الأربعاء، 28 أكتوبر 2015

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Medication dose needed for general anesthesia varies widely: Some patients may require less anesthesia

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:38 PM PDT

The amount of anesthetic required for general anesthesia during surgery varies widely from patient to patient and some may be able to receive a lower dose than typically administered, suggests a new study.

Soothing words do more than pills to calm anxious patients

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:38 PM PDT

Anxious patients heading into surgery often receive medication to ease their fears, but a few calming words from their physicians might actually be more effective medicine. In fact, "conversational hypnosis" as the approach is known, may do a better job than pills for relaxing patients before anesthesia and surgery.

Prolonged TV viewing linked to eight leading causes of death in US

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT

On average, 80 percent of American adults watch 3.5 hours of television per day and multiple observational studies have demonstrated a link between TV viewing and poorer health. In this new study, investigators reported an association between increasing hours of television viewing per day and increasing risk of death from most of the major causes of death in the United States.

Processed meat can cause cancer

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 10:51 AM PDT

Researchers have evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. They classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans, based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect. Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans.

Surgical patients should stay on cholesterol medications to reduce risk of death

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 09:57 AM PDT

Patients who stop taking cholesterol medications before surgery are following outdated recommendations, and significantly increasing their risk of death if they don't resume taking the medications within two days after surgery, according to a new study.

Restoring testosterone rather than replacing it helps safeguard a man's fertility

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 09:39 AM PDT

Restoring testosterone production in men may be as effective as replacing it, without compromising their fertility. Two phase III clinical trials show that a drug that restores the body's natural production of testosterone has no negative effect on a man's sperm count while a topical testosterone gel causes a significant drop. The findings could change the way men are treated for low testosterone.

Exploring molecule's role in immune system

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:07 AM PDT

Proteins called cytokines are known to influence immune cell fate, but the process is complex. Researchers examined how a specific cytokine, interleukin-15, influences gene expression patterns in T helper cells.

Acid reflux medications may increase kidney disease risk

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:07 AM PDT

Certain medications commonly used to treat heartburn and acid reflux may have damaging effects on the kidneys, according to two new studies. The drugs, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), are among the top 10 class of prescribed medications in the United States.

Lifestyle change could reduce risk of Alzheimer's

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:06 AM PDT

Aging researchers are studying the connection between cholesterol level and cognitive decline in old age. Carriers of the ApoE4 genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's may be able to reduce their increased risk of cognitive decline by reducing their cholesterol level, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular disease, they say.

Seeing sound: Nonsighted people could acquire a new sensory functionality similar to vision

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:52 AM PDT

Intrinsic neural connections -- called crossmodal mappings -- can be used by assistive devices to help the blind detect their environment without requiring intense concentration or hundreds of hours of training. This new multisensory perspective on such aids (called sensory substitution devices) could make tasks that were previously attention-consuming much easier, allowing nonsighted people to acquire a new sensory functionality similar to vision.

Intestine-specific delivery of insulin demonstrates promise with new oral formulation

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:52 AM PDT

An intestinal patch device containing insulin that can be swallowed in the form of a capsule has demonstrated efficacy of blood glucose management in diabetic rats.

Natural immunity may lead fight against liver disease

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 05:27 AM PDT

Researchers have uncovered the role played by a family of genes, which can suppress hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection within the liver. The findings shed light on the activity of these genes and how they produce a natural immune response to the virus.

Clumsy? Ballet might help

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 05:26 AM PDT

A study in professional ballet dancers finds that ballet training may improve balance and coordination in daily activities.

Increased risk of large bowel cancer for each 1 cm rise in waist circumference

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:48 AM PDT

New research shows an increased risk of large bowel cancer for each 1 cm rise in waist circumference. In addition, in men, there is now evidence that increasing waist circumference in middle age is associated with increased bowel cancer risk.

Genetic testing could identify men at a 10-fold increased risk of testicular cancer

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:48 AM PDT

A new study of more than 25,000 men has uncovered four new genetic variants associated with increased risk of testicular cancer. Testing for these variants combined with all 21 previously identified using genetic sequencing identified men with a 10-fold higher risk of testicular cancer than the population average.

Oxytocin has social, emotional and behavioral benefits in young kids with autism

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:48 AM PDT

A five week treatment with the synthetic hormone oxytocin significantly improved social, emotional and behavioral issues among young children with autism, according to new research.

New role for insulin: Studies tie the hormone to brain's 'pleasure' center

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:48 AM PDT

Insulin, the hormone essential to all mammals for controlling blood sugar levels and a feeling of being full after eating, plays a much stronger role than previously known in regulating release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers.

Obese children's health rapidly improves with sugar reduction unrelated to calories

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:47 AM PDT

Reducing consumption of added sugar has the power to reverse a cluster of chronic metabolic diseases in children in as little as 10 days, according to a study.

High-grade DCIS detection rates increase in older women

Posted: 27 Oct 2015 04:47 AM PDT

The mammography detection rate of an early-stage but potentially invasive type of breast cancer rises with age, according to a large new study. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a type of breast cancer confined to the milk ducts, is a common finding on mammography.

Discovery could lead to better recovery after stroke

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 02:14 PM PDT

Researchers have identified a molecule that, after a stroke, signals brain tissue to form new connections to compensate for the damage and initiate repairs to the brain.

Humans aren't always cut out to be creatures of the night

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 11:16 AM PDT

Nighttime hunters like cats and owls, benefit from their big round eyes that let in plenty of light, but humans have more limited abilities to see in the dark. A new article suggests that poor night vision is a common complaint that can be particularly vexing while driving.

Manipulating cell signaling for better muscle function in muscular dystrophy

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 11:16 AM PDT

Researchers report on their discovery of a way to bypass faculty cell signalling that leads to muscle damage in Duchene muscular dystrophy. This work suggests a new therapeutic strategy for patients with Duchene muscular dystrophy, a progressive neuromuscular condition, caused by a lack of dystrophin, that usually leaves patients unable to walk on their own by age 10-15.

Limited use of general anesthesia with an infant does not cause developmental problems for the child, study shows

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:23 AM PDT

Limited use of general anesthesia with an infant does not cause developmental problems for the child, an international team of researchers is reporting. The study is the largest of its kind and the first randomized study to compare whether general anesthesia in infancy has any effect on neurodevelopmental outcome.

How Alzheimer's-associated protein tangles spread through brain

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:21 AM PDT

Investigators have discovered a mechanism behind the spread of neurofibrillary tangles -- one of the two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease -- through the brains of affected individuals.

Standard phenotypes will aid in genetic research on neuropathic pain

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 10:21 AM PDT

Research on the genetic factors contributing to neuropathic pain has been hindered by the lack of a standard approach to assessing its clinical characteristics or 'phenotype.' Now, a report from an expert panel presents a consensus approach to assessing the phenotype of neuropathic pain.

Massive screen of drug combinations may find treatment for resistant, BRAF-mutant melanoma

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 09:52 AM PDT

A new combination of drugs has been discovered that may be effective against one of the deadliest cancers, malignant melanoma. The combination -- pairing a drug targeted against mutations in the BRAF gene with a second drug that targets another important signaling pathway -- was discovered through one of the largest screens of cancer drug combinations conducted to date.

Treatment outcomes of brain hemorrhage after thrombolysis for stroke

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 09:50 AM PDT

Treating brain hemorrhage (symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, sICH) after clot-busting thrombolysis for stroke was not associated with a reduced likelihood of in-hospital death or expansion of the hematoma but shortening time to diagnosis and treatment may be key to improving outcomes, according to a new article.

Medication deintensification in older patients with low HbA1c or blood pressure

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 09:50 AM PDT

Among older patients with diabetes whose treatment has resulted in very low hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels or blood pressure values, only 27 percent or fewer underwent medication deintensification, a lost opportunity to reduce overtreatment, according to a new article.

Shaken baby prevention effort reduces crying-related calls to nurse advice line

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:22 AM PDT

An evaluation of a statewide shaken baby prevention effort found that the number of calls to a nurse advice line from North Carolina parents who called because of a crying baby were reduced in the first 2 years after the intervention was implemented in 2007. However, the study did not find a statistically significant reduction in the number of abusive head trauma (AHT) or "shaken baby" cases in North Carolina during the same period.

Too much, too late: Doctors should cut back on some medications in seniors, two studies suggest

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:22 AM PDT

Anyone who takes medicine to get their blood sugar or blood pressure down – or both – knows their doctor prescribed it to help them. But what if stopping, or at least cutting back on, such drugs could help even more? Two new studies suggest doctors should be doing that more.

New model for hepatitis B helps identify potential new therapeutic approach

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:19 AM PDT

A promising new avenue for treating hepatitis B has been reported by researchers who have developed a new animal model of the disease. About two million people worldwide have been exposed to hepatitis B virus. Liver transplantation is often necessary to save the lives of patients who have severe liver damage that results from acute overreaction of the immune system.

Divided opinions on vitamin D enrichment

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:19 AM PDT

Danes generally accept food products enriched with vitamin D, but when in the supermarket Danes prefer food products which are not fortified with vitamin D, new research indicates.

Less-invasive DNA test for Down's syndrome

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:19 AM PDT

Offering pregnant women a DNA test for Down's syndrome on the NHS would reduce the dependency on invasive tests and potentially save the lives of unborn babies, a study shows.

'Profound' success in treating children, young adults with rare blood disorders

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 08:14 AM PDT

Hematology researchers have safely and effectively treated children and young adults for autoimmune blood disorders in a multicenter clinical trial. In children with one of those conditions, autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, all the patients showed a durable, complete response, with normal blood cell counts and rapid improvements, a result the study team called 'profound.'

Nitrous oxide safe for surgical patients with cardiovascular disease, experts say

Posted: 26 Oct 2015 06:37 AM PDT

Nitrous oxide, an effective and inexpensive anesthetic, is safe for surgical patients who have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease, according to results of a large randomized controlled trial.
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