ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New MRI technique may predict progress of dementias
• Autism by the numbers: Researchers examine impact of new diagnostic criteria
• Zip code as important as genetic code in childhood obesity
• Fish, bugs and mercury contamination in small ponds: Why we should worry about aquatic insects and hg contamination
• Can a standard vision test predict nighttime driving performance?
• Symptoms that mimic epilepsy linked to stress, poor coping skills
• Brain-injury data used to map intelligence in the brain
• Personality, habits of thought and gender influence how we remember
• Overcoming obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Women not getting enough exercise; at risk of developing metabolic syndrome
• Mothers and OCD children trapped in rituals have impaired relationships
• Web-based tool produces fast, accurate autism diagnosis, study suggests
• The green light gives the game away: New method for direct identification of antigens
• Antioxidant may disrupt Alzheimer's disease process
• 'uok?' Text messages can soothe the disconnected soul
• Eliminating 64 calories per day on average would allow the US childhood obesity prevention goals to be met
• Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumor
• More exercise, eating less fat and weight loss programs are in, popular diets are out, study suggests
• Pelvic muscle training effective in treating urinary incontinence for women
• Changes in monkeys' social status affect their genes
• First FDA-approved magnetic heartburn device
• Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research
• Study cautions use of drugs to block 'niacin flush'
• Could starving the heart make it resistant to damage?
• Experts identify critical genes mutated in stomach cancer
• Invasive heart test being dramatically overused, study shows

New MRI technique may predict progress of dementias Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:09 PM PDT A new technique for analyzing brain images offers the possibility of using magnetic resonance imaging to predict the rate of progression and physical path of many degenerative brain diseases, report scientists.

Autism by the numbers: Researchers examine impact of new diagnostic criteria Posted: 10 Apr 2012 01:36 PM PDT Getting an autism diagnosis could be more difficult in 2013 when a revised diagnostic definition goes into effect. The proposed changes may affect the proportion of individuals who qualify for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, according to a new study.

Zip code as important as genetic code in childhood obesity Posted: 10 Apr 2012 01:35 PM PDT Neighborhood supermarket and park proximity directly related to obesity, study finds.

Fish, bugs and mercury contamination in small ponds: Why we should worry about aquatic insects and hg contamination Posted: 10 Apr 2012 01:35 PM PDT There have been many scientific studies looking at the levels of toxic mercury (Hg) in fish. After all, fish can end up directly on our plate. However, far fewer studies have examined Hg levels in aquatic insects. This is a significant oversight because aquatic insects are an important source of Hg to fish and even terrestrial wildlife.

Can a standard vision test predict nighttime driving performance? Posted: 10 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Just because a driver has passed the motor vehicle administration's vision test may not mean he or she is safe to drive. A recent study found that the frequency and distance at which drivers with moderate levels of blurred vision and cataracts recognize pedestrians at night was severely reduced, even when the drivers have passed the required vision test.

Symptoms that mimic epilepsy linked to stress, poor coping skills Posted: 10 Apr 2012 11:59 AM PDT Based on their clinical experience and observations, physicians and psychologists say that more than one-third of the patients admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital's inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit for treatment of intractable seizures have been discovered to have stress-triggered symptoms rather than a true seizure disorder.

Brain-injury data used to map intelligence in the brain Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:08 AM PDT Scientists report that they have mapped the physical architecture of intelligence in the brain. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive analyses so far of the brain structures vital to general intelligence and to specific aspects of intellectual functioning, such as verbal comprehension and working memory.

Personality, habits of thought and gender influence how we remember Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:08 AM PDT We all have them -- positive memories of personal events that are a delight to recall, and painful recollections that we would rather forget. A new study reveals that what we do with our emotional memories and how they affect us has a lot to do with our gender, personality and the methods we use (often without awareness) to regulate our feelings.

Overcoming obsessive-compulsive disorder Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:08 AM PDT Did I remember to lock the back door? Did I turn off the stove? Were the lights still on when I left the house this morning? Such minor doubts are part of our daily mental chatter. But for people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, thoughts along these lines can lead to compulsive checking -- a potentially debilitating behavior that keeps the sufferer locked in an endless cycle of fear and doubt.

Women not getting enough exercise; at risk of developing metabolic syndrome Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:08 AM PDT A U.S. national study shows that women are less likely than men to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, resulting in greater odds of developing metabolic syndrome -- a risky and increasingly prevalent condition related to obesity.

Mothers and OCD children trapped in rituals have impaired relationships Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:06 AM PDT A new study finds mothers tend to be more critical of children with obsessive-compulsive disorder than they are of other children in the family. And, that parental criticism is linked to poorer outcomes for the child after treatment.

Web-based tool produces fast, accurate autism diagnosis, study suggests Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:15 AM PDT Researchers have significantly reduced from hours to minutes the time it takes to accurately detect autism in young children, experts say.

The green light gives the game away: New method for direct identification of antigens Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:14 AM PDT The immune system is a vital part of our defenses against pathogens, but it can also attack host tissues, resulting in autoimmune disease. The antigens that induce destructive immune reactions can now be identified directly – without any prior knowledge of their possible structure.

Antioxidant may disrupt Alzheimer's disease process Posted: 10 Apr 2012 07:19 AM PDT Alzheimer's disease (AD) is now the sixth leading cause of death among Americans, affecting nearly 1 in 8 people over the age of 65. There is currently no treatment that alters the course of this disease. However, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that changes in the way the body handles iron and other metals like copper and zinc may start years before the onset of AD symptoms. A new study shows that reducing iron levels in blood plasma may protect the brain from changes related to AD.

'uok?' Text messages can soothe the disconnected soul Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:36 AM PDT Text messaging often gets a bad rap for contributing to illiteracy and high-risk behavior such as reckless driving. But a social welfare professor has found an upside to texting, especially for people who feel stressed out, isolated and alone.

Eliminating 64 calories per day on average would allow the US childhood obesity prevention goals to be met Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:35 AM PDT In order for the nation to achieve goals set by the federal government for reducing obesity rates by 2020, children in the United States would need to eliminate an average of 64 excess calories per day, researchers calculated in a new study. This reduction could be achieved by decreasing calorie intake, increasing physical activity, or both.

Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumor Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT People who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of developing the most commonly diagnosed primary brain tumor in the United States. Ionizing radiation is the primary environmental risk factor for developing meningioma, which is the most frequently diagnosed primary brain tumor in the United States. Dental x-rays are the most common artificial source of exposure to ionizing radiation for individuals living in the United States.

More exercise, eating less fat and weight loss programs are in, popular diets are out, study suggests Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:31 AM PDT Contrary to popular perception, a large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers. What's more, they say, the old tried and true methods of eating less fat and exercising are some of the most effective paths to weight loss success.

Pelvic muscle training effective in treating urinary incontinence for women Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:31 AM PDT A new comparative effectiveness report confirms that pelvic floor muscle training is effective for treating adult women with urinary incontinence without risk of side effects.

Changes in monkeys' social status affect their genes Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:44 PM PDT A female's social status affects how her genes turn on and off, and those who rank higher tend to be healthier -- so long as their social status doesn't decline, according to a study of rhesus macaques.

First FDA-approved magnetic heartburn device Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:42 PM PDT Physicians have implanted the new FDA-approved LINX device in a 29-year old patient suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic digestive disease that can lead to severe inflammation, stricture, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer.

Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT The development of a new way to make a powerful tool for altering gene sequences should greatly increase the ability of researchers to knock out or otherwise alter the expression of any gene they are studying.

Study cautions use of drugs to block 'niacin flush' Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT Researchers question the wisdom of blocking a receptor in patients prone to cardiovascular disease, especially those taking niacin.

Could starving the heart make it resistant to damage? Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Heart cells starved of nutrients are less likely to be damaged during periods of decreased blood flow and sudden influxes of blood, known as ischemia and reperfusion, and are also less likely to get out of synch with their cellular neighbors, the damaging phenomenon called arrhythmia.

Experts identify critical genes mutated in stomach cancer Posted: 08 Apr 2012 12:07 PM PDT Scientists have identified hundreds of novel genes that are mutated in stomach cancer, the second-most lethal cancer worldwide.

Invasive heart test being dramatically overused, study shows Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:45 PM PDT An invasive heart test used routinely to measure heart function is being dramatically overused, especially among patients who recently underwent similar, more effective tests, according to a new study.

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