ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Large meta-analysis finds new genes for type 1 diabetes
• Mechanism uncovered for the establishment of vertebrate left–right asymmetry
• Overweight mothers increase asthma risk for their children
• Hepatitis C patients likely to falter in adherence to treatment regimen over time, study shows
• 'Alarm clock' gene explains wake-up function of biological clock
• Knockout of protein prevents colon tumor formation in mice
• Computational modeling can help plan vaccine introduction, study finds
• Unprecedented insight into fighting viral infections
• Promising drug treatment for improving language, social function in people with autism
• Breakthrough in understanding white matter development
• New technique identifies first events in tumor development
• Roads pave the way for the spread of superbugs
• When chefs move the fruit
• Oral steroids linked to severe vitamin D deficiency in nationwide US study
• Updated guideline to promote better management of peripheral artery disease
• Researchers explain hormonal role in glucose and fat metabolism
• Cocaine users have 45 percent increased risk of glaucoma
• Consumers may have more control over health costs than previously thought
• Powerful antibody-based strategy suggests a new therapeutic approach to diabetes and obesity
• Neuroscientists record novel responses to faces from single neurons in humans
• Researchers devise index for predicting long-term survival after liver re-transplantation
• Red wine ingredient resveratrol stops breast cancer growth, study suggests
• Single dose of 'magic mushrooms' hallucinogen may create lasting personality change, study suggests
• Unevenly distributed: Twins in developing countries
• Women with a higher social standing and educational attainment breastfeed for longer, Spanish study finds

Large meta-analysis finds new genes for type 1 diabetes Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:17 PM PDT The largest-ever analysis of genetic data related to type 1 diabetes has uncovered new genes associated with the common metabolic disease, which affects 200 million people worldwide. The findings add to knowledge of gene networks involved in the origin of this complex disorder, in which patients depend on frequent insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

Mechanism uncovered for the establishment of vertebrate left–right asymmetry Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:16 PM PDT A research team has demonstrated a mechanism by which left--right asymmetry in the body is established and maintained. The study offers a new model of how families of genes interact to promote and direct body asymmetry.

Overweight mothers increase asthma risk for their children Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:19 PM PDT The children of mothers who overweight or obese when they become pregnant are more likely to have asthma or wheezing as teenagers according to a team of researchers.

Hepatitis C patients likely to falter in adherence to treatment regimen over time, study shows Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:13 PM PDT Patients being treated for chronic hepatitis C become less likely to take their medications over time, according to a new study. Since the study also showed better response to the drugs when they're taken correctly, the researchers say the findings should prompt clinicians to assess patients for barriers to medication adherence and develop strategies to help them stay on track.

'Alarm clock' gene explains wake-up function of biological clock Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:13 PM PDT Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning -- even when the alarm clock isn't making jarring noises? Wonder no more. Researchers have identified a new component of the biological clock, a gene responsible for starting the clock from its restful state every morning.

Knockout of protein prevents colon tumor formation in mice Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:13 PM PDT A protein that regulates differentiation in normal tissue may play a very different role in colon and breast cancer, activating proliferation of damaged cells, according to researchers.

Computational modeling can help plan vaccine introduction, study finds Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:13 PM PDT Proper planning before the introduction of new vaccines into a developing country's active immunization program could prevent storage problems and transportation bottlenecks that decrease the availability of existing vaccines by as much as two-thirds, according to a new study. Computational models can forecast the impact of new vaccine introduction and identify potential disruptions, concluded the study.

Unprecedented insight into fighting viral infections Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:13 PM PDT Researchers have determined the structure of a protein that is the first line of defense in fighting viral infections including influenza, hepatitis C, West Nile, rabies and measles.

Promising drug treatment for improving language, social function in people with autism Posted: 29 Sep 2011 12:20 PM PDT Researchers are examining the use of propranolol (a drug used to treat high blood pressure and control heart rate as well as to reduce test anxiety) to improve the primary traits associated with autism -- difficulty with normal social skills, language and repetitive behaviors. Researchers say the drug is a promising new avenue for improving language and social function.

Breakthrough in understanding white matter development Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:47 AM PDT Through the identification of a gene's impact on a signaling pathway, scientists continue to make progress in understanding the mechanics of a key brain developmental process: growth and repair of white matter, known as myelination.

New technique identifies first events in tumor development Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:47 AM PDT A novel technique that enables scientists to measure and document tumor-inducing changes in DNA is providing new insight into the earliest events involved in the formation of leukemias, lymphomas and sarcomas, and could potentially lead to the discovery of ways to stop those events.

Roads pave the way for the spread of superbugs Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT Antibiotic resistant E. coli was much more prevalent in villages situated along roads than in rural villages located away from roads, which suggests that roads play a major role in the spread or containment of antibiotic resistant bacteria, commonly called superbugs, a new study finds.

When chefs move the fruit Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT Schools can increase fruit sales by as much as 104 percent by just putting it in a colorful bowl. This is one of the changes proposed through the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement which has garnered the White House's support to help fight childhood obesity.

Oral steroids linked to severe vitamin D deficiency in nationwide US study Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT People taking oral steroids are twice as likely as the general population to have severe vitamin D deficiency, according to a study of more than 31,000 children and adults. Their findings suggest that physicians should more diligently monitor vitamin D levels in patients being treated with oral steroids.

Updated guideline to promote better management of peripheral artery disease Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT Peripheral artery disease, or "PAD," is a common and dangerous condition that affects tens of millions of Americans -- often unknowingly -- and can restrict blood flow to the legs, kidneys or other vital organs. PAD, which remains underdiagnosed, is often a sign of a more widespread accumulation of fatty deposits in the heart, brain or legs and, if untreated, it is one of the most common causes of preventable heart attack, stroke, leg amputations and death.

Researchers explain hormonal role in glucose and fat metabolism Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:29 AM PDT Hormone researchers have their sights set on providing long-term treatment options for diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases by better understanding estradiol, the most potent naturally occurring estrogen. They now believe that this estrogen hormone is a prominent regulator of several body functions in both females and males.

Cocaine users have 45 percent increased risk of glaucoma Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:29 AM PDT A study of the 5.3 million men and women seen in Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinics in a one-year period found that use of cocaine is predictive of open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma. Current and former cocaine users had a 45 percent increased risk of glaucoma.

Consumers may have more control over health costs than previously thought Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:29 AM PDT The historic RAND Health Insurance Experiment found that patients had little or no control over their health care spending once they began to receive a physician's care, but a new study shows that this has changed for those enrolled in consumer-directed health plans.

Powerful antibody-based strategy suggests a new therapeutic approach to diabetes and obesity Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:29 AM PDT Scientists have devised a way to overcome one of the major technical obstacles preventing a leading therapeutic target for diabetes and obesity from being addressed successfully by novel drugs.

Neuroscientists record novel responses to faces from single neurons in humans Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT Responding to faces is a critical tool for social interactions between humans. Without the ability to read faces and their expressions, it would be hard to tell friends from strangers upon first glance. Now, neuroscientists have discovered a novel response to human faces by looking at recordings from brain cells in neurosurgical patients.

Researchers devise index for predicting long-term survival after liver re-transplantation Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:32 AM PDT Researchers have identified eight risk factors for potential re-transplantation failure and, using mathematical modeling, developed a risk scoring system ranging from 0 to 12 to gauge the risk of re-transplantation failure.

Red wine ingredient resveratrol stops breast cancer growth, study suggests Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:32 AM PDT New research shows that resveratrol, the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, stops breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen. This discovery suggests for the first time that resveratrol is able to counteract malignant progression since it inhibits the proliferation of hormone resistant breast cancer cells. This has important implications for treatment of women with breast cancer whose tumors develop resistance to hormonal therapy.

Single dose of 'magic mushrooms' hallucinogen may create lasting personality change, study suggests Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:42 AM PDT A single high dose of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called "magic mushrooms," was enough to bring about a measurable personality change lasting at least a year in nearly 60 percent of the participants in a new study, according to researchers.

Unevenly distributed: Twins in developing countries Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:40 AM PDT Scientists are fascinated by twins. Even though twins are born at the same time and generally raised under similar circumstances they still may develop differently. For their research on inequality between girls and boys in developing countries, researchers have determined how many twins were born in 76 developing countries.

Women with a higher social standing and educational attainment breastfeed for longer, Spanish study finds Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:40 AM PDT New research analyses maternal breastfeeding in Spain throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Experts believe that its development is associated with socio-demographic factors such as the advice of healthcare professionals, longer maternity leave, a woman's integration into the workplace and her level of education.

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