ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Investigational medication used to resolve life-threatening seizures in children
• Genetic tweak gave yellow fever mosquitoes a nose for human odor
• Predicting US Army suicides after hospital discharge
• Behavioral changes seen after sleep learning: Rotten egg smell blended with cigarette smell helps smokers' quit
• Patients sought for U.S. nationwide study of drug that may slow Alzheimer's disease
• Picture emerges of how kids get head injuries
• Software models more detailed evolutionary networks from genetic data
• Lung regeneration mechanism discovered
• HIV virulence depends on where virus inserts itself in host DNA
• Live longer? Save the planet? Better diet could nail both
• ‘Smart’ drugs won’t make smart people smarter, research concludes
• Moderate consumption of sugary drinks has little impact on adolescents' metabolic health
• Marked benefits found for cancer prevention with a higher intake of fatty fish
• Genetic variant linked to better memory performance found
• Artificial retina could someday help restore vision
• Single-dose, needle-free ebola vaccine provides long-term protection in macaques
• In preschoolers, office test overestimates eye's ability to change focus
• Common chemotherapeutic agent reduces resistance to virus therapy in brain tumor patients
• Predicting dengue fever outbreaks in China using Internet searches
• Virtual reality speeds up rehabilitation: Integrating force feedback into therapies for impaired hands
• Best supporting actors -- in your ears? Research points to potential way to restore hearing
• 'Nudges' try to help college students live healthier
• New properties of microbes that cause common eye infection discovered
• A previously unrecognized flame retardant found in Americans for the first time
• New 'care bundle' achieves drop in death rate for emergency abdominal surgery patients
• Positive relationships strengthen nurses' performance in low-income countries
• Making a global action plan for antibiotics
• Furin: The answer to the ebola crises?
• Older women are frequent victims of domestic abuse
• Fewer surgeries with degradable implants
• Understanding natural compounds when antibiotics no longer work
• Memory disorders: New targets, test to develop treatments
• Oral cancer-causing HPV may spread through oral, genital routes
• The great digital divide in healthcare: Older Americans may be left behind
• Promising anti-cancer activity in experimental drug: Next-gen melanoma drug, TAK-733, excels in lab tests
• Piecing together signaling pathway leading to obesity
• Key protein can reduce severity of disease equivalent to multiple sclerosis in mice
• First analysis of new human glucose disorder revealed
• Microtubes create cozy space for neurons to grow, and grow fast
• Study identifying cell of origin for large, disfiguring nerve tumors lays groundwork for development of new therapies
• Novel molecular imaging drug offers better detection of prostate cancer
• Mothers, babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact
• Altered milk protein can deliver aids drug to infants
• Enriched environments hold promise for brain injury patients
• Tumor-analysis technology enables speedier treatment decisions for bowel cancer patients
• Eye diseases identified by how we watch TV
• Drunk driving: Helping reduce road fatalities in China
• Lung disease case finding in pharmacies could save £264 million
• Typhoid gene unravelled
• The Trojan horse burger: Do companies that 'do good' sell unhealthy food?
• HIV-infected adults diagnosed with age-related diseases at similar ages as uninfected adults
• Mapping spread of diarrhea bacteria a major step toward new vaccine
• Promising prognostic biomarker candidates for ovarian cancer uncovered
• Controversial medication has benefits for breastfeeding, researchers find
• 'Landmark' results for curing hepatitis C in liver transplant patients
• Prosthetic, orthotic service in developing countries examined
• Toxic mix of fast-food outlets in inner city neighborhoods fuelling diabetes, obesity epidemic
• Legionella outbreaks of Alcoy may have multiple sources
• Beta-blockers have no mortality benefit in post-heart attack patients, say researchers
• Multiple models reveal new genetic links in autism

Investigational medication used to resolve life-threatening seizures in children Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:33 PM PST In its first clinical application in pediatric patients, an investigational medication has been found to effectively treat children with life-threatening and difficult-to-control epileptic seizures without side effects, according to a research report.

Genetic tweak gave yellow fever mosquitoes a nose for human odor Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:33 PM PST One of the world's deadliest mosquitoes sustains its taste for human blood thanks in part to a genetic tweak that makes it more sensitive to human odor, according to new research.

Predicting US Army suicides after hospital discharge Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:32 PM PST Some Army suicides can be predicted with enough accuracy to justify implementing preventive interventions in patients at high risk, experts say. The study looked at 53,769 regular Army soldiers during the 12-month period following their discharge from a psychiatric facility during 2004 to 2009. Hundreds of potential predictors of post-hospital suicide were abstracted from the extensive Army and Department of Defense administrative files that contain data on all soldiers.

Behavioral changes seen after sleep learning: Rotten egg smell blended with cigarette smell helps smokers' quit Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:26 PM PST The scientist who discovered that we can learn in our sleep via conditioning with odor, has now shown that smokers used fewer cigarettes after a night of olfactory training. By exposing sleeping smokers to the smell of cigarettes paired with rotten eggs or fish, the team saw a significant reduction in the amount smoked.

Patients sought for U.S. nationwide study of drug that may slow Alzheimer's disease Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:26 PM PST Researchers are seeking patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease to take part in a study of an investigational agent which may have the potential to protect nerve cells in the brain.

Picture emerges of how kids get head injuries Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:26 PM PST A study in which more than 43,000 children were evaluated for head trauma offers an unprecedented picture of how children most frequently suffer head injuries, report physicians. The findings also indicate how often such incidents result in significant brain injuries, computerized tomography (CT) scans to assess head injuries, and neurosurgery to treat them.

Software models more detailed evolutionary networks from genetic data Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:21 AM PST Computer scientists have developed software to build more accurate evolutionary networks from genomic data sets. A "maximum likelihood" method allows PhyloNet to infer network models that better describe the evolution of certain groups of species than do tree models.

Lung regeneration mechanism discovered Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:21 AM PST A research team reports on the role of certain lung stem cells in regenerating lungs damaged by disease. Their work sheds light on the inner workings of the still-emerging concept of lung regeneration and points to potential therapeutic strategies that harness these lung stem cells.

HIV virulence depends on where virus inserts itself in host DNA Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:21 AM PST The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can insert itself at different locations in the DNA of its human host -- and this specific integration site determines how quickly the disease progresses, report researchers.

Live longer? Save the planet? Better diet could nail both Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:20 AM PST A new study shows how a shift away from this trajectory and toward healthier traditional Mediterranean, pescatarian or vegetarian diets could not only boost human lifespan and quality of life, but also slash greenhouse gas emissions and save habitat for endangered species.

‘Smart’ drugs won’t make smart people smarter, research concludes Posted: 12 Nov 2014 10:19 AM PST It is claimed one in five students have taken the 'smart' drug Modafinil to boost their ability to study and improve their chances of exam success. But new research into the effects of Modafinil has shown that healthy students could find their performance impaired by the drug.

Moderate consumption of sugary drinks has little impact on adolescents' metabolic health Posted: 12 Nov 2014 09:01 AM PST Short-term, moderate consumption of high-fructose and high-glucose beverages has little impact on the metabolic health of weight-stable, physically active adolescents, scientists have found. The study measured several aspects of metabolic health, including insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels, after participants had consumed moderate amounts of either high-glucose or high-fructose beverages every day for two weeks.

Marked benefits found for cancer prevention with a higher intake of fatty fish Posted: 12 Nov 2014 09:01 AM PST A new research review will once again have people asking for a second helping of wild Alaskan salmon at the dinner table. While several other studies have recently challenged the long-held belief of the benefits of a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, this new study cites compelling evidence that eating the right kinds of fatty fish, in the right quantity, and prepared the right way, can in fact help prevent the body's development of adenocarcinomas, a common type of cancerous tumor.

Genetic variant linked to better memory performance found Posted: 12 Nov 2014 08:59 AM PST People with a newly identified genetic variant perform better on certain types of memory tests, a discovery that may point the way to new treatments for the memory impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease or other age-associated conditions, experts report.

Artificial retina could someday help restore vision Posted: 12 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST The loss of eyesight, often caused by retinal degeneration, is a life-altering health issue for many people, especially as they age. But a new development toward a prosthetic retina could help counter conditions that result from problems with this crucial part of the eye.

Single-dose, needle-free ebola vaccine provides long-term protection in macaques Posted: 12 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that a single-dose, needleless Ebola vaccine given to primates through their noses and lungs protected them against infection for at least 21 weeks.

In preschoolers, office test overestimates eye's ability to change focus Posted: 12 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST In preschool-aged children, a simple test performed in the ophthalmologist's or optometrist's office greatly overestimates the eye's ability to "flex and focus" in order to see small objects clearly, reports a study.

Common chemotherapeutic agent reduces resistance to virus therapy in brain tumor patients Posted: 12 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST The common chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide can help improve the success of oncolytic virus therapy in patients with malignant gliomas, a common type of brain tumor, researchers have found. Oncolytic virus therapy is an innovative therapeutic approach that uses viruses to target and kill cancer cells. The viruses can be modified to allow them to target specific cancer cells or to deliver therapy-modifying genes.

Predicting dengue fever outbreaks in China using Internet searches Posted: 12 Nov 2014 06:31 AM PST The habit of searching online for a diagnosis before visiting the doctor can be a powerful predictor of infectious diseases outbreaks, researchers have found. Now studies show that combining information from monitoring internet search metrics such as Baidu (China's equivalent of Google), with a web-based infectious disease alert system from reported cases and environmental factors hold the key to improving early warning systems and reducing the deadly effects of dengue fever in China.

Virtual reality speeds up rehabilitation: Integrating force feedback into therapies for impaired hands Posted: 12 Nov 2014 06:30 AM PST A novel training program uses haptic technology for impaired hands that cannot function normally. This program is unique as it provides force feedback, which creates a true sense of weight to the user through the control device.

Best supporting actors -- in your ears? Research points to potential way to restore hearing Posted: 12 Nov 2014 06:30 AM PST There's a cast of characters deep inside your ears -- many kinds of tiny cells working together to allow you to hear. The lead actors, called hair cells, play the crucial role in carrying sound signals to the brain. But new research shows that when it comes to restoring lost hearing ability, the spotlight may fall on some of the ear's supporting actors – and their understudies.

'Nudges' try to help college students live healthier Posted: 12 Nov 2014 06:30 AM PST Here's one way to try to get college students to live healthier lifestyles: They log onto their computer and get lessons and emails, telling them why they should eat better, exercise and sleep right. That's what researchers at 13 universities discovered.

New properties of microbes that cause common eye infection discovered Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:45 AM PST The power of new genomic technology has been used by scientists to discover that microbes that commonly infect the eye have special, previously unknown properties. These properties are predicted to allow the bacterium -- Streptococcus pneumoniae -- to specifically stick to the surface of the eye, grow, and cause damage and inflammation.

A previously unrecognized flame retardant found in Americans for the first time Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:45 AM PST A new study has found the carcinogenic flame retardant TCEP in the bodies of Americans. The study evaluated urinary levels of several phosphate flame retardant metabolites, like TCEP, which have been largely under the radar. Six metabolites were found in urine samples from California residents. People with the highest metabolite levels of two carcinogenic flame retardants also had the highest levels in their house dust, which were previously tested.

New 'care bundle' achieves drop in death rate for emergency abdominal surgery patients Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:45 AM PST Four UK hospitals have achieved a huge reduction in the number of patients dying following emergency abdominal surgery, after adopting a 'care bundle' devised by patient safety specialists.

Positive relationships strengthen nurses' performance in low-income countries Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:43 AM PST When health workers develop positive, collaborative relationships with managers and local community leaders in rural Guatemala, their capacity to help vulnerable populations is increased, according to recent research.

Making a global action plan for antibiotics Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:43 AM PST Every year, thousands of people die as a result of antimicrobial resistance. A global action plan against one of the greatest health threats of our time is the focus of recent conversation amongst experts and clinicians.

Furin: The answer to the ebola crises? Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:42 AM PST With an estimated fatality rate of 52%, the need to discover a cure for Ebola has never been more urgent. New research suggests that scientists currently investigating potential cures for the Ebola virus should focus more attention on the protein furin. Furin is responsible for activating certain proteins and is involved in the processing and maturation of viral and bacterial preproteins.

Older women are frequent victims of domestic abuse Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:42 AM PST Older women are frequent victims of domestic abuse, but their plight is often overlooked, because of a mistaken belief that only younger females are affected. Now, researchers are turning a spotlight on this neglected social problem.

Fewer surgeries with degradable implants Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:42 AM PST Until now, in cases of bone fracture, doctors have used implants made of steel and titanium, which have to be removed after healing. To spare patients burdensome interventions, researchers are working on a bone substitute that completely degrades in the body. Towards this end, material combinations of metal and ceramic are being used.

Understanding natural compounds when antibiotics no longer work Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:41 AM PST Medicine is drifting towards a major problem. An increasing number of bacteria is no longer sensitive to known antibiotics. Doctors urgently need to find new ways of fighting these multi-resistant pathogens. To address the problem, pharmaceutical research is turning back to the source of most of our drugs: nature.

Memory disorders: New targets, test to develop treatments Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:41 AM PST In a pair of related studies, scientists have identified a number of new therapeutic targets for memory disorders and have developed a new screening test to uncover compounds that may one day work against those disorders.

Oral cancer-causing HPV may spread through oral, genital routes Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections were more common among men who had female partners with oral and/or genital HPV infection, suggesting that the transmission of HPV occurs via oral-oral and oral-genital routes, according to a study.

The great digital divide in healthcare: Older Americans may be left behind Posted: 12 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST When it comes to the benefits of electronic health records, older Americans may be left behind, new study says. Less than a third of Americans age 65 and over use the Web for health information and barely 10 percent of those with low health literacy -- or ability to navigate the health care system -- go online for health-related matters, according to the nationally-representative study.

Promising anti-cancer activity in experimental drug: Next-gen melanoma drug, TAK-733, excels in lab tests Posted: 11 Nov 2014 02:01 PM PST Medical researchers report anti-cancer activity in 10 out of 11 patient tumor samples grown in mice and treated with the experimental drug TAK-733, a small molecule inhibitor of MEK1/2.

Piecing together signaling pathway leading to obesity Posted: 11 Nov 2014 11:22 AM PST A team of researchers has now drawn connections between known regulators of body mass, pointing to possible treatments for obesity and metabolic disorders. As scientists probe the molecular underpinnings of why some people are prone to obesity and some to leanness, they are discovering that weight maintenance is more complicated than the old "calories in, calories out" adage.

Key protein can reduce severity of disease equivalent to multiple sclerosis in mice Posted: 11 Nov 2014 11:22 AM PST Researchers have identified a key protein that is able to reduce the severity of a disease equivalent to multiple sclerosis in mice. This molecule, Del-1, is the same regulatory protein that has been found to prevent inflammation and bone loss in a mouse model of gum disease.

First analysis of new human glucose disorder revealed Posted: 11 Nov 2014 10:36 AM PST Glycogen storage disorders are metabolic conditions that manifest in the first years of life. This inability to process and store glucose can be difficult to diagnose. Now, researchers who have studied enzymes involved in metabolism of bacteria have cataloged the effects of abnormal enzymes responsible for one type of this disorder in humans. Their work could help with patient prognosis and in developing therapeutic options for this glycogen storage disease.

Microtubes create cozy space for neurons to grow, and grow fast Posted: 11 Nov 2014 10:36 AM PST Tiny, thin microtubes could provide a scaffold for neuron cultures to grow so that researchers can study neural networks, their growth and repair, yielding insights into treatment for degenerative neurological conditions or restoring nerve connections after injury, scientists report.

Study identifying cell of origin for large, disfiguring nerve tumors lays groundwork for development of new therapies Posted: 11 Nov 2014 10:34 AM PST Researchers have determined the specific type of cell that gives rise to large, disfiguring tumors called plexiform neurofibromas, a finding that could lead to new therapies for preventing growth of these tumors.

Novel molecular imaging drug offers better detection of prostate cancer Posted: 11 Nov 2014 09:40 AM PST A novel study demonstrates the potential of a novel molecular imaging drug to detect and visualize early prostate cancer in soft tissue, lymph nodes and bone. The research compares the biodistribution and tumor uptake kinetics of two Tc-99m labeled ligands, MIP-1404 and MIP-1405, used with SPECT and planar imaging.

Mothers, babies benefit from skin-to-skin contact Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:17 AM PST Research during the past 30 years has found many benefits of skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns immediately after birth, particularly with aiding breastfeeding. However, in some hospitals, skin-to-skin contact following cesarean birth is not implemented, due to practices around the surgery. A recent quality improvement project demonstrated that women's birth experiences were improved by implementing skin-to-skin contact after cesarean surgery.

Altered milk protein can deliver aids drug to infants Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:16 AM PST A novel method of altering a protein in milk to bind with an antiretroviral drug promises to greatly improve treatment for infants and young children suffering from HIV/AIDS, according to a researcher.

Enriched environments hold promise for brain injury patients Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:16 AM PST A violent blow to the head has the potential to cause mild to severe traumatic brain injury -- physical damage to the brain that can be debilitating, even fatal. But to date, there is no effective medical or cognitive treatment for patients with traumatic brain injuries. Now a new study points to an 'enriched environment' -- specially enhanced surroundings -- as a promising path for the rehabilitation of mild traumatic brain injury patients.

Tumor-analysis technology enables speedier treatment decisions for bowel cancer patients Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:16 AM PST Technology helps hospitals make earlier and more accurate treatment decisions and survival assessments for patients with bowel cancer. A novel medical imaging technology, TexRAD, which analyses the texture of tumors, has been shown in trials to enable early diagnosis of those bowel cancer patients not responding to the standard cancer therapy better than other available tumor markers.

Eye diseases identified by how we watch TV Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:13 AM PST One of the leading causes of blindness worldwide could be detected by how our eyes respond to watching TV according to a new study. With millions of people living with undiagnosed glaucoma, the research could help speed up diagnosis, enabling clinicians to identify the disease earlier and allowing treatment to begin before the onset of permanent damage.

Drunk driving: Helping reduce road fatalities in China Posted: 11 Nov 2014 07:52 AM PST Changes to China's drunk driving laws are catching the community off guard with more than 70 percent of people unaware of the blood alcohol limits that could see them face criminal charges, according to new research conducted in two Chinese cities.

Lung disease case finding in pharmacies could save £264 million Posted: 11 Nov 2014 07:52 AM PST Using community pharmacies to identify undiagnosed cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at an early stage could save £264 million a year, English researchers report. The new research shows the value of pharmacies in addressing diseases at an early stage. It reveals that case-finding would provide 'significant NHS and societal benefits' and save the NHS more money than the service costs to deliver.

Typhoid gene unravelled Posted: 11 Nov 2014 07:51 AM PST People who carry a particular type of gene have natural resistance against typhoid fever according to new research. Enteric fever, or typhoid fever as it more commonly known, is a considerable health burden to lower-income countries. This finding is important because this natural resistance represents one of the largest human gene effects on an infectious disease.

The Trojan horse burger: Do companies that 'do good' sell unhealthy food? Posted: 11 Nov 2014 07:49 AM PST When consumers see a company performing good deeds, they often assume that the company's products are healthy. According to a new study this may be far from true, and the company's socially responsible behavior may be creating a "health halo" over unhealthy foods.

HIV-infected adults diagnosed with age-related diseases at similar ages as uninfected adults Posted: 11 Nov 2014 07:48 AM PST HIV-infected adults are at a higher risk for developing heart attacks, kidney failure and cancer. But, contrary to what many had believed, the researchers say these illnesses are occurring at similar ages as adults who are not infected with HIV.

Mapping spread of diarrhea bacteria a major step toward new vaccine Posted: 11 Nov 2014 06:28 AM PST Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are responsible each year for around 400 million cases of diarrhea and 400,000 deaths in the world's low- and middle-income countries. Children under the age of five are most affected. ETEC bacteria also cause diarrhea in nearly one in two travelers to these areas. In a major breakthrough, researchers used comprehensive DNA analyses to reveal the ETEC bacteria's genetic composition – an analysis that also makes it possible to map how the bacteria spread.

Promising prognostic biomarker candidates for ovarian cancer uncovered Posted: 11 Nov 2014 06:27 AM PST Through separate studies, researchers have clarified the role of cancer testis antigen in ovarian cancer, and report new evidence that certain ligand/receptor interactions influence ovarian cancer prognosis.

Controversial medication has benefits for breastfeeding, researchers find Posted: 11 Nov 2014 06:27 AM PST A controversial medication used by breastfeeding women should not be restricted because of the benefits it offers mothers and their babies, according to researchers. The medication domperidone has recently been the subject of warnings based on research that there is a link between the medication and fatal heart conditions.

'Landmark' results for curing hepatitis C in liver transplant patients Posted: 11 Nov 2014 06:27 AM PST A new treatment regimen for hepatitis C, the most common cause of liver cancer and transplantation, has produced results that will transform treatment protocols for transplant patients, according to research.

Prosthetic, orthotic service in developing countries examined Posted: 11 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST How well do prosthetic and orthotic services work in countries characterized by poverty and civil war? A new study focuses on this issue, revealing current the state of the matter.

Toxic mix of fast-food outlets in inner city neighborhoods fuelling diabetes, obesity epidemic Posted: 11 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST There is twice the number of fast-food outlets in inner city neighborhoods with high density non-white ethnic minority groups and in socially deprived areas, a study shows. "The results are quite alarming and have major implications for public health interventions to limit the number of fast food outlets in more deprived areas," notes one researcher.

Legionella outbreaks of Alcoy may have multiple sources Posted: 11 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST A genomic analysis has been carried out of Legionella pneumophila strains of 13 legionellosis outbreaks produced in Alcoy during the period from 1999 to 2010. Legionella pneumophila is a strictly environmental pathogen, an opportunistic bacterium that inhabits aquatic and soil environments, spreading through the air and that can infect humans with certain susceptibility characteristics, such as being over 65 years, with breathing problems or smokers, among others. L. pneumophila is the causative agent of Legionnaire's disease.

Beta-blockers have no mortality benefit in post-heart attack patients, say researchers Posted: 11 Nov 2014 05:38 AM PST Beta-blockers have been a cornerstone in the treatment of heart attack survivors for more than a quarter of a century. However, many of the data predate contemporary medical therapy such as reperfusion, statins, and antiplatelet agents, and recent data have called the role of beta-blockers into question. Two new studies evaluated the traditional management of these patients after their discharge from the hospital and in the light of changing medical treatment, as well as the impact of the discharge heart rate and conventional treatment with beta-blockers.

Multiple models reveal new genetic links in autism Posted: 11 Nov 2014 05:33 AM PST With the help of mouse models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the "tooth fairy," researchers have implicated a new gene in idiopathic or non-syndromic autism.

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., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States