Year: 2016

A new registry is taking shape in Texas to track youth athletes and their rates of sports-related head injuries. Once established, the ConTex registry, a partnership between the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and the O'Donnell Brain Institute at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will be the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the nation. Although youth sports are a common and beneficial way for students to keep active, build character, and promote community -- some 62% of children playing team sports say they do so to interact with friends -- concerns about the lasting effects of injuries, particularly concussions, have risen in recent years. But at the same time, the available data and research on the relationship between sports and brain injuries rema...

Influenza has continually been a healthcare problem across the United States. The flu virus itself can survive on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours, which is why so many people in offices and homes are susceptible to the virus if just one person comes down with the flu. Since winter is finally here and the cold weather is going to cause problems for the next few months, many people are expecting that the flu virus will be a risk at some point. According to CBS Chicago, however, so far this winter that doesn't seem to be the case. Schools are some of the most flu-invested areas in the U.S., a 2002 National Center for Education Statistics study shows that roughly 66% of all schools had at least one unacceptable physical or structural condition related to cleanliness. Doctors ha...

Metal roofs have been known to last over 30 years with minimal maintenance. They are high quality roofing products that keep a home's warmth inside and protect a home's occupants. The future, however, could bring even better metal roofing -- namely, roofs featuring Tesla's solar panels. "So the basic proposition will be: would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof?" asked Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors. A roof that "lasts twice as long, costs less, and -- by the way -- generates electricity? Why would you get anything else?" According to Fortune, the announcement comes after the majority of Tesla shareholders approved plans for the all-electric automaker to work alongside SolarCity to use more solar energy for its products. "Electricity is just a bonus," Musk said t...

It appears that the vintage and handmade goods online marketplace is alive and well as Etsy’s most recent report secured its place as one of the top e-commerce websites for artisans. Metrics from the Q2 2016 report revealed that Etsy’s total revenue reached over $85 million, exceeding analysts’ forecasts of $80.6 million. This revenue, in fact, translates to a 39% year-over-year growth and the company opened up 94% from its indicated price. In other words, Etsy and its online merchants are thriving. Etsy’s second quarter success isn’t likely to hit a plateau any time soon, particularly since the company announced on Friday that it has begun to accept Apple Pay through both mobile and desktop devices. Previously, Etsy accepted this type of “quick-pay” on their iOS app, but did not hav...

Men and women haven't agreed on politics since the elections of 1972 and 1976. Then, the results were practically mirrored. Regardless of sex, the American public preferred one candidate over the other. In the past, while women tended to favor Democratic candidates more than men, married couples still tended to vote Republican. “Being married constrained the gender gap," said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. "A lot of women agreed with their husbands.” Over the past four decades, women's political ideals have shifted further left. Public policy issues, especially those regarding the wage gap and reproductive rights, have widened the voting gap between men and women. This was clearly illustrated in the 2012 election, when there was a historic 20-point voting gap between men and w...

Roughly 44% of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, according to WalletHub’s 2019 Valentine’s Day Survey. But for partners without a steady income, that's not always an option -- which doesn't bode well for their relationship's future. Studies have shown that unemployed men are more likely to go through a divorce than men with stable jobs. This means that one’s professional life doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Rather, it is deeply engrained in one’s marriage and home life as well. Juggling work and family can be a major struggle for many couples, especially now as more and more women remain in the workforce after having children. It becomes an even bigger struggle when one partner feels that the other is not contributing enough. When one partner is unemployed, mo...

Red Cross Australia has experienced a massive security breach, in which the personal data of over 550,000 blood donors, including information about "at-risk sexual behavior," has been leaked. The event is being called the largest security breach ever in Australia. Red Cross said that it was told on Wednesday that files containing donor information from 2010 to 2016 was placed in an "insecure computer environment" and "accessed by an unauthorized person." The information came from an online application form and included personal details and identifying information like names, genders, addresses, and dates of birth, said a Red Cross statement. Data breaches like this could lead to identity theft and further malware attacks. Data breaches also have far-reaching financial consequences...

If you own a home, you know that bugs can be a big problem. While some, like fruit flies and ants, are merely a nuisance, others can be completely destructive. For example, termites are responsible for creating $1 billion to $2 billion of property damage each year. While we opt to place a call to the exterminator to get rid of creepy crawlies here in the U.S., other countries rely on more natural means. For instance, in the Philippine province called Palawan, residents call in a different kind of expert: pangolins. You might know the pangolin by its other name -- the anteater. But these little guys eat more than just ants. In fact, they are the termite's number one enemy. There are other predators who eat termites, but only pangolins are credited with controlling the termite populati...

Hospitals as well as 80% of urgent care centers are equipped to treat broken bones as well as minor fractures. While ultrasounds, a technology generally used for medical imaging, has been believed to actually speed up fracture treatments, a new study shows that the treatment may not be effective at all. Fracture of the tibia, a bone in the lower leg, is the most common long bone fracture. A broken tibia is generally treated with surgery and the insertion of nails to help the bone heal and reunite properly. After surgery, the bone requires between three and six months to heal, but in some cases, it can take longer. Since 1994, ultrasound has been an approved method of treatment for broken bones in North America. Low intensity pulsed ultrasound, or LIPUS, is often prescribed by doc...

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, obese children have different kinds of bacteria living in their digestive tracts than leaner children. Earlier research has shown a link between gut bacteria and obesity in adults. However, little has been known about the role of these microbes in children. This new study, led by Nicola Santoro, M.D., analyzed the gut bacteria and weight of 84 children and teenagers ranging in size from healthy weight to severe obesity. What they found was that eight groups of gut bacteria were associated with the levels of fat in a child’s body. These specific microbial groups were more prevalent in obese kids than in their peers. “Our findings show children and teenagers with obesity have a different c...