Friday Roundup

Here is a list of articles of interest that have been published in the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Breast-feeding reduces childhood obesity risks in babies exposed to prenatal diabetes, Medscape Today, March 3, 2011
Brief Intro:"Breast-feeding may protect babies who were prenatally exposed to diabetes against childhood obesity, according to the results of a retrospective cohort study reported in the March issue of Diabetes Care."

2. Potassium levels may explain racial disparity in Type 2 diabetes, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"Low serum potassium appears to be independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes, and low dietary potassium is more common in African Americans than in whites. "

3. Diabetes takes six years off your life by increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, study says, Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2011
Brief Intro:"A 50-year-old with Type 2 diabetes will lose an average of six years of life as a result of the disease, only one less than would be lost by a long-term smoker of the same age, researchers reported Wednesday."

4. Gene therapy against HIV not a proven cure, experts say, Businessweek.com, March 1, 2011
Brief Intro:"Experts are reacting with cautious optimism to the announcement Monday that researchers reconfigured immune cells so that they became resistant to HIV in six patients infected with the virus."

Education
1. Education secretary cautions districts about layoffs, NYT.com March 3, 2011
Brief Intro:"Arne Duncan, the federal secretary of education, urged state and local authorities to avoid short-sighted decisions as they cut school budgets, and said laying off teachers based solely on seniority was “a wrong way to cut spending.”

Immigration
1. House passes Arizona-style bill aimed at illegal immigration, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 3, 2011
Brief Intro:"HB 87 would authorize state and local police to verify the immigration status of certain suspects. A federal judge halted a similar provision in Arizona last year after the Obama administration argued it is pre-empted by federal law."

Should citizenship be granted automatically at birth?

According to a recent New York Times article, Senator Lindsay Graham has proposed the idea of altering the 14th amendment to make sure that unauthorized immigration is discouraged. In an interview with Fox News, Graham said, " We can’t just have people swimming across the river having children here — that’s chaos." But, according to a Pew Hispanic Center study released last year, children of illegal immigrants are usually members of families that have resided in the U.S. for a number of years. The study also found that about four million American citizen children have at least one parent that is an illegal immigrant.

Friday Roundup - Current Awareness

Here is a listing of articles of interest published within the last 7-10 days:

Topic: Health
Healthiest state for kids? MSNBC.com/AP, 7/27/10
Brief Intro: "The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its report Tuesday on how the 50 states fared in 10 categories of children's health. Survey organizers said the numbers do not reflect the current economic downturn. The data were collected from 2000 to 2008, before most U.S. families were hit by the recession."

New insurance pool set up for Kansans with pre-existing conditions Kansascity.com/AP, 7/30/10

Brief Intro: "The state of Kansas is taking applications for a temporary insurance program that would offer coverage to those with pre-existing medical conditions who have not been able to find other insurance for six months or more."

New sensor brings fresh hope to diabeteics, Foodconsumer.org, 7/30/10

Brief Intro: "In the July 28, 2010 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, the article titled “Function of an Implanted Tissue Glucose Sensor for More than 1 Year in Animals” describes the use of this glucose-sensing device as an implant in animals for over one year

At the conclusion of human clinical trials and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, the device may be a welcome alternative for people with diabetes currently required to use finger sticks, and short-term needle-like glucose sensors that have to be replaced every three to seven days."


Topic: Immigration
Judge blocks controversial parts of Arizona law MSNBC.com, 7/28/10

Brief Intro: "The law will still take effect Thursday, but without many of the provisions that angered opponents — including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. The judge also put on hold a part of the law that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times, and made it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in public places."

U.S. senator Lindsey Graham: Deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants Examiner.com, 7/30/10

Brief Intro: "Senator Lindsay Graham announced today that he has talked with other key senators about drafting an amendment to the Constitution that would deny citizenship to illegal immigrants' children born in the United States."

In Colorado, debate over program to check immigration history of the arrested New York Times, 7/29/10

Brief Intro: "Now, as Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. weighs whether to use Secure Communities, already in effect in 480 jurisdictions in 27 states, immigrant rights groups have been privately pushing him to reject the program. Critics say it promotes racial profiling by the local police and would undermine trust between immigrants and law enforcement, in a state that has particularly strict immigration laws."