ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death by 42 percent
• Poor sleep quality linked to cognitive decline in older men
• Self-healing engineered muscle grown in the laboratory
• Experimental cancer drug reverses schizophrenia in adolescent mice
• Computer maps 21 distinct emotional expressions — even 'happily disgusted'
• Proteins discovered in gonorrhea may offer new approach to treatment
• Rural versus urban causes of childhood concussion
• New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts: Bone marrow-derived stem cells injected directly into heart muscle
• Real-world heart procedure results consistent with scientific research
• Anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills linked to risk of death
• Genetic cause of heart valve defects revealed
• Blood test helps predict heart attack risk for patients with chest pain
• Cardiac resynchronization improves survival in heart failure patients
• Renal denervation patient registry finds low rate of adverse events
• Evolocumab safely drops LDL cholesterol well below statin-only baseline, study suggests
• New gel allows for targeted therapy after heart attack
• Online self-injury information often inaccurate, study finds
• Two new genes linked to intellectual disability discovered
• Tamiflu-resistant influenza related to mutations in genome
• Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technology
• Hormones in action: It's all about the right partner
• Transcatheter pulmonary valve study shows strong results, reports pediatric interventional cardiologist
• Childhood virus may increase type 1 diabetes risk
• Even micro heart attacks are major problem
• Adults with inherited high cholesterol underdiagnosed, undertreated
• Excessive hospital occupancy levels result in avoidable mortality
• Can vitamin A turn back the clock on breast cancer?
• Anesthetic technique important to prevent damage to brain
• New pathway revealed through sodium pump
• Bariatric surgery provides long-term control of diabetes
• Growth of breast lifts outpacing implants 2-to-1, stats show
• Brawn matters: Stronger adolescents, teens have less risk of diabetes, heart disease
• Benefits of treating heart attack patients with a cheap drug
• New approach to Huntington's disease?
• Health costs of air pollution from agriculture clarified

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death by 42 percent Posted: 31 Mar 2014 04:40 PM PDT Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new study. This is the first study to link fruit and vegetable consumption with all-cause, cancer and heart disease deaths in a nationally-representative population, the first to quantify health benefits per-portion, and the first to identify the types of fruit and vegetable with the most benefit.

Poor sleep quality linked to cognitive decline in older men Posted: 31 Mar 2014 02:05 PM PDT A link between poor sleep quality and the development of cognitive decline over three to four years was found in a new study of older men. Results show that higher levels of fragmented sleep and lower sleep efficiency were associated with a 40 to 50 percent increase in the odds of clinically significant decline in executive function, which was similar in magnitude to the effect of a five-year increase in age. In contrast, sleep duration was not related to subsequent cognitive decline.

Self-healing engineered muscle grown in the laboratory Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:36 PM PDT Living skeletal muscle that contracts powerfully and rapidly, integrates quickly into mice, and for the first time, demonstrates the ability to heal itself both inside the laboratory and inside an animal has been grown in the lab by biomedical engineers. "The muscle we have made represents an important advance for the field," an author said. "It's the first time engineered muscle has been created that contracts as strongly as native neonatal skeletal muscle."

Experimental cancer drug reverses schizophrenia in adolescent mice Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT An experimental anticancer compound appears to have reversed behaviors associated with schizophrenia and restored some lost brain cell function in adolescent mice with a rodent version of the devastating mental illness. The drug is one of a class of compounds known as PAK inhibitors, which have been shown in animal experiments to confer some protection from brain damage due to Fragile X syndrome, an inherited disease in humans marked by mental retardation.

Computer maps 21 distinct emotional expressions — even 'happily disgusted' Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:35 PM PDT Researchers have found a way for computers to recognize 21 distinct facial expressions — even expressions for complex or seemingly contradictory emotions such as "happily disgusted" or "sadly angry." The study more than triples the number of documented facial expressions that researchers can now use for cognitive analysis.

Proteins discovered in gonorrhea may offer new approach to treatment Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:10 AM PDT Novel proteins in, or on the surface of the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, have been discovered by scientists. These offer a promising new avenue of attack against a venereal disease that is showing increased resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it. Only a single, third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic still shows good efficacy against gonorrhea, creating a race against time to find some alternative way to treat this disease that can have serious health effects. It's the second most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States.

Rural versus urban causes of childhood concussion Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:10 AM PDT Youth living in rural areas are more likely to sustain concussions from injuries involving motorized vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, whereas youth living in urban areas suffer concussions mostly as a result of sports, research finds. Hockey accounts for 40 per cent of those injuries.

New human trial shows stem cells are effective for failing hearts: Bone marrow-derived stem cells injected directly into heart muscle Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:08 AM PDT Patients with severe ischemic heart disease and heart failure can benefit from a new treatment in which stem cells found in bone marrow are injected directly into the heart muscle, according to new research. The study is the largest placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial to treat patients with chronic ischemic heart failure by injecting a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal stromal cells directly into the heart muscle.

Real-world heart procedure results consistent with scientific research Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:08 AM PDT The first one-year outcomes data of transcatheter heart valve replacement in nearly all US patients undergoing this procedure shows that real-world outcomes are comparable to or slightly better than those found in clinical trials, according to registry data.

Anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping pills linked to risk of death Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:08 AM PDT Anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills have been linked to an increased risk of death, according to new research. The large study shows that several anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drugs or hypnotic drugs (sleeping pills) are associated with a doubling in the risk of mortality. Although these findings are based on routine data and need to be interpreted cautiously, the researchers recommended that a greater understanding of their impact is essential.

Genetic cause of heart valve defects revealed Posted: 31 Mar 2014 10:06 AM PDT Heart valve defects are a common cause of death in newborns. Scientists have discovered "Creld1" is a key gene for the development of heart valves in mice. The researchers were able to show that a similar Creld1 gene found in humans functions via the same signaling pathway as in the mouse. This discovery is an important step forward in the molecular understanding of the pathogenesis of heart valve defects.

Blood test helps predict heart attack risk for patients with chest pain Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:44 AM PDT Patients presenting to the emergency department with an undetectable level of the blood biomarker high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, and whose ECGs show no sign of restricted blood flow, have a minimal risk of heart attack within 30 days, according to new research.

Cardiac resynchronization improves survival in heart failure patients Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:44 AM PDT Patients in mild heart failure who receive a specialized pacemaker known as cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator may live longer than those implanted with a traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillator, according to research.

Renal denervation patient registry finds low rate of adverse events Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:44 AM PDT Patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure treated with renal denervation had low rates of adverse events and significant lowering of blood pressure at six months, according to a registry-based study.

Evolocumab safely drops LDL cholesterol well below statin-only baseline, study suggests Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:44 AM PDT The monoclonal antibody evolocumab produced highly significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the "bad cholesterol," as an add-on to statins in all treatment groups, according to new data.

New gel allows for targeted therapy after heart attack Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:44 AM PDT Each patient responds to heart attacks differently and damage can vary from one part of the heart muscle to another. Researchers have now developed a way to address this variation via a material that can be applied directly to damaged heart tissue. The ability of this gel to deliver enzyme inhibitors as needed suggests that the researchers' technique might also find use in other inflammation-related disorders, such as osteoarthritis where the same enzymes degrade cartilage tissue.

Online self-injury information often inaccurate, study finds Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:43 AM PDT People seeking help or information online about cutting and other forms of self-injury are likely finding falsehoods and myths, according to new research. Only about 10 per cent of websites providing information about non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are endorsed by health or academic institutions. It's a troubling finding, says the lead author. "This is a salient public health issue," he said.

Two new genes linked to intellectual disability discovered Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:43 AM PDT Two new genes linked to intellectual disability have been discovered, according to two research studies. About one per cent of children worldwide are affected by non-syndromic (i.e., the absence of any other clinical features) intellectual disability, a condition characterized by an impaired capacity to learn and process new or complex information, leading to decreased cognitive functioning and social adjustment. Although trauma, infection and external damage to the unborn fetus can lead to an intellectual disability, genetic defects are a principal cause.

Tamiflu-resistant influenza related to mutations in genome Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:42 AM PDT It doesn't take long for the flu virus to outsmart Tamiflu. Scientists have developed a tool that reveals the mutations that make the virus resistant, and they have identified new mutations that may render ineffective one of the few treatments currently available on the market.

Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technology Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:38 AM PDT A new substance that could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine has been developed. Cell therapy is an exciting and rapidly developing area of medicine in which stem cells have the potential to repair human tissue and maintain organ function in chronic disease and age-related illnesses. But a major problem with translating current successful research into actual products and treatments is how to mass-produce such a complex living material.

Hormones in action: It's all about the right partner Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:38 AM PDT Thousands of regulatory regions on the genomic DNA determine which part of a cell's genetic information is expressed and which is silent. Researchers analyzed such control-regions and the changes in activity that follow treatment with a hormone. They showed that -- depending on the cell type -- a single hormone can influence different regions.

Transcatheter pulmonary valve study shows strong results, reports pediatric interventional cardiologist Posted: 31 Mar 2014 08:36 AM PDT The first post-FDA approval study of a non-surgically implanted replacement pulmonary valve showed strong short- and mid-term results for the device in patients with certain congenital heart defects, according to research. The valves in the study had low rates of narrowing, leakage, and other adverse events.

Childhood virus may increase type 1 diabetes risk Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:04 AM PDT The most common cause of severe diarrhea in children, the rotavirus infection, has been shown to accelerate the development of type 1 diabetes in mice. The research found that it may be the "bystander effect" that causes the rotavirus infection to accelerate the onset of type 1 diabetes. The "bystander effect" suggests that the virus provokes a strong activation of the immune system, which then spills over, allowing the immune system to attack not only the viral intruder but some of the body's own cells, in this case the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Even micro heart attacks are major problem Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging may help doctors better identify which patients with mild heart disease are likely to develop more serious heart problems long term. CMR imaging provides supporting information to guide treatment decisions and help doctors provide targeted care for patients at highest risk.

Adults with inherited high cholesterol underdiagnosed, undertreated Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:02 AM PDT An estimated 1 in 500 people worldwide suffer from familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition of extremely high cholesterol that is associated with premature heart disease and death. Despite this high prevalence, recent research confirms FH is underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Excessive hospital occupancy levels result in avoidable mortality Posted: 31 Mar 2014 07:02 AM PDT Once a hospital reaches a certain occupancy level, the quality of care it provides deteriorates, increasing the risk of mortality of critically ill patients. What is worrying is that this safety 'tipping point' is reached at occupancy levels that are below 100 percent.

Can vitamin A turn back the clock on breast cancer? Posted: 31 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PDT A derivative of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid, found abundantly in sweet potato and carrots, helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells, which may help explain why some clinical studies have been unable to see a benefit of vitamin A on cancer: the vitamin doesn't appear to change the course of full-blown cancer, only pre-cancerous cells, and only works at a very narrow dose.

Anesthetic technique important to prevent damage to brain Posted: 31 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PDT A commonly used anesthetic technique to reduce the blood pressure of patients undergoing surgery could increase the risk of starving the brain of oxygen. Reducing blood pressure is important in a wide range of surgeries -- such as sinus, shoulder, back and brain operations -- and is especially useful for improving visibility for surgeons, by helping to remove excess blood from the site being operated on.

New pathway revealed through sodium pump Posted: 31 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PDT In addition to its role as a sodium and potassium ion transporter, the ubiquitous sodium pump displays "hybrid" function by simultaneously importing protons into the cell. Proton inflow might play a role in certain pathologies, including heart attack and stroke.

Bariatric surgery provides long-term control of diabetes Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:41 AM PDT Bariatric surgery is a highly effective and durable treatment for type 2 diabetes in obese patients, enabling nearly all surgical patients to be free of insulin and many to be free of all diabetic medications three years after surgery, a study shows.

Growth of breast lifts outpacing implants 2-to-1, stats show Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:41 AM PDT New statistics show breast lift procedures are growing at twice the rate of breast implant surgeries. Since 2000, breast lifts have grown by 70 percent, outpacing implants two-to-one. Breast implants are still the most performed cosmetic surgery in women, but lifts are steadily gaining. In 2013, more than 90,000 breast lift procedures in the United States.

Brawn matters: Stronger adolescents, teens have less risk of diabetes, heart disease Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:36 AM PDT Adolescents with stronger muscles have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to a new study that examined the influence of muscle strength in sixth grade boys and girls. Stronger kids also have lower body mass index (weight to height ratio), lower percent body fat, smaller waist circumferences, and higher fitness levels, according to the study that suggests that muscle-strengthening activities may be important to kids' heart health.

Benefits of treating heart attack patients with a cheap drug Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:37 PM PDT One dose of the drug metoprolol, if given to heart attack patients early -- during ambulance transit to hospital -- can significantly improve the contractile strength of the heart muscle. And this improvement is maintained for at least six months after the intervention, according to new results.

New approach to Huntington's disease? Posted: 30 Mar 2014 12:12 PM PDT Tweaking a specific cell type's ability to absorb potassium in the brain improved walking and prolonged survival in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, reports a study. The discovery could point to new drug targets for treating the devastating disease, which strikes one in every 20,000 Americans.

Health costs of air pollution from agriculture clarified Posted: 28 Mar 2014 02:52 PM PDT Ammonia pollution from agricultural sources poses larger health costs than previously estimated, according to research. Computer models, including a NASA model of chemical reactions in the atmosphere, were used to better represent how ammonia interacts in the atmosphere to form harmful particulate matter. The improved simulation helped the scientists narrow in on the estimated health costs from air pollution associated with food produced for export -- a growing sector of agriculture and a source of trade surplus.

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