ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Vitamin D does not reduce colds in asthma patients
• Should pools ban certain risky dives? It may be pointless in curbing kids' injuries
• Landmark report exposes myths about surrogacy in the United Kingdom
• Early childhood bronchiolitis increases asthma risk in adulthood
• Detecting cancer cells before they form metastases
• Fine dust: Separator helps observe limits
• Platelets promote the liver's regeneration process following surgery
• The complex sneeze, caught on tape
• First systematic review of Ebola risks underway
• Evolution of severely immunosuppressed HIV patients depends on the immunologic and virologic response
• Pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma: Added benefit for certain patients
• Food industry can help lower cardiovascular diseases by adding little seaweed to products
• Nanomagnets: Creating order out of chaos
• Combination of bevacizumab and lomustine with first recurrence of glioblastoma prolongs progression-free survival, but not overall survival
• Forecasting the path of breast cancer in a patient
• Clinical trial substantiates apnea prevention technology
• Potential treatment for life-threatening viral infections
• Electric fields remove nanoparticles from blood with ease
• Scientists discover the secret behind the power of bacterial sex
• City-wide effort boosts NYC's colorectal cancer screening rates
• Hiding tobacco products at convenience stores reduces teens' risk of future tobacco use
• Identification of barrier that prevents progression of benign kidney tumors to malignant disease
• Tumor-suppressor p53 regulates protein that stifles immune attack on cancer
• New light shed on mysterious fungus that has major health consequences
• Marked decline in retailer compliance after enactment of NYC's Tobacco 21 law
• Treatment for sickle cell disease may help protect patients' kidney function
• Vision test gives insight into the effect of prenatal exposure to recreational drugs
• New study assesses the impact of exposure to e-cigarette ads on young adults
• 'Orphan drug' loophole needs closing, researchers say
• Newly discovered signaling molecule helps neurons find their way in developing brain
• More of a good thing is not always better, and certainly not if you are a stem cell
• Blood sugar levels in response to foods are highly individual
• Research finding could lead to targeted therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases
• Blood test may predict how quickly patients recover from surgery

Vitamin D does not reduce colds in asthma patients Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:36 AM PST Vitamin D supplements do not reduce the number or severity of colds in asthma patients, according to a new study. The findings surprised the researchers who had previously published research showing a 40 percent reduction in asthma exacerbations in patients with a vitamin D deficiency who achieved normal levels of the vitamin with supplements. Because colds often trigger exacerbations, they hypothesized that vitamin D supplementation would reduce colds and cold severity.

Should pools ban certain risky dives? It may be pointless in curbing kids' injuries Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:36 AM PST Diving restrictions do not protect divers from injuries, new research suggests. Somersault and backward facing dives, for instance, may be safe, because divers generally self-regulate based on their skill levels and risk perceptions, according to new research that raises questions about the rarely studied issue.

Landmark report exposes myths about surrogacy in the United Kingdom Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:34 AM PST It is a myth that a high proportion of potential parents from the UK go overseas if they need to use surrogacy, a new report concludes. The landmark report is the first of its kind, and provides an unprecedented insight into how surrogacy is practised in the UK, dispelling a number of pervasive myths that have informed recent debate on the issue.

Early childhood bronchiolitis increases asthma risk in adulthood Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:33 AM PST People who have had bronchiolitis in early childhood have an increased risk of asthma at the age of 28-31 and a weaker health-related quality of life than their peers. In lung function tests, they also demonstrate changes indicative of irreversible airway obstruction, according to a new study. Bronchiolitis and pneumonia are common lower respiratory tract infections in early childhood. During their first year, around 30 per cent of children have bronchiolitis, leading to hospitalization in 1 to 3 per cent.

Detecting cancer cells before they form metastases Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:33 AM PST A new method to detect cancer cells in the blood before they settle in the tissue and form a new tumor has been developed by a team of researchers. To date, it has been difficult to detect cancer cells in the blood at an early stage: about one malignant cell is encountered per billion of healthy cells.

Fine dust: Separator helps observe limits Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:33 AM PST Renewable fuels, such as wood chips, pellets, and firewood are popular. For wood-fired heating systems and furnaces to comply with the new stricter fine dust limits in Germany, particle separators are used to clean the flue gas. A long-term test of a newly created particle separator revealed that it works effectively and in an economically efficient manner.

Platelets promote the liver's regeneration process following surgery Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:29 AM PST Certain platelet-derived growth factors are of major significance for the liver's regeneration processes. It has been shown that platelets can encourage the regrowth of liver tissue in patients who have had parts of their liver removed surgically. This may also act as a starting point for the prediction of potential post-operative problems.

The complex sneeze, caught on tape Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:29 AM PST From the daintiest sleeve-stifled 'shoo to the mightiest head-whipping howl, a sneeze is as unique to an individual as a laugh -- we all do it, but everyone seems to do it differently. We know that sneezes can spread infectious diseases like measles, influenza or SARS, suspending viruses in droplets that may be inhaled or deposited onto surfaces and later picked up on the hands of some unsuspecting passerby. But we don't understand exactly how far a sneeze can spread or if and why some people spread sickness through sneezing more effectively than others.

First systematic review of Ebola risks underway Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:21 AM PST Looking after people with late-stage Ebola at home puts people at greatest risk of catching it themselves, according to research. A new paper on risk factors for transmitting the deadly virus recommends better provision of health care facilities to ensure that people with the disease don't have to be cared for at home.

Evolution of severely immunosuppressed HIV patients depends on the immunologic and virologic response Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:20 AM PST Health authorities recommend HIV-infected patients starting treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis, regardless of the level of immunosuppression and viral load. Even in the worst scenario, if patients recover immunologic response recovers or decreases viral load the patient is able to control the disease, suggests a study with nearly 2,300 severely immunocompromised HIV patients.

Pembrolizumab in advanced melanoma: Added benefit for certain patients Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:20 AM PST Certain adults with pretreatment have fewer side effects under pembrolizumab. Treatment-naive patients without tumor mutation survive longer and have better social participation, report reviewers.

Food industry can help lower cardiovascular diseases by adding little seaweed to products Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:19 AM PST Adding seaweed to processed foods such as frozen pizzas, hot dogs and dried pasta will reduce cardiovascular diseases, concludes a new scientific article. One suggestion is to replace 5 percent of the flour in pizza dough with dried and granulated seaweed.

Nanomagnets: Creating order out of chaos Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:19 AM PST Miniaturization is the magic word when it comes to nanomagnetic devices intended for use in new types of electronic components. Scientists have proposed the use of ion beams for their fabrication. An ultra-fine beam consisting of around 10 neon ions suffices to bring several hundred atoms of an iron-aluminum alloy into disarray and thereby generate a nanomagnet embedded directly in the material.

Combination of bevacizumab and lomustine with first recurrence of glioblastoma prolongs progression-free survival, but not overall survival Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:18 AM PST Bevacizumab treatment in patients with progressive glioblastoma, despite prolonged progression-free survival, does not confer a survival advantage, report scientists.

Forecasting the path of breast cancer in a patient Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:18 AM PST A mathematical model has been developed to forecast metastatic breast cancer survival rates using techniques usually reserved for weather prediction, financial forecasting and surfing the Web.

Clinical trial substantiates apnea prevention technology Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST Scientists, engineers and clinicians have shown in a clinical trial in the neonatal intensive care unit that a new prevention technology reduces apneic events and improves critical clinical parameters in preterm infants.

Potential treatment for life-threatening viral infections Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST For the first time, researchers have shown how a previously unknown process works to promote infection in a number of dangerous viruses, including dengue, West Nile and Ebola.

Electric fields remove nanoparticles from blood with ease Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST A new technology that uses an oscillating electric field to easily and quickly isolate drug-delivery nanoparticles from blood has been developed by a team of engineers. The technology could serve as a general tool to separate and recover nanoparticles from other complex fluids for medical, environmental, and industrial applications.

Scientists discover the secret behind the power of bacterial sex Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST Migration between different communities of bacteria is the key to the type of gene transfer that can lead to the spread of traits such as antibiotic resistance, according to researchers.

City-wide effort boosts NYC's colorectal cancer screening rates Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST Work to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in New York City have resulted in a 40 percent increase in screening rates over four years.

Hiding tobacco products at convenience stores reduces teens' risk of future tobacco use Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:09 AM PST A one-of-a-kind laboratory replica of a convenience store is the first to use a realistic setting to examine whether limiting displays of cigarettes and other tobacco products in retail outlets can reduce the intention of young people to begin smoking. Researchers found an 11 percent reduction in cigarette smoking susceptibility when the tobacco 'power wall' was hidden compared to when the display of tobacco products was visible behind the cashier.

Identification of barrier that prevents progression of benign kidney tumors to malignant disease Posted: 20 Nov 2015 03:31 PM PST The inner workings of a rare benign kidney tumor has been studied. Researchers have now revealed a mechanism to prevent this type of tumor from becoming malignant.

Tumor-suppressor p53 regulates protein that stifles immune attack on cancer Posted: 20 Nov 2015 03:28 PM PST A crucial tumor-thwarting gene protects an immune attack against lung cancer by blocking the key to an off switch on T cells, the customized warriors of the immune system, a team of researchers reports.

New light shed on mysterious fungus that has major health consequences Posted: 20 Nov 2015 03:28 PM PST Fungi in the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis has been examined by researchers who have discovered how one particularly cunning fungal species has evolved to defend itself against neighboring bacteria.

Marked decline in retailer compliance after enactment of NYC's Tobacco 21 law Posted: 20 Nov 2015 03:26 PM PST In a study examining compliance with NYC's law increasing legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21, researchers found retailer compliance with ID checks significantly decreased since the law became effective. Prior to this change, 29 percent of retailers sampled were noncompliant; afterward, 38 percent of retailers sampled failed to ask for ID when selling cigarettes to young people. Researchers also examined new minimum price laws for cigarettes and discovered a similar pattern.

Treatment for sickle cell disease may help protect patients' kidney function Posted: 19 Nov 2015 06:14 PM PST After six months of treatment with hydroxyurea, sickle cell disease patients' kidney function, as measured by the urinary albumin/creatine ratio, improved significantly, report investigators at the conclusion of their recent study.

Vision test gives insight into the effect of prenatal exposure to recreational drugs Posted: 19 Nov 2015 01:10 PM PST Children exposed to marijuana in the womb show a significant improvement in their ability to track moving objects at age four, according to new vision research. But researchers are warning that the results do not mean marijuana has a beneficial effect on fetal development.

New study assesses the impact of exposure to e-cigarette ads on young adults Posted: 19 Nov 2015 01:10 PM PST Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements may enhance curiosity and usage among young adults, according to a study. Promotional expenditures for e-cigarettes across all media channels have rapidly increased since 2010. Since e-cigarettes are not subject to the same regulations as cigarette and smokeless tobacco products, e-cigarette manufacturers have been able to advertise their products via television, radio, and sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events.

'Orphan drug' loophole needs closing, researchers say Posted: 19 Nov 2015 01:05 PM PST Health experts are calling on lawmakers and regulators to close loopholes in the Orphan Drug Act they claim give drug companies millions of dollars in unintended and misplaced subsidies and tax breaks and fuel skyrocketing medication costs.

Newly discovered signaling molecule helps neurons find their way in developing brain Posted: 19 Nov 2015 01:05 PM PST In the developing nervous system, some neurons must extend their branches to connect one half of the brain with the other. A new study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that guide the winding paths of their axons.

More of a good thing is not always better, and certainly not if you are a stem cell Posted: 19 Nov 2015 01:05 PM PST Stem cell research has uncovered key new knowledge about how placental stem cells switch between maintaining a stem cell identity to setting off down the route to becoming specialized cell types.

Blood sugar levels in response to foods are highly individual Posted: 19 Nov 2015 11:34 AM PST Scientists have released new results underscoring the importance of a personalized diet, prepared based on complex factors such as your gut microbes and lifestyle. Surprisingly, the foods that raise blood sugar levels differ dramatically from person to person.

Research finding could lead to targeted therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases Posted: 19 Nov 2015 11:34 AM PST A pathogen-sensing molecule plays a vital role in keeping gastrointestinal (GI) systems healthy, new research demonstrates. The findings could someday be valuable in treating conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and colorectal cancer, say the investigators.

Blood test may predict how quickly patients recover from surgery Posted: 19 Nov 2015 11:23 AM PST A simple blood test taken before surgery may predict how quickly patients recover from their procedure, suggests a new study. The authors say that identifying a patient's immune state from blood samples taken before surgery, revealed patterns that may predict speed of recovery from postoperative pain and dysfunction.

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