Health Tips ... from UPI

LOW BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES CAN PLAY MENTAL CATCH UP

Researchers have found children born prematurely and underweight improve significantly on cognitive tests and achieve normal scores by the time they are 8. These findings fly in the face of previous thinking that premature babies with low birthweights have many neurological problems. The study, by scientists at Yale University, is in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. Past research had found about half of very low birthweight children required special assistance and 20 percent needed special education. More recent reports showed three-fourths of these children finish high school and more than 40 percent go on to college. "These results are the first indication that the brain may recover from injury over time in these children," says Dr. Laura Ment, lead investigator,

NARCISSISM AND REJECTION ADD TO AGGRESSION

People who are narcissistic and socially rejected tend to act more aggressively than those who are less egocentric, a new study reveals. Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Georgia in Athens say the finding adds another piece to the puzzle that explains youth violence. "In our previous studies, we were able to help explain why school shootings occur by linking aggression to social rejection," says Jean Twenge, study co-author and psychology professor at SDSU. "Now we see that narcissism, or 'egotism,' helps explain which kids become violent after rejection and which ones do not." Researchers say this information could help prevent violence by reducing social rejection and improving students' self-esteem.

HIV INMATES HAVE UNPROTECTED SEX

Inmates who have HIV reported having unprotected sex before and after imprisonment at high rates in a new study presented this week at a conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections in Boston. Researchers revealed almost 80 percent of HIV-positive inmates had unprotected sex with a partner within a year before being incarcerated and 26 percent engaged in sex without protection after release. Nearly 30 percent of former prisoners said they felt chances were very or somewhat likely they would pass the virus on to their uninfected partners. "This clearly should be a wake-up call for public health experts, physicians, prison officials and others concerned about reducing the spread of HIV," said David Wohl, professor of medicine at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. More than half of the subjects were women, 74 percent were black and 83 percent said they were heterosexual.

MOTHER'S STRESS AFFECTS FETAL HEART RATE

Stress and anxiety during a woman's pregnancy can affect the heart rate of her unborn baby, new research finds. Previous studies have shown risk of low birthweight and premature births increases when mothers feel stress during their pregnancy. More recent studies suggest this stress can influence a baby's behavior and functioning as the child grows. Researchers at Columbia University in New York did not report negative effects on the fetus' health but said more long-term studies need to be done. During the stress test, fetal heart rate was related to stress, not the mother's own heart rate. However, the women's elevated heart rate did have an effect on their fetuses during the recovery period. The results are published in the February issue of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

(EDITORS: For more information about COGNITION, contact Natalie Frazin or Paul Girolami at (301) 496-5751. For AGGRESSION, Keith Campbell, (706) 542-1429 or wkc@arches.uga.edu, about HIV, David Williamson, (919) 962-8596, and for FETUS, Annie Bayne at as862@columbia.edu.)