ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Targeting hepatitis C treatment: The importance of interleukin (IL)-28
• Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy
• Violence against teachers spurs urgent call to action
• Early study of outcomes from U.S. Medicare Part D can't explain North-South disparities, study finds
• Looming malpractice: Waiting for claims resolution takes up more than 10 per cent of the average medical career
• Costly breast cancer screenings don't add up to better outcomes, study finds
• HPV-associated cancer incidence rates point to needed efforts to increase HPV vaccination coverage
• Many U.S. physicians often fulfill patient requests for brand-name drugs instead of equivalent generics
• More changes in health care needed to fulfill promise of health information technology
• Red wine could mask testosterone levels, experts warn
• Black and Hispanic patients less likely to complete substance abuse treatment than white patients, study finds
• U.S. cancer death rates continue to drop, report shows
• Parkinson's disease itself does not increase risk of gambling, shopping addiction, study finds
• Can blood pressure drugs reduce the risk of dementia?
• New stem cell approach for blindness successful in mice
• Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts
• Modified antibodies trigger immune response, point to novel vaccine design strategies
• How U.S. states decide which child receives early intervention for developmental problems
• Obese moms risk having babies with low vitamin D, study finds
• Molecular 'two-way radio' directs nerve cell branching and connectivity
• Timely reminders boost childhood immunizations rates
• Comprehensive public health approach urged to curb gun violence in U.S.
• Detrimental effect of obesity on lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease
• Cognitive deficits from concussions still present after two months
• Obesity weighs down on Tunisian women
• Studying rodents' habitats to prevent leptospirosis
• Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests
• Targeting use of acid-suppressants in hospital patients
• New compound overcomes drug-resistant Staph infection in mice
• Cell loss in the brain relates to variations in individual symptoms in Huntington’s disease
• Sublingual immunotherapy shows promise as treatment for peanut allergy
• Protein key to fighting and preventing obesity discovered
• 'Junk DNA' made visible before the final cut
• Romper suit with sensors may protect against sudden infant death
• Why do age-related macular degeneration patients have trouble recognizing faces?
• Ovarian cancer stem cell study puts targeted therapies within reach
• Cancer Genome Institute at Fox Chase among first to offer clinical blueprint of cancer genes
• Physical education requirement at four-year universities at all-time low
• Folk remedies often offered during breastfeeding, survey finds
• Human genes influence gut microbial composition, study suggests
• Genetic link between epilepsy and migraine
• Counting the cost of mercury pollution
• Pollen exposure during pregnancy affects child's risk of early asthma, study finds
• Italian immigrants in Switzerland live longer
• Protein production: Going viral
• The living lab: Navigating into cells

Targeting hepatitis C treatment: The importance of interleukin (IL)-28 Posted: 07 Jan 2013 04:07 PM PST A metanalysis has confirmed that polymorphisms (SNP) in the gene coding for interleukin-28 (IL28B) influence natural hepatitis C viral (HCV) clearance and response to pegylated interferon-± plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV). Information about IL28B genotype could be used to provide personalized medicine and target treatment options effectively.

Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy Posted: 07 Jan 2013 03:32 PM PST A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures for replacing defective genes in order to fix genetic disease or even cure AIDS.

Violence against teachers spurs urgent call to action Posted: 07 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST Teachers across the United States report alarmingly high rates of personally experiencing student violence and harassment while at school, according to an article published by the American Psychological Association that presents comprehensive recommendations to make schools safer for school personnel as well as students.

Early study of outcomes from U.S. Medicare Part D can't explain North-South disparities, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST A new study finds that in the U.S., Northern patients paid more, adhered more to key Medicare Part D drugs in first two years of the option.

Looming malpractice: Waiting for claims resolution takes up more than 10 per cent of the average medical career Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST The average physician will spend more than ten percent of his or her career facing an open malpractice claim, according to a new U.S. study. Some specialists will spend upwards of 27 percent.

Costly breast cancer screenings don't add up to better outcomes, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST Even though U.S. Medicare spends over $1 billion per year on breast cancer screenings such as a mammography, there is no evidence that higher spending benefits older women, researchers have found.

HPV-associated cancer incidence rates point to needed efforts to increase HPV vaccination coverage Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST Despite the decline in cancer death rates in the US, there is an increase in incidence rates for cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and more efforts are needed to increase HPV vaccination coverage levels to prevent the occurrence of these cancers in the future according to a study published Jan. 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Many U.S. physicians often fulfill patient requests for brand-name drugs instead of equivalent generics Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST More than a third of U.S. physicians responding to a national survey indicated they often or sometimes prescribed brand-name drugs when appropriate generic substitutes were available simply because patients requested the brand-name drug.

More changes in health care needed to fulfill promise of health information technology Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST Despite wide investments nationally in electronic medical records and related tools, the cost-saving promise of health information technology has not been reached because the systems deployed are neither interconnected nor easy to use.

Red wine could mask testosterone levels, experts warn Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:14 PM PST Red wine could give athletes and players a boost in the sports arena by increasing the amount of performance-enhancing hormone testosterone in their bodies, according to researchers in the UK.

Black and Hispanic patients less likely to complete substance abuse treatment than white patients, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:14 PM PST Roughly half of all black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared to 62 percent of white patients, according to a new study from a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Comparable disparities were also identified for drug treatment program completion rates.

U.S. cancer death rates continue to drop, report shows Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2009, shows that overall cancer death rates continued to decline in the United States among both men and women, among all major racial and ethnic groups, and for all of the most common cancer sites, including lung, colon and rectum, female breast, and prostate. However, the report also shows that death rates continued to increase during the latest time period (2000 through 2009) for melanoma of the skin (among men only) and for cancers of the liver, pancreas, and uterus. The special feature section on human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers shows that incidence rates are increasing for HPV-associated oropharyngeal and anal cancers and that vaccination coverage levels in the U.S. during 2008 and 2010 remained low among adolescent girls.

Parkinson's disease itself does not increase risk of gambling, shopping addiction, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST Parkinson's disease itself does not increase the risk of impulse control problems such as compulsive gambling and shopping that have been seen in people taking certain drugs for Parkinson's disease, according to new research.

Can blood pressure drugs reduce the risk of dementia? Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST People taking the blood pressure drugs called beta blockers may be less likely to have changes in the brain that can be signs of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, according to a new study.

New stem cell approach for blindness successful in mice Posted: 07 Jan 2013 01:04 PM PST Blind mice can see again, after Oxford University researchers transplanted developing cells into their eyes and found they could re-form the entire light-sensitive layer of the retina.

Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:14 PM PST In the first study of its kind, researchers have analyzed data on the impact of prolonged operational confinement on sleep, performance, and mood in astronauts from a simulated 520-day space mission to Mars. The findings revealed alterations of life-sustaining sleep patterns and neurobehavioral consequences for crew members that must be addressed for successful human interplanetary spaceflight.

Modified antibodies trigger immune response, point to novel vaccine design strategies Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST In an approach with the potential to aid therapeutic vaccine development, Whitehead Institute scientists have shown that enzymatically modified antibodies can be used to generate highly targeted, potent responses from cells of the immune system.

How U.S. states decide which child receives early intervention for developmental problems Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:07 PM PST A new study has found large differences in the criteria that U.S. states use to determine eligibility for Medicare Part C early intervention services for infants and toddlers who have developmental delays. A developmental delay is any significant lag in a child's development as compared with typical child development.

Obese moms risk having babies with low vitamin D, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:07 PM PST Women who are obese at the start of their pregnancy may be passing on insufficient levels of vitamin D to their babies, according to a new study. The study found that babies born to lean mothers had a third higher amount of vitamin D compared to babies born to obese moms.

Molecular 'two-way radio' directs nerve cell branching and connectivity Posted: 07 Jan 2013 11:57 AM PST Working with fruit flies, scientists have decoded the activity of protein signals that let certain nerve cells know when and where to branch so that they reach and connect to their correct muscle targets. The proteins' mammalian counterparts are known to have signaling roles in immunity, nervous system and heart development, and tumor progression, suggesting broad implications for human disease research.

Timely reminders boost childhood immunizations rates Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:09 AM PST New research shows that timely reminders from local and state health departments are more effective at increasing immunization rates than those from primary care providers.

Comprehensive public health approach urged to curb gun violence in U.S. Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:09 AM PST In the wake of the horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn. in December, three experts say the best way to curb gun violence in the U.S. is to take a broad public health approach, drawing on proven, evidence-based strategies that have successfully reduced other public health threats like smoking, car crashes, and accidental poisonings. The authors make the case for a comprehensive public health approach to gun violence in an article published online Jan. 7, 2013 in JAMA.

Detrimental effect of obesity on lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease Posted: 07 Jan 2013 09:10 AM PST Researchers have recently used a neurodegeneration model of Alzheimer's disease to provide experimental evidence of the relationship between obesity and disorders linked to the tau protein. This research corroborates the theory that metabolic anomalies contribute massively to the development of dementia.

Cognitive deficits from concussions still present after two months Posted: 07 Jan 2013 09:10 AM PST The ability to focus and switch tasks readily amid distractions was compromised for up to two months following brain concussions suffered by high school athletes, according to a new study.

Obesity weighs down on Tunisian women Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:14 AM PST Men and women in Tunisia are not equal before the scales. Tunisian women are three times as likely to suffer from obesity as their male compatriots.

Studying rodents' habitats to prevent leptospirosis Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:13 AM PST Leptospirosis is a water-related bacterial disease with a high incidence in Southeast Asia. People usually become infected through exposure to water contaminated by the urine of infected animals, mainly rats and mice. Researchers have revealed the relationship between rodents' environment and infection by leptospirosis bacteria. They showed that, whereas people mainly get infected in rice fields, the bacteria are present in a variety of environments, and particularly at the frontiers of fields and forests.

Modern parenting may hinder brain development, research suggests Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:05 AM PST Social practices and cultural beliefs of modern life are preventing healthy brain and emotional development in children, according to an interdisciplinary body of research.

Targeting use of acid-suppressants in hospital patients Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:05 AM PST Gastrointestinal bleeds which occur in the hospital, although rare, are a significant source of morbidity and mortality when they occur. Currently, the prophylactic use of acid-suppressive medication in non-critically ill patients in the hospital is not widely recommended. Despite this, these medications continue to be widely utilized for this purpose.

New compound overcomes drug-resistant Staph infection in mice Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:05 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme not found in human cells but which is essential to bacterial survival.

Cell loss in the brain relates to variations in individual symptoms in Huntington’s disease Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST Scientists have wrestled to understand why Huntington's disease, which is caused by a single gene mutation, can produce such variable symptoms. An authoritative review by a group of leading experts summarizes the progress relating cell loss in the striatum and cerebral cortex to symptom profile in Huntington's disease, suggesting a possible direction for developing targeted therapies.

Sublingual immunotherapy shows promise as treatment for peanut allergy Posted: 07 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST Daily doses of a liquid containing peanut powder, in gradually increasing amounts, enabled patients with peanut allergy to safely consume peanut in amounts at least 10 times greater than their baseline.

Protein key to fighting and preventing obesity discovered Posted: 07 Jan 2013 07:01 AM PST Scientists have identified a protein that, when absent, helps the body burn fat and prevents insulin resistance and obesity.

'Junk DNA' made visible before the final cut Posted: 07 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST New research is shining a light on an important regulatory role performed by the so-called dark matter, or "junk DNA," within each of our genes.

Romper suit with sensors may protect against sudden infant death Posted: 07 Jan 2013 06:57 AM PST Breathing sensors built into romper suits could help prevent sudden cot deaths in the future. The basis for this is a stretchable printed circuit board that fits to the contours of the body and can be manufactured using routine industrial processes.

Why do age-related macular degeneration patients have trouble recognizing faces? Posted: 07 Jan 2013 06:53 AM PST Abnormalities of eye movement and fixation may contribute to difficulty in perceiving and recognizing faces among older adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), suggests a new study.

Ovarian cancer stem cell study puts targeted therapies within reach Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST Researchers have identified a key link between stem cell factors that fuel ovarian cancer's growth and patient prognosis. The study paves the way for developing novel targeted ovarian cancer therapies.

Cancer Genome Institute at Fox Chase among first to offer clinical blueprint of cancer genes Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST Fox Chase Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is now offering patients with advanced cancer a cutting-edge clinical test that will provide them with a unique blueprint of their cancer genes.

Physical education requirement at four-year universities at all-time low Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST Even as policy makers and health experts point to an increased need for exercise, more than half of four-year colleges and universities in the United States have dropped physical education requirements compared to historic levels. Almost every US college student was required to take physical education and exercise requirements in the 1920s; today, that number is at an all-time low of 39 percent, according to a new study.

Folk remedies often offered during breastfeeding, survey finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST Breastfeeding advice has been passed down for generations and many new mothers are faced with a lot of information and folk remedies to sort through. Researchers set out to determine the most common advice about breastfeeding and what they found took many by surprise. It's also surprising that breastfeeding specialists in 29 different states relied on the same advice without any formal medical recommendations.

Human genes influence gut microbial composition, study suggests Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:26 AM PST New research has identified a link between a human gene and the composition of human gastrointestinal bacteria. In a new study, scientists outline new evidence suggesting that the human genome may play a role in determining the makeup of the billions of microbes in the human gastrointestinal tract collectively known as the gut microbiota.

Genetic link between epilepsy and migraine Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:23 AM PST New research reveals a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine. Findings indicate that having a strong family history of seizure disorders increases the chance of having migraine with aura (MA).

Counting the cost of mercury pollution Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:23 AM PST Cleaning up mercury pollution and reducing prenatal exposure to the neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) could save the European Union 10,000 million euros per year, finds a new study. New estimates suggest that between 1.5 and 2 million children in the EU are born each year with MeHg exposures above the safe limit of 0.58 micrograms per gram and 200,000 above the WHO recommended maximum of 2.5 micrograms per gram.

Pollen exposure during pregnancy affects child's risk of early asthma, study finds Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:22 AM PST A woman's exposure to high pollen levels in late pregnancy increases the risk of early asthma in the child, according to a group of researchers in Sweden.

Italian immigrants in Switzerland live longer Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:22 AM PST Although immigrants from Italy and their offspring form one of the largest demographic groups in Switzerland, there are hardly any studies on their state of health and risk of mortality. Researchers have now calculated unbiased mortality risks for people with an Italian migrant background.

Protein production: Going viral Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:22 AM PST Scientists have, for the first time, described in molecular detail the architecture of the central scaffold of TFIID: the human protein complex essential for transcription from DNA to mRNA. The study opens new perspectives in the study of transcription and of the structure and mechanism of other large multi-protein assemblies involved in gene regulation.

The living lab: Navigating into cells Posted: 07 Jan 2013 05:15 AM PST How do viruses attach to cells? How do proteins interact and mediate infection? How do molecular machines organize themselves in healthy cells? How do they differ in diseased cells? These are the types of questions National Institutes of Health researchers ask in the recently established Living Lab for Structural Biology -- questions they strive to answer through the most sophisticated of imaging techniques.

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