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Latest News Around the Web

Fallibility Of Human Memory At Center Of Brian Williams Controversy

In print and in its “Well” blog, the New York Times (2/10, D6, Parker-Pope) reports, “Numerous scientific studies show that memories can fade, shift and distort over time,” and it is even possible for “entirely new false memories” to “be incorporated into our memory bank, embedded so deeply that we become convinced they are real and actually happened.” Now, “the fallibility and the malleability of the human memory is at the center of a national controversy involving Brian Williams, the ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor,” who has temporarily stepped down from his anchor responsibilities after his claim of having been in a helicopter that came under fire.

Related Links:

— “Was Brian Williams a Victim of False Memory?,” Tara Parker-Pope, , February 9, 2015.

Energy Drinks Associated With Greater Hyperactivity, Inattention Risk In Middle-School Kids

TIME (2/10, Sifferlin) reports that a study published in the journal Academic Pediatrics suggests that “middle schoolers who consume sweetened energy drinks are 66% more at risk for hyperactivity than other kids.” After surveying some “1,649 students in 5th, 7th, and 8th grade about their beverage consumption and” then assessing their inattention and hyperactivity levels, researchers concluded, “Despite considering numerous types of beverages in our analyses (e.g., soda, fruit drinks), only energy drinks were associated with greater risk of hyperactivity/inattention.”

Related Links:

— “Energy Drinks May Drive Kids to Distraction,” Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, February 9, 2015.

Women May Experience More Stress After Heart Attack, Which May Impact Recovery.

Reuters (2/10, Doyle) reports that research published in Circulation indicates that young women may experience more stress following a heart attack than male counterparts, which could potentially explain why female patients have worse recovery than men.

The Today Show Online (2/10, Raymond) reports that investigators looked at data on nearly 2,400 female patients and more than 1,100 male patients, all of whom had survived a heart attack and who were participating in the Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients (VIRGO). The researchers found that “Women had worse recovery one month after heart attack on multiple outcome measures, such as chest-pain-related physical function and quality of life as well as overall health.” Female patients “had a significantly higher level of mental stress.” Higher stress levels “among women partially explained their worse recovery.”

Related Links:

— “After heart attack, women more stressed than men,” Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, February 9, 2015.

Poll: Many Workers Say They Would Not Disclose Mental Health Problem To Their Manager

HealthDay (2/7, Preidt) reported that survey results published recently in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reveal that “many workers say they wouldn’t tell their manager if they had a mental health problem.” A poll conducted by Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health “of more than 2,200 working adults in the province of Ontario found that 38 percent would not disclose a mental illness to a manager.”

Related Links:

— “Stigma Keeps Employees From Admitting to a Mental Illness: Study,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 6, 2015.

Researchers: Military Life Exposes Soldiers To Series Of Factors Placing Them At Higher Risk For Suicide

TIME (2/7, Worland) reported that that while “the reasons for the high suicide rates” among veterans “are not entirely clear…researchers say that military life exposes soldiers to a series of risk factors that place them at a heightened suicide risk, even though someone in the military is usually healthier physically than someone in the general population.” Among other things, “combat exposes soldiers to traumatic life and death situations, and depression and PTSD may result.” Some soldiers suffer brain injuries. According to Time, “All of these ailments have been linked to increased risk of suicide.”

Related Links:

— “This Bill Could Help Veterans With Mental Health,” Justin Worland, Time, February 6, 2015.

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