ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Frog-like robot will help surgeons
• 'Chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus identified
• Famous performers and sportsmen tend to have shorter lives
• Reducing the pain of movement in intensive care
• Researchers identify and block protein that interferes with appetite-suppressing hormone
• Family history of Alzheimer's associated with abnormal brain pathology
• Detecting autism from brain activity
• Liver cancers armed with many strategies for evading immune response
• Making fruit easier to eat increases sales and consumption in school cafeterias
• Hop, skip or jump? Study says no to all of the above
• Discovery may help prevent HIV: Insights into eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1
• Common osteoporosis drug slows formation of new bone
• Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells
• Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries
• Hair analysis reveals elevated stress hormone levels raise cardiovascular risk
• Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards
• Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome
• Reproductive tract secretions elicit ovulation
• Migraine treatments and side-effects reviewed
• Clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect results of doping controls in sport
• Harms of harsh discipline are softened by a loving mother
• Molecule treats leukemia by preventing cancer cell repair
• Half of Tamiflu prescriptions went unused during 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, UK sewage study
• Virus-like particles provide vital clues about brain tumors
• Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children
• Recipe for large numbers of stem cells requires only one ingredient
• Radiation dose level affects size of lesions seen on chest CT images
• CT and serum LDH shows promise as survival predictor for some metastatic melanoma patients
• Europe-wide pollen count map created
• Discovery of genetic defect which triggers epilepsy
• Cell-permeable peptide shows promise for controlling cardiovascular disease
• Nearly half of all deaths from prostate cancer can be predicted before age 50
• What really makes us fat? Article questions our understanding of the cause of obesity
• Scientists identify new subtypes of kidney cancer, will allow individualized treatment

Frog-like robot will help surgeons Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:47 PM PDT Researchers are using the feet of tree frogs as a model for a tiny robot designed to crawl inside patients' bodies during keyhole surgery.

'Chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus identified Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT A key building block in the Schmallenberg virus could be targeted by anti-viral drugs, according to a new study.

Famous performers and sportsmen tend to have shorter lives Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT Fame and achievement in performance-related careers may be earned at the cost of a shorter life, according to a new study.

Reducing the pain of movement in intensive care Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT Monitoring pain and providing analgesics to patients in intensive care units (ICUs) during non-surgical procedures, such as turning and washing, can not only reduce the amount of pain but also reduce the number of serious adverse events including cardiac arrest, finds new research. Although pain at rest is routinely noted, pain during procedures is less regularly reported and its effect on patients unknown.

Researchers identify and block protein that interferes with appetite-suppressing hormone Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Researchers have both identified a protein that interferes with the brain's response to the appetite-regulation hormone leptin and created a compound that blocks the protein's action -- a potential forerunner to an anti-obesity drug.

Family history of Alzheimer's associated with abnormal brain pathology Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Close family members of people with Alzheimer's disease are more than twice as likely as those without a family history to develop silent buildup of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.

Detecting autism from brain activity Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Neuroscientists have developed an efficient and reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children, researchers report in a new study.

Liver cancers armed with many strategies for evading immune response Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Researchers are studying highlights resilience of hepatocellular carcinomas, and are suggesting approaches for overcoming those barriers.

Making fruit easier to eat increases sales and consumption in school cafeterias Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT People believe that children avoid fruit because of the taste and allure of alternative packaged snacks. Researchers have concluded that the size of the snack counts the most. Apple sales in schools with fruit slicers increased by 71 percent and the percentage of students who ate more than half of their apple increased by 73 percent, an effect that lasted long after the study was over.

Hop, skip or jump? Study says no to all of the above Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT Engineers have found that in the earliest stages of arthritis, high-impact exercise may worsen cartilage damage.

Discovery may help prevent HIV: Insights into eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:46 PM PDT Researchers have discovered how the protein that blocks HIV-1 from multiplying in white blood cells is regulated. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS, and the discovery could lead to novel approaches for addressing HIV-1 "in hiding" – namely eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 that persist in patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

Common osteoporosis drug slows formation of new bone Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:46 PM PDT Although the drug zoledronic acid slows bone loss in osteoporosis patients, it also boosts levels of a biomarker that stops bone formation, according to a recent study.

Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:44 PM PDT Neuroscientists have taken a major step in their efforts to help people with memory loss tied to brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have identified a specific gene that regulates the heart's ability to regenerate after injuries.

Hair analysis reveals elevated stress hormone levels raise cardiovascular risk Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Hair strands contain valuable information about senior citizens' stress levels that can be used to determine an individual's cardiovascular disease risk, according to a recent stud.

Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Studying rats' ability to navigate familiar territory, scientists found that the hippocampus uses remembered spatial information to imagine routes the rats then follow. Their discovery has implications for understanding why hippocampal damage disrupts specific types of memory and learning in people with Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. And because these mental trajectories guide the rats' behavior, the research model may be useful in future studies on higher-level tasks, such as decision-making.

Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:17 AM PDT Researchers demonstrate today that 70 per cent of protein-coding human genes are related to genes found in the zebrafish and that 84 per cent of genes known to be associated with human disease have a zebrafish counterpart. Their study highlights the importance of zebrafish as a model organism for human disease research.

Reproductive tract secretions elicit ovulation Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:41 AM PDT Eggs take a long time to produce in the ovary, and thus are one of a body's precious resources. It has been theorized that the body has mechanisms to help the ovary ensure that ovulated eggs enter the reproductive tract at the right time in order to maximize the chance of successful fertilization. New research has shed light on how successful ovulation and fertilization are brought about by studying these processes in fruit flies.

Migraine treatments and side-effects reviewed Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT A new review finds little difference between effectiveness of drugs routinely prescribed for migraine prevention but evident difference in the side-effects experienced. Migraine headaches are a major cause of ill health and a reduced quality of life. Some individuals suffer from a frequent and severe migraine problem which means that they require regular medication to try and prevent them. A new review of the medications may help to prevent episodic migraines.

Clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect results of doping controls in sport Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT The illegal use of clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect the results of doping controls in sport, a new study concludes.

Harms of harsh discipline are softened by a loving mother Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT The use of harsh discipline of unwanted behavior in children has long been controversial. Whether verbal (insults, disparaging remarks, threats) or physical (slapping/spanking), harsh discipline at all stages of childhood carries a large risk of manifesting antisocial 'externalizing behaviors' in the child, including aggression, delinquency or hyperactivity.

Molecule treats leukemia by preventing cancer cell repair Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT Researchers have identified a molecule that prevents repair of some cancer cells, providing a potential new "genetic chemotherapy" approach to cancer treatment that could significantly reduce side effects and the development of treatment resistance compared with traditional chemotherapy.

Half of Tamiflu prescriptions went unused during 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, UK sewage study Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT A new study concludes that approximately half of the prescriptions of Tamiflu during the 2009-10 influenza pandemic went unused in England. The unused medication represents approximately 600,000 courses of Tamiflu at a cost of around £7.8 million to the UK taxpayer. The finding comes from the first study of its kind to use sewage water to estimate drug compliance rates.

Virus-like particles provide vital clues about brain tumors Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT Exosomes are small, virus-like particles that can transport genetic material and signal substances between cells. Researchers have made new findings about exosomes released from aggressive brain tumors, gliomas. These exosomes are shown to have an important function in brain tumor development, and could be utilized as biomarkers to assess tumor aggressiveness through a blood test.

Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT As much as dog owners love their children, they tend to share more of themselves, at least in terms of bacteria, with their dogs.

Recipe for large numbers of stem cells requires only one ingredient Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists. Their experiments also show that the process doesn't require other kinds of cells or agents to artificially support cell growth and doesn't activate cancer genes.

Radiation dose level affects size of lesions seen on chest CT images Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT The estimated size of chest lymph nodes and lung nodules seen on CT images varies significantly when the same nodes or nodules are examined using lower versus higher doses of radiation, a new study shows. The size of lymph nodes and lung nodules is an important determinant of treatment and treatment success.

CT and serum LDH shows promise as survival predictor for some metastatic melanoma patients Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT Combining CT imaging findings with baseline serum lactate dehydrogenase levels is showing promise as a way to predict survival in patients with metastatic melanoma being treated with anti-angiogenic therapy.

Europe-wide pollen count map created Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT In future there could be precise, personal travel warnings for hay fever sufferers covering the whole of Europe.

Discovery of genetic defect which triggers epilepsy Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Researchers have identified a gene behind an epilepsy syndrome, which could also play an important role in other idiopathic (genetically caused) epilepsies. With the so-called "next generation sequencing", with which genetic changes can be identified within a few days, it was ascertained that the CNTN2 gene is defective in this type of epilepsy.

Cell-permeable peptide shows promise for controlling cardiovascular disease Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Atherosclerosis -- sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" -- is a leading cause of death and morbidity in Western countries. A cell-permeable peptide containing the NF-kB nuclear localization sequence shows promise as a potential agent in controlling the development of atherosclerotic disease.

Nearly half of all deaths from prostate cancer can be predicted before age 50 Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:47 PM PDT Focusing prostate cancer testing on men at highest risk of developing the disease is likely to improve the ratio between benefits and the harms of screening, a new paper suggests.

What really makes us fat? Article questions our understanding of the cause of obesity Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:47 PM PDT If we are to make any progress in tackling the obesity crisis, we have to look again at what really makes us fat, claims a new article.

Scientists identify new subtypes of kidney cancer, will allow individualized treatment Posted: 16 Apr 2013 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have classified kidney cancer into several unique subtypes, a finding that will help physicians tailor treatment to individual patients and that moves cancer care one step closer to personalized medicine.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610