ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Gene polymorphisms identified that are responsible for breast density and cancer risk
• Acupuncture relieves symptoms of a dry mouth caused by radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, study suggests
• New paper examines shifting gears in the circadian clock of the heart
• Neuroscientists propose revolutionary DNA-based approach to map wiring of whole brain
• Limitations to the 'revolutionary' findings of online studies
• Genetic marker for placebo response identified in IBS patients
• Product regulatory systems in low-and middle-income countries must be strengthened, experts argue
• Lives could be saved by removing age restrictions on rotavirus vaccination, study suggests
• Precisely targeted electrical brain stimulation alters perception of faces, study finds
• New vitamin-based treatment that could reduce muscle degeneration in muscular dystrophy
• Personalized feedback makes healthcare workers twice as likely to clean their hands
• Local wildlife is important in human diets in central Africa, experts say
• Medical recommendations should go beyond race, scholar says
• Long Island man beats fungal meningitis; Cancer specialist solves a diagnostic puzzle that appeared to be brain cancer
• Researchers map strategy for 'choosing wisely' on low-value health care services
• Mechanical ventilation at lower level among patients without lung injury linked with better outcomes
• Most large treatment effects of medical interventions come from small studies, report finds
• Men with certain cardiovascular risk factors may be at increased risk of peripheral artery disease
• Amish children are twice as physically active as non-Amish children are, study finds
• Increased use of colonoscopy screening could explain decrease in colorectal cancer rates
• Blood chromosome differences are linked to pancreatic cancer
• Protein levels could predict if bowel cancer patients will benefit from Avastin
• Promising new biomarker for aggressiveness of prostate cancer
• Is declining medical imaging use driving up hospital stays and medical costs?
• Are schizophrenia and autism close relations?
• Low adoption by large hospital ICUs of catheter-associated urinary tract infection precautions
• Lifting weights protects against metabolic syndrome, study suggests
• TIM and TAM: Two paths used by the Dengue virus to penetrate cells
• Nanofibrillar cellulose film to ease performing medical tests
• How patterns and timing of sunlight exposure contribute to skin cancers
• Ootent growth factor for blood stem cells identified
• New Jersey's decal for young drivers reduced crashes, study suggests
• Noninvasive assay monitored treatment response in patients with metastatic prostate cancer
• Diabetes drug could be effective in treating addiction, researchers find
• Simple, inexpensive risk score can shorten length of stay for MI patients
• Combination of Gulf oil and dispersant spell potential trouble for gut microbes
• Next generation vaccines: Eliminating the use of needles
• Leading European experts call for more rigorous scientific evidence for healthcare interventions
• Lung mucus gel scaffold prevents nanoparticles from getting through
• Antiviral therapy may halve risk of liver cancer after chronic hepatitis C infection, analysis indicates
• Industry now using smartphone apps, which kids can easily download, to promote tobacco, researchers warn
• Bringing power of prevention, diagnosis to the people

Gene polymorphisms identified that are responsible for breast density and cancer risk Posted: 23 Oct 2012 05:46 PM PDT It has long been known that breast density, or mammographic density, is a strong risk factor for breast cancer, and that estrogen and progestin hormone therapy increases dense breast tissue. Now, a study has identified several gene variants in hormone metabolism and growth factor pathways that may be associated with breast density and, hence, breast cancer risk.

Acupuncture relieves symptoms of a dry mouth caused by radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, study suggests Posted: 23 Oct 2012 05:46 PM PDT Patients who have received radiotherapy for head and neck cancer often suffer from the unpleasant and distressing side-effect of a dry mouth, caused by damage to their salivary glands from the radiation.

New paper examines shifting gears in the circadian clock of the heart Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT A new study focuses on the circadian clock of the heart, and used cultured heart tissue. The results of the new study have implications for cardiovascular health, including daily changes in responses to stress and the effect of long-term rotational shift work.

Neuroscientists propose revolutionary DNA-based approach to map wiring of whole brain Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT A team of neuroscientists has proposed a new and potentially revolutionary way of obtaining a neuronal connectivity map (the "connectome") of the whole brain of the mouse.

Limitations to the 'revolutionary' findings of online studies Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT 'Direct to consumer' research, using data obtained through increasingly popular online communities, has methodological limitations that are known to epidemiological studies, including selection bias, information bias, and confounding. These limitations mean that the results and conclusions of research using these methods need to be interpreted with caution, according to a new study.

Genetic marker for placebo response identified in IBS patients Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Researchers have identified the first genetic differences to explain why placebos help some patients -- and not others.

Product regulatory systems in low-and middle-income countries must be strengthened, experts argue Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT When regulatory systems for medical products in low-and middle-income countries work, people live but when such systems fail, people die, according to experts.

Lives could be saved by removing age restrictions on rotavirus vaccination, study suggests Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT A new study, which suggests that the additional children's lives saved by removing the age restrictions for rotavirus vaccination in low- and middle-income countries would be much greater than any extra deaths from vaccine-associated complications (namely, intussusception-a form of bowel obstruction), has informed policy regarding the age restrictions for this vaccine.

Precisely targeted electrical brain stimulation alters perception of faces, study finds Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Scientists have shown that mild electrical stimulation of two nerve clusters spaced a half-inch apart in a brain structure called the fusiform gyrus caused the subject's perception of faces to instantly become distorted while leaving his perception of other body parts and inanimate objects unchanged.

New vitamin-based treatment that could reduce muscle degeneration in muscular dystrophy Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Boosting the activity of a vitamin-sensitive cell adhesion pathway has the potential to counteract the muscle degeneration and reduced mobility caused by muscular dystrophies, according to a research team.

Personalized feedback makes healthcare workers twice as likely to clean their hands Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:18 PM PDT A major three-year trial has shown that giving one-to-one feedback to healthcare workers makes them twice as likely to clean their hands or use soap.

Local wildlife is important in human diets in central Africa, experts say Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT Animals like antelope, frogs and rodents may be tricky to catch, but they provide protein in places where traditional livestock are scarce. According to the authors of a new paper, meat from wild animals is increasingly important in central Africa.

Medical recommendations should go beyond race, scholar says Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:12 PM PDT Medical organizations that make race-based recommendations are misleading some patients about health risks while reinforcing harmful notions about race, a professor argues in a new paper.

Long Island man beats fungal meningitis; Cancer specialist solves a diagnostic puzzle that appeared to be brain cancer Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT Thinking he had only months to live, Frank Tarantino, 67, of Amityville, N.Y., a retired electrician, father of four and grandfather of seven, was getting his affairs in order in the winter of 2011. Doctors believed he had a lethal brain tumor. Tarantino, a prostate cancer survivor, had just finished treatment for breast cancer in late 2010. One consulting physician, Shenhong Wu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and an oncologist at the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, could not conclude Tarantino had cancer. The question remained in Dr. Wu's mind: If not cancer, what could this be?

Researchers map strategy for 'choosing wisely' on low-value health care services Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT Cutting the expenses associated with "low-value" medical tests and treatments -- such as unnecessary imaging tests and antibiotics for viral infections that won't benefit from them -- will require a multi-pronged plan targeting insurance companies, patients, and physicians, according to a new article. These efforts transcend economic impact, however, and may also be essential for improving health care quality and patient safety.

Mechanical ventilation at lower level among patients without lung injury linked with better outcomes Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT Among patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome, protective mechanical ventilation with use of lower tidal volumes (the volume of air inhaled and exhaled during each breath) was associated with better outcomes including less lung injury, lower mortality, fewer pulmonary infections and a shorter hospital length of stay.

Most large treatment effects of medical interventions come from small studies, report finds Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT In an examination of the characteristics of studies that yield large treatment effects from medical interventions, these studies were more likely to be smaller in size, often with limited evidence, and when additional trials were performed.

Men with certain cardiovascular risk factors may be at increased risk of peripheral artery disease Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT Among nearly 45,000 men who were followed up for more than two decades, those with the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes had an associated greater risk of developing PAD.

Amish children are twice as physically active as non-Amish children are, study finds Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT Old Order Amish children are much more physically active and three times less likely to be overweight than non-Amish children, which may provide them with some long-term protection against developing Type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

Increased use of colonoscopy screening could explain decrease in colorectal cancer rates Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT Use of colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening could explain a significant decrease in the cancer's incidence over the past decade, according to a new study.

Blood chromosome differences are linked to pancreatic cancer Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:48 AM PDT A new study shows that a blood marker is linked to pancreatic cancer. Researchers say the new study is the first time pancreatic cancer risk has been linked to differences in telomeres' length in blood cells.

Protein levels could predict if bowel cancer patients will benefit from Avastin Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:48 AM PDT Comparing levels of specific proteins that the drug Avastin targets could identify patients with advanced bowel cancer who will benefit from the treatment, according to new research.

Promising new biomarker for aggressiveness of prostate cancer Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:37 AM PDT Researchers have found increased levels of serum glutamate in both primary and metastatic prostate tumors, corresponding to increasing Gleason score.

Is declining medical imaging use driving up hospital stays and medical costs? Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT A new report shows that the length of the average hospital stay in the United States has increased at the same time as use of medical imaging scans has declined. It is unclear if the trends are related, but potentially important, as hospital admissions are among the largest, and fastest growing, health care costs.

Are schizophrenia and autism close relations? Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT Medical researchers studied extensive genetic databases to discover that autism and schizophrenia had a genetic link, representing a heightened risk within families. People who have a schizophrenic sibling were 12 times more likely to have autism than those with no schizophrenia in the family.

Low adoption by large hospital ICUs of catheter-associated urinary tract infection precautions Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT A new study found that large hospitals -- those with more than 500 beds -- had a 1.5 higher average rate of CAUTI than hospitals with 500 beds or less. Since larger hospitals, particularly teaching hospitals treat patients who are often sicker, the finding that their ICUs have higher incidences of CAUTI, while still a cause of concern, was not unanticipated.

Lifting weights protects against metabolic syndrome, study suggests Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:44 AM PDT People who lift weights are less likely to have metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of risk factors linked to heart disease and diabetes, reports a new study.

TIM and TAM: Two paths used by the Dengue virus to penetrate cells Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have identified two families of receptors that play an important part in the penetration of the Dengue virus into cells.

Nanofibrillar cellulose film to ease performing medical tests Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:23 AM PDT Researchers have succeeded in developing a durable and affordable nanofibrillar cellulose film platform to support medical testing. New environmentally friendly, reliable nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) platforms are more diverse than plastic films. New film can be made, for instance, hydrophobic, hydrophilic and the electric charge can be changed. This will enhance the possibility of conducting thousands of different medical tests at home or in physicians' receptions instead of waiting for results from laboratories.

How patterns and timing of sunlight exposure contribute to skin cancers Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:23 AM PDT Researchers have studied the patterns and timing of sunlight exposure and how each is related to two nonmelanoma skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Ootent growth factor for blood stem cells identified Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT Researchers studying the interaction of blood stem cells and the niche where they reside have identified a protein that may be a long-sought growth factor for blood stem cells.

New Jersey's decal for young drivers reduced crashes, study suggests Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT A new study shows that NJ's law requiring novice drivers to display a red decal on their license plates has prevented more than 1,600 crashes and helped police officers enforce regulations unique to new drivers. Nearly every state has a GDL law on the books, but "Kyleigh's Law," named for a teen driver killed in a 2006 NJ crash, is the first to require drivers under age 21 to display their probationary status.

Noninvasive assay monitored treatment response in patients with metastatic prostate cancer Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT Deciding the ideal treatment for patients with metastatic prostate cancer that stops responding to initial therapy could be guided by certain analyses of cancer cells isolated from the patients' blood, according to new research.

Diabetes drug could be effective in treating addiction, researchers find Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:09 AM PDT Researchers are reporting that a drug currently used to treat type 2 diabetes could be just as effective in treating addiction to drugs, including cocaine. The findings could have far-reaching implications for patients worldwide who suffer from addiction.

Simple, inexpensive risk score can shorten length of stay for MI patients Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:10 AM PDT A simple-to-use risk score can identify low-risk patients following a severe heart attack and may provide an opportunity to employ early discharge strategies to reduce length of hospital stay and save hospital costs without compromising the safety of the patient, based on a new study.

Combination of Gulf oil and dispersant spell potential trouble for gut microbes Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:10 AM PDT In a new study, researchers examined whether crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the dispersant used on it, or a combination of the two might affect the microbes of the human digestive tract. The researchers found that although high concentrations of oil combined with dispersant are detrimental to these helpful microbial communities, the low to undetectable concentrations typically found in Gulf shellfish had no discernible effect.

Next generation vaccines: Eliminating the use of needles Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:08 AM PDT Scientists have developed a pioneering new method of oral vaccination which could help boost immunity to tuberculosis (TB) and influenza, as well as prevent C. difficile for which there is currently no vaccine.

Leading European experts call for more rigorous scientific evidence for healthcare interventions Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT Leading clinicians and health researchers from across Europe say much greater emphasis must be placed on the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of treatments and other healthcare interventions to ensure patients receive the best care available.

Lung mucus gel scaffold prevents nanoparticles from getting through Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT Scientists have unraveled lung mucus's physical properties: They discovered that a rigid gel scaffold in lung mucus separates large, fluid-filled pores and prevents nanoparticle movement beyond individual pore boundaries. Their findings deepen our understanding of diseases of the respiratory system, notably infections, and support the development of new inhaled medications.

Antiviral therapy may halve risk of liver cancer after chronic hepatitis C infection, analysis indicates Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT Treating chronic hepatitis C infection with antiviral drugs could halve the risk of developing the most common form of liver cancer, in some cases, a new analysis indicates.

Industry now using smartphone apps, which kids can easily download, to promote tobacco, researchers warn Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT The tobacco industry is now using smarphone apps -- a medium that has global reach, including to children -- to promote its products, warn researchers.

Bringing power of prevention, diagnosis to the people Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:23 PM PDT "A Mercedes Benz isn't designed to function in the Sahara Desert," notes Dr. Eliah Aronoff-Spencer of the University of California, San Diego. "So why are we designing medical equipment for developing countries the same way we do for developed ones?" It's a question researchers at the new Distributed Health Laboratory in the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at UC San Diego aim to address, and eventually, to render moot. In collaboration with the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Maputo, Mozambique, Calit2's DH Lab is designing low-cost medical devices such as microscopes and wireless sensing devices that can be used by virtually anyone anywhere in the world to prevent and even diagnose illness.

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