السبت، 20 فبراير 2016

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Sore knees? Solving meniscus micro-structure could improve treatments

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 04:00 PM PST

Knee injuries are among the top five reasons people visit an orthopedic surgeon for treatments. Now, new research reveals underlying biomechanics that may be involved in meniscus fibrocartilage function as well as dysfunction and could guide novel treatments for some of the most debilitating and costly orthopedic problems in the U.S., including meniscus tears and age-related joint degeneration.

Bacteria overgrowth could be major cause of stunting in children

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 11:15 AM PST

Excessive growth of bacteria in the small intestine could be damaging the guts of young children, leading to stunting, scientists from the U.S. and Bangladesh have discovered.

Pinpointing the chromosomal creation of cancer

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:57 AM PST

New research is analyzing the role of enzyme Topo II and how its functions may show how cancer mutations are born. Topo II is an essential protein necessary for normal cell division, but it is found to be over expressed in many types of cancers, including certain types of liver, breast, brain and skin cancers.

Does sexual aggression alter the female brain?

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST

Thirty percent of women worldwide experience some kind of physical or sexual assault during their lifetime. In a recent animal study, scientists -- who have developed a new model to determine how stress affects females -- discovered that prepubescent female rodents paired with sexually experienced males had elevated levels of stress hormones, could not learn as well, and expressed reduced maternal behaviors needed to care for offspring.

'Magic wand' created to improve healthcare, cybersecurity

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST

A digital 'magic wand' has been developed to improve home healthcare and to prevent hackers from stealing your personal data.

Best to sleep on it: Brain activity patterns during sleep consolidate memory

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST

Why does sleeping on it help? This is the question tackled by new research, which reveals how brain activity during sleep sorts through the huge number of experiences we encounter every day, filing only the important information in memory.

Researchers work to decipher genetic data in hunt for new prostate cancer treatments

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:15 AM PST

Researchers are working on new approaches to deciphering genetic data that may lead to new, more targeted prostate cancer treatments. Prostate cancer affects one in seven men in the United States.

Link made between genetics, aging

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:15 AM PST

A hormone instrumental in the aging process is under genetic control, introducing a new pathway by which genetics regulates aging and disease, new research confirms.

New mathematical model explains variability in mutation rates across the human genome

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:15 AM PST

Researchers developed a mathematical model to estimate the rates of mutation as a function of the nearby sequences of DNA 'letters' -- called nucleotides. This new model not only provides clues into the process of mutation, but also helps discover possible genetic risk factors that influence complex human diseases, such as autism spectrum disorder.

Gene therapy: T cells target mutations to fight solid tumors

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:12 AM PST

An international research team has successfully modified immune cells to recognize and specifically target tumor cells in mice. Cancer treatments based on the findings would likely have fewer side effects than standard therapies currently in use, say investigators.

Exposure to air pollution increases risk of obesity

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:12 AM PST

Laboratory rats who breathed Beijing's highly polluted air gained weight and experienced cardio-respiratory and metabolic dysfunctions. A study found pollution-breathing pregnant rats had heavier lungs and livers and increased tissue inflammation. These rats had higher LDL cholesterol; higher triglycerides; higher total cholesterol and more insulin resistance, a precursor of Type 2 diabetes.

Popular stem cell techniques deemed safe; unlikely to pass on cancer-causing mutations

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 08:12 AM PST

A new study shows that the act of creating pluripotent stem cells for clinical use is unlikely to pass on cancer-causing mutations to patients.

Technology set to personalize tendon, tissue injury rehab

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 07:03 AM PST

A revolution in the treatment and rehabilitation of muscle/tendon injuries is on its way with the development of a ground-breaking new intelligent technology.

Scientists discover secret to promising new cancer drug

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 07:03 AM PST

A mystery about how a promising new class of anti-cancer drugs, called nutlins, work has been discovered by scientists, paving the way for improving the future of cancer treatment.

3-D protein map offers new malaria vaccine hope

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 07:03 AM PST

The first three-dimensional 'map' of a critical protein that malaria parasites use to invade human red blood cells has been created, offering clues for developing a vaccine countering the most widespread species of the parasite.

Shape-shifting engineered nanoparticles for delivering cancer drugs to tumors

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 07:03 AM PST

Over the last decade, one researcher has spent his time figuring out how to deliver chemotherapy drugs into cancerous tumors -- and nowhere else. Now his lab has designed a set of nanoparticles attached to strands of DNA that can change shape to gain access to diseased tissue.

Apothecary cabinet under the skin

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:31 AM PST

A new method enables storage and controlled release of pharmaceutical substances in the body, just under the skin. The new molecular storage method could find its way into clinical practice in the foreseeable future, say researchers.

Biochemical alteration responsible for brain tumor resistance identified

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:26 AM PST

The biochemical and molecular alteration that causes resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the glioblastoma, the most aggressive of brain tumors, has now been identified by researchers. This finding could in future enable new, more effective therapies to be designed.

The intestinal microbiota: A new ally for optimum growth

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:26 AM PST

The intestinal microbiota is necessary to ensure optimum postnatal growth and contributes to determining the size of adult individuals, notably in the event of undernutrition. The key element in this relationship is Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), whose production and activity are in part controlled by the microbiota. 

Specific gene network found that promotes nervous system repair

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:24 AM PST

Injured nerve cells in the limbs (the peripheral nervous system or PNS) can regrow and repair. Nerve cells in the central nervous system (CNS) -- brain and spinal cord -- cannot. Now a network of genes has been identified in a mouse study that promotes PNS repair. In addition, an existing drug that mimics that gene network has been repurposed to promote nerve regeneration in the CNS.

Key mechanism explored to treat autoimmune diseases

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:24 AM PST

A new study could change the way researchers understand and treat autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Better survival of implanted cells improves healing of bone fractures

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:24 AM PST

To treat a complicated, non-healing bone defect, surgeons often use an implant with living cells to promote bone repair, but the implanted cells have a small chance of surviving because they are not prepared for a lack of oxygen and nutrients at the fracture site. Scientists have now improved survival of these bone cells by preconditioning them to withstand the harmful environment before implantation.

Antibody provide a more exact Alzheimer's diagnosis radioactive tracers

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:22 AM PST

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in passing an antibody through the blood-brain barrier to act as a tracer for PET imaging of the brain. This resulted in more precise information being obtained than with regular radioactive tracers. The study provides hope for more effective diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease and improvements in monitoring the effects of medication.

New device may speed up DNA insertion into bacteria

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:22 AM PST

A new microfluidic device may help scientists quickly home in on the electric field 'sweet spot' -- the range of electric potentials that will harmlessly and temporarily open up membrane pores to let DNA in. In principle, the simple device could be used on any microorganism or cell, significantly speeding up the first step in genetic engineering.

How a waste product of exercise protects neurons from trauma damage

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:22 AM PST

Researchers have found how lactate, a waste product of glucose metabolism can protect neurons from damage following acute trauma such as stroke or spinal cord injury.

Doctor calls on Australian government to lift threat of imprisonment from doctors

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:21 AM PST

In a new article, a doctor is calling on the Australian government to stop constraining doctors in the care of asylum seekers and refugees, and to adopt a humane stance to people seeking asylum.

Researchers find link between death of tumor-support cells and cancer metastasis

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:21 AM PST

What causes cancer to grow and metastasize is not well understood by scientists. Now researchers have found a surprising link between the death of tumor-support cells and an increased risk of cancer metastasis in mice.

Binge drinking dangerous for young adults

Posted: 19 Feb 2016 06:21 AM PST

Having an occasional drink is fine, but 'binge' drinking is a known health hazard and now high blood pressure may need to be added to the list of possible consequences. Young adults in their twenties who regularly binge drink have higher blood pressure which may increase the risk of developing hypertension, concludes a study.

Overdose deaths from common sedatives have surged, new study finds

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:47 PM PST

Headlines about America's worsening drug epidemic have focused on deaths from opioids—heroin and prescription painkillers such as OxyContin. But overdose deaths have also soared among the millions of Americans using benzodiazepine drugs, a class of sedatives that includes Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin, according to a study.

Sugar tax could prevent 3.7 million cases of obesity over next decade

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:45 PM PST

A 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks could reduce obesity rates in the UK by five per cent by 2025 - equal to 3.7 million fewer obese people - according to a new report.

New nanoparticle with potential to treat ocular cancer developed

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:02 PM PST

Researchers are using nanoparticles to kill tumor cells inside the eye. This nanotechnology also has the potential to be used for multiple applications in ophthalmology and other disciplines, they say.

New therapeutic target for spinal muscular atrophy

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:02 PM PST

Neuroscientists have discovered a specific enzyme that plays a critical role in spinal muscular atrophy, and that suppressing this enzyme's activity, could markedly reduce the disease's severity and improve patients' lifestyles.

FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug could help smokers quit

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 05:02 PM PST

Clinical investigators are repurposing an FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug to test whether it helps smokers kick their habit. The research itself took a translational approach, which the researchers call bi-directional. In other words, the preclinical data informed the clinical study and vice versa.

Tyrosinase inhibitors from terrestrial and marine resources

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:59 PM PST

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional copper-containing enzyme widely distributed in microorganisms as well as plants and animals which has a primordial role in melanin biosynthesis thus impacting on skin color and pigmentation.

New charts to assess head circumference at birth will be valuable tool in Zika crisis

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:59 PM PST

The INTERGROWTH-21st Consortium has published the final set of charts that enable healthcare professionals worldwide to assess the weight, length and head circumference of newborns from 24 to 42 weeks of gestation, and which apply to all babies, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Brain gives up more secrets

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:59 PM PST

New ground has been broken in our understanding of the complex functioning of the brain. The research demonstrates that brain cells, known as astrocytes, which play fundamental roles in nearly all aspects of brain function, could be adjusted by neurons in response to injury and disease.

Commercial weight loss system expands diabetes prevention access

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:57 PM PST

Adults with prediabetes who followed a nationally-available weight management program with a prediabetes-specific component, Weight Watchers, lost significantly more weight and experienced better blood glucose control than those following a self-initiated program using supplemental counseling materials, a new randomized controlled study found.

Giving GPs feedback on their prescribing habits can reduce excessive use of antibiotics

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:57 PM PST

Sending general practitioners (GPs) in England a letter giving feedback on their antibiotic prescribing habits could cut unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics, according to the first nationwide randomized trial of its kind involving over 1,500 GP practices.

Industry initiatives to prevent drinking and driving lack evidence of effectiveness

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 04:56 PM PST

The majority of the alcohol industry's actions around the world to reduce drinking and driving either lack evidence of effectiveness or haven't been studied, new research suggests. Researchers also report that the most effective interventions, such as use of sobriety checkpoints and ignition interlocks, are rarely used in industry-sponsored programs.

Why do we still have mitochondrial DNA?

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 11:49 AM PST

The mitochondrion isn't the bacterium it was in its prime, say two billion years ago. Since getting consumed by our common single-celled ancestor the 'energy powerhouse' organelle has lost most of its 2,000+ genes, likely to the nucleus. There are still a handful left -- depending on the organism -- but the question is why. One explanation is that these genes are too important to encode inside of the nucleus.

Link between intensive post-stroke rehabilitation and recovery demonstrated in rats

Posted: 18 Feb 2016 10:35 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated a causal relationship between rehabilitation-induced change of brain circuits and functional recovery through forced limb use in rats with stroke, providing crucial information for devising better rehabilitation methods.
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