ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• T cells use 'handshakes' to sort friends from foes
• Exploiting male killing bacteria to control insects
• Sex difference in sports interest: What does evolution say?
• No longer lost in translation: Biochemists watch gene expression in real time
• Drug combination could help reduce risk of death in type 2 diabetes
• Men also at risk for osteoporosis
• Smartphone app for monitoring heart palpitations is comparable to 14-day event monitor
• Gene replacement therapy offers viable treatment option for fatal disease
• Algorithm can improve guidance of crash victims to most appropriate place for care
• Staging system to explain complexity, manage expectations in revision rhinoplasty
• Meat consumption raises mortality rates, analysis of more than 1. 5 million people finds
• Research findings reveal potential to reverse cancer-related nerve pain
• Study points to therapeutic target for common, aggressive ovarian cancer
• Signaling network linked to heart valve defects
• Understanding lock for cellular trap door may lead to better disease treatment
• Tension-sensitive molecule helps cells divide chromosomes accurately
• Intestinal worms boost immune system in a surprising way
• Testing non-breast cancer genes in high-risk women leaves more questions than answers
• New technique can provide better cell transplants against Parkinson's disease
• Superbug infections tracked across Europe
• Role of poly(A) tails in mitosis
• Antibody appears to attack cancer cells, leaving other cells unscathed
• Research suggests diabetes drug acts differently from previous theories
• Lung tumors hijack metabolic processes in the liver, study finds
• Sepsis: Sneak attack or false alarm?
• Pond scum and the gene pool: One critical gene in green algae responsible for multicellular evolution, understanding of cancer origin
• Prostate cancer screening guidelines called into question
• Thinking differently could affect power of traumatic memories
• Can believing you are a food addict affect your eating behavior?
• Advances in medical care have led to type 1 diabetes boom
• Starving cancer the key to new treatments, say scientists
• Clinical study suggests the origin of glioblastoma subtypes
• Atrial fibrillation patients treated with warfarin have higher rates of dementia, new study finds
• Study contradicts belief that cancer protects against Alzheimer's
• Cells check DNA segregation at the end of their division
• Scientists to use microbes, methane to create sustainable Omega 3
• Heavy body shape across lifespan associated with highest mortality
• Extreme ICU: 5 percent of patients account for 33 percent of intensive care, need special focus
• Detailed digital human models could hold key to future clinical research
• Timed-release glaucoma drug insert shows promise as alternative to daily drops
• Driving under the influence sounds like a better idea while high on marijuana
• Bipolar disorder has genetic links to autism, study shows
• Findings light the way for new treatments in colitis, colon cancer
• Breast milk hormones found to impact bacterial development in infants' guts

T cells use 'handshakes' to sort friends from foes Posted: 05 May 2016 11:50 AM PDT Chemists provide the first direct evidence that a T cell gives precise mechanical tugs to other cells, and demonstrate that these tugs are central to a T cell's process of deciding whether to mount an immune response.

Exploiting male killing bacteria to control insects Posted: 05 May 2016 11:50 AM PDT A team of scientists has discovered a key mechanism that drives a bacteria that kills male insects, a development that could potentially be exploited to control insect pest species in the future.

Sex difference in sports interest: What does evolution say? Posted: 05 May 2016 11:48 AM PDT Sports are enormously popular, and one striking pattern is that boys and men are typically much more involved than are girls and women. This sex difference has policy implications, and it raises fundamental questions about the nature of sex differences. Although scholars from many disciplines have explored sex differences in sport involvement, few have addressed the issue from a broad, evolutionary perspective. A recent review article synthesizes the relevant theoretical and empirical work.

No longer lost in translation: Biochemists watch gene expression in real time Posted: 05 May 2016 11:48 AM PDT Biochemists have made a live-cell movie of RNA translation, the fundamental cellular process by which a ribosome decodes a protein. Sixty years after Francis Crick first described it, these scientists have illuminated, in a single living cell, this final step of gene expression. Their tools: some clever protein engineering, and a custom-built microscope that can show single-RNA translation with nanoscale precision.

Drug combination could help reduce risk of death in type 2 diabetes Posted: 05 May 2016 11:47 AM PDT People with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin plus metformin had a reduced risk of death and major cardiac events compared with people treated with insulin alone, a new study shows.

Men also at risk for osteoporosis Posted: 05 May 2016 11:22 AM PDT Screening women for osteoporosis is now routine, however, when it comes to men, most are never screened and therefore suffer the consequences of the disease. In the U.S., nearly 1.5 million men over 65 have osteoporosis, and another 3.5 million men are at risk for developing the disease.

Smartphone app for monitoring heart palpitations is comparable to 14-day event monitor Posted: 05 May 2016 11:09 AM PDT A smartphone app that tracks palpitations in heart patients provides comparable performance to the 14-day event monitors that are the current standard of care, according to a new study.

Gene replacement therapy offers viable treatment option for fatal disease Posted: 05 May 2016 11:09 AM PDT Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a disease that causes progressive degeneration in the nerve cells that control muscles, thereby causing muscle weakness and eventually death. SMA affects approximately 200,000 people in the US, often children. Now, researchers are studying a subtype of SMA, spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1), and have developed a gene replacement therapy that can be used to treat and control the disease in the future.

Algorithm can improve guidance of crash victims to most appropriate place for care Posted: 05 May 2016 11:09 AM PDT A new computer algorithm can provide important information on a motor vehicle crash to help ambulance personnel and hospital staff better direct crash victims to the most appropriate care.

Staging system to explain complexity, manage expectations in revision rhinoplasty Posted: 05 May 2016 11:03 AM PDT Can a staging system -- much like one used to classify cancerous tumors -- help facial plastic surgery patients understand the complexity of their revision rhinoplasty and help to manage their expectations? A new article looks into the issue.

Meat consumption raises mortality rates, analysis of more than 1. 5 million people finds Posted: 05 May 2016 11:00 AM PDT All-cause mortality is higher for those who eat meat, particularly red or processed meat, on a daily basis, a review of large-scale studies involving more than 1.5 million people has found.

Research findings reveal potential to reverse cancer-related nerve pain Posted: 05 May 2016 11:00 AM PDT A study providing new information about neuropathic pain afflicting some 90 percent of cancer patients who have had nerve damage caused by tumors, surgery, chemotherapy or radiation indicates gene therapy as a possible treatment.

Study points to therapeutic target for common, aggressive ovarian cancer Posted: 05 May 2016 11:00 AM PDT Small, non-coding molecules called microRNAs are known to play an important role in cancer development. Researchers now have shown their significance is greater than previously thought, a finding that could lead to new therapeutic approaches for the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer.

Signaling network linked to heart valve defects Posted: 05 May 2016 11:00 AM PDT A cell-to-cell signaling network in mice that serves as a developmental timer that could provide a framework for better understanding the mechanisms underlying human heart valve disease, say scientists.

Understanding lock for cellular trap door may lead to better disease treatment Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT A team of researchers, who two years ago announced a 'Trojan horse' method of entering a cell without harming it, have now found, in effect, the lock to the cellular 'trap door.'

Tension-sensitive molecule helps cells divide chromosomes accurately Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT A tension-sensitive 'fail safe' protein helps make sure that when our cells divide the two resulting cells inherit the normal number of chromosomes. Chromosome separation errors, leading to too few or too many chromosomes, is the most common genetic abnormality in cancer cells. This latest finding in cell division biology may guide the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs that target the machinery of cell division.

Intestinal worms boost immune system in a surprising way Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT While studying worm infections, scientists have discovered a surprising ability of the immune system. The strange discovery has significant implications for our understanding of how the immune system responds to infections.

Testing non-breast cancer genes in high-risk women leaves more questions than answers Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT Running large, multi-gene sequencing panels to assess cancer risk is a growing trend in medicine as the price of the technology declines and more precise approaches to cancer care gain steam. The tests are particularly common among breast and ovarian cancer patients. However, questions remain about the growing list of mutations and their suspected, but unproven association with breast and ovarian cancer risk.

New technique can provide better cell transplants against Parkinson's disease Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT Researchers have used a completely new preclinical technique and analysis of tissue from patients to show exactly what happens when certain patients with Parkinson's disease are restored as a result of nerve cell transplants. They have also identified what makes many of the transplant patients develop serious side effects in the form of involuntary movements.

Superbug infections tracked across Europe Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have shown that MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and other antibiotic-resistant 'superbug' infections can be tracked across Europe by combining whole-genome sequencing with a web-based system. In a new article, researchers have worked with a European network representing doctors in 450 hospitals in 25 countries to successfully interpret and visualize the spread of drug-resistant MRSA.

Role of poly(A) tails in mitosis Posted: 05 May 2016 10:50 AM PDT Translation efficiency and poly (A) tail length are not linearly correlated and only coupled in limited range, report scientists. This research is, 'helping to build the foundation for further work which could be applied towards cancer research,' they say.

Antibody appears to attack cancer cells, leaving other cells unscathed Posted: 05 May 2016 10:39 AM PDT An antibody has been developed from the body's own immune system that preferentially attacks cancer cells. The antibody works by targeting a natural defense mechanism that cancer tumors exploit. Cells in the body essentially use a home security system that relies on certain proteins to protect the cell surface and keep it safe. These proteins help the cell avoid injury and even death from unwanted activation of the immune system.

Research suggests diabetes drug acts differently from previous theories Posted: 05 May 2016 10:39 AM PDT Laboratory findings do not tell the whole story of how the diabetes drug metformin works to limit the level of glucose in the blood, say scientists. The researchers found that metformin does not limit the action of the hormone glucagon, specifically glucagon-stimulated glucose production from the liver.

Lung tumors hijack metabolic processes in the liver, study finds Posted: 05 May 2016 10:39 AM PDT Scientists who study how circadian rhythms -- our own body clocks -- control liver function have discovered that cancerous lung tumors can hijack this process and profoundly alter metabolism. Their research is the first showing that lung adenocarcinoma can affect the body clock's sway over lipid metabolism and sensitivity to insulin and glucose.

Sepsis: Sneak attack or false alarm? Posted: 05 May 2016 10:38 AM PDT Severe bacterial infections can push the human body into sepsis, a life-threatening cascade of inflammation and cell death that can be difficult to cure. Scientists and doctors have long puzzled over this; why does the body mount such a dangerous, self-damaging response? Researchers propose an explanation: the cells aren't really being invaded. They just think they are.

Pond scum and the gene pool: One critical gene in green algae responsible for multicellular evolution, understanding of cancer origin Posted: 05 May 2016 07:50 AM PDT A single gene is responsible for the evolution of multicellular organisms, new research indicates. Scientists were looking for what caused single-celled organisms to evolve into multicellular organisms when they discovered the importance of a single gene, retinoblastoma, or RB. RB, known for being defective in cancer patients, is a critical gene necessary for multicellular life; previous theories have indicated that multiple genes might be responsible for multicellularity.

Prostate cancer screening guidelines called into question Posted: 05 May 2016 07:48 AM PDT Researchers discuss their findings related to PSA screening, and urge reconsideration of prostate cancer screening after finding critical flaw in landmark study.

Thinking differently could affect power of traumatic memories Posted: 05 May 2016 07:48 AM PDT Using a thinking technique called 'concrete processing' could reduce the number of intrusive memories experienced after a traumatic event, say scientists. These intrusive memories are one of the core symptoms of PTSD.

Can believing you are a food addict affect your eating behavior? Posted: 05 May 2016 07:48 AM PDT Obesity is often attributed to an addiction to food and many people believe themselves to be "food addicts." However, until now no studies have looked at whether believing oneself to be a food addict influences how much we eat. Researchers have published a paper regarding their work on how beliefs about food addiction can affect eating behavior.

Advances in medical care have led to type 1 diabetes boom Posted: 05 May 2016 07:47 AM PDT The global increase in cases of type 1 diabetes is directly linked to advances in medical care, researchers say, with the underlying genetics of the disease more likely to be passed from one generation to the next.

Starving cancer the key to new treatments, say scientists Posted: 05 May 2016 07:47 AM PDT Researchers have identified a vital supply route that cancer cells use to obtain their nutrients, in a discovery that could lead to new treatments to stop the growth of tumors. The research team blocked gateways through which the cancer cell was obtaining the amino acid glutamine and found the cells almost completely stopped growing.

Clinical study suggests the origin of glioblastoma subtypes Posted: 05 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that distinct types of glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer in adults, tend to develop in different regions of the brain. This finding provides an explanation for how the same cancer-causing mutation can give rise to different types of brain malignancies.

Atrial fibrillation patients treated with warfarin have higher rates of dementia, new study finds Posted: 05 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT Study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients.

Study contradicts belief that cancer protects against Alzheimer's Posted: 05 May 2016 05:57 AM PDT Despite studies that claim people with cancer are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease--raising the possibility that what triggers cancer also prevents the neurodegenerative disorder--a new investigation finds a more somber explanation. Many cancer patients don't live long enough to get Alzheimer's.

Cells check DNA segregation at the end of their division Posted: 05 May 2016 05:54 AM PDT Researchers are shedding new light on the cell division process, key in embryonic development, and the growth and proliferation of tumors. The study identifies the agents that prevent cells from separating when DNA division is defective.

Scientists to use microbes, methane to create sustainable Omega 3 Posted: 05 May 2016 05:54 AM PDT Scientists are trying to find a new way to produce the nutritional fatty acids called Omega 3 that are currently sourced from fish oil from the world's declining natural fish stocks.

Heavy body shape across lifespan associated with highest mortality Posted: 05 May 2016 05:53 AM PDT People who are lean for life have the lowest mortality, while those with a heavy body shape from childhood up to middle age have the highest mortality, reveal findings of a large study.

Extreme ICU: 5 percent of patients account for 33 percent of intensive care, need special focus Posted: 05 May 2016 05:53 AM PDT Every hospital's ICU has treated them -- the critically ill patients who spend weeks going from crisis to crisis, never quite getting better enough to get out of the ICU, but never quite dying. Now, research shows they really are a different kind of patient -- and that despite their tiny numbers, they're using a vast chunk of healthcare resources. Just 5 percent of ICU patients account for 33 percent of all days ICU beds get used, report investigators.

Detailed digital human models could hold key to future clinical research Posted: 05 May 2016 05:53 AM PDT Computer simulations of disease processes and detailed digital models of our organs could provide more accurate monitoring and outcome measurements for clinical trials, according to research.

Timed-release glaucoma drug insert shows promise as alternative to daily drops Posted: 05 May 2016 05:53 AM PDT A medicated silicone ring that rests on the surface of the eye and slowly releases medication reduced eye pressure in glaucoma patients by about 20 percent over six months. These clinical trial results are the first published research on this type of continuous glaucoma drug delivery technology, which could benefit nearly 3 million people with glaucoma in the United States.

Driving under the influence sounds like a better idea while high on marijuana Posted: 04 May 2016 02:53 PM PDT A new study found that marijuana users who were high at the time they took the survey had substantially higher odds of believing it was safe to drive while under the influence.

Bipolar disorder has genetic links to autism, study shows Posted: 04 May 2016 02:49 PM PDT There may be an overlap between rare genetic variations linked to bipolar disorder and those implicated in schizophrenia and autism, new research suggests.

Findings light the way for new treatments in colitis, colon cancer Posted: 04 May 2016 02:48 PM PDT Certain sugars produced by the body play an important role in the development of colitis and, ultimately, colon cancer. This new finding could potentially lead to therapies for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colon cancer.

Breast milk hormones found to impact bacterial development in infants' guts Posted: 04 May 2016 02:48 PM PDT A new study finds that hormones in breast milk may impact the development of healthy bacteria in infants' guts, potentially protecting them from intestinal inflammation, obesity and other diseases later in life.

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