ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Consumer, be aware: Quality of health-related internet searches varies
• Online registry to drive brain disease research
• Blocking DNA repair mechanisms could improve radiation therapy for deadly brain cancer
• Surprising truth about obsessive-compulsive thinking
• DNA modifications measured in blood signal related changes in the brain
• Living organ regenerated for first time: Thymus rebuilt in mice
• Synthetic gene circuits pump up cell signals in study of neurodegenerative diseases
• New method for analyzing proteins in tissue samples
• New epidemiology model combines multiple genomic data
• Potential therapeutic target for deadly brain cancer
• How coughs and sneezes float much farther than you think
• Hybrid technology could make Star Trek-style medical tricorder a reality
• Antimicrobial from soaps promotes bacteria buildup in human noses
• BPA and related chemicals: Human safety thresholds for endocrine disrupting chemicals may be inaccurate
• Patients with paraplegia regain voluntary movement after spinal stimulation
• Natural protein Elafin against gluten intolerance?
• Spring allergies linked to specific food allergies, says specialist
• Hormone therapy linked to lower non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk
• Breakthrough technology can repair severe tissue damage
• Severe obesity on the rise among children in the U.S.
• Seeing double: New study explains evolution of duplicate genes
• For good and ill, immune response to cancer cuts both ways

Consumer, be aware: Quality of health-related internet searches varies Posted: 08 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT If you're like most people, you've gone online to find out what's causing that ringing in your ears or whether a gluten-free diet is worth considering. Be careful. Researchers have found that, as with so much on the Internet, the quality of the information you dig up may depend on what you ask for and the results could be hazardous to your health.

Online registry to drive brain disease research Posted: 08 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT A new online project promises to dramatically cut the time and cost of conducting clinical trials for brain diseases, while also helping scientists analyze and track the brain functions of thousands of volunteers over time.

Blocking DNA repair mechanisms could improve radiation therapy for deadly brain cancer Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT In both cancer cell lines and in mice, blocking critical DNA repair mechanisms could improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for highly fatal brain tumors called glioblastomas, research shows. Radiation therapy causes double-strand breaks in DNA that must be repaired for tumors to keep growing. Scientists have long theorized that if they could find a way to block repairs from being made, they could prevent tumors from growing or at least slow down the growth, thereby extending patients' survival.

Surprising truth about obsessive-compulsive thinking Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:21 AM PDT People who check whether their hands are clean or imagine their house might be on fire are not alone. New global research shows that 94 percent of people experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images and/or impulses. The study people on six continents, and found that the thoughts, images and impulses symptomatic of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are widespread.

DNA modifications measured in blood signal related changes in the brain Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT Researchers say they have confirmed suspicions that DNA modifications found in the blood of mice exposed to high levels of stress hormone — and showing signs of anxiety — are directly related to changes found in their brain tissues. Scientists say this research offers the first evidence that epigenetic changes that alter the way genes function without changing their underlying DNA sequence -- and are detectable in blood -- mirror alterations in brain tissue linked to underlying psychiatric diseases.

Living organ regenerated for first time: Thymus rebuilt in mice Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:56 AM PDT Scientists have succeeded in regenerating a living organ for the first time. Researchers rebuilt the thymus -- an organ in the body located next to the heart that produces important immune cells. The advance could pave the way for new therapies for people with damaged immune systems and genetic conditions that affect thymus development. The team reactivated a natural mechanism that shuts down with age to rejuvenate the thymus in very old mice. After treatment, the regenerated organ had a similar structure to that found in a young mouse.

Synthetic gene circuits pump up cell signals in study of neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT Synthetic genetic circuitry created by researchers is helping them monitor cell mechanisms that degrade the misfolded proteins implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Scientists have designed a sophisticated circuit that signals increases in the degradation of proteins by the cell's ubiquitin proteasome system.

New method for analyzing proteins in tissue samples Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT A new way of preparing patient tissue for analyses might soon become the new standard. The HOPE method allows tissue samples to be treated such that they do not only meet the requirements of clinical histology, but can still be characterized later on by modern methods of proteomics, a technique analyzing all proteins at once.

New epidemiology model combines multiple genomic data Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT Data about DNA differences, gene expression, or methylation can each tell epidemiologists something about the link between genomics and disease. A new statistical model that can integrate all those sources provides a markedly improved analysis, according to two new papers.

Potential therapeutic target for deadly brain cancer Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT New research identifies a potential characteristic for predicting outcome in a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme. Existing therapies based on genetic information have failed to effectively treat glioblastomas. Therefore, researchers are aggressively looking to find new molecular targets for this aggressive brain tumor.

How coughs and sneezes float much farther than you think Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:21 AM PDT The next time you feel a sneeze coming on, raise your elbow to cover up that multiphase turbulent buoyant cloud you're about to expel. It turns out that smaller droplets that emerge in a cough or sneeze may travel five to 200 times further than they would if those droplets simply moved as groups of unconnected particles -- which is what previous estimates had assumed.

Hybrid technology could make Star Trek-style medical tricorder a reality Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:14 AM PDT Scientists are aiming to develop a handheld testing device to provide same day diagnosis from a patient's bedside. In the fictional Star-Trek universe, the tricorder was used to remotely scan patients for a diagnosis. The new device could replace the current conventional diagnostic method, which is lengthy and is limited to single point measurements, due to the prohibitive costs and sample volumes required, preventing continuous monitoring of disease progression.

Antimicrobial from soaps promotes bacteria buildup in human noses Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:49 AM PDT An antimicrobial agent found in common household soaps, shampoos and toothpastes may be finding its way inside human noses where it promotes the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and could predispose some people to infection.

BPA and related chemicals: Human safety thresholds for endocrine disrupting chemicals may be inaccurate Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:48 AM PDT Human and rat testes respond differently to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA in two thirds of all cases, according to a recent review. As human safety levels are extrapolated from rodent data, the study could lead to a re-evaluation of the acceptable daily intake for many endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are compounds that interfere with animal hormone (or endocrine) systems in various ways.

Patients with paraplegia regain voluntary movement after spinal stimulation Posted: 08 Apr 2014 04:46 AM PDT Four people with paraplegia are able to voluntarily move previously paralyzed muscles as a result of a novel therapy involving electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, according to a new study. All four participants were classified with a chronic motor complete spinal cord injury and were unable to move their lower extremities prior to the implantation of an epidural stimulator.

Natural protein Elafin against gluten intolerance? Posted: 07 Apr 2014 04:27 PM PDT Elafin, a human protein, plays a key role against the inflammatory reaction typical of celiac disease (gluten intolerance), research has shown. The researchers have also developed a probiotic bacterium able to deliver Elafin in the gut of mice. This innovation paves the way to new strategies to treat gluten intolerance.

Spring allergies linked to specific food allergies, says specialist Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:48 PM PDT More than 45 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, primarily occurring in spring and fall. Food allergies are closely linked to spring allergies, says one expert. "Birch pollen often also means allergies to apples, peaches, carrots and celery while grass allergies can trigger melon, tomatoes and oranges reactions," he says. "Ragweed, the most noxious allergen, is also linked to allergies to bananas, cucumber and cantaloupe."

Hormone therapy linked to lower non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:46 PM PDT Menopausal hormone therapy use is linked to a lower risk of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, research has found. "The connection between lymphomas and menopausal hormone therapy use hinges on understanding the disease's biology and the window of susceptibility," the lead researcher said. "Hormone therapy is of interest because the loss of estrogen coupled with aging in women result in decreased immune function, which can elevate risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma."

Breakthrough technology can repair severe tissue damage Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:45 PM PDT A biomedical engineering breakthrough could speed soft tissue injury recovery and limit disfigurement from radical cancer surgeries. It could circumvent the need to harvest and transfer large amounts of tissue, avoiding many current complications. The study provides evidence that tissue-specific cells, such as myoblasts (cells that form muscles), endothelial cells (the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels), and fibroblasts (the cells providing the structural framework for animal tissues), are necessary for successful muscle flap engineering as the added cells "rapidly and more effectively integrated within the host tissue," the researchers say.

Severe obesity on the rise among children in the U.S. Posted: 07 Apr 2014 01:45 PM PDT A new analysis finds that all classes of obesity in children have increased over the last 14 years. In addition, there is a troubling upward trend in the more severe forms of childhood obesity.

Seeing double: New study explains evolution of duplicate genes Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT From time to time, living cells will accidently make an extra copy of a gene during the normal replication process. Throughout the history of life, evolution has molded some of these seemingly superfluous genes into a source of genetic novelty, adaptation and diversity. A new study shows one way that some duplicate genes could have long-ago escaped elimination from the genome, leading to the genetic innovation seen in modern life.

For good and ill, immune response to cancer cuts both ways Posted: 07 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT The difference between an immune response that kills cancer cells and one that conversely stimulates tumor growth can be as narrow as a "double-edged sword," report researchers. The concept of naturally occurring "immunosurveillance" against malignancies is not new, and there is compelling evidence for it. But understanding this process is confounded by the fact that some types of immune reaction promote tumor development.

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