Scientists locate sarcasm in the brain
HAIFA, Israel, May 23 (UPI) -- Israeli psychologists say one's ability to comprehend sarcasm depends upon a sequence of complex cognitive skills based in specific parts of the brain.
The researchers said in order for listeners to comprehend caustic remarks, they must be able to infer the speaker's intentions in the context of the situation. That, they said, calls for sophisticated social thinking and "theory of mind," or the knowledge that everyone thinks different thoughts.
For example, autistic children with a limited or missing "theory of mind," have trouble understanding irony, of which sarcasm is a form.
The team -- from the University of Haifa and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa -- studied 25 participants with prefrontal-lobe damage, 16 participants with posterior-lobe damage and 17 healthy subjects for control. All participants listened to brief recorded stories, some sarcastic and some neutral, taped by actors reading in a corresponding manner.
Participants with prefrontal damage were found to be impaired in comprehending sarcasm, while the other two groups had no such problem. The prefrontal group, which involved people suffering from damage in the right ventromedial area of their brain, had the most profound problems in comprehending sarcasm.
The study is detailed in the May issue of Neuropsychology
Racehorses may help explain airway ills
BETHESDA, Md., May 23 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers Monday said new research suggests airway disturbances in racehorses, asthmatics and meatpackers may have a similar cause.
The findings could help develop cures for asthma and related diseases, Oklahoma State University researchers report in the June issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
The findings also might explain the observation that human athletes and horses seem more susceptible to infections following extensive exercise, such as running a marathon.
Experiments involving horses running during cold weather found this can induce an asthma-like condition in the airways due to the over-production of components of the immune system called cytokines. This can lower the ability of the immune system to fight off infection and is consistent with airway disturbances observed in human athletes, sled dogs and meatpackers working in cold environments.
This scenario could lead to more serious infections later, the researchers said.
Leishmaniasis drug granted orphan status
SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 (UPI) -- OneWorld Health, the first non-profit U.S. pharmaceutical company, said it has received orphan drug status for paromomycin to treat visceral leishmaniasis.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products have granted the drug the orphan designation, which provides for assistance to companies developing drugs for rare diseases, OneWorld Health said in a statement.
The company said it will file for approval of paromomycin in India sometime this year and will begin regulatory proceedings with the FDA and EMEA next year.
Paromomycin is an antibiotic developed in the 1960s, for which the patent has expired.
Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as black fever, is a deadly disease affecting approximately 1.5 million people worldwide. About 200,000 people die from it each year. More than 90 percent of the cases occur in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan and Brazil.
Cough remedy may aid fibromyalgia patients
GAINESVILLE, Fla., May 23, (UPI) -- Dextromethorphan, an over-the-counter cough medicine, may help fibromyalgia patients quiet over-reacting nerves that bring pain to touch, scientists say.
In a University of Florida study, dextromethorphan was shown to temporarily reduce the intensity of the pain response to repetitive physical contact that characterizes the condition, scientists report in The Journal of Pain. Fibromyalgia, an incurable illness, causes muscle aches, stiffness, fatigue and sleep disturbances in an estimated 10 million Americans, most of them women.
Current treatments include pain medication, exercise, stretching, sleep management and psychological support. The study suggests dextromethorphan may become an option for treating fibromyalgia and other conditions involving heightened pain sensitivity, says study author Dr. Roland Staud, associate professor of medicine.
Baseball camera can beat terrorists
MANCHESTER, England, May 23 (UPI) -- An Israeli camera that you throw like a baseball could soon be stumping violent criminals and terrorists.
The Eye Ball can be thrown into dangerous situations to assess a situation without putting police at risk, the Manchester Evening News reports. It could be tossed into a room where armed terrorists are holding hostages or anywhere a violent suspect might be hiding, the British newspaper said.
More than 20 U.S. police forces are currently testing the $1,500 device, which is about the size of a baseball. It has also been demonstrated to forces in Britain, France, Turkey, Italy and Russia. Other potential users include firefighters, rescue teams and the military.
The Eye Ball, which is equipped with night vision, is robust enough to be dropped from a the second floor of a building or thrown on to a concrete floor.
"Once deployed it delivers real-time audio and video data to officers via a wireless link," The Engineer magazine reported.
Shimon Greenberg, marketing vice-president at ODF Optronics, the Israeli company that developed the Eye Ball, said: "In the next few months we will introduce the products throughout Europe and it can be expected that by the end of the year we will start getting orders from European agencies."
