الجمعة، 20 سبتمبر 2013

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

First real-time detector for IV drugs may help eliminate medical errors

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT

Today, computerized smart systems can deliver drugs intravenously in exact volumes to hospital patients. However, these systems cannot recognize which medications are in the tubing, nor can they determine the concentration of the drug in the tubing. This lack of precise information can lead to medication errors with serious consequences.

Groundbreaking pain research

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT

The bodies of mammals, including humans, respond to injury by releasing endogenous opioids -- compounds that mitigate acute pain. A team of researchers has uncovered groundbreaking new information about how the body responds to traumatic injury with the development of a surprisingly long-lasting opioid mechanism of natural chronic pain control. Remarkably, the body develops both physical and physiological dependence on this opioid system, just as it does to opiate narcotic drugs.

Worm research: Right combination of sugars regulates brain development

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:22 AM PDT

If the development of our nervous system is disturbed, we risk developing serious neurological diseases, impairing our sensory systems, movement control or cognitive functions. This is true for all organisms with a well-developed nervous system, from human to worm. New research reveals how a tiny molecule called mir-79 regulates neural development in roundworms.

Circadian clock is key to firing up cell's furnace

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Each of our cells has an energy furnace, and it is called a mitochondrion. A research team now has identified a new mode of timekeeping that involves priming the cell's furnace to properly use stored fuel when we are not eating. The interdisciplinary team has identified the "match" and "flint" responsible for lighting this tiny furnace. And the match is only available when the circadian clock says so, underscoring the importance of the biological timing system to metabolism.

Scientists reveal how beta-amyloid may cause Alzheimer's

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Scientists have shown how a protein fragment known as beta-amyloid, strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease, begins destroying synapses before it clumps into plaques that lead to nerve cell death.

Long-term effects of bariatric surgery in patients with type 2 diabetes

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:08 AM PDT

Overweight patients with type 2 diabetes continue to experience the benefits of bariatric surgery up to nine years after the procedure, according to new research.

Considering a three-year medical degree

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:06 AM PDT

Educators describe how a three-year medical degree, a radical rethinking of medical education, can increase the number of productive years clinicians and physician scientists spend in the workforce, as well as reduce student debt.

Disarming HIV with a pop

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:06 AM PDT

Pinning down an effective way to combat the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, the viral precursor to AIDS, has long been challenge task for scientists and physicians, because the virus is an elusive one that mutates frequently and, as a result, quickly becomes immune to medication. A team of researchers is trying to get one step ahead of the virus with a microbicide they've created that can trick HIV into "popping" itself into oblivion.

Could dog food additive prevent disabling chemo side effect?

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 11:06 AM PDT

Working with cells in test tubes and in mice, researchers have discovered that a chemical commonly used as a dog food preservative may prevent the kind of painful nerve damage found in the hands and feet of four out of five cancer patients taking the chemotherapy drug Taxol.

New insights into the ribosome; important implications for disease

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT

In a first-of-its-kind study that broadly examines the composition of the riboproteome, a scientific team reveals previously unappreciated components of the ribosome, uncovering a large and dynamic structure that, among other things, can be altered in cancer.

Strategy for helping 'tired' cells affected by mitochondrial disease

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT

New research findings have the potential to change the lives of patients with mitochondrial diseases, a group of pathologies characterized by malfunction of mitochondria, the organelles that supply the energy vital for cell function.

Protein 'motif' crucial to telomerase activity

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT

In an effort to understand and control telomerase activity, researchers have discovered a protein "motif," named TFLY, which is crucial to the function of telomerase. Altering this motif disrupts telomerase function, they found, a fact that they believe will help them in their efforts to identify inhibitors of telomerase with potential cancer therapeutic properties.

Cutting off all points of escape for melanoma cells

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT

Despite the success of recent melanoma therapies, advanced cancers eventually evolve resistance to drugs. Researchers report on the mechanics by which melanoma can evolve resistance to a powerful combination of drugs -- BRAF and MEK inhibitors. Their studies also uncovered a new potential target for melanoma therapy, a protein called S6K. Additionally, early studies in a laboratory model for melanoma show that a triple combination of drug inhibitors halted the growth of resistant tumors.

New protein knowledge offers hope for better cancer treatment

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:22 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a sophisticated method for identifying modified proteins that affect a cell's ability to repair DNA damage. This offers hope for improving treatment options for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer using the latest type of treatments involving the so-called PARP inhibitors.

A genome-forward approach to tackling drug-resistant cancers

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:22 AM PDT

A new approach to tackling drug-resistant cancers permits analysis of human cancer in unprecedented detail. The new work shows that those transplanted cancers, known as PDX (for patient-derived xenografts), are very good genomic replicas of the original at every level of analysis.

How lethal bird flu viruses evolved

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:22 AM PDT

An in-depth evolutionary analysis of whole-genome sequences of different types of avian flu viruses has revealed that new H7N9 viruses emerged from distinct H9N2 viruses in a two-step process, first occurring in wild birds and then continuing in domestic birds.

Young children quickly adopt ritualistic behavior

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:22 AM PDT

New psychology study shows even preschool children are quick to conform to ritualistic behavior while learning.

Study assesses risks for adverse events during hospitalization

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:19 AM PDT

Several studies have shown that hospitalized patients still have unacceptably high rates of harm and injury due in part to limited access for quality staff to obtain primary care data from electronic medical records. As a result, hospital incident reports do not capture most harm that occurs in hospitals. A new study shows that using administrative data, such as discharge abstracts, can gauge the quality of care and identify opportunities for improvement.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose global health threat, experts say

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:19 AM PDT

Endocrine experts agreed that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose a threat to human health and to the ecosystems of Earth. The editorial comes in response to a commentary (Dietrich et al. Chem Biol Interact) signed by a number of editors of toxicology journals that dismisses the state-of-the-science on EDCs and argues for the status quo in the regulation of these hazardous substances.

New models of drug-resistant breast cancer hint at better treatments

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:18 AM PDT

Breast cancer that spreads to other organs is extremely difficult to treat. Doctors can buy patients time, but a cure remains elusive. Now, researchers have shown that human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and could be valuable tools in the search for better treatments.

Researchers tease apart workings of a common gene

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:27 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered why a tiny alteration in a brain gene, found in 20 percent of the population, contributes to the risk for anxiety, depression and memory loss.

Can’t sleep? Quit smoking

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 08:27 AM PDT

As the NHS prepares to launch Stoptober 2013, new research has found another reason to quit smoking - giving up smoking improves sleep.  Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and while the numerous health problems directly caused by smoking are well documented, less is known about the effects of smoking on sleep.

Islet cell transplant procedure offers improved outcomes for type 1 diabetes

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:58 AM PDT

The latest approach to islet transplantation has produced substantially improved results for patients with type 1 diabetes, and may offer a more durable alternative to a whole pancreas transplant. Participants in the study received islet cells isolated from the pancreas of organ donors to help their bodies produce insulin. The new approach, which allowed the harvested cells a short period of rest prior to transplant, resulted in increased levels of insulin production to the degree that patients were able to discontinue daily insulin injections.

Boys go camping, get shock of their lives

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:58 AM PDT

Eight-year-old twin boys, camping in a backyard tent, received penetrating blast injuries when a bolt of lightning struck a transformer near their tent, sending them to the emergency department for treatment.

A brake in the head: New insights into the working of the brain

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:58 AM PDT

Scientists have managed to acquire new insights into the functioning of a region in the brain that normally is involved in spatial orientation, but is damaged by the Alzheimer's disease. They investigated how nerve signals are suppressed inside the so-called entorhinal cortex. According to the researchers, this neuronal inhibition leads nerve cells to synchronize their activity.

Immune cells open window to breast cancer risk

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 07:54 AM PDT

Researchers have made a major discovery that highlights the important role played by immune cells in the risk of developing breast cancer.

Promising way to boost body's immune surveillance via p53 in fight against cancer

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 06:37 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism involving p53, the famous tumor suppressor, to fight against aggressive cancers. This strategy works by sabotaging the ability of the cancer cells to hide from the immune system. This research opens a new avenue to improve targeted cancer therapy by harnessing the body's own immune system to control and eliminate cancer cells.

Older adults live longer with a few extra pounds – if they don’t add more

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 06:36 AM PDT

Some overweight older adults don't need to lose weight to extend their lives, but they could risk an earlier death if they pack on more pounds.

Bracing is effective in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, study suggests

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:58 AM PDT

A multi-center study examining whether wearing back braces would prevent the need for spinal correction surgery in children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was cut short when early results were overwhelmingly in favor of bracing.

More and more Danes infected with MRSA bacteria

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:54 AM PDT

In 2012, 1,556 Danes were found positive with methicillin-resistant staphylococci - MRSA. This represents an increase of 20% from 2011. In fact, the total number of cases has almost doubled since 2009. MRSA bacteria are resistant to antimicrobial agents that are essential for treatment of treating life-threatening infections in humans.

Researchers develop a method that automatically delimits areas of brain in medical images

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 05:54 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a method that improves the delimitation of tumors in medical images.

Despite trauma, those who care for stroke patients regard experience positively

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 06:14 PM PDT

Study reveals that carers of family members with a stroke experience life-enrichment and positive personal growth once they have overcome the shock of their relative's illness.

Blood biomarker could mark severe cognitive decline, quicker progression among Parkinson’s patients

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 03:01 PM PDT

A genetic mutation, known as GBA, that leads to early onset of Parkinson's disease and severe cognitive impairment (in about 4 to 7 percent of all patients with the disease) also alters how specific lipids, ceramides and glucosylceramides are metabolized. Researchers have found that Parkinson's patients who do not carry the genetic mutation also have higher levels of these lipids in the blood, and high blood levels were also more likely to have cognitive impairment and dementia.

Domino transplant

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:56 PM PDT

A rare transplant procedure allows a woman with liver cancer who would not survive on the transplant list to receive a new liver from a living donor.

Researchers find what stresses parents with a chronically ill child

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:55 PM PDT

The extra demands on parents of chronically ill children cause stress that affects the whole family, according to a systematic review that also explored what factors in the child's care most contribute to the added strain.

Study helps patients make the most informed surgical decision

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:55 PM PDT

Having the right tool to estimate surgical risk in patients at high risk for complications and death during and after surgery is crucially important, according to a study in the October issue of Anesthesiology.

Can vitamin B supplements help stave off stroke?

Posted: 18 Sep 2013 02:55 PM PDT

New evidence suggests that taking vitamin B supplements may help reduce the risk of stroke.
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