ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Does knowing high-status people help or hurt?
• Cell division: Physical forces involved in creating the mitotic spindle probed
• High opioid use in older people with COPD raises safety concerns
• Reducing aeromedical transport for traumas saved money and lives
• Irrigation of cutaneous abscesses may not be necessary
• Can exercise be replaced with a pill?
• Stand-up solution: Sit-stand desk users sit less, burn more calories
• Drug used to treat cancer appears to sharpen memory
• First-aid for defective mucus
• High-fructose diet slows recovery from brain injury
• Exercise is good for everyone, but some struggle more than others
• Researchers identify cause of inherited form of extreme nearsightedness
• Pneumothorax treatment gets less painful
• From nuclear research to surgery technology
• Fruit fly research reveals genetic mechanisms of dietary sugar sensing
• Studying cardiac arrhythmias in nematodes
• Cancer test predicts treatment outcome
• Tallness linked to increased risk of premature death for patients on dialysis
• Chore or stress reliever: Study suggests that washing dishes decreases stress
• Investors are indifferent to the technology needs of healthcare systems, study suggests
• Study finds dramatic benefits of weight-loss surgery
• Rising cancer rates in low, middle income countries threaten economic stability
• Cell marker enables prognosis about the course of infections
• Brain networking: Mechanism behind cognitive control of thoughts
• Better evaluation of prostate cancer MRI-scans
• The carbohydrate wind tunnel: Powerful carbohydrate analytics for sequencing and quality control
• Scientists identify key receptor as potential target for treatment of autism
• 3-D printing techniques help surgeons carve new ears

Does knowing high-status people help or hurt? Posted: 02 Oct 2015 04:18 PM PDT How happy you are may have something to do with who you know -- and where you come from. A sociology professor, set out to discover whether knowing high-status people helped or harmed mental health, using depressive symptoms as a proxy.

Cell division: Physical forces involved in creating the mitotic spindle probed Posted: 02 Oct 2015 10:31 AM PDT Scientists have gained new insight into the formation of the spindle, which is the molecular machine that divides up genetic material prior to cell division. Their work focuses on the motor protein, kinesin-5, which helps to organize the spindle's filaments.

High opioid use in older people with COPD raises safety concerns Posted: 02 Oct 2015 10:31 AM PDT Researchers are raising safety concerns about high rates of new opioid use among older adults with COPD, according to a study. Opioids, such as codeine, oxycodone and morphine might be prescribed more frequently among older adults with COPD to treat chronic muscle pain, breathlessness and insomnia. Common side effects of opioids include falls and fractures, confusion, memory impairment, fatigue, constipation, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Reducing aeromedical transport for traumas saved money and lives Posted: 02 Oct 2015 10:31 AM PDT Changes to the trauma triage protocol in Maryland resulted in decreased use of helicopter transport for trauma patients and improved patient outcomes, saving lives and money. The results of a 11-year study of the impact of statewide field triage changes to Maryland's helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) have now been released.

Irrigation of cutaneous abscesses may not be necessary Posted: 02 Oct 2015 10:31 AM PDT A procedure commonly performed in emergency departments on cutaneous abscesses may not have any impact on the need for further interventions and therefore may not be necessary, according to a study.

Can exercise be replaced with a pill? Posted: 02 Oct 2015 10:31 AM PDT Everyone knows that exercise improves health and with this knowledge in hand, scientists may be better equipped to develop 'exercise pills' that could mimic at least some of the beneficial effects of physical exercise on the body. But a review of current development efforts, ponders whether such pills will achieve their potential therapeutic impact, at least in the near future.

Stand-up solution: Sit-stand desk users sit less, burn more calories Posted: 02 Oct 2015 08:35 AM PDT Employees with sit-stand desks stood 60 minutes more a day at work compared with their co-workers with sitting desks, and they continued to do so long after their newfangled desks lost their novelty, a new study concludes.

Drug used to treat cancer appears to sharpen memory Posted: 02 Oct 2015 08:35 AM PDT A drug now being used to treat cancer might make it easier to learn a language, sharpen memory and help those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease by rewiring the brain and keeping neurons alive. New research found that a drug -- RGFP966 -- administered to rats made them more attuned to what they were hearing, able to retain and remember more information, and develop new connections that allowed these memories to be transmitted between brain cells.

First-aid for defective mucus Posted: 02 Oct 2015 08:35 AM PDT Proper lubrication is crucial to keep not only machines but also humans functioning smoothly. The mucus membranes in our mouths, eyes, stomachs and genital area help keep friction to a minimum and also protect us against environmental hazards such as chemicals and pathogens. Researchers are investigating exactly how these mechanisms work.

High-fructose diet slows recovery from brain injury Posted: 02 Oct 2015 07:35 AM PDT A diet high in processed fructose sabotages rat brains' ability to heal after head trauma, neuroscientists report. Revealing a link between nutrition and brain health, the finding offers implications for the 5.3 million Americans living with a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

Exercise is good for everyone, but some struggle more than others Posted: 02 Oct 2015 07:33 AM PDT People with increased risk of type 2 diabetes need to exercise more than others to achieve the same results, according to new research.

Researchers identify cause of inherited form of extreme nearsightedness Posted: 02 Oct 2015 07:33 AM PDT 'Why, Grandma, what big eyes you have!' Though similar in appearance, the hidden cause of those big eyes Little Red Riding Hood notices in Grimms' fairy tale has nothing to do with the hidden cause of enlarged eyeballs in buphthalmia, a genetic mechanism causing this devastating eye disease which has now been uncovered by researchers. Patients afflicted are severely myopic, or nearsighted.

Pneumothorax treatment gets less painful Posted: 02 Oct 2015 07:32 AM PDT A less painful treatment strategy for Pneumothorax treatment has been created by scientists. By analyzing the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide in thoracic cavity gas during Pneumothorax Treatment, physicians can understand the real conditions of the pneumothorax and then update to a less painful treatment method.

From nuclear research to surgery technology Posted: 02 Oct 2015 05:23 AM PDT A JRC invention initially stemming from its research in the nuclear sector will soon be used by hospitals for minimally-invasive robotic surgery. TELELAP ALF-X is an advanced multi-port robotic system that will empower surgeons with new technologies such as eye-tracking and haptics, allowing them eye-control of the camera and touch sensation during surgery. Hospitals will be able use the most advanced technology while running at low operational costs, as the system can use current surgical instruments.

Fruit fly research reveals genetic mechanisms of dietary sugar sensing Posted: 02 Oct 2015 05:23 AM PDT A sugar sensing regulatory network, which is composed of several genes, has been identified by researchers. Deregulation of this sugar sensing network leads to severely disturbed energy metabolism. The new insight gained in this study may also benefit research into human metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Studying cardiac arrhythmias in nematodes Posted: 02 Oct 2015 05:23 AM PDT A simple model using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been developed that can be used to test substances for treating genetically-mediated cardiac arrhythmias. They used the nematode feeding apparatus for this purpose, a rhythmically active muscle pump that resembles the muscle cells in the mammalian heart. This could be an important step on the road to personalized treatment.

Cancer test predicts treatment outcome Posted: 02 Oct 2015 05:22 AM PDT Researchers have announced a new tool in the fight against cancer, with the development of a world-first test that will direct treatment choices for patients with some forms of blood cancer.

Tallness linked to increased risk of premature death for patients on dialysis Posted: 01 Oct 2015 05:50 PM PDT Tallness has been associated with higher premature mortality risk and shorter life spans in patients on dialysis. The association was observed in white, Asian, and American Indian/Alaskan native patients, but not in black patients. The overall paradoxical relationship between height and premature death was not explained by concurrent illness, socioeconomic status, or differences in care.

Chore or stress reliever: Study suggests that washing dishes decreases stress Posted: 01 Oct 2015 01:58 PM PDT Mindfully washing dishes calms the mind and decreases stress, a new study shows. The study looked at whether washing dishes could be used as an informal contemplative practice that promotes a positive state of mindfulness -- a meditative method of focusing attention on the emotions and thoughts of the present moment.

Investors are indifferent to the technology needs of healthcare systems, study suggests Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:03 AM PDT Health technologies are not governed by the real needs and challenges of healthcare systems, reveals a new study.

Study finds dramatic benefits of weight-loss surgery Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:01 AM PDT A study evaluating the effects of bariatric surgery on obese women most at risk for cancer has found that the weight-loss surgery slashed participants' weight by one-third and eliminated precancerous uterine growths in those that had them.

Rising cancer rates in low, middle income countries threaten economic stability Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:00 AM PDT The rising cost of treating and caring for a growing number of cancer patients threatens economic development in low and middle income countries, making prevention key, experts say in a new report.

Cell marker enables prognosis about the course of infections Posted: 01 Oct 2015 10:00 AM PDT When a pathogen invades the body, specific cells in the human immune system are ready to take immediate action in order to destroy it. The molecular characteristics of these killer cells were unknown until recently. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers has managed to create a molecular profile of the protective cells. By studying these immune cells from patients' blood, the researchers were able to predict the course of infections.

Brain networking: Mechanism behind cognitive control of thoughts Posted: 01 Oct 2015 09:58 AM PDT Researchers use brain scans to determine the mechanism behind cognitive control of thoughts.

Better evaluation of prostate cancer MRI-scans Posted: 01 Oct 2015 06:58 AM PDT International radiological bodies have agreed on a standard for how doctors evaluate MRI to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer. This promises to reduce the number of over diagnosis of insignificant cancers by to up to 89%. The new procedure also allows radiologists to identify up to 13% more life-threatening tumors than current procedures.

The carbohydrate wind tunnel: Powerful carbohydrate analytics for sequencing and quality control Posted: 01 Oct 2015 06:55 AM PDT Researchers have succeeded in an effort to fundamentally improve carbohydrate analysis. With the new method, complex glycans, building blocks of life such as DNA and proteins, can now be sequenced. The quality control of synthetic carbohydrates is now possible as minimal impurities can be traced faster and more precisely. The new method is essential for the development of novel carbohydrate vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics.

Scientists identify key receptor as potential target for treatment of autism Posted: 01 Oct 2015 06:46 AM PDT Scientists have uncovered a significant -- and potentially treatable -- relationship between a chemical that helps transmit signals in the brain and genetic mutations present in a subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

3-D printing techniques help surgeons carve new ears Posted: 01 Oct 2015 06:46 AM PDT A otolaryngology resident and bioengineering student have used 3-D printing techniques to create more lifelike models to help aspiring surgeons -- who currently practice on soap, apples, and vegetables -- learn to perform ear reconstruction surgeries.

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