ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Health insurance: Higher proportion of California children uninsured than in U.S., analysis shows
• Even moderate drinking in pregnancy can affect a child's IQ
• People identify symptoms of depression more readily in women than men
• Gene nearly triples risk of Alzheimer's, international research team finds
• Discovery could lead to faster diagnosis for some chronic fatigue syndrome cases
• Heart failure in older breast cancer patients linked to medication
• Evolving roles of hospice and palliative care
• Research breakthrough could halt melanoma metastasis, study suggests
• Meningitis A vaccine breaks barrier; first to gain approval to travel outside cold chain
• Five things everyone should know about lung cancer
• ACL knee injuries much more likely in female athletes
• Could poor sleep contribute to symptoms of schizophrenia?
• Pig genomes provide massive amount of genomic data for human health
• Tolerance to malaria by means of iron control
• Rare parasitic fungi could have anti-flammatory benefits
• 20-year-old stroke patient part of growing trend of strokes in young people
• Exposure to light at night may cause depression, learning issues, mouse study suggests
• Cancer therapy: Nanokey opens tumors to attack
• Pancreas stem cell discovery may lead to new diabetes treatments
• Brain waves make waves
• Why some people are afraid to relax
• Engineering a photo-switch for nerve cells in the eye and brain
• PCBs, other pollutants may play role in pregnancy delay
• A risk gene for cannabis psychosis
• Smoking affects allergy-relevant stem cells
• Triclosan in cosmetics and personal care products can increase allergy risk
• BPA shown to disrupt thyroid function in pregnant animals and offspring
• Diabetic patients have higher prevalence of hearing impairment
• Timing of first menstual cycle may be predictor of cardiovascular disease risk in women
• Mobile phone services help smokers quit
• Cancer: Exercise reduces tiredness
• Don’t forget to screen for diabetes in CAD patients, says European Society of Cardiology
• How threat, reward and stress come together to predict problem drinking
• Metals versus microbes: The biocidal effect of metalloacid-coated surfaces
• Relatives of people who die suddenly from heart problems have greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Bacterial DNA sequence used to map an infection outbreak
• International action needed to ensure the quality of medicines and tackle the fake drugs trade

Health insurance: Higher proportion of California children uninsured than in U.S., analysis shows Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:29 PM PST Compared to the nation, a higher proportion of children in California are uninsured, one in every 10 children or more than 1.1 million in 2011. More of California's children have public health insurance and fewer through their parents' employer. And, over the past three years, a decade of advances in California children's public insurance enrollment has stalled.

Even moderate drinking in pregnancy can affect a child's IQ Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:28 PM PST Relatively small levels of exposure to alcohol while in the womb can influence a child's IQ, according to a new study using data from over 4,000 mothers and their children.

People identify symptoms of depression more readily in women than men Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:28 PM PST The ability to correctly identify signs of depression depends on the gender of both the identifier and the person with depression, as well as individual psychological differences, according to new research.

Gene nearly triples risk of Alzheimer's, international research team finds Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:17 PM PST A gene so powerful it nearly triples the risk of Alzheimer's disease has been discovered by an international team of researchers. It is the most potent genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's identified in the past 20 years.

Discovery could lead to faster diagnosis for some chronic fatigue syndrome cases Posted: 14 Nov 2012 02:17 PM PST For the first time, researchers have landed on a potential diagnostic method to identify at least a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome - testing for antibodies linked to latent Epstein-Barr virus reactivation.

Heart failure in older breast cancer patients linked to medication Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:26 PM PST Heart failure is a relatively common complication in older women with breast cancer, but the risk is even higher in those patients treated with adjuvant trastuzumab, researchers report.

Evolving roles of hospice and palliative care Posted: 14 Nov 2012 01:16 PM PST Many people think hospice and palliative care come at the end of life, and while both often play a key role then, palliative care also can provide pain relief, symptom control, emotional comfort and spiritual support as patients recover from serious illnesses.

Research breakthrough could halt melanoma metastasis, study suggests Posted: 14 Nov 2012 12:32 PM PST In laboratory experiments, scientists have eliminated metastasis, the spread of cancer from the original tumor to other parts of the body, in melanoma by inhibiting a protein known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9 (mda-9)/syntenin.

Meningitis A vaccine breaks barrier; first to gain approval to travel outside cold chain Posted: 14 Nov 2012 12:32 PM PST Signaling a potential breakthrough for immunization programs in resource-poor countries, researchers will for the first time allow a vaccine in Africa to be transported and stored for as long as four days without refrigeration or even an icepack.

Five things everyone should know about lung cancer Posted: 14 Nov 2012 12:31 PM PST More than an estimated 160,000 people in the United States will die from lung cancer this year, making it the country's leading cause of cancer death. According to the National Cancer Institute, it surpassed breast cancer as the number one killer in women back in 1987. It causes more deaths than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined, according to the American Lung Association.

ACL knee injuries much more likely in female athletes Posted: 14 Nov 2012 12:31 PM PST Female athletes are far more likely than males to suffer serious ACL knee injuries. But many of these injuries could be prevented by doing preseason conditioning and using proper landing techniques after jumping.

Could poor sleep contribute to symptoms of schizophrenia? Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:45 AM PST Neuroscientists studying the link between poor sleep and schizophrenia have found that irregular sleep patterns and desynchronized brain activity during sleep could trigger some of the disease's symptoms. The findings suggest that these prolonged disturbances might be a cause and not just a consequence of the disorder's debilitating effects.

Pig genomes provide massive amount of genomic data for human health Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:45 AM PST Researchers provide a whole-genome sequence and analysis of number of pig breeds, including a miniature pig that serves a model for human medical studies and therapeutic drug testing.

Tolerance to malaria by means of iron control Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:40 AM PST Malaria is a life-threatening condition that exposes approximately half of the world's population to the risk of developing a severe and often lethal form of disease. Researchers have discovered that the development of severe forms of malaria can be prevented by a simple mechanism that controls the accumulation of iron in tissues of the infected host.

Rare parasitic fungi could have anti-flammatory benefits Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:40 AM PST Caterpillar fungi are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine - just a small amount can fetch hundreds of dollars.

20-year-old stroke patient part of growing trend of strokes in young people Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:39 AM PST Michelle Nimmerrichter was only 20 when she suffered a stroke that left her in a coma and on a ventilator. She appears to be part of a trend -- a recent study found that strokes are affecting people at younger ages.

Exposure to light at night may cause depression, learning issues, mouse study suggests Posted: 14 Nov 2012 10:39 AM PST For most of history, humans rose with the sun and slept when it set. Enter Thomas Edison and colleagues, and with a flick of a switch, night became day, enabling us to work, play and post cat and kid photos on Facebook into the wee hours. According to a new study of mice, however, this typical 21st-century scenario may come at a serious cost: When people routinely burn the midnight oil, they risk suffering depression and learning issues, and not only because of lack of sleep. The culprit could also be exposure to bright light at night from lamps, computers and even iPads.

Cancer therapy: Nanokey opens tumors to attack Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:38 AM PST There are plenty of effective anticancer agents around. The problem is that, very often, they cannot gain access to all the cells in solid tumors. A new gene delivery vehicle may provide a way of making tracks to the heart of the target.

Pancreas stem cell discovery may lead to new diabetes treatments Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:34 AM PST Stem cells in the adult pancreas have been identified that can be turned into insulin producing cells, a finding that means people with type 1 diabetes might one day be able to regenerate their own insulin-producing cells.

Brain waves make waves Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:33 AM PST Naturally, our brain activity waxes and wanes. When listening, this oscillation synchronizes to the sounds we are hearing. Researchers have found that this influences the way we listen. Hearing abilities also oscillate and depend on the exact timing of one's brain rhythms. This discovery that sound, brain, and behavior are so intimately coupled will help us to learn more about listening abilities in hearing loss.

Why some people are afraid to relax Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:29 AM PST Are you one of those people who can't sit still? A researcher has developed a questionnaire to explore the physical, cognitive and social issues surrounding the anxiety related to kicking back a little.

Engineering a photo-switch for nerve cells in the eye and brain Posted: 14 Nov 2012 08:29 AM PST Chemists and vision scientists have designed a light-sensitive molecule that can stimulate a neural response in cells of the retina and brain -- a possible first step to overcoming degenerative eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration, or to quieting epileptic seizures.

PCBs, other pollutants may play role in pregnancy delay Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:40 AM PST Couples with high levels of PCBs and similar environmental pollutants take longer to achieve pregnancy in comparison to other couples with lower levels of the pollutants, according to a preliminary study.

A risk gene for cannabis psychosis Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:39 AM PST The ability of cannabis to produce psychosis has long been an important public health concern. This concern is growing in importance as there is emerging data that cannabis exposure during adolescence may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, a serious psychotic disorder. Further, with the advent of medical marijuana, a new group of people with uncertain psychosis risk may be exposed to cannabis.

Smoking affects allergy-relevant stem cells Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:39 AM PST Environmental contaminants, such as smoking, are harmful to the human organism in relation to the occurrence of allergies. Until now, researchers had never investigated whether and to what extent environmental contaminants also affect allergy-relevant stem cells. For the first time, researchers have found evidence that smoking affects the development of peripheral allergy-relevant stem cells in the blood.

Triclosan in cosmetics and personal care products can increase allergy risk Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:38 AM PST Triclosan - an antibacterial chemical found in toothpaste and other products - can contribute to an increased risk of allergy development in children.

BPA shown to disrupt thyroid function in pregnant animals and offspring Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:32 AM PST In utero exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can be associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep, according to a recent study.

Diabetic patients have higher prevalence of hearing impairment Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:32 AM PST Patients with diabetes have a significantly higher prevalence of hearing impairment than patients without diabetes, according to a recent.

Timing of first menstual cycle may be predictor of cardiovascular disease risk in women Posted: 14 Nov 2012 05:32 AM PST Age at onset of menarche (first menstrual cycle) is associated with increased body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and overall obesity in adulthood, according to a recent study.

Mobile phone services help smokers quit Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:49 PM PST Support for quitting smoking via text and video messages can help smokers kick the habit according to a new review. The authors of the review found that people were more likely to stay away from cigarettes over a six month period if they received motivational messages and advice to their mobile phones.

Cancer: Exercise reduces tiredness Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:49 PM PST Aerobic exercise can help relieve the fatigue often associated with cancer and cancer treatment, according to researchers. Their updated systematic review strengthens findings from an earlier version on cancer-related fatigue.

Don’t forget to screen for diabetes in CAD patients, says European Society of Cardiology Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:46 PM PST While it is well recognized that patients with diabetes are at risk of developing Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), on World Diabetes Day, the European Society of Cardiology highlights the fact that patients with CAD are also at great risk of developing diabetes mellitus.

How threat, reward and stress come together to predict problem drinking Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:46 PM PST Having a drink after a stressful day at work may seem like a natural response for some, but can your neural circuits predict when a drink or two will become problem drinking? A new study suggests that may be the case. The study describes a highly novel mechanism predicting problem drinking in college students from fMRI data measuring individual differences in the functioning of reward and threat circuits in the brain.

Metals versus microbes: The biocidal effect of metalloacid-coated surfaces Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:46 PM PST A new study reports of a phenomenon that could help control the spread of hospital-acquired infections: a surface-coating of metalloacids kills off microbial strains, even in multidrug-resistant microorganisms.

Relatives of people who die suddenly from heart problems have greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:46 PM PST Relatives of young people who have died suddenly from a heart-related problem are at greatly increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Bacterial DNA sequence used to map an infection outbreak Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:46 PM PST For the first time, researchers have used DNA sequencing to help bring an infectious disease outbreak in a hospital to a close. Researchers used advanced DNA sequencing technologies to confirm the presence of an ongoing outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a Special Care Baby Unit in real time. This assisted in stopping the outbreak earlier, saving possible harm to patients. This approach is much more accurate than current methods used to detect hospital outbreaks.

International action needed to ensure the quality of medicines and tackle the fake drugs trade Posted: 13 Nov 2012 03:52 PM PST A global treaty is urgently needed to tackle the deadly trade of substandard and fake medicines, say leading experts in a new paper.

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