ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• In-car breathalyzers for DUI offenders curb drunk-driving deaths by 15 percent
• How kappa opioid receptors drive anxiety
• Rare form of diabetes may require alternate treatment
• Signed, sealed, undelivered: Mechanisms underlying polycystic kidney disease
• Tracking down deadly bloodstream infection
• Common painkillers are more dangerous than we think
• New technique for rapidly killing bacteria using tiny gold disks and light
• New cytoplasmic role for proteins linked to neurological diseases, cancers
• Drug makes stem cells become 'embryonic' again
• For first time, scientists use CRISPR-Cas9 to target RNA in live cells
• Mom's microbes influence her offspring's immune system, mice study shows
• Portion control: Cells found in mouse brain that signal 'stop eating'
• Calcium controls sleep duration in mice
• Our gut microbiome is always changing; it's also remarkably stable
• How 'salt' MRI scans could give a clearer picture of disease
• Keep an eye on children's calories, researchers say
• Stem cell therapy reverses age-related osteoporosis in mice
• An implant to prevent Alzheimer's
• Research proves it -- the smell of alcohol makes it hard to resist
• Prenatal exposure to air pollution linked to impulsivity, emotional problems in children
• Hope for veterans with an overlooked form of post-traumatic stress disorder
• Interventions to minimize high-risk prescribing can cut emergency admissions
• Health effects of sit-stand desks, interventions aimed to reduce sitting at work are still unproven
• Public transport, walking and cycling to work are all associated with reductions in body fat for adults in mid-life
• Vegans may lack essential nutrient intake, study reports
• Genomic profiling helps provide targeted therapy options for hard to treat cancers
• Identifying priorities for surgical disparities research

In-car breathalyzers for DUI offenders curb drunk-driving deaths by 15 percent Posted: 17 Mar 2016 03:50 PM PDT State laws that require drivers who've been convicted of drunk driving to pass a breathalyzer-type test before starting their cars saved an estimated 915 lives between 2004 and 2013, according to a new study. The findings represent a 15 percent reduction in drunk driving-related deaths compared to states without legislation requiring DUI offenders to use 'mandatory ignition interlock.'

How kappa opioid receptors drive anxiety Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:29 PM PDT A cellular mechanism has been discovered by which kappa opioid receptors (KORs) drive anxiety. These proteins inhibit the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in a part of the brain that regulates emotion. KORs are targets for the treatment of addiction and anxiety disorders.

Rare form of diabetes may require alternate treatment Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:13 PM PDT Patients with a rare, genetic form of diabetes often are misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes because the two share symptoms. But new research suggests that treating such patients with therapies designed for type 2 diabetes is potentially harmful and that treatment guidelines need to change.

Signed, sealed, undelivered: Mechanisms underlying polycystic kidney disease Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:12 PM PDT Zebrafish help investigators shed light on the mechanisms underlying cilia dysfunction in polycystic kidney disease and other ciliopathies. Cilia, the finger-like protrusions on most epithelial cells, were not so long ago thought to be as irrelevant to cell biology as the appendix is to physiology, a vestigial remnant of a long ago evolutionary past. Today, they are recognized as essential chemo-mechanical sensors that monitor and regulate what crosses into and out of a cell.

Tracking down deadly bloodstream infection Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:11 PM PDT The source of a potential deadly blood infection in more than 50 South American cancer patients has now been identified by researchers. All of the patients infected with S. Kiliense received ondansetron from the same source, a pharmaceutical company in Columbia.

Common painkillers are more dangerous than we think Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:11 PM PDT New research shows that common painkillers (NSAIDs) have more side effects than we think, and that they should be used with great care in patients with heart disease. NSAIDs are among the most sold medicines in the world.

New technique for rapidly killing bacteria using tiny gold disks and light Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:11 PM PDT A new technique for killing bacteria in seconds using highly porous gold nanodisks and light has been developed by researchers. The method could one day help hospitals treat some common infections without using antibiotics, which could help reduce the risk of spreading antibiotics resistance.

New cytoplasmic role for proteins linked to neurological diseases, cancers Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:11 PM PDT A second role for a class of RNA-binding proteins has been discovered by researchers, revealing new insights about neurological diseases and conditions associated with this protein such as autism, epilepsy, and certain types of cancer.

Drug makes stem cells become 'embryonic' again Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PDT If you want to harness the full power of stem cells, all you might need is an eraser -- in the form of a drug that can erase the tiny labels that tell cells where to start reading their DNA. In a surprising new finding, scientists have shown that mouse stem cells treated with the drug reverted to an 'embryonic' state.

For first time, scientists use CRISPR-Cas9 to target RNA in live cells Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PDT Scientists have long sought an efficient method for targeting RNA -- intermediary genetic material that carries the genetic code from the cell's nucleus to protein-making machinery -- in living cells. Researchers have now achieved this by applying the popular DNA-editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 to RNA.

Mom's microbes influence her offspring's immune system, mice study shows Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PDT During gestation, a mother's microbiome shapes the immune system of her offspring, a new study in mice suggests. While it's known that a newborn's gut microbiota can affect its own immune system, the impact of a mother's microbiota on her offspring has largely been unexplored.

Portion control: Cells found in mouse brain that signal 'stop eating' Posted: 17 Mar 2016 11:59 AM PDT While researching the brain's learning and memory system, scientists at Johns Hopkins say they stumbled upon a new type of nerve cell that seems to control feeding behaviors in mice. The finding, they report, adds significant detail to the way brains tell animals when to stop eating and, if confirmed in humans, could lead to new tools for fighting obesity.

Calcium controls sleep duration in mice Posted: 17 Mar 2016 11:59 AM PDT Researchers have identified seven genes responsible for causing mice to stay awake or fall asleep based on a theoretical model of sleep and on experiments using 21 different genetically modified mice, some of which showed different sleep durations. Researchers hope that their research will contribute to the understanding and treatment of sleep disorders and associated neurodegenerative diseases.

Our gut microbiome is always changing; it's also remarkably stable Posted: 17 Mar 2016 11:58 AM PDT Turnover is to be expected in the gut -- as soon as one bacterium leaves, another is ready to divide and take its place. The question is how our gut remains healthy under this constantly enacted succession plan. A growing body of research indicates that different species of microbes fulfill the same functions in the gut, ensuring stability in the face of constant disturbance.

How 'salt' MRI scans could give a clearer picture of disease Posted: 17 Mar 2016 08:01 AM PDT MRI experts are adapting scanning techniques to pick up sodium in the body. The research could lead to much more detailed MRI scans in the future with significant improvements to the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases.

Keep an eye on children's calories, researchers say Posted: 17 Mar 2016 07:57 AM PDT Most children overeat significantly when served large portions of calorie-dense popular foods, according to a new study. The results suggest that manipulating calorie content and portion size can substantially reduce children's overall caloric consumption.

Stem cell therapy reverses age-related osteoporosis in mice Posted: 17 Mar 2016 07:56 AM PDT Imagine telling a patient suffering from age-related (type-II) osteoporosis that a single injection of stem cells could restore their normal bone structure. New research suggests that this scenario may not be too far away.

An implant to prevent Alzheimer's Posted: 17 Mar 2016 07:54 AM PDT In a cutting-edge treatment for Alzheimer's disease, scientists have developed an implantable capsule that can turn the patient's immune system against the disease.

Research proves it -- the smell of alcohol makes it hard to resist Posted: 17 Mar 2016 07:54 AM PDT The smell of alcohol may make it harder for people to control their behavior according to new research.

Prenatal exposure to air pollution linked to impulsivity, emotional problems in children Posted: 17 Mar 2016 06:45 AM PDT Exposure to common air pollutants during pregnancy may predispose children to problems regulating their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors later on, according to a new study.

Hope for veterans with an overlooked form of post-traumatic stress disorder Posted: 17 Mar 2016 05:45 AM PDT Veterans with subclinical PTSD not only respond to evidence-based therapy but respond better than those with full PTSD, a new study concludes. Just like patients with full PTSD, those with subclinical PTSD have experienced a traumatic event and are regularly re-experiencing it, often in nightmares or flashbacks.

Interventions to minimize high-risk prescribing can cut emergency admissions Posted: 16 Mar 2016 06:51 PM PDT High-risk prescribing and preventable drug-related complications in primary care are major concerns for health care systems internationally, responsible for up to 4 percent of emergency hospital admissions, a study has shown.

Health effects of sit-stand desks, interventions aimed to reduce sitting at work are still unproven Posted: 16 Mar 2016 06:51 PM PDT A new review says that the benefits of a variety of interventions intended to reduce sitting at work are very uncertain.

Public transport, walking and cycling to work are all associated with reductions in body fat for adults in mid-life Posted: 16 Mar 2016 06:51 PM PDT Adults who commute to work via cycling or walking have lower body fat percentage and body mass index measures in mid-life compared to adults who commute via car, according to a new study.

Vegans may lack essential nutrient intake, study reports Posted: 16 Mar 2016 04:45 PM PDT The health benefits of a plant-based diet is well-known, but the question remains: Could vegans be at risk for deficiency of essential nutrients? A retrospective review indicated that vegans should ensure adequate intake of a few nutrients.

Genomic profiling helps provide targeted therapy options for hard to treat cancers Posted: 16 Mar 2016 04:45 PM PDT Research examining difficult to treat tumors through genomic profiling shows that tumors with alterations in a signaling pathway responsible for cell regulation may respond to targeted therapy regardless of where the tumor originated in the body.

Identifying priorities for surgical disparities research Posted: 16 Mar 2016 08:32 AM PDT Identifying research and funding priorities for addressing health care disparities -- which encompass differential access, care, and outcomes due to factors such as race/ethnicity -- is the topic of a new study.

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