ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Humans may be uniquely identified by the proteins in their hair
• High variability suggests glycemic index is unreliable indicator of blood sugar response
• College educated more likely to use e-cigs to quit cigarette smoking
• Study generates Soviet anthrax pathogen genome from autopsy specimens
• Antimicrobial chemicals found with antibiotic-resistance genes in indoor dust
• Early-life language stimulation, skills may prevent childhood depression
• Experimental drug could stop melanoma, other cancers, research suggests
• Is sufficient sleep the key to successful antidepressant response?
• Fruit flies yield clues on cancerous tumor hotspots
• Scientists identify genes that disrupt response to breast cancer treatment
• Strong social support is related to shorter stay in inpatient rehab after hospitalization
• Six new groups of molecules could be the key to delaying aging
• Intestinal bacteria influence food allergies
• Antidepressant bone loss could be prevented with beta-blockers
• Acetaminophen not associated with worse asthma in kids
• No consensus on how the microbiome affects tuberculosis, review finds
• Probing a mosquito protein for clues in the fight against Zika
• Sugar transforms a traditional Chinese medicine into a cruise missile
• Extra physical education classes may benefit bone health in girls, study shows
• Computerized tissue image analysis reveals underlying genomics of ER+ breast cancer
• Ross River virus battle breakthrough
• Brain peptide research may lead to promising new treatments for mental illnesses
• White racism tied to fatal heart disease for blacks and whites
• Risk to small children from family dog often underestimated
• New tumor analysis method identifies high-risk prostate cancer
• Model maps out molecular roots of learning and memory formation
• Earned income tax credit program is a boon for health, report suggests
• Antibacterial ingredients in indoor dust could contribute to antibiotic resistance
• Cognitive function tests reliable for people with intellectual disabilities, research shows
• Maternal smoking could lead to an increased risk for Tourette syndrome, tic disorders
• People in unhappy relationships more likely to have suicidal thoughts
• New treatment strategy against Alzheimer’s disease?
• Potential role for vitamin A in pancreatic cancer discovered
• Link between weather, chronic pain is emerging through an innovative national smartphone research project
• New research supports hep C treatment for people who use drugs
• Computer simulation reveals p53 weak spots, opens new avenues against cancer
• More evidence that TV ads may influence kids' drinking
• Factor isolated from babies' cord blood could treat harmful inflammation, sepsis
• PSA failure predicts risk of death only in healthy men
• Scientists reverse alcohol dependence in animal models
• Scientists reveal insights into treatment resistance of metastastic breast cancer research
• Healthcare corruption taken to task by technology, study shows
• European standards to prevent repeat heart attacks launched today
• Simulation study highlights potential driving risk posed by patients with obstructive sleep apnea
• Research reveals artificial thyroid cancer epidemic
• Recessions are harmful to health
• Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks to minimize deaths, say experts
• Irregular heartbeat linked to wider range of serious conditions than previously thought
• New sensor could help fight deadly bacterial infections
• Steroid use linked to worse outcomes in Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis
• Corticosteroid use linked to worse outcomes for patients with lyme disease-associated facial paralysis
• New PET scan for prostate cancer patients
• What are the challenges of implementing new TB screening guidelines?

Humans may be uniquely identified by the proteins in their hair Posted: 07 Sep 2016 11:31 AM PDT Unique protein markers in hair could be used alongside DNA profiling for human identification, according to a new study.

High variability suggests glycemic index is unreliable indicator of blood sugar response Posted: 07 Sep 2016 11:31 AM PDT The glycemic index value of a food can vary by 20 percent within an individual and 25 percent among individuals, according to the results of a controlled feeding trial in 63 healthy adults. The findings suggest glycemic index has limited value in predicting how foods affect blood sugar levels.

College educated more likely to use e-cigs to quit cigarette smoking Posted: 07 Sep 2016 10:51 AM PDT Users of both electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and cigarettes may be more intent on quitting tobacco, but that intention seems to drop off among less educated smokers, according to a study.

Study generates Soviet anthrax pathogen genome from autopsy specimens Posted: 07 Sep 2016 10:51 AM PDT A new study used deep DNA sequencing methods to generate the anthrax genome sequence from the victims of the 1979 anthrax outbreak in Sverdlovsk, Russia, when it was part of the USSR.

Antimicrobial chemicals found with antibiotic-resistance genes in indoor dust Posted: 07 Sep 2016 10:51 AM PDT University of Oregon researchers have found links between the levels of antimicrobial chemicals and antibiotic-resistance genes in the dust of an aging building used for athletics and academics. One of the antimicrobials seen in the study is triclosan.

Early-life language stimulation, skills may prevent childhood depression Posted: 07 Sep 2016 10:51 AM PDT Children who experience low levels of language learning stimulation beginning at three years of age are more likely to experience language delays by first grade and are three times more likely to develop depression by third grade, new research indicates.

Experimental drug could stop melanoma, other cancers, research suggests Posted: 07 Sep 2016 10:51 AM PDT An experimental cancer drug works differently than intended and shows significant promise for stopping melanoma and possibly other forms of cancer.

Is sufficient sleep the key to successful antidepressant response? Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:53 AM PDT Antidepressants are necessary for many with major depressive disorder, but response times and remission rates are a problem. Researchers now find sleep might play a part.

Fruit flies yield clues on cancerous tumor hotspots Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:53 AM PDT Scientists have found that the epithelial tissues that line the surfaces of organs throughout the body intrinsically have hot spots for cancerous tumors.They discovered this by examining a common household pest -- the fruit fly.

Scientists identify genes that disrupt response to breast cancer treatment Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:53 AM PDT In breakthrough research on breast cancer, a team discovered that higher levels of the nuclear transport gene XPO1 indicate when a patient is likely to be resistant to the popular drug tamoxifen.

Strong social support is related to shorter stay in inpatient rehab after hospitalization Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:52 AM PDT A recent study showed that patients with strong social support from family and friends spend less time in an inpatient rehabilitation facility. 'Without the social support of family and friends, patients take longer to return home to the community. We believe that support from loved ones may lead to better recovery and better quality of life,' said the lead author.

Six new groups of molecules could be the key to delaying aging Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:51 AM PDT Researchers assess how six previously identified plant extracts can delay aging by affecting different signalling pathways that set the pace of growing old.

Intestinal bacteria influence food allergies Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:51 AM PDT Countless microorganisms live in the intestinal tract. Researchers have been able to demonstrate that intestinal bacteria also play a role in determining the strength of anaphylactic reactions to food allergens.

Antidepressant bone loss could be prevented with beta-blockers Posted: 07 Sep 2016 09:51 AM PDT The antidepressant fluoxetine causes bone loss by instructing the brain to send out signals that increase bone breakdown, but a beta-blocker can intercept the signals, a new study in mice has found.

Acetaminophen not associated with worse asthma in kids Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:40 AM PDT Children with mild, persistent asthma did not have worse asthma symptoms after taking acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) for pain or fever, compared to using ibuprofen (e.g., Advil), according to the results of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

No consensus on how the microbiome affects tuberculosis, review finds Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:40 AM PDT Inconsistencies across studies and sampling errors remain major barriers to understanding how the lung microbiome changes with tuberculosis, according to a new review.

Probing a mosquito protein for clues in the fight against Zika Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:37 AM PDT As health departments around the United States boost efforts to combat Zika, scientists are working on new ways to kill the mosquitoes that carry the virus. One approach involves understanding the molecular mechanisms that keep the bugs alive so we can then undermine them. Scientists report that they have revealed new structural insights on a key protein from Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species most often linked to the spread of Zika.

Sugar transforms a traditional Chinese medicine into a cruise missile Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:36 AM PDT Chemical biologists report that tests of triptolide in human cells and mice are vastly improved by the chemical attachment of glucose to the triptolide molecule.

Extra physical education classes may benefit bone health in girls, study shows Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:36 AM PDT A long-term study carried out in four Swedish schools evaluated whether extra physical education classes (200 minutes weekly as opposed to 60 minutes weekly) would have an impact on bone parameters in growing children. The seven-year study specifically measured the impact of school-based exercise on tibia cortical bone mass distribution, finding that the extra activity time saw significant bone benefits in girls.

Computerized tissue image analysis reveals underlying genomics of ER+ breast cancer Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:36 AM PDT The number of tubules in tumors may predict which women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer will benefit from hormone therapy alone and which require chemotherapy. A computer program to automatically count the tubules correlated with the scores produced by the current best test differentiating between indolent and aggressive ER+ cancers.

Ross River virus battle breakthrough Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:35 AM PDT A potential new therapeutic treatment for the global battle against mosquito-borne alphavirus infections, including the debilitating Ross River virus and chikungunya virus, has been uncovered by scientists.

Brain peptide research may lead to promising new treatments for mental illnesses Posted: 07 Sep 2016 08:33 AM PDT Recent research points to the importance of a molecule called relaxin-3 in the brain, with effects on various processes and behaviors such as mood, stress, and cognition. Because these are often aberrant in mental illnesses, investigators are studying the potential of relaxin-3-based interventions to treat depression, anxiety, and other conditions.

White racism tied to fatal heart disease for blacks and whites Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:55 AM PDT Living in unabashedly racist communities can shorten the lives of both blacks and whites, according to new research. Researchers compared the racial biases of nearly 1.4 million people nationwide to death rates in more than 1,700 U.S. counties. Their findings suggest that blacks and, to a lesser degree, whites who reside in overtly racist communities are more prone to dying from heart disease and other circulatory diseases.

Risk to small children from family dog often underestimated Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT Dog bites suffered by young children are often inflicted by the family dog. Such incidents frequently occur despite the presence of an adult. A survey of dog owners shows that people underestimate risky situations involving the family dog.

New tumor analysis method identifies high-risk prostate cancer Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT A new way to identify which prostate cancer patients are likely to develop aggressive types of the disease, even if their tumors at first appear to be lower risk, has been created by investigators. The new findings could help physicians prescribe the most effective treatments for each patient based on how genes are activated in the individual tumor.

Model maps out molecular roots of learning and memory formation Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT A team of researchers has built a mathematical model that describes the molecular events associated with the beginning stage of learning and memory formation in the human brain. The research paves the way for understanding cognitive function and neurodegenerative diseases -- at the molecular and cellular levels.

Earned income tax credit program is a boon for health, report suggests Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT The Earned Income Tax Credit program is not only good for people's pocketbooks, but also for their health, new research shows. Findings of a new suggest that the program is much more cost-effective than many health interventions and has the added benefit of reversing mortality trends among low-income Americans in some states that have been experiencing increases in mortality in recent years.

Antibacterial ingredients in indoor dust could contribute to antibiotic resistance Posted: 07 Sep 2016 06:54 AM PDT Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as 'superbugs,' pose a major public health threat. Some officials have even warned of a post-antibiotic -- and sicker -- era. To better understand the problem, researchers have been piecing together its contributing factors. Now, scientists report for the first time a link between antimicrobial substances such as triclosan in indoor dust and levels of antibiotic-resistance genes, which can transfer from one bacterial cell to another.

Cognitive function tests reliable for people with intellectual disabilities, research shows Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:22 AM PDT A battery of tests appears to have strong potential for measuring cognitive changes over time for people with intellectual disabilities, research concludes. The work could open new doors to research into whether drugs and specialized educational programs or treatments can improve function in people with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome and other causes of intellectual disabilities.

Maternal smoking could lead to an increased risk for Tourette syndrome, tic disorders Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:19 AM PDT An association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk for Tourette syndrome and other chronic tic disorders has been uncovered by researchers. The link seems especially strong for complex presentations of Tourette syndrome in which two or more psychiatric disorders are present.

People in unhappy relationships more likely to have suicidal thoughts Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:19 AM PDT Being in a relationship does not necessarily, in itself, protect people from having suicidal thoughts. This is the finding of a recent study into the correlation between relationship status and suicidal thoughts.

New treatment strategy against Alzheimer’s disease? Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:19 AM PDT New research suggests that Alzheimer's disease may trigger increased expression of an enzyme called lysozyme, which attempts to counteract amyloid build-up in the brain.

Potential role for vitamin A in pancreatic cancer discovered Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:19 AM PDT Vitamin A may have a role to play in tackling the commonest form of pancreatic cancer, scientists have discovered. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common type of malignancy of the pancreas, is extremely aggressive and very difficult to treat. Many scientists are currently investigating the genetic mutations and biochemical signalling pathways that enable cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body.

Link between weather, chronic pain is emerging through an innovative national smartphone research project Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:19 AM PDT Preliminary findings from a mass participation study have indicated a link between weather conditions – specifically rain and lack of sunshine – and chronic pain.

New research supports hep C treatment for people who use drugs Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:17 AM PDT Global health experts are today are calling for the removal of restrictions preventing people who use drugs from accessing new hepatitis C cures. So long as these restrictions exist, the goal of disease elimination will remain out of reach, they say.

Computer simulation reveals p53 weak spots, opens new avenues against cancer Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:17 AM PDT Using microsecond timescale molecular dynamics simulations, a new study reveals p53 weak spots and sheds light on the protein instability, which is linked to its tendency to aggregate and form amyloid structures.

More evidence that TV ads may influence kids' drinking Posted: 07 Sep 2016 05:17 AM PDT The more advertising kids see for particular brands of alcohol, the more they consume of those brands, according to a new study. The work adds to evidence linking alcohol advertising to underage drinking. And it suggests that TV ads really do influence the amount of alcohol kids drink.

Factor isolated from babies' cord blood could treat harmful inflammation, sepsis Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:39 PM PDT A factor found in umbilical cord blood could become the basis for developing new drugs to fight harmful inflammation, researchers report. When given to mice, the newly discovered factor countered signs of inflammation and sepsis, such as fever, fluctuations in respiratory rate, and death. The factor circulates in the blood of newborns for about two weeks after birth and is not found in older babies or adults, according to the study.

PSA failure predicts risk of death only in healthy men Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:36 PM PDT A rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in healthy men who have previously been treated for prostate cancer is significantly associated with a 1.6-fold increased risk of death, a new study has found.

Scientists reverse alcohol dependence in animal models Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:35 PM PDT The more a person drinks, the more they reinforce activation in the neuronal "circuit," which then drives further alcohol use and addiction. It's as if the brain carves a special path between alcohol and reward. Now researchers report that there may be a way to switch off the urge for compulsive drinking, based on a new study in animal models.

Scientists reveal insights into treatment resistance of metastastic breast cancer research Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:34 PM PDT A dynamic gene expression in metastatic breast cancer has been discovered that may contribute to disease progression and resistance to treatment experienced by many patients.

Healthcare corruption taken to task by technology, study shows Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT Mobile phone technology could help to beat bad practices in healthcare delivery, research suggests. Innovations such as apps offer opportunities for improving governance in the healthcare sector, particularly in low and middle income countries, the study found.

European standards to prevent repeat heart attacks launched today Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT European standards to prevent repeat heart attacks have now been released. The consensus document outlines the steps patients and healthcare professionals can take to prevent recurrent heart attacks.

Simulation study highlights potential driving risk posed by patients with obstructive sleep apnea Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT The potential driving risk posed by patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is highlighted in a simulation study.

Research reveals artificial thyroid cancer epidemic Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT Doctors around the world are over diagnosing the most common thyroid cancer, creating an artificial epidemic that costs billions of dollars each year in unnecessary medical costs, suggests new research.

Recessions are harmful to health Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT A review of studies investigating the 2008 recession in Europe show it was associated with adverse health outcomes, particularly for suicides and mental health problems, finds a study.

Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks to minimize deaths, say experts Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks' gestation to minimize stillbirths and newborn deaths, and there is no clear evidence to support routine delivery before 36 weeks' gestation, finds a large international study.

Irregular heartbeat linked to wider range of serious conditions than previously thought Posted: 06 Sep 2016 06:31 PM PDT An irregular heartbeat (known as atrial fibrillation) is associated with a wide range of serious events, including heart attacks, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and sudden cardiac death, finds a large study.

New sensor could help fight deadly bacterial infections Posted: 06 Sep 2016 03:21 PM PDT Scientists have built a new sensor that can detect the potentially deadly E.coli bacteria in 15-20 minutes, much faster than traditional lab tests.

Steroid use linked to worse outcomes in Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis Posted: 06 Sep 2016 03:21 PM PDT Researchers have found that patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic therapy alone. Based on these findings the researchers urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis.

Corticosteroid use linked to worse outcomes for patients with lyme disease-associated facial paralysis Posted: 06 Sep 2016 11:58 AM PDT Patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic therapy alone, new research shows. Based on these findings, the researchers urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis.

New PET scan for prostate cancer patients Posted: 06 Sep 2016 11:58 AM PDT A new effective PET/CT scan for prostate cancer patients can detect the location and extent of cancer that has recurred after initial treatment. Prostate PET/CT scans can detect cancer earlier than either CT scans alone or MRI scans.

What are the challenges of implementing new TB screening guidelines? Posted: 06 Sep 2016 11:56 AM PDT An editorial accompanies the publication of new US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening recommendations for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection in primary care settings. The editorial points out the urgent need for TB-related research to identify new tools and diagnostics that will identify patients who are at high risk from progressing from latent TB infection to active TB disease.

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