ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Three-quarters of depressed cancer patients do not receive treatment for depression; new approach could transform care
• First study of brain activation in MS using fNIRS
• Encyclopedia of how genomes function gets much bigger
• Tracking spending among commercially insured
• Junk food makes rats lose appetite for balanced diet
• Gang life brings deep health risks for girls
• Malaria symptoms fade on repeat infections due to loss of immune cells
• Xenon exposure shown to erase traumatic memories
• Alcohol-dependence gene linked to neurotransmitter
• Dosage of HIV drug may be ineffective for half of African-Americans
• Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease
• NIH issues finalized policy on genomic data sharing
• Neuroscientists reverse memories' emotional associations: Brain circuit that links feelings to memories manipulated
• Educated consumers more likely to use potentially unreliable online healthcare information
• Lifetime of fitness: Fountain of youth for bone, joint health?
• Impact of cultural diversity in brain injury research
• 'Junk' blood tests may offer life-saving information
• New smartphone app can detect newborn jaundice in minutes
• Promising new cancer therapy uses molecular 'Trash Man' to exploit a common cancer defense
• New study throws into question long-held belief about depression
• Potential therapy for the Sudan strain of Ebola could help contain some future outbreaks
• Common anemia: Drug represents first potential treatment
• Potential therapy for incurable Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease found
• Statistical Approach for Calculating Environmental Influences in Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Results
• Factors predicting functional recovery of upper limb after peripheral nerve injuries
• Baicalin suppresses iron accumulation after substantia nigra injury
• Prescription for better stroke care: Prescription at discharge improves outcomes
• Why Listeria bacterium is so hard to fight
• Fighting prostate cancer with tomato-rich diet
• Soda tax for adolescents, exercise for children best strategies for reducing obesity
• Does food advertising make us eat more?
• Eat your fruits, vegetables for skin with sun-kissed glow
• Preclinical development of tumor therapeutic agent begins
• Thunder God Vine, with assists by nanotechnology, could shake up future cancer treatment
• Fear, safety and the role of sleep in human PTDS
• Knowledge is power: Men who are uneducated about their prostate cancer have difficulty making good treatment choices
• Breakthrough antibacterial approach could resolve serious skin infections
• HIV antibodies block infection by reservoir-derived virus in laboratory study
• Fever's origin discovered by researchers
• Protecting brains of very preterm infants
• New estrogen-based compound suppresses binge-like eating behavior in female mice
• Alcoholics have an abnormal CD8 T cell response to the influenza virus
• Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with later excess weight/obesity during adolescence
• Young children's sipping/tasting of alcohol reflects parental modeling
• Social inequalities in salt consumption remain despite drop in salt intake over last 10 years in Britain
• Sleep apnea treatment is effective for older people
• Everest expedition provides first evidence of effects of altitude on blood pressure monitored over a 24-hour period
• Attacking a rare disease at its source with gene therapy
• Wrong diagnosis leading cause for catastrophic malpractice payouts
• Clinical education improves sepsis outcomes
• Drug for rare blood disorder, developed in US, receives orphan drug status from EU
• Study questions generalizability of findings of CV trials for heart attack patients
• Collaborative care intervention improves depression among teens
• Hypertension self-management program helps reduce blood pressure for high-risk patients
• New technology may identify tiny strains in body tissues before injuries occur

Three-quarters of depressed cancer patients do not receive treatment for depression; new approach could transform care Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:36 PM PDT Three papers reveal that around three-quarters of cancer patients who have major depression are not currently receiving treatment for depression, and that a new integrated treatment program is strikingly more effective at reducing depression and improving quality of life than current care.

First study of brain activation in MS using fNIRS Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT Using functional near infrared spectroscopy, researchers showed differential brain activation patterns between people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls. This is first MS study to examine brain activation using fNIRS during a cognitive task.

Encyclopedia of how genomes function gets much bigger Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT A big step in understanding the mysteries of the human genome has been unveiled in the form of three analyses that provide the most detailed comparison yet of how the genomes of the fruit fly, roundworm, and human function. The analyses will likely offer insights into how the information in the human genome regulates development, and how it is responsible for diseases.

Tracking spending among commercially insured Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT Recent growth in health care spending for commercially insured individuals is due primarily to increases in prices for medical services, rather than increased use, according to a new study. Increases in health care spending for commercially insured beneficiaries were principally the result of increases in prices (how much medical services cost) -- especially for outpatient services -- rather than increases in utilization (how much medical care is received), researchers conclude.

Junk food makes rats lose appetite for balanced diet Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT A diet of junk food not only makes rats fat, but also reduces their appetite for novel foods, a preference that normally drives them to seek a balanced diet, reports a study. "The interesting thing about this finding is that if the same thing happens in humans, eating junk food may change our responses to signals associated with food rewards," says an author. "It's like you've just had ice cream for lunch, yet you still go and eat more when you hear the ice cream van come by."

Gang life brings deep health risks for girls Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:16 PM PDT Being involved in a gang poses considerable health-related risks for adolescent African American girls, including more casual sex partners and substance abuse combined with less testing for HIV and less knowledge about preventing sexually transmitted diseases, according to a new study.

Malaria symptoms fade on repeat infections due to loss of immune cells Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT Children who repeatedly become infected with malaria often experience no clinical symptoms with these subsequent infections, and a team of scientists has discovered that this might be due at least in part to a depletion of specific types of immune cells. Additionally, researchers speculate that malaria infection, by reshaping immune responses, might influence susceptibility to, and protection from, other infectious diseases.

Xenon exposure shown to erase traumatic memories Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT Xenon gas, used in humans for anesthesia and diagnostic imaging, has the potential to be a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other memory-related disorders, researchers report. "We know from previous research that each time an emotional memory is recalled, the brain actually restores it as if it were a new memory. With this knowledge, we decided to see whether we could alter the process by introducing xenon gas immediately after a fear memory was reactivated," explained an author.

Alcohol-dependence gene linked to neurotransmitter Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT Scientists have solved the mystery of why a specific signaling pathway can be associated with alcohol dependence. The new research shows the gene, Nf1, regulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that lowers anxiety and increases relaxation feelings.

Dosage of HIV drug may be ineffective for half of African-Americans Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT Many African-Americans may not be getting effective doses of the HIV drug maraviroc because they are more likely than European-Americans to inherit functional copies of a protein that speeds the removal of the drug from the body.

Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:18 AM PDT Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists shows.

NIH issues finalized policy on genomic data sharing Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:17 AM PDT The National Institutes of Health has issued a final NIH Genomic Data Sharing policy to promote data sharing as a way to speed the translation of data into knowledge, products and procedures that improve health while protecting the privacy of research participants.

Neuroscientists reverse memories' emotional associations: Brain circuit that links feelings to memories manipulated Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:16 AM PDT Most memories have some kind of emotion associated with them: Recalling the week you just spent at the beach probably makes you feel happy, while reflecting on being bullied provokes more negative feelings. A new study from neuroscientists reveals the brain circuit that controls how memories become linked with positive or negative emotions.

Educated consumers more likely to use potentially unreliable online healthcare information Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT Consumers are increasingly turning to forums, video-sharing sites, and peer support groups to gather anecdotal health-care information and advice, which may distract them from more reliable and trustworthy sources. New research studies the characteristics of consumers who use the Internet to collect health-care information.

Lifetime of fitness: Fountain of youth for bone, joint health? Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT Being physically active may significantly improve musculoskeletal and overall health, and minimize or delay the effects of aging. "An increasing amount of evidence demonstrates that we can modulate age-related decline in the musculoskeletal system," said the lead study author.. "A lot of the deterioration we see with aging can be attributed to a more sedentary lifestyle instead of aging itself."

Impact of cultural diversity in brain injury research Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT The implications for cultural diversity and cultural competence in brain injury research and rehabilitation has been the focus of recent study. Risk for brain injury is higher among minorities, as is the likelihood for poorer outcomes. More research is needed to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes among minorities with brain injury, experts say.

'Junk' blood tests may offer life-saving information Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT Thirty percent of all positive hospital blood culture samples are discarded every day because they reflect the presence of skin germs instead of specific disease-causing bacteria. Now research demonstrates that rather than toss these samples into the trash, clinicians may be able to use the resistance profiles of skin bacteria to treat patients with antibiotics appropriate to their ailment.

New smartphone app can detect newborn jaundice in minutes Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:25 AM PDT Engineers and physicians have developed a smartphone application that checks for jaundice in newborns and can deliver results to parents and pediatricians within minutes. Skin that turns yellow can be a sure sign that a newborn is jaundiced and isn't adequately eliminating the chemical bilirubin. But that discoloration is sometimes hard to see, and severe jaundice left untreated can harm a baby.

Promising new cancer therapy uses molecular 'Trash Man' to exploit a common cancer defense Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:21 AM PDT While many scientists are trying to prevent the onset of a cancer defense mechanism known as autophagy, other researchers are leveraging it in a new therapy that causes the process to culminate in cell death rather than survival.

New study throws into question long-held belief about depression Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT New evidence puts into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin -- a chemical messenger in the brain -- plays a central role in depression. Scientists report that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus should have been 'depressed' by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

Potential therapy for the Sudan strain of Ebola could help contain some future outbreaks Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT Ebola is a rare, but deadly disease that exists as five strains, none of which have approved therapies. One of the most lethal strains is the Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV). Although not the strain currently devastating West Africa, SUDV has caused widespread illness, even as recently as 2012. Researchers now report a possible therapy that could someday help treat patients infected with SUDV.

Common anemia: Drug represents first potential treatment Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT An experimental drug designed to help regulate the blood's iron supply shows promise as a viable first treatment for anemia of inflammation, according to results from the first human study of the treatment. Anemia is a condition that occurs when red blood cells are in short supply or do not function properly. When an individual has anemia, the body does not get enough oxygen, since there are fewer red blood cells to carry the iron-rich protein hemoglobin that helps distribute oxygen throughout the body.

Potential therapy for incurable Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease found Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT A potential new treatment approach for hereditary neurological disorder, the incurable Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, has been found by researchers. Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A harbour an extra copy of the PMP22 gene which leads to the overproduction of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), a key component of myelin.

Statistical Approach for Calculating Environmental Influences in Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Results Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:18 AM PDT A statistical model allows researchers to remove false positive findings that plague modern research when many dozens of factors and their interactions are suggested to play a role in causing complex diseases.

Factors predicting functional recovery of upper limb after peripheral nerve injuries Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT A study by Dr. Bo He and co-workers from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in China showed that predictors of outcome after the repair of peripheral nerve injuries include age, gender, repair time, repair materials, nerve injured, defect length, and duration of follow-up, and the nerve injured is the main factor affecting the rate of good to excellent recovery.

Baicalin suppresses iron accumulation after substantia nigra injury Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT Baicalin down-regulated iron concentration in a recent study, which positively regulated divalent metal transporter 1 expression and negatively regulated ferroportin 1 expression, and decreased iron accumulation in the substantia nigra.

Prescription for better stroke care: Prescription at discharge improves outcomes Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT Stroke patients are 70 percent more likely to continue taking their stroke prevention medications one year later if they have a prescription in hand when discharged, according to researchers. After having a stroke or minor stroke, the risk of having another stroke is greater. The risk of recurrence, however, can be reduced by more than 80 per cent by following stroke prevention strategies such as rehabilitation and taking medications.

Why Listeria bacterium is so hard to fight Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:02 AM PDT The harmful and potentially deadly bacterium Listeria is extremely good at adapting to changes. Now research uncovers exactly how cunning Listeria is and why it is so hard to fight. The discovery can help develop more efficient ways to combat the bacteria.

Fighting prostate cancer with tomato-rich diet Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:02 AM PDT Men who eat over 10 portions a week of tomatoes have an 18 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, new research suggests. With 35,000 new cases every year in the UK, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernised diet and lifestyle.

Soda tax for adolescents, exercise for children best strategies for reducing obesity Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:58 AM PDT Childhood obesity in the United States remains high. A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas, and sports drinks would reduce obesity in adolescents more than other policies, such as exercise or an advertising ban, and would also generate significant revenue for additional obesity prevention activities, say researchers.

Does food advertising make us eat more? Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:20 AM PDT On a daily basis we are surrounded with images of appetizing and often unhealthy food on TV adverts, billboards, in magazines and everywhere we go. With obesity on the rise, a new article raises questions about constant exposure to food cues and its effect on eating habits. Does it encourage over-indulgence? Are overweight people more vulnerable? The research examines our cognitive processes, our motivators to eat, and the practical implications for the management of dysfunctional eating behaviors.

Eat your fruits, vegetables for skin with sun-kissed glow Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT Forget sun beds, sunbathing and fake tanning lotions. The secret to a healthy glow lies in eating your five-a-day servings of fruit and vegetables, reveals new breakthrough research. This research is the first to show strong evidence for the importance of skin coloration in attractiveness judgements.

Preclinical development of tumor therapeutic agent begins Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT There is an urgent need for medical agents to treat metastatic tumors. In case of pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive types of cancer that is often detected late, 95% of the patients die within five years after the diagnosis. Researchers now report that amcure develops tumor therapeutic agents that might reduce this mortality rate. For preclinical and clinical tests of the agents, amcure has received a total of EUR 5 million from investors. This will allow for the further development of these substances in the next years.

Thunder God Vine, with assists by nanotechnology, could shake up future cancer treatment Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. These regrettably poor prognoses are due to the difficulty in treating this cancer using conventional chemo drugs, which are not able to reach in a sufficient concentration the liver tumor cells safely. Considering the large percentage of patients that are deemed ineligible to undergo conventional curative interventions, it is highly important to develop alternative drug treatment options that are able to target the tumor tissues, without inducing toxicity in other parts of the body.

Fear, safety and the role of sleep in human PTDS Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:01 AM PDT The effectiveness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment may hinge significantly upon sleep quality, report researchers. PTSD is an often difficult-to-treat mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event. It is characterized by severe anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts, often fearful. Research has shown that fear conditioning, considered an animal model of PTSD, results in disruption of animals' rapid eye movement (REM) sleep -- periods of deeper, dream-filled slumber.

Knowledge is power: Men who are uneducated about their prostate cancer have difficulty making good treatment choices Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:01 AM PDT They say knowledge is power, and a new study has shown this is definitely the case when it comes to men making the best decisions about how to treat their prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men aside from skin cancer. An estimated 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in the United States in 2014. Of those, nearly 30,000 men will die.

Breakthrough antibacterial approach could resolve serious skin infections Posted: 26 Aug 2014 06:01 PM PDT In several cases, scientists found an ionic liquid was more efficacious on a pathogenic biofilm than a standard bleach treatment and exhibited minimal cytotoxicity effects on human cell lines (unlike bleach). This has excellent prospects for aiding antibiotic delivery to the pathogen through biofilm disruption.

HIV antibodies block infection by reservoir-derived virus in laboratory study Posted: 26 Aug 2014 06:01 PM PDT A laboratory study lends further weight to the potential effectiveness of passive immunotherapy to suppress HIV in the absence of drug treatment. Passive immunotherapy for HIV is an experimental strategy that involves periodically administering broadly neutralizing HIV-specific antibodies (bNAbs) to control the virus.

Fever's origin discovered by researchers Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:57 PM PDT Fever is a response to inflammation, and is triggered by an onset of the signaling substance prostaglandin. Researchers can now see precisely where these substances are produced -- a discovery that paves the way for smarter drugs.

Protecting brains of very preterm infants Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT Premature babies are far more at risk than infants born at term of developing brain damage resulting in neurodevelopmental delay that may persist throughout their lives. A team of specialists in infant brain imaging has demonstrated that administering three doses of erythropoietin may help.

New estrogen-based compound suppresses binge-like eating behavior in female mice Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT The hormone estrogen can specifically trigger brain serotonin neurons to inhibit binge eating in female mice, researchers report. They add that this result is consistent with data in humans. "We can speculate that in women who develop binge eating who also happen to have irregular menstrual cycles, it is probably because their estrogen function is somehow damaged, which is what leads to the development of binge eating," said the study's lead author.

Alcoholics have an abnormal CD8 T cell response to the influenza virus Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT Chronic drinking is associated with an increased incidence and severity of respiratory infections. A reduced CD8 T cell response was previously implicated in increased disease severity due to influenza virus infections. New rodent findings indicate that only some CD8 T cell functions are damaged while others remain intact.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with later excess weight/obesity during adolescence Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT Growth deficiency is a defining feature of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). A new study has found that rates of excess weight/obesity are elevated in adolescents with partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS). Additionally, females with FASD may be at a greater risk for excess weight/obesity than males during adolescence.

Young children's sipping/tasting of alcohol reflects parental modeling Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT A new study examines antecedent predictors of childhood initiation of sipping or tasting alcohol. Findings indicate that initiation of sipping/tasting was less related to psychosocial proneness for problem behavior and more related to perceived parental approval for child sipping.

Social inequalities in salt consumption remain despite drop in salt intake over last 10 years in Britain Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:54 PM PDT Social inequalities in salt consumption remain despite national drop in salt intake over last 10 years in Britain, a study shows. Researchers looked at the geographical distribution of habitual dietary salt intake in Britain and its association with manual occupations and educational attainments, both indicators of socio-economic position and key determinants of health.

Sleep apnea treatment is effective for older people Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:54 PM PDT Continuous positive airway pressure is effective at treating sleep apnea in older people, a new study has found. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing and causing profound sleepiness. For people with moderate or severe OSA, doctors usually recommend using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which consists of a small pump that delivers pressurized air into the nose through a mask, stopping the throat from closing.

Everest expedition provides first evidence of effects of altitude on blood pressure monitored over a 24-hour period Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:54 PM PDT An expedition to Mount Everest has shown for the first time that blood pressure monitored over a 24-hour period rises progressively as people climb to higher altitudes. The researchers also found that while a drug used for lowering blood pressure, called telmisartan, was effective in counteracting the effects of altitude up to 3400 meters, it was not effective at 5400 meters above sea level – the height of the Everest base camp.

Attacking a rare disease at its source with gene therapy Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:53 PM PDT The two main treatments for MPS I are bone marrow transplantation and intravenous enzyme replacement therapy, but these are only marginally effective or clinically impractical, especially when the disease strikes the central nervous system. Using an animal model, a team has proven the efficacy of a more elegant way to restore aberrant protein levels in the body through direct gene transfer.

Wrong diagnosis leading cause for catastrophic malpractice payouts Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT Many huge malpractice awards can be prevented by targeted interventions by health care provider organizations to reduce patient safety risks, such as reducing diagnosis errors. The authors noted that errors in diagnosis have twice the odds for a catastrophic payout and that health systems should focus more attention on ensuring diagnostic accuracy.

Clinical education improves sepsis outcomes Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT Sepsis is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and new research shows that educating clinicians about expediting diagnosis and administration of antibiotics can reduce sepsis patient mortality and lower hospital costs. Results of the sepsis education effort showed improved frequency of blood culture testing before antibiotic administrations and significant improvement -- a 50 percent reduction -- in the time to antibiotic treatment from a mean of 182 minutes to 92 minutes.

Drug for rare blood disorder, developed in US, receives orphan drug status from EU Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT An American-developed drug has received orphan status in Europe this week for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis. Orphan status brings such benefits as tax incentives, market exclusivity for 10 years, possibilities for additional research funding, and additional guidance from the European Medicines Agency during clinical development.

Study questions generalizability of findings of CV trials for heart attack patients Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT An analysis of a cardiovascular registry finds that of clinical trials that included heart attack patients, participation among eligible patients was infrequent and has been declining, and trial participants had a lower risk profile and a more favorable prognosis compared with the broader population of patients who have had a heart attack.

Collaborative care intervention improves depression among teens Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT Among adolescents with depression seen in primary care, a collaborative care intervention that included patient and parent engagement and education resulted in greater improvement in depressive symptoms at 12 months than usual care, according to a study.

Hypertension self-management program helps reduce blood pressure for high-risk patients Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT Among patients with hypertension at high risk of cardiovascular disease, a program that consisted of patients measuring their blood pressure and adjusting their antihypertensive medication accordingly resulted in lower systolic blood pressure at 12 months compared to patients who received usual care, according to a study.

New technology may identify tiny strains in body tissues before injuries occur Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:52 PM PDT Algorithms to identify weak spots in tendons, muscles and bones prone to tearing or breaking have been developed by researchers. The technology, which needs to be refined before it is used in patients, one day may help pinpoint minor strains and tiny injuries in the body's tissues long before bigger problems occur.

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