ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Consumerism and its antisocial effects can be turned on -- or off
• Nanotechnology used to hunt for hidden pathogens
• Aspirin reduces cancer risk: Is it time to include it in cancer prevention guidelines?
• Immune cells, 'macrophages' become activated by body temperature
• Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease
• Study links toxic component in herbal remedies to kidney failure and cancer
• Genetic regulator of fat metabolism and muscle fitness discovered
• Two genetic deletions in human genome linked to the development of aggressive prostate cancer
• Study debunks common myth that urine is sterile
• Life expectancy may affect when you get married, divorced, have kids
• Head and body lice appear to be the same species, genetic study finds
• Black flies may have a purpose after all
• 'Nanobubbles' plus chemotherapy equals single-cell cancer targeting
• Novel compound demonstrates anti-leukemic effect in zebrafish, shows promise for human treatment
• Maternal obesity, diabetes associated with autism, other developmental disorders
• New technique determines which patients with homocystinuria are most likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment based on their genotypes
• Obesity accounts for 21 percent of U.S. health care costs, study finds

Consumerism and its antisocial effects can be turned on -- or off Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:59 PM PDT Money doesn't buy happiness. Neither does materialism: research shows that people who place a high value on wealth, status, and stuff are more depressed and anxious and less sociable than those who do not. Now new research shows that materialism is not just a personal problem. It's also environmental.

Nanotechnology used to hunt for hidden pathogens Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:59 PM PDT Researchers have developed a novel technique that may give doctors a faster and more sensitive tool to detect pathogens associated with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease. The new nanoparticle-based technique also may be used for detection of other microbes that have challenged scientists for centuries because they hide deep in human tissue and are able to reprogram cells to successfully evade the immune system.

Aspirin reduces cancer risk: Is it time to include it in cancer prevention guidelines? Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT New data demonstrates aspirin's potential role in reducing the risk of cancer death bring us considerably closer to the time when cancer prevention can be included in clinical guidelines for the use of aspirin in preventative care.

Immune cells, 'macrophages' become activated by body temperature Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT Scientists have identified the mechanism through which TRPM2 is activated by body temperature with hydrogen peroxide produced by immune reactions.

Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT Seemingly small changes in summer temperature swings -- as little as 1°C more than usual -- may shorten life expectancy for elderly people with chronic medical conditions, and could result in thousands of additional deaths each year, new research suggests.

Study links toxic component in herbal remedies to kidney failure and cancer Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:43 PM PDT Aristolochic acid (AA), a component of a plant used in herbal remedies since ancient times, leads to kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC) in individuals exposed to the toxin, according to a new study.

Genetic regulator of fat metabolism and muscle fitness discovered Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:43 PM PDT While exercise is accepted universally as the most beneficial prescription physicians can write, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that generate its widespread health benefits. Scientists have shed light on this mystery by discovering that a genetic factor, KLF15, governs the body's ability to burn fat during exercise.

Two genetic deletions in human genome linked to the development of aggressive prostate cancer Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:42 PM PDT Investigators have discovered two inherited-genetic deletions in the human genome linked to development of aggressive prostate cancer. The findings indicate a man's risk of developing prostate cancer either triples or quadruples, depending on the genetic variant they inherit.

Study debunks common myth that urine is sterile Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:41 PM PDT Researchers have determined that bacteria are present in the bladders of some healthy women, which discredits the common belief that normal urine is sterile.

Life expectancy may affect when you get married, divorced, have kids Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT Major life decisions such as marriage, divorce, abortion, having a child and attending university may be subconsciously influenced by how long people believe they will live, according to a new study.

Head and body lice appear to be the same species, genetic study finds Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT A new study offers compelling genetic evidence that head and body lice are the same species. The finding is of special interest because body lice can transmit deadly bacterial diseases, while head lice do not.

Black flies may have a purpose after all Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:38 AM PDT Black flies drink blood and spread disease such as river blindness -- creating misery with their presence. A new study, however, demonstrates that the pesky insects can be useful.

'Nanobubbles' plus chemotherapy equals single-cell cancer targeting Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:37 AM PDT Using light-harvesting nanoparticles to convert laser energy into "plasmonic nanobubbles," researchers have developed methods for delivering chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells. In tests on drug-resistant cancer, the researchers found the methods were up to 30 times more deadly to cancer cells than traditional chemotherapy and required less than one-tenth the clinical dose.

Novel compound demonstrates anti-leukemic effect in zebrafish, shows promise for human treatment Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT A novel anti-leukemia compound with little toxicity successfully treated zebrafish with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), suggesting its potential to become a new highly targeted therapy for humans -- even those resistant to conventional therapies -- according to new results.

Maternal obesity, diabetes associated with autism, other developmental disorders Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT A major study of the relationships between maternal metabolic conditions and the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder has found strong links between maternal diabetes and obesity and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability.

New technique determines which patients with homocystinuria are most likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment based on their genotypes Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT A new technique, surrogate organism genetics, has been used to "swap" yeast genes with human genes sequenced from patients with homocystinuria to determine the gene variants likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment.

Obesity accounts for 21 percent of U.S. health care costs, study finds Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Obesity now accounts for almost 21 percent of U.S. health care costs – more than twice the previous estimates, reports a new study. The research, which is the first to show the causal effect of obesity on medical care costs, uses new methods and makes a stronger case for government intervention to prevent obesity.

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