ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Hepatitis C virus genotype 1 most prevalent worldwide
• New oral drug regimens cure hardest-to-treat hepatitis C infected patients, could improve treatment uptake
• Lifestyle choices may affect long-term heart health of childhood cancer survivors
• Six new genetic risk factors for Parkinson's found
• Surgical safety program greatly reduces surgical site infections for heart operations
• New, noncommittal mechanism of drug resistance discovered
• Drugs used to treat lung disease work with body clock
• New drug target can break down cancer's barrier against treatment
• Female triathletes at risk for pelvic floor disorders, other complications
• Incomplete HPV vaccination may offer some protection
• New mechanism for neurodegeneration found
• Fighting bacteria -- with viruses
• Gene changes in breast cancer cells pinpointed with new computational method
• New way to determine cancer risk of chemicals found
• Invertebrate numbers nearly halve as human population doubles
• First IPS cells created to offer human model of insulin resistance
• Farmers market vouchers may boost produce consumption in low-income families
• Immune response may cause harm in brain injuries, disorders

Hepatitis C virus genotype 1 most prevalent worldwide Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:05 AM PDT In one of the largest prevalence studies to date, researchers from the UK provide national, regional, and global genotype prevalence estimates for the hepatitis C virus. Findings indicate that genotype 1 is the most prevalent worldwide, with over 83 million patients infected of which one-third reside in East Asia.

New oral drug regimens cure hardest-to-treat hepatitis C infected patients, could improve treatment uptake Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:04 AM PDT Two new pill-only antiviral drug regimens could provide shorter, more effective treatment options with fewer side effects for the majority of patients infected with hepatitis C, even those most difficult to treat, according to the results of two studies. Around 150 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a condition that is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. In the USA, numbers of people with HCV-related liver failure and liver cancer are expected to treble by 2030 because of low treatment rates.

Lifestyle choices may affect long-term heart health of childhood cancer survivors Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:04 AM PDT Following a healthy lifestyle may lower childhood cancer survivors' risk of developing the metabolic syndrome, a study shows. The findings indicate that children with cancer and adults who had cancer when they were children should receive information about how their lifestyle may influence their long-term health.

Six new genetic risk factors for Parkinson's found Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT Using data from over 18,000 patients, scientists have identified more than two dozen genetic risk factors involved in Parkinson's disease, including six that had not been previously reported. "Unraveling the genetic underpinnings of Parkinson's is vital to understanding the multiple mechanisms involved in this complex disease, and hopefully, may one day lead to effective therapies," said the senior author of the study.

Surgical safety program greatly reduces surgical site infections for heart operations Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT A common postoperative complication after open heart operations -- infection at the surgical site -- has been reduced by 77 percent at a Canadian hospital through its participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®), according to a new case study.

New, noncommittal mechanism of drug resistance discovered Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi can evade treatment by acquiring mutations in the genes targeted by antibiotics or antifungal drugs. These permanent mutations were once thought to be the only way for drug resistant strains to evolve. Now a new study has shown that microorganisms can use a temporary silencing of drug targets -- known as epimutations -- to gain the benefits of drug resistance without the commitment.

Drugs used to treat lung disease work with body clock Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:56 PM PDT Scientists have discovered why medication to treat asthma and pneumonia can become ineffective. The findings show that drugs widely used to treat lung diseases work with the body clock. The research found out that cells lining the lung airways have their own body clock which is the time-keeper for lung inflammation - both conditions cause swelling (inflammation) in the lungs.

New drug target can break down cancer's barrier against treatment Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:56 PM PDT Targeting a molecule in blood vessels can make cancer therapy significantly more effective, according to research. Researchers have found that a molecule, called focal adhesion kinase (FAK), signals the body to repair itself after chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which kill cancer cells by damaging DNA. When the researchers removed FAK from blood vessels that grew in melanoma or lung cancer models, both chemotherapy and radiation therapies were far more effective in killing the tumors.

Female triathletes at risk for pelvic floor disorders, other complications Posted: 24 Jul 2014 02:18 PM PDT Female triathletes are at risk for pelvic floor disorders, decreased energy, menstrual irregularities and abnormal bone density, according to researchers. "There has been a surge in popularity of high-impact sports such as triathlons, but little has been known until now about the prevalence of pelvic health and certain other issues associated with endurance training and events," said a study investigator.

Incomplete HPV vaccination may offer some protection Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:43 AM PDT Minority women who received the Human Papillomavirus Vaccination even after becoming sexually active had lower rates of abnormal Pap test results than those who were never vaccinated, researchers report. According to the researchers, continued surveillance of HPV vaccination is necessary to identify clinical benefits, particularly given the low rate of vaccine uptake and completion and vaccination of many young women after sexual debut.

New mechanism for neurodegeneration found Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:42 AM PDT A surprising mechanism behind neurodegeneration in mice, one that involves a defect in a key component of the cellular machinery that makes proteins, known as transfer RNA or tRNA, has been found by researchers. A mutation in a gene that produces tRNAs operating only in the central nervous system results in a "stalling" or pausing of the protein production process in the neuronal ribosomes. When another protein the researchers identified, GTPBP2, is also missing, neurodegeneration results, they report.

Fighting bacteria -- with viruses Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:42 AM PDT Research reveals how viruses called bacteriophages destroy the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which is becoming a serious problem in hospitals and healthcare institutes, due to its resistance to antibiotics. The study could help bring about a new way of fighting this and other bacteria.

Gene changes in breast cancer cells pinpointed with new computational method Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:42 AM PDT Computer scientists working with high-throughput data generated by breast cancer biologists have devised a computational method to determine how gene networks are rewired as normal breast cells turn malignant and as they respond to potential cancer therapy agents.

New way to determine cancer risk of chemicals found Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT It is possible to predict long-term cancer risk from a chemical exposure by measuring the short-term effects of that same exposure, new research has found. The findings will make it possible to develop simpler and cheaper tests to screen chemicals for their potential cancer causing risk.

Invertebrate numbers nearly halve as human population doubles Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT Invertebrate numbers have decreased by 45 percent on average over a 35 year period in which the human population doubled, reports a study on the impact of humans on declining animal numbers. This decline matters because of the enormous benefits invertebrates such as insects, spiders, crustaceans, slugs and worms bring to our day-to-day lives, including pollination and pest control for crops, decomposition for nutrient cycling, water filtration and human health.

First IPS cells created to offer human model of insulin resistance Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:14 AM PDT The first iPSCs that offer a human model of insulin resistance, a key driver of type 2 diabetes, have been created by researchers. "There have been no good human cell models to study insulin resistance, but such cells can now be made with iPSCs," says a co-senior author on a new paper.

Farmers market vouchers may boost produce consumption in low-income families Posted: 24 Jul 2014 11:14 AM PDT Vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets increase the amount of produce in the diets of some families on food assistance, according to research. "In terms of healthy food options, farmers market incentives may be able to bring a low-income person onto the same playing field as those with greater means," said the study's lead author.

Immune response may cause harm in brain injuries, disorders Posted: 24 Jul 2014 10:40 AM PDT Could the body's own immune system play a role in memory impairment and cognitive dysfunction associated with conditions like chronic epilepsy, Alzheimer's dementia and concussions? Researchers believe so. A new study focuses on the role of a protein known as S100B, which serves as a biomarker for brain damage. Normally, S100B is found only in the brain and spinal column. However, following a brain injury, it can leak through the blood-brain barrier into the blood.

You are subscribed to email updates from Health & Medicine News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610