ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• How household dogs protect against asthma and infection
• Spurred by food allergies, two esophagus conditions stump doctors
• Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones?
• Regulation of cancer-causing protein could lead to new therapeutic targets
• Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity
• 'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants
• Golden trap: Highly sensitive system to detect individual molecules
• Brain waves encode information as time signals
• Affordable Care Act offers opportunities to strengthen trauma systems
• Team reduces toxicity of Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models
• Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother
• Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria
• Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts
• ACA brings legal immigrants opportunities as well as responsibilities
• Breathalyser to detect lung cancer
• Diabetes, pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes increasing among privately insured Americans
• Bonobos stay young longer
• Better first response medical care during catastrophes
• Blocking tumor-associated macrophages decreases glioblastoma's growth, extends survival in mice
• First molecular missteps discovered leading to Alzheimer's disease
• Glucose: Potential new target for combating annual seasonal flu
• Spontaneous fusion with macrophages empowers cancer cells to spread
• Nicotine drives cell invasion that contributes to plaque formation in coronary arteries
• Molecular toolkit for gene silencing
• How healthy is Santa Claus?
• Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery
• Research shows correlation between adult height, underlying heart disease
• New Models of Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Point to Better Treatments
• Health spending more efficient for men than women

How household dogs protect against asthma and infection Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Children's risk for developing allergies and asthma is reduced when they are exposed in early infancy to a dog in the household, and now researchers have discovered a reason why.

Spurred by food allergies, two esophagus conditions stump doctors Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Researchers found that two on-the-rise esophagus conditions are so similar that even a biopsy is not enough to distinguish one disease from the other.

Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones? Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Patients in a vegetative state do not respond to what is happening around them and exhibit no signs of conscious awareness. Now research has shown that the brains of patients in a vegetative state emotionally react to photographs of people they know personally as though they recognize them.

Regulation of cancer-causing protein could lead to new therapeutic targets Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new regulation for the cancer-causing protein KRas which may help with the development of targeted therapies for patients with a KRas mutation.

Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Scientists have taken an important step toward making a "vaccine gene chip," by comparing the molecular signatures induced by five very different vaccines in the immune systems of human volunteers.

'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Tests at wastewater treatment plants in China revealed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were not only escaping purification but also breeding and spreading their dangerous cargo.

Golden trap: Highly sensitive system to detect individual molecules Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:26 AM PST Medical diagnostics is searching for substances capable of documenting whether a disease is developing. In many cases, the treacherous molecules are present only in trace amounts -- which is why sensitive methods of detection are needed. Researchers have come up with a method of detection, which allowed them to notice the presence of only 17 dye molecules. The method might be used to scan a tiny drop of blood for potential diseases.

Brain waves encode information as time signals Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:26 AM PST A research team has examined the synaptic mechanisms of rhythmic brain waves. This was made possible through custom-design tools developed in collaboration with the institute's machine shop.

Affordable Care Act offers opportunities to strengthen trauma systems Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:24 AM PST Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 45 and the fourth-leading cause of death for people of all ages. Authors of a review believe more work is needed to ensure the right patient gets to the right place at the right time, and that the Affordable Care Act may offer opportunities to strengthen trauma systems.

Team reduces toxicity of Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:24 AM PST Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of muscle strength and eventually causes a lethal, full-body paralysis. Working with a powerful fruit fly model of the disease, researchers reduced disease toxicity and slowed the dysfunction of neurons. Their discoveries offer the possibility of a new strategy for treating ALS.

Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:04 AM PST Enduring the last few weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging for some women. The aches and pains, the swelling of the limbs and the anxiety of when labor may start are part of the natural gestation process, but they also can seem unbearable. It may seem easier to relieve symptoms associated with late pregnancy by electing to deliver early, but researchers caution that there can be an increased risk of complications to the mother and the newborn associated with early-term deliveries.

Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Scientists have discovered a key process during the invasion of the blood cell by the Malaria parasite, and more importantly, found a way to block this invasion.

Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:28 AM PST Osteogeneis imperfecta (OI) is a congenital bone disease that causes stunted growth and repeated, painful fracturing. Ultrasound scans can reveal fractures already in the fetus, and now an international team of researchers has treated two babies in utero by injecting bone-forming stem cells.

ACA brings legal immigrants opportunities as well as responsibilities Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:28 AM PST The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not expand access to health insurance for undocumented immigrants but may pave the way for many legal immigrants who have trouble obtaining this crucial coverage, concludes a report.

Breathalyser to detect lung cancer Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:53 AM PST Researchers are working on a breathalyser device that will be able to detect very early signs of cancer, making a cure much more likely.

Diabetes, pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes increasing among privately insured Americans Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:04 AM PST About 8.8 percent of the privately insured population in 2012 had diabetes or was diagnosed as being at high risk for diabetes, up from 8.3 percent in 2011, but the rates of disease varied depending on age, gender and region of the country, says a new report. In 2012, over one quarter of men between the ages of 55-64 and nearly one in 10 Southerners had diabetes or were at risk for diabetes.

Bonobos stay young longer Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:04 AM PST Contrary to humans and chimpanzees, bonobos retain elevated thyroid hormones well into adulthood.

Better first response medical care during catastrophes Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:03 AM PST When large-scale emergencies occur, it often takes far too long before victims receive the care their injuries demand. Now a new electronic system has been designed to support helpers during the initial assessment of victims and to speed up patient care.

Blocking tumor-associated macrophages decreases glioblastoma's growth, extends survival in mice Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:09 PM PST Experimental drug that targets macrophages, a type of immune cells, in microenvironment surrounding lethal brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme decreased cancer's growth and extended survival of lab mice with cancer. Results are encouraging for planned clinical trials of drug in combination with radiation therapy in glioma patients.

First molecular missteps discovered leading to Alzheimer's disease Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST Additional evidence has been gained indicating that the massive brain cell death of Alzheimer's disease is result of mature neurons mistakenly re-entering the cell cycle. They fail to divide and eventually die.

Glucose: Potential new target for combating annual seasonal flu Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST In lab cultures of mammalian cells, researchers showed that influenza A infection could be controlled by targeting viruses' dependence on cellular glucose. Boosting glucose concentrations concomitantly increased influenza infection rate, and treating viral cells with glucose metabolism inhibitor significantly decreased viral replication. Researchers also demonstrated that infection could be restored to high levels simply by adding ATP, major source of energy for cellular reactions, bypassing the need for glucose.

Spontaneous fusion with macrophages empowers cancer cells to spread Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST Researchers' findings demonstrate that spontaneous fusion of cancer cells with macrophages can profoundly and significantly impact the phenotype of tumorigenic cells, with implications for our basic understanding of cancer cell biology and the process of tumor evolution.

Nicotine drives cell invasion that contributes to plaque formation in coronary arteries Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST Research on human and rat vascular smooth muscle cells provides evidence of a link between nicotine and atherosclerosis, major cause of heart attacks.

Molecular toolkit for gene silencing Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:33 AM PST Researchers have managed to overcome remaining key limitations of RNA interference (RNAi) - a unique method to specifically shut off genes. By using an optimized design, the scientists were able to inhibit genes with greatly enhanced efficiency and accuracy. The new method facilitates the search for drug targets and improves the interpretation of experimental results.

How healthy is Santa Claus? Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Children around the world look to Santa Claus as a model of good behavior. But can this sleigh-riding bearer of goodies also be a model good health habits for adults?

Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:28 AM PST Children had long been prescribed codeine for pain relief after having surgery to remove their tonsils -- until the FDA banned use of the drug in February. Now a new study finds that acupuncture can be a safe and effective alternative.

Research shows correlation between adult height, underlying heart disease Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:59 PM PST A cardiologist suggests a connection between an adult's height and the prevalence of coronary artery calcium, a direct marker of plaque in the arteries that feed the heart.

New Models of Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Point to Better Treatments Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:51 PM PST Human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and are providing insights into how to attack breast cancers that no longer respond to the drugs used to treat them, according to research.

Health spending more efficient for men than women Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:34 PM PST Health care spending is a large – and ever increasing - portion of government budgets. Improving its efficiency has therefore become critically important. In the first-ever study to estimate health spending efficiency by gender across 27 industrialized nations, researchers discovered significant disparities within countries, with stronger gains in life expectancy for men than for women in nearly every nation.

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