ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Creating smarter surgical robots
• Depression key link between intimate partner violence, food insecurity
• Epigenetics: A key to controlling acute and chronic pain
• No longer a man's race
• Understanding DNA damage from common radiation threat, low-energy electrons
• Parents greatly underestimate how often their children are cyberbullied
• Proteins in one of the world's main biodiesel plants have been mapped, and it does not look good
• Nano-dwarves turn tumor assassins
• Children with brain injuries nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression
• DNA variants may influence COPD patients' response to inhaled bronchodilators
• New kit predicts most common lung cancer survival
• Important step towards stem cell-based treatment for stroke
• Antibody fragment effectively fights Alzheimer's disease in mice
• New treatment potential for severe asthma patients
• Researchers develop label-free automatic cancer diagnostics
• Lou Gehrig’s disease: From patient stem cells to potential treatment strategy
• Sleep apnea associated with subclinical myocardial injury
• Debunking myths about how cancer spreads
• 'High-risk' organs from deceased donors safe when screened with current methods
• Nanomechanics of drug-target interactions; antibacterial resistance detection
• Kids are more likely to trust attractive adults
• Exercise during pregnancy improves vascular function of offspring into adulthood
• Foreign private patients provide lucrative source of NHS income
• High cost of self-referral with no patient benefit
• Ultrasound device combined with clot-buster safe for stroke
• Kids' asthma medication frequently administered inaccurately, leading to poor health outcomes
• Insights into genetic architecture of OCD, tourette syndrome
• Study finds that paying people to become kidney donors could be cost-effective
• First gene detected for most common form of mitral valve prolapse
• Genes interact with parental care in producing childhood behavioral problems, study suggests
• Study ties bone marrow transplant to negative sexual side effects
• Bioinformatics breakthrough: High quality transcriptome from as few as fifty cells
• Study finds drug helps against pancreatic cancer
• High altitude hypoxia can be detected before symptoms apparent
• Identifying a mystery channel crucial for hearing
• Study suggests detecting ERG gene deletion useful for risk stratification in childhood illness

Creating smarter surgical robots Posted: 25 Oct 2013 03:56 PM PDT Providing surgical robots with a new kind of machine intelligence that significantly extends their capabilities and makes them much easier and more intuitive for surgeons to operate is the goal of a major new grant.

Depression key link between intimate partner violence, food insecurity Posted: 25 Oct 2013 10:53 AM PDT Women who experience physical, mental or sexual abuse at the hands of their partners have an increased likelihood of being food insecure. That's according to a new study that may prove valuable to those creating interventions for those populations.

Epigenetics: A key to controlling acute and chronic pain Posted: 25 Oct 2013 10:52 AM PDT Epigenetics, the study of changes in gene expression through mechanisms outside of the DNA structure, has been found to control a key pain receptor related to surgical incision pain, according to a new study. This study reveals new information about pain regulation in the spinal cord.

No longer a man's race Posted: 25 Oct 2013 09:33 AM PDT Men might be faster, but women are stronger in numbers in the nation's largest 10-kilometer road running races.

Understanding DNA damage from common radiation threat, low-energy electrons Posted: 25 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Every day, all day, our DNA gets beaten up by chemicals and radiation -- but remarkably, most of us stay healthy. Now, an investigation has produced insights into a little-studied but common radiation threat to DNA: low-energy electrons (LEEs), with energies of 0-15 electron volts.

Parents greatly underestimate how often their children are cyberbullied Posted: 25 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT Cyberbullying has become a destructive force in many children's lives. After multiple suicides by children being cyberbullied, parents, more than ever, need to be aware of their children's online activity. A recent paper found that parents underestimate how often their children engage in risky online behavior, like cyberbullying and viewing pornography.

Proteins in one of the world's main biodiesel plants have been mapped, and it does not look good Posted: 25 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT The castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) produces beans with a high content of fatty acids from which oil is refined into biodiesel in several countries, eg. Brazil. Now scientists have succeeded in mapping proteins of the castor bean. This information might make it possible to get even more out of the bean than today. The researcher's work, however, shows that it may not be an easy task.

Nano-dwarves turn tumor assassins Posted: 25 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT Chemotherapy is often preferred for fighting cancer, but its side effects can be considerable. A new technique may reduce these in future: nanoparticle-encapsulated substances could kill off tumor cells selectively. This will be easier on patients.

Children with brain injuries nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:19 AM PDT Researchers have found that compared to other children, 15 percent of those with brain injuries or concussions were diagnosed as depressed -- a 4.9 fold increase in the odds of diagnosed depression.

DNA variants may influence COPD patients' response to inhaled bronchodilators Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:19 AM PDT Identifying DNA variants associated with bronchodilator responsiveness may reveal genetic pathways associated with the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and may identify novel treatment methods, researchers have said.

New kit predicts most common lung cancer survival Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:18 AM PDT This genetic test newly developed to predict lung cancer survival has the potential to enhance patients' quality of life for those who have a good prognosis by avoiding chemotherapy, as well as being a cost saving for hospitals.

Important step towards stem cell-based treatment for stroke Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Brain infarction, or stroke, is caused by a blood clot blocking a blood vessel in the brain, which leads to interruption of blood flow and shortage of oxygen. Now a reserach group has taken an important step towards a treatment for stroke using stem cells.

Antibody fragment effectively fights Alzheimer's disease in mice Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Researchers have conducted trials with mice by injecting a specific antibody fragment against soluble aggregates of the Ab peptide, responsible for the toxicity and cell death characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. The beneficial effects were seen at the behavioural, cellular and molecular levels five days after an intraperitoneal dose was administered.

New treatment potential for severe asthma patients Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT New research brings hope of a new treatment for asthma patients resistant to corticosteroids. In a study published, researchers report that a type of lymphocytes called natural helper (NH) cells plays a critical role in corticosteroid resistance and demonstrate that the anti-psychotic drug Pimozide can be used to overcome resistance to steroids in severe asthma patients.

Researchers develop label-free automatic cancer diagnostics Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new spectroscopic method to support pathologists in diagnosing cancer. They compared conventional procedures for colon cancer identification with a novel method called label-free spectral histopathology. Contrary to previous methods the procedure does not have to stain the tissue in order to detect cancer, giving scientists the opportunity to classify a tissue sample automatically as being either normal or diseased.

Lou Gehrig’s disease: From patient stem cells to potential treatment strategy Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT A study is believed to be one of the first in which a specific form of Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, was replicated in a dish, analyzed and "treated," suggesting a potential future therapy all in a single study.

Sleep apnea associated with subclinical myocardial injury Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Now a new study indicates that OSA is associated with subclinical myocardial injury, as indicated by increased high sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) levels. Elevated hs-TnT levels are predictive of both coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure (HF) in the general population.

Debunking myths about how cancer spreads Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT Experts address some of the common misconceptions about how cancer spreads.

'High-risk' organs from deceased donors safe when screened with current methods Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT A study has shown that after a median of 2.4 years of follow up, 86.5% of transplants of donor kidneys considered "high-risk" for infection and disease were functioning with no evidence of infections. Such "high-risk" organs are relatively safe when screened with current methods.

Nanomechanics of drug-target interactions; antibacterial resistance detection Posted: 25 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT A new article has been published on a novel technique to confront the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Kids are more likely to trust attractive adults Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:09 PM PDT Children are more likely to trust an adult with an attractive face compared to an unattractive one -- this is the finding of new research.

Exercise during pregnancy improves vascular function of offspring into adulthood Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:09 PM PDT Exercise during gestation has the potential to program vascular health in offspring into their adulthood, in particular significantly altering the vascular smooth muscle.

Foreign private patients provide lucrative source of NHS income Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT Foreign patients coming to the UK for private medical treatment are a lucrative source of income for the NHS. The study also suggests that more UK residents currently travel abroad for treatment than international patients travel to the UK for private or NHS treatment.

High cost of self-referral with no patient benefit Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT A new study has confirmed the high cost of self-referral with no patient benefit, and presents evidence to end this practice.

Ultrasound device combined with clot-buster safe for stroke Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:24 PM PDT A study showed that a hands-free ultrasound device combined with a clot-busting drug was safe for ischemic stroke patients.

Kids' asthma medication frequently administered inaccurately, leading to poor health outcomes Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:24 PM PDT Caregivers' often administer their child's asthma medication inaccurately, which leads to poor health outcomes for those children.

Insights into genetic architecture of OCD, tourette syndrome Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:24 PM PDT An international research consortium has answered several questions about the genetic background of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome (TS), providing the first direct confirmation that both are highly heritable and also revealing major differences between the underlying genetic makeup of the disorders.

Study finds that paying people to become kidney donors could be cost-effective Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:24 PM PDT Paying living donors $10,000 could be cost-saving even if it only resulted in a 5% increase in the number of donors.

First gene detected for most common form of mitral valve prolapse Posted: 24 Oct 2013 01:05 PM PDT DNA of large, multi-generational family provided genetic clue to location of gene for common heart disease, mitral valve prolapse. Researchers then used animal models to define normal biological functions altered by gene mutation.

Genes interact with parental care in producing childhood behavioral problems, study suggests Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT A new study suggests that some children may be genetically predisposed to developing behavioral problems in child care and preschool settings. Previous research found that some children develop behavior problems, despite the benefit of academic gains, however, it was never known why some youngsters struggle in these settings and others flourish. This study indicates that some children may act out due to poor self-control and temperament problems that they inherited from their parents.

Study ties bone marrow transplant to negative sexual side effects Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT New research ties preparative procedures and complications associated with blood or bone marrow transplantation (stem cell transplantation, SCT) with diminished sexual health in both men and women who have undergone the lifesaving procedure.

Bioinformatics breakthrough: High quality transcriptome from as few as fifty cells Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT Bioengineers have created a new method for analyzing RNA transcripts from samples of 50 to 100 cells. The approach could be used to develop inexpensive and rapid methods for diagnosing cancers at early stages, as well as better tools for forensics, drug discovery and developmental biology.

Study finds drug helps against pancreatic cancer Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT An investigational drug that disrupts tumor blood vessels shows promise against a rare type of pancreatic cancer.

High altitude hypoxia can be detected before symptoms apparent Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT A team of researchers has found that hypoxia can be detected prior to incapacitating physical symptoms which can be a safety threat at high altitudes.

Identifying a mystery channel crucial for hearing Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT Our ability to hear relies on hair cells, sensory receptors that mechanically amplify low-level sound that enters the inner ear through a transduction channel. A new study could help lead to a definitive identification of this mystery channel.

Study suggests detecting ERG gene deletion useful for risk stratification in childhood illness Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT Results of EORTC trial 58951 suggest that detecting ERG gene deletion at diagnosis of childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia would be useful for risk stratification. The study showed that patients with the ERG gene deletion had a very good outcome with an 8-year event-free survival of 86.4 percent and an overall survival of 95.6 percent.

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