ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• 'Integrated Play Groups' help children with autism
• Maintenance therapy for injection-drug users associated with lower incidence of hepatitis C
• Traumatic brain injury associated with increased dementia risk in older adults
• Prescription opioids involved in most overdoses seen in emergency departments
• Initial choice of oral medication to lower glucose in diabetes patients examined
• First atlas of body clock gene expression informs timing of drug delivery
• Lack of transcription factor FoxO1 triggers pulmonary hypertension
• Prostate cancer, kidney disease detected in urine samples on the spot
• Synapses always on the starting blocks: Neurotransmitter rapid-fire release better understood
• Why targeted drug doesn't benefit patients with early-stage lung cancer
• Slowing the biological clock: neutralizing immune system gene could improve success of fertility treatments
• Blood vessel growth in brain relies on a protein found in tumor blood vessels
• Millions in unused medical supplies in U.S. operating rooms each year
• Delivering a one-two punch: New drug combination shows promise as powerful treatment for breast cancer
• Key to aortic valve disease prevention: Lowering cholesterol early
• Menopausal symptoms may be lessened with young children in the house
• Adverse drug reactions in children following use of asthma medications
• Group classes teach parents effective autism therapy, study finds
• Nasal spray treats heroin overdose
• Combating parasitic worm infections by adapting breakthrough technologies
• New view on how cells control what comes in and out
• Ultrasound guides tongue to pronounce 'R' sounds
• One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency
• Emergent behavior lets bubbles 'sense' environment
• Updated criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma published by international research group
• Cell membranes self-assemble
• Vaccine candidate highly efficacious against bacterial diarrhea, clinical results indicate
• Diabetes patients report better outcomes with improved physician accessibility
• Insightful mathematics for an optimal run
• Persistent pain estimated in 19 percent of U.S. Adults
• Pain intensity can predict head and neck cancer survival
• Obese youth with leukemia more likely to have persistent disease
• How staph infections elude the immune system
• Scientist spends nine months in max-security prison to learn how prisons manage mental illness in inmates
• Chest radiation to treat childhood cancer increases patients' risk of breast cancer
• Newly donated blood reduces complications from heart surgery, study shows
• People with mental health disorders twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke
• Ethnic groups at higher risk for heart disease, yet many aren't aware
• The Ebola epidemic: Is there a way out?
• Brain development in utero observed by researchers
• New nanodevice to improve cancer treatment monitoring
• Heart drug may help treat ALS, mouse study shows
• Unsuspected gene found frequently mutated in colorectal, endometrial cancers
• A switch to dampen malignancy
• Right place, right time: Cellular transportation compartments
• Anti-cancer drug effective against common stem cell transplant complication

'Integrated Play Groups' help children with autism Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:29 PM PDT 'Integrated Play Groups,' which focus on collaborative rather than adult-directed play, are successful in teaching children with autism the skills needed to engage in symbolic play and to interact with their typically developing peers, according to new research. The new study offers hope to parents and providers of children with autism who are helping those children learn how to socialize.

Maintenance therapy for injection-drug users associated with lower incidence of hepatitis C Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:28 PM PDT In a group of young users of injection drugs, recent maintenance opioid agonist therapy with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorders, such as heroin addiction, was associated with a lower incidence of hepatitis C virus infection and may be an effective strategy to reduce injection-drug use and the resulting spread of HCV, according to a study.

Traumatic brain injury associated with increased dementia risk in older adults Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:28 PM PDT Traumatic brain injury appears to be associated with an increased risk of dementia in adults 55 years and older, according to a study. "Whether a person with TBI recovers cognitively or develops dementia is likely dependent on multiple additional risk and protective factors, ranging from genetics and medical comorbidities to environmental exposures and specific characteristics of the TBI itself," the authors note.

Prescription opioids involved in most overdoses seen in emergency departments Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:28 PM PDT In an American national study of hospital emergency department visits for opioid overdoses, 67.8 percent of the overdoses involved prescription opioids (including methadone), followed by heroin, other unspecified opioids and multiple opioids, according to research.

Initial choice of oral medication to lower glucose in diabetes patients examined Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:28 PM PDT Patients diagnosed with diabetes and initially prescribed metformin to lower their glucose levels were less likely to require treatment intensification with a second oral medicine or insulin than patients treated first with sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, according to a study.

First atlas of body clock gene expression informs timing of drug delivery Posted: 27 Oct 2014 03:19 PM PDT A new effort mapping 24-hr patterns of expression for thousands of genes in 12 different mouse organs – five years in the making – provides important clues about how the role of timing may influence the way drugs work in the body. This study, detailing this veritable "atlas" of gene oscillations, has never before been described in mammals. Nearly half of all genes in the mouse genome oscillate on a 24-hour schedule somewhere in the mouse body.

Lack of transcription factor FoxO1 triggers pulmonary hypertension Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:50 AM PDT Pulmonary hypertension is characterised by uncontrolled division of cells in the blood vessel walls. As a result, the vessel walls become increasingly thick. Scientists have discovered that transcription factor FoxO1 regulates the division of cells and plays a key role in the development of pulmonary hypertension. The researchers were able to cure pulmonary hypertension in rats by activating FoxO1.

Prostate cancer, kidney disease detected in urine samples on the spot Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:50 AM PDT A new device screens for kidney disease and prostate cancer on the spot. The tiny tube is lined with DNA sequences that latch onto disease markers in urine. While healthy samples flow freely, a diseased sample gets clogged and stops short of the mark.

Synapses always on the starting blocks: Neurotransmitter rapid-fire release better understood Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:50 AM PDT Vesicles filled with neurotransmitters touch the cell membrane, thereby enabling their rapid-fire release, scientists report. They have succeeded in demonstrating that fusionable vesicles have a very special characteristic: they already have close contact with the cell membrane long before the actual fusion occurs. In addition, the research team also decoded the molecular machinery that facilitates the operation of this docking mechanism.

Why targeted drug doesn't benefit patients with early-stage lung cancer Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:48 AM PDT The drug erlotinib is highly effective in treating advanced-stage lung cancer patients whose tumors have a particular gene mutation, but when the same drug is used for patients with early-stage tumors with the same gene change, they fare worse than if they took nothing. This study might explain why.

Slowing the biological clock: neutralizing immune system gene could improve success of fertility treatments Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:48 AM PDT Difficulty in conceiving a child is a major challenge for one in seven couples in America, especially for those over the age of 35. Now a new discovery could boost the chances of conception in women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments. Their new research reveals a linkage between the genes of the innate immune system -- immunity with which human beings are born, rather than immunity they acquire during their lives -- and ovarian longevity.

Blood vessel growth in brain relies on a protein found in tumor blood vessels Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:45 AM PDT Fourteen years ago, several genes were discovered that are more active in tumor-associated blood vessels than in normal blood vessels. New research now reveals the normal function of one of those genes and suggests it could be a good target for anticancer drug therapy.

Millions in unused medical supplies in U.S. operating rooms each year Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:45 AM PDT Surgeons urge the salvage of syringes, sutures, gauze, towels to improve care in developing countries. A new report highlights not only an opportunity for U.S. hospitals to help relieve the global burden of surgically treatable diseases, but also a means of reducing the cost and environmental impact of medical waste disposal at home, authors say.

Delivering a one-two punch: New drug combination shows promise as powerful treatment for breast cancer Posted: 27 Oct 2014 11:45 AM PDT The uncontrolled growth of cancer cells arises from their ability to hijack the cell's normal growth program and checkpoints. After therapy, a second cancer-signaling pathway will open after the primary one shuts down. The answer, say researchers, is to block the back-up track.

Key to aortic valve disease prevention: Lowering cholesterol early Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:05 AM PDT New evidence has been uncovered that aortic valve disease may be preventable. These findings show that so-called 'bad' cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is a cause of aortic valve disease -- a serious heart condition that affects around five million people in North America and is the most common cause for valve replacement.

Menopausal symptoms may be lessened with young children in the house Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT The timeless, multicultural tradition of grandmothering might have an unexpected benefit: helping some women temper their hot flashes and night sweats during menopause, researchers say. Their study focused on the relationship between mid-life women and young children, and found that women who underwent rapid menopause, caused by the surgical removal of ovaries, had fewer hot flashes and night sweats when young children lived in their homes.

Adverse drug reactions in children following use of asthma medications Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT Children's use of asthma medications may result in serious adverse drug reactions, a study concludes. The risk of adverse drug reactions is not fully documented in the pre-marketing clinical trials.

Group classes teach parents effective autism therapy, study finds Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT Parents can learn to use a scientifically validated autism therapy with their own children by taking a short series of group classes, a new study has found. The study is the first randomized, controlled trial to test whether group classes are a good way to train parents on using an autism therapy.

Nasal spray treats heroin overdose Posted: 27 Oct 2014 09:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a nasal spray to treat drug overdoses. When too much heroin enters the body, the breathing centre in the brain is dulled. Breathing will slow or stop completely, and death occurs quickly if no breathing assistance or treatment is given. Currently, paramedics treat overdoses with an injection, either as an intramuscular injection, or sometimes straight into the veins.

Combating parasitic worm infections by adapting breakthrough technologies Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:57 AM PDT Experts are calling for researchers to adapt new technologies to research neglected parasitic flatworms. "It took several years of work to sequence the genomes of the major species of flatworm parasites. However, now that we have this information, we can focus on genes of interest," said a co-author.

New view on how cells control what comes in and out Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:57 AM PDT A common protein plays a different role than previously thought in the opening and closing of channels that let ions flow in and out of our cells, researchers report. Those channels are critical to life, as having the right concentrations of sodium and calcium ions in cells enables healthy brain communication, heart contraction and many other processes. The new study reveals that a form of calmodulin long thought to be dormant actually opens these channels wide. The finding is likely to bring new insight into disorders caused by faulty control of these channels, such as cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, the researchers say.

Ultrasound guides tongue to pronounce 'R' sounds Posted: 27 Oct 2014 08:57 AM PDT Using ultrasound technology to visualize the tongue's shape and movement can help children with difficulty pronouncing "r" sounds, according to a small study. The ultrasound intervention was effective when individuals were allowed to make different shapes with their tongue in order to produce the "r" sound, rather than being instructed to make a specific shape.

One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:05 AM PDT A novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency that is sensitive enough to work on anyone, including newborn babies and large swaths of the general population, scientists say.

Emergent behavior lets bubbles 'sense' environment Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:05 AM PDT Tiny, soapy bubbles can reorganize their membranes to let material flow in and out in response to the surrounding environment, according to researchers. This behavior could be exploited in creating microbubbles that deliver drugs or other payloads inside the body -- and could help us understand how the very first living cells on Earth might have survived billions of years ago.

Updated criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma published by international research group Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT The International Myeloma Working Group today announced that it has updated the criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.

Cell membranes self-assemble Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT A self-driven reaction can assemble phospholipid membranes like those that enclose cells. The new process is specific and non-toxic, and can be used in the presence of biomolecules one might want to study within artificial cells. The technique could also be used to assemble packets for drug delivery.

Vaccine candidate highly efficacious against bacterial diarrhea, clinical results indicate Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT A live attenuated enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli vaccine candidate, given in combination with a novel adjuvant, provided significant protection against disease, new results from a safety and immunogenicity study, which included a challenge phase to test efficacy, indicate.

Diabetes patients report better outcomes with improved physician accessibility Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT A new model of delivering primary care has the potential to improve the health of patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers say. Given that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and is one of the most expensive chronic conditions, improving health outcomes for type 2 diabetes patients in a cost-effective way is a top priority for insurers including Medicare and Medicaid that see a disproportionate share of patients with diabetes.

Insightful mathematics for an optimal run Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT Sure, we can become better runners by hydrating well, eating right, cross training, and practice. But getting to an optimal running strategy with equations? That's exactly what a pair of mathematicians propose in a new paper.

Persistent pain estimated in 19 percent of U.S. Adults Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT 39 million people in the United States, or 19 percent have persistent pain, and the incidence varies according to age and gender, a new study reports. The authors noted that persistent pain correlated with other indices of health-related quality of life, such as anxiety, depression and fatigue. Individuals with those conditions were far more likely to report persistent pain.

Pain intensity can predict head and neck cancer survival Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT Pre-treatment pain intensity is an independent survival predictor for patients with head and neck cancer, according to new research.

Obese youth with leukemia more likely to have persistent disease Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT Following induction chemotherapy, obese patients were more than twice as likely to have minimal residual disease, than non-obese patients, new research suggests. "Induction chemotherapy provides a patient's best chance for remission or a cure," said the principal investigator. "Our findings indicate that a patient's obesity negatively impacts the ability of chemotherapy to kill leukemia cells, reducing the odds of survival."

How staph infections elude the immune system Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT By tricking the immune system into generating antibodies specific for only one bacterial protein, Staphylococcus aureus dodges the production of antibodies that might otherwise protect against infection. Vaccine approaches must be designed to side-step this bacterial subterfuge, experts say.

Scientist spends nine months in max-security prison to learn how prisons manage mental illness in inmates Posted: 27 Oct 2014 07:02 AM PDT A mental health researcher spent a cumulative nine months in an Oregon maximum-security prison to learn first-hand how the prison manages inmates with mental illness.

Chest radiation to treat childhood cancer increases patients' risk of breast cancer Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:54 AM PDT Patients who received chest radiation for Wilms tumor, a rare childhood cancer, face an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life due to their radiation exposure, scientists have found.

Newly donated blood reduces complications from heart surgery, study shows Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:54 AM PDT Heart surgery patients who received newly donated blood have significantly fewer post-operative complications than those who received blood that had been donated more than two weeks before their surgery.

People with mental health disorders twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:54 AM PDT People facing mental health challenges are significantly more likely to have heart disease or stroke, according to a study. "This population is at high risk, and it's even greater for people with multiple mental health issues," says the lead author of the study.

Ethnic groups at higher risk for heart disease, yet many aren't aware Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:54 AM PDT Different ethnic groups have widely varying differences in both the prevalence and awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, a finding that highlights the need for specially designed education and intervention programs.

The Ebola epidemic: Is there a way out? Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:54 AM PDT Although no licensed vaccines against Ebola exist on the market, 'significant progress' has been made in the last few months, according to immunology experts.

Brain development in utero observed by researchers Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:52 AM PDT New investigation methods using functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRT) offer insights into fetal brain development. These "in vivo" observations will uncover different stages of the brain's development. A research group has observed that parts of the brain that are later responsible for sight are already active at this stage.

New nanodevice to improve cancer treatment monitoring Posted: 27 Oct 2014 05:52 AM PDT In less than a minute, a miniature device can measure a patient's blood for methotrexate, a commonly used but potentially toxic cancer drug. Just as accurate and ten times less expensive than equipment currently used in hospitals, this nanoscale device has an optical system that can rapidly gauge the optimal dose of methotrexate a patient needs, while minimizing the drug's adverse effects.

Heart drug may help treat ALS, mouse study shows Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:54 PM PDT Digoxin, a medication used in the treatment of heart failure, may be adaptable for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive, paralyzing disease, suggests new research.

Unsuspected gene found frequently mutated in colorectal, endometrial cancers Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:53 PM PDT Scientists say they have identified in about 20 percent of colorectal and endometrial cancers a genetic mutation that had been overlooked in recent large, comprehensive gene searches. With this discovery, the altered gene, called RNF43, now ranks as one of the most common mutations in the two cancer types.

A switch to dampen malignancy Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:53 PM PDT A key mechanism has been found that governs how cells of the epithelia, the soft lining of inner body cavities, shift between a rigid, highly structured and immobile state and a flexible and motile form.

Right place, right time: Cellular transportation compartments Posted: 26 Oct 2014 04:53 PM PDT Proteins are the machinery that accomplishes almost every task in every cell in every living organism. The instructions for how to build each protein are written into a cell's DNA. But once the proteins are constructed, they must be shipped off to the proper place to perform their jobs. New work describes a potentially new pathway for targeting newly manufactured proteins to the correct location.

Anti-cancer drug effective against common stem cell transplant complication Posted: 25 Oct 2014 06:56 PM PDT The drug bortezomib effectively treats chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a common and debilitating side effect from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants, a study has found. The trial showed that bortezomib provides better outcomes than existing treatments and does not impair the immune response against residual cancer cells, or the graft-versus-tumor effect (GVT).

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