Each month, Duke experts from across campus share their knowledge with students and the greater community. Here we've compiled some of their helpful advice that you can use, too.

Vision in Focus

Only half of working-age adults with vision loss are employed, according to the American Foundation for the Blind. But over the past five years, technological advances, like those on display at Duke's Eye Center, have made it easier for people with severe vision problems to continue working. The center has a room full of gadgets such as reading machines, magnifiers, talking watches and alarms to help people with little or no vision.

"My job is to show people there's no such thing as ‘I can't,'" Jerry Mansell, the gadget master for Duke's vision rehabilitation program recently told the (Raleigh) News & Observer. His job is to match patients with tools that help them retain their independence at home and in the workplace.

To schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist at any of the four Duke Eye Centers in the Triangle, call 681-3937.

Gender & Obesity

Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at Duke's Diet and Fitness Center, is concerned about biological explanations for gender differences in obesity.

"In my practice, we never worry about men or women, we just try to treat obesity," Politi recently told ABC News. She says obesity has so many factors that it's hard to pinpoint what makes someone of a particular gender or ethnicity more prone."

While calling the obesity rates for both men and women "alarming," Politi cites several factors that can be especially important for women:

• a greater likelihood of being the household member who prepares food,
• the biologic tendency for women to have higher body fat for pregnancy, and
• the familiar struggle to lose weight after pregnancy.

Let Duke's Diet and Fitness Center help you overcome the challenges of obesity. Call 800-235-3853 for more information.

Extra Help for Smokers

Researchers have found that some smokers need more nicotine replacement than do others to stop their cravings. Jed Rose, director of Duke's Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation, says a simple breath test, available at some smoking-cessation clinics, can measure how much carbon monoxide a smoker inhales and how much nicotine replacement is needed.

Rose, a co-developer of the nicotine patch, says puffing intensively on just five cigarettes a day can deliver as much nicotine as an entire pack. Heavy smokers may be more successful with a higher dose, another kind of nicotine therapy or a combination of the two.

Take a step toward breaking the habit for good by calling 668-5055.

Suggestions for Storing Newspapers

Are you saving newspapers from November's election or last month's inauguration? If so, you may be interested in preserving them for posterity. Unfortunately, newspapers aren't very stable and trying to preserve them for your children or grandchildren is difficult, says Winston Atkins, the preservation officer for Duke University Libraries.

Newspapers can become brittle and their size makes them awkward and easily damaged, Atkins says. He suggests:

• Storing newspapers in an archival box, which can cost $15-30. The box must be large enough so the newspaper can lie flat inside it. Paper becomes weak when folded.
• If you don't have a box, sandwich the newspaper between two pieces of alkaline, buffered and lignin-free mat board.
• Protect the newspaper from light, high temperatures and humidity. Do not store it in the attic or basement. Instead, store the newspaper in a location that is at room temperature such as under a bed, away from a vent.

For more details, go to http://tinyurl.com/9c3s3y.

Battling Baby Blues

Providing support for new mothers is the single best way to deter postpartum depression, according to William S. Meyer, an associate clinical professor in the departments of psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology at Duke University Medical Center.

The most severe risk factor for postpartum depression is the mother who does not feel supported, Meyer said. Even fairly minimal support, by modestly trained lay people, can help mitigate the severity of postpartum depression. Meyer leads the Duke Postpartum Support Group twice a month on Thursdays.

To find out more, contact Meyer at 681-6840 or by email at william.meyer@duke.edu.