ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Video Game Research Shows Promise for Autism
• How certain drugs alter metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells
• Guidelines for human genome editing
• Sexuality, not extra chromosomes, benefits animal, biologists find
• Exact pol(e) position -- precisely where the polymerase is changed
• Study examines associations of HPV types, risk of head and neck cancer
• Computer modeling provides insight into cellular-level effects of schizophrenia risk genes
• New biomarkers may influence drug design, alternative treatments of cancer, study shows
• Chronic stress, anxiety can damage the brain, increase risk of major psychiatric disorders
• Immune system maintains a memory of past infections by priming genes for future encounters
• Diagnosing depression before it starts
• Sensory function: Thalamus enhances, stores sensory information
• Testosterone influences regulation of emotions in psychopath's brain
• Public support for harsh criminal justice policy linked to social inequality
• Parental support has positive effect on children's eating behaviours
• 53 genes responsible for kidney functionality discovered
• Cells from cow knee joints used to grow new cartilage tissue in laboratory
• Alzheimer's diagnosis complicated by history of reading problems
• Genomespace 'recipes' help biologists interpret genomic data
• Blacks are at higher risk for first stroke, new data show
• Researchers pinpoint place where cancer cells may begin
• Engineered neural networks show hope for axonal repair with minimal disruption to brain tissue
• Biomarker predicts which stage II colon cancer patients may benefit from chemotherapy
• Childhood trauma associated with worse impulse control in adulthood, study finds
• Emotion-processing networks disrupted in sufferers of depression
• Chickenpox, shingles vaccine may cause corneal inflammation in some patients
• No evidence of seasonal differences in depressive symptoms
• Legal, policy changes can lead to shifts in use of medical marijuana
• Targeted drug delivery could help fight tumors and local infections
• Fewer than one in five nurses comply with guidelines for standard precautions
• Age-related response to the hepatitis B vaccine linked to inflammation
• The importance of children at play
• Up to 50 percent of women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer could be cured with one treatment model, expert argues
• Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: Promising new weight loss procedure
• Depression experts question effectiveness of stress hormone drug
• Preoperative frailty associated with increased risk of death following surgery
• Lower surgical mortality in hospitals with best nursing care, novel study shows
• Substance use, indoor tanning among Colorado high school students
• Hand sanitizer, antifreeze can preserve DNA
• Biopsy robot combines MRI, ultrasound
• New knowledge on why patients with type 2 diabetes present smelling problems
• Weekend binges just as bad for the gut as a regular junk food diet, study suggests
• Leadership study hints that age beats height
• Gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder achieves proof-of-concept
• Frequent use of post-acute care associated with higher hospital readmission rates
• Work Schedule Is Top Barrier to Staying Healthy
• Development of a new type of anticancer agent
• Mandate on clinical data sharing proposed
• Depression of either parent during pregnancy linked to premature birth
• Closer look at heart cell connectors could catch 'hidden' rhythm disorders in the future
• Soldiers with PTSD more 'tuned' to angry faces because of over-connected brain circuits
• Meals at 92 percent of dining establishments tip the scales
• Study finds no link between surgical anesthesia and mild cognitive impairment
• Are people suffering as a result of ultrasound in the air?
• Winter weather walking: How to safely get around in snow, ice
• Genetics influences knee pain sensitivity in osteoarthritis patients
• B12 deficiency a concern for long-term care
• New experiments determine effective treatments for box jelly stings
• Disrupting cell's supply chain freezes cancer virus
• Ancient genomes reveal that the English are one-third Anglo-Saxon

Video Game Research Shows Promise for Autism Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:55 PM PST Xavier has big brown eyes and freckles to match. He is a take-charge kid with sandy blonde hair and boundless energy. Xavier is also on the autism spectrum, diagnosed when he was 3½. Today, Xavier is visiting UW-Madison, where Brittany Travers is studying kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn more about how helping kids improve their motor skills may have a positive impact on their symptoms.

How certain drugs alter metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:01 PM PST Cancer drugs known as CDK4/6-inhibitors alter the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells, revealing a biologic vulnerability that could be exploited for therapeutic gain, researchers have found.

Guidelines for human genome editing Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:01 PM PST As countries around the world seek to craft policy frameworks governing the powerful new genetic editing tool, policy makers need to determine 'thresholds of acceptability' for using the technology, according to researchers. They suggest that policy makers could be guided by the model that has served to develop policies governing pre-implantation genetic diagnosis after in vitro fertilization.

Sexuality, not extra chromosomes, benefits animal, biologists find Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:07 AM PST Why do animals engage in sexual reproduction? Biologists sought answers with mud snails that breed both sexually and asexually. They found that asexual snails grow faster and reach reproductive age quicker than sexual snails, which raises new questions about sex's role in reproduction.

Exact pol(e) position -- precisely where the polymerase is changed Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:07 AM PST A method for the thorough analysis of protein modifications has been developed by researchers who have mapped the phosphorylation sites of the RNA polymerase II enzyme, which is responsible for expressing our genes.

Study examines associations of HPV types, risk of head and neck cancer Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:03 AM PST A new study suggests detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 in the oral cavity was associated with 22-times increased risk of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Computer modeling provides insight into cellular-level effects of schizophrenia risk genes Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:18 AM PST Numerous genetic variants associated with risk for schizophrenia have been identified. However, little is known about how these genes have their effects in the brain.

New biomarkers may influence drug design, alternative treatments of cancer, study shows Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:18 AM PST Researchers have discovered gene-targets (biomarkers) that may enable alternative treatments or the potential design of new drugs that target metastasis-promoting tumor genes.

Chronic stress, anxiety can damage the brain, increase risk of major psychiatric disorders Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:18 AM PST People need to find ways to reduce chronic stress and anxiety in their lives or they may be at increased risk for developing depression and even dementia, a new scientific review paper warns.

Immune system maintains a memory of past infections by priming genes for future encounters Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:16 AM PST Our ability to fight off recurrent infections, such as colds or flu, may lie in the 'immunological memory' found in a newly discovered class of gene regulatory elements, according to research.

Diagnosing depression before it starts Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:16 AM PST Brain scans may identify children who are vulnerable to depression, before symptoms appear, new research indicates. In a new study, the researchers found distinctive brain differences in children known to be at high risk because of family history of depression. The finding suggests that this type of scan could be used to identify children whose risk was previously unknown, allowing them to undergo treatment before developing depression.

Sensory function: Thalamus enhances, stores sensory information Posted: 21 Jan 2016 08:09 AM PST Every day, we constantly absorb information through our sensory organs, which the brain then needs to process correctly. The information initially reaches the thalamus and then travels to the cerebral cortex. The neurons in the so-called higher-order thalamus form the connecting lines between both brain areas. Prior to this, their role in sensory processing was unknown. Scientists have now shown that they enhance and temporarily store sensory information.

Testosterone influences regulation of emotions in psychopath's brain Posted: 21 Jan 2016 07:09 AM PST Psychopaths exhibit reduced control over their emotional actions, brain research has demonstrated. Researchers have now discovered that the quantity of testosterone a person produces influences the parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions. The findings provide starting points for the treatment of psychopaths, say the authors of a new report.

Public support for harsh criminal justice policy linked to social inequality Posted: 21 Jan 2016 06:34 AM PST Social inequality is directly linked to public support for increasingly harsh criminal justice policy in the UK despite falling crime rates, a study has found. People's attitudes to criminals, say researchers, are not just shaped by the crimes they have committed but also by their perceived low social status.

Parental support has positive effect on children's eating behaviours Posted: 21 Jan 2016 06:32 AM PST Parental support programs in areas with the greatest needs can have a positive effect on the consumption of unhealthy food and drink and on weight increases in obese children, according to a randomized study.

53 genes responsible for kidney functionality discovered Posted: 21 Jan 2016 06:32 AM PST By analysing genetic data from 175,000 people around the world, geneticists have now discovered and distinguished 53 genes related to kidney functionality and development. These findings represent an important step in creating an 'ID card' for the organ responsible for purifying our blood, while opening up new perspectives for the treatment of kidney failure.

Cells from cow knee joints used to grow new cartilage tissue in laboratory Posted: 21 Jan 2016 06:31 AM PST In an effort to develop a method for cartilage tissue engineering, researchers have successfully used cartilage cells from cow knee joints. By creating a successful method with conditions conducive to growing healthy cartilage tissue, the findings could help lead to a new treatment cure for osteoarthritis using stem cell-based tissue engineering, a new report suggests.

Alzheimer's diagnosis complicated by history of reading problems Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:26 PM PST Correctly diagnosing Alzheimer's disease remains a challenge for medical professionals. Now, a new study reveals a new clue to possible misdiagnosis.

Genomespace 'recipes' help biologists interpret genomic data Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:24 PM PST GenomeSpace, a cloud-based, biologist-friendly platform that connects more than 20 bioinformatics software packages and resources for genomic data analysis, how now been released for use. The development team is now crowdsourcing "recipes" — step-by-step workflows — to better enable non-programming researchers to interpret their genomic data.

Blacks are at higher risk for first stroke, new data show Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:24 PM PST Blacks are nearly three times more likely to have a stroke at age 45 than whites, new data show. By age 85, there is no difference in stroke risk for the two races. Also, race did not appear to increase second stroke risk for black participants in relation to white participants at any age.

Researchers pinpoint place where cancer cells may begin Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:13 PM PST In a study involving the fruit fly equivalent of an oncogene implicated in many human leukemias, a research team has gained insight into how developing cells normally switch to a restricted, or specialized, state and how that process might go wrong in cancer. The researchers were surprised to discover that levels of an important protein start fluctuating wildly in cells during this transition period. If the levels don't or can't fluctuate, the cell doesn't switch and move forward.

Engineered neural networks show hope for axonal repair with minimal disruption to brain tissue Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:13 PM PST Lab-grown neural networks have the ability to replace lost axonal tracks in the brains of patients with severe head injuries, strokes or neurodegenerative diseases and can be safely delivered with minimal disruption to brain tissue, according to new research.

Biomarker predicts which stage II colon cancer patients may benefit from chemotherapy Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:13 PM PST A biomarker has been identified that predicts which stage II colon cancer patients may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy to prevent a disease recurrence.

Childhood trauma associated with worse impulse control in adulthood, study finds Posted: 20 Jan 2016 05:13 PM PST The scars of childhood abuse and neglect affect adults' brains for decades to come -- including their ability to process and act on information both quickly and accurately, new research suggests. That kind of quick "go or don't go" thinking is crucial to everyday situations and emergencies. And it appears to be less accurate and more impulsive in adults who suffered physical, emotional or sexual trauma in their early years than in those who did not.

Emotion-processing networks disrupted in sufferers of depression Posted: 20 Jan 2016 11:30 AM PST Regions of the brain that normally work together to process emotion become decoupled in people who experience multiple episodes of depression, neuroscientists report. The findings may help identify which patients will benefit from longterm antidepressant treatment to prevent the recurrence of depressive episodes.

Chickenpox, shingles vaccine may cause corneal inflammation in some patients Posted: 20 Jan 2016 11:29 AM PST In use for more than 20 years, the varicella zoster virus vaccine for chickenpox and shingles is considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, researchers have found, in rare instances, a link between the vaccine and corneal inflammation. It is a finding the researchers say should be discussed by primary care physicians and patients with a history of eye inflammation before getting vaccinated.

No evidence of seasonal differences in depressive symptoms Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:28 AM PST A large-scale survey of US adults provides no evidence that levels of depressive symptoms vary from season to season, according to new research. The findings are inconsistent with the notion of seasonal depression as a commonly occurring disorder.

Legal, policy changes can lead to shifts in use of medical marijuana Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:28 AM PST Policy changes since 2001 had varying effects on the number of people consuming medical marijuana.

Targeted drug delivery could help fight tumors and local infections Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:03 AM PST Some drug regimens, such as those designed to eliminate tumors, are notorious for nasty side effects. Unwanted symptoms are often the result of medicine going where it's not needed and harming healthy cells. To minimize this risk, researchers have developed nanoparticles that only release a drug when exposed to near-infrared light, which doctors could beam onto a specific site.

Fewer than one in five nurses comply with guidelines for standard precautions Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:03 AM PST Only 17.4 percent of ambulatory care nurses reported compliance in all nine standard precautions for infection prevention, according to a new study.

Age-related response to the hepatitis B vaccine linked to inflammation Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:01 AM PST Physicians have known for years that patients respond differently to vaccines as they age. There may soon be a new way to predict and enhance the effectiveness of vaccinations, in particular the hepatitis B vaccine.

The importance of children at play Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:00 AM PST Research highlights positive strengths in developmental learning for Latino children in low-income households based on their interactive play skills.

Up to 50 percent of women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer could be cured with one treatment model, expert argues Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:57 AM PST Up to half of women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer might be cured, compared to the current 20 percent survival rate, argues a scientist, who calls for a new standard of treatment for women with late-stage ovarian cancer.

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: Promising new weight loss procedure Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:57 AM PST A novel treatment method -- endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty -- might offer a new solution for obese patients. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a minimally invasive, safe and cost-effective weight loss intervention, according to a study.

Depression experts question effectiveness of stress hormone drug Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:56 AM PST Pioneering research by mood disorder experts has questioned the effectiveness of metyrapone, a drug suggested to treat depression.

Preoperative frailty associated with increased risk of death following surgery Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:56 AM PST The presence of frailty-defining diagnoses before surgery were strongly associated with an increased risk of death at one year after surgery, particularly in the early postoperative period, in younger patients, and after joint replacement, according to a study.

Lower surgical mortality in hospitals with best nursing care, novel study shows Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:56 AM PST Patients are often unaware that choosing the right hospital is very important to having a good outcome. A novel study showed that patients undergoing surgery at Magnet hospitals recognized for nursing excellence, and good nurse staffing, have better outcomes at the same or lower costs as other hospitals.

Substance use, indoor tanning among Colorado high school students Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:56 AM PST Analyses of the results of a survey of Colorado high school students suggest there may be a potential association between substance use and indoor tanning, according to an article.

Hand sanitizer, antifreeze can preserve DNA Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:41 AM PST Many agencies conduct studies involving citizen scientists. Now one such study shows that a few simple products, such as hand sanitizer and antifreeze, can preserve DNA in samples collected by lay people for scientific research.

Biopsy robot combines MRI, ultrasound Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:37 AM PST Researchers are working on a biopsy robot that combines the best features of MRI and ultrasound, aiming to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer and muscle diseases.

New knowledge on why patients with type 2 diabetes present smelling problems Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:37 AM PST In a study in type 2 diabetic rats, researchers have identified alterations in specific nerve cells that are important for odor identification. The findings might explain why type 2 diabetic patients often experience smelling problems and potentially open up a new research field to develop preventive therapies against neurodegenerative diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.

Weekend binges just as bad for the gut as a regular junk food diet, study suggests Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Yo-yoing between eating well during the week and binging on junk food over the weekend is likely to be just as bad for your gut health as a consistent diet of junk, new research suggests.

Leadership study hints that age beats height Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:15 AM PST When it comes to good leadership at the Olympic level, age trumps physical stature, new research indicates. The work analyzed the height and weight data of 2,801 athletes at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games across a range of team sports, including basketball, football, wheelchair rugby and hockey.

Gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder achieves proof-of-concept Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:15 AM PST Hematology researchers have used a single injection of gene therapy to correct a rare bleeding disorder, factor VII deficiency, in dogs. This success in large animals holds considerable potential for a safe, effective and long-lasting new treatment in humans with the same bleeding disorder.

Frequent use of post-acute care associated with higher hospital readmission rates Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:28 AM PST To ensure that they receive proper care after surgery, patients are frequently referred by hospitals to inpatient facilities such as skilled nursing homes or inpatient rehabilitation centers or to receive home health care and other outpatient services. This type of care, called post-acute care, now accounts for some $62 billion in annual Medicare spending.

Work Schedule Is Top Barrier to Staying Healthy Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:28 AM PST "The Mayo Clinic National Health Check-Up takes a pulse on Americans' health opinions and behaviors, from barriers to getting healthy to perceptions of aging, to help identify opportunities to educate and empower people to improve their health," says John T. Wald, M.D., Medical Director for Public Affairs at Mayo Clinic. "In this first survey, we're also looking at 'health by the decades' to uncover differences as we age."

Development of a new type of anticancer agent Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:23 AM PST Microtubules, one component of a cell's skeleton, are hollow tubes formed from the polymerization of ?- and ?-tubulin, which are themselves important structural proteins of the mitotic spindle that equally separates chromosomes during cell division. As such, several ?/?-tubulin inhibitory agents are used as therapeutic drugs against cancer cells, which are undergoing vigorous cell division. However, microtubules perform important work even outside of cell division, and normal cells not undergoing division can be harmed as well, so the side effects of such treatments have become problematic. A wide variety of research has shown that ?-tubulin activates during cell division and that it is overexpressed in a portion of cancer cells, so it holds potential as a target protein for new anticancer agents with few side effects. Despite this research, no specific inhibitors have thus far been discovered.

Mandate on clinical data sharing proposed Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors proposes new rules that will require authors to share clinical trial data as a prerequisite for their manuscripts to be considered for publication. The goal is to improve the benefit to society from the efforts of patients who volunteer to participate in clinical trials.

Depression of either parent during pregnancy linked to premature birth Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST Depression in both expectant mothers and fathers increases the risk of premature birth, finds a new study.

Closer look at heart cell connectors could catch 'hidden' rhythm disorders in the future Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST Diseased hearts may be thrown out of rhythm by structural differences -- now visible for the first time -- in protein groups that connect heart muscle cells, according to the authors of a new study.

Soldiers with PTSD more 'tuned' to angry faces because of over-connected brain circuits Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST Soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more 'tuned' to perceive threatening facial expressions than people without PTSD because of more over-connected brain circuits, according to a new study. The researchers say understanding how this works could help researchers develop better ways to assess when soldiers are ready to be redeployed.

Meals at 92 percent of dining establishments tip the scales Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST 92 percent of both large-chain and non-chain restaurants serve meals exceeding recommended calorie requirements for a single serving, a new study has concluded. The researchers suggest offering consumers smaller portions at lower prices.

Study finds no link between surgical anesthesia and mild cognitive impairment Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:17 AM PST A new study of people who received anesthesia for surgery after age 40 found no association between the anesthesia and development of mild cognitive impairment later in life.

Are people suffering as a result of ultrasound in the air? Posted: 19 Jan 2016 06:30 PM PST New research indicates that the public are being exposed, without their knowledge, to airborne ultrasound. The study found increasing exposure to ultrasound in locations such as railway stations, museums, libraries, schools and sports stadiums, in which there have been complaints of nausea, dizziness, migraine, fatigue and tinnitus.

Winter weather walking: How to safely get around in snow, ice Posted: 19 Jan 2016 03:13 PM PST Winter precipitation can bring an increased risk for slips and falls on the ice and snow. An expert recommends some simple steps to minimize fall risk.

Genetics influences knee pain sensitivity in osteoarthritis patients Posted: 19 Jan 2016 03:11 PM PST Genetics play a key role in knee pain sensitivity, according to a team of researchers studying knee osteoarthritis patients. A new study focused on this subject, looking at how arthritis affects mood and interactions with each other.

B12 deficiency a concern for long-term care Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:35 PM PST A high proportion of older adults entering long-term care homes in Ontario are B12 deficient, with more developing deficiencies over the course of their first year in residence, according to research. There is a connection between B12 deficiency and several serious health conditions.

New experiments determine effective treatments for box jelly stings Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:35 PM PST Researchers have developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings -- from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military. The power of this new array approach is in its ability to rigorously assess the effectiveness of treatments on inhibiting tentacle firing and venom toxicity -- two aspects of a sting that affect the severity of a person's reaction.

Disrupting cell's supply chain freezes cancer virus Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:35 PM PST The cancer-causing Epstein-Barr virus tricks B-Cells of the human immune system into rapid cell division. To satisfy demand for more building parts, host cells will chew up their insides to free up more amino acids, fats and nucleotides. The virus also switches the cell's source of fuel to keep division going. A research team finds that cutting off the supply chain puts the cell in a suspended state, freezing the advance of the virus.

Ancient genomes reveal that the English are one-third Anglo-Saxon Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:12 PM PST For the first time, researchers have been able to directly estimate the Anglo-Saxon ancestry of the British population, using ancient skeletons. Human remains excavated from burial sites near Cambridge provided the material for the first whole-genome sequences of ancient British DNA. The study estimated that approximately a third of British ancestors were Anglo-Saxon immigrants, showing how Anglo-Saxon immigrants mixed with the native population.

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