ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Researchers master gene editing technique in mosquito that transmits deadly diseases
• Avoiding neurodegeneration: Nerve cells borrow a trick from their synapses to dispose of garbage
• Ebola whole virus vaccine shown effective, safe in primates
• Research aims to reduce health care disparities
• Study adds evidence on link between PTSD, heart disease
• Most women with early-stage breast cancer avoid extensive lymph node removal
• Crossing fingers can reduce feelings of pain
• Medulloblastoma: Promising drug target identified
• Photosynthesis hack is needed to feed the world by 2050
• Sea slug provides new way of analyzing brain data
• Veterans' avoidant coping interfers with transition to university life
• Fitness level associated with lower risk of some cancers, death in men
• Novel nanoparticle therapy promotes wound healing
• Testosterone needs estrogen's help to inhibit depression
• How the Human Immune System Keeps TB at Bay
• Roseroot herb shows promise as potential depression treatment option
• Thin air, high altitudes cause depression in female rats
• One in four high school seniors now try smoking water pipes
• Discovering age-specific brain changes in autism
• High-fat diet alters behavior and produces signs of brain inflammation
• For most children with HIV, low immune cell count, cells rebound after treatment
• Blood test may shed new light on Fragile X related disorders
• Stem cells may improve tendon healing, reduce retear risk in rotator cuff surgery
• Women fare better than men following total knee, hip replacement
• Black patients more likely to be readmitted after hip, knee replacement surgery
• Blocking cellular quality control mechanism gives cancer chemotherapy a boost
• Middle-age hip replacements nearly double from 2002-2011
• Harmless bacteria may be helpful against meningococcal outbreaks
• Prostate cancer and treatment choices: Decision shared by doctor and patient?
• Recycling histones through transcription
• Researchers effectively, safely overcome radiation resistance in leukemia with an engineered precision medicine
• Metabolic imbalance increases risk of respiratory diseases in childhood
• In debated surgical procedure, technique trumps technology
• Two new ways to identify joint replacement patients at risk for post-operative complications
• The state of vaccine confidence: Early results of a Vaccine Confidence Index
• Work site wellness centers equate to weight loss and health care savings, expert says
• Effect of natural sweetener xylitol in preventing tooth decay still unproven
• New stent devices fight strokes

Researchers master gene editing technique in mosquito that transmits deadly diseases Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:23 PM PDT Researchers have successfully harnessed a technique, CRISPR-Cas9 editing, to use in an important and understudied species: the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which infects hundreds of millions of people annually with the deadly diseases chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue fever.

Avoiding neurodegeneration: Nerve cells borrow a trick from their synapses to dispose of garbage Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:16 PM PDT Genetic defects affecting tiny channels in human nerve cells lead to several neurological diseases that result from aberrant nerve transmission, such as episodic ataxia, absence epilepsy, and migraines. These disorders have also been associated with neurodegeneration, but it has been less clear why this should be.

Ebola whole virus vaccine shown effective, safe in primates Posted: 26 Mar 2015 12:14 PM PDT An Ebola whole virus vaccine, constructed using a novel experimental platform, has been shown to effectively protect monkeys exposed to the often fatal virus. It differs from other Ebola vaccines because as an inactivated whole virus vaccine, it primes the host immune system with the full complement of Ebola viral proteins and genes, potentially conferring greater protection.

Research aims to reduce health care disparities Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:10 AM PDT The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, queer/questioning and intersex (LGBTQI) population has been largely understudied by the medical community. Researchers found that the LGBTQI community experience health disparities due to reduced access to health care and health insurance, coupled with being at an elevated risk for multiple types of cancer when compared to non-LGBTQI populations.

Study adds evidence on link between PTSD, heart disease Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PDT In a study of more than 8,000 veterans in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, those with posttraumatic stress disorder had a nearly 50 percent greater risk of developing heart failure. The study adds to a growing body of evidence linking PTSD and heart disease. The research to date--including these latest findings--doesn't show a clear cause-and-effect relationship. But most experts believe PTSD, like other forms of chronic stress or anxiety, can damage the heart over time.

Most women with early-stage breast cancer avoid extensive lymph node removal Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PDT A new study of women with early-stage breast cancer finds that surgeons no longer universally remove most of the lymph nodes in the underarm area when a biopsy of the nearby lymph nodes shows cancer -- a major change in breast cancer management.

Crossing fingers can reduce feelings of pain Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT How you feel pain is affected by where sources of pain are in relation to each other, and so crossing your fingers can change what you feel on a single finger, finds new research. "Many people suffer from chronic pain, and the level of pain experienced can be higher than would be expected from actual tissue damage. Our research is basic laboratory science, but it raises the interesting possibility that pain levels could be manipulated by applying additional stimuli, and by moving one part of the body relative to others," the senior author explained.

Medulloblastoma: Promising drug target identified Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT A protein has been found that is critical to both the normal development of the brain and, in many cases, the development of medulloblastoma, a fast-growing brain tumor that usually strikes children under 10. When the researchers cut the level of the protein Eya1 in half in mice prone to develop medulloblastoma, the animals' risk of dying from the disease dropped dramatically.

Photosynthesis hack is needed to feed the world by 2050 Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT Using high-performance computing and genetic engineering to boost the photosynthetic efficiency of plants offers the best hope of increasing crop yields enough to feed a planet expected to have 9.5 billion people on it by 2050, researchers report.

Sea slug provides new way of analyzing brain data Posted: 26 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT Scientists say our brains may not be as complicated as we once thought -- and they're using sea slugs to prove it. "This research introduces new methods for pulling apart neural circuits to expose their inner building blocks. Our methods could be used to help understand how brain networks change in disease states and how drugs act to restore normal brain function," authors say.

Veterans' avoidant coping interfers with transition to university life Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:21 AM PDT A study of 165 veterans currently enrolled at three Texas universities shows that those who use problem-focused coping strategies for anxiety and depression instead of avoidant coping have more successful transitions from military life to college student life.

Fitness level associated with lower risk of some cancers, death in men Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:20 AM PDT Men with a high fitness level in midlife appear to be at lower risk for lung and colorectal cancer, but not prostate cancer, and that higher fitness level also may put them at lower risk of death if they are diagnosed with cancer when they're older, according to a study.

Novel nanoparticle therapy promotes wound healing Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:19 AM PDT An experimental therapy successfully tested in mice cut in half the time it takes to heal wounds compared to no treatment at all. "We envision that our nanoparticle therapy could be used to speed the healing of all sorts of wounds, including everyday cuts and burns, surgical incisions, and chronic skin ulcers, which are a particular problem in the elderly and people with diabetes," said a study co-leader.

Testosterone needs estrogen's help to inhibit depression Posted: 26 Mar 2015 09:19 AM PDT In popular culture, the phrase "battle of the sexes" seems to pit the male hormone (testosterone) against the female (estrogen). Now a researcher has documented a way in which the two hormones work together to protect low-testosterone males from the effects of anxiety and depression.

How the Human Immune System Keeps TB at Bay Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT A new tissue culture model using human white blood cells shows how people with a latent -- or symptom-free -- tuberculosis infection are protected from active disease by a critical early step in their immune response, researchers say.

Roseroot herb shows promise as potential depression treatment option Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea), or roseroot, may be a beneficial treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD), according to results of a study. Depression is one of the most common and debilitating psychiatric conditions, afflicting more than 19 million Americans each year, 70 percent of whom do not fully respond to initial therapy. Costs of conventional antidepressants and their sometimes substantial side effects often result in a patient discontinuing use prematurely. Others opt to try natural products or supplements instead.

Thin air, high altitudes cause depression in female rats Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:10 AM PDT Oxygen intake contributes to depression, scientists have surmised after a study shows that thin air and high altitudes causes depression in female rats. "The significance of this animal study is that it can isolate hypoxia as a distinct risk factor for depression in those living at altitude (hypobaric hypoxia) or with other chronic hypoxic conditions such as COPD, asthma or smoking, independent of other risk factors," says the lead author on the study.

One in four high school seniors now try smoking water pipes Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:10 AM PDT Despite declines in the number of youths who smoke cigarettes, hookah or water pipe use continues to rise among Canadian youth, a new study reports. The study found that almost one in four high school seniors try smoking hookah.

Discovering age-specific brain changes in autism Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:10 AM PDT Individuals with autism spectrum disorder exhibit different patterns of brain connectivity when compared to typically developing individuals, scientists report, and those patterns adjust as the individual ages, research shows.

High-fat diet alters behavior and produces signs of brain inflammation Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:09 AM PDT Can the consumption of fatty foods change your behavior and your brain? High-fat diets have long been known to increase the risk for medical problems, including heart disease and stroke, but there is growing concern that diets high in fat might also increase the risk for depression and other psychiatric disorders. A new study raises the possibility that a high-fat diet produces changes in health and behavior, in part, by changing the mix of bacteria in the gut, also known as the gut microbiome.

For most children with HIV, low immune cell count, cells rebound after treatment Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:09 AM PDT Most children with HIV who have low levels of a key immune cell eventually recover levels of this cell after they begin treatment.

Blood test may shed new light on Fragile X related disorders Posted: 26 Mar 2015 08:08 AM PDT A blood test may shed new light on Fragile X syndrome related disorders in women, according to a new study. Fragile X is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and the most frequent genetic cause of autism.

Stem cells may improve tendon healing, reduce retear risk in rotator cuff surgery Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT An injection of a patient's bone marrow stem cells during rotator cuff surgery significantly improved healing and tendon durability, according to a new study.

Women fare better than men following total knee, hip replacement Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT While women may have their first total joint replacement at an older age, they are less likely to have complications related to their surgery or require revision surgery, according to a new study. The findings contradict the theory that TJR is underutilized in female patients because they have worse outcomes then men.

Black patients more likely to be readmitted after hip, knee replacement surgery Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT A new study found that black and Hispanic patients were 62 and 50 percent, respectively, more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after total joint replacement surgery compared to white patients.

Blocking cellular quality control mechanism gives cancer chemotherapy a boost Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT Scientists have found a new way to make chemotherapy more effective against breast cancer cells. They show that blocking a cellular quality control mechanism before administering chemotherapy makes breast cancer cells die faster than when they were exposed to chemotherapy alone. The work is a long way from being applied in people, but it could lead to new treatment strategies for patients in the future.

Middle-age hip replacements nearly double from 2002-2011 Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT The number of total hip replacements nearly doubled among middle-aged patients between 2002-2011, primarily due to the expansion of the middle-aged population in the US.

Harmless bacteria may be helpful against meningococcal outbreaks Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:59 AM PDT Nasal drops of harmless bacteria can inhibit a related bug that sometimes causes meningococcal disease, according to new findings. The study -- conducted among college students, a group at higher risk for this often serious illness -- suggests a new approach that could help suppress outbreaks of the disease, if supported by future research.

Prostate cancer and treatment choices: Decision shared by doctor and patient? Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:33 AM PDT Doctors strive to make treatment decisions together with their patients – but is the decision really shared? According to researchers, shared decision-making isn't easy, and clinicians need help. The international research group has studied the decision aids for treatment choice of localized prostate cancer.

Recycling histones through transcription Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:33 AM PDT Cells reuse a part of the histones which are used to pack DNA, according to research conducted on yeast cells. However, researchers say that it is likely that similar mechanisms are important for human beings as well.

Researchers effectively, safely overcome radiation resistance in leukemia with an engineered precision medicine Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:33 AM PDT Improved survival rates have been demonstrated in mouse models of aggressive human leukemia using leukemia cells taken directly from patients, according to a new study.

Metabolic imbalance increases risk of respiratory diseases in childhood Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:27 AM PDT An imbalance in our metabolism can trigger inflammatory processes in the body and activate the immune system. In a recent study, researchers have been able to show that this applies even to newborns and children under one year of age, and is correlated with the development of respiratory diseases in early childhood.

In debated surgical procedure, technique trumps technology Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:25 AM PDT Modern technology for healing distal femur fractures is as safe and effective as its more established alternative, without a potential shortfall of the older approach, a team of orthopedic surgeons has found.

Two new ways to identify joint replacement patients at risk for post-operative complications Posted: 26 Mar 2015 05:25 AM PDT Orthopedic surgeons have developed two new prediction tools aimed at identifying total hip and knee replacement patients who are at-risk of developing serious complications after surgery. "Improved anesthesia and rehabilitation techniques have made outpatient and overnight stay for total hip and total knee replacements more common than ever," said a study's lead investigator. "At the same time, pressures on hospitals to lower costs have led to an across-the-board emphasis on shortening or even eliminating in-hospital stays. While shorter stays are obviously a major overall benefit, we have to make sure that we identify patients who are at greater risk of complications and should thus not have their knee or hip replaced on an outpatient or overnight basis. Our tool provides this guidance."

The state of vaccine confidence: Early results of a Vaccine Confidence Index Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:08 PM PDT A new report examines global issues affecting confidence and hesitation about vaccines. The State of Vaccine Confidence Report analyzes some of the vaccine confidence issues that have occurred over the past decade with a range of vaccines, reports on strategies that have had positive impacts on engaging populations and building trust and confidence, and reflects on what still need to be learned.

Work site wellness centers equate to weight loss and health care savings, expert says Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:08 PM PDT As employees and employers face higher health care costs, work site wellness are becoming increasingly more important to help control the costs of health care and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors among the workforce, a new study says.

Effect of natural sweetener xylitol in preventing tooth decay still unproven Posted: 25 Mar 2015 06:03 PM PDT New research concludes that there is limited evidence to show that xylitol is effective in preventing dental cavities in children and adults.

New stent devices fight strokes Posted: 25 Mar 2015 10:14 AM PDT In certain stroke patients, a new device called a stent retriever can reverse symptoms and limit stroke damage. The "stentriever," deployed with a catheter, restores blood flow and retrieves a blood clot from the brain.

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