ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Researchers discover mechanism leading to BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma patients
• Simultaneous live imaging of a specific gene's transcription, dynamics
• New biomarker identified in women with mental illness
• How to wipe out polio and prevent its re-emergence
• HIV drug PrEP not linked to greater risk for depression
• Scientists identify amino acid that stops seizures in mice
• Seniors don't bounce back fast from car crashes
• Supercomputers surprisingly link DNA crosses to cancer
• Drug improves cognition in Alzheimer's disease-mouse model in spite of diet
• Successful ovulation of 100 eggs from one female mouse
• Inclusion of experimenters in e-cigarette prevalence studies of 'questionable' value
• Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, unaware of impact of excess zinc
• Genomics holds key to understanding ecological, evolutionary processes
• Culturing the connectome
• Tubal ligation may improve prognosis of endometrial cancer later in life
• Tamper-resistant pill dispenser aims to stamp out medication misuse
• Mapping genetic mutations in skin cancer
• Secret to successful kids? Hard working parents
• Safeguarding against chlamydia
• Cosmetic lip surgery may ease facial paralysis, small study suggests
• Upcoding inflates Medicare costs in excess of $2 billion annually
• Genomic discovery of skin cancer subtypes provides potential 'signpost' for drug targets

Researchers discover mechanism leading to BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanoma patients Posted: 19 Jun 2015 01:34 PM PDT The development of targeted therapies has significantly improved the survival of melanoma patients over the last decade; however, patients often relapse because many therapies do not kill all of the tumor cells, and the remaining cells adapt to treatment and become resistant. Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism that can lead melanoma cells to develop resistance to drugs that target the protein BRAF.

Simultaneous live imaging of a specific gene's transcription, dynamics Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:21 PM PDT A research group has developed a live-imaging method for simultaneous measurements of the transcriptional activity and nuclear position of endogenous genes. This method is used to detect sub-genome-wide mobility changes that depend on the activity of a pluripotency-related gene in mouse embryonic stem cells.

New biomarker identified in women with mental illness Posted: 19 Jun 2015 12:21 PM PDT Psychiatric disorders can be difficult to diagnose because clinicians must rely upon interpreted clues, such as a patient's behaviors and feelings. For the first time, researchers report identifying a biological marker: the over-production of specific genes that could be a diagnostic indicator of mental illness in female psychiatric patients.

How to wipe out polio and prevent its re-emergence Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:17 AM PDT Public health officials stand poised to eliminate polio from the planet. But a new study shows that the job won't be over when the last case of the horrible paralytic disease is recorded. Using disease-transmission models, graduate researchers demonstrate that silent transmission of poliovirus could continue for more than three years with no reported cases.

HIV drug PrEP not linked to greater risk for depression Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:16 AM PDT A new study -- a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in men and transgender women who have sex with men -- reported no link between taking Truvada for oral PrEP and experiencing depression.

Scientists identify amino acid that stops seizures in mice Posted: 19 Jun 2015 11:15 AM PDT An amino acid whose role in the body has been all but a mystery appears to act as a potent seizure inhibitor in mice, according to a study. In a series of experiments, the amino acid D-leucine, found in many foods and certain bacteria, interrupted prolonged seizures, a serious condition known as status epilepticus, and it did so just as effectively as the epilepsy drug diazepam -- the choice of treatment for patients in the throes of convulsions -- but without any of the drug's sedative side effects.

Seniors don't bounce back fast from car crashes Posted: 19 Jun 2015 09:18 AM PDT Many seniors injured in motor vehicle crashes remain in pain for months afterwards, which negatively affects their quality of life, including the ability to live independently, suggest the results of a study of older auto accident victims treated in emergency departments.

Supercomputers surprisingly link DNA crosses to cancer Posted: 19 Jun 2015 08:48 AM PDT DNA naturally folds itself into cross-shaped structures called cruciforms that jut out along the sprawling length of its double helix. DNA cruciforms are abundant; scientists estimate as many as 500,000 cruciform-forming sequences may exist on average in a normal human genome. Supercomputers have now helped scientists find a surprising link between cross-shaped (or cruciform) pieces of DNA and human cancer, according to a study.

Drug improves cognition in Alzheimer's disease-mouse model in spite of diet Posted: 19 Jun 2015 08:46 AM PDT Long-term administration of a drug that mimics the hunger-signaling hormone ghrelin protected Alzheimer's disease-model mice from memory deterioration, despite a high-glycemic-index diet, scientists report.

Successful ovulation of 100 eggs from one female mouse Posted: 19 Jun 2015 07:33 AM PDT A new method of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, termed ultra-superovulation, has been developed by researchers in which ovulation of a very large number of eggs from one female mouse occurs. This development makes it possible to analyze gene function more efficiently through mass production of knockout mice.

Inclusion of experimenters in e-cigarette prevalence studies of 'questionable' value Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:55 AM PDT The inclusion of experimenters -- who are unlikely to become habitual users -- in e-cigarette prevalence studies is of 'questionable' value for monitoring population public health trends, finds research.

Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, unaware of impact of excess zinc Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:55 AM PDT Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, and seem to be unaware of the impact of excess zinc on the body, shows a small audit of clinical practice. Zinc is an essential trace element that is required in daily quantities of 5.5 to 9.5 mg for men, and 4 to 7 mg for women. But zinc supplements are usually only available in formulations of 45 or 50 mg. The US recommended tolerable limit is 40 mg/day.

Genomics holds key to understanding ecological, evolutionary processes Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:49 AM PDT Scientists believe that Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of invasive organisms holds the key to furthering our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes. In a review of recent studies, the researchers say the technique is underutilized in the field of invasion biology. They believe NGS has the potential to transform our understanding of why non-native species adapt and thrive in new environments, often at the expense of their indigenous competitors.

Culturing the connectome Posted: 19 Jun 2015 05:44 AM PDT Mapping the human brain's network of interconnections, known as the connectome is typically done with help from computational tools because recreating interconnections between different brain regions has been challenging in the lab. Researchers have developed a method to recreate connections between neurons from two different brain areas in a dish.

Tubal ligation may improve prognosis of endometrial cancer later in life Posted: 18 Jun 2015 02:41 PM PDT Endometrial cancer (EC) can spread by several routes, including the lymph system, blood vessels, through the uterine wall, as well as through the fallopian tubes into the peritoneal cavity, but the association of transtubal dissemination of EC with cancer stage, histological type, and mortality is unknown.

Tamper-resistant pill dispenser aims to stamp out medication misuse Posted: 18 Jun 2015 01:07 PM PDT You can whack it with a hammer, attack it with a drill, or even stab it with a screwdriver. But try as you might, you won't be able to get into this pill dispenser. Which is exactly the idea.

Mapping genetic mutations in skin cancer Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:03 PM PDT A study by The Cancer Genome Atlas network of researchers refined and revealed molecular sub-groups of patients with cutaneous melanoma who could potentially benefit from targeted treatments based on their tumor genetics, and helped clarify the immune system's role in the disease.

Secret to successful kids? Hard working parents Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:01 PM PDT To learn how parents cultivate talent in their children, researchers interviewed the parents of 24 youth with national or world-class standing in their area of talent. Results showed that parents were instrumental in all aspects of talent development. Parents created an environment where their children's talents were identified and fostered early, arranged for expert coaching, facilitated intensive practice and sustained children's motivation -- all factors identified in previous research as key to developing world-class skills.

Safeguarding against chlamydia Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:59 AM PDT Chlamydia trachomatis is a formidable foe. It's the most common sexually transmitted pathogen, infecting more than 100 million people each year. In the developing world, chlamydial infection is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Around the world, it ranks as the number one cause of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. A vaccine that generates two waves of protective immune cells needed to eliminate chlamydial infection has been developed by researchers.

Cosmetic lip surgery may ease facial paralysis, small study suggests Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:17 AM PDT A cosmetic surgery that uses injections of hyaluronic acid to make lips appear fuller could also improve the lives of people with facial paralysis, according to results of a small study.

Upcoding inflates Medicare costs in excess of $2 billion annually Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:17 AM PDT Medicare, which is already the costliest public health insurance program in the world, is costing taxpayers an excess of $2 billion annually because of a practice called "upcoding" in private Medicare Advantage plans, according to research.

Genomic discovery of skin cancer subtypes provides potential 'signpost' for drug targets Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:17 AM PDT Cutaneous melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is now believed to be divided into four distinct genomic subtypes, say researchers, a finding that could prove valuable in the ever-increasing pursuit of personalized medicine.

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