ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Diagnostic errors more common, costly and harmful than treatment mistakes
• Scientists advance understanding of human brown adipose tissue and grow new cells
• Screening detects ovarian cancer using neighboring cells
• Health impact assessments prove critical public health tool: Best way to gauge impact of gas drilling on communities
• Alternative therapies may help lower blood pressure
• New method to assess options for heart-disease surgery
• Mammograms reveal response to common cancer drug
• Highly active antiretroviral therapies may be cardioprotective in HIV-infected children, teens
• Scientist identifies protein molecule used to maintain adult stem cells in fruit flies
• Gone, but not forgotten: Scientists recall EP, perhaps the world’s second-most famous amnesiac
• Scientists map all possible drug-like chemical compounds: Library of millions of small, carbon-based molecules chemists might synthesize
• New light shed on early stage Alzheimer's disease
• Antibody transforms stem cells directly into brain cells
• Radioactive bacteria targets metastatic pancreatic cancer
• Lung cancer mortality rates linked to primary care provider density
• Method makes it easier to separate useful stem cells from 'problem' ones for therapies
• Physicians less likely to 'bond' with overweight patients
• Facial dog bites in children may require repeated plastic surgery
• Mushrooms can provide as much vitamin D as supplements
• Genetic analysis tool opens new gene-regulation realms
• Some visible signs of Lyme disease are easily missed or mistaken
• The human immune system in space
• Genetic circuit allows both individual freedom, collective good
• Lazy eye disorder treated with video game Tetris
• Discovery of new genes will help childhood arthritis treatment
• Grape intake may protect against metabolic syndrome-related organ damage
• Study shows reproductive effects of pesticide exposure span generations
• Putting the brakes on Parkinson's
• Experimental therapy saves child born 'without bones'
• Combating H7N9: Using Lessons Learned from recent studies on H5N1
• 40 percent of parents give young kids cough/cold medicine that they shouldn't
• Nearly half of U.S. veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies
• Cutting back on sleep harms blood vessel function and breathing control
• New immune cells hint at eczema cause
• Change diet, exercise habits at same time for best results, study says
• Metastasis stem cells in the blood of breast cancer patients discovered
• Formula can calculate a person's speed by just looking at their footprints
• Using nitrous oxide for anesthesia doesn't increase -- and may decrease -- complications and death, studies suggest
• Particular DNA changes linked with prostate cancer development and lethality
• New agent might control breast-cancer growth and spread
• Even a few cigarettes a day increases risk of rheumatoid arthritis
• Platelet-rich plasma is most effective treatment for chronic heel pain, study suggests
• Red light increases alertness during 'post-lunch dip'
• Discovery brings hope of new tailor-made anti-cancer agents
• Structure of cell signaling molecule suggests general on-off switch
• Social stress and the inflamed brain
• Recreational use of HIV antiretroviral drug linked to its psychoactivity
• Intranasal neuropeptide Y may offer therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder
• Development of novel therapies for endothelial damage may heal atherosclerotic plaques
• A noninvasive avenue for Parkinson's disease gene therapy
• More evidence berries have health-promoting properties
• Biggest family tree of human cells created
• Using induced pluripotent stem cells, scientists can better study human disease

Diagnostic errors more common, costly and harmful than treatment mistakes Posted: 22 Apr 2013 06:17 PM PDT In reviewing 25 years of U.S. malpractice claim payouts, researchers found that diagnostic errors — not surgical mistakes or medication overdoses — accounted for the largest fraction of claims, the most severe patient harm, and the highest total of penalty payouts. Diagnosis-related payments amounted to $38.8 billion between 1986 and 2010, they found.

Scientists advance understanding of human brown adipose tissue and grow new cells Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:58 PM PDT Scientists have reported significant findings about the location, genetic expression and function of human brown adipose tissue (BAT) and the generation of new BAT cells.

Screening detects ovarian cancer using neighboring cells Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:58 PM PDT Pioneering biophotonics technology detects the early presence of ovarian cancer in humans by examining cells easily brushed from the neighboring cervix or uterus, not the ovaries themselves. The results have the potential to translate into a minimally invasive early detection method using cells collected by a swab, exactly like a pap smear.

Health impact assessments prove critical public health tool: Best way to gauge impact of gas drilling on communities Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:57 PM PDT As natural gas drilling expands, policymakers, communities and public health experts are turning to health impact assessments to predict the effects of gas drilling on communities, according to a new study.

Alternative therapies may help lower blood pressure Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:57 PM PDT Alternative therapies such as aerobic exercise, resistance or strength training and isometric hand grip exercises could help people reduce blood pressure. Biofeedback and device-guided slow breathing reduced blood pressure a small amount. Due to their modest effects, alternative therapies can be used with -- not as a replacement for -- standard treatment.

New method to assess options for heart-disease surgery Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:57 PM PDT Researchers have developed a method of predicting which patients with heart disease would benefit more from surgery and which would benefit more from angioplasty.

Mammograms reveal response to common cancer drug Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:57 PM PDT Researchers have developed a method for assessing the effect of tamoxifen, a common drug to prevent the relapse of breast cancer. The key lies in monitoring changes in the proportion of dense tissue, which appears white on a mammogram, during treatment. Women who show a pronounced reduction in breast density during tamoxifen treatment have a fifty percent reduction in breast cancer mortality.

Highly active antiretroviral therapies may be cardioprotective in HIV-infected children, teens Posted: 22 Apr 2013 02:55 PM PDT Long-term use of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) does not appear to be associated with impaired heart function in children and adolescents in a study that sought to determine the cardiac effects of prolonged exposure to HAART on children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a new report.

Scientist identifies protein molecule used to maintain adult stem cells in fruit flies Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:49 PM PDT Understanding exactly how stem cells form into specific organs and tissues is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Now a researcher has added to that body of knowledge by determining how stem cells produce different types of "daughter" cells in Drosophila (fruit flies).

Gone, but not forgotten: Scientists recall EP, perhaps the world’s second-most famous amnesiac Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:49 PM PDT Neuroscientists have described for the first time, in exhaustive detail, the underlying neurobiology of an amnesiac who suffered from profound memory loss after damage to key portions of his brain.

Scientists map all possible drug-like chemical compounds: Library of millions of small, carbon-based molecules chemists might synthesize Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:49 PM PDT Drug developers may have a new tool to search for more effective medications and new materials. It's a computer algorithm that can model and catalog the entire set of lightweight, carbon-containing molecules that chemists could feasibly create in a lab.

New light shed on early stage Alzheimer's disease Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:48 PM PDT The disrupted metabolism of sugar, fat and calcium is part of the process that causes the death of neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers have now shown, for the first time, how important parts of the nerve cell that are involved in the cell's energy metabolism operate in the early stages of the disease. These somewhat surprising results shed new light on how neuronal metabolism relates to the development of the disease.

Antibody transforms stem cells directly into brain cells Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:47 PM PDT In a serendipitous discovery, scientists have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells.

Radioactive bacteria targets metastatic pancreatic cancer Posted: 22 Apr 2013 12:47 PM PDT Researchers have developed a therapy for pancreatic cancer that uses Listeria bacteria to selectively infect tumor cells and deliver radioisotopes into them. The experimental treatment dramatically decreased the number of metastases (cancers that have spread to other parts of the body) in a mouse model of highly aggressive pancreatic cancer without harming healthy tissue.

Lung cancer mortality rates linked to primary care provider density Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:33 AM PDT Researchers found lower mortality was associated with higher primary care provider density.

Method makes it easier to separate useful stem cells from 'problem' ones for therapies Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:33 AM PDT Pluripotent stem cells can turn (differentiate) into any cell type in the body, such as nerve, muscle or bone, but inevitably some of these stem cells fail to differentiate and end up mixed in with their newly differentiated daughter cells. Scientists have discovered a new agent that may be useful in strategies to kill off pluripotent stem cells from differentiated daughter cells.

Physicians less likely to 'bond' with overweight patients Posted: 22 Apr 2013 11:33 AM PDT In a small study of 39 primary care doctors and 208 of their patients, researchers have found that physicians built much less of an emotional rapport with their overweight and obese patients than with their patients of normal weight.

Facial dog bites in children may require repeated plastic surgery Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:28 AM PDT Dog bites to the face are a relatively common injury in young children, and often require repeated plastic surgery procedures to deal with persistent scarring, according to a new report.

Mushrooms can provide as much vitamin D as supplements Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:28 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that eating mushrooms containing Vitamin D2 can be as effective at increasing and maintaining vitamin D levels (25–hydroxyvitamin D) as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or vitamin D3.

Genetic analysis tool opens new gene-regulation realms Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:25 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel and powerful technique to identify the targets for a group of enzymes called RNA cytosine methyltransferases (RMTs) in human RNA.

Some visible signs of Lyme disease are easily missed or mistaken Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:25 AM PDT With Lyme disease season now beginning, doctors are urged to consider Lyme disease as the underlying cause when presented with skin lesions that resemble conditions such as contact dermatitis, lupus, common skin infections, or insect or spider bites, especially where Lyme disease is endemic. New analysis establishes patients with those symptoms, rather than the classic Lyme "bulls-eye" lesion, to have been infected with the Lyme bacterium.

The human immune system in space Posted: 22 Apr 2013 10:25 AM PDT When the space shuttle Atlantis touched down in the summer of 2011 at Cape Canaveral, closing the book on the U.S. shuttle program, a team of U.S. Army researchers stood at the ready, eager to get their gloved hands on a small device in the payload that housed a set of biological samples. Results from studying these samples shed light on how the human immune system responds to stress and assaults while in space – and maybe here on Earth.

Genetic circuit allows both individual freedom, collective good Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:30 AM PDT An investigation of the ways bacteria engage in collective decision-making has led researchers to suggest new principles for collective decisions that allow both random behavior by individuals and nonrandom outcomes for the population as a whole. The research suggests that the principles governing bacterial decisions could be relevant for the study of cancer tumorigenesis and collective decision-making by humans.

Lazy eye disorder treated with video game Tetris Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:29 AM PDT Scientists have used the popular puzzle video game Tetris in an innovative approach to treat adult amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye." By distributing information between the two eyes in a complementary fashion, the video game trains both eyes to work together, which is counter to previous treatments for the disorder (e.g., patching).

Discovery of new genes will help childhood arthritis treatment Posted: 22 Apr 2013 09:29 AM PDT Scientists have identified 14 new genes which could have important consequences for future treatments of childhood arthritis.

Grape intake may protect against metabolic syndrome-related organ damage Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:12 AM PDT Consuming grapes may help protect against organ damage associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, according to research presented this week at the Experimental Biology conference in Boston.

Study shows reproductive effects of pesticide exposure span generations Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:12 AM PDT Researchers studying aquatic organisms called Daphnia have found that exposure to a chemical pesticide has impacts that span multiple generations -- causing the so-called "water fleas" to produce more male offspring, and causing reproductive problems in female offspring.

Putting the brakes on Parkinson's Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:11 AM PDT The earliest signs of Parkinson's disease can be deceptively mild. The first thing that movie star Michael J. Fox noticed was twitching of the little finger of his left hand. For years, he made light of the apparently harmless tic. But such tremors typically spread, while muscles stiffen up and directed movements take longer to carry out. Research groups have developed a chemical compound that slows down the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease in mice. The scientists hope that this approach will give them a way to treat the cause of Parkinson's and so arrest its progress.

Experimental therapy saves child born 'without bones' Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:11 AM PDT Four years ago, Janelly Martinez-Amador was confined to a bed, unable to move even an arm or lift her head. At age 3, the fragile toddler had the gross motor skills of a newborn and a ventilator kept her alive. She was born with thin, fragile bones, and by 3, she had no visible bones on X-rays. Initially, doctors weren't sure she would survive her first birthday. In May, Janelly will turn 7, and is developing bone with the help of an experimental drug therapy.

Combating H7N9: Using Lessons Learned from recent studies on H5N1 Posted: 22 Apr 2013 08:10 AM PDT Researchers have developed a series of messages for policy makers that are highly relevant to the current outbreak.

40 percent of parents give young kids cough/cold medicine that they shouldn't Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:20 AM PDT Children can get five to 10 colds each year, so it's not surprising that adults often turn to over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to relieve their little ones' symptoms. But a new poll shows that many are giving young kids medicines that they should not use.

Nearly half of U.S. veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:20 AM PDT Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. A new study finds about 42% of screened veterans with blast injuries have irregular hormone levels indicative of hypopituitarism. Many conditions associated with hypopituitarism mimic other common problems that veterans can suffer, such as PTSD and depression.

Cutting back on sleep harms blood vessel function and breathing control Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:20 AM PDT Researchers have tested the effects of partial sleep deprivation on blood vessels and breathing control and found that reducing sleep length over two consecutive nights leads to less healthy vascular function and impaired breathing control. The findings could help explain why sleep deprivation is associated with cardiovascular disease.

New immune cells hint at eczema cause Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:13 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new type of immune cell in skin that plays a role in fighting off parasitic invaders such as ticks, mites, and worms, and could be linked to eczema and allergic skin diseases.

Change diet, exercise habits at same time for best results, study says Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:13 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that focusing on changing exercise and diet at the same time gives a bigger boost than tackling them sequentially. They also found that focusing on changing diet first -- an approach that many weight-loss programs advocate -- may actually interfere with establishing a consistent exercise routine.

Metastasis stem cells in the blood of breast cancer patients discovered Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:12 AM PDT Scientists have been the first to detect cancer cells that can initiate metastasis in the blood of breast cancer patients. Patients with large numbers of these cells found in their blood show a rather unfavorable disease progression. The characteristic surface molecules of these cells may therefore be used as a biomarker for disease progression or as targets for specific therapies for patients with advanced breast cancer.

Formula can calculate a person's speed by just looking at their footprints Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:12 AM PDT Scientists have designed an equation that provides a highly accurate estimate of an individual's speed based on stride length. They used data from professional athletes and walking and running experiments on a beach in order to come up with the equation. The result has applications in the study of fossil trackways of human footprints.

Using nitrous oxide for anesthesia doesn't increase -- and may decrease -- complications and death, studies suggest Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:12 AM PDT Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and death -- and might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of new studies.

Particular DNA changes linked with prostate cancer development and lethality Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:11 AM PDT A new analysis has found that the loss or amplification of particular DNA regions contributes to the development of prostate cancer, and that patients with two of these DNA changes have a high likelihood of dying from the disease. The study provides valuable information on the genetics of prostate cancer and offers insights into which patients should be treated aggressively.

New agent might control breast-cancer growth and spread Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:11 AM PDT A new study suggests that an unusual experimental drug can reduce breast-cancer aggressiveness, reverse resistance to the drug fulvestrant and perhaps improve the effectiveness of other breast-cancer drugs. The findings suggest a new strategy for treating breast cancer.

Even a few cigarettes a day increases risk of rheumatoid arthritis Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:10 AM PDT Number of cigarettes smoked a day and the number of years a person has smoked both increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), finds new research. The risk decreases after giving up smoking but, compared to people who have never smoked, this risk is still elevated 15 years after giving up.

Platelet-rich plasma is most effective treatment for chronic heel pain, study suggests Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:08 AM PDT New research aims to find an effective treatment for the two million Americans suffering annually from moderate-to-severe heel pain.

Red light increases alertness during 'post-lunch dip' Posted: 22 Apr 2013 07:08 AM PDT Acute or chronic sleep deprivation resulting in increased feelings of fatigue is one of the leading causes of workplace incidents and related injuries. More incidents and performance failures, such as automobile accidents, occur in the mid-afternoon hours known as the "post-lunch dip." A new study shows that exposure to certain wavelengths and levels of light has the potential to increase alertness during the post-lunch dip.

Discovery brings hope of new tailor-made anti-cancer agents Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT Scientists have tailor-made a new chemical compound that blocks a protein that has been linked to poor responses to treatment in cancer patients. The development of the compound, called WEHI-539, is an important step towards the design of a potential new anti-cancer agent.

Structure of cell signaling molecule suggests general on-off switch Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT A three-dimensional image of one of the proteins that serves as an on-off switch as it binds to receptors on the surface of a cell suggests there may be a sort of main power switch that could be tripped. These surface receptors are responsible for helping cells discern light, set the heart racing, or detect pain.

Social stress and the inflamed brain Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT Depression is the leading cause of disability with more than 350 million people globally affected by this disease. In addition to debilitating consequences on mental health, depression predisposes an individual to physiological disease such as heart disease, and conversely heart disease increases the risk of depression.

Recreational use of HIV antiretroviral drug linked to its psychoactivity Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT More than 1 in 270 people in the US are living with HIV and every 9.5 minutes someone is else is infected. The economic cost estimates associated with HIV/AIDS exceed 36 billion dollars a year. The development of effective drug treatments have allowed people with HIV to live longer with federal health officials now predicting that by 2015 one-half of the population with HIV in the US will be older than 50.

Intranasal neuropeptide Y may offer therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT Stress triggered neuropsychiatric disorders take an enormous personal, social and economic toll on society. In the US more than half of adults are exposed to at least one traumatic event throughout their lives. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating anxiety disorder associated with exposure to a traumatic event outside the range of normal human experience.

Development of novel therapies for endothelial damage may heal atherosclerotic plaques Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT Heart disease and approximately half of all strokes are the results of advanced atherosclerosis with damaged endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels. In 2009, the direct and indirect annual cost of heart disease and stroke was approximately $312.6 billion. Projections are for the total cost of heart disease to increase from $523 to $1.126 billion from 2013 to 2030.

A noninvasive avenue for Parkinson's disease gene therapy Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:38 PM PDT Researchers have developed a gene therapy approach that may one day stop Parkinson's disease in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms. The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain.

More evidence berries have health-promoting properties Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT Adding more color to your diet in the form of berries is encouraged by many nutrition experts. The protective effect of berries against inflammation has been documented in many studies. Diets supplemented with blueberries and strawberries have also been shown to improve behavior and cognitive functions in stressed young rats.

Biggest family tree of human cells created Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT Biologists have created the biggest family tree of human cell types.

Using induced pluripotent stem cells, scientists can better study human disease Posted: 21 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT New work has led to major advances in our understanding of embryonic stem cells and "induced pluripotent stem" cells, which appear identical to embryonic stem cells but can be created from adult cells without using an egg.

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