ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Maturing brain flips function of amygdala in regulating stress hormones
• Space station inspired robot to help heal sick children
• Missing Protein Restored in Patients with Muscular Dystrophy
• Exercise may protect older women from irregular heartbeat
• Severing nerves may shrink stomach cancers: Botox injections slow growth of stomach tumors in mice
• Seals and sea lions likely spread tuberculosis to humans
• Experts denounce clinical trials of unscientific, 'alternative' medicines
• Scientists learn more about rare skin cancer that killed Bob Marley
• Newborn screening expansion offers early diagnosis and treatment to infants with SCID
• Teen sleeplessness piles on risk for obesity
• Severe infections with hospitalization after prostate biopsy rising in Sweden
• Novel gene predicts both breast cancer relapse, response to chemotherapy
• Gene therapy protects mice from lethal heart condition, researchers find
• Coronary arteries hold heart-regenerating cells
• Treating pain by blocking the 'chili-pepper receptor'
• Sunblock poses potential hazard to sea life
• Diabetes calculator helps identify patients at risk of disease
• Investigational therapy focuses on slowing progression in mild to moderate Alzheimer's
• Economic disparities impact infant health, experts show
• Repeat emergency department visits for acute heart failure suggest need for better outpatient care
• Review of clinical treatment of bronchiolitis in infants reveals over-reliance on one test
• Is China's 50 percent cesarean section delivery rate too high?
• Type-1, type-2 diabetes caused by same underlying mechanism? Toxic clumps of hormone amylin may be to blame
• Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA
• Progress in the fight against harmful fungi
• Zipper action triggers bacterial invasion: Scientists discover new strategy germs use to invade cells
• Novel oral anticoagulant prescriptions soar, but at a high cost
• Providing futile treatment prevents other patients from receiving the critical care they need
• Why elderly are prone to sleep problems
• How parents juggle work hours may influence kids' weight
• Rates of heart disease, stroke continue to decline in Europe
• Dyslexia: Balanced view needed on expensive lenses to improve reading
• Seafood substitutions can expose consumers to unexpectedly high mercury
• New study first to examine quality of cardiac rehabilitation programs in Canada
• Financial weight makes it trickier to lose pounds where it counts
• Blood glucose levels measured in hospitalized patients can predict risk of type 2 diabetes
• Nurse staffing and mortality in stroke centers
• Сalculations with nanoscale smart particles: Important step towards creating medical nanorobots
• Zebrafish help unravel Alzheimer's disease
• Using physics to design better drugs
• Study of African dust transport to South America reveals air quality impacts
• Studies promoting use of antidepressants for postoperative pain may be premature, review finds

Maturing brain flips function of amygdala in regulating stress hormones Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT In contrast to evidence that the amygdala stimulates stress responses in adults, researchers have found that the amygdala has an inhibitory effect on stress hormones during the early development of nonhuman primates. This finding adds to evidence for a developmental switch in amygdala function and connectivity.

Space station inspired robot to help heal sick children Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT The same companies which developed the robotic arms that helped astronauts build the International Space Station have now created a new research platform. Called KidsArm, this robot allows surgeons to quickly navigate to surgical sites in the body. It has an advanced imaging and control system that makes it extremely precise, and it is designed to explore the potential for automating certain demanding tasks in minimally invasive pediatric surgery.

Missing Protein Restored in Patients with Muscular Dystrophy Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:44 PM PDT A research team has succeeded in restoring a missing repair protein in skeletal muscle of patients with muscular dystrophy, a scientific first. The team has offered a proof-of-principle study and restored the missing protein in skeletal muscle of patients with muscular dystrophy. Three patients carrying a dysferlin mutation received a single systemic dose of a proteasome inhibitor. After only a few days the patients' musculature produced the missing dysferlin protein at levels that could be therapeutically effective.

Exercise may protect older women from irregular heartbeat Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:44 PM PDT Increasing the amount or intensity of physical activity can cut the chances of older women developing a life-threatening irregular heartbeat, according to new research. Researchers found that post-menopausal women who were the most physically active had a 10 percent lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), compared to women with low levels of physical activity, even if they were obese. Obesity is an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation.

Severing nerves may shrink stomach cancers: Botox injections slow growth of stomach tumors in mice Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT Nerves may play a critical role in stomach cancer growth and that blocking nerve signals using surgery or Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA) could be an effective treatment for the disease. Stomach cancer is the fourth-leading type of cancer and the second-highest contributor to cancer mortality worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 25 percent.

Seals and sea lions likely spread tuberculosis to humans Posted: 20 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT Scientists who study tuberculosis have long debated its origins. New research shows that tuberculosis likely spread from humans in Africa to seals and sea lions that brought the disease to South America and transmitted it to Native people there before Europeans landed on the continent.

Experts denounce clinical trials of unscientific, 'alternative' medicines Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT Experts call for an end to clinical trials of 'highly implausible treatments' such as homeopathy and reiki. Over the last two decades, such complementary and alternative medicine treatments have been embraced in medical academia despite budget constraints and the fact that they rest on dubious science, they say.

Scientists learn more about rare skin cancer that killed Bob Marley Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT Acral melanomas, the rare type of skin cancer that caused musician Bob Marley's death, are genetically distinct from other types of skin cancer. Acral melanoma most often affects the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, nail-beds and other hairless parts of the skin. Unlike other more common types of melanoma, it's not caused by UV damage from the sun.

Newborn screening expansion offers early diagnosis and treatment to infants with SCID Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:20 AM PDT Data from 11 newborn screening programs showed that newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be successfully implemented across public health newborn screening programs. SCID babies are born without a developed immune system and are subject to a wide variety of life-threatening infections.

Teen sleeplessness piles on risk for obesity Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT Teenagers who don't get enough sleep may wake up to worse consequences than nodding off during chemistry class. According to new research, risk of being obese by age 21 was 20 percent higher among 16-year-olds who got less than six hours of sleep a night, compared with their peers who slumbered more than eight hours.

Severe infections with hospitalization after prostate biopsy rising in Sweden Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:17 AM PDT Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy is the gold standard for detecting prostate cancer, but international reports have suggested that the number of risks associated with the procedure is increasing. In a new nationwide population-based study, Swedish researchers found that six percent of men filled a prescription for antibiotics for a urinary tract infection within 30 days after having a prostate biopsy, with a twofold increase in hospital admissions over five years.

Novel gene predicts both breast cancer relapse, response to chemotherapy Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:06 AM PDT Scientists have made it easier to predict both breast cancer relapses and responses to chemotherapy, through the identification of a unique gene. The newly found marker could help doctors classify each breast cancer patient and customize a treatment regimen that is more effective.

Gene therapy protects mice from lethal heart condition, researchers find Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:06 AM PDT A new gene therapy has been shown to protect mice from a life-threatening heart condition caused by muscular dystrophy. About one in 3,500 children, mostly boys, are born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). They experience a progressive wasting away of muscles, starting in the legs and pelvis. Children with DMD have difficulty walking, and most need wheelchairs by age 12.

Coronary arteries hold heart-regenerating cells Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT Endothelial cells residing in the coronary arteries can function as cardiac stem cells to produce new heart muscle tissue, investigators have discovered. The heart has long been considered to be an organ without regenerative potential, said one expert. Recent findings, however, have demonstrated that new heart muscle cells are generated at a low rate, suggesting the presence of cardiac stem cells. The source of these cells was unknown.

Treating pain by blocking the 'chili-pepper receptor' Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT Biting into a chili pepper causes a burning spiciness that is irresistible to some, but intolerable to others. Scientists exploring the chili pepper's effect are using their findings to develop a new drug candidate for many kinds of pain, which can be caused by inflammation or other problems. They have now reported their progress on the compound, which is being tested in clinical trials.

Sunblock poses potential hazard to sea life Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT The sweet and salty aroma of sunscreen and seawater signals a relaxing trip to the shore. But scientists are now reporting that the idyllic beach vacation comes with an environmental hitch. When certain sunblock ingredients wash off skin and into the sea, they can become toxic to some of the ocean's tiniest inhabitants, which are the main course for many other marine animals.

Diabetes calculator helps identify patients at risk of disease Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:04 AM PDT A new online tool will help doctors predict which patients are most likely to develop diabetes. Experts say it could offer a cost-effective way to identify people with diabetes, as it avoids the need for significant investment in screening.

Investigational therapy focuses on slowing progression in mild to moderate Alzheimer's Posted: 20 Aug 2014 07:58 AM PDT Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease currently have no treatment options to slow brain cell deterioration. Researchers are studying an investigational drug that proposes to do just that.

Economic disparities impact infant health, experts show Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT Women who are poor experience higher cortisol levels in pregnancy and give birth to infants with elevated levels of the stress hormone, putting them at greater risk for serious disease later in life, according to a new research. "By improving the health and well-being of socially disadvantaged women you may help to improve the health and well-being of their children and therefore society overall," the lead researcher said.

Repeat emergency department visits for acute heart failure suggest need for better outpatient care Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT Almost one-third of acute heart failure syndrome patients seen in hospital emergency departments in one American study during 2010 had ED visits during the following year, findings that suggest a lack of appropriate outpatient care. The authors note that acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) -- an increase in symptoms that requires urgent care -- accounts for more than 675,000 ED visits and one million hospitalizations in the U.S. each year, incurring around $31 million in costs.

Review of clinical treatment of bronchiolitis in infants reveals over-reliance on one test Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT The importance of physicians using all available clinical assessment tools when considering how to treat patients is the focus of a new article. The study examined how pediatric emergency medicine physicians treat a respiratory tract infection called bronchiolitis in infants, and how they incorporate factors such as respiratory exam, imaging tools and blood tests when deciding on treatment.

Is China's 50 percent cesarean section delivery rate too high? Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT Efforts must be made to decrease China's increasing cesarean section rate, suggests a new article. China has one of the highest caesarean delivery rates in the world. Of 16 million babies born in 2010, approximately half were by caesarean. Although the exact rate is not known, the current Chinese language literature on caesarean rates in China reports total caesarean rates ranging from 36% to 58%. However, before the 1980s, the caesarean rate was below 5% and it did not rise above 10% until after 1990.

Type-1, type-2 diabetes caused by same underlying mechanism? Toxic clumps of hormone amylin may be to blame Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT New findings provide compelling evidence that juvenile-onset or type-1 diabetes and type-2 diabetes are both caused by the formation of toxic clumps of a hormone called amylin. The results suggest that type-1 and type-2 diabetes could both be slowed down and potentially reversed by medicines that stop amylin forming these toxic clumps.

Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:13 AM PDT A simple and effective way of unraveling the often tangled mass of DNA is to "thread" the strand into a nano-channel. A new study used simulations to measure the characteristics that this channel should have in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

Progress in the fight against harmful fungi Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:13 AM PDT One of the world's largest gene libraries for the Candida glabrata yeast, which is harmful to humans, has been developed by researchers. Molecular analysis of the Candida glabrata fungus mutations led to the discovery of 28 new genes that are partly responsible for the yeast's tolerance of common drugs. Infectious diseases caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasites represent the world's number one cause of death. A few dozen types of harmful fungi claim more than 1.5 million human lives every year.

Zipper action triggers bacterial invasion: Scientists discover new strategy germs use to invade cells Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT The hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa wraps itself into the membrane of human cells. Now researchers have identified a novel mechanism of bacterial invasion, outlining how Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses lipids in the cell membrane to make its way into host cells.

Novel oral anticoagulant prescriptions soar, but at a high cost Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Warfarin, the longtime standard treatment for atrial fibrillation, is facing competition from new options in the anticoagulant drug marketplace including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. A new study documents the rapid adoption of these novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) into clinical practice. By mid-2013 NOACs accounted for 62% of all new anticoagulant prescriptions yet this represents 98% of total anticoagulant-related drug costs.

Providing futile treatment prevents other patients from receiving the critical care they need Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT Providing futile treatment in the intensive care unit sets off a chain reaction that causes other ill patients needing medical attention to wait for critical care beds, according to a study. The study is the first to show that when unbeneficial medical care is provided, others who might be able to benefit from treatment are harmed, said the study's lead author.

Why elderly are prone to sleep problems Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT A group of inhibitory neurons, whose loss leads to sleep disruption in experimental animals, are substantially diminished among the elderly and individuals with Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. The authors examined the brains of 45 study subjects (median age at death, 89.2), identifying ventrolateral preoptic neurons by staining the brains for the neurotransmitter galanin. They then correlated the actigraphic rest-activity behavior of the 45 individuals in the year prior to their deaths with the number of remaining ventrolateral preoptic neurons at autopsy.

How parents juggle work hours may influence kids' weight Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT The way parents balance their work schedules may affect their adolescent children's eating habits, according to researchers. For example, parents who spend time with their adolescent kids after school may increase the likelihood that those children will eat regular dinners, according to the researchers. Adolescents having mothers who stay home before school are more likely to eat breakfast. Regular meals at home can help children and adolescents avoid weight problems.

Rates of heart disease, stroke continue to decline in Europe Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:01 PM PDT Deaths from heart disease and stroke are declining overall in Europe, but at differing rates, according to research, which provides an update for 2014 on the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe, shows that death rates from CVD (diseases of the heart and blood vessels) vary enormously.

Dyslexia: Balanced view needed on expensive lenses to improve reading Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:01 PM PDT Dyslexia charities should give a more balanced account of the evidence for colored overlays and lenses in dyslexia, say experts. An accumulation of evidence supports the view that dyslexia is a verbal (not visual) disorder, and shows that reading difficulties are best addressed by interventions that target underlying weaknesses in phonological language skills and letter knowledge.

Seafood substitutions can expose consumers to unexpectedly high mercury Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT New measurements from fish purchased at retail seafood counters in 10 different states show the extent to which mislabeling can expose consumers to unexpectedly high levels of mercury, a harmful pollutant. Fishery stock 'substitutions' -- which falsely present a fish of the same species, but from a different geographic origin -- are the most dangerous mislabeling offense, according to new research.

New study first to examine quality of cardiac rehabilitation programs in Canada Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT The quality of cardiac rehabilitation programs across Canada is strong, with specific criteria areas now identified as requiring further enhancement to improve patient outcomes, according to a new study. 'We are the first to comprehensively assess cardiac rehabilitation quality -- what we are doing well and where we should do better -- to this degree across the country,' says a study author.

Financial weight makes it trickier to lose pounds where it counts Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT Weight-loss advertising tends to target people ready, willing and able to pay for diet programs, special meals or gym memberships. But it's those who live below the poverty line who are more likely to be overweight or obese.

Blood glucose levels measured in hospitalized patients can predict risk of type 2 diabetes Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT Blood glucose levels measured in hospitalized adults during acute illness can be used to predict risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the following three years, according to a new study.

Nurse staffing and mortality in stroke centers Posted: 19 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT Hospital staffing levels have been associated with patient outcomes, but staffing on weekends has not been well studied. To helpaddress the paucity of research, researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of weekend staffing with stroke specialist physicians for patients admitted to 103 stroke units in England.

Сalculations with nanoscale smart particles: Important step towards creating medical nanorobots Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:32 AM PDT Researchers in Russia have made an important step towards creating medical nanorobots, discovering a way of enabling them to produce logical calculations using a variety of biochemical reactions.

Zebrafish help unravel Alzheimer's disease Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:30 AM PDT New fundamental knowledge about the regulation of stem cells in the nerve tissue of zebrafish embryos results in surprising insights into neurodegenerative disease processes in the human brain. A new study identifies the molecules responsible for this process.

Using physics to design better drugs Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:28 AM PDT Researchers are working to develop drugs by considering the dynamics -- including specific atomic motions -- of the enzymes that those drugs target.

Study of African dust transport to South America reveals air quality impacts Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:40 AM PDT A new study that analyzed concentrations of African dust transported to South America shows large seasonal peaks in winter and spring. These research findings offer new insight on the overall human health and air quality impacts of African dust, including the climate change-induced human health effects that are expected to occur from increased African dust emissions in the coming decades.

Studies promoting use of antidepressants for postoperative pain may be premature, review finds Posted: 19 Aug 2014 06:40 AM PDT Antidepressants are known to provide effective pain relief for various chronic pain conditions; however, the jury is still out on their use in treating the millions of patients who suffer from acute or chronic pain following surgery. A first-of-its-kind literature review suggests although a majority of studies report positive outcomes, there is currently insufficient evidence to support the clinical use of antidepressants for the treatment of postoperative pain.

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