السبت، 15 فبراير 2014

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Children living close to fast food outlets more likely to be overweight

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 07:04 PM PST

Research shows that children living close to fast food outlets are more likely to be overweight. Researchers looked at weight data from more than a million children and compared it with the availability of unhealthy food from outlets including fish and chip shops, burger bars, pizza places, and sweet shops. It is hoped that the findings will help shape planning policy to help tackle childhood obesity.

Scientists find cell fate switch that decides liver, or pancreas?

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST

Stem cell scientists have a new theory for how stem cells decide whether to become liver or pancreatic cells during development. A cell's fate, the researchers found, is determined by the nearby presence of prostaglandin E2, a messenger molecule best known for its role in inflammation and pain. The discovery could potentially make liver and pancreas cells easier to generate both in the lab and for future cell therapies.

Cat parasite found in western Arctic Beluga deemed infectious

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 12:35 PM PST

Scientists have found for the first time an infectious form of the cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii in western Arctic Beluga, prompting a health advisory to the Inuit people who eat whale meat.

Embryology: Scientists crack open 'black box' of development and see a 'rosette'

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST

We know much about how embryos develop, but one key stage -- implantation -- has remained a mystery. Now, scientists have discovered a way to study and film this 'black box' of development. This new method revealed that on its way from ball to cup, the blastocyst becomes a 'rosette' of wedge-shaped cells, a structure never before seen by scientists.

Mixed genes: Interactive world map of human genetic history reveals likely genetic impacts of historical events

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:23 AM PST

When individuals from different groups interbreed, their offspring's DNA becomes a mixture of the DNA from each admixing group. Pieces of this DNA are then passed along through subsequent generations, carrying on all the way to the present day. Researchers have now produced a global map detailing the genetic histories of 95 different populations across the world, spanning the last four millennia.

Air pollution increases risk for hypertension in pregnant women

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST

Breathing the air outside their homes may be just as toxic to pregnant women -- if not more so -- as breathing in cigarette smoke, increasing a mom-to-be's risk of developing deadly complications such as preeclampsia, according to findings from a new study.

Two new weapons in the battle against bacteria

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST

Proteases are vital proteins that serve for order within cells. They break apart other proteins, ensuring that these are properly synthesized and decomposed. Proteases are also responsible for the pathogenic effects of many kinds of bacteria. Now chemists have discovered two hitherto unknown mechanisms of action that can be used to permanently disarm an important bacterial protease.

Vitamin B12 accelerates worm development: New model for isolating the effects of nutrients on gene expression and physiology

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST

Every day our cells take in nutrients from food and convert them into the building blocks that make life possible. However, it has been challenging to pinpoint exactly how a single nutrient or vitamin changes gene expression and physiology. Scientists have now developed a novel interspecies model system that allows these questions to be answered.

Is zinc the missing link for osteoarthritis therapies?

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:23 AM PST

A study reveals that osteoarthritis-related tissue damage is caused by a molecular pathway that is involved in regulating and responding to zinc levels inside of cartilage cells. A protein called ZIP8 transports zinc inside these cells, setting off a cascade of molecular events that result in the destruction of cartilage tissue in mice. The findings could lead to a new generation of therapies for osteoarthritis.

New stem cell method may eliminate need for blood donations to maintain platelet supply

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:23 AM PST

Platelets, whose primary function is to prevent bleeding, are vital for treating various forms of trauma and blood diseases. However, they can only be obtained through blood donations at present. Researchers recently found a way to create platelets without the need for donated blood, an advance that could possibly erase supply shortages and ensure platelet treatments for all who need them.

Nanoparticles with a core–shell structure can minimize the overheating of cells during bioimaging experiments

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 09:16 AM PST

Upconversion nanoparticles -- new types of luminescent nanomaterials that release high-energy photons after laser light stimulation -- can penetrate deeper into tissue and are more photochemically stable than conventional bioimaging agents, such as quantum dots and organic dyes. Luminescent nanocrystals doped or impregnated with small amounts of rare-earth ytterbium (Yb) ions are particularly effective at photon upconversion. The specific lasers used to excite Yb dopants, however, can also heat water molecules in biological samples causing cell death or tissue damage.

Breast cancer survivors reap benefits of weight training, study finds

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:26 AM PST

Researchers are working with breast cancer survivors to help them regain muscle mass and bone density lost through both chemotherapy and the aging process.

Treating stroke patients with intravenous magnesium within an hour of symptom onset fails to improve stroke outcome

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 08:26 AM PST

In the first study of its kind, a consortium of physicians found that giving stroke patients intravenous magnesium within an hour of symptom onset does not improve stroke outcomes, according to research.

Traditional medicine: Environment change threatens indigenous know-how

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 07:35 AM PST

Traditional medicine provides health care for more than half the world's population, but no one has really looked at how the environment affects traditional medicine. Studying 12 ethnic groups from Nepal biologists found that plant availability in the local environment has a stronger influence on the make-up of a culture's medicinal floras. This means that the environment plays a huge role in shaping traditional knowledge. This is very important, especially when you think of the risks that these cultures are already facing.

Understanding basic biology of bipolar disorder

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:50 AM PST

Instead of only using a standard clinical interview to determine whether individuals met the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, researchers combined the results from brain imaging, cognitive testing, and an array of temperament and behavior measures. Using the new method, they and their collaborators have identified about 50 brain and behavioral measures that are both under strong genetic control and associated with bipolar disorder. Their discoveries could be a major step toward identifying the specific genes that contribute to the illness.

Sedation before nerve block increases risk, not pain relief, research suggests

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:43 AM PST

New research suggests that sedating patients before a nerve block needed to diagnose or treat chronic pain increases costs, risks and unnecessary surgeries, and sedation does nothing to increase patient satisfaction or long-term pain control.

Metal implants may cut chemotherapy side effects, study suggests

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 06:43 AM PST

Cancer patients could one day experience fewer side effects from chemotherapy following a discovery that opens the door for more targeted treatments. Researchers have identified a possible way of treating tumors that would see doctors place harmless metal implants at the cancer site.

Metabolic syndrome similar in different age groups, study shows

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST

Metabolic risk factors cluster similarly in children and adults, according to a study. Furthermore, in adults, the clustering of these risk factors increases the risk of premature death caused by type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular diseases. The results indicate that lifestyle interventions aiming at the prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases should be invested in already in childhood.

Could restless sleep cause widespread pain in older people?

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST

Researchers in the U.K. report that non-restorative sleep is the strongest, independent predictor of widespread pain onset among adults over the age of 50. According to the study anxiety, memory impairment, and poor physical health among older adults may also increase the risk of developing widespread pain. Muscle, bone and nerve (musculoskeletal) pain is more prevalent as people age, with up to 80% of people 65 years of age and older experiencing daily pain. Widespread pain that affects multiple areas of the body —- the hallmark feature of fibromyalgia —- affects 15% of women and 10% of men over age 50 according to previous studies.

Could obstacles to lethal injection lead to an end to the death penalty? ​​

Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:34 AM PST

Access to required anesthetic agents for a lethal injection is quickly disappearing, leaving the future of the death penalty in the United States in question. "Because the European Union opposes the death penalty, it prohibits the export of goods for executions [and] requires a time-consuming preauthorization review for every shipment of a potential 'dual use' pharmaceutical," says a biomedical ethics expert and professor of law and medicine.

ADHD drugs not linked to increased stroke risk among children

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:36 PM PST

Children who take medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder don't appear to be at increased stroke risk, according to a study.

Sleep apnea common among stroke-related brainstem injuries

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:36 PM PST

People whose brainstems are affected by their stroke have a significantly higher prevalence of sleep apnea than those who have stroke-related injury elsewhere in the brain, according to new research. Sleep apnea is marked by interrupted breathing during sleep and can lead to serious health problems including heart disease and stroke.

Teledermatology app system offers efficiencies, reliably prioritizes inpatient consults

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:44 PM PST

A new study shows that remote consultations from dermatologists using a secure smart phone app are reliable at prioritizing care for hospitalized patients with skin conditions. Researchers report that this teledermatology process is reliable and can help deliver care more efficiently in busy academic hospitals and potentially in community hospital settings.

Two Parents with Alzheimer's Disease? Disease May Show up Decades Early on Brain Scans

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 01:43 PM PST

People who are dementia-free but have two parents with Alzheimer's disease may show signs of the disease on brain scans decades before symptoms appear, according to a new study.

Rare bacteria outbreak in cancer clinic tied to lapse in infection control procedure

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST

Improper handling of intravenous saline at a West Virginia outpatient oncology clinic was linked with the first reported outbreak of Tsukamurella spp., gram-positive bacteria that rarely cause disease in humans.

Article addresses report on genome-based therapeutics, companion diagnostics

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST

The promise of personalized medicine is the ability to tailor therapy to the patient's genome and their cancer's genome using a series of tests, but the system guiding the development of those tests is complex, and plagued with challenges.

Train like an Olympian: Six things we can learn from elite athletes

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 11:45 AM PST

Everyone should have the experience of training for and accomplishing a physical goal, says a physical therapy professor.

Test for persistent Lyme infection using live ticks shown safe in clinical study

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST

In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy.

Sanfilippo B: Promising new therapy for devastating genetic disorder

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST

A promising new therapy has -- for the first time -- reduced damage to the brain that can be caused by Sanfilippo B (MPS IIIB), a rare and devastating genetic disease.

Surgical implants: Implant stiffness is a major cause of foreign body reaction

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST

Surgical implants are widely used in modern medicine but their effectiveness is often compromised by how our bodies react to them. Now, scientists have discovered that implant stiffness is a major cause of this so-called foreign body reaction.

Long-term effects of childhood obesity on late-life health revealed by study

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 10:26 AM PST

"It may be that childhood obesity changes the way the whole metabolism is working – and changes it during a critical developmental time frame," says lead investigator or a new study.

Depressed girls suffer most: Adolescents with psychiatric problems also likely to suffer chronic pain

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:28 AM PST

Seven out of 10 adolescents with mental health problems also suffer from chronic physical pain. Depressed girls suffer the most.

Novel compound keeps Parkinson's symptoms at bay in mice

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:28 AM PST

Scientists report that they have developed a novel compound that appears to protect mice against developing movement problems associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). The research could one day in the future translate into a therapy that could halt the progression of PD.

Exercise targets cellular powerhouses to improve heart function

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:27 AM PST

Whether lifting weights in a gym or just walking around the block, exercise has many benefits, such as helping people lose weight and build stronger muscles. Some studies suggest that it may reduce the risk of developing cancer and other diseases. Researchers now report that moderate, long-term physical activity appears to improve cardiovascular health in mice by targeting the heart cells' powerhouses -- the mitochondria.

Human earwax: Overlooked source of personal information?

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST

Scientists have used analytical organic chemistry to identify the presence of odor-producing chemical compounds in human earwax. Further, the amounts of these compounds differ between individuals of East Asian origin and Caucasians. The findings suggest that human earwax could be an overlooked source of personal information.

Capillaries will measure diffusion, help in more efficient medical treatment

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:33 AM PST

How strongly do two dissolved analytes react with each other? Such information is of paramount importance not only in chemistry and molecular biology, but also in medicine or pharmacy, where it is used, such as in the determination of optimal drug doses. A new method will allow for determining diffusion coefficients of analytes in fluids and equilibrium constants of reactions – quickly, at low cost, and most importantly: universally.

Source of new lineage of immune cells found

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:32 AM PST

The elusive progenitor cells that give rise to innate lymphoid cells —- a recently discovered group of infection-fighting white blood cells -— have been identified in fetal liver and adult bone marrow of mice.

Black raspberry candies find the sweet spot for cancer prevention study

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:31 AM PST

Scientists engineer the first berry-based chemopreventive confections that can withstand the rigors of a large-scale clinical trial. An ongoing prostate cancer study is trying to determine if the medical edibles can improve post-surgery outcomes

Oregano oil: Could pizza herb prevent winter vomiting disease?

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 06:12 PM PST

Scientists have found that carvacrol -- the substance in oregano oil that gives the pizza herb its distinctive warm, aromatic smell and flavor -- is effective against norovirus, causing the breakdown of the virus' tough outer coat.
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