الثلاثاء، 12 مايو 2015

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

New report: First compilation of global addictions

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:17 PM PDT

The world's first comprehensive report on global addictions has revealed that Australians smoke less tobacco and drink less alcohol than the British, but Aussies take more illicit drugs.

Tortoise approach works best, even for evolution

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:27 PM PDT

When it comes to winning evolutionary fitness races, the tortoise once again prevails over the hare. Scientists have found that limiting migrations among populations of bacteria produced better adaptations.

Breaking through the blood-brain barrier

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:27 PM PDT

The bacteria that sneak past the brain's defenses to cause deadly bacterial meningitis are clever adversaries. New research investigates the molecular tricks bacteria use to convince their host that they are harmless and cause disease.

Men with high estrogen levels could be at greater risk of breast cancer

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:27 PM PDT

Men with naturally high levels of the female hormone estrogen may have a greater risk of developing breast cancer, according to research by an international collaboration. This is the first time a link between estrogen levels in the blood and male breast cancer has been identified, despite its connection to breast, womb and ovarian cancers in women.

Brain protein linked to binge-drinking behavior

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:25 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered that a brain protein has a key role in controlling binge drinking in animal models. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking -- defined as drinking to the point of intoxication -- puts people at greater risk for health problems such as cardiovascular disease, liver disease and neurological damage.

Researchers investigate an enzyme important for nervous system health

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:25 PM PDT

Scientists have mapped out the structure of an important protein involved in cellular function and nervous system development. The new structure provides crucial information for understanding how the protein binds to cellular components. It's also the first structure determined of any ligase in the tubulin tyrosine ligase-like (TTLL) family.

Bioprinting in 3-D: Looks like candy, could regenerate nerve cells

Posted: 11 May 2015 02:25 PM PDT

Researchers are working on 3-D bioprinting synthetic tissue that could help regenerate nerve cells in patients with spinal cord injuries.

First cancer-promoting oncogenes discovered in rare brain tumor of children and adults

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:30 PM PDT

Researchers have identified three genes that play a pivotal role in the brain tumor choroid plexus carcinoma, a discovery that lays the groundwork for more effective treatment of this rare, often fatal cancer.

'Not just a flavoring:' Menthol, nicotine combined desensitize airway receptors

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:30 PM PDT

Menthol acts in combination with nicotine to desensitize the type of nicotinic receptors found in lungs and airways that are responsible for nicotine's irritation, say researchers. They say their findings suggests menthol is not just a flavoring, but has an important pharmacologic effect.

80 percent of cervical cancers found to be preventable with latest 9-valent HPV vaccine

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:30 PM PDT

The new 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, can potentially prevent 80 percent of cervical cancers in the United States, if given to all 11- or 12-year-old children before they are exposed to the virus. The study also found the 9-Valent vaccine, under the trademark of Gardasil-9, has the potential to protect against an additional 8 percent of oropharyngeal cancers, which include the base of the tongue and tonsils. This disease is the second-most-common HPV-associated cancer.

Healing plants inspire new compounds for psychiatric drugs

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:30 PM PDT

Treatments used by traditional healers in Nigeria have inspired scientists to synthesize four new chemical compounds that could one day lead to better therapies for people with psychiatric disorders.

Global health leaders call for global biomedical research and development fund, mechanism

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:29 PM PDT

World leaders should consider the establishment of a global biomedical research and development fund and a mechanism to address the dearth in innovation for today's most pressing global health challenges, according global health leaders.

Ease of weight loss influenced by individual biology

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:29 PM PDT

For the first time in a lab, researchers have found evidence supporting the commonly held belief that people with certain physiologies lose less weight than others when limiting calories. At this time, researchers do not know whether the biological differences are innate or develop over time.

Personal microbiomes shown to contain unique 'fingerprints'

Posted: 11 May 2015 01:29 PM PDT

A new study shows that the microbial communities we carry in and on our bodies known as the human microbiome have the potential to uniquely identify individuals, much like a fingerprint. Scientists demonstrated that personal microbiomes contain enough distinguishing features to identify an individual over time from among a research study population of hundreds of people. The study is the first to show that identifying people from microbiome data is feasible.

Survey finds miscarriage widely misunderstood

Posted: 11 May 2015 12:49 PM PDT

Misperceptions about miscarriage and its causes are widespread, a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults has found. Results of the survey show that feelings of guilt and shame are common after a miscarriage and that most people erroneously believe that miscarriages are rare.

For children with autism, trips to the dentist just got easier

Posted: 11 May 2015 10:49 AM PDT

Adjusting the environment of a dentist's office can make routine cleanings less stressful for children with autism, research shows. Children with autism spectrum disorders -- as well as some typically developing children -- often show heightened responses to sensory input and find these sensations uncomfortable. As such, the dental office, with its bright lights, loud sounds from the dental equipment, and touch of children in and around the mouth, present particular challenges for such children.

Gene responsible for hypertension, brachydactyly identified

Posted: 11 May 2015 10:49 AM PDT

Individuals with a newly discovered altered gene have hereditary hypertension and a skeletal malformation, brachydactyly type E, which is characterized by unusually short fingers and toes, scientists report. The effect on blood pressure is so serious that -- if left untreated -- it most often leads to death before age fifty.

Computer simulation accurately replicated real-life trauma outcomes

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:54 AM PDT

A computer simulation, or 'in silico' model, of the body's inflammatory response to traumatic injury accurately replicated known individual outcomes and predicted population results counter to expectations, according to a study.

New cause discovered for arterial stiffness, a contributor to cardiovascular disease

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:53 AM PDT

Previous studies of aortic stiffness have focused on changes in structural proteins that alter the properties of vascular walls causing them to become rigid. Now, researchers have determined that smooth muscle cells, which line the interior of vascular walls, are a major contributing factor to vascular stiffness, one of the major causes of hypertension. Researchers believe that results from their study could help provide new possibilities for drug treatments for the disease.

New research implicates immune system in Rett syndrome

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:53 AM PDT

The immune system plays an unsuspected and surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder affecting children, new research suggests. Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused primarily by mutations in the gene encoding for MeCP2, an important epigenetic regulator. Children with the disorder appear to develop normally but begin to lose acquired cognitive and motor skills at 6 to 18 months of age as symptoms start to show. As they age, patients are unable to acquire verbal skills and suffer from lack of motor control.

Study links father's age, baby's risk of blood cancer as an adult

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:53 AM PDT

The proportion of parents who delay having children until age 35 or older continues to increase, but the long-term health consequences for these children are still emerging. A father's age at his infant's birth is linked to the risk that his child will develop blood and immune system cancers as an adult, particularly for only children, a new study concludes.

Starved T cells allow hepatitis B to silently infect liver

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:52 AM PDT

Hepatitis B stimulates processes that deprive the body's immune cells of key nutrients that they need to function, finds new research. The work helps to explain why the immune system cannot control hepatitis B virus infection once it becomes established in the liver, and offers a target for potential curative treatments down the line.

Using CRISPR, biologists find a way to comprehensively identify anti-cancer drug targets

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT

Imagine having a complete catalog of the best drug targets to hit in a deadly form of cancer. Imagine having a master catalog of such targets for all major cancers. Scientists have now published a method of doing precisely this, using the revolutionary gene-editing technology called CRISPR.

Repurposed anti-cholesterol drug could improve treatment-resistant anemias

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT

Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA), a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, is usually diagnosed during childhood and is typically treated with glucocorticoids that cause a host of unwanted, often dangerous side effects. Using a mouse model, a research team has now determined that combining the cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate with glucocorticoids could allow for dramatically lower steroid doses in the treatment of DBA and other erythropoietin-resistant anemias. These promising results are the foundation for a clinical trial that will begin soon.

Study sheds new light on low-light vision, could aid people with retinal deficits

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:46 AM PDT

Driving down a dimly lit road at midnight can tax even those with 20/20 vision, but according to a recent study, the brain processes the experience no differently than if it were noon. The same study also reveals how quickly the brain adapts to vision loss, contradicting earlier research and opening the door to novel treatments.

Study may suggest new strategies for myelodysplastic syndromes treatment

Posted: 11 May 2015 09:46 AM PDT

A study revealing fresh insight about chromosome "tails" called telomeres may provide scientists with a new way to look at developing treatments or even preventing a group of blood cell disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Turning point in the physics of blood

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:51 AM PDT

Researchers lay out an equation that yields simple predictions as to how quickly blood cells will migrate away from blood-vessel walls, how they will behave when they collide with each other and accordingly how they will segregate during flow.

'Top 100' papers in lumbar spine surgery reflect trends in low back pain treatment

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:44 AM PDT

What are the most influential studies on surgery of the lower (lumbar) spine?

Acute kidney injury linked to pre-existing kidney health, study finds

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:44 AM PDT

Physicians treating hospitalized patients for conditions unrelated to the kidneys should pay close attention to common blood and urine tests for kidney function in order to prevent incidental injury to the organs that help cleanse the body of toxins, new research suggests.

Method for determining possible stress marker in blood samples

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:44 AM PDT

A research collaboration has resulted in the development of a new method with diagnostic potential. The new method that combines phase extraction with an enzymatic reaction may eventually be used for an improved and faster screening analysis of isatin as a potential indicator of stress and neurological disorders.

Advanced viral gene therapy eradicates prostate cancer in preclinical experiments

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:32 AM PDT

Even with the best available treatments, the median survival of patients with metastatic, hormone-refractory prostate cancer is only two to three years. Driven by the need for more effective therapies for these patients, researchers have developed a unique approach that uses microscopic gas bubbles to deliver directly to the cancer a viral gene therapy in combination with an experimental drug that targets a specific gene driving the cancer's growth.

Researchers examine the dangers bubbling up from hookah steam stones

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:32 AM PDT

An analysis of simulated smoking sessions turns up toxic, cancer-causing elements in what's often considered a safer and trendy smoking alternative. The analysis found that out of the different smoking scenarios involving the steam stones, there were statistically significant and similar amounts of chromium and arsenic inhaled, regardless of the brands of steam stones or charcoal that were used. Both of those chemical elements are human carcinogens if present in certain forms.

Short-sightedness is becoming more common across Europe

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:32 AM PDT

Myopia or short-sightedness is becoming more common across Europe, according to a new study. The meta-analysis of findings from 15 studies found that around a quarter of the European population is short-sighted but it is nearly twice as common in younger people, with almost half (47 percent) of the group aged between 25 and 29 years affected.

Antibiotic resistant typhoid detected in countries around the world

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:23 AM PDT

There is an urgent need to develop global surveillance against the threat to public health caused by antimicrobial resistant pathogens, which can cause serious and untreatable infections in humans. Typhoid is a key example of this, with multidrug resistant strains of the bacterium Salmonella Typhi becoming common in many developing countries. A landmark genomic study, with contributors from over two-dozen countries, shows the current problem of antibiotic resistant typhoid is driven by a single clade, family of typhoid bacteria, called H58 that has now spread globally.

New malaria test could lead to global eradication of the disease

Posted: 11 May 2015 08:21 AM PDT

One of the biggest difficulties faced by worldwide programs aimed at eliminating malaria is that the tests they use are not sensitive enough to detect all people who have the disease and need treatment. A study shows that a new test known as capture and ligation probe-PCR (CLIP-PCR) could diagnose the malaria cases that would typically escape detection and lead to new infections.

New method developed to assess cancer risk of pollutants

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:56 AM PDT

A faster, more accurate method to assess cancer risk from certain common environmental pollutants has been developed by scientists. The study focused on an important class of pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, that commonly occur in the environment as mixtures such as diesel exhaust and cigarette smoke.

Dine with a light eater if you want to consume less

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:56 AM PDT

How much food your dining companion eats can have a big influence on how much you consume, a study concludes. This psychological effect, known as social modeling, leads people to eat less than they normally would if alone when their companion consumes a small amount of food. The researchers analyzed the results of 38 studies in which the amount of food that people ate in company was measured.

Potential new targets for cancer treatments identified

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:55 AM PDT

Key steps in cell division have now been revealed by new research, possibly leading to treatments aimed at inhibiting cancer cell division, scientists report.

New population genetics model could explain Finn, European genetic differences

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:53 AM PDT

A new population genetics model could explain why the genetic composition of Finnish people is so different from that of other European populations. Researchers discovered a previously unknown bottleneck that likely happened between 10,000 to 20,000 years ago in the Finnish population that did not occur in other European populations. A bottleneck is a period of time when the population size decrease significantly and then recovers. Bottlenecks can be explained by major events such as migration, environmental events, disease or war. Because there are fewer people left after a bottleneck, the population's offspring have fewer genetic differences, as is the case in Finland.

Patients more likely to get HPV vaccine after electronic health record prompts

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:53 AM PDT

A simple reminder via electronic health record systems linked to significantly higher HPV vaccine completion rates, researchers say. The HPV vaccine has the lowest completion rates of any other vaccine. Researchers compared data for 6,019 patients whose clinics had prompts set up and 9,096 without prompts. Patients in the first group were significantly more likely to complete the vaccine series in a timely manner.

Nurses cut stress 40 percent with relaxation steps at work

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:15 AM PDT

It's estimated that one million people a day miss work in the United States because they're too stressed out. To help lower stress in the workplace, researchers conducted a study with staff members in a surgical intensive care unit. They found that a few simple on-the-job relaxation techniques cut stress levels by 40 percent and lowered the risk of burnout.

First-in-class antibody mixture shows clinical activity against Tx-resistant, advanced CRC

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:15 AM PDT

Sym004, a mixture of two anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies, was found to be clinically active in patients with advanced colorectal cancer that had become resistant to prior anti-EGFR therapies.

Certain treatments for childhood cancer may increase obesity risk later in life

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:15 AM PDT

Individuals who had cancer as a child may be at increased risk of being obese due to the therapies they received during their youth, scientists say. The findings may help identify cancer survivors who are most likely to become obese, and could provide a foundation for future research efforts aimed at characterizing molecular pathways involved in the link between childhood cancer treatment and obesity.

Pressure-monitoring stockings to prevent wounds in diabetics

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:15 AM PDT

Diabetics often have little feeling in their feet and don't perceive the body's pressure or temperature signals there. This can result in unnoticed wounds that then develop into abscesses. Many diabetics have to have toes or feet amputated. Now, a novel kind of pressure stocking is set to help protect against wounds via an integrated sensor system that sends a warning when pressure is too high.

Using a new laser process to custom shape optical fibers

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:14 AM PDT

Modern medicine relies on optical fibers to cauterize unhealthy veins in a minimally invasive way. Now, researchers have developed a laser processing method that facilitates automated series manufacture of these fibers at a much finer quality than ever before.

40 million deaths a year go unrecorded, study shows; mobile phone data collection could crack the problem

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:14 AM PDT

In a sobering finding for global health authorities and governments around the world, a group of leading epidemiologists say two in three deaths globally – or 40 million people - go unreported. And one in three births – another 40 million people – go unregistered. In remote areas where there are no doctors, civil registration and vital statistics improvements could include family members of deceased responding to a limited number of questions about symptoms experienced by the deceased which an algorithm using big data samples would then analyze to record a most-likely cause of death, the researchers say, adding that other technology advances could also be exploited such as using mobile phones to transmit information about recent cases of births and deaths.

First beef with the goodness of fish

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:14 AM PDT

Chinese scientists have reared beef rich in the beneficial fatty acids associated with fish oils. The study highlights the scientific challenges that remain following the successful introduction of a gene into fetal cells from Luxi Yellow cattle, a Chinese breed with a high beef yield. The fat1 gene, isolated from a nematode worm, codes for desaturase enzymes that are involved in the conversion of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Advanced MRI scans could help predict people at risk of schizophrenia

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:14 AM PDT

Scientists have long known that the symptoms of schizophrenia are partly explained by disordered connectivity in the brain. Nownew scanning methods that map the wiring of the brain could provide a valuable new tool to predict people at risk of schizophrenia, according to a new study.  

Sweet fat acceptance? Online fat acceptance and the body beautiful

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:01 AM PDT

Media and healthcare institutions have long commanded that the ideal and desirable body shape should be thin. If you are fat are you irresponsibly risking your health? Will you ever be able to look or feel beautiful? Will you truly enjoy citizenship? New research explores the cultural and political marginalization of fat women and their perceived moral failure to be healthy. It follows the rising tide of the online fat acceptance movement and their strategies for challenging societal conventions of body image and beauty.

New treatment option for subtype of aggressive lymphoma

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:01 AM PDT

A specific combination of mutations and new gene fusions have been discovered, that appear to be heavily implicated in tumor growth in patients with a particularly aggressive subtype of lymphoma (ALCL). The findings could lead to new targeted treatments for this disease and even to successful treatment of other types of cancer, the researchers say.

How cancer tricks the lymphatic system into spreading tumours

Posted: 11 May 2015 06:01 AM PDT

Swollen lymph nodes are often the earliest sign of metastatic spread of cancer cells. Now cancer researchers and immunologists have discovered how cancer cells can infiltrate the lymphatic system by 'disguising' themselves as immune cells (white blood cells). The researchers hope that this finding will inform the development of new drugs.

Long-term study on ticks reveals shifting migration patterns, disease risks

Posted: 11 May 2015 05:55 AM PDT

Over nearly 15 years spent studying ticks, a new study has found southern Indiana to be an oasis free from Lyme disease, the condition most associated with ticks -- the second most common parasitic disease vector on Earth. This low-risk environment is changing, however, both in Indiana and in other regions of the U.S., the study suggests.

Female children of service members more vulnerable to eating disorders, obesity than civilians

Posted: 11 May 2015 05:55 AM PDT

Adolescent female military dependents may be at higher risk than civilians for eating disorders and associated problems, according to a study that gives insight into the additional vulnerabilities of adolescent female military dependents. The study shows that they reported more disordered eating and depression than civilians.

Damming and damning hemorrhagic diseases

Posted: 11 May 2015 05:55 AM PDT

Rift Valley fever virus' proteins imitate human DNA repair factors, say scientists. Using drugs to dam this chemical reaction would condemn the disease's infectiousness, they note, explaining that the genomes of many hemorrhagic fever viruses mutate rapidly, enabling them to quickly adapt to potential drug treatments and evade the immune system.
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