ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Sunshine alone not enough for vitamin D during pregnancy
• Smoking marijuana may cause early puberty and stunts growth in boys
• Obesity may exacerbate inactivity, due to poor motor skills
• Collaborative research team solves cancer-cell mutation mystery
• Maternal obesity compromises babies' immune system at time of birth
• Microclinics help keep Kenyan HIV patients in care
• New school-based program helps reduce absentee rate for urban minority children with asthma
• Readmissions in severe sepsis are as common as those in heart failure and pneumonia
• Association between teen sleep patterns, alcohol or marijuana use
• Agriculture, declining mobility drove humans' shift to lighter bones
• Obesity research finds leptin hormone isn't the overeating culprit
• Atrial fibrillation after surgery increases risk of heart attacks, strokes
• Blood thinner safe for cancer patients with brain metastases
• Study finds wide variation in carotid artery stenting outcomes
• Sleep apnea common among patients undergoing heart procedure
• Sleep apnea linked to depression in men
• Researchers find brain area that integrates speech's rhythms
• Pactamycin analogs offer new, gentler approach to cancer treatment
• Implications of flawed prostate specific antigen data in SEER
• Study discovers how pancreatic cancer spreads to the liver
• How the immune system controls the human biological clock in times of infection
• Designing better medical implants
• Beyond the poppy: A new method of opium production
• How early childhood vaccination reduces leukemia risk
• Suicide trends in school-aged children reveal racial disparity
• New Alzheimer's drug to enter clinical trials
• How people defend eating meat
• Cooling children after cardiac arrest provides no significant benefit
• Concussion in former NFL players related to brain changes later in life
• Many people in emergency department for chest pain don't need admitted
• Certain risk factors can predict the risk for COPD exacerbations in patients using inhaled medications
• Air pollution and impaired lung function prove independent risk factors for cognitive decline
• Adding genetic information changes risk profile of smokers and results in greater adherence to CT lung screening
• Pulmonary rehabilitation helps patients newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea
• Diagnostic errors linked to high incidence of incorrect antibiotic use
• Urine-based test improves on prostate serum antigen for detecting prostate cancer
• Americans know someone who has abused prescription painkillers, poll shows
• Early detection, treatment of type 2 diabetes may reduce heart disease, mortality
• Getting smokers to quit with an unlikely drug: Nicotine
• Researchers make progress engineering digestive system tissues
• The true burden of tuberculosis in Malaysian prison
• Lives could be saved with hepatitis C treatment
• Bacterial cause behind fatal heart complications discovered
• Researchers quantify proportion of different genetic mutations in individual bowel cancers
• Patients seek greater ownership of health-care decisions
• Non-invasive colon cancer screening may be promising for African-Americans, study finds
• Organic nanoparticles, more lethal to tumors
• Nanomaterials in sunscreens and boats leave marine life vulnerable
• Gel filled with nanosponges cleans up MRSA infections
• Substance abuse risk not greater in those using medical marijuana with prescribed opioids
• Human stem cells may improve bone healing in diabetics
• Blood test for early detection of breast cancer metastasis
• Brain Research: What hundreds of biomolecules tell us about our nerve cells
• Tuberculosis drug can improve effect of cognitive behavioral therapy
• Instantly more adaptive behavior through meditation
• Shiftwork can affect your health
• Youth dance classes score low in physical activity
• Temper, anxiety, homework trouble are medical issues? Many parents don’t realize it

Sunshine alone not enough for vitamin D during pregnancy Posted: 18 May 2015 04:16 PM PDT Despite high levels of sunshine, low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy are common in Mediterranean women according to a new study. This finding should help lower the prevalence of early childhood diseases associated with Vitamin D deficiency such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, disorders in bone formation, higher risk of emergency caesarean delivery and premature birth.

Smoking marijuana may cause early puberty and stunts growth in boys Posted: 18 May 2015 04:16 PM PDT Boys who smoke marijuana go through puberty earlier but grow more slowly than those who have never smoked the drug according to a new study.

Obesity may exacerbate inactivity, due to poor motor skills Posted: 18 May 2015 04:16 PM PDT Obese adults have very poor motor skills which makes fine movements difficult for them, according to a new study. The findings suggest inactivity may not be a cause of obesity, but instead a result of poor motor skills associated with the condition. The work changes perceptions about inactivity in obese people as well as improving their quality of life.

Collaborative research team solves cancer-cell mutation mystery Posted: 18 May 2015 02:35 PM PDT Approximately 85 percent of cancer cells obtain their limitless replicative potential through the reactivation of a specific protein called telomerase. A collaborative team of researchers has shown that highly recurrent mutations in the promoter of the TERT gene are the most common genetic mutations in many cancers, including adult glioblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Maternal obesity compromises babies' immune system at time of birth Posted: 18 May 2015 02:35 PM PDT Maternal obesity is linked to several adverse health outcomes for the infant that can persist into adulthood. But when does the immune system of babies born to obese mothers get compromised? Very early in the baby's life, according to a study. The research team analyzed umbilical cord blood samples of infants born to lean, overweight and obese mothers, and found that pre-pregnancy maternal weight has a significant impact on the neonate's immune system.

Microclinics help keep Kenyan HIV patients in care Posted: 18 May 2015 02:34 PM PDT The results of a new study have shown that microclinics cut in half the normal rate of disengagement from care, which was defined as missing a clinic appointment by 90 days or more, when compared to the control group, and reduced the perceived stigma of HIV by 25 percent within the larger community.

New school-based program helps reduce absentee rate for urban minority children with asthma Posted: 18 May 2015 02:11 PM PDT Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, and it can only be managed, not cured. It affects a disproportionally higher percentage of low-income, urban minority children, and is also the most common disease-related reason for children missing school. This can have a negative effect on their academic achievement, as well as later success in life.

Readmissions in severe sepsis are as common as those in heart failure and pneumonia Posted: 18 May 2015 02:11 PM PDT Severe sepsis is a significant cause of rehospitalization along the lines of nationally recognized outcome measures and more commonly discussed conditions such as heart failure (HF) and pneumonia according to new research.

Association between teen sleep patterns, alcohol or marijuana use Posted: 18 May 2015 01:38 PM PDT Studying adolescents in Southern California, researchers found that the link between sleep and alcohol/marijuana use was consistent even after controlling for other known risk factors, such as depression. For every 10 minutes later that teens went to bed, there was a 6 percent increased risk of alcohol or marijuana use in the previous month. In addition, teens who reported significant trouble sleeping were 55 percent more likely to have used alcohol in the past month.

Agriculture, declining mobility drove humans' shift to lighter bones Posted: 18 May 2015 01:38 PM PDT Modern lifestyles have famously made humans heavier, but, in one particular way, noticeably lighter weight than our hunter-gatherer ancestors: in the bones. Now a new study of the bones of hundreds of humans who lived during the past 33,000 years in Europe finds the rise of agriculture and a corresponding fall in mobility drove the change, rather than urbanization, nutrition or other factors.

Obesity research finds leptin hormone isn't the overeating culprit Posted: 18 May 2015 11:54 AM PDT For years, scientists have pointed to leptin resistance as a possible cause of obesity. Research, however, has found that leptin action isn't the culprit. Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in appetite and weight control. It is produced when we are well fed, and it signals to the brain that there is ample energy and therefore reduces eating.

Atrial fibrillation after surgery increases risk of heart attacks, strokes Posted: 18 May 2015 11:54 AM PDT An irregular heartbeat following surgery known as post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) often is dismissed as a transient phenomenon. But a study has found that POAF can significantly increase the risk of heart attack or stroke during the first 12 months after surgery.

Blood thinner safe for cancer patients with brain metastases Posted: 18 May 2015 11:54 AM PDT Cancer patients with brain metastases who develop blood clots may safely receive blood thinners without increased risk of dangerous bleeding, according to a study. Cancer increases a patient's risk of developing blood clots. When a patient with cancer develops a clot, treatment with a blood thinning medication called an anticoagulant is often added to their treatment regimen in order to prevent the potentially fatal complication of blood clots traveling to the lungs.

Study finds wide variation in carotid artery stenting outcomes Posted: 18 May 2015 11:54 AM PDT Hospitals performing carotid artery stenting vary considerably in rates of in-hospital stroke or death -- from 0 to 18 percent overall and from 1.2 to 4.7 percent when accounting for variation in health of patients at admission, according to a study.

Sleep apnea common among patients undergoing heart procedure Posted: 18 May 2015 11:17 AM PDT Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a coronary artery widening procedureused to treat heart disease, are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea linked to depression in men Posted: 18 May 2015 11:17 AM PDT Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and excessive daytime sleepiness are associated with an increased risk of depression in men, according to a new community-based study of Australian men.

Researchers find brain area that integrates speech's rhythms Posted: 18 May 2015 10:52 AM PDT An area of the brain that is sensitive to the timing of speech has been discovered by researchers. The new study advances our understanding of how humans make sense of spoken language.

Pactamycin analogs offer new, gentler approach to cancer treatment Posted: 18 May 2015 10:52 AM PDT Researchers are pursuing a new concept in treatment of cancer, by using two promising 'analogs' of an old compound that was once studied as a potent anti-tumor agent, but long ago abandoned because it was too toxic. The idea is not to kill cancer cells, but rather to put them to sleep - lessening problems with resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, and also the side effects of chemotherapy.

Implications of flawed prostate specific antigen data in SEER Posted: 18 May 2015 10:52 AM PDT NCI recently announced that it had removed all PSA data from the SEER and SEER-Medicare programs. The data were removed after quality control checks revealed that a substantial number of PSA values were incorrect. Urologists explore the ramifications of the removal of these data for researchers, clinicians, and administrators within the health care community, as well as the use and accuracy of large administrative datasets in general.

Study discovers how pancreatic cancer spreads to the liver Posted: 18 May 2015 10:51 AM PDT An international team of investigators has illuminated the precise molecular steps that enable pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver -- the event that makes the most common form of the disease lethal. By understanding this process, investigators say their discovery can lead to targeted treatments that delay metastasis, and could offer clinicians a new biomarker to test for the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer.

How the immune system controls the human biological clock in times of infection Posted: 18 May 2015 10:51 AM PDT An important link between the human body clock and the immune system has relevance for better understanding inflammatory and infectious diseases. Researchers report how a critical white blood cell called the macrophage, when exposed to bacteria, makes the biological clock inside the macrophage stop, allowing it to become inflamed.

Designing better medical implants Posted: 18 May 2015 09:18 AM PDT Biomedical devices that can be implanted in the body for drug delivery, tissue engineering, or sensing can help improve treatment for many diseases. However, such devices are often susceptible to attack by the immune system, which can render them useless. The geometry of implantable devices has a significant impact on how well the body will tolerate them, a new study shows.

Beyond the poppy: A new method of opium production Posted: 18 May 2015 09:18 AM PDT Moonshiners and home-brewers have long used yeast to convert sugar into alcohol. New research shows that those methods could also be adapted for something with more significant ramifications: the production of drugs including opiates, antibiotics, and anti-cancer therapeutics.

How early childhood vaccination reduces leukemia risk Posted: 18 May 2015 09:17 AM PDT A team of researchers has discovered how a commonly administered vaccine protects against acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer. The Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) vaccine not only prevents ear infections and meningitis caused by the Hib bacterium, but also protects against ALL, which accounts for approximately 25 percent of cancer diagnoses among children younger than 15 years.

Suicide trends in school-aged children reveal racial disparity Posted: 18 May 2015 09:16 AM PDT While overall suicide rates in children younger than 12 years have remained steady, a new study shows increasing rates in black children and decreasing rates in white children.

New Alzheimer's drug to enter clinical trials Posted: 18 May 2015 09:14 AM PDT A new drug that may help to prevent the early stages of Alzheimer's disease is to enter clinical trials. The number of people with dementia is steadily increasing. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. It begins when a protein called beta-amyloid forms senile plaques that start to clump together in the brain, damaging nerve cells and leading to memory loss and confusion.

How people defend eating meat Posted: 18 May 2015 09:14 AM PDT Meat eaters who justify their eating habits feel less guilty and are more tolerant of social inequality say researchers. They found that the vast majority of omnivores defend consuming animals by rationalizing their behavior using one of four rationalizations, which they call the 4Ns.

Cooling children after cardiac arrest provides no significant benefit Posted: 18 May 2015 09:14 AM PDT A recent clinical trial shows that "therapeutic hypothermia" is no more effective than maintaining normal body temperature in children who've suffered cardiac arrest before being hospitalized. The body-cooling technique has long been a standard of care in treating adults after heart attacks.

Concussion in former NFL players related to brain changes later in life Posted: 18 May 2015 09:14 AM PDT In the first study of its kind, former National Football League (NFL) players who lost consciousness due to concussion during their playing days showed key differences in brain structure later in life.

Many people in emergency department for chest pain don't need admitted Posted: 18 May 2015 09:11 AM PDT Chest pain sends 7 million Americans to the ED each year. About half are admitted for further observation, testing or treatment. A new study finds a very low short-term risk for life-threatening cardiac events among patients with chest pain who have normal test results.

Certain risk factors can predict the risk for COPD exacerbations in patients using inhaled medications Posted: 18 May 2015 09:11 AM PDT Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), being female, and certain scores on the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were associated with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in subjects using long-acting controller medication, according to a new study.

Air pollution and impaired lung function prove independent risk factors for cognitive decline Posted: 18 May 2015 09:11 AM PDT Studies have shown that both air pollution and impaired lung function can cause cognitive deficits, but it was unclear whether air pollution diminishes cognition by reducing breathing ability first or whether air pollution represents an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit. Now a new study has answered that question: air pollution directly affects cognition and is not mediated by lung function.

Adding genetic information changes risk profile of smokers and results in greater adherence to CT lung screening Posted: 18 May 2015 09:11 AM PDT Researchers have found that adding genetic information to a former or current smoker's clinical risk profile results in a reclassification of their risk for lung cancer in about one in four patients. Preliminary findings from their lung cancer screening feasibility study also suggests that those whose genetic and clinical risk placed them in the highest risk category were more likely to adhere to follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans during screening.

Pulmonary rehabilitation helps patients newly diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea Posted: 18 May 2015 09:11 AM PDT Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) treatment could be a valuable addition to comprehensive therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, according to a new study.

Diagnostic errors linked to high incidence of incorrect antibiotic use Posted: 18 May 2015 08:20 AM PDT Misdiagnoses lead to increased risk of incorrect antibiotic use, threatening patient outcomes and antimicrobial efficacy, while increasing healthcare costs, a new study concludes. The researchers found that 95 percent of patients with an incorrect or indeterminate diagnosis, or with a symptom identified but no diagnosis made, were given inappropriate antibiotics.

Urine-based test improves on prostate serum antigen for detecting prostate cancer Posted: 18 May 2015 08:20 AM PDT A new urine-based test improved prostate cancer detection -- including detecting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer -- compared to traditional models based on prostate serum antigen, or PSA, levels, a new study finds.

Americans know someone who has abused prescription painkillers, poll shows Posted: 18 May 2015 08:20 AM PDT Results of a new poll show that in an era when concern about drug abuse has been very high, more US adults are concerned about prescription painkiller abuse than about heroin.

Early detection, treatment of type 2 diabetes may reduce heart disease, mortality Posted: 18 May 2015 08:14 AM PDT Screening to identify Type 2 diabetes followed by early treatment could result in substantial health benefits, according to new research that combined large scale clinical observations and innovative computer modelling.

Getting smokers to quit with an unlikely drug: Nicotine Posted: 18 May 2015 08:14 AM PDT COPD is a mix of chronic bronchitis (which involves a constant cough) and emphysema (which destroys lung tissue). Most people who develop COPD are older with a history of smoking. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that smoking is the cause for as many as nine out of 10 COPD-related deaths, yet 39 percent of people with COPD continue to smoke. Nicotine stimulates the reward pathways in the brain, which is why most people can't just have one cigarette every once in a while. They're always craving the feeling of satisfaction they get from smoking. Researchers are studying whether people would quit smoking if they were allowed to keep having nicotine.

Researchers make progress engineering digestive system tissues Posted: 18 May 2015 08:13 AM PDT New proof-of-concept research suggests the potential for engineering replacement intestine tissue in the lab, a treatment that could be applied to infants born with a short bowel and adults having large pieces of gut removed due to cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

The true burden of tuberculosis in Malaysian prison Posted: 18 May 2015 08:11 AM PDT Prisons are common settings for tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks, yet screening and prevention services can be extremely limited. As the spread of drug-resistant TB increases, understanding and monitoring levels of the disease among vulnerable populations can minimize the delay of much-needed treatment.

Lives could be saved with hepatitis C treatment Posted: 18 May 2015 07:22 AM PDT A research team is asking for hepatitis C virus patients to gain improved access to drugs to prevent liver related deaths. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health burden in Australia, with estimates of 230,000 people chronically infected. The research team is calling for the government to subsidise a new therapy which has high cure rates, known as direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Bacterial cause behind fatal heart complications discovered Posted: 18 May 2015 07:22 AM PDT A key cause of life threatening heart complications has been identified by researchers. The heart infections studied frequently follow severe infections with the bacteria responsible for pneumonia and meningitis.

Researchers quantify proportion of different genetic mutations in individual bowel cancers Posted: 18 May 2015 07:21 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have quantified the different mutational profiles of clusters of cells in individual tumors in patients with bowel cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. The research could have important consequences on the efficacy of therapies: in these 'mixed' tumors, some tumor cell clusters might be sensitive to a targeted therapy while others are resistant.

Patients seek greater ownership of health-care decisions Posted: 18 May 2015 07:21 AM PDT Patients faced with a choice of surgical options want to engage their physicians and take a more active role in decision-making, according to a new study. Further, those physicians must provide better support tools to help patients participate in the decision-making process.

Non-invasive colon cancer screening may be promising for African-Americans, study finds Posted: 18 May 2015 07:17 AM PDT Stool DNA (sDNA) testing, a new non-invasive technology for colon cancer screening, is a promising alternative to colonoscopy for African Americans, according to a new study. According to the results, sDNA sensitivity and specificity of advanced lesions and all adenomas (polyps) in African Americans was similar to or exceeded that of other racial groups, and in some respects, more sensitive than FIT, the other non-invasive screening.

Organic nanoparticles, more lethal to tumors Posted: 18 May 2015 06:23 AM PDT Carbon-based nanoparticles could be used to sensitize cancerous tumours to proton radiotherapy and induce more focused destruction of cancer cells, a new study shows. Radiotherapy used in cancer treatment is a promising treatment method, albeit rather indiscriminate. Indeed, it affects neighboring healthy tissues and tumous alike. Researchers have thus been exploring the possibilities of using various radio-sensitizers; these nanoscale entities focus the destructive effects of radiotherapy more specifically on tumor cells.

Nanomaterials in sunscreens and boats leave marine life vulnerable Posted: 18 May 2015 05:43 AM PDT Nanomaterials commonly used in sunscreens and boat-bottom paints are making sea urchin embryos more vulnerable to toxins, according to a new study. The authors said this could pose a risk to coastal, marine and freshwater environments.

Gel filled with nanosponges cleans up MRSA infections Posted: 18 May 2015 05:18 AM PDT Nanoengineers have developed a gel filled with toxin-absorbing nanosponges that could lead to an effective treatment for skin and wound infections caused by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), an antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This 'nanosponge-hydrogel' minimized the growth of skin lesions on mice infected with MRSA -- without the use of antibiotics.

Substance abuse risk not greater in those using medical marijuana with prescribed opioids Posted: 18 May 2015 05:18 AM PDT Among people who use medical cannabis for chronic pain, those who also take prescription pain medications are not at increased risk for serious alcohol and other drug involvement, according to a study.

Human stem cells may improve bone healing in diabetics Posted: 18 May 2015 05:17 AM PDT Adding stem cells from human bone marrow to a broken diabetic bone enhances the repair process, increasing the strength of the newly formed bone, according to a laboratory-based study. The work could potentially lead to more effective treatments for broken bones.

Blood test for early detection of breast cancer metastasis Posted: 18 May 2015 05:17 AM PDT New hope has been given for a way of detecting metastases significantly earlier than is currently possible. The discovery is based on what is known as cell-free circulating DNA -- small fragments of genetic material from different cells which circulate in the blood. It is normal to have low amounts of such DNA material in the blood, but in the case of diseases such as cancer, these amounts can increase. Furthermore, in cancer patients, the circulating DNA contains the genetic mutations which are specific to the tumor.

Brain Research: What hundreds of biomolecules tell us about our nerve cells Posted: 18 May 2015 05:17 AM PDT Metabolic profiles, or the metabolomes, of different brain regions have been successfully measured by researchers. These findings could help researchers better understand neurodegenerative diseases. The metabolome represents all or at least a large part of the metabolites in a given tissue, and thus, it gives a snapshot of its physiology.

Tuberculosis drug can improve effect of cognitive behavioral therapy Posted: 18 May 2015 05:16 AM PDT The effect of internet-based CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may be boosted with a drug called d-cycloserine, which has long been used to treat TB. According to the results of the study, this enhancing effect is counteracted by antidepressants.

Instantly more adaptive behavior through meditation Posted: 18 May 2015 05:16 AM PDT Certain meditation techniques can promote behavior to vary adaptively from moment to moment depending on current goals, rather than remaining rigid and inflexible, a new study suggests.

Shiftwork can affect your health Posted: 18 May 2015 05:16 AM PDT Workers with nontraditional schedules are burdened by sleep-related health problems and poor metabolic health, according to a new report. Shiftworkers in the study were significantly more likely than traditional schedule workers to be overweight (47.9% vs. 34.7%). They also experienced more sleep problems such as insomnia (23.6% vs. 16.3%), insufficient sleep (53.0% vs. 42.9%), or excessive wake-time sleepiness (31.8% vs. 24.4%).

Youth dance classes score low in physical activity Posted: 18 May 2015 05:14 AM PDT For parents who send their kids to dance classes to get some exercise, a new study suggests most youth dance classes provide only limited amounts of physical activity. The study found that slightly more than one-third of class time, on average, was spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Temper, anxiety, homework trouble are medical issues? Many parents don’t realize it Posted: 18 May 2015 05:14 AM PDT Many parents of children age 5-17 don't discuss behavioral or emotional issues that could be signs of potential health problems with their doctors. The most common reason for not sharing these details with health care providers? Nearly half of parents believed that these simply were not medical problems. Another 40 percent of parents say they would rather handle it themselves and about 30 percent would rather speak to someone other than a doctor.

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