ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New super-fast MRI technique demonstrated with song 'If I Only Had a Brain'
• Scientists identify brain circuitry responsible for anxiety in smoking cessation
• Surprising contributor to Rett syndrome identified
• New gene therapy success in a rare disease of the immune system
• Parent training can reduce serious behavioral problems in young children with autism
• Battle in the gut: Immune cells help 'good bacteria' triumph over 'bad bacteria'
• Childhood cancer survivors more likely to claim social security support as adults
• Most cancer patients want tumor profiling, even if it reveals other genetic risks
• Re-engineering lupus into a cancer killer
• What happens when multiple sclerosis patients stop taking their medication?
• Messenger RNA-associated protein drives multiple paths in T-cell development
• Incidence of serious diabetes complication may be increasing among youth in U. S.
• Oral insulin shows potential for preventing type 1 diabetes in high-risk children
• No association found between MMR vaccine and autism, even among children at higher risk
• Advancing development of Ebola vaccine trials
• When genes are expressed in reverse: regulatory mechanism of antisense DNA discovered
• Caring for blindness: A new protein in sight?
• Type 2 diabetes: Understanding regulation of sugar levels for better treatment
• Traffic emissions may pollute one in three Canadian homes
• Trial shows benefit of 'BRCA-targeting' drug in prostate cancer
• Cannabis consumers show greater susceptibility to false memories
• Technology could let women skip annual mammograms
• New study unravels why common blood pressure medicine can fail
• How to approach your boss about a treadmill desk
• Babies feel pain 'like adults': Most babies not given pain meds for surgery
• Patients grapple with high cost of arthritis medications
• Labels on front of food packaging can enable healthier choices, new research finds
• Sex difference in competitiveness even among the fastest runners
• Genetic variance explains poor response to common asthma medications
• Maternal stress increases development of fetal neuroblastoma in animal model
• Regular consumption of yogurt does not improve health
• Coffee protects against breast cancer recurrence, detailed findings confirm
• Zip me up! Zooming into wound healing
• Antidepressant use in pregnancy associated with anxiety symptoms in 3-year-olds
• Immune system protein regulates sensitivity to bitter taste
• UK doctors unlikely to be able to repay student loans
• Almost a fifth in UK still not eating ANY whole grains
• Study sheds new light on a crucial enzyme for the immune response
• Providing universal donor plasma to massively bleeding trauma patients
• Cancer drug shows promise as cure for hepatitis B
• In utero exposure to extreme morning sickness may cause developmental deficits in children
• Early environment has a lasting impact on stress response systems, study shows
• Imaging Immunity: Noninvasive imaging of immune system detects tumors, could monitor therapeutic response

New super-fast MRI technique demonstrated with song 'If I Only Had a Brain' Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:21 AM PDT With a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, the vocal neuromuscular movements of singing and speaking can now be captured at 100 frames per second. The sound of the voice is created in the larynx, located in the neck. When we sing or speak, the vocal folds--the two small pieces of tissue--come together and, as air passes over them, they vibrate, which produces sound. After 10 years of working as a professional singer in Chicago choruses, a researcher's passion for vocal performance stemmed into study to understand the voice and its neuromuscular system, with a particular interest in the aging voice.

Scientists identify brain circuitry responsible for anxiety in smoking cessation Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:21 AM PDT In a promising breakthrough for smokers who are trying to quit, neuroscientists have identified circuitry in the brain responsible for the increased anxiety commonly experienced during withdrawal from nicotine addiction.

Surprising contributor to Rett syndrome identified Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:20 AM PDT The immune system is designed to protect us from disease. But what if it was malfunctioning? Would it make a disease worse? That appears to be the case with Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, and possibly in other neurological disorders as well.

New gene therapy success in a rare disease of the immune system Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:20 AM PDT The efficacy of gene therapy treatment for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome has been demonstrated by researchers. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is a rare congenital immune and platelet deficiency which is X-linked and has an estimated prevalence of 1/250,000. It is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the WAS protein (WASp) expressed in hematopoietic cells. This disease, which primarily affects boys, causes bleeding, severe and recurrent infections, severe eczema and in some patients autoimmune reactions and the development of cancer.

Parent training can reduce serious behavioral problems in young children with autism Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:19 AM PDT A multi-site study finds young children with autism spectrum disorder and serious behavioral problems respond positively to a 24-week structured parent training. The benefits of parent training endured for up to six months post intervention.

Battle in the gut: Immune cells help 'good bacteria' triumph over 'bad bacteria' Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:19 AM PDT The body's immune system may be the keeper of a healthy gut microbiota, report scientists. They found that a binding protein on white blood cells could affect whether or not mice produced a balanced gut microbiota. Without the protein, harmful bacteria were more easily able to infect. Why this happens is unclear, but it may be that the immune system has a way to sense the presence of invading intestinal bacteria.

Childhood cancer survivors more likely to claim social security support as adults Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:17 AM PDT Childhood cancer survivors are five times more likely to have enrolled in a Social Security disability assistance program than other citizens, a new American study concludes. "The long-term impact of cancer can affect other issues besides health outcomes," said the lead author on the study. "We need to do a better job of helping people function throughout their lives, not just when they're finishing their cancer therapy."

Most cancer patients want tumor profiling, even if it reveals other genetic risks Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:17 AM PDT Most cancer patients would opt for tumor profiling even if the test revealed that they or their families were at risk for other genetic diseases, according to a study. The study showed that despite the risk for receiving information about other potentially serious health problems, 59% of the cancer patients would agree to tumor profiling if offered by their physician. In a scenario where tumor profiling was already ordered, 79% of patients stated they wanted to know all of the information obtained.

Re-engineering lupus into a cancer killer Posted: 21 Apr 2015 10:17 AM PDT Researchers have devised a way to re-engineer lupus antibodies to turn them into potential cancer killers. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the immune system attacks its own organs, tissues, or joints.

What happens when multiple sclerosis patients stop taking their medication? Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:16 AM PDT We know a lot about what happens when therapy is started with MS patients, but we know very little about what happens when therapy is stopped. A new international, multi-site study found that almost 40 percent of patients had some disease activity return when they stopped taking their medication.

Messenger RNA-associated protein drives multiple paths in T-cell development Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:12 AM PDT A lab studies how splicing occurs in T cells and how it is regulated by multiple proteins. This study describes a cascade of events that may explain changes in gene expression that occur during the development of the human immune system.

Incidence of serious diabetes complication may be increasing among youth in U. S. Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:12 AM PDT The incidence of a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, in youth in Colorado at the time of diagnosis of type 1 diabetes increased by 55 percent between 1998 and 2012, suggesting a growing number of youth may experience delays in diagnosis and treatment, according to a new study.

Oral insulin shows potential for preventing type 1 diabetes in high-risk children Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:12 AM PDT In a pilot study that included children at high risk for type 1 diabetes, daily high-dose oral insulin, compared with placebo, resulted in an immune response to insulin without hypoglycemia, findings that support the need for a phase 3 trial to determine whether oral insulin can prevent islet autoimmunity and diabetes in high-risk children, according to a new study.

No association found between MMR vaccine and autism, even among children at higher risk Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:12 AM PDT In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a new study.

Advancing development of Ebola vaccine trials Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:56 AM PDT As the current Ebola outbreak wanes, scientists have to make the most of every opportunity to prepare for future outbreaks. One such opportunity involves the identification of a safe and effective Ebola vaccine. Texas supercomputers have aided researchers in modelling which types of clinical trials will provide the best information, according to experts.

When genes are expressed in reverse: regulatory mechanism of antisense DNA discovered Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:56 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered new clues to help understand the functions of antisense DNA and its alterations in cancer. Antisense transcripts are DNA sequences that 'rebel,' DNA that are activated in reverse: from right to left. Very little of the function of these is known, but new work provides new clues and mechanisms to understand their functions and their alterations in cancer.

Caring for blindness: A new protein in sight? Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:53 AM PDT Blocking another protein, Slit2, prevents the pathological blood vessel development that causes blindness diseases, a team of Inserm researchers has demonstrated in an animal model. Vasoproliferative ocular diseases are the main cause of blindness in the industrialized countries, the researchers note.

Type 2 diabetes: Understanding regulation of sugar levels for better treatment Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:53 AM PDT A new mechanism that controls glucagon secretion in humans has been described by researchers, making it possible to elucidate this phenomenon and suggesting a modification of this new type of treatment.

Traffic emissions may pollute one in three Canadian homes Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:53 AM PDT Air pollution could be spreading up to three times farther than thought, contributing to varying levels of air quality across cities, a trio of recently published studies from a team of engineers has found. One in three Canadians, and half of all Torontonians, lives within 250 meters of at least one major roadway. Poor air quality from traffic pollution is associated with a number of health issues.

Trial shows benefit of 'BRCA-targeting' drug in prostate cancer Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:53 AM PDT Men with prostate cancer benefit from treatment with the pioneering drug olaparib -- the first cancer drug to target inherited mutations -- according to the results of a major trial.

Cannabis consumers show greater susceptibility to false memories Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:49 AM PDT Consumers of cannabis are more prone to experiencing false memories. One of the known consequences of consuming this drug is the memory problems it can cause. Chronic consumers show more difficulties than the general population in retaining new information and recovering memories. The new study also reveals that the chronic use of cannabis causes distortions in memory, making it easier for imaginary or false memories to appear.

Technology could let women skip annual mammograms Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:44 AM PDT Developing technology is on track to predict if and when breast cancer will appear. "We're creating a breast cancer risk analysis system," said an electrical engineer on the study. "It will be able to inform doctors about the patient's risk of developing cancer within a few years."

New study unravels why common blood pressure medicine can fail Posted: 21 Apr 2015 07:44 AM PDT Every year, more than 120 million prescriptions are written worldwide for thiazide drugs, a group of salt-lowering medicines used to treat high blood pressure. These drugs are often very effective. But in some patients, they don't work. The reasons for this have remained a mystery. Now, a new study has revealed a key mechanism for this failure.

How to approach your boss about a treadmill desk Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:49 AM PDT People walking on treadmill desks perform cognitive tasks nearly as well as those at sitting desks, new research finds. An exercise science professor and a neuroscientist report their findings after putting treadmill desks to the test. The duo compared the cognitive performance of healthy adults sitting at a desk to those using treadmill desks while carrying out the same tasks.

Babies feel pain 'like adults': Most babies not given pain meds for surgery Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:48 AM PDT The brains of babies 'light up' in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults. As recently as the 1980s it was common practice for babies to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication during surgery. In 2014 a review of neonatal pain management practice in intensive care highlighted that although such infants experience an average of 11 painful procedures per day 60% of babies do not receive any kind of pain medication.

Patients grapple with high cost of arthritis medications Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:48 AM PDT The first American investigation of Medicare coverage of biologic disease modifying drugs (DMARDs) found that in starting a single biologic DMARD, patients face more than $2,700 in copayments each year before receiving relief from catastrophic coverage.

Labels on front of food packaging can enable healthier choices, new research finds Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:48 AM PDT Front of package nutrition labels can enable consumers to make healthier food choices, a team of researchers has found. "Front of package food labeling is an important tool in helping consumers to make healthier choices and to encourage the industry to provide healthier foods," said the study's leader.

Sex difference in competitiveness even among the fastest runners Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:48 AM PDT Sex differences in some behaviors are well established, but it's unclear whether differences still occur within highly selective sub-populations, such as expert financial decision makers or elite athletes. Researchers assessed the competitiveness of over 1,100 collegiate distance runners and tested whether the already-known sex difference in competitiveness narrowed when considering the fastest runners. They found the difference between genders was just as large among the fastest as it was among the slowest runners.

Genetic variance explains poor response to common asthma medications Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:48 AM PDT Researchers have identified a biological basis for asthmatic children who do not respond well to corticosteroid treatment -- currently the most effective treatment for chronic asthma and acute asthma attack. The study also identifies a genetic pathway that could open the possibility of new therapies for difficult-to-treat patients.

Maternal stress increases development of fetal neuroblastoma in animal model Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:47 AM PDT While genetics play a substantial role in development of neuroblastoma, scientists say that something else is in play that elevates the risk: stress. Researchers have shown in mice genetically predisposed to develop neuroblastoma that maternal stress can push onset of the cancer.

Regular consumption of yogurt does not improve health Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:45 AM PDT Dietary recommendations support the consumption of dairy products as part of a healthy diet. However, after a Spanish study involving more than 4,000 people analyzed the relationship between the regular intake of yogurt and health-related quality of life, it declared that there was no link with the improvement of the physical and mental parameters analyzed.

Coffee protects against breast cancer recurrence, detailed findings confirm Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:45 AM PDT Coffee helps to protect against breast cancer, a number of research studies have shown. A new study is added to that research, confirming that coffee inhibits the growth of tumors and reduces the risk of recurrence in women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with the drug tamoxifen.

Zip me up! Zooming into wound healing Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:45 AM PDT Scientists explain skin fusion at a molecular level, and pinpoint the specific molecules that do the job. "In order to visualize this orchestra of healing, a very high-resolution picture of the process is needed. For this purpose we have recorded an enormous amount of data that surpasses all previous studies of this kind," says one researcher.

Antidepressant use in pregnancy associated with anxiety symptoms in 3-year-olds Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:43 AM PDT Three-year-old siblings exposed to antidepressants in pregnancy show increased anxiety symptoms compared to their unexposed siblings, researchers report. The study shows the importance of considering the potential long-term effects on child development when addressing the safety of antidepressant use during pregnancy.

Immune system protein regulates sensitivity to bitter taste Posted: 21 Apr 2015 05:39 AM PDT Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an immune system regulatory protein that promotes inflammation, also helps regulate sensitivity to bitter taste, new research has found. The finding may explain taste abnormalities and decreased food intake associated with infections, autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammatory diseases.

UK doctors unlikely to be able to repay student loans Posted: 20 Apr 2015 06:40 PM PDT UK doctors are unlikely to be able to repay their student loans over the course of their working lives, amassing huge debts by the time they graduate, in some cases. What's more, there are clear gender differences in the amount of cash required to service these debts, the analysis shows, with women paying more in interest, despite earning less than men.

Almost a fifth in UK still not eating ANY whole grains Posted: 20 Apr 2015 06:39 PM PDT Experts are calling for the introduction of guidelines around the amount of whole grains we should be eating after it was revealed almost one in five of those in the United Kingdom are not eating any at all.

Study sheds new light on a crucial enzyme for the immune response Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:49 PM PDT A new study by immunology researchers sheds light on a mechanism affecting AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response. The scientific breakthrough could eventually improve the way we treat the common flu, as well as lymphoma and leukemia, the researchers say.

Providing universal donor plasma to massively bleeding trauma patients Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:49 PM PDT A recent randomized trial that looked at the feasibility of 2013 guidelines issued by the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Project for trauma resuscitation found that delivering universal donor plasma to massively hemorrhaging patients can be accomplished consistently and rapidly and without excessive wastage in high volume trauma centers. The plasma is given in addition to red blood cell transfusions to optimize treatment.

Cancer drug shows promise as cure for hepatitis B Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:48 PM PDT A potential cure for hepatitis B virus infections has been found with a promising new treatment proving 100 per cent successful in eliminating the infection in preclinical models. Australian patients are now the first in the world to have access to the potential treatment -- a combination of an antiviral drug and an anti-cancer drug -- which is in phase 1/2a clinical trials.

In utero exposure to extreme morning sickness may cause developmental deficits in children Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:46 PM PDT Women who experience extreme morning sickness during pregnancy are three times more likely to have children with developmental issues, including attention disorders and language and speech delays, than woman who have normal nausea and vomiting, a study has found.

Early environment has a lasting impact on stress response systems, study shows Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:46 PM PDT Children raised in Romanian orphanages had blunted stress response systems, a study shows, while children placed with foster parents before the age of 2 showed stress responses similar to those of children raised in typical families.

Imaging Immunity: Noninvasive imaging of immune system detects tumors, could monitor therapeutic response Posted: 20 Apr 2015 12:46 PM PDT A novel approach that allows real-time imaging of the immune system's response to the presence of tumors -- without the need for blood draws or invasive biopsies -- offers a potential breakthrough both in diagnostics and in the ability to monitor efficacy of cancer therapies.

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