ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• People can raise their pain threshold by altering brain chemistry, study in arthritis patients shows
• Signs of faster aging process identified through gene research
• Light exposure linked to weight gain in children
• Focus on treatment decisions: Doctor, patient should decide together
• Depression too often reduced to a checklist of symptoms
• New modular partial wrist implant may help more people with painful wrist arthritis
• Collaborative research reveals a new view of cell division
• Toxins remain in your clothes
• Sarcoidosis: surface marker allows new diagnostic approaches
• Treating pulmonary diseases using Alaska pollock gelatin
• Endogenous 'cannabis' influences development of the fetal pancreas
• Active body, active mind: The secret to a younger brain may lie in exercising your body
• Mini-kidney organoids re-create disease in lab dishes
• New study characterizes pediatric ED visits attributed to contact with law enforcement
• A subpopulation of white blood cells guards against tumor lung metastasis
• Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease
• How parasites take a bigger bite
• Researchers identify potential new leukemia drug target
• Drugs commonly used in kidney transplant patients not as effective as previously thought
• Certain vulnerable groups are less likely to use e-health resources
• It takes a thief: Researchers discover how CRISPR/Cas steals foreign DNA for the bacterial immune system
• 'Sensor' protein could help fight against obesity, diabetes
• Toddler's rare disease identified and treated using precision medicine
• Difficulties in accessing patient data on effects of heart failure drugs
• Leprosy and elephantiasis: New cases could be prevented in 10 years
• Splitting human embryos to produce twins for IVF may not be viable
• Medical procedures should be recorded to improve quality and accountability, say experts

People can raise their pain threshold by altering brain chemistry, study in arthritis patients shows Posted: 23 Oct 2015 09:19 AM PDT The numbers of opiate receptors in the brain increases to combat severe pain in arthritis sufferers, researchers have shown for the first time. By applying heat to the skin using a laser stimulator, the researchers showed that the more opiate receptors there are in the brain, the higher the ability to withstand the pain.

Signs of faster aging process identified through gene research Posted: 23 Oct 2015 09:18 AM PDT New research has shed light on the molecular changes that occur in our bodies as we age. In the largest study of its kind, an international group of researchers examined expression of genes in blood samples from 15,000 people across the world. They found 1,450 genes that are linked to aging, and also uncovered a link between these genes and factors such as diet, smoking and exercise.

Light exposure linked to weight gain in children Posted: 23 Oct 2015 07:59 AM PDT A world-first study has revealed pre-schoolers exposed to more light earlier in day tend to weigh more. She says the research suggests light exposure, artificial and natural, needs to be part of the conversation about the weight of children, along with calorie intake, decreased physical activity and sleep patterns.

Focus on treatment decisions: Doctor, patient should decide together Posted: 23 Oct 2015 07:59 AM PDT Two new articles investigate the following questions: Do patients benefit from shared decision making? Is treatment more effective as a result? How do physicians gain from training in shared decision making?

Depression too often reduced to a checklist of symptoms Posted: 23 Oct 2015 07:58 AM PDT How can you tell if someone is depressed? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) -- the 'bible' of psychiatry -- diagnoses depression when patients tick off a certain number of symptoms on the DSM checklist. A large-scale quantitative study now shows that some symptoms play a much bigger role than others in driving depression, and that the symptoms listed in DSM may not be the most useful ones.

New modular partial wrist implant may help more people with painful wrist arthritis Posted: 23 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT Studies are underway to determine if a new modular partial wrist replacement will allow for better movement and last longer than traditional implants for people seeking relief from painful wrist arthritis.

Collaborative research reveals a new view of cell division Posted: 23 Oct 2015 06:43 AM PDT Basic research into the mechanisms of cell division, using eggs and embryos from frogs and starfish, has led researchers to an unexpected discovery about how animal cells control the forces that shape themselves. During a key point in cytokinesis a cell's cortex becomes an excitable medium resulting in waves that serve to regulate enzyme activities.

Toxins remain in your clothes Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:45 AM PDT Thousands of chemicals are used in clothes manufacturing. Researchers have examined if there are chemicals in the clothes we buy as well. Several substances related to health risks were identified and not even organic cotton was a guarantee for non-toxic textiles.

Sarcoidosis: surface marker allows new diagnostic approaches Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:45 AM PDT A new strategy has been developed to determine monocyte subsets involved in diseases. The results could help facilitating the diagnosis of sarcoidosis and may improve the respective patient management.

Treating pulmonary diseases using Alaska pollock gelatin Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:45 AM PDT In recent years, patients with pulmonary emphysema have been increasing mainly among middle-aged and elderly males due to aging and excessive smoking. Emphysema makes brittle lungs, and in severe cases, holes develop in the lung tissue, causing air leakage. Researchers have developed a new sealant to close holes developed in lungs and blood vessels using Alaska pollock gelatin, and have reported that the sealant is about 12 times stronger than conventional sealants and is able to resist pressure as high as approximately 2.8 times the normal blood pressure.

Endogenous 'cannabis' influences development of the fetal pancreas Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:44 AM PDT Endocannabinoids, cannabis-like substances produced by the body itself, can affect the development of a baby's pancreas. The study also highlights the importance of diet during pregnancy for the fetal pancreas to form, new research shows.

Active body, active mind: The secret to a younger brain may lie in exercising your body Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:44 AM PDT It is widely recognized that our physical fitness is reflected in our mental fitness, especially as we get older. How does being physically fit affect our aging brains? Neuroimaging studies, in which the activity of different parts of the brain can be visualized, have provided some clues. Until now, however, no study has directly linked brain activation with both mental and physical performance.

Mini-kidney organoids re-create disease in lab dishes Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:41 AM PDT Using kidney organoids grown from stem cells and gene editing, scientists have re-created human kidney disease in lab petri dishes. The findings pave the way for personalized kidney drug discovery.

New study characterizes pediatric ED visits attributed to contact with law enforcement Posted: 23 Oct 2015 05:41 AM PDT In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have found that injuries related to legal interventions, or contact with law enforcement, involving male teenagers is not an uncommon occurrence in the United States.

A subpopulation of white blood cells guards against tumor lung metastasis Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:23 PM PDT Among foot soldiers on the immune front line is a subpopulation of white blood cells called "patrolling monocytes," whose job is to cruise the bloodstream, cart off cellular debris, and block invasion of a less benign population of inflammatory cells. Now, a study illustrates that patrolling monocytes may also play an anti-cancer role, particularly in the lung.

Spotting the earliest signs of type 1 diabetic kidney disease Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:21 PM PDT In an effort to pinpoint the earliest signs of diabetic kidney disease, researchers are leading a multi-institutional international effort dedicated to finding a new breed of disease indicators.

How parasites take a bigger bite Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:19 PM PDT A team of international scientists uncovered an important mechanism behind Leishmania, a deadly parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies. In a new study, researchers described how key molecules known as exosomes, boost the process by which the Leishmania parasite infects humans and other mammals. These findings could lead to the development of new potential vaccine targets and diagnostic tools.

Researchers identify potential new leukemia drug target Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:19 PM PDT In some cases of acute myeloid leukemia, a mutant protein is known to cause dramatic changes in gene expression. Now researchers have identified a second protein with similar function that plays an even broader role in the disease.

Drugs commonly used in kidney transplant patients not as effective as previously thought Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:18 PM PDT Kidney transplants saves lives and dramatically improve quality of life, but transplant recipients often must take dozens of pills a day to keep their new kidney functioning and prevent complications. Now, new studies show that three of these drugs are not nearly as effective as previously thought and may have serious side-effects. The results are expected to change medical practice around the world.

Certain vulnerable groups are less likely to use e-health resources Posted: 22 Oct 2015 04:18 PM PDT Black race, lower neighborhood household income, older age, and Medicaid/Medicare insurance status were each linked with less use of an electronic health record portal by kidney disease patients.

It takes a thief: Researchers discover how CRISPR/Cas steals foreign DNA for the bacterial immune system Posted: 22 Oct 2015 01:50 PM PDT The discovery researchers of the structural basis by which bacteria are able to capture genetic information from viruses and other foreign invaders for use in their own immunological system holds promise for studying or correcting problems in human genomes.

'Sensor' protein could help fight against obesity, diabetes Posted: 22 Oct 2015 01:11 PM PDT Aan internal 'sensor' that helps fight obesity by instructing cells to burn their fat stores has been identified by researchers. The finding could play a major role in the fight against obesity and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, they say.

Toddler's rare disease identified and treated using precision medicine Posted: 22 Oct 2015 11:19 AM PDT A 20-month-old girl suffering from a rare neurodegenerative disease was diagnosed by exome sequencing and successfully treated. The case, say researchers, exemplifies the potential of precision medicine.

Difficulties in accessing patient data on effects of heart failure drugs Posted: 21 Oct 2015 07:00 PM PDT A team of researchers describes difficulties in trying to obtain patient data on the effects of heart failure drugs from previously published clinical trials.

Leprosy and elephantiasis: New cases could be prevented in 10 years Posted: 21 Oct 2015 06:59 PM PDT The life chances of over one billion people could be improved through examining the transmission of nine neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), an international consortium of researchers has argued. Leprosy, Elephantiasis and Sleeping Sickness are among nine tropical diseases targeted. Neglected tropical diseases affect over one billion people worldwide.

Splitting human embryos to produce twins for IVF may not be viable Posted: 21 Oct 2015 06:59 PM PDT Human twin embryos created in the laboratory by splitting single embryos into two using a common method known as blastomere biopsy may be unsuitable both for IVF and for research purposes, according to a new study.

Medical procedures should be recorded to improve quality and accountability, say experts Posted: 21 Oct 2015 06:59 PM PDT Medical procedures should be recorded to improve quality and accountability, say two American experts. They say that in addition to detecting unprofessional behaviour, video recording has the potential to radically improve quality through increased accountability, and can be used for learning and self improvement.

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