ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Newly discovered features of collagen may help shed light on disease processes
• Research highlights the legal issues of certifying emotional support animals
• Progress towards protection from highly lethal Ebola, Marburg viruses
• Breastfeeding gaps between white, black, and Hispanic mothers in the US
• Discovery of mechanisms triggering excess antibody production during chronic infection
• New diabetes screening recommendation misses more than half of high-risk patients
• Researchers identify potential immunotherapy drug combination
• Your diet plan isn't working? New research explains why
• New method to model protein interactions may help accelerate drug development
• These days fecal transplantation is no joke
• New resistance gene found in 'high risk' multidrug-resistant pathogen
• Machine learning puts new lens on autism screening and diagnostics
• Scientists move closer to developing therapeutic window to the brain
• 'Big Data' study discovers earliest sign of Alzheimer's development
• Changes uncovered in the gut bacteria of patients with multiple sclerosis
• Diabetes challenges, inspires family members, study finds
• Reactive oxygen species: Fueling or putting the brakes on inflammation?
• Selfish mitochondria implicated in a variety of diseases
• As body mass index increases, so does spread of multiple myeloma
• Red hair gene variation drives up skin cancer mutations
• Interventions do not improve viral suppression among hospitalized patients with HIV infection
• Study examines risk of HIV transmission from condomless sex with virologically suppressed HIV infection
• 2016 recommendations for antiretroviral drugs for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection
• HIV vaccine research requires unprecedented path, expert suggests
• Male circumcision, HIV treatment can significantly reduce new infections in African men
• Study shows a rising, but uneven, tide of in-home care for disabled seniors
• More than four in 10 working adults think their work impacts their health
• Are brain changes fueling overeating in the obese?
• Help at hand for people watching their weight
• New eye test could detect glaucoma years earlier
• Cancer drug restores brain dopamine, reduces toxic proteins in Parkinson, dementia
• New device saves racecar drivers' lives
• Most siblings of food allergic kids do not have food allergy
• Pumping iron: Lighter weights just as effective as heavier weights to gain muscle, build strength
• Small rise in alcohol prices could cut violence-related hospital emergency visits by 6,000 a year
• Education's 'power' to prevent type 2 diabetes
• New multicomponent reactions to design active compounds against trypanosomiasis
• New approach for regenerative diabetes therapy
• Suicide rate is 22% higher among people with epilepsy than the general population
• Prostate cancer: Unexpected results from international Phase III study
• Health issues due to sea level rise impact communities in South Florida
• Umbilical cord patch could be method for fetal spina bifida repair
• Preventive procedure for ovarian cancer adopted without adverse surgical outcomes
• Discovery could lead to treatment to better regulate insulin
• US pediatric hospitals vary greatly in costs, practices for children with asthma
• The colon is defended from bacteria by a self-sacrificing sentinel cell
• Just add water? New MRI technique shows what drinking water does to your appetite, stomach and brain
• New antidepressant target discovered
• Water intake overlooked in obese individuals, study shows
• Research will help GPs diagnose urinary tract infections in children, improve antibiotic use
• Study links recession recovery, increase in commercial truck fatalities
• Average joint contains much less marijuana than thought, research shows
• Silk-based tissue chip provides promise for drug testing, implantable devices
• Scientists identify neurochemical signal likely missing in Parkinson's
• Measuring damage to brain networks may aid stroke treatment, predict recovery

Newly discovered features of collagen may help shed light on disease processes Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:34 PM PDT Scientists are reporting new, unexpected details about the fundamental structure of collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body. In lab experiments, they demonstrated that collagen, once viewed as inert, forms structures that regulate how certain enzymes break down and remodel body tissue. The finding of this regulatory system provides a molecular view of the potential role of physical forces at work in heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and other disease-related processes, they say.

Research highlights the legal issues of certifying emotional support animals Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:33 PM PDT Service animals are recognized by the ADA as those whose training helps them serve a specific disability-related function. However, people not necessarily exhibiting a mental or physical disability are eluding the system by asking their mental health professionals to certify 'emotional support animals'. Researchers are exploring the effects these requests are having on the mental health profession and recommend that psychologists refrain from issuing certifications to avoid legal risks.

Progress towards protection from highly lethal Ebola, Marburg viruses Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:33 PM PDT Ebola and Marburg filovirus disease outbreaks have typically occurred as isolated events, confined to central Africa. However, the recent Ebola epidemic spread to several African countries, and caused 11,000 deaths. That epidemic underscored the need to develop vaccines and therapeutics that could be used to fight future disease outbreaks. Now new research suggests that antibodies to filoviruses from individuals who have survived these diseases may offer protection -- not only against the particular filovirus that infected an individual, but against other filoviruses, as well.

Breastfeeding gaps between white, black, and Hispanic mothers in the US Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:33 PM PDT Breastfeeding rates differ among white, black and Hispanic mothers, new American research indicates. This study looked to see if ethnic and racial disparities in breastfeeding could be explained by differences in the use of formula in hospitals, family history of breastfeeding, mother's belief that 'breast is best'; and demographic measures including poverty, education and relationship status.

Discovery of mechanisms triggering excess antibody production during chronic infection Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:33 PM PDT Some autoimmune diseases and persistent infections are characterized by high levels of antibodies in the blood. But what are the causes of this hypergammaglobulinemia? Medical researchers have successfully identified the mechanisms triggering the phenomenon. For the first time ever, they have established a link between B-cell activation by a protein -- type 1 interferon -- and unusually high antibody levels.

New diabetes screening recommendation misses more than half of high-risk patients Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Fifty-five percent of high-risk patients were missed by diabetes screening guidelines, according to a new study. Not identifying patients with diabetes and prediabetes prevents them from getting the necessary preventive care. This is the first study to examine how the latest diabetes screening guidelines, issued in October 2015, may perform in practice.

Researchers identify potential immunotherapy drug combination Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT A drug combination designed to enhance the immune system's ability to zero in and attack cancer cells has shown a pronounced therapeutic effect against advanced and metastatic cancers in mice, according to a new study.

Your diet plan isn't working? New research explains why Posted: 12 Jul 2016 02:30 PM PDT Dieters tend to adopt the wrong strategies, often planning to ditch their favorite foods and replace them with less-desirable options, according to new research. Conversely, successful dieters focus on adding healthy foods -- foods that they actually like.

New method to model protein interactions may help accelerate drug development Posted: 12 Jul 2016 11:27 AM PDT Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are the basis of cellular functions, and when these processes are compromised diseases such as cancer emerge. For years scientists have tried with mixed success to map out PPIs to understand cellular processes.

These days fecal transplantation is no joke Posted: 12 Jul 2016 11:26 AM PDT Fecal transplants are increasingly being used to treat certain human illnesses and there is a major upsurge in animal experiments involving fecal material, report scientists. But what, exactly, is being transplanted?

New resistance gene found in 'high risk' multidrug-resistant pathogen Posted: 12 Jul 2016 11:24 AM PDT A team of investigators has discovered a new variant of an emerging antibiotic resistance mechanism. The new variant, dubbed mcr-1.2, confers resistance to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

Machine learning puts new lens on autism screening and diagnostics Posted: 12 Jul 2016 11:24 AM PDT Researchers are now exploring whether machine learning might play an important role in helping screen for autism and guide caregiver and practitioner intervention.

Scientists move closer to developing therapeutic window to the brain Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:39 AM PDT Researchers are bringing their idea for a 'Window to the Brain' transparent skull implant closer to reality through the findings of two recent studies.

'Big Data' study discovers earliest sign of Alzheimer's development Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:02 AM PDT Scientists have used a powerful tool to better understand the progression of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), identifying its first physiological signs. Rsearchers analyzed more than 7,700 brain images from 1,171 people in various stages of Alzheimer's progression using a variety of techniques including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

Changes uncovered in the gut bacteria of patients with multiple sclerosis Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:02 AM PDT A connection between the bacteria living in the gut and immunological disorders such as multiple sclerosis have long been suspected, but for the first time, researchers have detected clear evidence of changes that tie the two together. Investigators have found that people with multiple sclerosis have different patterns of gut microorganisms than those of their healthy counterparts. In addition, patients receiving treatment for MS have different patterns than untreated patients.

Diabetes challenges, inspires family members, study finds Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:01 AM PDT Better outcomes may be possible if family members receive support to help their loved ones with diabetes, according to a major international study.

Reactive oxygen species: Fueling or putting the brakes on inflammation? Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:01 AM PDT Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important signalling molecules in an organism's regulation of metabolism and inflammation. Accumulation of ROS have been linked to neurodegeneration and cancer. Researchers in Sweden now reveal an unexpected function of ROS: they dampen a key inflammatory process and weaken the immune system's ability to combat pathogens such as those that cause pneumonia.

Selfish mitochondria implicated in a variety of diseases Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:01 AM PDT A research team has identified some of the methods that allow mutant mitochondrial DNA to act selfishly by circumventing the molecular mechanisms that cells use to regulate mitochondrial activity.

As body mass index increases, so does spread of multiple myeloma Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:55 AM PDT Obesity is believed to be a risk factor for many cancers, and each 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI is associated with an increase of 10 percent in cancer-related deaths, studies show. Now researchers have shown that as body mass index increases, so does the growth and spread of the blood cancer multiple myeloma.

Red hair gene variation drives up skin cancer mutations Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:55 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have proven that gene variants associated with red hair, pale skin and freckles are linked to a higher number of genetic mutations in skin cancers. The burden of mutations associated with these variants is comparable to an extra 21 years of sun exposure in people without this variant.

Interventions do not improve viral suppression among hospitalized patients with HIV infection Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT A new study has assessed the effect of structured patient navigation (care coordination with case management) interventions with or without financial incentives to improve HIV-l viral suppression rates among hospitalized patients with elevated HIV-1 viral loads and substance use.

Study examines risk of HIV transmission from condomless sex with virologically suppressed HIV infection Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT Among nearly 900 serodifferent (one partner is HIV-positive, one is HIV-negative) heterosexual and men who have sex with men couples in which the HIV-positive partner was using suppressive antiretroviral therapy and who reported condomless sex, during a median follow-up of 1.3 years per couple, there were no documented cases of within-couple HIV transmission, according to a new study.

2016 recommendations for antiretroviral drugs for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT Experts have updated recommendations for the use of antiretroviral therapy in adults with established HIV infection, including when to start treatment, initial regimens, and changing regimens, along with recommendations for using antiretroviral drugs for preventing HIV among those at risk, including preexposure and postexposure prevention.

HIV vaccine research requires unprecedented path, expert suggests Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT Because the body does not readily make an adequate immune response to HIV infection, creating a preventive HIV vaccine remains a formidable challenge for researchers. To succeed in this endeavor, scientists have responded with complex, creative and elegant approaches unparalleled in other vaccine research pursuits, according to a new article.

Male circumcision, HIV treatment can significantly reduce new infections in African men Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT Increasing the number of men who undergo circumcision and increasing the rates at which women with HIV are given antiretroviral therapy were associated with significant declines in the number of new male HIV infections in rural Ugandan communities, new research has shown.

Study shows a rising, but uneven, tide of in-home care for disabled seniors Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:53 AM PDT More seniors are getting help from family, friends and hired helpers to keep them in their homes, despite disabilities that keep them from total independence, a new study finds. Half of disabled seniors in a long-term study got in-home help in 2012, up 20 percent from the late 1990s. But that increase isn't happening evenly across all groups -- and has implications for the careers and health of caregivers.

More than four in 10 working adults think their work impacts their health Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:07 AM PDT A new poll finds that more than four in 10 working adults (44 percent) say their current job has an impact on their overall health, and one in four (28 percent) say that impact is positive.

Are brain changes fueling overeating in the obese? Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:07 AM PDT Obese mice are much more likely than lean mice to overeat in the presence of environmental cues, a behavior that could be related to changes in the brain, finds a new study.

Help at hand for people watching their weight Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a portable and easy-to-use method to help people estimate portion size using only their hands.

New eye test could detect glaucoma years earlier Posted: 12 Jul 2016 08:02 AM PDT Scientists have developed a testing protocol that identifies the blinding eye disease glaucoma four years earlier than current techniques.

Cancer drug restores brain dopamine, reduces toxic proteins in Parkinson, dementia Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:12 AM PDT A small phase I study provides molecular evidence that an FDA-approved drug for leukemia significantly increased brain dopamine and reduced toxic proteins linked to disease progression in patients with Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies.

New device saves racecar drivers' lives Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:12 AM PDT A biomechanical crash engineer and his brother-in-law, a racecar driver, have joined forces to create the HANS® device, which was designed to prevent the occurrence of shear injuries between the head and neck during high-impact crashes.

Most siblings of food allergic kids do not have food allergy Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:12 AM PDT The risk of food allergy in siblings of an affected child is only minimally higher than in the general population, new data suggests. The study found that the majority (53%) of siblings of food allergic children showed food sensitization with testing, but did not experience food allergy symptoms. An additional one-third of siblings tested negative and had no allergic reactions to food, while only 13.6% of siblings had a true food allergy.

Pumping iron: Lighter weights just as effective as heavier weights to gain muscle, build strength Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:42 AM PDT New research is challenging traditional workout wisdom, suggesting that lifting lighter weights many times is as efficient as lifting heavy weights for fewer repetitions. It is the latest in a series of studies that started in 2010, contradicting the decades-old message that the best way to build muscle is to lift heavy weights.

Small rise in alcohol prices could cut violence-related hospital emergency visits by 6,000 a year Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:41 AM PDT A small rise of 1% in alcohol prices could significantly reduce violence-related injuries in England and Wales, consequently reducing their burden on hard-pressed emergency departments, concludes an English study.

Education's 'power' to prevent type 2 diabetes Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:41 AM PDT People at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes can reduce their chances of getting the condition by more than 80 per cent by fully completing a new education program, a new study has found.

New multicomponent reactions to design active compounds against trypanosomiasis Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:39 AM PDT Multicomponent reactions are protocols that ease the chemical synthesis of new compounds, and are particularly important to gain molecules with biological activity as therapeutic agents against several pathogens. New scientific work on multicomponent reactions to find new active compounds against parasites causing trypanosomiasis has now been published by researchers.

New approach for regenerative diabetes therapy Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:39 AM PDT The marker Flattop subdivides the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas into those that maintain glucose metabolism and into immature cells that divide more frequently and adapt to metabolic changes. This could provide a starting point for regenerative diabetes therapies, scientists report.

Suicide rate is 22% higher among people with epilepsy than the general population Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:39 AM PDT The suicide rate among people with epilepsy is 22 percent higher than the general population, according to a new study.

Prostate cancer: Unexpected results from international Phase III study Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:39 AM PDT A recently published international clinical Phase III trial of a promising drug for treating advanced prostate cancer ended with surprising results: the new therapeutic agent failed to achieve any significant improvement in the overall survival of patients compared with the established standard treatment.

Health issues due to sea level rise impact communities in South Florida Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:35 AM PDT The Florida Institute for Health Innovation released a report today on communities from Palm Beach to Key West with the greatest risk for adverse health effects of sea level rise and mapped zones most prone to environmental sea level rise impacts, described associated public health risks and identified the region's socially, economically and medically vulnerable communities most susceptible to sea level rise health effects.

Umbilical cord patch could be method for fetal spina bifida repair Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:35 AM PDT A patch made from cryopreserved human umbilical cord may be a novel method for treating spina bifida in utero, according to scientists.

Preventive procedure for ovarian cancer adopted without adverse surgical outcomes Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:35 AM PDT A surgical procedure recommended to reduce the future risk of ovarian cancer has been successfully implemented throughout in Northern California without a change in surgical outcomes,

Discovery could lead to treatment to better regulate insulin Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:33 AM PDT A recent discovery holds promise for those who are obese or diabetic and do not benefit from medications to regulate their glucose and insulin levels.

US pediatric hospitals vary greatly in costs, practices for children with asthma Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:33 AM PDT Children's hospitals vary greatly in managing inpatients with asthma, according to researchers who analyzed hospital records in a large national database. Even when patients were grouped by characteristics such as age or severity of illness, hospitals differed significantly in inpatient costs, length of stay, and time spent in the intensive care unit.

The colon is defended from bacteria by a self-sacrificing sentinel cell Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:33 AM PDT A lone Sentinel cell monitors and coordinates the defense of the entrance to the colon's most sensitive parts. The Sentinel cell detects nearby bacteria and signals to a line of defensive cells to send out a cascade of mucus to push away the invaders. As a final self-sacrificing action the cell commits suicide and ejects itself into the intestinal lumen.

Just add water? New MRI technique shows what drinking water does to your appetite, stomach and brain Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:33 AM PDT Stomach MRI images combined with functional fMRI of the brain activity have provided scientists new insight into how the brain listens to the stomach during eating. Researchers show -- for the first time -- real time data of the brain, the stomach, and people's feelings of satiety measured simultaneously during a meal.

New antidepressant target discovered Posted: 12 Jul 2016 06:33 AM PDT Scientists have shown how manipulating a novel target in the brain using gene therapy could lead to new treatments for depression. Decreasing a set of proteins in the hippocampus reduced depression-like behavior in mice. If replicated in humans, the findings could inform fresh therapies for millions of patients who do not respond to existing treatments for depression.

Water intake overlooked in obese individuals, study shows Posted: 12 Jul 2016 04:39 AM PDT People who are obese and have a higher body mass index (BMI) are more likely to be inadequately hydrated and vice versa, new research indicates.

Research will help GPs diagnose urinary tract infections in children, improve antibiotic use Posted: 11 Jul 2016 05:35 PM PDT Urinary tract infections (UTI) in young children can lead to kidney damage, but are notoriously difficult to diagnose in primary care because symptoms can often be vague and unclear.

Study links recession recovery, increase in commercial truck fatalities Posted: 11 Jul 2016 05:35 PM PDT New research findings reveal unexpected health consequences of economic recovery on fatalities involving large, commercial vehicles. Research has shown that when the economy improves, motor vehicle fatalities also increase.

Average joint contains much less marijuana than thought, research shows Posted: 11 Jul 2016 05:35 PM PDT By analyzing more than 10,000 drug transactions, researchers have found the average joint contains 0.32 grams of marijuana, key data for policymaking.

Silk-based tissue chip provides promise for drug testing, implantable devices Posted: 11 Jul 2016 12:59 PM PDT A new type of tissue chip has been created that can be more widely used for drug testing. Engineering the chips as a silk gel circumvents many of the problems with existing devices and could potentially be an implantable treatment itself.

Scientists identify neurochemical signal likely missing in Parkinson's Posted: 11 Jul 2016 12:58 PM PDT Neuroscientists have identified the neurochemical signal likely missing in Parkinson's disease by discovering two distinctly different kinds of neurons that deliver dopamine to an important brain region responsible for both movement and learning/reward behavior. The findings provide a new framework for understanding the role of the dopamine system in movement control and learning/reward and how dysfunction of the dopamine system can result in a range of neurological disorders.

Measuring damage to brain networks may aid stroke treatment, predict recovery Posted: 11 Jul 2016 12:55 PM PDT Understanding the networks of connections between brain regions and how they are changed by a stroke is crucial to understanding how stroke patients heal, according to new research. The types of scans currently used to assess stroke damage don't capture the effect of strokes on the networks of connections.

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