ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Antibacterial resistance a cause for major concern, cystic fibrosis experts say
• Computational model: Ebola could infect more than 1.4 million people by end of January 2015
• Mechanized human hands: System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage
• Agonizing rabies deaths can be stopped worldwide
• Stem cell transplant does not cure SHIV/AIDS after irradiation of infected rhesus macaques
• Researchers engineer 'Cas9' animal models to study disease, inform drug discovery
• Yoga, meditation may help train brain to help people control computers with their mind
• Brain chemical potential new hope in controlling Tourette Syndrome tics
• How physical exercise protects the brain from stress-induced depression
• Coping techniques help patients with COPD improve mentally, physically
• Surprising diversity of antibody family provides clues for HIV vaccine design
• New protein players found in key disease-related metabolic pathway
• Modified vitamin D shows promise as treatment for pancreatic cancer
• How the ends of chromosomes are maintained for cancer cell immortality
• Severe childhood epilepsies: Large international study pinpoints synapse genes with major roles
• Study supports camels as primary source of MERS-CoV transmission
• Increased risk of venous thromboembolism among NSAIDs users, study shows
• Skirt size increase linked to 33 percent greater postmenopausal breast cancer risk
• Working long hours linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people doing low socioeconomic status jobs
• Plant extract as possible Lupus treatment? Findings give new hope
• Better information about prenatal testing leads to fewer tests
• Despite what you've heard, kids with egg allergies should get the flu shot, experts say
• How a single, genetic change causes retinal tumors in young children
• Stop taking patients in cardiac arrest to hospital, says expert

Antibacterial resistance a cause for major concern, cystic fibrosis experts say Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT In a new paper, world-leading cystic fibrosis experts have called for greater research to address the major concern of antibacterial resistance.

Computational model: Ebola could infect more than 1.4 million people by end of January 2015 Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:55 AM PDT The Ebola epidemic could claim hundreds of thousands of lives and infect more than 1.4 million people by the end of January, according to a statistical forecast released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC forecast supports the drastically higher projections released earlier by a group of scientists, including epidemiologists with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, who modeled the Ebola spread as part of a National Institutes of Health-sponsored project called Midas, short for Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study.

Mechanized human hands: System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage Posted: 25 Sep 2014 02:26 PM PDT Engineers have developed and successfully demonstrated the value of a simple pulley mechanism to improve hand function after surgery. The device, tested in cadaver hands, is one of the first instruments ever created that could improve the transmission of mechanical forces and movement while implanted inside the body.

Agonizing rabies deaths can be stopped worldwide Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT Ridding the world of rabies in humans is cost-effective and achievable through mass dog vaccination programs, an international team of researchers says. A rabies vaccine has long existed. Even so, the disease kills an estimated 69,000 people worldwide -- that's 189 each day. Forty percent of them are children, mostly in Africa and Asia. The disease is spread primarily through the saliva of infected dogs. Once a person develops symptoms, the chance that he or she will die is nearly 100-percent.

Stem cell transplant does not cure SHIV/AIDS after irradiation of infected rhesus macaques Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT A new primate model has been developed to test treatments that might cure HIV/AIDS and suggests answers to questions raised by the 'Berlin patient,' the only human thought to have been cured so far.

Researchers engineer 'Cas9' animal models to study disease, inform drug discovery Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT A new mouse model to simplify application of the CRISPR-Cas9 system for in vivo genome editing experiments. The researchers successfully used the new 'Cas9 mouse' model to edit multiple genes in a variety of cell types, and to model lung adenocarcinoma, one of the most lethal human cancers.

Yoga, meditation may help train brain to help people control computers with their mind Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT People who practice yoga and meditation long term can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience, new research by biomedical engineers shows. The research could have major implications for treatments of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.

Brain chemical potential new hope in controlling Tourette Syndrome tics Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:23 AM PDT A chemical in the brain plays a vital role in controlling the involuntary movements and vocal tics associated with Tourette Syndrome, a new study has shown. The research could offer a potential new target for the development of more effective treatments to suppress these unwanted symptoms.

How physical exercise protects the brain from stress-induced depression Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:13 AM PDT Physical exercise has many beneficial effects on human health, including the protection from stress-induced depression. However, until now the mechanisms that mediate this protective effect have been unknown. In a new study in mice, researchers show that exercise training induces changes in skeletal muscle that can purge the blood of a substance that accumulates during stress, and is harmful to the brain.

Coping techniques help patients with COPD improve mentally, physically Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to manage stress, practice relaxation and participate in light exercise can boost a patient's quality of life and can even improve physical symptoms, researchers report.

Surprising diversity of antibody family provides clues for HIV vaccine design Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT Scientists have described how a single family of antibodies that broadly neutralizes different strains of HIV has evolved remarkably diverse structures to attack a vulnerable site on the virus. The findings provide clues for the design of a future HIV vaccine.

New protein players found in key disease-related metabolic pathway Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT Cells rely on the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway—which senses the availability of nutrients—to coordinate their growth with existing environmental conditions. Now researchers have identified a family of proteins that negatively regulate the branch upstream of mTORC1 that senses amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Modified vitamin D shows promise as treatment for pancreatic cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT A vitamin D-derivative makes tumors vulnerable to chemotherapy, a new study shows. By attacking a wound repair mechanism called fibrosis, the findings may also have implications for other tough-to-treat tumors, such as lung, kidney and liver cancer, researchers report.

How the ends of chromosomes are maintained for cancer cell immortality Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT Maintaining telomeres is a requisite feature of cells that are able to continuously divide and also a hallmark of human cancer. Telomeres are much like the plastic cap on the ends of shoelaces -- they keep the ends of DNA from fraying. In a new study, researchers describe a mechanism for how cancer cells take over one of the processes for telomere maintenance to gain an infinite lifespan.

Severe childhood epilepsies: Large international study pinpoints synapse genes with major roles Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT An international research team has identified gene mutations causing severe, difficult-to-treat forms of childhood epilepsy. Many of the mutations disrupt functioning in the synapse, the junction at which nerve cells intercommunicate.

Study supports camels as primary source of MERS-CoV transmission Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT Scientists have provided experimental evidence supporting dromedary camels as the primary reservoir, or carrier, of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The study involved three healthy camels exposed through the eyes, nose and throat to MERS-CoV isolated from a patient. Each camel developed a mild upper respiratory tract infection consistent with what scientists have observed throughout the Middle East.

Increased risk of venous thromboembolism among NSAIDs users, study shows Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT There is a statistically significant increased risk of venous thromboembolism -- a condition which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism -- among users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a study concludes. NSAIDs are one of the most commonly used medications around the world, and they are already well-known for their potential adverse effects.

Skirt size increase linked to 33 percent greater postmenopausal breast cancer risk Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT Going up a skirt size over a period of 10 years between your mid 20s and mid 50s is linked to a 33 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer after menopause, finds a large observational study.

Working long hours linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people doing low socioeconomic status jobs Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:19 PM PDT People working for more than 55 hours per week doing manual work or other low socioeconomic status jobs have a 30% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the largest study in this field so far.

Plant extract as possible Lupus treatment? Findings give new hope Posted: 24 Sep 2014 01:05 PM PDT Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against itself, attacking a person's healthy tissue, cells and organs. New findings by a biomedical engineer and his team raise hope for a new class of drugs to treat lupus that may not include the long list of adverse risks and side effects often associated with current treatments for this disease.

Better information about prenatal testing leads to fewer tests Posted: 24 Sep 2014 01:04 PM PDT When pregnant women are educated about their choices on prenatal genetic testing, the number of tests actually drops, even when the tests are offered with no out-of-pocket costs, a clinical trial has found. The findings underscore the need for clear information on all prenatal testing options and their possible outcomes, including the option of no testing, before pregnant women decide whether or not to have genetic testing, the authors said.

Despite what you've heard, kids with egg allergies should get the flu shot, experts say Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:46 AM PDT If you have a child with egg allergies, you may have been told they shouldn't get the shot because of a possible reaction to the trace amounts of egg in the vaccine. Not true, say experts. Recent research has shown that administration of the flu vaccine is safe for kids with egg allergies.

How a single, genetic change causes retinal tumors in young children Posted: 24 Sep 2014 10:46 AM PDT Retinoblastoma is a childhood retinal tumor usually affecting children one to two years of age. Although rare, it is the most common malignant tumor of the eye in children. Left untreated, retinoblastoma can be fatal or result in blindness. It has also played a special role in understanding cancer, because retinoblastomas have been found to develop in response to the mutation of a single gene -- the RB1 gene -- demonstrating that some cells are only a step away from developing into a life-threatening malignancy.

Stop taking patients in cardiac arrest to hospital, says expert Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:37 AM PDT It's time to stop taking patients in cardiac arrest to hospital and let ambulance crews deliver the best possible care at the scene, argues a senior UK doctor. But a senior US doctor warns that avoiding ambulance transport could result in unacceptable deaths.

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