ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Humans walking on all fours is not backward evolution
• Tooth plaque provides unique insights into our prehistoric ancestors' diet
• Scientists find way to trap, kill malaria parasite
• One injection stops diabetes in its tracks: Treatment reverses symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice without side effects
• Mediterranean diet has varied effects on cognitive decline among different races, study shows
• Poor sleep quality linked to lower physical activity in people with PTSD
• Making a mental match: Pairing mechanical device with stroke patients
• Pregnancy loss, cardiovascular disease connected by new study
• Drug's effect on Alzheimer's may depend on severity of disease
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce cardiovascular death in type 2 diabetes
• Structures of Huntington's disease protein compared in study
• Promising medication counteracts constipation caused by opioid painkillers
• Abdominal aortic aneurysms: Surgeon explains who needs screening, treatment
• Improving tumor radiation therapy: When basic ions break DNA down
• Breast cancer: Disease management program is largely consistent with guidelines
• Aqueous two-phase systems enable multiplexing of homogeneous immunoassays
• Marijuana dependence alters the brain's response to drug paraphernalia
• New knowledge about brain's effective bouncer
• Immune response to infectious disease: New findings on properdin
• Health risks posed by 'third hand' tobacco smoke
• Self-assembling nanoparticle could improve MRI scanning for cancer diagnosis
• Live kidney donors face 'pointless' insurance troubles
• Smoking may contribute to suicide risk
• Twenty-pound tumor sheds light on liposarcoma, rare form of soft tissue cancer
• New heart procedure safer for women
• Babies born in Canada to immigrant mothers have lower risk of cerebral palsy: Study

Humans walking on all fours is not backward evolution Posted: 16 Jul 2014 12:11 PM PDT Five siblings in the family, who live in a remote corner of Turkey, walk exclusively on their hands and feet. Since they were discovered in 2005, scientists have debated the nature of their disability, with speculation they represent a backward stage of evolution. An anthropologist finds quadrupedal humans with Uner Tan Syndrome do not walk in the diagonal pattern characteristic of nonhuman primates such as apes and monkeys.

Tooth plaque provides unique insights into our prehistoric ancestors' diet Posted: 16 Jul 2014 11:10 AM PDT An international team of researchers has found new evidence that our prehistoric ancestors had a detailed understanding of plants long before the development of agriculture. By extracting chemical compounds and microfossils from dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) from ancient teeth, the researchers were able to provide an entirely new perspective on our ancestors' diets. Their research suggests that purple nut sedge (Cyperus rotundus) -- today regarded as a nuisance weed -- formed an important part of the prehistoric diet.

Scientists find way to trap, kill malaria parasite Posted: 16 Jul 2014 10:15 AM PDT Scientists may be able to entomb the malaria parasite in a prison of its own making, researchers report. As it invades a red blood cell, the malaria parasite takes part of the host cell's membrane to build a protective compartment. The parasite then starts a series of major renovations that transform the red blood cell into a suitable home. But the new research reveals the proteins that make these renovations must pass through a single pore in the parasite's compartment to get into the red blood cell. When the scientists disrupted passage through that pore in cell cultures, the parasite stopped growing and died.

One injection stops diabetes in its tracks: Treatment reverses symptoms of type 2 diabetes in mice without side effects Posted: 16 Jul 2014 10:15 AM PDT In mice with diet-induced diabetes -- the equivalent of type 2 diabetes in humans -- a single injection of the protein FGF1 is enough to restore blood sugar levels to a healthy range for more than two days. The discovery could lead to a new generation of safer, more effective diabetes drugs. The team found that sustained treatment with the protein doesn't merely keep blood sugar under control, but also reverses insulin insensitivity, the underlying physiological cause of diabetes. Equally exciting, the newly developed treatment doesn't result in side effects common to most current diabetes treatments.

Mediterranean diet has varied effects on cognitive decline among different races, study shows Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT "In a population of initially well-functioning older adults, we found a significant correlation between strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet and a slower rate of cognitive decline among African American, but not white, older adults. Our study is the first to show a possible race-specific association between the Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline," a researcher outlines.

Poor sleep quality linked to lower physical activity in people with PTSD Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT A new study shows that worse sleep quality predicts lower physical activity in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Results show that PTSD was independently associated with worse sleep quality at baseline, and participants with current PTSD at baseline had lower physical activity one year later. Further analysis found that sleep quality completely mediated the relationship between baseline PTSD status and physical activity at the one-year follow-up, providing preliminary evidence that the association of reduced sleep quality with reduced physical activity could comprise a behavioral link to negative health outcomes such as obesity.

Making a mental match: Pairing mechanical device with stroke patients Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT A functional MRI-compatible hemiparesis rehab device that creates a long latency stretch reflex at the exact time as a brain signal has been developed by researchers. It is designed to assist stroke victims. "The device is designed to adapt to people whether they are hyper, normo or hyporeflexive," said one developer.

Pregnancy loss, cardiovascular disease connected by new study Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:34 AM PDT Women with a history of pregnancy loss are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease later in adulthood than other women, research concludes. The association between pregnancy loss and coronary heart disease appeared to be independent of hypertension, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and white blood cell count.

Drug's effect on Alzheimer's may depend on severity of disease Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:34 AM PDT A cancer drug that has shown promise against Alzheimer's disease in mice and has begun early clinical trials has yielded perplexing results in a novel mouse model of Alzheimer's disease that mimics the genetics and pathology of the human disease more closely than any other animal model.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce cardiovascular death in type 2 diabetes Posted: 16 Jul 2014 09:34 AM PDT Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death and disability among people with Type 2 diabetes. In fact, at least 65 percent of people with diabetes die from some form of heart disease or stroke. However, a new study suggests that the use of cholesterol-lowering statins may help prolong the lives of people with diabetic cardiovascular disease.

Structures of Huntington's disease protein compared in study Posted: 16 Jul 2014 08:28 AM PDT Huntington's disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder, starts as a genetic mutation that leads to an overabundance of "huntingtin" protein fragments, which form clumps in the brain. Neutron scattering research has revealed clear structural differences in the normal and pathological forms of a protein involved in Huntington's disease.

Promising medication counteracts constipation caused by opioid painkillers Posted: 16 Jul 2014 08:27 AM PDT Opioids -- strong morphine-based painkillers -- are widely prescribed to patients experiencing chronic severe pain. While these drugs are very effective for treating and managing pain, they have one particularly bothersome side effect: constipation. A new drug, called naloxegol, could bring relief. In stage 3 trials, international researchers provide new evidence that the drug relieves constipation without dulling opioids' pain-relieving effects.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms: Surgeon explains who needs screening, treatment Posted: 16 Jul 2014 08:22 AM PDT An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a potentially life-threatening condition: If the body's major blood vessel ruptures, it can prove deadly. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently updated its recommendations on screening. Now a surgeon explains who should be watched for abdominal aortic aneurysms, how they are diagnosed and how surgery, which now includes a less invasive endovascular option, is improving survival rates.

Improving tumor radiation therapy: When basic ions break DNA down Posted: 16 Jul 2014 07:17 AM PDT Scientists now have a better understanding of how short DNA strands decompose in microseconds. A research team found new fragmentation pathways that occur universally when DNA strands are exposed to metal ions from a family of alkaline and alkaline earth elements. These ions tend to replace protons in the DNA backbone and at the same time induce a reactive conformation leading more readily to fragmentation.

Breast cancer: Disease management program is largely consistent with guidelines Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:58 AM PDT There are only few discrepancies between the disease management program for breast cancer and current guidelines. However, some of the guidelines are more detailed. A need for revision may arise if new studies provide new evidence on a disease and its treatment.

Aqueous two-phase systems enable multiplexing of homogeneous immunoassays Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:58 AM PDT A novel test simplifies disease detection by enabling simultaneous detection of multiple proteins in blood plasma. The test can accurately and simultaneously measure multiple proteins that indicate the presence of diseases like graft-versus-host disease (bone marrow transplant rejection) in only two hours, no washing steps, and using only a minute volume of blood plasma.

Marijuana dependence alters the brain's response to drug paraphernalia Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:08 AM PDT New research demonstrates that drug paraphernalia triggers the reward areas of the brain differently in dependent and non-dependent marijuana users. By letting users handle a marijuana pipe while in an fMRI, researchers found that areas of brain activation in the dependent users suggests a more emotional connection than in non-dependent users. Non-dependent users had greater activations in areas associated with memory and attention.

New knowledge about brain's effective bouncer Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:08 AM PDT Researchers are shedding new light on the brain's complicated barrier tissue. The blood-brain barrier is an effective barrier which protects the brain, but which at the same time makes it difficult to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's. In an in vitro blood-brain barrier, researchers can recreate the brain's transport processes for the benefit of the development of new pharmaceuticals for the brain.

Immune response to infectious disease: New findings on properdin Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT Knowledge in immunology has been advanced by recent research. A new paper presents significant new findings about the protein properdin -- an important part of the immune system. It is a positive regulator in the alternative pathway of complement activation -- which means it plays a key part in one of the body's main techniques for tackling infections and foreign bodies known as antigens.

Health risks posed by 'third hand' tobacco smoke Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT The potential cancer risk in non-smokers -- particularly young children -- of tobacco smoke gases and particles deposited to surfaces and dust in the home has been demonstrated by researchers. Until now, the risks of this exposure known as 'third hand tobacco smoke' have been highly uncertain and not considered in public policy. However, a new study has estimated for the first time the potential cancer risk by age group through non-dietary ingestion and dermal exposure to third hand smoke. The results indicate potentially severe long-term consequences, particularly to children.

Self-assembling nanoparticle could improve MRI scanning for cancer diagnosis Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:07 AM PDT A new self-assembling nanoparticle has been developed that targets tumors, to help doctors diagnose cancer earlier. The new nanoparticle boosts the effectiveness of MRI scanning by specifically seeking out receptors that are found in cancerous cells. The nanoparticle is coated with a special protein that looks for specific signals given off by tumors. When it finds one, it begins to interact with the cancerous cells; this interaction strips off the protein coating, causing the nanoparticle to self-assemble into a much larger particle so that it is more visible on the scan.

Live kidney donors face 'pointless' insurance troubles Posted: 16 Jul 2014 06:05 AM PDT Healthy living kidney donors often face pointless post-donation hurdles when seeking or changing health or life insurance, according to results of a new study. Little evidence suggests any extra health risks or a shortened life span after live kidney donation, but many have stories about insurance troubles after donation. 1,046 people who donated a kidney were asked whether they had initiated or changed health or life insurance in the years after their donation and whether they had any problems with the process. Researchers also explored possible reasons for their problems.

Smoking may contribute to suicide risk Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Cigarette smokers are more likely to commit suicide than people who don't smoke, a relationship that has been attributed to the fact that numerous people with psychiatric disorders, who have higher suicide rates, also tend to smoke. But a new study finds that smoking itself may increase suicide risk and that policies to limit smoking reduce suicide rates.

Twenty-pound tumor sheds light on liposarcoma, rare form of soft tissue cancer Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:34 PM PDT In an extraordinary clinical case, surgeons removed a 20-pound tumor from a patient -- the result of liposarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer. "We know that liposarcomas can be quite large and very dense because of their physical composition of fatty tissue and, in some cases, even bone." one surgeon said. "What also made this liposarcoma even more uncommon was that there were characteristics of osteosarcoma and chondrasarcoma as well -- elements of cartilage and bone within the tumor."

New heart procedure safer for women Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:34 PM PDT Instead of going through the groin during heart catheterizations, physicians can now insert the catheter through a patient's wrist, a less traumatic and safer option for some patients — especially women. The catheterization begins when a small tube is placed in the radial artery, which is located on the thumb side of the wrist. Using X-ray, the physician guides the catheter up to the shoulder and then down to the heart.

Babies born in Canada to immigrant mothers have lower risk of cerebral palsy: Study Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT Babies born to mothers who immigrated to Ontario from other countries have significantly lower rates of cerebral palsy than those of Canadian-born mothers, especially those from the Caribbean and East Asia, new research has found. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood and appears by the age of four. The underlying injury to the brain with CP is thought to occur before birth, rather than during delivery. Most damage is to the motor neurons of the brain affecting coordination and muscle strength.

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