ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Diets low in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be a problem for youngsters
• Study establishes human model of influenza pathogenesis
• Can drinking orange juice aid in cancer prevention?
• Research points to promising treatment for macular degeneration
• Measles cases on the rise in US, experts encourage vaccine
• Vaccination does not improve outcome of melanomas patients
• A clinician's guide to managing moral distress
• Diet during pregnancy and early life may affect children's behavior and intelligence
• Simple textiles can be used with catalysts to enable complex chemical reactions
• Surgery proving effective with epilepsy patients
• Low omega-3 could explain why some children struggle with reading
• New technique in RNA interference cuts time and cost in genetic screens
• Fate of new genes cannot be predicted
• Molecular mirror images assigned: Safer drugs thanks to a new solution to a 150-year-old chemistry problem?
• SARS virus treatments could hold the key for treatment of MERS-CoV outbreak
• Potential new drug target for cystic fibrosis
• Using technology to reduce hospital admissions for COPD patients
• Insulin plays role in mediating worms' perceptions and behaviors
• Revised Medicaid policy could reduce unintended pregnancies, save millions in health costs
• Medicare policy may limit minority access to weight-loss surgery
• 30 percent lower risk of dying for diabetics with bypass surgery
• Link between rates of gun ownership and homicides
• Antibiotic reduction can be achieved through low cost information campaigns
• Better verbal development during childhood linked to later drinking and intoxication
• Individuals with a dual diagnosis can benefit from 12-step programs
• Sober drinking knowledge fails 'in the moment' of intoxication
• Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers than youngsters
• Childhood obesity may quadruple high blood pressure risk in adulthood
• High blood pressure reading in kids linked to triple risk for condition as adults
• Exposure/ritual prevention therapy boosts antidepressant treatment of OCD
• Rates of physical and sexual child abuse have declined, but not child neglect
• Testing child’s urine may help doctors identify risk for high blood pressure

Diets low in polyunsaturated fatty acids may be a problem for youngsters Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:42 AM PDT In the first study to closely examine the polyunsaturated fatty acid intake among US children under the age of five, researchers have found what might be a troubling deficit in the diet of many youngsters.

Study establishes human model of influenza pathogenesis Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:42 AM PDT A clinical study of healthy adult volunteers who consented to be infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus under carefully controlled conditions has provided researchers with concrete information about the minimum dose of virus needed to produce mild-to-moderate illness.

Can drinking orange juice aid in cancer prevention? Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:41 AM PDT Researchers review available evidence that links orange juice with cancer chemoprevention, including the putative mechanisms involved in the process, the potential toxicity of orange juice, and the available data in terms of evidence-based medicine.

Research points to promising treatment for macular degeneration Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:39 AM PDT In the hunt for a better treatment for macular degeneration, studies using mice and a class of drugs known as MDM2 inhibitors proved highly effective at regressing the abnormal blood vessels responsible for the vision loss associated with the disease.

Measles cases on the rise in US, experts encourage vaccine Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:39 AM PDT Believed to be eradicated from the United States in 2000, measles have been brought into the country and can infect those who are not vaccinated.

Vaccination does not improve outcome of melanomas patients Posted: 13 Sep 2013 08:40 AM PDT Results of a study show that vaccination with GM2/KLH-QS-21 does not benefit patients with stage II melanoma.

A clinician's guide to managing moral distress Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:18 AM PDT A nurse-bioethicist discloses rising concerns about the toll of "moral distress" among nurses and physicians caring for seriously and terminally ill people in the era of health care reform.

Diet during pregnancy and early life may affect children's behavior and intelligence Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:18 AM PDT The statement "you are what you eat" is significant for the development of optimum mental performance in children as evidence is accumulating to show that nutrition pre-birth and in early life "programs" long term health, well being, brain development and mental performance and that certain nutrients are important to this process.

Simple textiles can be used with catalysts to enable complex chemical reactions Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:15 AM PDT In future, it will be much easier to produce some active pharmaceutical substances and chemical compounds than was the case to date. Chemists have immobilized various catalysts on nylon in a very simple way. Catalysts mediate between the reagents in a chemical reaction and control the process leading to the desired end product. When textile material is used as a support for the chemical auxiliaries, the reaction can proceed on a large surface thereby increasing its efficiency. One of the catalysts that the researchers used in this way plays an important role in the synthesis of a pharmaceutical agent which could only be used previously in dissolved form, making the production process very complicated and expensive. Immobilising this catalyst on fabric simplifies production considerably. This process may be expected to yield similar advantages for other chemical processes.

Surgery proving effective with epilepsy patients Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:14 AM PDT Neurosurgeons have found MRI-guided laser ablation to be an effective therapy for certain epilepsy patients.

Low omega-3 could explain why some children struggle with reading Posted: 13 Sep 2013 06:24 AM PDT A new study has shown that a representative sample of UK schoolchildren aged seven to nine years had low levels of key omega-3 fatty acids in their blood. Furthermore, the study found that children's blood levels of the long-chain omega-3 DHA (the form found in most abundance in the brain) 'significantly predicted' how well they were able to concentrate and learn.

New technique in RNA interference cuts time and cost in genetic screens Posted: 13 Sep 2013 06:06 AM PDT There is a new contender in the field of gene discovery, and it's giving knockout mice a run for their money. Researchers have shown that a new technique using RNA interference is able to find genes that cause epidermal tumor growth in months rather than the decades it may take using traditional methods employing specially bred, genetically altered mice.

Fate of new genes cannot be predicted Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:58 AM PDT New versions of genes, called alleles, can appear by mutation in populations. Even when these new alleles turn the individuals carrying them more fit to survive and reproduce, the most likely outcome is that they will get lost from the populations. The theory on this topic is 90 years old and has become the cornerstone of modern population genetics, with studies on adaptation to novel environments and conservation of species being based on it. However, until now there were no explicit experimental tests of this theory.

Molecular mirror images assigned: Safer drugs thanks to a new solution to a 150-year-old chemistry problem? Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:58 AM PDT Just like gloves, molecules come in so-called left-handed and right-handed versions. Until now, however, it could be determined only with great difficulty whether a certain molecule is right-handed or left-handed. Scientists now report a new solution to this 150-year old problem. In medicine, this would be a big step forward because, for example, the unwanted side effects of drugs could be avoided.

SARS virus treatments could hold the key for treatment of MERS-CoV outbreak Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:57 AM PDT A new type of coronavirus, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, MERS-CoV, was first found a year ago in a patient who died. It took several months before it was discovered that a new virus had emerged. New cases have been reported from across the Middle Easst and Europe, and approximately 50% of patients have died from it. The new virus is closely related to the SARS coronavirus, and itt is therefore likely that treatments that worked on the SARS corona virus will also work at the MERS corona virus.

Potential new drug target for cystic fibrosis Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:57 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a promising potential drug target for cystic fibrosis. Their work uncovers a large set of genes not previously linked to the disease, demonstrating how a new screening technique can help identify new drug targets.

Using technology to reduce hospital admissions for COPD patients Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:57 AM PDT Patients with COPD can use tablet computers to report their daily condition, allowing hospitals to pick up early symptoms, take action and thereby reduce admissions.

Insulin plays role in mediating worms' perceptions and behaviors Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:54 AM PDT In the past few years, as imaging tools and techniques have improved, scientists have been working tirelessly to build a detailed map of neural connections in the human brain - with the ultimate hope of understanding how the mind works.

Revised Medicaid policy could reduce unintended pregnancies, save millions in health costs Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT A revised Medicaid sterilization policy that removes logistical barriers, including a mandatory 30-day waiting period, could potentially honor women's reproductive decisions, reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and save $215 million in public health costs each year. These findings support growing evidence for the need to revisit a national policy that disproportionately affects low-income and minority women at high risk for unintended pregnancies.

Medicare policy may limit minority access to weight-loss surgery Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT New research indicates a decline in the number of minority patients with Medicare receiving bariatric surgery after the Medicare Center of Excellence Policy was implemented.

30 percent lower risk of dying for diabetics with bypass surgery Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT People with diabetes have a 30 percent less chance of dying if they undergo coronary artery bypass surgery rather than opening the artery through angioplasty and inserting a stent, a new study has found.

Link between rates of gun ownership and homicides Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT US states with higher estimated rates of gun ownership experience a higher number of firearms-related homicides.

Antibiotic reduction can be achieved through low cost information campaigns Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT A local low-cost information campaign mainly targeted at citizens and involving doctors and pharmacists can significantly decrease total antibiotic prescribing.

Better verbal development during childhood linked to later drinking and intoxication Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT Previous research has found contradictory linkages among cognition, verbal skills, and later alcohol use. A new study has found that better verbal development during childhood predicts more frequent drinking and intoxication during adolescence and young adulthood. Study authors speculate this verbal/alcohol association may be partially due to peer associations.

Individuals with a dual diagnosis can benefit from 12-step programs Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous can play an important role in addiction recovery. Findings of a study examining the suitability of 12-step organizations for young adults with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders indicate that young adults with two diagnoses show similar benefits compared with those diagnosed only with a substance use disorder.

Sober drinking knowledge fails 'in the moment' of intoxication Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT Approximately one-third of all fatal crashes each year in the US involve an alcohol-impaired driver. New research compares individuals' perceived dangerousness of driving after drinking while intoxicated with those perceptions while sober. Results show that sober knowledge does not necessarily translate into responsible judgment while intoxicated.

Older drinkers may experience fewer hangovers than youngsters Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT While hangovers may be a source of humor, their effects can be debilitating, costly, and even dangerous. A new study of hangovers across the lifespan has found that the tendency to experience hangovers decreases as age increases. Study authors speculate that older adults who binge drink do so to a lesser intensity than younger adults.

Childhood obesity may quadruple high blood pressure risk in adulthood Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:30 PM PDT Studies show that excess weight in childhood increases the risk of high blood pressure as an adult.

High blood pressure reading in kids linked to triple risk for condition as adults Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:30 PM PDT Kids with at least one high blood pressure reading are about three times more likely to develop the condition as adults.

Exposure/ritual prevention therapy boosts antidepressant treatment of OCD Posted: 12 Sep 2013 12:58 PM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that a form of behavioral therapy can augment antidepressant treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) better than an antipsychotic. The researchers recommend that this specific form of cognitive behavior therapy -- exposure and ritual prevention -- be offered to OCD patients who don't respond adequately to treatment with an antidepressant alone, which is often the case. Current guidelines favor augmentation with antipsychotics.

Rates of physical and sexual child abuse have declined, but not child neglect Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:39 AM PDT Rates of physical and sexual abuse of children have declined over the last 20 years, but for reasons not fully understood. Yet, reports of psychological and emotional child abuse have risen in the same period, and data vary significantly as to whether child neglect is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant.

Testing child’s urine may help doctors identify risk for high blood pressure Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:34 AM PDT Measuring sodium in a child's urine may help doctors identify those at risk for having high blood pressure later in life, according to a new study.

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