الخميس، 14 مارس 2013

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News


Computer models predict how patients will respond to HIV drugs without the need for resistance testing

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 06:40 PM PDT

Computer models can predict how HIV patients whose drug therapy is failing will respond to a new treatment. Crucially for patients in poorer countries, the models do not require the results of expensive drug resistance tests to make their predictions. The study also showed that the models were able to identify alternative drug combinations that were predicted to work in cases where the treatment used in the clinic had failed, suggesting that their use could avoid treatment failure.

Shock treatment can kill: Clinical trial shows how 'standard' procedure results in children's deaths

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 06:40 PM PDT

Children who are given fluid to treat shock have an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular collapse at 48 hours, according to new research.

U.S. lifespans lags other high-income countries, tied to mortality rates under age 50

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:22 PM PDT

A new study suggests higher mortality rates among Americans younger than 50 are responsible for much of why life expectancy is lower in the United States than most of the world's most developed nations. Most of the excess mortality of those younger than 50 was caused by noncommunicable diseases, including perinatal conditions, such as pregnancy complications and birth trauma, and homicide and unintentional injuries including drug overdose.

Novel chemical that controls cell behavior: First-in-class chemical compound might control metastases

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:22 PM PDT

It's the spread of the original cancer tumor that kills most people. That's why cancer researchers vigorously search for drugs that can prevent metastases, the spread of cancer. Scientist have found a chemical compound that controls cell migration and adhesion, two important characteristics of metastatic cancer cells. The team recently published an article describing how the first-in-class compound acts on various cells.

Dwelling on stressful events can increase inflammation in the body, study finds

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:22 PM PDT

Dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body, a new study finds. Researchers discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose.

Tobacco industry appears to have evaded FDA ban on 'light' cigarette descriptors

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:22 PM PDT

New research shows one year after the U.S. government passed a law banning such descriptors as "light," "mild," and "low" on cigarette packages, smokers can identify their brands because of color-coding that tobacco companies added to "light" packs after the ban. These findings suggest the companies have been able to evade the ban on misleading wording and still convey false and deceptive message that lights are safer than "regular" cigarettes.

Implementing HPV vaccinations at a young age is significant for vaccine effectiveness

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:21 PM PDT

Initial vaccinations for human papillomavirus (HPV) at a young age is important for maximizing quadrivalent HPV vaccine effectiveness according to a Swedish study.

Goats' milk with antimicrobial lysozyme speeds recovery from diarrhea

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:21 PM PDT

Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of lysozyme, a human antimicrobial protein, has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs and may one day be used to help prevent human diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of 1.8 million children around the world.

No attention-boosting drugs for healthy kids, doctors urge

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:20 PM PDT

The practice of prescribing drugs to boost cognitive function, or memory and thinking abilities, in healthy children and teens is misguided, according to a new statement by the American Academy of Neurology.

Drug treatment corrects autism symptoms in mouse model

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 03:20 PM PDT

Autism results from abnormal cell communication. Testing a new theory, researchers have used a newly discovered function of an old drug to restore cell communications in a mouse model of autism, reversing symptoms of the devastating disorder.

Symbols, such as traffic lights, on menus effective in educating diners

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 01:09 PM PDT

The combination of a symbol and a numeric calorie count on a menu is the most effective way to influence patrons to select lower-calorie items.

New monoclonal antibody developed that can target proteins inside cancer cells

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 01:07 PM PDT

Scientists have created a unique monoclonal antibody that can effectively reach inside a cancer cell.

Mechanism that regulates production of energy-burning brown fat discovered

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 01:07 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered a mechanism that regulates the production of brown fat, a type of fat which plays an important role in heat production and energy metabolism. The findings may lead to new therapies that increase BAT formation to treat obesity.

Molecule's structure reveals new therapeutic opportunities for rare diabetes

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:26 AM PDT

Researchers have determined the 3-D structure of a protein called HNF-4±. People with mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY1) have inherited mutations in the HNF-4± protein. This first-ever look at HNF-4±'s full structure uncovers new information about how it functions. The study also reveals new pockets in the protein that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs aimed at alleviating MODY1.

New MRI method fingerprints tissues and diseases: Aims for fast and affordable scans, early and quick diagnoses

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:25 AM PDT

A new method of magnetic resonance imaging could routinely spot specific cancers, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and other maladies early, when they're most treatable, researchers say. Each body tissue and disease has a unique fingerprint that can be used to quickly diagnose problems, the scientists say.

Protein may alter inevitability of osteoarthritis

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:25 AM PDT

Few things in life are inevitable - death, taxes, and, if you live long enough, osteoarthritis. Researchers have now unraveled the effects of a naturally occurring protein called lubricin, or Proteoglycans 4, that appears to protect against aging as well as helping with post-injury related changes.

Tapeworm DNA contains drug weak spots: Existing drugs could be effective in treating this damaging parasite, the first full tapeworm genomes reveal

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:14 AM PDT

Tapeworms cause devastating disease around the world and new treatments are urgently needed. A new study describes possible targets on which currently licensed drugs could act, identified by genome sequencing. Re-using existing therapies will help to develop treatments more rapidly.

How children can meet recommended activity goals

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 10:19 AM PDT

Despite overwhelming evidence about the benefits of physical activity for children, most American youngsters are not meeting the federal recommendation of 60 minutes a day. A new study has identified specific ways -- and estimated minutes for each approach -- that can help children achieve the recommended daily physical activity goal.

Recovery in motion: Post-discharge activity level linked to risk of hospital readmission in elderly

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 07:04 AM PDT

A new study has found a link between the activity levels of elderly people who have just been released from the hospital and the risk that they will require readmission within 30 days.

Neuron loss in schizophrenia and depression could be prevented, study suggests

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 06:55 AM PDT

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) deficits have been implicated in schizophrenia and depression. In schizophrenia, deficits have been particularly well-described for a subtype of GABA neuron, the parvalbumin fast-spiking interneurons. The activity of these neurons is critical for proper cognitive and emotional functioning. It now appears that parvalbumin neurons are particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, a factor that may emerge commonly in development, particularly in the context of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, where compromised mitochondrial function plays a role.

Do blood thinners and stroke treatment mean danger? Study indicates risk is low

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 06:53 AM PDT

Millions of Americans take drugs to reduce their risk of heart attacks caused by blood clots. A new study suggests that a fear of brain bleeding if these patients receive stroke therapy may be unfounded, at least for most patients taking common clot-preventing therapies.

Use of adjunctive antipsychotic medications in depression

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:16 PM PDT

A new finds that while antipsychotic medications are associated with small-to-moderate improvements in depressive symptoms in adults, there is little evidence for improvement on measures of quality of life and these medications are linked to adverse events such as weight gain and sedation.

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