ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Stash of stem cells found in a human parasite
• Effectiveness of magnetic device for treatment of reflux disease demonstrated
• Underlying mechanisms behind chronic inflammation-associated diseases revealed
• Rocket attacks on Israeli city increase miscarriage likelihood, study finds
• Genomic detectives crack the case of the missing heritability
• Has evolution given humans unique brain structures?
• New more effective treatment option for breast cancer patients approved by FDA
• Parents talking about their own drug use to children could be detrimental
• Smarter lunchrooms make lunch choices child's play
• World premiere of muscle and nerve controlled arm prosthesis
• New insights into the signaling network of the vital protein mTOR
• Endocrine disorder is most common cause of elevated calcium levels
• Neuroscientist sheds light on cause for 'chemo brain'
• Omega-3s inhibit breast cancer tumor growth, study finds
• IQ loss linked to schizophrenia genes, study finds
• Report exposes Pakistani e-waste recycling workers' plight
• Diabetes + depression = increased risk of death, review finds
• Accidental poisonings leading cause of deaths at home, study finds
• Drugs to treat fibromyalgia just as likely to harm as help, review finds

Stash of stem cells found in a human parasite Posted: 22 Feb 2013 11:31 AM PST Researchers have now found stem cells inside the parasite that cause schistosomiasis, one of the most common parasitic infections in the world. These stem cells can regenerate worn-down organs, which may help explain how they can live for years or even decades inside their host.

Effectiveness of magnetic device for treatment of reflux disease demonstrated Posted: 22 Feb 2013 11:31 AM PST A study published February 21st in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) provides clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of a new magnetic medical device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Santiago Horgan, MD, professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and study co-author, was the first surgeon in the United States to implant the FDA-approved device.

Underlying mechanisms behind chronic inflammation-associated diseases revealed Posted: 22 Feb 2013 11:31 AM PST Inflammatory response plays a major role in both health protection and disease generation. While the symptoms of disease-related inflammatory response have been know, scientists have not understood the mechanisms that underlie it. In new research, scientists mapped the complex interactions of proteins that control inflammation at the molecular level.

Rocket attacks on Israeli city increase miscarriage likelihood, study finds Posted: 22 Feb 2013 09:10 AM PST Rocket attacks in Sderot, Israel significantly increase the likelihood of miscarriages, according to a new study. The study compared 1,341 pregnancies of women (exposed group) who resided in Sderot, an area exposed to frequent rocket fire, with 2,143 pregnancies of women who lived in Kiryat Gat (unexposed group), which is out of range of missiles.

Genomic detectives crack the case of the missing heritability Posted: 22 Feb 2013 09:10 AM PST Despite years of research, the genetic factors behind many human diseases and characteristics remain unknown, and has been called the "missing heritability" problem. A new study, however, suggests that heritability in humans may be hidden due only to the limitations of modern research tools, but could be discovered if scientists know where (and how) to look.

Has evolution given humans unique brain structures? Posted: 22 Feb 2013 09:07 AM PST Humans have at least two functional networks in their cerebral cortex not found in rhesus monkeys. This means that new brain networks were likely added in the course of evolution from primate ancestor to human.

New more effective treatment option for breast cancer patients approved by FDA Posted: 22 Feb 2013 09:07 AM PST Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, now have a new, effective and less toxic therapeutic option. On Feb., 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new treatment drug, Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine), also known as TDM-1, which combines Traztuzumab, also called Herceptin, with the powerful chemotherapy drug emtansine.

Parents talking about their own drug use to children could be detrimental Posted: 22 Feb 2013 05:31 AM PST Parents know that one day they will have to talk to their children about drug use. The hardest part is to decide whether or not talking about ones own drug use will be useful in communicating an antidrug message. Recent research found that children whose parents did not disclose drug use, but delivered a strong antidrug message, were more likely to exhibit antidrug attitudes.

Smarter lunchrooms make lunch choices child's play Posted: 22 Feb 2013 05:31 AM PST In Jan. 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture passed a series of regulations designed to make school lunches more nutritious, which included requiring schools to increase whole grain offerings and making students select either a fruit or vegetable with their purchased lunch. However, children cannot be forced to eat these healthier lunches. In a new study, researchers determined that small, inexpensive changes to school cafeterias influenced the choice and consumption of healthier foods.

World premiere of muscle and nerve controlled arm prosthesis Posted: 22 Feb 2013 04:57 AM PST Electrodes have been permanently implanted in nerves and muscles of an amputee to directly control an arm prosthesis, for the first time. The result allows natural control of an advanced robotic prosthesis, similarly to the motions of a natural limb.

New insights into the signaling network of the vital protein mTOR Posted: 22 Feb 2013 04:57 AM PST Many diseases are caused by malfunction of the mTOR signaling network. Accurate knowledge of network protagonists could therefore provide new therapeutic targets. Researchers have now identified a number of new mTOR-regulated proteins, including an enzyme that is essential for the production of the building blocks of DNA.

Endocrine disorder is most common cause of elevated calcium levels Posted: 21 Feb 2013 11:10 AM PST Researchers have found that unusually high calcium levels in the blood can almost always be traced to primary hyperparathyroidism, an undertreated, underreported condition that affects mainly women and the elderly. The condition, which results from overactive parathyroid glands and includes symptoms of bone loss, depression and fatigue that may go undetected for years, is most often seen in African American women over the age of 50, the researchers discovered.

Neuroscientist sheds light on cause for 'chemo brain' Posted: 21 Feb 2013 08:59 AM PST It's not unusual for cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy to complain about not being able to think clearly, connect thoughts or concentrate on daily tasks. The complaint -- often referred to as chemo-brain -- is common. The scientific cause, however, has been difficult to pinpoint. New research offers clues for this fog-like condition, medically known as chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment.

Omega-3s inhibit breast cancer tumor growth, study finds Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:43 AM PST A lifelong diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can inhibit growth of breast cancer tumors by 30 percent, according to new research from the University of Guelph. The study, published recently in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, is believed to be the first to provide unequivocal evidence that omega-3s reduce cancer risk.

IQ loss linked to schizophrenia genes, study finds Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:43 AM PST People who are at greater genetic risk of schizophrenia are more likely to see a fall in IQ as they age, even if they do not develop the condition, according to new research.

Report exposes Pakistani e-waste recycling workers' plight Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:42 AM PST A 6-year-old girl in a remote Pakistani village sits quietly in the family's kitchen, breathing toxic fumes that drift from across the table where her father is burning a computer circuit board. The scene is one of scores documented by researcher Shakila Umair, whose has compiled the first known evidence of horrifying conditions in the country's secretive e-waste recycling cottage industry.

Diabetes + depression = increased risk of death, review finds Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:42 AM PST People living with diabetes who also have untreated depression are at increased risk of death, according to a recent evidence review.

Accidental poisonings leading cause of deaths at home, study finds Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:41 AM PST An increasing number of people die from unintentional home injury, in large part due to accidental drug overdose, according to a new study.

Drugs to treat fibromyalgia just as likely to harm as help, review finds Posted: 21 Feb 2013 07:41 AM PST Among fibromyalgia patients taking either of two commonly prescribed drugs to reduce pain, 22 percent report substantial improvement while 21 percent had to quit the regimen due to unpleasant side effects, according to a new review.

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