ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Ebola outbreak highlights global disparities in health-care resources
• Novel treatment strengthens bones in genetic disease neurofibromatosis type-1
• Study details shortage of replication in education research
• New technology offers insight into cholesterol
• Newborns' genetic code sends infection distress signal
• NSAIDs may lower breast cancer recurrence rate in overweight, obese women
• Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine
• Long antibiotic treatments: Slowly growing bacteria to blame
• New shock-and-kill approach could eradicate barrier to curing HIV
• PTSD can develop even without memory of the trauma, study concludes
• Major step towards personalized medicine against hereditary autoimmune deficiency
• Researchers target rapid destruction of protein responsible for cancer cell resistance to therapy
• New study on diabetes risk emphasizes value of registered dietitian nutritionists in treatment and prevention
• Researchers develop strategy to combat genetic ALS, FTD
• Genetic signal prevents immune cells from turning against the body
• Brain 'switchboard' found, important in attention, sleep
• Protein found to block benefits of vitamin A cancer therapy
• Task force challenges some recommendations in updated cholesterol treatment guideline
• Study identifies EU policy shift on tobacco control after massive industry lobbying
• Leukemia: Scientists make major breakthrough in understanding disease
• Reclassification of PTSD diagnosis potentially excludes soldiers diagnosed under previous criteria
• Overweight and obesity linked to 10 common cancers, over 12,000 cases every year in UK
• The spiritual person: Alcohol releases the 'beast within'
• New blood: Tracing the beginnings of hematopoietic stem cells
• Earlier diagnosis, treatment of mental illness? Genetic computer network inference model
• New material could enhance fast, accurate DNA sequencing
• Poor sleep quality increases suicide risk for older adults, researcher finds
• Stimuli-responsive drug delivery system prevents transplant rejection
• Treatment with lymph node cells controls dangerous sepsis in animal models
• Mind and body: Scientists identify immune system link to mental illness
• Next generation sequencing shakes up genotype/phenotype correlation, disease discoveries
• Injected bacteria shrink tumors in rats, dogs and humans
• Researchers identify priority targets for immunotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer
• Clinicians: Learning to break the bad news
• Research questioning sodium intake guidelines supported
• High-dose flu vaccine more effective in elderly, study finds
• Common household chemicals responsible for reproductive declines in mice
• Estimated 1.65 million global cardiovascular deaths each year linked to high sodium consumption

Ebola outbreak highlights global disparities in health-care resources Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT The outbreak of Ebola virus disease that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in West Africa this year poses a serious, ongoing threat to that region: the spread to capital cities and Nigeria -- Africa's most populous nation -- presents new challenges for healthcare professionals. The situation has garnered significant attention and fear around the world, but proven public health measures and sharpened clinical vigilance will contain the epidemic and thwart a global spread.

Novel treatment strengthens bones in genetic disease neurofibromatosis type-1 Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT An enzyme therapy may prevent skeletal abnormalities associated with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type-1, investigators have discovered. The researchers demonstrated in a mouse model of the disorder that the enzyme asfotase-alpha improves bone growth, mineralization and strength.

Study details shortage of replication in education research Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:46 AM PDT Although replicating important findings is essential for helping education research improve its usefulness to policymakers and practitioners, less than 1 percent of the articles published in the top education research journals are replication studies, according to new research.

New technology offers insight into cholesterol Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:46 AM PDT With new advanced techniques, it is possible to study cells in greater detail than ever before. The findings may, in the long term, improve the treatment of high cholesterol, researchers report.

Newborns' genetic code sends infection distress signal Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:45 AM PDT Babies suffering from life-threatening bacterial infections such as sepsis could benefit from improved treatment, thanks to a ground-breaking study. For the first time, researchers have been able to detect and decode a signal generated from a baby's DNA that can tell doctors whether or not a bacterial infection is present in the bloodstream. The findings could help develop a test for bacterial infection in newborns, using a single drop of blood.

NSAIDs may lower breast cancer recurrence rate in overweight, obese women Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT Recurrence of hormone-related breast cancer was cut by half in overweight and obese women who regularly used aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to a study. The study found that women whose body mass index (BMI) was greater than 30 and had estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive breast cancer had a 52 percent lower rate of recurrence and a 28-month delay in time to recurrence if they were taking aspirin or other NSAIDs.

Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT In a boon to stem cell research and regenerative medicine, scientists have created a computer algorithm called CellNet as a 'roadmap' for cell and tissue engineering, to ensure that cells engineered in the lab have the same favorable properties as cells in our own bodies.

Long antibiotic treatments: Slowly growing bacteria to blame Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT Whether pneumonia or sepsis, infectious diseases are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. One reason for this is the growing antibiotic resistance. But even non-resistant bacteria can survive antibiotics for some time, and that's why treatments need to be continued for several days or weeks. Scientist have now shown that bacteria with vastly different antibiotic sensitivity coexist within the same tissue. They report that, in particular, slowly growing pathogens hamper treatment.

New shock-and-kill approach could eradicate barrier to curing HIV Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:43 AM PDT Despite tremendous progress in combatting HIV-1 infection with antiretroviral therapy, there is still no cure for the disease because these drugs do not kill a hidden reservoir of infected cells in the body. A new study reveals a multipronged strategy for eradicating this latent reservoir and preventing HIV-1 from rebounding after treatment is stopped in mice. The findings suggest that a 'shock-and-kill' approach, combined with virus-fighting antibodies, could represent a promising strategy for curing HIV-1.

PTSD can develop even without memory of the trauma, study concludes Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT There are many forms of memory and only some of these may be critical for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reports a new study. The findings suggest that even with no explicit memory of an early childhood trauma, symptoms of PTSD can still develop in adulthood.

Major step towards personalized medicine against hereditary autoimmune deficiency Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT A method to repair the gene mutation causing agammaglobulinemia, an autoimmune deficiency disease that almost exclusively affects boys and in which the body lacks the ability to produce immunoglobulins (gamma globulin), has been discovered by researchers. The disease is characterized by recurring bacterial infections, mainly in the respiratory system, and persons who suffer from the illness currently need life-long gamma globulin treatment.

Researchers target rapid destruction of protein responsible for cancer cell resistance to therapy Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:36 AM PDT Researchers have identified an enzyme that may help break down chemoresistance in cancer cell that overexpress Myeloid Cell Leukema-1 (Mcl-1). The Mcl-1 protein is frequently over-expressed in cancer; it is present not only in leukemia and lymphoma but also in a host of solid tumors. While Mcl-1 is expressed in a highly-controlled fashion in normal cells, its over-expression and lack of destruction maintains the viability of cancer cells and renders them resistant to chemotherapy.

New study on diabetes risk emphasizes value of registered dietitian nutritionists in treatment and prevention Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:34 AM PDT A new study indicating that Americans have approximately a 40 percent risk of developing diabetes during their lifetime offers more evidence that nutrition counseling provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist can help prevent or delay diabetes and its related health problems through lifestyle and dietary changes, according to researchers.

Researchers develop strategy to combat genetic ALS, FTD Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:34 AM PDT A new therapeutic strategy to combat the most common genetic risk factor for the neurodegenerative disorders amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has been developed by researchers.

Genetic signal prevents immune cells from turning against the body Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:34 AM PDT A control signal for the immune system has been discovered that could help treat autoimmune diseases and cancer. "We discovered a mechanism responsible for stabilizing the cells that maintain immune system balance," says the senior author. "The immune system plays a huge role in chronic inflammation and if we can better understand the immune system, we can start to understand and treat many diseases."

Brain 'switchboard' found, important in attention, sleep Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:34 AM PDT Using a mouse model, researchers have recorded the activity of individual nerve cells in a small part of the brain that works as a "switchboard," directing signals coming from the outside world or internal memories. Because human brain disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder typically show disturbances in that switchboard, the investigators say the work suggests new strategies in understanding and treating them.

Protein found to block benefits of vitamin A cancer therapy Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:38 PM PDT Retinoic acid is a form of vitamin A that is used to treat and help prevent the recurrence of a variety of cancers, but for some patients the drug is not effective. The reason for this resistance was unclear until this week when researchers demonstrated that a protein known as AEG-1 blocks the effects of retinoic acid in leukemia and liver cancer. Because AEG-1 is overexpressed in nearly every cancer, these findings could impact the care of countless cancer patients.

Task force challenges some recommendations in updated cholesterol treatment guideline Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:38 PM PDT A Mayo Clinic task force challenges some recommendations in the updated guideline for cholesterol treatment unveiled by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) in 2013. The task force concludes, based on current evidence, that not all patients encouraged to take cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins, may benefit from them and that the guideline missed some important conditions that might benefit from medication.

Study identifies EU policy shift on tobacco control after massive industry lobbying Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:09 PM PDT A study has tracked how the dominance of language that first appeared in tobacco industry's submissions gradually crept into the final drafts of the European tobacco directive through using a word coding analysis of European Union drafts and stakeholder documents. The study concludes that the change in the drafts coincided with massive lobbying by the tobacco industry and was 'associated with significant policy shifts' towards the tobacco industry.

Leukemia: Scientists make major breakthrough in understanding disease Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:09 PM PDT Mutations in genes that lead to childhood leukemia of the acute lymphoblastic type -- the most common childhood cancer in the world -- have been discovered by researchers, advancing their understanding of the disease. Currently, one in six children in the general population does not respond well to standard therapy for leukemia, and/or suffers from relapses and toxic side-effects of therapy. These figures of poor response and toxicity are even bigger among children with Down's syndrome.

Reclassification of PTSD diagnosis potentially excludes soldiers diagnosed under previous criteria Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:08 PM PDT A new head-to-head comparison of screening questionnaires for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) shows a worrying discordance between the previous version of the PTSD definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—fourth edition (DSM-IV) and DSM-5, released in 2013. The study is the first to directly compare the original DSM-IV and DSM-5 checklists in a large group of infantry soldiers.

Overweight and obesity linked to 10 common cancers, over 12,000 cases every year in UK Posted: 13 Aug 2014 09:08 PM PDT A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, the largest study of its kind on BMI and cancer, involving more than 5 million adults in the UK, shows. Each 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was clearly linked with higher risk of cancers of the uterus (62% increase), gallbladder (31%), kidney (25%), cervix (10%), thyroid (9%), and leukemia (9%). Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver, colon, ovarian, and breast cancers.

The spiritual person: Alcohol releases the 'beast within' Posted: 13 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT Results of the study indicate that violence decreases as spirituality increases in persons who received the non-alcohol beverage. However, quite unexpectedly, violence actually increased as spirituality increased in persons who received the alcoholic beverage.

New blood: Tracing the beginnings of hematopoietic stem cells Posted: 13 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT Researchers elaborate upon a crucial signaling pathway and the role of key proteins, which may help clear the way to generate HSCs from human pluripotent precursors, similar to advances with other kinds of tissue stem cells.

Earlier diagnosis, treatment of mental illness? Genetic computer network inference model Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT A computer science and engineering associate professor and her doctoral student graduate are using a genetic computer network inference model that eventually could predict whether a person will suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or another mental illness.

New material could enhance fast, accurate DNA sequencing Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT Gene-based personalized medicine has many possibilities for diagnosis and targeted therapy, but one big bottleneck: the expensive and time-consuming DNA-sequencing process. Now, researchers have found that nanopores in the material molybdenum disulfide could sequence DNA more accurately, quickly and inexpensively than anything yet available.

Poor sleep quality increases suicide risk for older adults, researcher finds Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT Older adults suffering from sleep disturbances are more likely to die by suicide than well-rested adults, according to a study. "This is important because sleep disturbances are highly treatable, yet arguably less stigmatizing than many other suicide risk factors," noted the lead author of the study.

Stimuli-responsive drug delivery system prevents transplant rejection Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT A way to deliver immunosupressant drugs locally and when prompted, with the use of a biomaterial that self-assembles into a hydrogel (jello-like) material, has been developed by an international team of scientists. The novel system is able to deliver targeted, controlled release of medication where and when it is needed.

Treatment with lymph node cells controls dangerous sepsis in animal models Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT An immune-regulating cell present in lymph nodes may be able to halt severe cases of sepsis, an out-of-control inflammatory response that can lead to organ failure and death. "Our findings are important because, to our knowledge, no experimental therapeutic has shown such a significant survival benefit after the disease has progressed so far -- in our study up to 16 hours after a sepsis-inducing injury," says the senior author of the paper.

Mind and body: Scientists identify immune system link to mental illness Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:42 PM PDT Children with high everyday levels of a protein released into the blood in response to infection are at greater risk of developing depression and psychosis in adulthood, according to new research that suggests a role for the immune system in mental illness. The study indicates that mental illness and chronic physical illness such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes may share common biological mechanisms.

Next generation sequencing shakes up genotype/phenotype correlation, disease discoveries Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:42 PM PDT With the ability to use next generation sequencing technology, researchers have a broadened understanding of the association of genetic changes and disease causation to a much greater resolution, driving new discoveries, said an international team of clinical geneticists.

Injected bacteria shrink tumors in rats, dogs and humans Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:39 PM PDT A modified version of the Clostridium novyi (C. novyi-NT) bacterium can produce a strong and precisely targeted anti-tumor response in rats, dogs and now humans, according to a new report. In its natural form, C. novyi is found in the soil and, in certain cases, can cause tissue-damaging infection in cattle, sheep and humans. The microbe thrives only in oxygen-poor environments, which makes it a targeted means of destroying oxygen-starved cells in tumors that are difficult to treat with chemotherapy and radiation.

Researchers identify priority targets for immunotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT Expression of MAGE cancer-testis antigens correlates with clinical outcome in epithelial ovarian cancer, researchers report, and that several of these unique proteins may prove to be prognostic factors for ovarian cancer.

Clinicians: Learning to break the bad news Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT Telling the patient and the family the bad news -- it's a daunting first-time experience for physicians and a staple of television medical dramas. But in real life, how do medical/health professionals learn to communicate a less than positive diagnosis or prognosis of an illness or -- even worse -- the death of a loved one? Recent studies in teaching approaches have been explored that seek to improve the necessary communications skills in breaking bad news.

Research questioning sodium intake guidelines supported Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT Research efforts exploring low-sodium intake guidelines and implications on cardiac disease and mortality have been supported in a commentary by another expert. National guidelines for sodium intake recommend less than 2.3 grams daily for the general population and less than 1.5 grams for people with co-morbidities including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease or diabetes. But approximately 90 percent of the participants in the PURE study had either a high or moderate level of sodium excretion; approximately 10 percent excreted less than 3 grams per day, and only 4 percent had sodium excretion in the range associated with current U.S. guidelines for sodium intake.

High-dose flu vaccine more effective in elderly, study finds Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT High-dose influenza vaccine is 24 percent more effective than the standard-dose vaccine in protecting persons ages 65 and over against influenza illness and its complications, according to a study.

Common household chemicals responsible for reproductive declines in mice Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT Researchers who were using a disinfectant when handling mice have discovered that two active ingredients in it cause declines in mouse reproduction. The ingredients are found in commercial and householder cleaners, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, preservatives in makeup and other cosmetics, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets. "If these chemicals are toxic to humans, they could also be contributing to the decline in human fertility seen in recent decades, as well as the increased need for assistive reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization," one researcher said.

Estimated 1.65 million global cardiovascular deaths each year linked to high sodium consumption Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:36 PM PDT More than 1.6 million cardiovascular-related deaths per year can be attributed to sodium consumption above the World Health Organization's recommendation of 2.0 grams per day, researchers have found in a new analysis of populations across 187 countries.

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