السبت، 26 يناير 2013

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Qigong improves quality of life for breast cancer patients, study suggests

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 11:22 AM PST

Researchers have found qigong, an ancient mind-body practice, reduces depressive symptoms and improves quality of life in women undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer.

P53 mutation hinders cancer treatment response

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 08:13 AM PST

Scientists have discovered the workings of the gene that has been hindering treatment response in cancer patients. This discovery was made after five years of studying the mutant form of the p53 gene, the major tumor suppressor in humans, which is generally found mutated in over 50 percent of all type of human cancers.

Tumor cells engineer acidity to drive cell invasion

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 08:11 AM PST

Researchers have investigated the acidity in solid tumors to determine if pH levels play a role in cancer cell invasion in surrounding tissues. They found that an acidic microenvironment can drive cancer cells to spread and propose that neutralizing pH would inhibit further invasion, providing a therapeutic opportunity to slow the progression of cancers.

Spotting fetal growth problems early could cut UK stillbirths by 600 a year

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:42 AM PST

Growth restriction in an unborn child is the single largest risk factor for stillbirth, especially when it goes unrecognized before birth, finds a new study. Yet it is currently missed in most pregnancies.

Science needs a second opinion: Researchers find flaws in study of patients in 'vegetative state'

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:42 AM PST

A team of researchers is calling into question the published statistics, methods and findings of a highly publicized research study that claimed bedside electroencephalography identified evidence of awareness in three patients diagnosed to be in a vegetative state.

New method identifies genes that can predict prognoses of cancer patients

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:42 AM PST

Scientists report that a new algorithm can more accurately identify gene sets that could more closely predict prognoses of cancer patients.

Gene mutation immortalizes malignant melanoma

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:42 AM PST

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown genetic cause of malignant melanoma: A gene mutation that leads to overactive telomerase, the so-called 'immortality enzyme.'

Do common painkillers cause kidney failure in children?

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:41 AM PST

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are commonly used to treat pain and reduce fever in children. However, the use of NSAIDs has been shown to cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in some children. A new study reports the findings on the number of children diagnosed with AKI caused by NSAIDs in one hospital over an 11.5 year span.

At least one in five were infected in flu pandemic, international study suggests

Posted: 25 Jan 2013 07:40 AM PST

At least one in five people in countries for which data are available were infected with influenza during the first year of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a new study.

Magnetic levitation tissues could speed toxicity tests

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST

In a development that could lead to faster and more effective toxicity tests for airborne chemicals, scientists have used magnetic levitation to grow some of the most realistic lung tissue ever produced in a laboratory.

Chronic fatigue syndrome patients need an effective therapeutic

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST

Ampligen, the first drug ever seeking approval to treat chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), recently hit another roadblock with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In its long quest to treat 1 million Americans suffering from this debilitating illness, the FDA advisory panel did not recommend the drug to be sold on the market, largely because CFS/ME doesn't have clear biomarkers such as blood tests to define patients who most likely to respond to the drug.

ICUS for newborns in nine states see sharp drop in bloodstream infections

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST

Central line associated bloodstream infections in newborns were reduced by 58 percent in less than a year in hospital neonatal intensive care units participating in a new patient safety program.

Kidney disease accounts for most of the increased risk of dying early among diabetics

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST

One in every 10 Americans has diabetes, and a third or more of those with the condition will develop kidney disease. It may be possible to live a long and healthy life with diabetes, but once kidney disease develops, the risk of dying prematurely increases significantly, according to a new study.

Breastfeeding OK for mothers taking immunosuppressant drug, study suggests

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST

Women taking the immunosuppressant tacrolimus can rest assured that breast feeding will not elevate their babies' exposure to the drug, according to a new study. The findings are good news for young women who have received an organ transplant in the past or who are taking the drug for other reasons.

Fast, low-cost device uses the cloud to speed up diagnostic testing for HIV and more

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:33 PM PST

Biomedical engineering professors have taken their innovative lab-on-a-chip and developed a way to not only check a patient's HIV status anywhere in the world with just a finger prick, but also synchronize the results automatically and instantaneously with central health-care records -- 10 times faster than the benchtop ELISA.

Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of ER- breast cancer

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:33 PM PST

There is no association between total fruit and vegetable intake and risk of overall breast cancer, but vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, according to a new study.

Lupus drugs carry no significant cancer risk for patients, study suggests

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:40 AM PST

People who take immunosuppressive drugs to treat lupus do not necessarily increase their cancer risk according to new research. This study addresses long-standing fears of a link between lupus medication and cancer.

A scanner for hereditary defects: New possibilities in genetic damage recognition for improving cancer treatment

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:39 AM PST

Our DNA is constantly under attack from UV light, toxins and metabolic processes. Proteins and enzymes continually repair the damaged DNA. Unrecognized and therefore unrepaired damage to the genetic material, however, accelerates aging and causes cancer and genetic disorders. Researchers have now discovered that the protein XPD plays a key role in locating damaged DNA.

Gene sequencing project mines data once considered ’junk’ for clues about cancer

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:39 AM PST

Genome sequencing data once regarded as junk is now being used to gain important clues to help understand disease. Scientists have developed an approach to mine the repetitive segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes for insights into cancer.

Neuroscientists create fiber-optic method of arresting epileptic seizures

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:36 AM PST

Neuroscientists have developed a way to stop epileptic seizures with fiber-optic light signals, heralding a novel opportunity to treat the most severe manifestations of the brain disorder.

Can you 'train' yourself to have more willpower?

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:35 AM PST

Researchers say that with a little practice, it may be possible to strengthen and improve your self-control -- and lose more weight.

Cancer-causing virus found in brain shows potential connection to epilepsy

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:35 AM PST

Researchers have evidence linking HPV16, the most common cause of cervical cancer, to a form of epilepsy. They've shown that HPV16 may be present in the human brain, and when they added a viral protein to the brains of fetal mice, the mice demonstrated the same developmental problems in the cerebral cortex associated with this type of epilepsy.

Tracking spread of dengue fever: Domestic networks drive rapid transmission of human infection

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:34 AM PST

The mosquitoes that spread dengue fever tap into the domestic networks of humans, along with their bloodstreams, finds a new study. The research project shows that the trail of the most rapid transmission of human infections does not lead through large, public gathering places, as might be expected, but from house-to-house, as people visit nearby friends and relatives.

'Achilles heel' of key HIV replication protein found: Could potentially stop HIV from progressing to full-blown AIDS

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:34 AM PST

Researchers may have found an "Achilles heel" in a key HIV protein. They showed that targeting this vulnerable spot could stop the virus from replicating, potentially thwarting HIV infection from progressing to full-blown AIDS.

Gene's role in rheumatoid arthritis uncovered: Findings pave way for new treatments

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:34 AM PST

Research sheds new light on why certain people are more likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis -- paving the way to explore new treatments for both arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Researchers reduce breast cancer spread by blocking tissue scarring

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:34 AM PST

What to fear most if faced by a cancer diagnosis is the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. Metastasis accounts for over 90 percent of cancer patient deaths. Researchers have shown that the enzyme Lysyl Oxidase (LOX) can create a "scarred" microenvironment that enhances cancer spreading. By blocking activity of the LOX enzyme, the researchers succeeded in significantly decreasing metastasis in a model of breast cancer.

Discovering the secrets of tumor growth

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:33 AM PST

Scientists have identified a compound that blocks the expression of a protein without which certain tumors cannot grow. This compound has potential as an anticancer agent.

Discovery of new class of damage-prone DNA regions could lead to better cancer treatments

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:33 AM PST

Cancer is thought to arise from DNA damage at fragile sites in the genome. A new study reveals a new class of fragile sites that contributes to DNA alterations in a type of blood cancer called B cell lymphoma. The findings could lead to the development of more effective treatments for B cell lymphoma and potentially other cancers.

Exercise can slow onset of Alzheimer's memory loss: Scientists identify link

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:32 AM PST

Keeping active can slow down the progression of memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, a study has shown. Medical researchers have identified a stress hormone produced during moderate exercise that may protect the brain from memory changes related to the disease.

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health priorities identified

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST

Researchers identified research priorities for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries.

Brotherly love and the Super Bowl: Win or lose, healthier if you stay close

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

Siblings who are close as adults -- like brothers/head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, who will clash in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 -- are less likely to be depressed and have higher blood pressure over the long haul, says one researcher.

Can men prevent diabetes with testosterone boost?

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

Australian researchers have begun a world-first study that aims to help men lose weight and prevent diabetes - by giving them more testosterone.

New drug improves survival in multiple myeloma relapse

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:22 AM PST

Researchers have investigated the safety, efficacy and the maximum tolerated dose of pomalidomide for patients with multiple myeloma who have disease relapsed after treatments with other drugs, such as bortezomib and lenalidomide. This phase I clinical trial enrolled 38 patients, and pomalidomide provided a minimal or better response for 42 percent of the patients, a partial response or better for 21 percent, and a complete response for 3 percent.

Newly approved oral medication slows rheumatoid arthritis joint damage

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:22 AM PST

A Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrates that tofacitinib improves disease activity and inhibits progression of joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients who did not respond to methotrexate.

Vaccinating children against rotavirus may indirectly protect adults too, study finds

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:22 AM PST

Pediatric rotavirus vaccination also indirectly protects unvaccinated adults from the highly contagious cause of severe diarrhea and vomiting, suggests a new study. The findings suggest pediatric immunization against the virus may be more cost effective than previously thought, given rotavirus-related health care costs among adults.

New target for cancer therapy

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:15 AM PST

The plasma membrane transporter SLC5A8 can inhibit the spread of tumours by decreasing the amount of the anti-apoptotic protein surviving in tumour cells.

Ovarian tumor, with teeth and a bone fragment inside, found in a Roman-age skeleton

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:14 AM PST

A team of researchers has found the first ancient remains of a calcified ovarian teratoma, in the pelvis of the skeleton of a woman from the Roman era. The find confirms the presence in antiquity of this type of tumor -- formed by the remains of tissues or organs, which are difficult to locate during the examination of ancient remains. Inside the small round mass, four teeth and a small piece of bone were found.

Lose fat faster before breakfast

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:14 AM PST

People can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach, according to new research.

Drinking water unexpectedly rich in microbial life

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:14 AM PST

Flow cytometry can now be officially used for the quantification of microbial cells in drinking water. The new analytical method provides much more realistic results than the conventional method, in which bacterial colonies are grown on agar plates. The results demonstrate that even good-quality drinking water harbors 100 to 10,000 times more living cells than the conventional plate count method would suggest.
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