ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• We're all living longer, but longevity increases not benefiting everybody
• Flesh-eating fungus responsible for five deaths in wake of massive tornado
• Improved techniques may help recovery and prevent incidents of missing drivers with dementia
• Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid use may impact visuospatial memory
• Drug to treat opioid addiction places children at risk for accidental exposure
• What mechanism generates our fingers and toes? Genetic studies confirm a mathematical model
• New findings on killer bacteria’s defence
• Medical errors in hospitals: Doing the right thing when things go wrong
• New targets for drugs to defeat aggressive brain tumor
• Schizophrenia linked to social inequality
• Hard-to-treat Myc-driven cancers may be susceptible to drug already used in clinic
• Tissue engineering -- Growing new organs, and more: Research could lead to better ways to heal injuries and develop new drugs
• Antidepressant could do double duty as diabetes drug, study shows
• Countering brain chemical could prevent suicides, research suggests
• Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease
• Gazpacho consumption associated with lower blood pressure, study finds
• Changes in the gut bacteria protect against stroke, research finds
• Variable congestion charges may yield more stable air quality and improved health
• Better understanding of the cause of Alzheimer's disease
• One in ten 6- to 8-year-olds has sleep-disordered breathing, Finnish study finds
• The end of a dogma: Bipolar cells generate action potentials
• Experts advise doctors on how to clear patients for space travel
• Intense mind wandering could account for 'substantial proportion' of road crashes
• Experts warn of misbehaving tooth fairy
• Dogs can help wake sleepy patients on public transport
• Dogs can accurately sniff out 'superbug' infections
• Olympians live longer than general population ... But cyclists no survival advantage over golfers
• Antioxidant cookies made possible by grape seeds
• Despite hype, costly prostate cancer treatment offers little relief from side effects, study finds

We're all living longer, but longevity increases not benefiting everybody Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:15 PM PST Global lifespans have risen dramatically in the past 40 years, but the increased life expectancy is not benefiting everybody equally. In particular, adult males from low- and middle-income countries are losing ground.

Flesh-eating fungus responsible for five deaths in wake of massive tornado Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:09 PM PST A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed five people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new studies.

Improved techniques may help recovery and prevent incidents of missing drivers with dementia Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST A new study focusing on characteristics of people with dementia who become lost while driving, and the role of public notification systems like Silver Alert in these discoveries, makes recommendations that may help recover drivers with dementia and prevent potentially harmful incidents.

Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid use may impact visuospatial memory Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST The long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids may severely impact the user's ability to accurately recall the shapes and spatial relationships of objects, according to a recent study.

Drug to treat opioid addiction places children at risk for accidental exposure Posted: 14 Dec 2012 09:40 AM PST As the prescribed use of buprenorphine has dramatically increased in recent years, accidental exposure of children to the drug has risen sharply, placing them at risk for serious injury, and in extremely rare cases even death.

What mechanism generates our fingers and toes? Genetic studies confirm a mathematical model Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST Researchers have identified the mechanism responsible for generating our fingers and toes, and revealed the importance of gene regulation in the transition of fins to limbs during evolution.

New findings on killer bacteria’s defence Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST Research from Sweden casts new light on the interaction between the immune system and streptococcus bacteria, which cause both mild tonsillitis and serious infections such as sepsis and necrotising fasciitis. The way in which antibodies attach to the bacteria is linked to how serious the disease is.

Medical errors in hospitals: Doing the right thing when things go wrong Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST The Univ. of Michigan Health System doesn't claim to be perfect. But its response to medical errors is a model that other hospitals can and should copy, according to a new study.

New targets for drugs to defeat aggressive brain tumor Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:27 AM PST Researchers have identified over 125 genetic components in a chemotherapy-resistant, brain tumor-derived cell line, which could offer new hope for drug treatment to destroy the cancer cells. The potential drug targets were identified after testing more than 5,000 genes derived from glioblastoma multiforme.

Schizophrenia linked to social inequality Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:27 AM PST Higher rates of schizophrenia in urban areas can be attributed to increased deprivation, increased population density and an increase in inequality within a neighborhood, new research reveals.

Hard-to-treat Myc-driven cancers may be susceptible to drug already used in clinic Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:22 AM PST Drugs that are used in the clinic to treat some forms of breast and kidney cancer and that work by inhibiting the signaling molecule mTORC1 might have utility in treating some of the more than 15 percent of human cancers driven by alterations in the Myc gene, according to data from a preclinical study.

Tissue engineering -- Growing new organs, and more: Research could lead to better ways to heal injuries and develop new drugs Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:54 AM PST In the 1970s and 1980s, tissue engineers began working on growing replacement organs for transplantation into patients. While scientists are still targeting that goal, much of the tissue engineering research at MIT is also focused on creating tissue that can be used in the lab to model human disease and test potential new drugs.

Antidepressant could do double duty as diabetes drug, study shows Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:16 AM PST Researchers have discovered that the commonly used antidepressant drug paroxetine could also become a therapy for the vascular complications of diabetes.

Countering brain chemical could prevent suicides, research suggests Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:16 AM PST Researchers have found the first proof that a chemical in the brain called glutamate is linked to suicidal behavior, offering new hope for efforts to prevent people from taking their own lives.

Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:13 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new gene mechanism that appears to regulate triglyceride levels. This pathway may protect carriers of a gene variant against cardiovascular disease.

Gazpacho consumption associated with lower blood pressure, study finds Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST A regular consumption of gazpacho can contribute to reduce hypertension, according to a new study by researchers in Spain.

Changes in the gut bacteria protect against stroke, research finds Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST Researchers in Sweden demonstrate that an altered gut microbiota in humans is associated with symptomatic atherosclerosis and stroke.

Variable congestion charges may yield more stable air quality and improved health Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST Higher congestion charges in the morning and in the spring would even out the negative health effects caused by air pollution from cars in large cities.

Better understanding of the cause of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 35 million people worldwide. It is generally assumed that the clumping of beta-amyloid protein causes neuronal loss in patients. Medication focuses on reducing beta-amyloid 42, one of the most common proteins and the most harmful. Researchers in the Netherlands are refining the current approach.

One in ten 6- to 8-year-olds has sleep-disordered breathing, Finnish study finds Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:58 AM PST Approximately ten per cent of 6-8 year olds have sleep-disordered breathing, according to a recent Finnish study. The risk is increased among children with enlarged tonsils, crossbite and convex facial profile. Unlike in adults, excess body fat is not associated with sleep-disordered breathing in this age group.

The end of a dogma: Bipolar cells generate action potentials Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:58 AM PST To make information transmission to the brain reliable, the retina first has to "digitize" the image. Until now, it was widely believed that this step takes place in the retinal ganglion cells, the output neurons of the retina. Scientists have now been able to show that already bipolar cells can generate "digital" signals. At least three types of mouse BC showed clear evidence of fast and stereotypic action potentials, so called "spikes". These results show that the retina is by no means as well understood as is commonly believed.

Experts advise doctors on how to clear patients for space travel Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:36 PM PST With the prospect of space travel for tourists looming, clinicians could soon be asked to advise on medical clearance for their patients, according to a new paper.

Intense mind wandering could account for 'substantial proportion' of road crashes Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST People whose minds wander whilst driving, especially when intense, are significantly more likely to be responsible for a crash and are threatening safety on the roads, a new study warns.

Experts warn of misbehaving tooth fairy Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Opinions of the tooth fairy as kind and giving may need to be revised following "mounting reports of less child-friendly activity," according to a new paper.

Dogs can help wake sleepy patients on public transport Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Researchers in Belgium show in a new article how dogs can help patients with severe sleep problems.

Dogs can accurately sniff out 'superbug' infections Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Dogs can sniff out Clostridium difficile (the infective agent that is responsible for many of the dreaded "hospital acquired infections") in stool samples and even in the air surrounding patients in hospital with a very high degree of accuracy, a new study finds.

Olympians live longer than general population ... But cyclists no survival advantage over golfers Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Olympic medallists live longer than the general population, regardless of country of origin, medal won, or type of sport played, according to a new study. A second study comparing athletes who trained at different physical intensities, found that those from high or moderate intensity sports have no added survival benefit over athletes from low intensity sports. But those who engage in disciplines with high levels of physical contact, such as boxing, rugby and ice hockey, are at an increased risk of death in later life, the data show.

Antioxidant cookies made possible by grape seeds Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:30 PM PST A new study found that it is possible to create cookies enriched with antioxidants from grape seeds that taste good and have an antioxidant level about 10 times higher than a regular cookie.

Despite hype, costly prostate cancer treatment offers little relief from side effects, study finds Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST Prostate cancer patients receiving the costly treatment known as proton radiotherapy experienced minimal relief from side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, compared to patients undergoing a standard radiation treatment called intensity modulated radiotherapy, researchers report.

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