ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Meals for more seniors could save some states money
• Delayed aging is better investment than cancer, heart disease
• Researchers test biofeedback device in lowering grandmothers' stress
• Some video games promote unhealthy foods for kids
• Study shows how neurons enable us to know smells we like and dislike, whether to approach or retreat
• Cells prefer nanodiscs over nanorods
• How JC Polyomavirus invades cells
• What makes triathletes so tough?
• Vaccination campaign doubles HBV mutations
• Novel algorithm detects early signals of Alzheimer's in motion behavior
• Dog's mood offers insight into owner's health
• 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic in cells
• Air pollution and psychological distress during pregnancy
• Advance in the diagnosis and control of childhood asthma
• Work seems life threatening to people suffering from stress
• Air pollution increases heart attacks
• Possible biomarker for Parkinson's disease
• New drug candidate found for deadly fungal lung infections
• Stress steroid mediated withdrawal anxiety in methamphetamine dependent rats: Reversible by Flumazenil
• 6 new Sjögren's syndrome genes found by international team
• Neuroscientists identify class of cortical inhibitory neurons specializing in disinhibition
• Protein triggers inflammatory responses in hemorrhage, sepsis
• Glutamatergic agents show promise for mood, anxiety disorders
• Epigenetic markers show promise in Alzheimer's disease
• Enzymatic pathway common to drugs of abuse could lead to new treatments
• Skin infection linked to exposure to aquariums is under-diagnosed
• Coordinated health care needed to better serve Haitians post-earthquake
• Study points to new heart drug targets with a key role for triglycerides
• Universal gown, glove use by employees in ICU reduces MRSA 40 percent
• Biomarker, potential targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer discovered
• Program improves sun protection practices among children of melanoma survivors
• Unreliable commercial lab kits may be hindering fight against cancer

Meals for more seniors could save some states money Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:25 PM PDT Expanding programs like Meals on Wheels, because they help some Medicaid-receiving seniors stay out of nursing homes, would save 26 of 48 states money, in addition to allowing more seniors to stay in their own homes, according to a new study.

Delayed aging is better investment than cancer, heart disease Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:23 PM PDT Research to delay aging and the infirmities of old age would have better population health and economic returns than advances in individual fatal diseases such as cancer or heart disease, reveals a new study.

Researchers test biofeedback device in lowering grandmothers' stress Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:18 PM PDT In a pilot study, 20 grandmothers were able to lower their stress levels with a biofeedback device that tracks breathing patterns.

Some video games promote unhealthy foods for kids Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:17 PM PDT Not only do some online video games promote a less-than-active lifestyle for children, the content of some of these games also may be contributing to unhealthy diets. A team of researchers took a closer look at what are called advergames and found they have a tendency to promote foods that are chock full of fat, sugar and sodium.

Study shows how neurons enable us to know smells we like and dislike, whether to approach or retreat Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:17 PM PDT What underlying biological mechanisms account for our seemingly instant, almost unconscious ability to determine how attractive (or repulsive) a particular smell is? New research reveals a set of cells in the fruit fly brain that respond specifically to food odors. The degree to which these neurons respond when the fly is presented different food odors predicts "incredibly well how much the flies will 'like' a given odor."

Cells prefer nanodiscs over nanorods Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:16 PM PDT For years scientists have been working to fundamentally understand how nanoparticles move throughout the human body. One big unanswered question is how the shape of nanoparticles affects their entry into cells. Now researchers have discovered that under typical culture conditions, mammalian cells prefer disc-shaped nanoparticles over those shaped like rods.

How JC Polyomavirus invades cells Posted: 07 Oct 2013 09:26 AM PDT A new study identifies the means by which the JC Polyomavirus enters host cells. It's a particular subset of serotonin receptors.

What makes triathletes so tough? Posted: 07 Oct 2013 08:21 AM PDT Why do triathletes have such remarkable endurance and exceptional athletic abilities? Researchers have found they may feel less pain than casual exercisers -- and this finding may lead to new therapies for chronic pain in others.

Vaccination campaign doubles HBV mutations Posted: 07 Oct 2013 08:21 AM PDT A universal infant vaccination campaign in China has led the hepatitis B virus to more than double its rate of "breakout" mutations. These mutations may enable the virus to elude the vaccine, necessitating new vaccination strategies.

Novel algorithm detects early signals of Alzheimer's in motion behavior Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:51 AM PDT Abnormal motion behavior and degeneration of the sleep-waking cycle are among the most severe behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. An early detection and even a prediction of these behaviors would allow a timely onset of interventions that aim to delay the manifestation or exacerbation of symptoms and reduce the need of institutionalized care.

Dog's mood offers insight into owner's health Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:47 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated how remote-monitoring of a dog's behavior can be used to alert family and carers that an elderly relative is struggling to cope.

2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic in cells Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:26 AM PDT The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells.

Air pollution and psychological distress during pregnancy Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT Maternal psychological distress combined with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy have an adverse impact on children's behavioral development. The study shows that maternal demoralization, a measure of psychological distress that can affect a mother's ability to cope with stressful situations, was linked with several behavioral problems, including anxiety, depression, and attention problems. Effects of demoralization were greatest among children with higher levels of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air pollution.

Advance in the diagnosis and control of childhood asthma Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:43 AM PDT A researcher has produced a PhD thesis addressing the link between asthma and exhaled nitric oxide.

Work seems life threatening to people suffering from stress Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:42 AM PDT Stress causes more cases of prolonged absence from work due to sickness. Work and identity are more closely knit together than ever before, and therefore work becomes a matter of life and death to the person suffering from stress. A new study questions modern quick fixes for those faced with stress, based on research into stress by prominent experts in the field.

Air pollution increases heart attacks Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:42 AM PDT Air pollution increases heart attacks, according to research. Of particular note is that the study also found that older people (>65 years) and men were particularly susceptible to having arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation or acute coronary syndromes at increasing levels of air pollution.

Possible biomarker for Parkinson's disease Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:37 AM PDT A study finds that elevated levels of the alpha-synuclein protein can be detected in the skin of Parkinson's disease patients at an early stage.

New drug candidate found for deadly fungal lung infections Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:37 AM PDT On a molecular level, you have more in common with shower curtain mold or the mushrooms on your pizza than you might think. Humans and fungi share similar proteins, a biological bond that makes curing fungal infections difficult and expensive. Now for the first time in 20 years, researchers have discovered a new compound that could be developed as an antifungal drug to treat histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis, two types of fungal infections that are naturally drug-resistant.

Stress steroid mediated withdrawal anxiety in methamphetamine dependent rats: Reversible by Flumazenil Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:37 AM PDT New findings demonstrate a reproducible pathology that may help shed light on anxiety and mood volatility in methamphetamine dependence.

6 new Sjögren's syndrome genes found by international team Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:24 AM PDT Six new Sjögren's syndrome-related genes have been discovered by an international group of researchers in a genome-wide association study. Previously, only one Sjögren's gene was known.

Neuroscientists identify class of cortical inhibitory neurons specializing in disinhibition Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:24 AM PDT New research reveals that one class of inhibitory neurons -- called VIP interneurons -- specializes in inhibiting other inhibitory neurons in multiple regions of cortex, and does so under specific behavioral conditions. The new research finds that VIP interneurons, when activated, release principal cells from inhibition, thus boosting their responses. This provides an additional layer of control over cortical processing, much like a dimmer switch can fine-tune light levels.

Protein triggers inflammatory responses in hemorrhage, sepsis Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:24 AM PDT Investigators have discovered a protein in the human body that can trigger and mediate inflammation in patients suffering from hemorrhage and sepsis.

Glutamatergic agents show promise for mood, anxiety disorders Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:23 AM PDT Glutamergic agents may one day be used as a novel treatment for mood and anxiety disorders.

Epigenetic markers show promise in Alzheimer's disease Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:23 AM PDT New evidence links epigenetic regulation with Alzheimer's disease, which may one day lead to new early diagnostic tests and even novel treatment options for the most common form of dementia.

Enzymatic pathway common to drugs of abuse could lead to new treatments Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:23 AM PDT The extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) pathway plays a role in multiple drug addictions and appears to modulate neuronal plasticity through epigenetic mechanisms.

Skin infection linked to exposure to aquariums is under-diagnosed Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT A skin infection linked to exposure to contaminated water in home aquariums is frequently under-diagnosed. Researchers say diagnosing and managing Mycobacterium marinum infection is difficult because skin lesions don't appear for two to four weeks after incubation, leading to delayed treatment and unnecessary and ineffective use of antifungal and antibacterial agents.

Coordinated health care needed to better serve Haitians post-earthquake Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT Three years after an earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless in Haiti, a study found that more mobilized medical care is necessary to bridge cultural and health care barriers and better serve the Haitian population.

Study points to new heart drug targets with a key role for triglycerides Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT A global hunt for genes that influence heart disease risk has uncovered 157 changes in human DNA that alter the levels of cholesterol and other blood fats – a discovery that could lead to new medications.

Universal gown, glove use by employees in ICU reduces MRSA 40 percent Posted: 04 Oct 2013 05:14 PM PDT Health-care workers' use of disposable gowns and gloves upon entering all patient rooms on an ICU, versus only in rooms on standard isolation protocol, helped reduce patient acquisition of MRSA by approximately 40 percent. While the study did not show statistically significant results for preventing patient acquisition of VRE, use of gowns and gloves increased handwashing frequency among healthcare workers and did not result in any increase in adverse events for patients.

Biomarker, potential targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer discovered Posted: 04 Oct 2013 05:14 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a biomarker, known as phosphatidylserine, for pancreatic cancer that could be effectively targeted, creating a potential therapy for a condition that has a small survival rate.

Program improves sun protection practices among children of melanoma survivors Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:42 PM PDT A new article outlines the results of a project investigating how directed programing affects behavior. This study is the first to evaluate impact of tailored information on a group at high risk for melanoma.

Unreliable commercial lab kits may be hindering fight against cancer Posted: 04 Oct 2013 09:49 AM PDT A new study shows for the first time that low quality commercial lab kits may be one factor hampering the progress of cancer diagnostics.

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