ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Human epigenomic map extended
• High lifetime costs for type 2 diabetes
• Study shows MicroRNAs can trigger lymphomas
• Scientists visualize how cancer chromosome abnormalities form in living cells
• Investigational malaria vaccine found safe and protective
• Robot treats brain clots with steerable needles
• Muscle health depends on sugar superstructure
• Gene regulator is key to healthy retinal development and good vision in adulthood
• Way to fight therapy resistant leukemia by blocking DNA repair
• Elementary and middle schools can get students moving, not just thinking
• Study shows who survives Burkitt lymphoma
• Cesareans weaken gut microbiota and increase risk of allergies
• Chemists' work will aid drug design to target cancer and inflammatory disease
• Scientists devise innovative method to profile and predict the behavior of proteins
• A powerful strategy for developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs
• Latino genomes point way to hidden DNA
• Genetic evidence shows recent population mixture in India
• Capturing live tumor cells in the blood
• Key piece of RNA-splicing machinery revealed: Little elongation complex
• Kids born small should get moving
• Natural swimming pools also get contaminated
• Researchers constrain the sources of climate- and health-afflicting air pollution from China
• Neurocognitive testing more accurate than self-reporting when assessing concussion recovery in cheerleaders
• Fuel smoke linked to cardiovascular issues
• Key protein that modulates organismal aging identified
• Study suggests pattern in lung cancer pathology may predict cancer recurrence after surgery
• Rheumatoid arthritis heightens risk of dangerous leg and lung blood clots
• Narrower range of helpful bacteria in guts of C-section infants
• Scientists identify biomarker to predict immune response risk after stem cell transplants
• Study casts doubt on theory that retired NFL players suffer unique cognitive disorder
• First U.S. implantation of fully resorbable antibacterial envelope for cardiac devices
• Protein involved in nerve-cell migration implicated in spread of brain cancer
• Psoriasis patients at increasing risk for range of serious medical conditions
• Heart pump with behind-the-ear power connector
• Cell maturity pathway is deleted or weak in glioblastoma multiforme
• Family members of children with cancer may also be at risk
• Tracking Twitter may enhance monitoring of food safety at restaurants

Human epigenomic map extended Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT New research describes the dynamics of DNA methylation across a wide range of human cell types. Chemically, these marks are the addition of a methyl group -- one carbon atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms -- anywhere a cytosine nucleotide sits next to a guanine nucleotide in the DNA sequence.

High lifetime costs for type 2 diabetes Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT A person with type 2 diabetes spends on average more than $85,000 treating the disease and its complications over their lifetime, according to a recent study.

Study shows MicroRNAs can trigger lymphomas Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT A small group of immune-regulating molecules, when overproduced even moderately, can trigger the blood cancers known as lymphomas, according to a new study.

Scientists visualize how cancer chromosome abnormalities form in living cells Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT For the first time, scientists have directly observed events that lead to the formation of a chromosome abnormality that is often found in cancer cells. The abnormality, called a translocation, occurs when part of a chromosome breaks off and becomes attached to another chromosome.

Investigational malaria vaccine found safe and protective Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT An investigational malaria vaccine has been found to be safe, to generate an immune system response, and to offer protection against malaria infection in healthy adults, according to new results.

Robot treats brain clots with steerable needles Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Surgery to relieve the damaging pressure caused by hemorrhaging in the brain is a perfect job for a robot. That is the basic premise of a new image-guided surgical system under development.

Muscle health depends on sugar superstructure Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Scientists have pinpointed not just one, but three proteins that are required for constructing a key, early section of a critical sugar chain. Mutations affecting any one of these three proteins can cause congenital muscular dystrophies in humans.

Gene regulator is key to healthy retinal development and good vision in adulthood Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT Scientists are developing a clearer picture of how visual systems develop in mammals. The findings offer important clues to the origin of retinal disorders later in life.

Way to fight therapy resistant leukemia by blocking DNA repair Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT New research suggests blocking part of a DNA repair complex that helps some types of leukemia resist treatment can increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and enhance survival. Scientists report that their experimental combination treatment strategy -- using a small molecular inhibitor along with chemotherapy -- was particularly effective at stopping a stubborn leukemia called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Elementary and middle schools can get students moving, not just thinking Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT Despite widespread cuts to physical education classes and recess, an Indiana University study has shown that schools can play an important role in helping their students live healthier lives. Schools that implemented coordinated school health programs saw increases in students' physical activity.

Study shows who survives Burkitt lymphoma Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT Treatment advances have helped improve survival of Burkitt lymphoma, a highly aggressive cancer, but not among the elderly, patients at a late stage, or black people. A new study uses those findings to develop a risk score that will help doctors, patients, families and researchers better understand prognosis.

Cesareans weaken gut microbiota and increase risk of allergies Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Children who came into the world by Cesarean section are more often affected by allergies than those born in the natural way. The reason for this may be that they have a less diverse gut microbiota, according to a new study.

Chemists' work will aid drug design to target cancer and inflammatory disease Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Chemists have produced detailed descriptions of the structure and molecular properties of human folate receptor proteins, a key development for designing new drugs that can target cancer and inflammatory diseases without serious side effects.

Scientists devise innovative method to profile and predict the behavior of proteins Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT A team of researchers has found a way to map an enzyme's underlying molecular machinery, revealing patterns that could allow them to predict how an enzyme behaves -- and what happens when this process disrupted.

A powerful strategy for developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Scientists have reported the development of a strategy for efficiently developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs.

Latino genomes point way to hidden DNA Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the hiding place of 20 million base pairs of human genome sequence, finding a home for 10 percent of the DNA that is thought to be missing from the standard reference map of the human genome.

Genetic evidence shows recent population mixture in India Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Researchers have found that modern-day India is the result of recent population mixture among divergent demographic groups.

Capturing live tumor cells in the blood Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:36 AM PDT Tumor cells circulating within a patient's bloodstream can carry cancer from a primary tumor site to distant sites of the body, spreading the disease. Now researchers have developed a new microfluidic chip that can quickly and efficiently segregate and capture live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a patient's blood, with potential applications for cancer screenings and treatment assessments.

Key piece of RNA-splicing machinery revealed: Little elongation complex Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:33 AM PDT A little-studied factor known as the Little Elongation Complex (LEC) plays a critical and previously unknown role in the transcription of small nuclear RNAs (snRNA), according to a new study.

Kids born small should get moving Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:21 AM PDT Female mice who were growth restricted in the womb were born at a lower birth weight, but were less active and prone to obesity as adults, said researchers.

Natural swimming pools also get contaminated Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT The use of natural pools - those that do not use chlorine or other chemical disinfection products - has seen an upward trend in recent years. Now, scientists have discovered fecal contamination in some pools due to droppings from birds and other animals.

Researchers constrain the sources of climate- and health-afflicting air pollution from China Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT Particulate air pollution from incomplete combustion is affecting climate over East Asia more than carbon dioxide and cause premature deaths of over half a million annually in China alone, yet its sources have been poorly understood. Scientists have now used a powerful carbon-14 method to show that four-fifths of the soot particle air pollution are from fossil fuel combustion such as household cooking with coal briquettes and city traffic, drastically changing the view on sources and guiding efforts to mitigate emissions.

Neurocognitive testing more accurate than self-reporting when assessing concussion recovery in cheerleaders Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT Concussions have become a major public health issue, with both short- and long-term side effects.  In sports, cheerleading has the highest rate of catastrophic injury, with some studies reporting approximately 6% of total injuries as concussions.  Return-to-play guidelines have relied on athletes' self-reports; however, this has led to concerns about the ability of athletes to truly recognize their own symptoms and recovery.  In a new study researchers evaluate the accuracy of neurocognitive testing compared with self-reported symptoms of concussions in cheerleaders.

Fuel smoke linked to cardiovascular issues Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Rural households in developing countries often rely on burning biomass, such as wood, animal dung and waste from agricultural crops, to cook and heat their homes. The practice is long known to cause lung disease, but a new study links the resulting smoke to cardiovascular problems, including an increase in artery-clogging plaques, artery thickness and higher blood pressure.

Key protein that modulates organismal aging identified Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Scientists have identified a key factor that regulates the autophagy process, a kind of cleansing mechanism for cells in which waste material and cellular debris is gobbled up to protect cells from damage, and in turn, modulates aging.

Study suggests pattern in lung cancer pathology may predict cancer recurrence after surgery Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT A new study by thoracic surgeons and pathologists shows that a specific pattern found in the tumor pathology of some lung cancer patients is a strong predictor of recurrence. Knowing that this feature exists in a tumor's pathology could be an important factor doctors use to guide cancer treatment decisions.

Rheumatoid arthritis heightens risk of dangerous leg and lung blood clots Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Rheumatoid arthritis significantly increases the risk of potentially fatal blood clots in the legs and lungs, reveals a large nationwide study.

Narrower range of helpful bacteria in guts of C-section infants Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT The range of helpful bacteria in the guts of infants delivered by Cesarean section, during their first two years of life, is narrower than that of infants delivered vaginally, indicates a small study.

Scientists identify biomarker to predict immune response risk after stem cell transplants Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Researchers have identified and validated a biomarker accessible in blood tests that could be used to predict which stem cell transplant patients are at highest risk for a potentially fatal immune response called graft-versus-host disease.

Study casts doubt on theory that retired NFL players suffer unique cognitive disorder Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:46 PM PDT The media have widely reported that retired NFL players are at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which causes aggression, depression, dementia and suicidality. But a study of retired NFL players finds no evidence to support this theory.

First U.S. implantation of fully resorbable antibacterial envelope for cardiac devices Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:46 PM PDT A new fully resorbable "envelope" that encloses implantable cardiac devices, such as pacemakers and internal cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), has been used for the first time, helping prevent surgical site infections.

Protein involved in nerve-cell migration implicated in spread of brain cancer Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT The invasion of brain-tumor cells into surrounding tissue requires the same protein molecule that neurons need to migrate into position as they differentiate and mature, according to new research.

Psoriasis patients at increasing risk for range of serious medical conditions Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT Researchers have concluded that the severity of psoriasis is strongly linked to an increased presence of other diseases affecting the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver and pancreas.

Heart pump with behind-the-ear power connector Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT Researchers are studying the efficacy of powering heart pumps through a skull-based connector behind the ear. Typically, these devices are energized through an electrical cord connected at an abdominal site, where potentially deadly infections can develop.

Cell maturity pathway is deleted or weak in glioblastoma multiforme Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT A program that pushes immature cells to grow up and fulfill their destiny as useful, dedicated cells is short-circuited in the most common and deadly form of brain tumor, scientists say.

Family members of children with cancer may also be at risk Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT When a child is diagnosed with cancer, one of the first questions the parents ask is "Will my other children get cancer?" A new study suggests the answer to that question depends on whether a family history of cancer exists.

Tracking Twitter may enhance monitoring of food safety at restaurants Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:45 AM PDT A new system could tell you how likely it is for you to become ill if you visit a particular restaurant by "listening" to the tweets from other restaurant patrons.

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