ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Miscarriage diagnosis guidelines questioned
• 'Never married' men still more likely to die from cancer
• Twitter data used to track vaccination rates and attitudes
• Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome at increased risk of pregnancy complications, research finds
• Study could help battle against superbugs
• Hospital superbug debugged
• Nasal congestion: More than physical obstruction
• Preventing dangerous nonsense in human gene expression
• Inhibiting allergic reactions without side effects
• Direct access to physical therapists associated with lower costs and fewer visits, new study says
• Earlier autism diagnosis could mean earlier interventions
• Taking steps to prevent 'going postal'
• Schizophrenia genetics linked to disruption in how brain processes sound
• Association between menopause, obesity and cognitive impairment
• Researchers correct sickle cell disease in adult mice: Protein could be a target for treating people who have the blood disorder
• Deactivating a single protein corrects sickle cell disease in mice
• Scientists reveal surprising picture of how powerful antibody neutralizes HIV
• Reversing sickle cell anemia by turning on fetal hemoglobin
• Inefficient developing world stoves contribute to 2 million deaths a year
• New breeds of broccoli remain packed with health benefits
• Lower income dads encourage exercise, healthy diet but may give wrong dose of medicine, study suggests
• Public reporting has''t improved transplant centers' care
• Differences in jet lag severity could be rooted in how circadian clock sets itself
• Permanently dismal economy could prompt men to seek more sex partners
• Tests to catch the makers of dangerous 'legal high' designer drugs
• First physical evidence bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's symptoms
• Precision with stem cells a step forward for treating multiple sclerosis, other diseases
• Researchers block morphine's itchy side effect
• Hidden genetic influence on cancer discovered
• Controlling cell death prevents skin inflammation
• Eating green veggies improves immune defenses
• Reversing smoke-induced damage and disease in the lung
• Understanding the beginnings of embryonic stem cells helps predict the future
• Stem cells from cord blood could help repair damaged heart muscle
• Good genes yield high-quality meat products
• Pesticide pollution in European waterbodies: List of chemicals to be monitored should be updated immediately, experts urge
• Doctors may be sending too many patients by helicopter, an expensive choice that may not impact patient outcome
• Study compares narrow band imaging to chromoendoscopy for the detection of dysplasia in IBD patients
• Does a bigger brain make for a smarter child in babies born prematurely?
• Estrogen may prevent younger menopausal women from strokes, study suggests

Miscarriage diagnosis guidelines questioned Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT Current guidelines that help clinicians decide whether a woman has had a miscarriage are inadequate and not reliable, and following them may lead to the inadvertent termination of wanted pregnancies.

'Never married' men still more likely to die from cancer Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT It is known that the unmarried are in general more likely to die than their married counterparts and there is some indication that the divide is getting worse. New research looks at the changes in cancer survival over the past 40 years and show that the difference in mortality between the married and never married, especially between married and never married men, has also increased.

Twitter data used to track vaccination rates and attitudes Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT The first case study in how social-media sites can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. The method is expected to be repeated in the study of other diseases.

Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Statins can be effective at lowering cholesterol, but they have a perplexing tendency to work for some people and not others. Gut bacteria may be the reason.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome at increased risk of pregnancy complications, research finds Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to have problems with pregnancy regardless of whether they are undergoing fertility treatment, claims new research.

Study could help battle against superbugs Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Targeting a toxin released by virtually all strains of MRSA could help scientists develop new drugs that can fight the superbug, research suggests. A new study has discovered the toxin -- SElX -- which leads the body's immune system to go into overdrive and damage healthy cells.

Hospital superbug debugged Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Scientists have uncovered how a common hospital bacterium becomes a deadly superbug that kills increasing numbers of hospital patients worldwide and accounts for an estimated $3.2 billion each year in health-care costs in the US alone.

Nasal congestion: More than physical obstruction Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Symptoms of nasal congestion have been difficult to treat because patient reports of congestion often have little relationship to the actual physical obstruction of nasal airflow. Now, scientists report that the annoying feeling of nasal obstruction is related to the temperature and humidity of inhaled air. This knowledge may help researchers design effective treatments for this familiar symptom of nasal sinus disease.

Preventing dangerous nonsense in human gene expression Posted: 13 Oct 2011 03:48 PM PDT Human genes are preferentially encoded by codons that are less likely to be mistranscribed (or "misread") into a STOP codon, according to a new study.

Inhibiting allergic reactions without side effects Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:46 PM PDT Researchers have announced a breakthrough approach to allergy treatment that inhibits food allergies, drug allergies, and asthmatic reactions without suppressing a sufferer's entire immunological system.

Direct access to physical therapists associated with lower costs and fewer visits, new study says Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:40 PM PDT A new study suggesting that "the role of the physician gatekeeper in regard to physical therapy may be unnecessary in many cases" could have significant implications for the US health care system.

Earlier autism diagnosis could mean earlier interventions Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:40 PM PDT Autism is normally diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 3. But new research is finding symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in babies as young as 12 months. If children could be diagnosed earlier, it might be possible to help them earlier -- and maybe even stop them from developing autism, according to experts.

Taking steps to prevent 'going postal' Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:39 PM PDT Workplace violence continues to be a topic of great importance to many companies, as tales of extreme cases hit the media. Today's human resources departments spend a great deal of time preparing for these cases. However, a new study questions whether time might be better invested in further investigation.

Schizophrenia genetics linked to disruption in how brain processes sound Posted: 13 Oct 2011 12:39 PM PDT What links genetic differences to changes in altered brain activity in schizophrenia is not clear. Now, three labs have come together using electrophysiological, anatomical, and immunohistochemical approaches -- along with a unique high-speed imaging technique -- to understand how schizophrenia works at the cellular level, especially in identifying how changes in the interaction between different types of nerve cells leads to symptoms of the disease.

Association between menopause, obesity and cognitive impairment Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT In a study of 300 post-menopausal women, obese participants performed better on three cognitive tests than participants of normal weight, leading researchers to speculate about the role of sex hormones and cognition.

Researchers correct sickle cell disease in adult mice: Protein could be a target for treating people who have the blood disorder Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT Scientists have corrected sickle cell disease in adult laboratory mice by activating production of a special blood component normally produced before, but not after, birth.

Deactivating a single protein corrects sickle cell disease in mice Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT Flipping a single molecular switch can reverse illness in a model of sickle cell disease, according to a new study. When turned off, the switch, a protein called BCL11A, allows the body to manufacture red blood cells with an alternate form of hemoglobin unaffected by the mutation that causes the disease.

Scientists reveal surprising picture of how powerful antibody neutralizes HIV Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered the surprising details of how a powerful anti-HIV antibody grabs hold of the virus. The findings highlight a major vulnerability of HIV and suggest a new target for vaccine development.

Reversing sickle cell anemia by turning on fetal hemoglobin Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT New research shows it's possible to reactivate production of fetal hemoglobin production in adult mice and effectively reverse sickle cell disease. The new studies show that interfering with a single protein "target" can provide enough fetal hemoglobin to improve symptoms of sickle cell anemia.

Inefficient developing world stoves contribute to 2 million deaths a year Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:18 AM PDT An international effort to replace smoky, inefficient household stoves that people commonly use in lower and middle income countries with clean, affordable, fuel efficient stoves could save nearly 2 million lives each year, according to experts.

New breeds of broccoli remain packed with health benefits Posted: 13 Oct 2011 10:52 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades.

Lower income dads encourage exercise, healthy diet but may give wrong dose of medicine, study suggests Posted: 13 Oct 2011 10:52 AM PDT Lower income, urban dads are involved in their children's health and encourage them to exercise and eat healthy foods. But these same dads may also give their kids the wrong dose of medicine and are uncomfortable handling emergency medical care for them. The study, the first of its kind, is a wake-up call to health care providers to include and educate fathers as key partners in their children's health.

Public reporting has''t improved transplant centers' care Posted: 13 Oct 2011 10:52 AM PDT Public reporting of the successes and failures of transplant centers has not diminished the gaps between the best and worst centers. If each center's performance matched that of the best center, about a third of deaths and organ failures could be averted. Additional studies are needed to investigate why public reports have not reduced differences across transplant centers

Differences in jet lag severity could be rooted in how circadian clock sets itself Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:17 AM PDT Researchers have found hints that differing molecular processes in one area of the brain might play a significant role in the differences of jet lag severity between long-distance west-to-east travel and east-to-west travel.

Permanently dismal economy could prompt men to seek more sex partners Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:17 AM PDT New research shows a causal link between low survivability cues and sexual preparedness in men, using both behavioral and physiological measures.

Tests to catch the makers of dangerous 'legal high' designer drugs Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:17 AM PDT Urgently needed tests which could help identify the manufacturers of designer 'legal high' drugs are now being developed.

First physical evidence bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's symptoms Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:17 AM PDT Researchers have found that people who speak more than one language have twice as much brain damage as unilingual people before they exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It's the first physical evidence that bilingualism delays the onset of the disease.

Precision with stem cells a step forward for treating multiple sclerosis, other diseases Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT Scientists have improved upon previous efforts to pluck out just the right stem cells to address the brain problem at the core of multiple sclerosis and a large number of rare, fatal children's diseases. Details of how scientists isolated and directed stem cells from the human brain to become oligodendrocytes - the type of brain cell that makes myelin - were recently published.

Researchers block morphine's itchy side effect Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT Itching is one of the most prevalent side effects of powerful, pain-killing drugs like morphine, oxycodone and other opioids. Now in mice, researchers have shown they can control opioid-induced itching without interfering with a drug's ability to relieve pain.

Hidden genetic influence on cancer discovered Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT In findings with major implications for the genetics of cancer and human health, researchers have uncovered evidence of powerful new genetic networks and showed how it may work to drive cancer and normal development.

Controlling cell death prevents skin inflammation Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT A new study provides evidence that stopping of a type of regulated cell death called "necroptosis" in keratinocytes is critical for the prevention of skin inflammation.

Eating green veggies improves immune defenses Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT Researchers have found another good reason to eat your green vegetables, although it may or may not win any arguments with kids at the dinner table.

Reversing smoke-induced damage and disease in the lung Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT By studying mice exposed to tobacco smoke for a period of months, researchers have new insight into how emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease develops. They also report a promising new way to reverse the lung damage underlying these conditions.

Understanding the beginnings of embryonic stem cells helps predict the future Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 AM PDT Scientists have shown that laboratory-grown cells express a protein called Blimp1, which represses differentiation to somatic or regular tissue cells during germ cell development. Studies of these cells show that they also express other genes associated with early germ cell specification.

Stem cells from cord blood could help repair damaged heart muscle Posted: 13 Oct 2011 07:36 AM PDT New research has found that stem cells derived from human cord blood could be an effective alternative in repairing heart attacks.

Good genes yield high-quality meat products Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:11 AM PDT Gene technology can help farmers to selectively breed production animals for increasingly high-quality meat, eggs and dairy products.

Pesticide pollution in European waterbodies: List of chemicals to be monitored should be updated immediately, experts urge Posted: 13 Oct 2011 05:51 AM PDT Pesticides are a bigger problem than had long been assumed. This is the conclusion of a study in which scientists analyzed data on 500 organic substances in the basins of four major European rivers. It was revealed that 38 per cent of these chemicals are present in concentrations which could potentially have an effect on organisms.

Doctors may be sending too many patients by helicopter, an expensive choice that may not impact patient outcome Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT When a patient needs to travel between hospitals and time is of the essence, helicopter transport is generally assumed to be faster and more desirable than taking a ground ambulance, but a new study refutes this common assumption, revealing that the actual times to treatment for patients transported by helicopter may not justify the expense relative to ground ambulances.

Study compares narrow band imaging to chromoendoscopy for the detection of dysplasia in IBD patients Posted: 12 Oct 2011 01:13 PM PDT A new study finds that narrow band imaging appears to be a less time-consuming and equally effective alternative to chromoendoscopy for the detection of dysplasia in patients with long-standing inflammatory bowel disease. However, this study demonstrated higher miss rates for detection of lesions by narrow band imaging as compared with chromoendoscopy, and the authors concluded that narrow band imaging cannot be recommended as the standard technique.

Does a bigger brain make for a smarter child in babies born prematurely? Posted: 12 Oct 2011 01:12 PM PDT New research suggests the growth rate of the brain's cerebral cortex in babies born prematurely may predict how well they are able to think, speak, plan and pay attention later in childhood. The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain covering the cerebrum, and is responsible for cognitive functions, such as language, memory, attention and thought.

Estrogen may prevent younger menopausal women from strokes, study suggests Posted: 12 Oct 2011 11:41 AM PDT Estrogen may prevent strokes in premature or early menopausal women, researchers have found in a new study. Their findings challenge the conventional wisdom that estrogen is a risk factor for stroke at all ages.

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