الجمعة، 5 فبراير 2016

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

A cancer's surprise origins caught in action

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 03:00 PM PST

Researchers have, for the first time, visualized the origins of cancer from the first affected cell and watched its spread in a live animal. Their work could change the way scientists understand melanoma and other cancers and could lead to new, early treatments before the cancer has taken hold.

Scientists find brain plasticity assorted into functional networks

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:56 PM PST

Scientists had thought that most synapses of a similar type and in a similar location in the brain behaved in a similar fashion with respect to how experience induces plasticity. In this work, scientists found dramatic differences in the plasticity response, even between neighboring synapses in response to identical activity experiences.

Antibiotic's killer strategy revealed

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:56 PM PST

Using a special profiling technique, researchers have determined the mechanism of action of a potent antibiotic, known as tropodithietic acid, leading them to uncover its hidden ability as a potential anticancer agent.

Popular diet myths debunked

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:17 PM PST

Thousands flock to the internet in search of ways to boost a healthy lifestyle. Many popular diet facts and trends are circulated so often in the media that it's hard to know which tips to trust and which ones should be tossed. Underneath popular opinion and platitudes, the truth about eating healthy may surprise you. A registered dietician separates myths from fact when it comes to your diet.

A new-generation exoskeleton helps the paralyzed to walk

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:16 PM PST

Until recently, being paralyzed from the waist down meant using a wheelchair to get around. And although daily life is more accessible to wheelchair users, they still face physical and social limitations. But researchers have been working to change that.

Alzheimer's insights in single cells

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:15 PM PST

Study of plaque production holds promise of helping improve treatment for Alzheimer's, say investigators. Focusing on the form of the disease found in early onset Alzheimer's, in the 2 percent of patients who develop the progressive dementia before age 65, researcher now "can examine amyloid beta secretion at the single-cell level, and better understand the responses of individual cells to drugs."

Fast, accurate cystic fibrosis test developed

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:14 PM PST

Researchers have developed a fast, inexpensive and highly accurate test to screen newborns for cystic fibrosis. The new method detects virtually all mutations in the CF gene, preventing missed diagnoses that delay babies' ability to begin receiving essential treatment.

C. diff study provides insight into antibiotic resistance and risks for infection

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:11 PM PST

Exposure to specific antibiotics is linked to the development of certain strains of antibiotic-resistant C. difficile, one of the fastest growing bacteria superbugs, according to a new study.

Bone loss associated with leukemia therapy occurs sooner than previously thought

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:11 PM PST

Significant bone loss -- a side effect of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - occurs during the first month of treatment, far earlier than previously assumed, report investigators.

Researchers link compulsive Facebook checking to lack of sleep

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:10 PM PST

If you find yourself toggling over to look at Facebook several dozen times a day, it's not necessarily because the experience of being on social media is so wonderful. It may be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep.

Stopping tumor cells killing surrounding tissue may provide clue to fighting cancer

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 09:20 AM PST

Tumors kill off surrounding cells to make room to grow, according to new research. Although the study was carried out using fruit flies, its findings suggest that drugs to prevent, rather than encourage, cell death might be effective at fighting cancer -- contrary to how many of the current chemotherapy drugs work.

Functional MRI may help identify new, effective painkillers for chronic pain sufferers

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 09:19 AM PST

New research may allow new, more effective and safer pain medications to reach patients who suffer from chronic pain sooner.

Exceptionally hot and dry winter in northeast Brazil may be linked to outbreak of the zika virus

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:23 AM PST

A preliminary study has found a linkage between the exceptionally hot and dry winter and spring recently experienced in northeast Brazil and the outbreak of the zika virus.

Incarceration of a parent during childhood may later add to men's heart attack risk

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:22 AM PST

Men who as children experienced a family member's incarceration are approximately twice as likely to have a heart attack in later adulthood in comparison with men who were not exposed to such a childhood trauma, according to a new study.

New non-invasive form of vagus nerve stimulation works to treat depression

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:17 AM PST

Depression can be a devastating and unremitting problem. Researchers now report successful reduction of depressive symptoms in patients using a novel non-invasive method of vagus nerve stimulation, or VNS.

Study measures impact of removing Planned Parenthood from Texas women's health program

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:16 AM PST

The public defunding of Planned Parenthood in Texas may have led to a decrease in highly effective forms of contraceptive services and an increase in Medicaid-paid childbirths among women who previously used injectable contraception, according to new study.

Targeting the mind/body connection in stress

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:16 AM PST

New research used cutting-edge brain imaging technologies to determine that the brain function responsible for regulating our stress response can also produce a personal profile of resilience to stress. These findings may lead to a future blood test that would facilitate early intervention in professions prone to high stress or trauma such as combat soldiers and policemen.

Tuning macrophages a 'breakthrough' in cancer immunotherapy

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:14 AM PST

A research team describes 'tuning' macrophages from ones that repair wounds (and contribute to tumor growth) to ones that sterilize wounds (and contribute to the immune system's attack of tumor tissue).

Diagnosis of rare bleeding disorder improved with super-resolution microscopy

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 08:14 AM PST

Researchers have differentiated between patients with a rare bleeding disorder and healthy volunteers using super-resolution microscopy, providing an alternative method for accurately and cost-effectively diagnosing rare platelet diseases.

How herpes virus tricks the immune system

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 06:49 AM PST

Scientists have captured atomic images of the virus that causes cold sores in action. Structural details reveal that the virus inserts itself into another protein, jamming an important immune system pathway that normally allows immune cells to recognize and destroy foreign invaders.

Chip enables navigation aids for the visually impaired

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 06:49 AM PST

A low-power chip for processing 3-D camera data has been developed that could help visually impaired people navigate their environments. The chip consumes only one-thousandth as much power as a conventional computer processor executing the same algorithms.

To prevent infection after C-section, chlorhexidine better than iodine

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 06:49 AM PST

Chlorhexidine-alcohol skin prep is superior to iodine-alcohol for preventing infection after C-section, according to a new study. Rather than prepping patients with iodine-alcohol -- a common antiseptic combination in C-sections -- the research indicates that chlorhexidine-alcohol is significantly more effective. The researchers argue that the evidence is strong enough to change standard skin-prep practices for C-sections.

Meditation eases pain, anxiety and fatigue during breast cancer biopsy

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 06:49 AM PST

Meditation eases anxiety, fatigue and pain for women undergoing breast cancer biopsies, according to researchers. They also found that music is effective, but to a lesser extent.

Connective tissue disease increases risk for cardiovascular problems

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:52 AM PST

African-American patients with connective tissue diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis are twice as likely as white patients to suffer from atherosclerotic blood vessels, which increase the risk of a heart attack, stroke or death.

From genes to latrines: Vikings and their worms provide clues to emphysema

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:51 AM PST

The key to an inherited deficiency, predisposing people to emphysema and other lung conditions, could lie in their Viking roots. Archaeological excavations of Viking latrine pits in Denmark have revealed that these populations suffered massive worm infestations. The way that their genes developed to protect their vital organs from disease caused by worms has become the inherited trait which can now lead to lung disease in smokers.

Modelling how the brain makes complex decisions

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:51 AM PST

Researchers have constructed the first comprehensive model of how neurons in the brain behave when faced with a complex decision-making process, and how they adapt and learn from mistakes.

Researchers patent new methods that allow them to identify the cells causing metastasis in cancer

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:51 AM PST

Researchers have patented a new method that allows to identify the cells causing metastasis in cancer, with a simple blood analysis.

Mitochondria shown to trigger cell aging

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:49 AM PST

Scientists have carried out an experiment which conclusively proves for the first time that mitochondria are major triggers of cell aging. This brings scientists a step closer to developing therapies to counteract the aging of cells, by targeting mitochondria.

Using steroids before late preterm delivery reduces neonatal respiratory problems

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:49 AM PST

Using corticosteroids in mothers at risk for late preterm delivery reduced the incidence of severe respiratory complications in their babies, new research indicates. The new study enrolled more than 2,800 pregnant women deemed at high risk of delivery during the late preterm period (34-36 weeks of gestation). The women were randomized to receive two injections of the steroid betamethasone or a placebo, given 24 hours apart.

Association among childhood ADHD, sex and obesity

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 05:49 AM PST

The incidence of childhood and adult obesity has increased significantly over the past three decades. New research shows that there is an association between obesity development during adulthood and childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

One of America's most-wanted careers could help fill health care gaps

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:29 AM PST

Clinics and hospitals across the country are adding physician's assistant (PA) positions to serve growing numbers of patients, and in underserved rural areas, practices are turning to PAs to help expand access to care.

Rhino, tiger and snow leopard DNA found in Chinese medicines

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:29 AM PST

More should be done to stop the use of endangered species in traditional Chinese medicines, with snow leopard, tiger and rhinoceros DNA still being found in remedies, according to a leading pathologist.

Potential new approaches to treating eye diseases

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:29 AM PST

Potential new approaches to treating eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are described in a new study. Scientists discovered that a signaling protein, or cytokine, called IL-33, plays a key role in recruiting phagocytes to damaged retina and induces retinal degeneration. Blocking the IL-33 receptor inhibits this process and prevents injury-induced retinal degeneration.

Invasive measurement of blood glucose no longer necessary

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:24 AM PST

Diabetes patients traditionally monitor their daily blood glucose levels by using a conventional meter which requires blood sampling from the finger tips. The discomfort of pain and risk of infection can sometimes be a source of great stress and concern. A new method of measuring blood glucose using far infrared light has been developed by researchers who say that it is entirely harmless and non-invasive.

Physical activity reduces risk of serious falls in older men

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:22 AM PST

Older men who engage in regular physical activity experience far fewer serious fall injuries than those who do not, say researchers. Their findings suggest that moderate exercise can help prevent potentially devastating falls, the leading cause of injury in people age 70 and older.

Early poverty disrupts link between hunger and eating

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:22 AM PST

How much you eat when you're not really hungry may depend on how well off your family was when you were a child, according to new research.

Tool decreases superfluous lab testing, cuts health-care costs

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:22 AM PST

Physicians recognize that routine lab testing isn't necessary for all hospitalized patients. Now researchers have developed a tool, Value Driven Outcomes, to reduce superfluous lab testing. When integrated into a quality improvement initiative lab costs decreased by nearly 10 percent per visit. If applied to all inpatient visits, it was estimated the hospital could save over $1.5 million each year.

Improvised naloxone nasal sprays lack evidence of absorption and effect

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 01:22 AM PST

Naloxone hydrochloride is a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a nasal naloxone product to replace those improvised kits.The authors of a new study point out that there isn't enough information available on improvised nasal naloxone kits to warrant this level of acceptance.

Hepatitis virus-like particles as potential cancer treatment

Posted: 03 Feb 2016 12:01 PM PST

A new way to use the empty shell of a hepatitis E virus has been developed to carry vaccines or drugs into the body. The technique has been tested in rodents as a way to target breast cancer, and is available for commercial licensing.

Nutrient deprivation kills kidney cancer cells

Posted: 03 Feb 2016 12:01 PM PST

The greedy metabolism of cancer cells to target kidney cell carcinomas, which kill more than 100,000 Americans each year, has been exploited by researchers. The team showed that the majority of renal cell cancers rewire their metabolism in a way that leaves them addicted to the nutrient cystine. By depriving the cancer cells of cystine, the researchers were able to trigger a form of cell death called necrosis in tumor cells.

What's the impact of new marijuana laws? The data so far

Posted: 03 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST

How has new legislation affected marijuana use in the United States? The best available data suggest that marijuana use is increasing in adults but not teens, with a decrease in marijuana-related arrests but an increase in treatment admissions, according to researchers.

Clinical investigations of mitochondrial replacement techniques are 'ethically permissible' if conditions met

Posted: 03 Feb 2016 10:45 AM PST

Conducting clinical investigations of mitochondrial replacement techniques in humans is ethically permissible as long as significant conditions and principles are met, says a new report.
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