ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Gene-editing technique offers new way to model cancer
• Most kids with blunt torso trauma can skip the pelvic X-ray
• Molecular competition drives adult stem cells to specialize, study shows
• Discovery about wound healing key to understanding cell movement
• Low uptake of colorectal cancer screening by African Americans shown in study
• New hand-held device uses lasers, sound waves for deeper melanoma imaging
• Older adults have 'morning brains': Noticeable differences in brain function across the day
• Boomers building muscle at the gym -- but where's the passion
• Dementia risk quadrupled in people with mild cognitive impairment
• Discovery yields master regulator of toxin production in staph infections
• Curing rheumatoid arthritis in mice: Antibody-based delivery of IL4
• Climate change could drive rise in debilitating disease
• Trapped: Cell-invading piece of virus captured in lab by scientists
• Exposure to inflammatory bowel disease drugs could increase leukemia risk
• Healthy diet set early in life
• Nutrition an issue for Indigenous Australians
• Many cancer survivors smoke years after diagnosis
• Correct seat belt use saves children's lives
• Victims of war: How Gaza conflict will traumatize a generation of adolescents
• Loss of sensation in the feet of diabetes patients linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke
• Experts offer support to families displaced by conflict in Syria
• Poor hearing confines older adults to their homes
• Aggressive behaviour increases adolescent drinking, depression doesn't
• New prosthetic arm controlled by neural messages
• Mindfulness training benefits U.S. veterans with diabetes
• Mental health coaching improves outcomes for people with diabetes, depression
• Could your brain be reprogrammed to work better?
• Baby aspirin? Many doctors don't recommend, despite guidelines
• Finding may aid recovery from spinal cord injury
• New hospital screening tool helps find children at nutritional risk easier, study finds
• Common tuberculosis vaccine can be used to prevent infection as well as disease
• More than threefold surge in number of male teens drinking alcohol in India
• Alteplase given promptly after stroke reduces long-term disability, even in older people, those with severe stroke
• Aspirin: Scientists believe cancer prevention benefits outweigh harms
• Pistachios may lower vascular response to stress in type 2 diabetes
• Brief counseling for drug use doesn't work
• Promising Ebola virus treatment development: Crucial research conducted to advance medicine
• Pyruvate oxidation is critical determinant of pancreatic islet number, β-cell mass
• 'Treatments waiting to be discovered' inside new database
• Genetic testing of tumor is recommended for colorectal cancer patients
• Shingles vaccine remains effective after chemotherapy
• PET/CT using leucocytes may detect infection in acute pancreatitis patients
• No apparent link between sleep apnea and cancer: Large study
• Electronic cigarettes: Many questions, limited research
• Flavor trumps health for blueberry buying, study shows

Gene-editing technique offers new way to model cancer Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:22 AM PDT A new gene-editing technique allows scientists to more rapidly study the role of mutations in tumor development. "The sequencing of human tumors has revealed hundreds of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in different combinations. The flexibility of this technology, as delivery gets better in the future, will give you a way to pretty rapidly test those combinations," explained an author of the paper.

Most kids with blunt torso trauma can skip the pelvic X-ray Posted: 06 Aug 2014 10:45 AM PDT Pelvic x-rays ordered as a matter of course for children who have suffered blunt force trauma do not accurately identify all cases of pelvic fractures or dislocations and are usually unnecessary for patients for whom abdominal/pelvic CT scanning is otherwise planned. A study casts doubt on a practice that has been recommended by the Advanced Trauma Life Support Program, considered the gold standard for trauma patients.

Molecular competition drives adult stem cells to specialize, study shows Posted: 06 Aug 2014 10:44 AM PDT Adult organisms ranging from fruit flies to humans harbor adult stem cells, some of which renew themselves through cell division while others differentiate into the specialized cells needed to replace worn-out or damaged organs and tissues. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in adult stem cells is an important foundation for developing therapies to regenerate diseased, injured or aged tissue.

Discovery about wound healing key to understanding cell movement Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:57 AM PDT Research by a civil engineer is helping shed light on the way wounds heal and may someday have implications for understanding how cancer spreads, as well as why certain birth defects occur.

Low uptake of colorectal cancer screening by African Americans shown in study Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:51 AM PDT African Americans' participation in colorectal cancer screening is low and the use of colonoscopy infrequent despite similar access to care across races in a Veterans Affairs healthcare system, a study shows. The researchers also found that having established primary care at the time of screening eligibility significantly increased screening uptake.

New hand-held device uses lasers, sound waves for deeper melanoma imaging Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:51 AM PDT Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, causing more than 75 percent of skin-cancer deaths. The thicker the melanoma tumor, the more likely it will spread and the deadlier it becomes. Now, a team of researchers has developed a new hand-held device that uses lasers and sound waves that may change the way doctors treat and diagnose melanoma. The tool is ready for commercialization and clinical trials.

Older adults have 'morning brains': Noticeable differences in brain function across the day Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:51 AM PDT Older adults who are tested at their optimal time of day (the morning), not only perform better on demanding cognitive tasks but also activate the same brain networks responsible for paying attention and suppressing distraction as younger adults, according to researchers.

Boomers building muscle at the gym -- but where's the passion Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:50 AM PDT Our motivations for exercise, from looking good to having fun, have been evaluated by researchers who find that for the baby boom generation, passion is the most important motivator -- a fact the fitness industry should embrace. "The marketing needs to be about passion, around finding deep personal meaning in physical activity," one author says. "If you watch people playing tennis or slaloming down a hill, they're not counting calories."

Dementia risk quadrupled in people with mild cognitive impairment Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:49 AM PDT In a long-term, large-scale population-based study of individuals aged 55 years or older in the general population, researchers found that those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had a four-fold increased risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to cognitively healthy individuals. Several risk factors including older age, positive APOE-ɛ4 status, low total cholesterol levels, and stroke, as well as specific MRI findings were associated with an increased risk of developing MCI.

Discovery yields master regulator of toxin production in staph infections Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT An enzyme that regulates production of the toxins that contribute to potentially life-threatening Staphylococcus aureus infections has been discovered by researchers. The enzyme allows Staphylococcus aureus to use fatty acids acquired from the infected individual to make the membrane that bacteria need to grow and flourish. The results provide a promising focus for efforts to develop a much-needed new class of antibiotics to combat staph and other Gram-positive infections.

Curing rheumatoid arthritis in mice: Antibody-based delivery of IL4 Posted: 06 Aug 2014 07:28 AM PDT With a new therapeutic product, researchers have managed to cure arthritis in mice for the first time. The scientists are now planning to test the efficacy of the drug in humans. Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that causes painful inflammation of several joints in the body. The joint capsule becomes swollen, and the disease can also destroy cartilage and bone as it progresses. Rheumatoid arthritis affects 0.5% to 1% of the world's population.

Climate change could drive rise in debilitating disease Posted: 06 Aug 2014 07:27 AM PDT A disease prevalent in developing countries could be spread by the changes in rainfall patterns according to a new study. Buruli ulcer affects thousands of people every year, mainly in developing countries, and in the worst cases can cause fatality or permanent disability. The devastating bacterial infection starts with an area of swelling that becomes ulcerated, causing painful open wounds and necrosis of the skin. It is unknown how the water-borne disease is transmitted.

Trapped: Cell-invading piece of virus captured in lab by scientists Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:51 AM PDT Scientists try to stay a step ahead of HIV in order to combat drug resistance and to develop better treatments. When a person is infected with HIV, there is an initial burst of virus production. This is when integrase inserts the virus DNA into many human cells, including CD4 T-immune cells, brain cells and other lymph cells. HIV is particularly devastating to the immune system's T-cells, which protect the body from infection.

Exposure to inflammatory bowel disease drugs could increase leukemia risk Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:51 AM PDT Immunosuppressive drugs called thiopurines have been found to increase the risk of myeloid disorders, such as acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare bone marrow disorder, seven-fold among inflammatory bowel disease patients. IBD can negatively impact an individual's life and result in a significant amount of medical bills. Treatments for IBD vary, including: nutrition, emotional support, medical therapy and surgery.

Healthy diet set early in life Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:51 AM PDT Promoting a healthy diet from infancy is important to prevent childhood obesity and the onset of chronic disease, researchers find. The study described quantity and diversity of food and drinks consumed by children aged 12-16 months.

Nutrition an issue for Indigenous Australians Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:51 AM PDT Nutrition has not been given enough priority in national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy in recent years, researchers conclude. "Improving nutrition is essential for promoting Aboriginal health, and this needs to be supported by policy at the national level," they say.

Many cancer survivors smoke years after diagnosis Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:51 AM PDT Nearly one in 10 cancer survivors reports smoking many years after a diagnosis, according to a new study. Survivors were more likely to smoke if they were younger, had less education and income, or drank more alcohol. About 40 percent of smokers said they planned to quit within the next month, but this intention was lower among survivors who were married, older, or smoked more.

Correct seat belt use saves children's lives Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:48 AM PDT 9 out of 10 children are seriously or fatally injured in traffic accidents because they are incorrectly restrained or because of loose objects in cars. Correct use of safety equipment will save more lives, according to a new study.

Victims of war: How Gaza conflict will traumatize a generation of adolescents Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:48 AM PDT A new study has examined adolescent victims of conflict in the Gaza strip and has found that exposure to war-torn environments has a lasting and damaging effect on the psychology of young people. The study investigated types of traumatic events experienced by Palestinian adolescents exposed to war in Gaza in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and coping strategies and has found that a substantial number of adolescents in these situations develop a range of long-lasting emotional and behavior problems.

Loss of sensation in the feet of diabetes patients linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:48 AM PDT Loss of sensation in the feet, a result of diabetes, may be a predictor of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and strokes, researchers say. Diabetes, which affects 3.7million people in the UK, can cause damage to a person's blood vessels and nerves, especially if their blood sugar is poorly controlled, leading to poor circulation and loss of sensation in the feet, known as peripheral neuropathy.

Experts offer support to families displaced by conflict in Syria Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:48 AM PDT Families living in and affected by the conflict in Syria have been receiving parenting advice from experts from an English university via a daily bread delivery service. Earlier research has shown parents need urgent help to parent children caught up in conflicts -- many of whom will be displaying signs of distress. The unique trial study has seen 3,000 leaflets sent out to families in Syria using a bread run.

Poor hearing confines older adults to their homes Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:47 AM PDT Vision and hearing problems reduce the active participation of older people in various events and activities. Group activities are challenging for older people with hearing problems, as they often have a great deal of difficulty conversing with several people in a noisy environment. The results also showed that people with hearing difficulties perceived their ability to live their lives as they would like as poorer than those with good hearing.

Aggressive behaviour increases adolescent drinking, depression doesn't Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:47 AM PDT Adolescents who behave aggressively are more likely to drink alcohol and in larger quantities than their peers, according to a recent study completed in Finland. Depression and anxiety, on the other hand, were not linked to increased alcohol use. The study investigated the association between psychosocial problems and alcohol use among 4074 Finnish 13- to 18-year-old adolescents.

New prosthetic arm controlled by neural messages Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:47 AM PDT A new prosthetic system aims to identify the memory of movement in the amputee's brain in order to manipulate the device. Controlling a prosthetic arm by just imagining a motion may now be possible.

Mindfulness training benefits U.S. veterans with diabetes Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:39 AM PDT Mindfulness training, including focused breathing and awareness training, helped U.S. veterans with diabetes significantly lower their diabetes-related distress and blood sugar levels and improve their self-management of the disease, researchers report. Diabetes-related distress is associated with poorer self-management and negative effects of the disease.

Mental health coaching improves outcomes for people with diabetes, depression Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:39 AM PDT Mental health coaching significantly eased depression and reduced blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, researchers report. A significant number of people with diabetes suffer from depression, which can interfere with their ability to participate in self-care activities such as monitoring, being active, eating healthy and taking medication. These self-care activities are key to managing the chronic, progressive disease.

Could your brain be reprogrammed to work better? Posted: 05 Aug 2014 11:53 PM PDT Scientists from Australia and France have shown that electromagnetic stimulation can alter brain organization, which may make your brain work better. In a new study, the researchers demonstrated that weak sequential electromagnetic pulses (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation -- or rTMS) on mice can shift abnormal neural connections to more normal locations.

Baby aspirin? Many doctors don't recommend, despite guidelines Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:13 PM PDT A majority of middle-aged men and women eligible to take aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke do not recall their doctors ever telling them to do so, according to a study of an American sample of more than 3,000 patients. The finding illustrates a common disconnect between public health guidelines and what occurs in clinical practice. The study is consistent with other research showing that physicians often do not recommend aspirin as prevention therapy to the general population, despite established guidelines.

Finding may aid recovery from spinal cord injury Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:12 PM PDT Researchers have achieved the first conclusive non-invasive measurement of neural signaling in the spinal cords of healthy human volunteers. Their technique may aid efforts to help patients recover from spinal cord injuries and other disorders affecting spinal cord function, including multiple sclerosis.

New hospital screening tool helps find children at nutritional risk easier, study finds Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:12 PM PDT While hospitals do not commonly screen children for nutrition, a new tool developed could change that. The Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool (PNST) was found to be more effective than the existing pediatric Subjective Global Nutrition Assessment (SGNA). The PNST identified 37.6 percent of patients as being at nutritional risk, whereas the pediatric SGNA identified 34.2 percent. The PNSA was also effective at finding patients with low Body Mass Index (BMI).

Common tuberculosis vaccine can be used to prevent infection as well as disease Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:12 PM PDT The vaccine used to protect against tuberculosis disease, bacillus calmette-guerin or BCG, also protects against tuberculosis infection, mycobacterium, as well as protecting against progression from infection to disease, finds new research. The BCG vaccine has been subject to numerous trials and studies over several decades, which have shown that it has a 60-80% protective efficacy against severe forms of tuberculosis (TB) in children. But to date there has been a lack of evidence on whether the vaccine is effective against TB infection.

More than threefold surge in number of male teens drinking alcohol in India Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:12 PM PDT The proportion of men who start to drink alcohol in their teens has surged more than threefold over the past few decades in India, suggests research. Those living in urban areas and poorer households are more likely to start drinking at an early age, the findings show. These findings highlight the importance of generating public awareness about the hazards of starting to drink early in life, and of enforcing regulations designed to limit underage drinking.

Alteplase given promptly after stroke reduces long-term disability, even in older people, those with severe stroke Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:11 PM PDT Many more stroke patients could benefit from thrombolytic treatment (the use of drugs to break up or dissolve blood clots), but it needs to be administered as quickly as possible after the first signs of illness, according to new findings from the largest meta-analysis to date investigating the clot-busting drug alteplase. The study involved more than 6700 stroke patients.

Aspirin: Scientists believe cancer prevention benefits outweigh harms Posted: 05 Aug 2014 07:11 PM PDT Taking aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of developing – and dying from – the major cancers of the digestive tract, i.e. bowel, stomach and oesophageal cancer, researchers report. For the first time, scientists have reviewed all the available evidence from many studies and clinical trials assessing both the benefits and harms of preventive use of aspirin.

Pistachios may lower vascular response to stress in type 2 diabetes Posted: 05 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT Among people with type 2 diabetes, eating pistachios may reduce the body's response to the stresses of everyday life, according researchers. "In adults with diabetes, two servings of pistachios per day lowered vascular constriction during stress and improved neural control of the heart," said the lead investigator. "Although nuts are high in fat, they contain good fats, fiber, potassium and antioxidants. Given the high risk of heart disease in people with diabetes, nuts are an important component of a heart healthy diet in this population."

Brief counseling for drug use doesn't work Posted: 05 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT In an effort to stem substance use, the US has invested heavily in the past decade in a brief screening-and-intervention protocol for alcohol and other drugs. But a new study casts doubt on whether that approach, which has proven successful with risky alcohol use, works for illicit drugs.

Promising Ebola virus treatment development: Crucial research conducted to advance medicine Posted: 05 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT Researchers are investigating antibodies to fight Ebola virus, including the three antibodies recently used to treat two American health care workers infected with the Ebola virus. Ebola virus causes an extremely virulent disease that currently leads to death in 25 to 90 percent of cases. The fast-moving virus is spread via the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person,

Pyruvate oxidation is critical determinant of pancreatic islet number, β-cell mass Posted: 05 Aug 2014 12:08 PM PDT Glucose is not only a major nutrient regulator of insulin secretion, but also impacts on gene expression in ²-cells. Using a mouse model of ²-cell-specific knock-out of Pdha1 gene which encodes the ± subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, the authors demonstrated that mitochondrial metabolism of pyruvate derived from glucose not only regulates insulin secretion but also directly influences ²-cell growth and plasticity.

'Treatments waiting to be discovered' inside new database Posted: 05 Aug 2014 12:06 PM PDT A database named multiMiR has been described in a new article. It is the most comprehensive database collecting information about microRNAs and their targets, researchers report. In addition to assisting researchers search for relationships between microRNAs and their genetic targets, the database includes drugs known to affect these microRNAs and also lists diseases associated with microRNAs.

Genetic testing of tumor is recommended for colorectal cancer patients Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:21 AM PDT Of the 143,000 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer annually in the US, up to 25 percent have a familial risk of colorectal cancer. A new guideline from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer recommends genetic testing of tumors for all newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients.

Shingles vaccine remains effective after chemotherapy Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:20 AM PDT The herpes zoster vaccine continues to be effective in protecting older adults against shingles, even after they undergo chemotherapy, according to a study. Patients who were previously vaccinated with zoster vaccine were 42 percent less likely to develop shingles following chemotherapy. In addition, no vaccinated patients underwent hospitalization for shingles, while six unvaccinated patients were hospitalized with the disease, according to the study.

PET/CT using leucocytes may detect infection in acute pancreatitis patients Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:20 AM PDT A new study diagnosing infection in patients with pancreatic fluid collections may swiftly and accurately rule out active infection in the body, researchers report. This treatment may assist in bringing nuclear medicine to the forefront of clinical management.

No apparent link between sleep apnea and cancer: Large study Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:20 AM PDT There appears to be no link between obstructive sleep apnea and cancer development, according to a large study. Several previous studies have shown an association, although they have been small and contain measurement biases. "We were not able to confirm previous hypotheses that obstructive sleep apnea is a cause of overall cancer development through intermittent hypoxemia," write the authors. "However, in subgroup analyses, we found that the level of oxygen desaturation was associated with the development of smoking-related cancer."

Electronic cigarettes: Many questions, limited research Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:18 AM PDT Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are booming in popularity, but there's still only limited evidence on their potential health risks, or their advertised benefits in helping people to quit smoking, according to a new article. Also known as "electronic nicotine delivery systems," ECIGs consist of a heating element that turns an "e-liquid" solution into vapor, which the user inhales. The ECIG solutions typically contain nicotine, but not always.

Flavor trumps health for blueberry buying, study shows Posted: 05 Aug 2014 10:17 AM PDT Blueberries get lots of media attention for their antioxidant benefits, but a new study shows 60 percent of blueberry purchasers buy the fruit for its flavor, while 39 percent do so for psychological reasons. By "psychological," researchers mean those consumers may buy blueberries because they believe the fruit, which contains antioxidants, provides health benefits.

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