ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Multiple similarities discovered between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
• Study points to potential for improvement in the care, quality of life of epilepsy patients
• Immunologists find a molecule that puts the brakes on inflammation
• Hospital observation units could save the health care system $3.1 billion
• When your eyes tell your hands what to think: You're far less in control of your brain than you think
• What makes surgeons happy?
• Exposure to herbicide may increase risk of rare disorder
• Taking mathematics to heart
• MRSA research identifies new class of anti-bacterial drugs, shows how 'superbug' DNA may help scientists predict transmission routes
• Nanoparticles glow through thick layer of tissue
• Identification of microbes in healthy lungs sheds light on cystic fibrosis
• One-fifth of spine surgery patients develop PTSD symptoms
• New study identifies large gaps in lifetime earnings of specialist and primary-care physicians
• Bioengineers design rapid diagnostic tests inspired by nature
• Predatory bacterial crowdsourcing: Scientists ID simple formula that allows bacteria to engulf food in waves
• Eliminating invasive cervical cancer possible, researchers report
• Effective HIV care benefited all HIV patients, regardless of demographics and behavioral risk
• Making headway on beta-blockers and sleep
• The true costs of cancer in Europe revealed
• Eating cherries lowers risk of gout attacks by 35%, study suggests
• Research could lead to a better understanding of flesh-eating disease
• Major genetic discovery explains 10 percent of aortic valve disease
• Physical activity interventions for children have 'little impact', study suggests
• Over 65s at increased risk of developing dementia with benzodiazepine, study suggests
• Progesterone test can predict viability of pregnancy, study finds

Multiple similarities discovered between cancer cells and induced pluripotent stem cells Posted: 28 Sep 2012 11:11 AM PDT Investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer.

Study points to potential for improvement in the care, quality of life of epilepsy patients Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:54 AM PDT Routine screening for psychiatric, cognitive and social problems could enhance the quality of care and quality of life for children and adults with epilepsy, according to a new study.

Immunologists find a molecule that puts the brakes on inflammation Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:53 AM PDT We couldn't live without our immune systems, always tuned to detect and eradicate invading pathogens and particles. But sometimes the immune response goes overboard, triggering autoimmune diseases like lupus, asthma or inflammatory bowel disease. A new study has now identified a crucial signaling molecule involved in counterbalancing the immune system attack.

Hospital observation units could save the health care system $3.1 billion Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:53 AM PDT Researchers estimate that maximizing the potential of an observation unit in a hospital could result in $4.6 million in savings annually for the hospital and $3.1 billion in overall savings for the health care system in the United States.

When your eyes tell your hands what to think: You're far less in control of your brain than you think Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:52 AM PDT You've probably never given much thought that picking up your cup of coffee presents your brain with a set of complex decisions -- how to aim your hand, grasp the handle and raise the cup to your mouth without spilling the contents on your lap. A new study shows that, not only does your brain handle such complex decisions for you, it also hides information from you about how those decisions are made.

What makes surgeons happy? Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:52 AM PDT Lack of control over operating rooms and other resources as well as a lack of work-life balance are among the main reasons general surgeons may be dissatisfied with their jobs, a new study has found.

Exposure to herbicide may increase risk of rare disorder Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:52 AM PDT A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers.

Taking mathematics to heart Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT Mathematics might seem like an abstract discipline, remote from real-world applications but their equations can significantly help understand and simulate the functioning of nature. Scientists are now developing mathematical models of the blood flow in our cardiovascular system.

MRSA research identifies new class of anti-bacterial drugs, shows how 'superbug' DNA may help scientists predict transmission routes Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new class of treatment against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as well as evidence of a growing need to quickly genotype individual strains of the organism most commonly referred to as the "superbug."

Nanoparticles glow through thick layer of tissue Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT Novel, biocompatible nanoparticles glow through more than 3 centimeters of biological tissue, demonstrating the promise of nanotechnology in biomedical imaging.

Identification of microbes in healthy lungs sheds light on cystic fibrosis Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:38 AM PDT Healthy people's lungs are home to a diverse community of microbes that differs markedly from the bacteria found in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

One-fifth of spine surgery patients develop PTSD symptoms Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:38 AM PDT Nearly 20 percent of people who underwent low back fusion surgery developed post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms associated with that surgery, according to a recent study.

New study identifies large gaps in lifetime earnings of specialist and primary-care physicians Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:37 AM PDT A national study has found that earnings over the course of the careers of primary-care physicians averaged as much as $2.8 million less than the earnings of their specialist colleagues, potentially making primary care a less attractive choice for medical school graduates and exacerbating the already significant shortage of medical generalists.

Bioengineers design rapid diagnostic tests inspired by nature Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:37 AM PDT By mimicking nature's own sensing mechanisms, bioengineers have designed inexpensive medical diagnostic tests that take only a few minutes to perform. Their findings may aid efforts to build point-of-care devices for quick medical diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and a number of other diseases. The new technology could dramatically impact world health, according to the research team.

Predatory bacterial crowdsourcing: Scientists ID simple formula that allows bacteria to engulf food in waves Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:37 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the mechanism that allows one of the world's smallest predators -- the soil bacteria Myxococcus xanthus -- to form collective waves that spread and engulf bacterial prey. The study finds that the same mechanism helps M. xanthus spread quickly and stay atop prey until it is devoured.

Eliminating invasive cervical cancer possible, researchers report Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:56 AM PDT Researchers have published a new paper that provides an overview on preventing invasive cervical cancer.

Effective HIV care benefited all HIV patients, regardless of demographics and behavioral risk Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:56 AM PDT Improved treatment options, a multi-pronged treatment model, and federal funding have helped an inner city Baltimore clinic improve outcomes for HIV patients across all groups, including those most often hardest hit by the disease. The results from the 15-year analysis of patients at a clinic serving a primarily poor, African-American patient population with high rates of injection drug use demonstrate what state-of-the-art HIV care can achieve, given appropriate support.

Making headway on beta-blockers and sleep Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:56 AM PDT Researchers have found that melatonin supplementation significantly improved sleep in hypertensive patients taking beta-blockers.

The true costs of cancer in Europe revealed Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:53 AM PDT New studies reveal for the first time the real economic and human costs of caring for cancer patients in Europe.

Eating cherries lowers risk of gout attacks by 35%, study suggests Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:53 AM PDT A new study found that patients with gout who consumed cherries over a two-day period showed a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared to those who did not eat the fruit. New findings also suggest that risk of gout flares was 75% lower when cherry intake was combined with the uric-acid reducing drug, allopurinol, than in periods without exposure to cherries or treatment.

Research could lead to a better understanding of flesh-eating disease Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:53 AM PDT Scientists are carrying out research on bacteriophage that play a role in flesh-eating disease.

Major genetic discovery explains 10 percent of aortic valve disease Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:52 AM PDT Researchers have identified genetic origins in 10% of an important form of congenital heart diseases by studying the genetic variability within families.

Physical activity interventions for children have 'little impact', study suggests Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT Physical activity interventions for children have small impact on overall activity levels and consequently the body fat and mass of children, a new study suggests.

Over 65s at increased risk of developing dementia with benzodiazepine, study suggests Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT Patients over the age of 65 who begin taking benzodiazepine (a popular drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia) are at an approximately 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia within 15 years compared to never-users, a new study suggests.

Progesterone test can predict viability of pregnancy, study finds Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT Measuring progesterone levels in women with pain or bleeding during early pregnancy is a useful way to help discriminate between a viable and a non-viable pregnancy, finds a new study.

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