed cranberry juice cocktail, their urine was capable of preven-ting not only susceptible, but antibiotic-resistant bacteria from attaching to the urinary tract," said Amy B. Howell, Rutgers research scientist and lead investigator of the study. "Cranberry acts to promote flushing of these problematic bacteria from the bladder into the urine stream, which should result in a lower rate of infection" as well as reduce the need for antibiotics.
The research indicated that cranberry juice cocktail's beneficial effect may start within two hours and can last for up to 10 hours in the urine. "This suggests that consuming a serving in the morning and one in the evening may provide more effective protection than consuming one serving a day," Howell said.
The study was funded by Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. -- Michele Hujber
School violence
April 20, 1999, is a day that most parents will never forget -- it was the day of the horrific events at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. The shooting, which left 13 dead and more than 20 wounded, opened the eyes of many parents, teachers, school administrators, mental health professionals and police to the potential for deadly crimes in high schools.
On the surface, Littleton seemed to be a safe environment to raise children. So what caused this outbreak of violence? And why did it set off a series of school shootings around the country?
Mercer Sullivan, an associate professor at the School of Criminal Justice, was one of the people asked to find answers to these troubling questions as part of a panel of experts convened by the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council (NRC).
"The panel agreed that the best approach would be a series of six in-depth case studies that looked at incidents of multiple shootings in a school," said Sullivan, a noted expert on youth crime, school violence and qualitative research methods. The studies were published this year in "Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence" (National Academy Press).
Sullivan's chapter looks specifically at the shooting in Rockdale County, Ga., which occurred exactly one month after the Columbine shooting. As in the Columbine incident, the violence came as a complete surprise to this affluent Atlanta suburb. Heritage High School was rated one of the best public high schools in the state, and the shooter had never been in trouble with the law.
As the study progressed, the researchers realized that the six situations, whether urban or suburban, provided few clues for reliably preventing further violence. All of the shooters were boys and all had easy access to guns, but to a large degree they resembled ordinary adolescents, making it impossible to develop a profile that would be accurate or useful in the future.
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