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Christian Science Monitor: Bush needs to sell attack on Iraq internationally

With the White House making its case with the American public, Congress, and the world about launching a preventive strike against Iraq, some experts agree that enlisting the support of the American people and the world is the best way to go into war, reports the September 9 Christian Science Monitor. Robert Dallek, a CAS professor of history, says that Bush is "doing the necessary thing, because politically, how can you survive if you run against public opinion?" Nonetheless, he adds, "He really has to get the international community on board first, and that's a very difficult sell."

Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Total diet determines weight

Results of a 12-year study of 737 nonoverweight women that investigated whether dietary patterns can predict becoming overweight in later years provide further evidence that cutting the fat out of a diet or drastically reducing fat intake may not prevent women from becoming overweight, reports the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study by Paula Quatromoni, an SPH assistant professor of social and behaviorial sciences, and her colleagues showed, not surprisingly, that women categorized as "junk food junkies" were 40 percent more likely to be overweight than those who ate a heart-healthy diet consisting of more fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk, and other low-fat and high-fiber foods. Yet the study also found that yo-yo dieters who cut fat out of their diet or who drastically reduce fat intake may not be protecting themselves from becoming overweight in later years. These women "tend to cut back on their calories," says Quatromoni, "but not necessarily in the most wise way." She points out that such women did not replace the foods and nutrients they cut out of their diet and so lacked dietary balance and variety. Her findings show that consumers should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and should exercise, which all the women in the study need more of, Quatromoni says.

Boston Globe: BU studies hospital overcrowding

Over the past two years, emergency room overloads that cause hospitals to turn ambulances away have been blamed on many factors, from a shortage of hospital beds to unpredictable surges in overcrowding. But a BU study is helping hospital administrators realize that the problem may be entirely controllable, says the September 5 Boston Globe. Eugene Litvak, an SMG research professor of operations management, led a study revealing that smoothing out the steep peaks and valleys in the daily number of elective surgeries can free up hospital beds and thus ease ER overloads. "It's in our power to schedule them better," says Litvak, "but we don't." Boston Medical Center, one of the hospitals in the study, is considering moving more elective surgeries to weekends. A Wisconsin hospital, based on early reports from the BU study, allowed nurses to close the ICU when they deemed it overcrowded, even if it meant surgeons had to cancel scheduled surgeries, resulting in a dramatic decrease in ER patients being turned away because of ICU bed shortages. Litvak's team recommends a more modest approach, however, such as scheduling surgery more evenly in advance.

13 September 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations