ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Avian influenza virus detection using smell
• The brain's neural thermostat
• Using mobile devices to look up drug info prevents adverse events in nursing homes
• Participation in cardiac rehab program improves recovery in stroke patients
• Genetic errors identified in 12 major cancer types
• Taking stock of research on sleepless soldiers
• Finding blood clots before they wreak havoc
• Tracking viral DNA in the cell: New method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes
• Study shows how Staph toxin disarms the immune system
• Researchers discover, treat toxic effects of ALS mutation in neurons using patients' skin cells
• Better understanding of inherited hearing loss
• When neurons have less to say, they speak up
• 'Individualized' therapy for the brain targets specific gene mutations causing dementia, ALS
• Rare gene mutation sheds light on protein's role in brain development
• Maximizing broccoli's cancer-fighting potential
• Glowing neurons reveal networked link between brain, whiskers
• Light triggers death switch in cancer cells
• Toward a urine test for detecting blood clots
• Eye contact builds bedside trust
• Drug activates virus against cancer
• Scientists create a super antioxidant
• Crystal methamphetamine use by street youth increases risk of injecting drugs
• Iron supplementation can provide cognitive, physical benefits to anemic children
• Are Oreos addictive? Research says yes
• Inhibiting a single protein could improve treatment of atherosclerosis
• Lung infections offer clue to unlocking the mystery of heart drug
• Neurosurgical residents improve quality, reduce costs
• Recession drove men to have vasectomy earlier
• Clinical trial tests new treatment for rare cancer
• Can thermodynamics help us better understand human cancers?
• New discovery in quest for better drugs
• Impact of bariatric surgery on health depends on type of surgery, patient characteristics
• Sleep is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• Gunshot injuries in children are more severe, deadly, costly than any other injury
• World first: Lungs awaiting transplant preserved 11 hours outside body
• Improvements in the detection of drug interactions

Avian influenza virus detection using smell Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:24 PM PDT New research reveals that avian influenza, which typically is asymptomatic, can be detected based on odor changes in infected birds. The results suggest a rapid and simple detection method to help prevent the spread of influenzas in avian populations.

The brain's neural thermostat Posted: 16 Oct 2013 12:28 PM PDT Scientists observed in vivo that neocortical neurons, cells that control higher functions such as sight, language and spatial reasoning, have a set average firing rate and return to this set point even during prolonged periods of sensory deprivation. Furthermore, the average firing rate is so well regulated by this neural thermostat that the rates do not change between periods of sleep and wakefulness.

Using mobile devices to look up drug info prevents adverse events in nursing homes Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT Nearly nine out of 10 nursing home physicians said that using their mobile devices to look up prescription drug information prevented at least one adverse drug event in the previous month.

Participation in cardiac rehab program improves recovery in stroke patients Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Stroke patients who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program for six months make rapid gains in how far and fast they can walk, the use of weakened limbs and their ability to sit and stand.

Genetic errors identified in 12 major cancer types Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT Examining 12 major types of cancer, scientists have identified 127 repeatedly mutated genes that appear to drive the development and progression of a range of tumors in the body. The discovery sets the stage for devising new diagnostic tools and more personalized cancer treatments.

Taking stock of research on sleepless soldiers Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:37 AM PDT Various behavioral treatment options are helping to treat the sleeplessness experienced by American soldiers who have been deployed in recent military operations. A review of research has been done on deployment-related insomnia among military personnel and veterans, conducted since 2010.

Finding blood clots before they wreak havoc Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Simple urine test developed by engineers uses nanotechnology to detect dangerous blood clotting.

Tracking viral DNA in the cell: New method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Cell biologists and chemists reveal how viral DNA traffics in human cells. They have developed a new method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes. This allowed them to visualize, for the first time, single viral genomes in the cytoplasm and the nucleus by using fluorescence microscopy in regular or superresolution mode. The new findings enhance our understanding of how viral disease occurs, and how cells respond to infections.

Study shows how Staph toxin disarms the immune system Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which the deadly Staphylococcus aureus bacteria attack and kill off immune cells. Their findings explain a critical survival tactic of a pathogen that causes more skin and heart infections than any other microbe, and kills more than 100,000 Americans every year.

Researchers discover, treat toxic effects of ALS mutation in neurons using patients' skin cells Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how the most common genetic abnormality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia kills neurons, and have successfully developed a therapeutic strategy to block this neurodegeneration in neurons made from the skin cells of ALS patients. The findings have important implications for treating patients with these debilitating, currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases.

Better understanding of inherited hearing loss Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT A team of researchers made an important discovery that could better explain some inherited forms of hearing loss in humans. Scientists identified a group of proteins crucial for shaping the cellular organ responsible for detecting sounds.

When neurons have less to say, they speak up Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT The brain is an extremely adaptable organ – but it is also quite conservative. That's in short, what scientists are now able to show. Researchers have found that neurons in the brain regulate their own activity in such a way that the overall activity level in the network remains as constant as possible. This remains true even in the event of major changes.

'Individualized' therapy for the brain targets specific gene mutations causing dementia, ALS Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT Scientists have developed new drugs that — at least in a laboratory dish — appear to halt the brain-destroying impact of a genetic mutation at work in some forms of two incurable diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and dementia.

Rare gene mutation sheds light on protein's role in brain development Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT Though worlds apart, four unrelated families have been united in a medical mystery over the source of a rare inherited disorder that results in their children being born with abnormal brain growth and severe functional impairments.

Maximizing broccoli's cancer-fighting potential Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT Spraying a plant hormone on broccoli -- already one of the planet's most nutritious foods -- boosts its cancer-fighting potential, and researchers say they have new insights on how that works.

Glowing neurons reveal networked link between brain, whiskers Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT New research on mouse whiskers reveals a surprise -- at the fine scale, the sensory system's wiring diagram doesn't have a set pattern. And it's probably the case that no two people's touch sensory systems are wired exactly the same at the detailed level, according to this study.

Light triggers death switch in cancer cells Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have created a peptide (a small piece of protein), linked to a light-responsive dye, capable of switching 'on' death pathways in cancer cells. The peptide remains inactive until exposed to external light pulses which convert it into a cell death signal.

Toward a urine test for detecting blood clots Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Detecting dangerous blood clots, which can cause life-threatening conditions such as strokes and heart attacks, leading causes of death for men and women in the US, has been a coveted and elusive goal. But scientists are now reporting progress in the form of a simple urine test.

Eye contact builds bedside trust Posted: 16 Oct 2013 07:04 AM PDT Doctors who make a lot of eye contact are viewed as more likable and empathetic by patients, according to a new study.

Drug activates virus against cancer Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:38 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that a drug called valproic acid increases the effectiveness of parvoviruses that are used against cancer. In some cases, pancreatic and cervical tumors that had been transplanted to rats completely regressed after treatment with a combination of the virus and an agent. The drug makes the viruses replicate more rapidly and improves their capacity to kill cancer cells.

Scientists create a super antioxidant Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:37 AM PDT Scientists are enhancing the natural antioxidant properties of an element found in a car's catalytic converter to make it useful for medical applications.

Crystal methamphetamine use by street youth increases risk of injecting drugs Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT The use of crystal methamphetamine by street-involved youth is linked to an increased risk of injecting drugs, with crystal methamphetamine being the drug most commonly used at the time of first injection.

Iron supplementation can provide cognitive, physical benefits to anemic children Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT Giving daily iron supplements to anemic primary-school-aged children can have cognitive and physical benefits, according to a study.

Are Oreos addictive? Research says yes Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:33 AM PDT Students and a professor of neuroscience have found "America's favorite cookie" is just as addictive as cocaine – at least for lab rats. In a study designed to shed light on the potential addictiveness of high-fat/ high-sugar foods, they found rats formed an equally strong association between the pleasurable effects of eating Oreos and a specific environment as they did between cocaine or morphine and a specific environment. They also found that eating cookies activated more neurons in the brain's "pleasure center" than exposure to drugs of abuse.

Inhibiting a single protein could improve treatment of atherosclerosis Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:38 AM PDT A new study, conducted in mice, shows that the well-known association between a fat-rich diet and atherosclerosis is related to the induction of the protein Rcan1 in the wall of the aorta.

Lung infections offer clue to unlocking the mystery of heart drug Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:38 AM PDT Scientists have discovered ground breaking clues as to how the pioneering heart drug ticagrelor might reduce the risk of dying following a heart attack, in comparison to previous standard treatments.

Neurosurgical residents improve quality, reduce costs Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:38 AM PDT An incentive program to reduce unnecessary diagnostic laboratory tests performed in neurosurgical patients was highly successful. Neurosurgical residents identified five frequently scheduled laboratory tests that rarely yield information that would change patient care. New guidelines were developed to determine when these tests should be performed. The result was a 47% reduction in the number of targeted tests, which was attended by cost savings of $1.7 million in one year.

Recession drove men to have vasectomy earlier Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:37 AM PDT The relationship between economic conditions and reproduction has a long and complex history. In agrarian economies, children are an economic asset, though when times are hard, having children can always make it harder. In the latest example of this kind of research, investigators found that the 2008 financial crisis and recession had an impact on when men had vasectomies.

Clinical trial tests new treatment for rare cancer Posted: 15 Oct 2013 07:36 AM PDT Adrenal cancer researchers are seeing the results of their laboratory studies translate to a clinical trial to test a potential new therapy in patients.

Can thermodynamics help us better understand human cancers? Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:46 AM PDT Researchers analyzed gene expression profiles of more than 2,000 patients and identified cancer-specific gene signatures for breast, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers.

New discovery in quest for better drugs Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:46 AM PDT Scientists have combined cutting edge computer modelling with pharmacology and medicinal chemistry to reveal new insights into how the body interacts with novel drug treatments, in research that could lead to the creation of drugs that are more targeted and with fewer side effects.

Impact of bariatric surgery on health depends on type of surgery, patient characteristics Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT The impact of bariatric surgery on risk factors for cardiovascular disease depends on a variety of factors, including the type of surgery, sex of the patient, ethnic background, and pre-surgery body mass index.

Sleep is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT Three new studies show just how critical it is for adults to seek treatment for a sleep illness and aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Gunshot injuries in children are more severe, deadly, costly than any other injury Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT A research team reveals that childhood gunshot injuries, while uncommon, are more severe, require more major surgery, have greater mortality and higher per-patient costs than any other mechanism for childhood injury -- particularly among adolescent males.

World first: Lungs awaiting transplant preserved 11 hours outside body Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:41 AM PDT A multidisciplinary transplant team successfully preserved a set of donor lungs for over eleven hours with the help of a machine, the longest period ever reported. The lengthy preservation time was necessary because the patient needed a liver transplant immediately prior to the lung transplant. The patient has since left the hospital and is in good health.

Improvements in the detection of drug interactions Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:40 AM PDT A group of researchers recently organized an international science competition on information extraction techniques to more accurately detect the pharmacological interactions described in biomedical texts.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610