ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Polio still a threat to public health, expert says
• Fatherhood can help change a man's bad habits
• Physical functioning declines more rapidly among the poor, study finds
• Hospital safety climate linked to both patient and nurse injuries
• Nursing error disclosure in nursing homes examined in new study
• New technology to monitor brain aneurysms
• Concurrent chemo and radiation confers survival benefit in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients
• CT scans can help detect gout cases traditional tests miss, study finds
• Tweaking withdrawal of rheumatoid arthritis medications before surgeries may reduce disease flares
• Rheumatoid arthritis patients have low expectations after knee replacement surgery
• Stress triggers disease flares in patients with vasculitis
• Life challenges prevent those with lupus from keeping doctors' appointments
• Most women with lupus can have successful pregnancy outcomes, study finds
• Young women with rheumatoid arthritis at more risk for broken bones, study finds
• Colorectal cancer: Jumping gene named Sleeping Beauty plays vital role in investigating cancer pathway
• Model of enzyme's structure could spur new therapies
• Critical step to opening elusive class of compounds to drug discovery
• Molecule serves as a key in some protein interactions
• Adding nurse practitioner reduces unnecessary emergency department visits, study finds
• Dead of winter is tough on arthritis sufferers
• Vintage leather football helmets often as protective as modern helmets in common, game-like hits
• Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry
• Biologists use flies and mice to get to the heart of Down syndrome
• Gene discovered as cause of fatal condition
• Caucasians who avoid sun exposure more likely to be vitamin D deficient, study suggests

Polio still a threat to public health, expert says Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:18 PM PST After years of tracking isolated cases of live poliovirus, a medical researcher reports that the wild poliovirus can still be found in countries that were widely believed polio-free.

Fatherhood can help change a man's bad habits Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:18 PM PST After men become fathers for the first time, they show significant decreases in crime, tobacco and alcohol use, according to a new, 19-year study. Researchers assessed more than 200 at-risk boys annually from the age of 12 to 31, and examined how men's crime, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use changed over time. While previous studies showed that marriage can change a man's negative behavior, they had not isolated the additional effects of fatherhood.

Physical functioning declines more rapidly among the poor, study finds Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:17 PM PST A new national study shows that wealthier Americans and those with private health insurance fare better than others on one important measure of health – and this health gap only grows wider as they age. Researchers found that, when the study began, middle-aged and older Americans with more income and assets reported having less trouble with five activities of daily living: Walking across a room, bathing, eating, dressing and getting in and out of bed.

Hospital safety climate linked to both patient and nurse injuries Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:02 PM PST Researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor in Drexel's School of Public Health, found that safety climate was associated with both patient and nurse injuries, suggesting that patient and nurse safety may be linked outcomes. The study was published online in BMJ Quality and Safety in October.

Nursing error disclosure in nursing homes examined in new study Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:14 PM PST In a new study, researchers found the majority of registered nurse respondents reported error disclosure and responding to be a difficult process in their workplaces. The study has implications to improve nursing education, policy, and patient safety culture in the nursing home setting.

New technology to monitor brain aneurysms Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST Researchers have developed new technology for monitoring brain aneurysms – an approach that is potentially less invasive and more accurate than current methods, and one that is simple enough for patients to use at home for frequent monitoring.

Concurrent chemo and radiation confers survival benefit in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST The combination of chemotherapy and radiation significantly improved the 5-year overall survival of patients with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma, according to a phase III study.

CT scans can help detect gout cases traditional tests miss, study finds Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST X-ray images known as CT scans can help confirm gout in patients who are suspected of having the painful condition but receive negative results from traditional tests, a Mayo Clinic study has found.

Tweaking withdrawal of rheumatoid arthritis medications before surgeries may reduce disease flares Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:13 PM PST As guidelines recommend, doctors appear to be stopping anti-TNF medications before surgery, but may be doing so far sooner than is necessary, according to a new study. These medications are used to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, and better timing of withdrawal prior to surgery might minimize the risk of disease flares.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients have low expectations after knee replacement surgery Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:12 PM PST Compared with osteoarthritis patients, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis who undergo total knee replacement surgery have lower expectations about their post-surgical outcomes, according to a new study. These reduced expectations, which may be unnecessary, could cause some patients to slack on their post-surgical rehabilitation leading to worse outcomes, say doctors.

Stress triggers disease flares in patients with vasculitis Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:12 PM PST In patients with a devastating form of vasculitis who are in remission, stress can be associated with a greater likelihood of the disease flaring, according to a new study.

Life challenges prevent those with lupus from keeping doctors' appointments Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:11 PM PST The first step towards successful medical care is to see a physician, but for some patients this isn't as simple or easy as it may sound. A new study finds that many lupus patients with low socioeconomic status are unable to attend scheduled appointments with physicians due to daily obstacles.

Most women with lupus can have successful pregnancy outcomes, study finds Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:11 PM PST Promising research may offer hope for women with lupus who once thought that pregnancy was too risky.

Young women with rheumatoid arthritis at more risk for broken bones, study finds Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:11 PM PST Women under 50 with rheumatoid arthritis are at greater risk of breaking bones than women without the condition, according to a new study.

Colorectal cancer: Jumping gene named Sleeping Beauty plays vital role in investigating cancer pathway Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:10 PM PST A jumping gene has helped to unlock vital clues for researchers investigating the genetics of colorectal cancer. In a new study, researchers used DNA transposon system to profile the repertoire of genes that can drive colorectal cancer in a mouse model, identifying many more than previously thought. Around one third of these genes are mutated in human cancer, which provides strong evidence that they are driver mutations in human tumours.

Model of enzyme's structure could spur new therapies Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:10 PM PST Scientists have determined the structure of an enzyme complex that regulates vital cell functions. Disregulation of such complexes is associated with diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. The new work provides drug developers with a specific and unique new target to consider in their efforts to find new treatments.

Critical step to opening elusive class of compounds to drug discovery Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:10 PM PST Taxanes are a family of compounds that includes one of the most important cancer drugs ever discovered, Taxol, among other cancer treatments. But the difficulty producing these complex molecules in the lab has hampered or blocked exploration of the family for further drug leads. Scientists have now successfully achieved a major step toward the goal of synthetically producing Taxol and other complex taxanes on a quest to harness chemical reactions that could enable research on previously unavailable potential drugs.

Molecule serves as a key in some protein interactions Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:33 PM PDT Researchers have identified an unexpected mechanism facilitating some protein interactions that are the workhorses of cells and, in the process, identified a potential new cancer drug development target.

Adding nurse practitioner reduces unnecessary emergency department visits, study finds Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:33 PM PDT Adding a nurse practitioner to a busy hospital staff can decrease unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits, according to a new study. Researchers found that the nurse practitioner reduced ED visits by improving the continuity in care and troubleshooting problems for patients. The addition of an NP also resulted in an improved use of resources and financial benefits for the health system.

Dead of winter is tough on arthritis sufferers Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:33 PM PDT As cold winter weather sets in and daylight hours dwindle, many older Chicagoans with arthritis tend to sit idle, missing out on the daily dose of physical activity they need to improve their health, according to a new study.

Vintage leather football helmets often as protective as modern helmets in common, game-like hits Posted: 05 Nov 2011 12:33 PM PDT Old-fashioned "leatherhead" football helmets from the early 1900s are often as effective as -- and sometimes better than -- modern football helmets at protecting against injuries during routine, game-like collisions, according to researchers.

Brain parasite directly alters brain chemistry Posted: 04 Nov 2011 07:21 AM PDT A research group from the University of Leeds has shown that infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, found in 10-20 percent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain.

Biologists use flies and mice to get to the heart of Down syndrome Posted: 04 Nov 2011 06:16 AM PDT A novel study involving fruit flies and mice has allowed biologists to identify two critical genes responsible for congenital heart defects in individuals with Down syndrome, a major cause of infant mortality and death in people born with this genetic disorder.

Gene discovered as cause of fatal condition Posted: 03 Nov 2011 10:22 AM PDT Medical scientists have for the first time identified a gene responsible for a fatal abdominal condition that afflicts tens of thousands of people across the world.

Caucasians who avoid sun exposure more likely to be vitamin D deficient, study suggests Posted: 03 Nov 2011 09:24 AM PDT Light-skinned people who avoid the sun are twice as likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency as those who do not, according to a study of nearly 6,000 people. Surprisingly, the use of sunscreen did not significantly affect blood levels of vitamin D, perhaps because users were applying too little or too infrequently, researchers speculate.

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