ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Melody modulates choir members' heart rate
• Potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis identified
• Nearly half of sarcoma surgeries done by nonsurgical oncology specialists
• Denormalizing smoking: Making the case for banning cigarettes in parks and on beaches
• Consuming soy peptide may reduce colon cancer metastasis
• Ethical quandary about vaccinations sparked by tension between parental rights and protecting public health
• In baseball, bigger still better: Elite pitchers continue to be taller and thus throw faster
• Innovative study estimates extent to which air pollution in China shortens human lives
• What do rotten eggs and colon cancer have in common?
• Inhibiting macrophage MerTK signaling creates an innate immune response against cancer
• Research points to biomarker that could track Huntington's disease progression
• CPAP therapy reduces nightmares in veterans with PTSD and sleep apnea
• Two blood pressure drugs linked to lower risk of heart disease in diabetics
• Targeting errant immune system enzyme kills myelodysplastic cells
• Researchers identify 'switch' for long-term memory
• Immune cells essential to establishing pregnancy
• Breakthrough could lead to 'artificial skin' that senses touch, humidity and temperature
• Second door discovered in war against mosquito-borne diseases
• How well can you see with your ears? Device offers new alternative to blind people
• Researchers investigate mechanism of Alzheimer's therapy
• Experts spot early signs of Alzheimer's
• Exposure to stress even before conception causes genetic changes to offspring
• First child born following embryo screening with new genome analysis technique
• Tailoring diabetes treatment to older patients yields dramatic results
• People with depression tend to pursue generalized goals
• IVF for 200 euro per cycle: First real-life proof of principle that IVF is feasible and effective for developing countries
• Egg donation in European clinics: Why do women do it?
• Adverse effects of phthalates on ovarian response to IVF
• Early life and in utero factors found to influence testicular function in adulthood
• Brain structural deficits may contribute to increased functional connections between brain regions implicated in depression
• New tissue engineering breakthrough encourages nerve repair
• Does marital breakdown have an effect on male offending?
• Gunning for trouble: Guns and aggression in young assault victims
• Could diet while growing up affect our offspring's vitality?

Melody modulates choir members' heart rate Posted: 08 Jul 2013 05:01 PM PDT When people sing in a choir their heart beats are synchronized, so that the pulse of choir members tends to increase and decrease in unison.

Potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis identified Posted: 08 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Findings of disrupted micronuclei may prove to be a valuable tool for detecting cancer.

Nearly half of sarcoma surgeries done by nonsurgical oncology specialists Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:10 PM PDT Orthopedic oncologists and surgical oncologists, who have been trained in the complex procedures required to remove sarcomas located deep in the muscles and other soft tissues of the limbs, conducted only 52 percent of these operations at 85 academic medical centers during a three-year period, according to an analysis of national data.

Denormalizing smoking: Making the case for banning cigarettes in parks and on beaches Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:09 PM PDT Many state and local governments banned smoking in parks and on beaches on the basis that passive smoke is a risk for non-smokers, cigarette butts pollute the environment, and seeing people smoke poses a long-term risk to children. Researchers say the evidence for these claims is far from definitive and policymakers pushing for smoking bans will need to make a stronger argument to overcome the opposition and gain the public trust.

Consuming soy peptide may reduce colon cancer metastasis Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:08 PM PDT After a recent study showed that injection of the soy peptide lunasin dramatically reduced colon cancer metastasis in mice, researchers were eager to see how making lunasin part of the animals' daily diet would affect the spread of the disease.

Ethical quandary about vaccinations sparked by tension between parental rights and protecting public health Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:08 PM PDT Increased concerns about the perceived risk of vaccination, inconvenience, or religious tenets are leading more U.S. parents to opt-out of vaccinating their children. Parents are increasingly able to do so in states that have relatively simple procedures for immunization exemption, report researchers. Some states, fearing a public health crisis, have responded by putting in place more burdensome procedures for parents of school-aged children to opt-out.

In baseball, bigger still better: Elite pitchers continue to be taller and thus throw faster Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT What unites golf, baseball and hockey is the "falling forward" motion involved, whether it is a pitcher's arm or golfer's swing. Basically, the larger and taller the athlete, the more force he or she can bring to bear as his or her mass falls forward. A new theory predicts that elite pitchers will continue to be taller and thus throw faster and seems also to apply to athletes who compete in golf, hockey and boxing.

Innovative study estimates extent to which air pollution in China shortens human lives Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT A high level of air pollution, in the form of particulates produced by burning coal, significantly shortens the lives of people exposed to it, according to a unique new study of China.

What do rotten eggs and colon cancer have in common? Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that hydrogen sulfide -- the pungent-smelling gas produced by rotten eggs -- is a key player in colon cancer metabolism, and a potential target for therapies for the disease.

Inhibiting macrophage MerTK signaling creates an innate immune response against cancer Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT New evidence shows that MerTK macrophage action in the microenvironment that surrounds cancer cells blunts the immune response, allowing the tumor cell to grow and metastasize.

Research points to biomarker that could track Huntington's disease progression Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that measurements of electrical activity in the brains of mouse models of Huntington's disease could indicate the presence of disease before the onset of major symptoms.

CPAP therapy reduces nightmares in veterans with PTSD and sleep apnea Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT A new study suggests that CPAP therapy reduces nightmares in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.

Two blood pressure drugs linked to lower risk of heart disease in diabetics Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:31 AM PDT Two drugs, telmisartan and valsartan, which are used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke or heart failure, according to a new study.

Targeting errant immune system enzyme kills myelodysplastic cells Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:31 AM PDT Scientists have successfully targeted a malfunctioning immune system enzyme to kill diseased cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome -- a blood disorder and precursor to leukemia. Researchers say their successful laboratory tests in human MDS cells and mouse models of MDS provide a molecular target for designing new drugs to battle a syndrome with few effective treatments.

Researchers identify 'switch' for long-term memory Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:30 AM PDT Neurobiologists have identified calcium in the cell nucleus to be a cellular "switch" responsible for the formation of long-term memory. Using the fruit fly as a model, scientists investigate how the brain learns. The researchers wanted to know which signals in the brain were responsible for building long-term memory and for forming the special proteins involved.

Immune cells essential to establishing pregnancy Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:29 AM PDT New research shows for the first time that immune cells known as macrophages are critical to fertility by creating a healthy hormone environment in the uterus.

Breakthrough could lead to 'artificial skin' that senses touch, humidity and temperature Posted: 08 Jul 2013 09:44 AM PDT Using tiny gold particles and a kind of resin, a team of scientists has discovered how to make a new kind of flexible sensor that one day could be integrated into electronic skin, or e-skin. If scientists learn how to attach e-skin to prosthetic limbs, people with amputations might once again be able to feel changes in their environments.

Second door discovered in war against mosquito-borne diseases Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:51 AM PDT In the global war against disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists have long believed that a single molecular door was the key target for insecticide. This door, however, is closing, giving mosquitoes the upper hand.

How well can you see with your ears? Device offers new alternative to blind people Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:51 AM PDT A device that trains the brain to turn sounds into images could be used as an alternative to invasive treatment for blind and partially-sighted people, researchers have found.

Researchers investigate mechanism of Alzheimer's therapy Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:49 AM PDT Researchers have developed an advance in treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Gammagard™ IVIg is a therapy that has been investigated for treatment of Alzheimer's. Despite small clinical studies that have reported efficacy of the approach, the mechanism of action is poorly understood.

Experts spot early signs of Alzheimer's Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:45 AM PDT Early signs of Alzheimer's disease can be detected years before diagnosis, according to researchers.

Exposure to stress even before conception causes genetic changes to offspring Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:44 AM PDT A female's exposure to distress even before she conceives causes changes in the expression of a gene linked to the stress mechanism in the body — in the ovum and later in the brains of the offspring from when they are born, according to a new study on rats.

First child born following embryo screening with new genome analysis technique Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:35 AM PDT The first birth has been achieved following the analysis of embryos using a new genome sequencing technique which promises to revolutionise embryo selection for IVF. The technique has never before been applied in the screening of embryos.

Tailoring diabetes treatment to older patients yields dramatic results Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:35 AM PDT More than a quarter of over 70s with type 2 diabetes could benefit simply from improving communication and education in the clinic, new research has revealed. A new study has found that 27 percent achieved better glycemic control through individualized care alone.

People with depression tend to pursue generalized goals Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:35 AM PDT Researchers have found that people with depression have more generalized personal goals than non-depressed people.

IVF for 200 euro per cycle: First real-life proof of principle that IVF is feasible and effective for developing countries Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:34 AM PDT A study performed in Belgium has shown that low-cost IVF for developing and poor resource countries is feasible and effective, with delivery rates not much different from those achieved in conventional IVF programs. This proof-of-principle study, say the investigators, suggests that infertility care may now be "universally accessible".

Egg donation in European clinics: Why do women do it? Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:34 AM PDT Egg donation is now one of the major reasons why couples travel abroad for fertility treatment. Because this growing trend may circumvent regulations at home or raise concerns about financial inducement, it has also become one of the most controversial. Yet little is known about the women who provide the donor eggs in overseas clinics -- their characteristics, their motivation and their compensation.

Adverse effects of phthalates on ovarian response to IVF Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:34 AM PDT Phthalates are among a group of industrial chemicals shown in some studies to have adverse effects on reproductive health and development, particularly in the male. As such, they have been collectively defined as "endocrine disruptors", and proposed as one of several possible environmental exposures responsible for a decline in fertility. Human studies increasingly report associations of phthalates with various adverse reproductive outcomes, including altered semen quantity and quality.

Early life and in utero factors found to influence testicular function in adulthood Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:34 AM PDT A new study based on a 20-year follow-up of one of the world's largest study cohorts, suggests that exposure to several factors in utero and in early life may lead to reduced semen parameters in adulthood and potentially to a decline in male fertility.

Brain structural deficits may contribute to increased functional connections between brain regions implicated in depression Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:31 AM PDT Major depressive disorder is associated with a dysregulation of brain regions including the prefrontal cortex and limbic system. The relationship between structural and functional abnormalities in these brain regions in depressed patients is far from clear. However, both types of changes are assumed to underlie the symptoms of this disorder.

New tissue engineering breakthrough encourages nerve repair Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:29 AM PDT A new combination of tissue engineering techniques could reduce the need for nerve grafts, according to new research. Regeneration of nerves is challenging when the damaged area is extensive, and surgeons currently have to take a nerve graft from elsewhere in the body, leaving a second site of damage. Nerve grafts contain aligned tissue structures and Schwann cells that support and guide neuron growth through the damaged area, encouraging function to be restored. Now medical researchers have developed a way to manufacture artificial nerve tissue with the potential to be used as an alternative to nerve grafts.

Does marital breakdown have an effect on male offending? Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:29 AM PDT Criminologists have long known that men tend to offend less after they marry. But with almost half of all marriages now ending in divorce, what effect does separation have?

Gunning for trouble: Guns and aggression in young assault victims Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:27 AM PDT They're young. They've been injured in an assault -- so badly they went to the emergency room. And nearly one in four of them has a gun, probably an illegal one. What happens next? A new study provides data that could be important to breaking the cycle of gun violence that kills more teens and young adults than anything except auto accidents.

Could diet while growing up affect our offspring's vitality? Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:27 AM PDT You are what you eat – and so are your offspring. And in the title bout featuring protein versus sugar, protein is the winner. That's what scientists found while studying the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).

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