ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Little progress made in reducing health disparities for people with disabilities
• Fighting parasitic infection inadvertently unleashes dormant virus
• The social psychology of nerve cells
• You can't teach speed: Sprinters break 10-year rule
• App focused on making obese adults less sedentary
• Veterans who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual could benefit from informed mental health services, researcher says
• Blocking key enzyme minimizes stroke injury, research finds
• Lab monitoring tests not always ordered per recommendations
• Brain circuits involved in stress-induced fevers identified
• Changing roles of physicians with MBAs
• Researchers hone in on way to predict aggressiveness of oral cancer
• Virus infection supports organ acceptance
• Tuberculosis infection may be underestimated among people taking corticosteroid pills
• Continued use of low-dose aspirin may lower pancreatic cancer risk
• Men, women use mental health services differently
• Resistance to antibiotics: New rapid diagnosis
• Climate control for the burns unit
• Peanuts don't panic parents as much as milk and eggs
• Increased nearsightedness linked to higher education levels and more years spent in school
• Researchers find portable, low-cost optical imaging tool useful in concussion evaluation
• 'Nanosubmarine' designed that delivers complementary molecules inside cells
• Causal link between vitamin D deficiency, hypertension suggested by researchers
• People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report
• Alcohol use increases over generation in study of moms, daughters in Australia
• New material improves wound healing, keeps bacteria from sticking
• Using femtosecond lasers to administer drugs
• Music can help neuroscience: Detecting patterns in neuronal dendrite spines by translating them into music
• Inconsistent sugar recommendations raise questions

Little progress made in reducing health disparities for people with disabilities Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:10 AM PDT Mental distress in people with disabilities is associated with increased prevalence of chronic illness and reduced access to health care and preventive care services, finds a new study. "It's important to find out why there has been so little progress, since the prevention, detection, and treatment of secondary illnesses is critical for health maintenance, halting progression of disability, and helping people with disabilities to participate in life activities," says the lead author.

Fighting parasitic infection inadvertently unleashes dormant virus Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:10 AM PDT Signals from the immune system that help repel a common parasite inadvertently can cause a dormant viral infection to become active again, a new study shows. Further research is necessary to understand the clinical significance of the finding, but researchers said the study helps illustrate how complex interactions between infectious agents and the immune system have the potential to affect illness.

The social psychology of nerve cells Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:22 AM PDT Cholinergic amacrine cells create a 'personal space' in much the same way that people distance themselves from one another in an elevator, researchers have discovered. In addition, the study shows that this feature is heritable and identifies a genetic contributor to it, pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1.

You can't teach speed: Sprinters break 10-year rule Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:22 AM PDT Exceptional speed prior to formal training is a prerequisite for becoming a world-class sprinter, researchers have found. The authors noted that because speed is crucial for many sports, the new results imply that talent is important for many sports besides track and field. The authors also pointed out that their behavioral data complement many genetic and physiological studies indicating individual variation in athletic talent.

App focused on making obese adults less sedentary Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:22 AM PDT More sedentary time, regardless of physical activity levels, is associated with greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, a smartphone-based intervention can produce short-term reductions in sedentary behavior that may be effective in improving health.

Veterans who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual could benefit from informed mental health services, researcher says Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:20 AM PDT In 2011, the United States Military repealed its 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that prevented gay and lesbian service members from disclosing their sexual orientation. Current estimates indicate that more than one million veterans identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). Now, a researcher says these service members and veterans often are marginalized and may benefit from mental health professionals, including social workers, who are informed about the needs of individuals who identify as LGB.

Blocking key enzyme minimizes stroke injury, research finds Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:20 AM PDT A drug that blocks the action of the enzyme Cdk5 could substantially reduce brain damage if administered shortly after a stroke, research suggests. The development of a Cdk5 inhibitor as an acute neuroprotective therapy has the potential to reduce stroke injury, researchers report.

Lab monitoring tests not always ordered per recommendations Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:19 AM PDT Why does one physician in a walk-in practice order laboratory monitoring tests for patients more often than a colleague working down the hallway? Which factors influence the use of these important tests? Clues to these questions lie in the age and general health of the patient, and whether the doctor is a specialist or not, says the lead author of a study.

Brain circuits involved in stress-induced fevers identified Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:18 AM PDT When we feel mentally stressed, we often also feel physiological changes, including an increase in body temperature. This increase in body temperature is known as psychological stress-induced hyperthermia. Stress for people in today's society can last a long time and cause a chronic increase in body temperature, a condition called psychogenic fever. Researchers now have identified a key neural circuit connection in the brain that's responsible for the development of psychological stress-induced hyperthermia.

Changing roles of physicians with MBAs Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:17 AM PDT Physician graduates from the MBA program in heath care management at Penn's Wharton School report that their dual training had a positive effect on their individual careers and professional lives. Study respondents reported such benefits as career acceleration, professional flexibility, and credibility in multidisciplinary domains.

Researchers hone in on way to predict aggressiveness of oral cancer Posted: 26 Jun 2014 09:16 AM PDT Studying mouth cancer in mice, researchers have found a way to predict the aggressiveness of similar tumors in people, an early step toward a diagnostic test that could guide treatment, according to researchers. The investigators found a consistent pattern of gene expression associated with tumor spreading in mice. Analyzing genetic data from human oral cancer samples, they also found this gene signature in people with aggressive metastatic tumors.

Virus infection supports organ acceptance Posted: 26 Jun 2014 07:18 AM PDT Chronic hepatitis C virus infections are among the most common reasons for liver transplants. Because existing viruses also infect the new liver, the immune system is highly active there. Despite this, the new organ is not rejected, as scientists have now discovered. The long-term stimulation of the innate immune system by the virus actually increases the probability of tolerance.

Tuberculosis infection may be underestimated among people taking corticosteroid pills Posted: 26 Jun 2014 07:17 AM PDT Tuberculosis infection among people taking corticosteroid pills may be underestimated, new research suggests. Current guidelines for what constitutes a positive TB skin test among corticosteroid pill users may not be capturing all those who are infected, says one respirologist, who adds that although taking corticosteroid pills was a risk factor for turning latent TB into active TB, those patients were screened less often for TB than others. They were also less likely to be prescribed TB-fighting drugs prophylactically.

Continued use of low-dose aspirin may lower pancreatic cancer risk Posted: 26 Jun 2014 07:17 AM PDT The longer a person took low-dose aspirin, the lower his or her risk for developing pancreatic cancer, according to a study recently published. Men and women who took low-dose aspirin regularly had 48 percent reduction in their risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Protection against pancreatic cancer ranged from 39 percent reduction in risk for those who took low-dose aspirin for six years or less, to 60 percent reduction in risk for those who took low-dose aspirin for more than 10 years.

Men, women use mental health services differently Posted: 26 Jun 2014 07:16 AM PDT Women with chronic physical illnesses are more likely to use mental health services than men with similar illnesses. Research shows that they also seek out mental health services six months earlier than those same men. "Chronic physical illness can lead to depression," said the lead author. "We want to better understand who will seek mental health services when diagnosed with a chronic physical illness so we can best help those who need care."

Resistance to antibiotics: New rapid diagnosis Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:57 AM PDT A rapid diagnostic test for multi-resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics has just been developed by researchers. This new test allows the identification, in less than two hours, of multidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, an important hospital pathogen. The large-scale application of this test will mean better control of the spread of certain traits of antibiotic resistance.

Climate control for the burns unit Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:46 AM PDT Individualized climate control for burns victims in hospitals might not only improve comfort for such patients, but improve working conditions for those taking care of them, research suggests. In addition, it could cut energy requirements by three quarters where cooling is needed and by up to a quarter where heating is used.

Peanuts don't panic parents as much as milk and eggs Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT A new study examined 305 caregivers of children allergic to milk, egg, peanut or tree nut. The researchers were surprised to discover that milk and eggs, not peanuts, were the largest source of anxiety and worry.

Increased nearsightedness linked to higher education levels and more years spent in school Posted: 26 Jun 2014 06:29 AM PDT Researchers have found strong evidence that attaining a higher level of education and spending more years in school are two factors associated with a greater prevalence and severity of nearsightedness, or myopia. The research is the first population-based study to demonstrate that environmental factors may outweigh genetics in the development of myopia.

Researchers find portable, low-cost optical imaging tool useful in concussion evaluation Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:20 PM PDT Two separate research projects, published recently, represent important steps toward demonstrating on patients the utility of portable, optical brain imaging for concussion and substantiating -- via a large-scale statistical analysis -- computerized neurocognitive testing for concussion.

'Nanosubmarine' designed that delivers complementary molecules inside cells Posted: 25 Jun 2014 05:19 PM PDT Nanoparticles that under the right conditions, self-assemble -- trapping complementary guest molecules within their structure -- have been recently created by scientists. Like tiny submarines, these versatile nanocarriers can navigate in the watery environment surrounding cells and transport their guest molecules through the membrane of living cells to sequentially deliver their cargo.

Causal link between vitamin D deficiency, hypertension suggested by researchers Posted: 25 Jun 2014 05:17 PM PDT New genetic research provides compelling evidence that low levels of vitamin D have a causal role in the development of high blood pressure (hypertension). The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation could be effective in combating some cases of hypertension. "In view of the costs and side effects associated with antihypertensive drugs, the potential to prevent or reduce blood pressure and therefore the risk of hypertension with vitamin D is very attractive," explains study leader.

People with tinnitus process emotions differently from their peers, researchers report Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:49 PM PDT Patients with persistent ringing in the ears -- a condition known as tinnitus -- process emotions differently in the brain from those with normal hearing, researchers report. Tinnitus afflicts 50 million people in the United States, and causes those with the condition to hear noises that aren't really there. These phantom sounds are not speech, but rather whooshing noises, train whistles, cricket noises or whines. Their severity often varies day to day.

Alcohol use increases over generation in study of moms, daughters in Australia Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:48 PM PDT Previous research suggests drinking patterns have changed with more heavy drinking at younger ages. New research shows drinking alcohol has increased over a generation in a study of mothers and daughters in Australia.

New material improves wound healing, keeps bacteria from sticking Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:16 AM PDT As many patients know, treating wounds has become far more sophisticated than sewing stitches and applying gauze, but dressings still have shortcomings. Now scientists are reporting the next step in the evolution of wound treatment with a material that leads to faster healing than existing commercial dressings and prevents potentially harmful bacteria from sticking.

Using femtosecond lasers to administer drugs Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:14 AM PDT Scientists are using lasers, nanotechnology and neuroscience to develop a new, versatile drug delivery system.  The system uses a laser to release a neurochemical that is dysfunctional in Parkinson's Disease in a controlled and repeatable manner.

Music can help neuroscience: Detecting patterns in neuronal dendrite spines by translating them into music Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:14 AM PDT Scientists have analyzed morphological features extracted from dendritic spines of brain neurons to detect patterns in their distribution. Then a software tool was developed in order to convert these features into musical notes. This new technique will be able to explore new hypothesis to understand how human brain works and also search for new solutions to fight against diseases such as Alzheimer's, epilepsy and Parkinson's.

Inconsistent sugar recommendations raise questions Posted: 25 Jun 2014 07:12 AM PDT Sugar has been a part of the human diet since sugarcane was domesticated in 8000 B.C., but today myths and misunderstandings about sugar and the role it plays in health abound. In the media, sugar has been linked to obesity, toxicity, addiction, and fatty liver disease, among a host of other health outcomes, but with little, no or poor research to back up such claims, according to experts.

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