ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Differences in staging and treatment likely to be behind UK's low bowel cancer survival
• Light drinking in pregnancy not linked to development problems in childhood, study suggests
• Gene study helps understand pulmonary fibrosis
• Acute stress primes brain for better cognitive and mental performance
• Common pregnancy conditions risk future diabetes
• Molecular signaling in early placenta formation gives clues to causes of pregnancy complications
• Genetic markers linked to the development of lymphedema in breast cancer survivors
• Aerobic exercise may protect cognitive abilities of heavy drinkers
• Migraines in childhood and adolescence associated with having colic as an infant
• Patients with surgical complications provide greater hospital profit-margins
• Routine EKG finding could signal serious heart problem
• Parents can help their children avoid alcohol pitfalls during transition from high school to college
• Clinical trials for cellulite treatment on the horizon
• Promising results in treating a lymphoma in young people
• Cancer metastasis: When a KISS (1) goes bad
• Methods to repair kidney cells, assess kidney function on the horizon
• Survived cancer? Now look out for cardiovascular risks
• Researchers devise X-ray approach to track surgical devices, minimize radiation exposure
• Better skin grafting: Inspired by spiny-headed worms, scientists invent microneedle adhesive stronger than surgical staples
• A quarter of patients discharged from hospitals return to ERs within 30 days
• Mammogram tool improves some breast cancer detection but also increases false alarms
• Lack of consensus among health care providers in identifying sepsis poses threat to treatment
• Anxious about life and afraid of death? Tylenol may do the trick, study suggests
• Impact of portion size on overeating is hard to overcome
• Dramatic changes in bacteria following male circumcision
• Paper-thin skin patch collects vitals: E-health made easier and more comfortable
• Transcription factors regulating blood oxygen linked to melanoma metastases
• Haiti cholera mutations could lead to more severe disease
• Medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may affect abortion rate in women
• Tobacco companies keep people smoking despite UK cigarette tax increases
• Women with HIV shown to have elevated resting energy expenditure
• Scientists transform cellulose into starch: Potential food source derived from non-food plants
• Stimulating the brain blunts cigarette craving
• Lower education linked to premature death from malignant melanoma
• No evidence that digoxin increases mortality as treatment for atrial fibrillation
• Social media can support healthiness of older people
• Autism model in mice linked with genetics

Differences in staging and treatment likely to be behind UK's low bowel cancer survival Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:47 PM PDT Incomplete diagnostic investigation and failure to get the best treatment are the most likely reasons why survival for bowel cancer patients is lower in the UK than in other comparable countries, according to new research.

Light drinking in pregnancy not linked to development problems in childhood, study suggests Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:47 PM PDT Light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood, suggests a new study.

Gene study helps understand pulmonary fibrosis Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:46 PM PDT A study of the genomes of more than 1,500 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis found multiple genetic associations with the disease. One variant in a gene called TOLLIP was linked to an increase in the risk of death. This finding suggests that an abnormal immune response to infectious agents or environmental injury may be central to the disease.

Acute stress primes brain for better cognitive and mental performance Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:45 PM PDT Chronic stress is known to cause major health problems, yet acute stress can be good for you. A new study shows why. Stress generates new nerve cells in the brain that, two weeks later, help you learn better. Thus, unlike chronic stress, acute stress primes the brain for improved cognitive and mental performance.

Common pregnancy conditions risk future diabetes Posted: 16 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Two common conditions in pregnancy may be risk factors for future diabetes according to a Canadian study of over one million women.

Molecular signaling in early placenta formation gives clues to causes of pregnancy complications Posted: 16 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Understanding the molecular control of placenta formation, the organ which enables fetal growth, is critical in diagnosing and treating related pregnancy complications. Scientists have now revealed a molecular feedback loop that governs the earliest steps of placenta formation in mice, which is known to mimic placenta formation in humans.

Genetic markers linked to the development of lymphedema in breast cancer survivors Posted: 16 Apr 2013 02:16 PM PDT A new study has found a clear association between certain genes and the development of lymphedema, a painful and chronic condition that often occurs after breast cancer surgery and some other cancer treatments.

Aerobic exercise may protect cognitive abilities of heavy drinkers Posted: 16 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT Aerobic exercise may help prevent and perhaps even reverse some of the brain damage associated with heavy alcohol consumption, according to a new study.

Migraines in childhood and adolescence associated with having colic as an infant Posted: 16 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT In a study including children and adolescents six to 18 years of age, those who have experienced migraine headaches were more likely to have had colic as an infant, according to a new study.

Patients with surgical complications provide greater hospital profit-margins Posted: 16 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT Privately insured surgical patients with a complication provided hospitals with a 330 percent higher profit margin than those without a complication, report researchers. Medicare patients with a complication produced a 190 percent higher margin. For hospitals, reducing surgical complications may mean reduced financial performance.

Routine EKG finding could signal serious heart problem Posted: 16 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT A common test that records the heart's electrical activity could predict potentially serious cardiovascular illness, according to a new study.

Parents can help their children avoid alcohol pitfalls during transition from high school to college Posted: 16 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT The transition from high school to college is a particularly vulnerable time for alcohol experimentation. A new study looks at which student characteristics may enhance parent-based interventions. Results indicate that teens who perceive their friends as more approving of alcohol consumption also seem to be more influenced by communication with their parents about drinking.

Clinical trials for cellulite treatment on the horizon Posted: 16 Apr 2013 11:46 AM PDT Projected to start in the second half of 2013, researchers plan to begin phase IIa placebo-controlled clinical trials using a drug treatment method developed here to treat cellulite. The treatment method uses clostridial collagenase histolyticum ("CCH"), an injectable form of the enzyme collagenase.

Promising results in treating a lymphoma in young people Posted: 16 Apr 2013 11:46 AM PDT Patients with a type of cancer known as primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma who received infusions of chemotherapy, but who did not have radiation therapy to an area of the thorax known as the mediastinum, had excellent outcomes, according to clinical trial results. Until now, most standard treatment approaches for patients with this type of lymphoma have included radiation therapy to the mediastinum. However, mediastinal radiation is associated with substantial long-term toxic side effects.

Cancer metastasis: When a KISS (1) goes bad Posted: 16 Apr 2013 10:28 AM PDT KISS 1 is a metastasis-suppressor gene which helps to prevent the spread of cancers, including melanoma, pancreatic and ovarian cancers to name a few. But new research shows that kisspeptins -- peptide products of KISS1, actually make some breast cancers worse, with a higher tumor grade and metastatic potential.

Methods to repair kidney cells, assess kidney function on the horizon Posted: 16 Apr 2013 09:17 AM PDT Researchers may have found a way to block kidney-destroying inflammation and help damaged kidney cells recover. In a related study, they report progress on a non-invasive method to assess how much kidney function has survived a serious bout of inflammation or a chronic problem like high blood pressure.

Survived cancer? Now look out for cardiovascular risks Posted: 16 Apr 2013 09:17 AM PDT New research finds that CVD risk factors may be overlooked during survivorship care.

Researchers devise X-ray approach to track surgical devices, minimize radiation exposure Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:44 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new tool to help surgeons use X-rays to track devices used in "minimally invasive" surgical procedures while also limiting the patient's exposure to radiation from the X-rays.

Better skin grafting: Inspired by spiny-headed worms, scientists invent microneedle adhesive stronger than surgical staples Posted: 16 Apr 2013 08:43 AM PDT A parasitic worm may hold the answer to keeping skin grafts firmly in place over wounds.

A quarter of patients discharged from hospitals return to ERs within 30 days Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT Nearly one quarter of patients may return to the emergency department within 30 days of being discharged from a hospitalization, according to researchers.

Mammogram tool improves some breast cancer detection but also increases false alarms Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT A costly and widely used mammography add-on increases detection of noninvasive and early-stage invasive breast cancer but also makes more mistakes than mammography alone, researchers have found.

Lack of consensus among health care providers in identifying sepsis poses threat to treatment Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT Though the toll of sepsis is known to be enormous -- costing the US health care system $24.3 billion each year, and is the nation's third-leading killer -- the true magnitude of incidence of and death from the illness remains unknown. There is substantial variability in these numbers, depending on the method used to identify the condition in patients treated at hospital across the United States, according to a new study.

Anxious about life and afraid of death? Tylenol may do the trick, study suggests Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT Researchers have found a new potential use for the over-the-counter pain drug Tylenol. Typically known to relieve physical pain, the study suggests the drug may also reduce the psychological effects of fear and anxiety over the human condition, or existential dread.

Impact of portion size on overeating is hard to overcome Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT People given large servings of food eat more than those given smaller servings, even after they have been taught about the impact of portion size on consumption, research shows. Learning how to engage in mindful -- rather than mindless -- eating also did not decrease food intake by a significant amount in those given large servings. The study highlights the need to find new ways to reduce the effect of portion size.

Dramatic changes in bacteria following male circumcision Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:23 AM PDT Male circumcision reduces the abundance of bacteria living on the penis and might help explain why circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, according to a new study.

Paper-thin skin patch collects vitals: E-health made easier and more comfortable Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:22 AM PDT The future of health care could be found in a tiny, paper-thin skin patch that collects vital information. The Bio-patch sensor is inexpensive, versatile and, best of all, comfortable to wear.

Transcription factors regulating blood oxygen linked to melanoma metastases Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that transcription factors regulating the levels of oxygen in the blood also play a role in the spread of the skin cancer melanoma.

Haiti cholera mutations could lead to more severe disease Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:54 AM PDT The cholera strain that transferred to Haiti in 2010 has multiple toxin gene mutations that may account for the severity of disease and is evolving to be more like an 1800s version of cholera.

Medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may affect abortion rate in women Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:54 AM PDT A new study reveals that women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were on methotrexate, a drug commonly used to reduce inflammation caused by RA, had lower rates of induced abortions compared to women with RA who were not exposed to the medication.

Tobacco companies keep people smoking despite UK cigarette tax increases Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:54 AM PDT The tobacco industry keeps the price of its cheapest cigarettes virtually static despite annual increases in tobacco taxes, circumventing the United Kingdom's public health policy to reduce smoking through higher prices.

Women with HIV shown to have elevated resting energy expenditure Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:53 AM PDT Studies have shown that about 10 percent of men infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an elevated resting energy expenditure (REE). Their bodies use more kilocalories for basic functions including circulation, body temperature, and breathing. Most studies have been conducted in men and those with solely women have had small sample sizes.

Scientists transform cellulose into starch: Potential food source derived from non-food plants Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:53 AM PDT A team of researchers has succeeded in transforming cellulose into starch, a process that has the potential to provide a previously untapped nutrient source from plants not traditionally though of as food crops.

Stimulating the brain blunts cigarette craving Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:51 AM PDT Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths globally. Unfortunately smoking cessation is difficult, with more than 90% of attempts to quit resulting in relapse.

Lower education linked to premature death from malignant melanoma Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:51 AM PDT There are socioeconomic differences in Sweden in survival amongst people with malignant skin melanoma, according to a new study. Melanoma patients with a lower educational background are much more likely to die of the disease.

No evidence that digoxin increases mortality as treatment for atrial fibrillation Posted: 16 Apr 2013 05:49 AM PDT A new finding contradicts a recent study in the same publication; suggests evidence is lacking that digoxin increases mortality as a treatment for atrial fibrillation.

Social media can support healthiness of older people Posted: 15 Apr 2013 05:48 PM PDT The use of social media by older people can offer valuable additional support in cases of sickness and diseases, new research has shown.

Autism model in mice linked with genetics Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:23 PM PDT For the first time, researchers have linked autism in a mouse model of the disease with abnormalities in specific regions of the animals' chromosomes.

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