ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Fecal microbiota transplantation as effective treatment for C. difficile and other diseases
• Cells that line blood vessels created
• Toxic nanoparticles might be entering human food supply
• Go on, volunteer -- it could be good for you!
• Art preserves skills despite onset of vascular dementia in 'remarkable' case of a Canadian sculptor
• In mild strokes, ultra-early treatment may eliminate risk of disability
• Stroke risk similar among men and women smokers worldwide
• Single injection may revolutionize melanoma treatment
• The stress and cancer link: 'Master-switch’ stress gene enables cancer's spread
• Drug delivery: Why gold nanoparticles can penetrate cell walls
• New risk model sheds light on arsenic risk in China's groundwater
• Restricting food and fluids during labor is unwarranted, study suggests
• BMI not accurate enough: Obesity/mortality paradox demonstrates urgent need for more refined metabolic measures
• How hormones and microbes drive the gender bias in autoimmune diseases
• Mending a broken heart? Scientists transform non-beating human cells into heart-muscle cells
• Why people with red hair have a higher risk of developing melanoma
• Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings
• Brain size may signal risk of developing an eating disorder
• Breast is best: Good bacteria arrive from mum's gut via breast milk
• Family history of diabetes increases the risk of prediabetes by 26 percent, with effect most evident in non-obese
• Flu shot may halve heart attack risk in middle aged with narrowed arteries
• Half of all UK 7 year olds not exercising for recommended minimum
• A virus changes its stripes: Human outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis
• New molecular mechanism tied to pancreatic cancer
• Drug swap drives down costs
• Study implicates dopamine in food restriction, drug abuse

Fecal microbiota transplantation as effective treatment for C. difficile and other diseases Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT Fecal microbiota transplantation has emerged as a highly effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, with very early experience suggesting that it may also play a role in treating other gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI diseases.

Cells that line blood vessels created Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT In a scientific first, scientists have successfully grown the cells that line the blood vessels -- called vascular endothelial cells -- from human induced pluripotent stem cells, revealing new details about how these cells function.

Toxic nanoparticles might be entering human food supply Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT Farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment. In a new study, researchers have developed a reliable method for detecting silver nanoparticles in fresh produce and other food products.

Go on, volunteer -- it could be good for you! Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:44 PM PDT Volunteering can improve mental health and help you live longer, finds the study which pools and compares data from multiple experimental trials and longitudinal cohort studies. Some observational evidence points to around a 20 per cent reduction in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers in cohort studies. Volunteers also reported lower levels of depression, increased life satisfaction and enhanced well-being, although the findings have yet to be confirmed in trials.

Art preserves skills despite onset of vascular dementia in 'remarkable' case of a Canadian sculptor Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:44 PM PDT The ability to draw spontaneously as well as from memory may be preserved in the brains of artists long after the deleterious effects of vascular dementia have diminished their capacity to complete simple, everyday tasks, according to a new study by physicians.

In mild strokes, ultra-early treatment may eliminate risk of disability Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:42 PM PDT In the case of mild or moderate strokes, getting treatment ultra-fast – within 90 minutes of experiencing symptoms – greatly reduces the risk of suffering disability, according to a new study.

Stroke risk similar among men and women smokers worldwide Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:42 PM PDT Smoking cigarettes may cause similar stroke risks for men and women, but women smokers may be at greater risk for a more deadly and uncommon type of stroke, according to new research.

Single injection may revolutionize melanoma treatment Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:41 PM PDT A new study could offer hope to people with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Researchers are investigating whether an injectable known as PV-10 can shrink tumors and reduce the spread of cancer. PV-10 is a solution developed from Rose Bengal, a water-soluble dye commonly used to stain damaged cells in the eye. Early clinical trials show PV-10 can boost immune response in melanoma tumors, as well as the blood stream.

The stress and cancer link: 'Master-switch’ stress gene enables cancer's spread Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:41 PM PDT In an unexpected finding, scientists have linked the activation of a stress gene in immune-system cells to the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body.

Drug delivery: Why gold nanoparticles can penetrate cell walls Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:22 AM PDT Gold nanoparticles with special coatings can deliver drugs or biosensors to a cell's interior without damaging it.

New risk model sheds light on arsenic risk in China's groundwater Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:20 AM PDT Arsenic-laden groundwater used for cooking and drinking could pose a risk to the health of almost 20 million people across China. The estimates are based on a risk model incorporating geological and hydrological data, as well as measurements of arsenic in wells.

Restricting food and fluids during labor is unwarranted, study suggests Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:19 AM PDT Despite the longstanding, widespread practice of restricting women's food and fluid intake during labor, a large-scale analysis finds it unwarranted and supports women eating and drinking as they please.

BMI not accurate enough: Obesity/mortality paradox demonstrates urgent need for more refined metabolic measures Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:19 AM PDT Researchers point out that the body mass index (BMI), based on the weight and height, is not an accurate measure of body fat content and does not account for critical factors that contribute to health or mortality, such as fat distribution, proportion of muscle to fat, and the sex and racial differences in body composition.

How hormones and microbes drive the gender bias in autoimmune diseases Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:28 AM PDT Females can mount more powerful immune responses than males, but the flip side of this enhanced protection against infections is a greater risk for autoimmune disorders. A new study reveals that certain gut microbes prevalent in males can help protect them against type 1 diabetes. The study demonstrates that these microbes cooperate with sex hormones to cause this gender bias and provides an important framework that could lead to better treatments.

Mending a broken heart? Scientists transform non-beating human cells into heart-muscle cells Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:27 AM PDT In the aftermath of a heart attack, cells within the region most affected shut down. They stop beating. And they become entombed in scar tissue. But now, scientists have demonstrated that this damage need not be permanent -- by finding a way to transform the class of cells that form human scar tissue into those that closely resemble beating heart cells.

Why people with red hair have a higher risk of developing melanoma Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:25 AM PDT Researchers have found that the same genetic mutation responsible for red hair also promotes a well-known cancer-causing pathway.

Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings Posted: 22 Aug 2013 08:21 AM PDT Researchers have exploited the powerful and healthful polyphenols found in green tea, red wine and dark chocolate in a new way. Polyphenols are also sticky, and the researchers have used this property to make new multifunctional coatings based on inexpensive compounds that can stick to virtually anything, including Teflon. Simply dissolving polyphenol powders in water with the proper dash of salt quickly produces colorless coatings that have antioxidant properties, are non-toxic and can kill bacteria on contact.

Brain size may signal risk of developing an eating disorder Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:11 AM PDT New research indicates that teens with anorexia nervosa have bigger brains than teens that do not have the eating disorder. That is according to a study that examined a group of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and a group without.

Breast is best: Good bacteria arrive from mum's gut via breast milk Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:10 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that important 'good' bacteria arrive in babies' digestive systems from their mother's gut via breast milk.

Family history of diabetes increases the risk of prediabetes by 26 percent, with effect most evident in non-obese Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:10 AM PDT A study involving more than 8,000 participants has shown that people with a family history of diabetes see their risk of prediabetes increase by 26 percent.

Flu shot may halve heart attack risk in middle aged with narrowed arteries Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:10 AM PDT The flu shot seems to almost halve the risk of heart attacks in middle aged people with narrowed arteries, finds new research.

Half of all UK 7 year olds not exercising for recommended minimum Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:05 AM PDT Half of all UK seven year olds are sedentary for six to seven hours every day, and only half clock up the recommended daily minimum of moderate to vigorous physical activity, indicates new research.

A virus changes its stripes: Human outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:05 AM PDT In the summer of 2010, the eastern Panamanian province of Darien experienced a phenomenon that had never been seen before in Latin America: a human outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis. Scientists have now investigated the outbreak, testing samples from 174 patients and many horses.

New molecular mechanism tied to pancreatic cancer Posted: 21 Aug 2013 02:01 PM PDT New research could aid efforts to diagnose and treat one of the most lethal and hard-to-treat types of cancer.

Drug swap drives down costs Posted: 21 Aug 2013 12:21 PM PDT Therapeutic drug substitutions have the potential to double or even triple annual cost savings compared with savings achieved with generic substitutions, according to researchers.

Study implicates dopamine in food restriction, drug abuse Posted: 20 Aug 2013 03:58 PM PDT Why are food-restricted animals more vulnerable to the effects of drugs of abuse? Researchers found a clue: dopamine neurons in a specific brain region fire bursts more than twice as frequently in chronically food-restricted mice.

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