13
May
2012
|
18:00 PM
America/New_York

Story Ideas for Media 5/14/12

Research

Study shows link between prepregnancy obesity and lower child test scores. Women who are obese before they become pregnant are at higher risk of having children with lower cognitive function - as measured by math and reading tests taken between ages 5 to 7 years - than are mothers with a healthy prepregnancy weight, new research suggests.
The study, led by Pamela Salsberry, professor of nursing at Ohio State, found that prepregnancy obesity was associated, on average, with a three-point drop in reading scores and a two-point reduction in math scores on a commonly used test of children's cognitive function.
Previous research has suggested that a woman's prepregnancy obesity can have a negative effect on fetal organs, such as the heart, liver and pancreas. CONTACT: Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; caldwell.151@osu.edu. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/maternobesity.htm

Tilting cars on the assembly line: A new angle on protecting autoworkers. Letting autoworkers sit while they reach into a car’s interior could help prevent shoulder and back strain - but another solution might be to tilt the entire car so that workers can stand up.
That’s the finding of two recent studies, which tested two ways to protect autoworkers from injury.
Sitting on a cantilevered chair reduced the stress on the workers' backs and shoulders for three common installation tasks. But a different strategy – tilting a car sideways on a carriage so that workers could access the interior while standing – reduced the stress for nine different tasks.
The car carriage appears to be a better overall option for preventing injuries, explained William Marris, professor and Honda Endowed Chair in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University.
“Under these conditions, if you can tilt the car, the chair becomes unnecessary,” said Marras, who directs Ohio State’s Center for Occupational Health in Automotive Manufacturing (COHAM), where the tests took place. CONTACT: Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/carchair.htm

Ohio State study: Curcumin extract lowers triglycerides, boosts antioxidant activity. A low dose of a curcumin extract from the spice turmeric can have a variety of positive health effects on healthy middle-aged individuals. The study was led by Robert DiSilvestro, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State.
Commonly used in Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cooking, turmeric – a deep orange-yellow powder made from the roots of the Curcuma longa tropical plant – has been proposed to have health benefits ranging from fighting cancer to slowing progression of Alzheimer's disease. Because of these purported benefits, extracts of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) have been developed for both clinical trials and for sale as dietary supplements.
DiSilvestro says, “The problem with most of these extracts is that they need to be taken in high doses, some in excess of 1,000 mg, because the curcumin is poorly absorbed by the body.”
SEE: http://go.osu.edu/curcumin

Events

Alma Powell, Chair of America’s Promise Alliance, to deliver Patterson Lecture – May 16. Alma J. Powell, chair of America’s Promise Alliance, will be the keynote speaker for the 9th annual James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture on Wednesday, May 16 at the Ohio Union, Archie Griffin Ballroom. The event starts at 11:30 a.m. and Powell is scheduled to speak at noon where she will discuss the challenges facing America’s youth and why ending the high school dropout crisis is essential for the nation’s prosperity. She will also discuss America’s Promise and its Grad Nation campaign, a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to end the dropout crisis. The goal of Grad Nation is to raise the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating fewer than 80 percent of its students on time. CONTACT: Ben Lewis, (614) 247-7100, lewis.485@osu.edu. SEE: http://go.osu.edu/pattersonlecture

Campus Bike Fair promotes cycling and safety – May 17. Bicycling is big at Ohio State. There are more than 7,000 bicycle parking spaces on campus (on any given day most are full); and about 4 percent of all commuters to campus travel by bike. Cycling takes center stage at Ohio State from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday (5/17) during Ohio State’s 2nd Annual Bike Fair at the 17th Avenue Mall, just east of High Street at 17th Ave. The free event helps promote Bike to Work Week, encourages safe cycling and raises awareness of Ohio State’s continuing efforts to provide a safe environment for cycling.
The event offers free bike tune-ups and spot repair, a gently-used bike sale, cycling and safety information, and area vendors. The Bike Fair is part of a larger university educational initiative (Share the Road - Ohio State) to promote safe behaviors among students, faculty, staff, and visitors moving around campus.

Service dogs receive free eye exams – May 16 and 21. Veterinary ophthalmologists from The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center will offer free sight-saving eye exams for service dogs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday (5/16) and 9 a.m. to noon next Monday (5/21) at the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center, 601 Vernon Tharp St. Service dogs include those that assist people who have physical limitations, as well as search and rescue dogs, police dogs, lead dogs, and pilot dogs. Clients with eligible dogs pre-registered for the service in April. This is the fourth year that Ohio State’s board certified ophthalmologists have participated in the National Service Dog Eye Exam Day program. Currently, 24 dogs are registered to get an exam. CONTACT: Melissa L. Weber, (614) 292-3752 weber.254@osu.edu or Kelley Norris, (614) 292-4574.

Go “behind the scenes” in Veterinary Medicine – May 19. The Annual Open House in the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (5/19). Activities are designed for all ages, including the popular children's activity center, information booths featuring student groups and community organizations, an exotic animal display, plus demonstrations and seminars discussing animal behavior and careers in veterinary medicine, as well as tours of the Veterinary Medical Center. In 2011, 3,000 attended the Open House. Admission is free. SEE: vet.osu.edu/annualopenhouse

The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276 or cook.17@osu.edu; Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748 or hoffman.511@osu.edu; Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or lynch.270@osu.edu; or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu