ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New mouse model could revolutionize research in Alzheimer's disease
• Finding the switch: Researchers create roadmap for gene expression
• Hereditary trauma: Inheritance of traumas and how they may be mediated
• Mechanism, possible treatment, for immune suppression in liver disease uncovered
• Virus-fighting genes linked to mutations in cancer: Genetic evidence supports role of gene family in cancer development
• Lifelong premature ejaculation can be treated by pelvic floor exercises
• Sharpening microscope images: New technique takes cues from astronomy, ophthalmology
• Low vitamin D linked to fatty liver disease in UK children
• Fecal transplant? Gut microbiota may play a role in development of alcoholic liver disease
• Impressive SVR12 data for once-daily combination to treat HCV genotype 1 patients
• New Chinese herbal medicine has significant potential in treating hepatitis C, study suggests
• Quarter of men drop out of prostate cancer monitoring, casting doubt on safety of 'active surveillance'
• Women with diabetes less likely to have a mammogram: Study
• Treatment of complex developmental trauma in children and youth
• School violence intervention program effective in pilot study
• To be an organ donor, specific attitudes trump general support, study finds
• 'Nano-anesthesia: New approach to local anesthesia?
• Green space keeps you from feeling blue
• Abstention from alcohol has increased sharply among Australian adolescents
• New PET/CT scanner more patient friendly
• Policy paper on medical liability crisis released
• Enzyme revealed as promising target to treat asthma, cancer
• New towns going up in developing nations pose major risk to the poor

New mouse model could revolutionize research in Alzheimer's disease Posted: 13 Apr 2014 12:40 PM PDT Alzheimer's disease, the primary cause of dementia in the elderly, imposes a tremendous social and economic burden on modern society. Unfortunately, it has proven very difficult to develop drugs capable of ameliorating the disease. After a tremendous burst of progress in the 1990s, the pace of discoveries has slowed. Part of the difficulty is the inadequacy of current mouse models to replicate the real conditions of Alzheimer's disease and allow an understanding of the underlying mechanisms that lead to neurodegeneration. Scientists have now reported the creation of two new mouse models of Alzheimer's disease that may potentially revolutionize research into this disease.

Finding the switch: Researchers create roadmap for gene expression Posted: 13 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT In a new study, researchers have taken the first steps toward creating a roadmap that may help scientists narrow down the genetic cause of numerous diseases. Their work also sheds new light on how heredity and environment can affect gene expression. Pinpointing the genetic causes of common diseases is not easy, as multiple genes may be involved with a disease. Moreover, disease-causing variants in DNA often do not act directly, but by activating nearby genes.

Hereditary trauma: Inheritance of traumas and how they may be mediated Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT Extreme and traumatic events can change a person -- and often, years later, even affect their children. Researchers have now unmasked a piece in the puzzle of how the inheritance of traumas may be mediated. The phenomenon has long been known in psychology: traumatic experiences can induce behavioural disorders that are passed down from one generation to the next. It is only recently that scientists have begun to understand the physiological processes underlying hereditary trauma

Mechanism, possible treatment, for immune suppression in liver disease uncovered Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT The mechanism that underlies the susceptibility of liver disease patients to life-threatening infection has been uncovered by medical scientists, who have also suggested a possible treatment to reverse immune suppression in these patients. Liver disease, or cirrhosis, patients are more than five times more likely to pick up infections in hospital than patients with other chronic conditions, due to reduced immunity which is a well-recognized feature of the disease.

Virus-fighting genes linked to mutations in cancer: Genetic evidence supports role of gene family in cancer development Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT All cancer-causing processes leave a distinct mutational imprint or signature on the genomes of patients. Researchers have found a major piece of biological evidence to support the role a group of virus-fighting genes has in cancer development. The mutational signature left by the cancer-causing process driven by this family of genes is found in half of all cancer types.

Lifelong premature ejaculation can be treated by pelvic floor exercises Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that pelvic floor exercises can be effective in treating premature ejaculation in men who have had lifelong problems. Premature Ejaculation (PE) affects a significant minority of men at some point in their lives. There are a variety of treatments, some more effective than others. PE is defined as "ejaculation within a minute."

Sharpening microscope images: New technique takes cues from astronomy, ophthalmology Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:23 AM PDT The complexity of biology can befuddle even the most sophisticated light microscopes. Biological samples bend light in unpredictable ways, returning difficult-to-interpret information to the microscope and distorting the resulting image. New imaging technology rapidly corrects for these distortions and sharpens high-resolution images over large volumes of tissue.

Low vitamin D linked to fatty liver disease in UK children Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT A UK study investigating the link between low vitamin D status and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in British children has identified a genetic variant associated with the disease's severity.

Fecal transplant? Gut microbiota may play a role in development of alcoholic liver disease Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT Exciting new data shows that the gut microbiota has a potential role in the development of alcoholic liver disease. Though an early stage animal model, a French study highlights the possibility of preventing ALD with fecal microbiota transplantation -- the engrafting of new microbiota, usually through administering human fecal material from a healthy donor into the colon of a recipient.

Impressive SVR12 data for once-daily combination to treat HCV genotype 1 patients Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT Results from three Phase III clinical trials evaluating the investigational once-daily fixed-dose combination of the nucleotide analogue polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir 400mg and the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir 90mg, with and without ribavirin, for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus infection have been presented.

New Chinese herbal medicine has significant potential in treating hepatitis C, study suggests Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT A new compound, SBEL1, has the ability to inhibit hepatitis C virus activity in cells at several points in the virus' lifecycle. SBEL1 is a compound isolated from Chinese herbal medicines that was found to inhibit HCV activity by approximately 90%. SBEL1 is extracted from a herb found in certain regions of Taiwan and Southern China. In Chinese medicine, it is used to treat sore throats and inflammations. The function of SBEL1 within the plant is unknown and its role and origins are currently being investigated.

Quarter of men drop out of prostate cancer monitoring, casting doubt on safety of 'active surveillance' Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:32 AM PDT A long-term follow up of prostate cancer patients shows that the option of monitoring slow-growing prostate cancer may not be as safe as thought, due to a quarter of men dropping out of the monitoring program. Research shows that with advancing age, most men are likely to have a cancer of the prostate, although for many the cancer will be so slow growing that it does not create a real problem.

Women with diabetes less likely to have a mammogram: Study Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT Women with diabetes are 14 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer compared to women without diabetes, according to a study. "Managing the demands of a chronic condition such as diabetes is challenging for many women, leaving other preventative actions, like screening for cancer, to fall by the wayside," said a physician and author. "Our study found having diabetes posed a significant barrier to breast cancer screening even after considering a woman's socioeconomic status, a known contributor to disparities in care among women."

Treatment of complex developmental trauma in children and youth Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT Children and adolescents in foster care and institutional settings often face complex developmental trauma related to multiple or continuous traumatic experiences. However, successful clinical interventions are difficult to implement because of barriers to accessibility, time constraints, insufficient diagnostic criteria, and other limitations. A new study explores the benefits of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a program designed for caregivers working closely with traumatized children.

School violence intervention program effective in pilot study Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT Violent behavior and beliefs among middle school students can be reduced through the implementation of a targeted violence intervention program, according to a pilot study. "I think the power of what we are doing is the power of community and, in this case, the power of doctors partnering with educators," an author said. "When things get to me, it is too late. People are victims of violent injuries, but we are on the back end of the problem instead of the front end.

To be an organ donor, specific attitudes trump general support, study finds Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT Most Americans say they support the idea of organ donation, yet fewer than half of eligible donors ever register, national polls show. That may be because supporting a good cause doesn't mean people will take action. However, people are more likely to sign up if they have positive attitudes specifically about registering as a donor, according to research.

'Nano-anesthesia: New approach to local anesthesia? Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:34 PM PDT A technique using anesthesia-containing nanoparticles —- drawn to the targeted area of the body by magnets —- could one day provide a useful alternative to nerve block for local anesthesia in patients, suggests an experimental study.

Green space keeps you from feeling blue Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:33 PM PDT If you start feeling better as spring begins pushing up its tender shoots, you might be living proof of a trend discovered in data from a new study: The more green space in the neighborhood, the happier people reported feeling. "The greening of neighborhoods could be a simple solution to reducing stress," says the lead author. "If you want to feel better, go outside."

Abstention from alcohol has increased sharply among Australian adolescents Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT A broad change in drinking behavior has occurred among Australian adolescents in the last decade. The percentage of Australians aged 14-17 who do not drink alcohol has increased from almost 33 percent in 2001 to over 50 percent in 2010. This trend has occurred broadly across a wide range of regional, socio-economic, and demographic subgroups.

New PET/CT scanner more patient friendly Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:43 PM PDT A new patient-friendly PET/CT scanner does combined exams in just 15 or 20 minutes, and the patient is never completely enclosed. The state-of-the-art system is improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. "It is the most patient-friendly system of its kind," said a hospital's medical director of Nuclear Medicine.

Policy paper on medical liability crisis released Posted: 10 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT A policy paper on the medical liability crisis, which continues to have a profound effect on the medical system, has been published. The paper provides an update of the medical liability landscape, state-based activity on medical liability reform, and summarizes traditional and newer reform proposals and their ability to affect system efficiency and encourage patient safety.

Enzyme revealed as promising target to treat asthma, cancer Posted: 10 Apr 2014 12:35 PM PDT An enzyme involved in the regulation of immune system T cells that could be a useful target in treating asthma and boosting the effects of certain cancer therapies, report scientists, citing results of a recent mouse study. By untangling the different effects of SKG1, researchers have advanced efforts to fine-tune immune responses in patients. "We're not suppressing or exacerbating the immune system, we're regulating it," the lead author noted. "We're regulating it to do exactly what we want it to do."

New towns going up in developing nations pose major risk to the poor Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:22 AM PDT Satellite city projects across the developing world are putting an increasing number of poor people at risk to natural hazards and climate change, according to a new study. New towns often sit in high flood risk zones but designers have minimized the dangers through land elevation, new building codes and quality construction. The problem, the researcher says, are the informal settlements that invariably crop up beside these new cities and supply their labor force. When cyclones or monsoons occur, they suffer flooding along with diseases like cholera, hepatitis and dysentery.

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