Here are the March editions of the Ohio State University Research and Newsfeatures services. The stories below report on only a few of the research projects under way here. If you would like to see the full versions of these stories, please go to: http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/research/

Children of Smokers Suffer Negative Health Effects Later in Life

   The negative effects of environmental tobacco smoke on a child who lives with parents who smoke continue to linger long after that child has left home, a new study suggests. In tests, college students who were exposed to high levels of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as children maintained higher blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate at rest and during psychological stress compared to students who grew up with low levels of ETS. (From a recent issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.)
Contact: Catherine Stoney, (614) 292-0588.

Most Home-Based Workers Are Male, Have Traditional Jobs

   Most home-based workers don’t fit the popular image of a woman who provides child care or who sells crafts out of her house, new research suggests. In fact, a study of 899 home-based workers in nine states found that nearly 59 percent were male. The average home-based worker was 44 years old, married, had some education beyond high school and had been involved in work at home for nearly a decade. “We found that most home-based workers are men performing traditional work in fields like sales and construction,” said a researcher here. (From a recent issue of the journal Economic Development Quarterly.)
Contact: Kathryn Stafford, (614) 292-4564.

People Stay in City for Diversity, Move to Suburbs for Schools

   Urban residents who move from a central city to the suburbs are different in several noticeable ways from those who choose to move within the city limits, a new study shows. Researchers at Ohio State found that people who moved to the suburbs were more likely to be concerned about school-related issues such as safety and academic programs. In contrast, those who found new homes within the city were more concerned about the cost of a new home, staying near family and friends and neighborhood racial diversity. (From a presentation March 26 in Honolulu, HI at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers.)
Contact: Pasquale Pellegrini, (614) 292-9686.

Can Support for Democracy Be Taught? Study Shows Mixed Results

   A new study suggests it may be difficult to teach teenagers in post-communist societies to develop strong support for democratic and free market principles. Researchers at Ohio State found that 14- and 15-year-old Polish students who took a new type of civics education class were less likely to take extreme positions against democracy and the free market than were other youth. But, unexpectedly, the study found that students taking the new class were also less likely than were others to show a strong commitment to democratic or market values. (From a recent issue of the journal Political Psychology.)
Contact: Kazimierz Slomczynski, (614) 292-8078; or Goldie Shabad, (614) 292-1047.

Lo-Cal Diet Slows Prostate Cancer in Animals, New Research Finds

   A low-calorie diet slows the progress of prostate cancer in animals, new research shows. The slowing of tumor progression occurred whether the calories were reduced by cutting fat, carbohydrates, or the overall diet. The results further suggested the way that the lower-calorie diet slowed tumor growth in rats and mice -- it retarded the development of new blood vessels in the tumor. “Our findings provide further evidence that prostate-cancer development might be influenced by lifestyle,” said a researcher here. (From the March 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.)
Contact: Steven Clinton, (614) 293-8396.

Mechanism for Fungal Adherence Found, Possible Key to Disease

   Researchers have discovered that a protein manufactured by the fungus Candida albicans mimics the actions of a specific mammalian protein, perhaps improving the organism’s chances to flourish in immune-compromised patients. Researchers reported that the fungi’s ability to adhere to cells lining the mucosal surfaces of the mouth depends on the presence of this protein. If the protein is missing, Candida simply cannot hang on. Among the serious infections patients acquire while in the hospital -- so-called nosocomial infections -- Candida ranks among the top five pathogens and is potentially fatal. (From the March 5 issue of the journal Science.)
Contact: Paula Sundstrom, (614) 292-6252.

Women Smoking Menthol Cigarettes Have Greater Nicotine Exposure

   Women who smoke menthol cigarettes may be more likely to inhale deeper with each drag on their cigarette and potentially take in more nicotine than do smokers of non-menthol cigarettes, new research shows. The study also showed that users of menthol cigarettes tend to smoke their first cigarette of the day sooner than do users of non-menthol cigarettes. The sooner a person smokes his or her first cigarette of the day, the more nicotine dependent the person is thought to be. “These results should caution smokers who believe that menthol cigarettes are in some way healthier or less irritating than non-menthol brands,” said a researcher here. (From a recent issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors.)
Contact: Karen Ahijevych, (614) 292-4699.

Autoimmune Diseases Study Shows Differences Between Men And Women

   A national task force of basic researchers and clinicians spent 18 months assessing what is known about autoimmune diseases and has now proposed an aggressive research agenda aimed at understanding why men and women respond differently to these illnesses. Their report recommends five distinct research areas which may explain these differences and perhaps even offer new treatments against the diseases. Nearly 79 percent of the 8.5 million autoimmune disease patients in the country are women. (From a recent issue of the journal Science.)
Contact: Caroline Whitacre, (614) 292-5889.

Genetic Mutations Linked to Rare Metabolic Disease

   Researchers have identified two mutations in a single gene as the cause of a very rare metabolic disease that affects people in Finland, Norway and Saudi Arabia. It has taken nearly 40 years since the identification of the disease for researchers to trace its cause back to a faulty gene. Called megaloblastic anemia 1, or Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome, the defects prevent the normal absorption of vitamin B-12. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal. For this study, scientists mapped the DNA of 17 Finnish patients who had the disease, comparing it to disease-free control subjects. They also looked at DNA samples from patients in Norway, as well as members of a Bedouin family in Saudi Arabia, all of whom had the disease. (From the current issue of the journal Nature Genetics.)
Contact: Ralf Krahe, (614) 688-4766.