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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics >
Culture & Living
Flu season
Eating, drinking and lifestyle changes can boost immunity to ward off seasonal flu
Nov. 5,
2009 --
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| Diekman |
College students looking to stay healthy during flu and exam season need to focus on three very important factors, says a nutritionist at Washington University in St. Louis. "It's really pretty simple," says Connie Diekman, RD, director of University Nutrition and immediate past president of the American Dietetic Association. "There are three key things to think about. No. 1 is hydration. No. 2 is foods and No. 3 is lifestyle issues." Video available.
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Holiday cheer or holiday hunger?
Nearly half of all U.S. children will use food stamps, says poverty expert
Nov. 2,
2009 -- Holidays and tables full of delicious food usually go hand in hand, but for nearly half of the children in the United States, this is not guaranteed. "49 percent of all U.S. children will be in a household that uses food stamps at some point during their childhood," says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., poverty expert at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. "Food stamp use is a clear sign of poverty and food insecurity, two of the most detrimental economic conditions affecting a child's health." Rank's study, "Estimating the Risk of Food Stamp Use and Impoverishment During Childhood," is published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Video available.
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Major milestone in the health care debate
Expert discusses the next steps for health care reform in the U.S.
Oct. 16,
2009 -- With health care legislation now up for debate in both the House and the Senate, comprehensive health care reform is closer than ever, says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., health economist and associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. McBride says that there is still much work to be done with health care reform and contentious issues remain. Among those are the public option, how the legislation will be financed, the generosity of the coverage, Medicare Advantage reforms and whether there will be mandates for employers to offer coverage. (Video available)
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Renowned poet's third nomination
Carl Phillips' 'Speak Low' named National Book Award finalist
Oct. 15,
2009 -- Poet Carl Phillips, professor of English and of African and African American Studies, both in Arts & Sciences, at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected — for the third time — as a finalist for the 2009 National Book Award in poetry. Phillips was nominated for his 10th collection of poetry, "Speak Low," published in April by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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China's rapidly aging population -- part of a worldwide trend
The global demographic shift is a significant opportunity as long as it is in tandem with a policy and cultural shift, say productive aging experts
Oct. 14,
2009 -- China's population of adults over 65 tops 100 million. This number is steadily growing, putting China at the forefront of a global demographic shift that includes the United States and other developed nations. "While a common tendency is to focus on the burdens an aging population will place on a country's economic and social welfare, an aging society represents an opportunity, not just a crisis," says Nancy Morrow-Howell, Ph.D., productive aging expert and professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. "Expanding opportunities for productive engagement, including paid employment, formal volunteering, and mutual aid, may reduce social costs by reducing health care expenses and need for post-retirement income supports. (Video available)
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Earlier diagnosis
Skills tests like 'connect the dots' may be early Alzheimer's indicator
Oct. 13,
2009 -- A study of mental decline in the years prior to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease suggests that changing the focus of testing may help physicians detect signs of the disease much earlier. School of Medicine researchers have found that visuospatial skills, evaluated with tasks such as connecting the dots or using a guide to build a structure with blocks, begin to deteriorate up to three years prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's.
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Obama shaping a different world
Historian finds 'profound' difference between President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and those awarded to Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt
Oct. 9,
2009 --
An historian of politics and American institutions at Washington University in St. Louis says that there is a "profound" difference between the awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama and ones to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. And it has nothing to do with the fact that President Obama is only eight months into his first term as president and Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson were both near the end of their second terms when they received theirs, says Peter J. Kastor, Ph.D., an associate professor of history and of American culture studies in Arts & Sciences.
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Law & Culture
Israeli law scholar Amnon Rubinstein lectures, Oct. 5-6
Sept. 23,
2009 -- Amnon Rubinstein, a leading scholar on constitutional law  in Israel, will discuss Western culture and Israeli law in free public lectures Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 at Washington University in St. Louis. Rubinstein, a longtime member of the Israeli parliament and founding dean of the nation's top-ranked law school, is a recipient of the prestigious "Israel Prize" for his work on constitutional law.
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Census Bureau to release health insurance numbers Sept. 10
Discrediting official uninsured estimates only minimizes the real health care problem, says health economist
Sept. 3,
2009 --
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| McBride |
The health reform debate to date has been characterized by a lot of confusion and misinformation. "The conclusion that most of the uninsured either are voluntarily uninsured or do not need assistance is erroneous," says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and associate dean of public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The Census Bureau will announce the official health insurance estimates on Thursday, Sept. 10. According to McBride, because of the economic downturn, the number of uninsured may top 50 million.
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'Digital natives'
Constant contact between college students and parents could hinder development
July 30,
2009 --
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| Coburn |
Whether your child is going away to college this fall across town or across the country, there are more ways to keep in touch than ever before. With today's ubiquitous cell phones and access to Twitter, Facebook and texting, it may seem as though your child has never left the house. For students, there is the ever-present possibility of an available parent at the end of a cordless tether, which has the potential to hinder the letting go process, claims an expert on the college transition at Washington University in St. Louis.
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