ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Likely biological link found between Zika virus, microcephaly
• New vulnerability revealed in blood cancer development
• Dementia care at home: Raising knowledge, confidence to improve quality, decrease costs
• Researchers target specific protein associated with poor survival, treatment
• Exercise may protect nerve cells in Spinal Muscular Atrophy patients
• Rare respiratory disease gene carriers actually have increased lung function
• Can social support be a bad thing for older adults?
• Nanoscale rotor, gripper push DNA origami to new limits
• Study sheds new light on post-operative bleeding in newborns
• Scientists develop very early stage human embryonic stem cell lines for first time
• In vitro fertilization, often cited for high twin birth rate, could reduce it
• Hostile young adults may experience thinking, memory problems in middle age
• New insights reported about the Angelina Jolie gene
• Biomarker tests for molecularly targeted therapies need better evidence, oversight
• Evolving insights into cystic fibrosis lung infections
• When it comes to predicting depression, race may matter more than was thought, study suggests
• By cloning mouse neurons, scientists find brain cells with 100+ unique mutations
• Four ways inheritance is more complex than Mendel knew
• Dysfunction of cellular powerplant shakes B-vitamin metabolism, causes genetic damage
• Female heart reacts more sensitively to stress
• Women need more of the HIV drug Truvada than men to prevent infection
• What influences 11-year-olds to drink?
• Dietary glycemic index linked to lung cancer risk in select populations
• Study offers clearest picture yet of how HIV defeats a cellular defender
• CPAP may improve glycemic control in sleep apnea patients

Likely biological link found between Zika virus, microcephaly Posted: 04 Mar 2016 01:34 PM PST Working with lab-grown human stem cells, a team of researchers suspect they have discovered how the Zika virus probably causes microcephaly in fetuses. The virus selectively infects cells that form the brain's cortex, or outer layer, making them more likely to die and less likely to divide normally and make new brain cells.

New vulnerability revealed in blood cancer development Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:29 AM PST A protein that is key to the development of blood cancers caused by a common genetic error has been identified by researchers. The discovery is a missing piece in the puzzle of understanding how high levels of a protein called MYC drive cancer development, and may to lead to future strategies for early treatment or possibly even prevention of these cancers.

Dementia care at home: Raising knowledge, confidence to improve quality, decrease costs Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:29 AM PST The Dementia Symptom Management at Home (DSM-H) program was developed to help home healthcare agencies to improve the quality of care they provide to patients living with dementia (PLWD) and reduce caregiver stress and burnout.

Researchers target specific protein associated with poor survival, treatment Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:29 AM PST Glioblastoma multiformeis a highly aggressive brain tumor with low survival rates, with newly diagnosed patients surviving a median of 14 months and recurrent patients surviving a median of only 3 to 9 months. New therapeutic targets and biomarkers for prognosis are urgently needed. Researchers recently reported that expression of the protein BIRC3 is associated with poor survival and recurrent disease in GBM patients; and therefore may be a good therapeutic target.

Exercise may protect nerve cells in Spinal Muscular Atrophy patients Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:29 AM PST Long-term exercise appears to be beneficial for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) like mice, suggesting a potential of active physiotherapy for patient care, scientists report.

Rare respiratory disease gene carriers actually have increased lung function Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:29 AM PST New research has revealed the healthy carriers of a gene that causes a rare respiratory disease are taller and larger than average, with greater respiratory capacity. The disease, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency can result in severely reduced lung capacity due to emphysema. It is found in about 1 in 2,000 people, and occurs when an individual inherits a defective gene copy from both parents.

Can social support be a bad thing for older adults? Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:16 AM PST Social support from family and friends does not have an entirely positive effect on mental health but is instead a 'mixed blessing,' say researchers. This is the first study that demonstrates the simultaneous negative and positive effects of social support among Singaporean older adults and has implications for policy makers.

Nanoscale rotor, gripper push DNA origami to new limits Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:16 AM PST Two new nanoscale machines have been developed with moving parts, using DNA as a programmable, self-assembling construction material. In a new article, they describe a rotor mechanism formed from interlocking 3-D DNA components. Another recent paper reported a hinged molecular manipulator, also made from DNA. These are just the latest steps in a campaign to transform so-called 'DNA origami' into an industrially useful, commercially viable technology.

Study sheds new light on post-operative bleeding in newborns Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:16 AM PST A new study finds significant differences between the blood clot structure in adults and newborns, helping researchers better understand the challenges in addressing post-operative bleeding in neonatal patients. The researchers also found that the current standard of care for treating post-operative bleeding may pose an increased risk of thrombosis in newborns compared to adults, which researchers hadn't suspected.

Scientists develop very early stage human embryonic stem cell lines for first time Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:08 AM PST Scientists have, for the first time, shown that it is possible to derive from a human embryo so-called 'naïve' pluripotent stem cells -- one of the most flexible types of stem cell, which can develop into all human tissue other than the placenta.

In vitro fertilization, often cited for high twin birth rate, could reduce it Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:08 AM PST The US has reached a record-high rate of twin births, and the use of in vitro fertilization is part of the reason. But in a new commentary, an expert argues that implemented differently, IVF could instead reduce the rate toward natural levels.

Hostile young adults may experience thinking, memory problems in middle age Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:08 AM PST Young adults with hostile attitudes or those who don't cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to a study.

New insights reported about the Angelina Jolie gene Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:08 AM PST New research reveals another function of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1. This could lead to improved diagnostics and treatment tools for this form of breast cancer.

Biomarker tests for molecularly targeted therapies need better evidence, oversight Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:08 AM PST Potentially useful biomarker tests for molecularly targeted therapies are not being adopted appropriately into clinical practice because of a lack of common evidentiary standards necessary for regulatory, reimbursement, and treatment decisions, says a new report.

Evolving insights into cystic fibrosis lung infections Posted: 04 Mar 2016 09:07 AM PST Recent research progress into how bacteria adapt and evolve during chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients could lead to better treatment strategies being developed, according to a new study.

When it comes to predicting depression, race may matter more than was thought, study suggests Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:34 AM PST Depression can strike anyone, taking a toll on mental and physical health, friendships, work and studies. But figuring out who's at risk for it is still a murky task. A new study suggests that standard ways of looking for depression risk may not work as well among blacks as they do among whites. But listening to how blacks describe their own mental health could help.

By cloning mouse neurons, scientists find brain cells with 100+ unique mutations Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:32 AM PST For the first time, scientists have sequenced the complete genomes of individual neurons and to produce live mice carrying neuronal genomes in all of their cells.

Four ways inheritance is more complex than Mendel knew Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:32 AM PST This year marks the 150th anniversary of Gregor Mendel's publication that--after sitting ignored for a few decades--helped launch the field of modern genetics. Today, we know that inheritance is far more complex than what Mendel saw in his pea plants. Now scientists who track progress in genetics research share some of the things researchers have learned about how traits are passed from one generation to the next.

Dysfunction of cellular powerplant shakes B-vitamin metabolism, causes genetic damage Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:27 AM PST A mechanism underlying a severe progressive children's brain disease and adult's muscle disease has been clarified by a new study. The results indicate for the first time that the energy-metabolic defect in a cell can shake its B-vitamin balance and lead to genetic changes.

Female heart reacts more sensitively to stress Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:22 AM PST While the number of men dying from a heart attack has been constantly decreasing during the past twenty years, the fatal risk particularly in young women has increased significantly. Gender medicine has already demonstrated that women exhibit different symptoms. A new insight shows that stress in the daily routine has particularly adverse effects on the hearts of women.

Women need more of the HIV drug Truvada than men to prevent infection Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:20 AM PST Women need daily doses of the antiviral medication Truvada to prevent HIV infection while men only need two doses per week due to the way the drug accumulates in different body tissues, according to a new study from pharmacy researchers.

What influences 11-year-olds to drink? Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:19 AM PST Around one in seven 11-year-olds in the UK have had at least one drink of alcohol, according to a new study, which analyzed data from 10,498 children aged 11.

Dietary glycemic index linked to lung cancer risk in select populations Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:19 AM PST Consuming a diet with a high glycemic index, a classification of how rapidly carbohydrates elevate blood sugar levels, was independently associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer in non-Hispanic whites, according to a new epidemiologic study.

Study offers clearest picture yet of how HIV defeats a cellular defender Posted: 04 Mar 2016 06:18 AM PST The first atomic-scale view of an interaction between the HIV capsid -- the protein coat that shepherds HIV into the nucleus of human cells -- and a host protein known as cyclophilin A has been illuminated by a recent study. This interaction is key to HIV infection, researchers say.

CPAP may improve glycemic control in sleep apnea patients Posted: 03 Mar 2016 05:42 PM PST Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, appears to improve glycemic control in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and type 2 diabetes that is not well controlled, according to research. The research has advanced understanding of the biological relationship between two major public health problems, which epidemiological studies have indicated are related.

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