ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Modern genetics answers age-old question on Garrod's fourth inborn error of metabolism
• Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria has potential as living antibiotic
• Obesity and depression independently increase health costs
• Putting the body back into the mind of schizophrenia
• Enzymes act like a switch, turning antibiotic resistance on and off in enterococci
• Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial
• Live longer with fewer calories? Key enzyme involved in aging process found
• New findings may help explain high blood pressure in pregnancy
• High levels of master heat shock protein linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients
• Nerve protein linked to learning and memory
• New way to rate severity of colitis, a common cause of diarrhea
• Doctors' own alcohol consumption colors advice to patients
• Researchers find regulatory T-cell clue to help prevent GVHD
• UV light controls antibodies, improves biosensors
• Using math and light to detect misshapen red blood cells
• Fast new method for mapping blood vessels may aid cancer research
• Link discovered among spectrum of childhood diseases
• Targeting leg fatigue in heart failure
• Surgeons perform novel procedures prior to lung transplant
• Weight gain in college? The freshman 15 is just a myth, U.S. study reveals
• Noninvasive current stimulation improves sight in patients with optic nerve damage, study suggests
• Influencing craving for cigarettes by stimulating the brain
• Do deficits in brain cannabinoids contribute to eating disorders?
• Physicians show bias when diagnosing stomach problems, study finds
• Research highlights training to improve colorectal cancer detection and assesses impact of pre-cancerous changes in the far reaches of the colon
• Latitude variation in incidence of chronic digestive diseases
• Social media has role in delivery of healthcare but patients should proceed with caution, experts say
• Psychological traumas experienced over lifetime linked to adult irritable bowel syndrome
• Physicians who play Mozart while performing colonoscopy may improve adenoma detection rate
• New research on improved treatment options and screening strategies for hepatitis C
• Probiotics effective in combating antibiotic-associated diarrhea, studies find; 'Good bugs' look promising as anti-inflammatory agents
• Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, study finds
• Hepatitis transmission risk needs to be studied in nail salons, barbershops, analysis suggests
• Fecal microbiota transplants effective treatment for C. difficile, inflammatory bowel disease, research finds
• Cigarette smoking's impact lingers after quitting: Current, former smokers may face impaired pancreatic duct cell function, elevated colorectal cancer risk
• Celiac patients face potential hazard as information on cosmetic ingredients difficult to find
• Antibiotics may not be only cause of community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection
• Teeth crowded in seniors, as jaws shrink
• Computer-based tool to improve diagnosis and prognosis for cancer patients
• Short training course significantly improves detection of precancerous polyps, study finds
• Fast, affordable ways for countries to better identify causes of death in populations
• Key driver of metastasis identified
• Drugs used to tackle hospital-acquired infections can increase post-op complications
• Patterns of new DNA letter in brain suggest distinct function
• Findings offer new clues into the addicted brain
• Fat cells in abdomen fuel spread of ovarian cancer
• First-of-its-kind study creates new tool for targeted cancer drug development
• Scientists identify protein form linked to Huntington's disease

Modern genetics answers age-old question on Garrod's fourth inborn error of metabolism Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:06 PM PDT Fifty years after participating in studies of pentosuria, an inherited disorder once mistaken for diabetes, 15 families again welcomed medical geneticists into their lives. Their willingness to have their DNA analyzed with genomics technologies has solved a 100-year mystery. The findings may help elucidate when and how human mutations appear and are carried over generations and with migration of humans. Pentosuria occurs almost exclusively in Ashkenazi Jews. The findings suggest it occurs in about 1 in 3,330 people of this ancestry.

Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria has potential as living antibiotic Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:06 PM PDT A vampire-like bacteria that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates.

Obesity and depression independently increase health costs Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:05 PM PDT Obesity and depression both dramatically increase health care costs, but they mainly act separately, according to a new study.

Putting the body back into the mind of schizophrenia Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:02 PM PDT A new study of body ownership using the rubber hand illusion found that people with schizophrenia have a weakened sense of self awareness and produced one of the rare documented cases of a spontaneous out-of-body experience in the laboratory.

Enzymes act like a switch, turning antibiotic resistance on and off in enterococci Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:02 PM PDT Antibiotic-resistant enterococci are a serious problem for patients in the hospital, but little is known about how these bacteria are able to escape antibiotics. New discoveries about the ways in which enterococci turn their resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics on and off are described in a new study.

Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial Posted: 31 Oct 2011 07:02 PM PDT Cancer doctors want to offer a sympathetic ear, but sometimes miss the cues from patients. To help physicians better address their patients' fears and worries, a researcher has developed a new interactive training tool.

Live longer with fewer calories? Key enzyme involved in aging process found Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:59 PM PDT By consuming fewer calories, aging can be slowed down and the development of age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes can be delayed. The earlier calorie intake is reduced, the greater the effect. Researchers have now identified one of the enzymes that hold the key to the aging process.

New findings may help explain high blood pressure in pregnancy Posted: 31 Oct 2011 12:41 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that the infiltration of white blood cells into an expectant mother's blood vessels may explain high blood pressure in pregnancy.

High levels of master heat shock protein linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients Posted: 31 Oct 2011 12:41 PM PDT Scientists report that patients whose estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers have high levels of an ancient cellular survival factor experience poor outcomes -- including increased mortality. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately two-thirds of breast cancer patients have ER-positive tumors. HSF1 status may shed light not only on prognosis but also on how such patients might respond to specific therapies.

Nerve protein linked to learning and memory Posted: 31 Oct 2011 12:41 PM PDT Biology professors have found the protein tomosyn plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitter between synapses, and consequently plays a role in longer-term memory and learning. The results may prove helpful in developing new drugs to treat human memory loss.

New way to rate severity of colitis, a common cause of diarrhea Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:22 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new way to assess a common cause of chronic diarrhea, microscopic colitis, using the Microscopic Colitis Disease Activity Index. The index provides a consistent way to assess the condition's severity.

Doctors' own alcohol consumption colors advice to patients Posted: 31 Oct 2011 10:20 AM PDT Doctors who drink more themselves are more liberal in their advice to patients on alcohol consumption. They set higher thresholds for what is harmful, and while men who are heavy drinkers get to continue drinking, women are often advised to stop altogether, reveals new research.

Researchers find regulatory T-cell clue to help prevent GVHD Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious risk in many kinds of cell transplants, including for stem cell transplants carried out when stem cells are partially depleted of conventional T cells, which play an important role in the immune system. Now, researchers have tested a process by which T regulatory cells can be "expanded" to help prevent GVHD.

UV light controls antibodies, improves biosensors Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT From detecting pathogens in blood samples to the study of protein synthesis, Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors have many uses in modern biology. Now researchers have found a way to increase the number of right-side-up antibodies in this well-established molecule detection process -- using light.

Using math and light to detect misshapen red blood cells Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT Researchers have pioneered a technique that will allow doctors to ascertain the healthy shape of red blood cells in just a few seconds, by analyzing the light scattered off hundreds of cells at a time.

Fast new method for mapping blood vessels may aid cancer research Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:02 AM PDT Computational neuroscientists have developed a new system, tested in mouse brain samples, that substantially reduces blood vessel mapping time.

Link discovered among spectrum of childhood diseases Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:02 AM PDT Scientists have identified a genetic mutation that causes a rare childhood disease characterized predominantly by inflammation and fat loss.

Targeting leg fatigue in heart failure Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:02 AM PDT Doctors should not only treat the heart muscle in chronic heart failure patients, but also their leg muscles through exercise, say researchers.

Surgeons perform novel procedures prior to lung transplant Posted: 31 Oct 2011 09:02 AM PDT Surgeons have performed two specific procedures together as a bridge to lung transplantation. Wanda Craig, of Lexington, Ky., is the first patient in history to receive these procedures, and at the age of 68, she is also the oldest living human to be bridged to transplant using an artificial lung device, also known as an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Weight gain in college? The freshman 15 is just a myth, U.S. study reveals Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT Contrary to popular belief, most college students don't gain anywhere near 15 pounds during their freshman year, according to a new nationwide study. Rather than adding "the freshman 15," as it is commonly called, the average student gains between about 2.5 and 3.5 pounds during the first year of college.

Noninvasive current stimulation improves sight in patients with optic nerve damage, study suggests Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation for 10 days (30-40 minutes per day) significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life.

Influencing craving for cigarettes by stimulating the brain Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT Targeted brain stimulation increases cigarette cravings, a new study has found, which may lead to new treatments. Cues such as watching someone else smoke, elicit craving and may provoke relapse. There are many methods that smokers use in an attempt to reduce their craving for cigarettes, including efficacious pharmacologic treatments such as nicotine patches, hypnosis and acupuncture. Scientists have long suspected that these diverse approaches might work through the reduction of activity in a brain circuit that is responsible for cigarette craving.

Do deficits in brain cannabinoids contribute to eating disorders? Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT A new report suggests that deficits in endocannabinoid function may contribute to anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Endocannabinoids are substances made by the brain that affect brain function and chemistry in ways that resemble the effects of cannabis derivatives, including marijuana and hashish. These commonly abused drugs are well known to increase appetite, i.e., to cause the "munchies." Thus, it makes sense that deficits in this brain system would be associated with reduced appetite.

Physicians show bias when diagnosing stomach problems, study finds Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:51 AM PDT Patients who complain of upper gastrointestinal symptoms often face a diagnosis of either gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or functional dyspepsia. Because the two conditions often overlap, it can be difficult to distinguish between them and diagnose them properly. Yet ambulatory care facilities and hospitals have reported a dramatic increase in the number of GERD-related visits/discharges in recent years.

Research highlights training to improve colorectal cancer detection and assesses impact of pre-cancerous changes in the far reaches of the colon Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:51 AM PDT The first study to assess improvements in detection of pre-cancerous growths in the colon through intensive physician training was presented today at ACG 2011, where CRC detection was an important focus of the scientific presentations.

Latitude variation in incidence of chronic digestive diseases Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:51 AM PDT New research points to a potential role for UV light exposure and vitamin D levels in chronic digestive conditions; Crohn's disease, a serious inflammatory condition in the small intestine; and ulcerative colitis, which similarly affects the colon.

Social media has role in delivery of healthcare but patients should proceed with caution, experts say Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:51 AM PDT Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube can be powerful platforms to deliver and receive healthcare information, especially for patients and caregivers who are increasingly going online to connect and share experiences with others with similar medical issues or concerns. However, experts say these sites may lack patient-centered information and can also be sources of misleading information that could potentially do more harm than good, according to the results of two separate social media-related studies unveiled today.

Psychological traumas experienced over lifetime linked to adult irritable bowel syndrome Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:51 AM PDT The psychological and emotional traumas experienced over a lifetime -- such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disaster, house fire or car accident, physical or mental abuse -- may contribute to adult irritable bowel syndrome, according to the results of a new study.

Physicians who play Mozart while performing colonoscopy may improve adenoma detection rate Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study.

New research on improved treatment options and screening strategies for hepatitis C Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Researchers are presenting studies reporting on the effectiveness of new therapies for chronic hepatitis C virus, as well as findings from an age-based risk assessment and screening intervention for hepatitis C among Baby Boomers, patients aged 50-65, who saw a gastroenterologist for routine colon cancer screening.

Probiotics effective in combating antibiotic-associated diarrhea, studies find; 'Good bugs' look promising as anti-inflammatory agents Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT In four different studies, researchers explored the effectiveness of probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea; as an anti-inflammatory agent for patients with ulcerative colitis, psoriasis and chronic fatigue syndrome; and for people with abdominal discomfort and bloating who have not been diagnosed with a functional bowel disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, study finds Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Just one drink per day for women -- two for men -- could lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and subsequently cause gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, according to the results of a new study.

Hepatitis transmission risk needs to be studied in nail salons, barbershops, analysis suggests Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT The risk of hepatitis transmission through non-single use instruments -- such as nail files, nail brushes, finger bowls, foot basins, buffers, razors, clippers, and scissors -- during nail salon and barbershop visits cannot be excluded, according to the results of a new report.

Fecal microbiota transplants effective treatment for C. difficile, inflammatory bowel disease, research finds Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Growing evidence for the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplants as a treatment for patients with recurrent bouts of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea is presented in three studies -- including a long-term follow-up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent C. difficile Infection that included 77 patients from five different states.

Cigarette smoking's impact lingers after quitting: Current, former smokers may face impaired pancreatic duct cell function, elevated colorectal cancer risk Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Cigarette smoking appears to impair pancreatic duct cell function -- even for those who quit -- putting all smokers at risk of compromised digestive function regardless of age, gender and alcohol intake, according to the results of a new study.

Celiac patients face potential hazard as information on cosmetic ingredients difficult to find Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT The lack of readily available information about cosmetic ingredients may cause patients with celiac disease who use lip, facial or body products to unknowingly expose themselves to gluten -- an ingredient they need to avoid, according to the results of a new study.

Antibiotics may not be only cause of community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:49 AM PDT Antibiotics may not be the only risk factor associated with community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection, indicating that other undefined causes of the potentially life-threatening infection may exist and could also predict whether or not a patient will require hospitalization, according to the results of a new study.

Teeth crowded in seniors, as jaws shrink Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:48 AM PDT The size of our jaws decreases with age. This is shown in a unique study from Sweden that followed a cohort of dentists throughout their adult lives.

Computer-based tool to improve diagnosis and prognosis for cancer patients Posted: 31 Oct 2011 08:48 AM PDT A computer-based tool could help GPs to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from two of the most common forms of cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year.

Short training course significantly improves detection of precancerous polyps, study finds Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:20 AM PDT Just two extra hours of focused training significantly increased the ability of physicians to find potentially precancerous polyps, known as adenomas, in the colon, according to researchers.

Fast, affordable ways for countries to better identify causes of death in populations Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:20 AM PDT New research shows that innovative and improved methods for analyzing verbal autopsies -- a method of determining individuals' causes of death in countries without a complete vital registration system -- are fast, effective, and inexpensive, and could be invaluable for countries struggling to understand disease trends.

Key driver of metastasis identified Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:20 AM PDT Protein S100A10 is essential for metastatic growth. Macrophages rely upon S100A10 to power movement of tumor cells to new sites.

Drugs used to tackle hospital-acquired infections can increase post-op complications Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:19 AM PDT The introduction of new antibiotic regimes to tackle hospital-acquired infections, such as C. difficile, must take into account the possibility of increased infections following specific surgical procedures. Researchers have studied 709 consecutive patients over 20 months. Patients undergoing a standard surgical procedure to diagnose prostate cancer developed more than five times as many infective complications when a new standard antibiotic regime was introduced in line with national guidance. These included a number of cases of sepsis and one case of septic shock - a highly significant finding.

Patterns of new DNA letter in brain suggest distinct function Posted: 30 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT In 2009, the DNA alphabet expanded. Scientists discovered that an extra letter or "sixth nucleotide" was surprisingly abundant in DNA from stem cells and brain cells. Now, researchers have mapped the patterns formed by that letter in the brains of mice, observing how its pattern of distribution in the genome changes during development and aging.

Findings offer new clues into the addicted brain Posted: 30 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT What drives addicts to repeatedly choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, overeating, gambling or kleptomania, despite the risks involved? Neuroscientists have pinpointed the exact locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior.

Fat cells in abdomen fuel spread of ovarian cancer Posted: 30 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT A large pad of abdominal fat cells provides nutrients that promote the spread and growth of ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. This fatty tissue, extraordinarily rich in energy-dense lipids, serves as a rich fuel source, enabling cancer cells to multiply rapidly.

First-of-its-kind study creates new tool for targeted cancer drug development Posted: 30 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT In a technical tour de force, scientists have cataloged and cross-indexed the actions of 178 candidate drugs capable of blocking the activity of one or more of 300 enzymes, including enzymes critical for cancer and other diseases. Additionally, a free library of the results has been made available online to the research community. This unique library represents an important new tool for accelerating the development of an entire class of targeted cancer drugs.

Scientists identify protein form linked to Huntington's disease Posted: 30 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how a form of the protein linked to Huntington's disease influences the timing and severity of its symptoms, offering new avenues for treating not only this disease, but also a variety of similar conditions.

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