ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Eating more fruits and non-starchy vegetables is associated with less weight gain
• Determining ion beam effects to greater precision
• Urgent change needed to improve diagnosis in health care or diagnostic errors will likely worsen, experts say
• New study maps the progression of Parkinson's disease within the brain
• New graphene oxide biosensors may accelerate research of HIV, cancer drugs
• CPAP therapy reduces symptoms of depression in adults with sleep apnea
• Overweight firefighters more likely to attempt weight loss if advised by doctor
• Two-drug combination shows promise against one type of pancreatic cancer
• Superbug study reveals how E. coli strain acquired deadly powers
• How former problem drinkers navigate social drinking situations
• Tracking down the beam
• Bugs in space: How microbes are surviving on astronauts
• Androgen deprivation therapy associated with increased risk for fatal heart attack
• Researchers find novel signature in brains of children with cerebral malaria
• DNR orders often do not align with poor prognosis
• Outcomes of ICU admission for older, low-risk patients with pneumonia
• Lifestyle focused text messaging results in improvement in cardiovascular risk factors
• Combination drug treatment reduces agitation for patients with probable Alzheimer's disease
• Diagnostics breakthrough brings viral sequencing to doctors' toolkit
• Role of cancer-suppressing gene uncovered
• Age, not post-op infection, more important for kidney transplant success, study finds
• Probiotic formula reverses cow's milk allergies by changing gut bacteria of infants
• New smart robot accelerates cancer treatment research
• Increased chances for early detection of Alzheimer's disease
• Unexpected link between choroid plexus, chronic pain
• First circularly polarized light detector on a silicon chip
• Discovery of the redox-switch of a key enzyme involved in n-butanol biosynthesis
• Prion disease detected soon after infection, in surprising place in mouse brains
• Gene magnifies psychological impact of life experiences, for better and for worse
• More men at risk for prostate cancer as a result of less regular screening
• The 'Pig-Pen' in each of us: People emit their own personal microbial cloud
• New pathway to regenerate insulin-producing cells discovered
• Shortage of nurses not as dire as predicted, but challenges remain to meet America's needs
• Brentuximab vedotin effective, safe in elderly Hodgkin lymphoma patients
• Low dose beta-blockers as effective as high dose after a heart attack
• 'Cancer seeing' technology is one in a hundred innovations to change our world
• Recent ESC guidelines to identify HCM patients at high risk for sudden death unreliable
• Combination drug therapy shrinks pancreatic tumors in mice, researchers say
• Risk of stroke at time of carotid occlusion
• DNA sequencing improved by slowing down

Eating more fruits and non-starchy vegetables is associated with less weight gain Posted: 22 Sep 2015 12:00 PM PDT Increased consumption of fruits and non-starchy vegetables is inversely associated with weight change, according to a new study. The longitudinal study shows differences by type of fruit or vegetable, suggesting that characteristics of these foods influence the strength of their association with weight change.

Determining ion beam effects to greater precision Posted: 22 Sep 2015 09:03 AM PDT A precise understanding of how ion beams affect biological tissue is of great importance for both radiotherapy applications and the assessment of radioprotection risks, e.g. to astronauts on long term missions in space. Radiation biology and biophysics research groups conducted experimental high resolution analyses on the 3D lesion distribution induced by high energy ion beams in biological tissue and to compare these with theoretical model predictions.

Urgent change needed to improve diagnosis in health care or diagnostic errors will likely worsen, experts say Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:58 AM PDT Most people will experience at least one diagnostic error -- an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis -- in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences, says a new report.

New study maps the progression of Parkinson's disease within the brain Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:58 AM PDT Scientists have made advances in understanding the process involved in the progression and spread of Parkinson's disease within the brain. The study focused on understanding the process that drives the disease's progression by mapping the distribution and degree of atrophy, characteristic of the disease, in certain brain regions and identify the paths leading the spread from affected to healthy tissue.

New graphene oxide biosensors may accelerate research of HIV, cancer drugs Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:56 AM PDT Researchers have devised a novel type of graphene oxide-based biosensor that could potentially significantly speed up the process of drug development. The outstanding properties of this carbon allotrope help to improve significantly the biosensing sensitivity, which in future may enable the development of new drugs and vaccines against many dangerous diseases including HIV, hepatitis and cancer.

CPAP therapy reduces symptoms of depression in adults with sleep apnea Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:56 AM PDT Depressive symptoms are extremely common in people who have obstructive sleep apnea, and these symptoms improve significantly when sleep apnea is treated with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, a new study shows.

Overweight firefighters more likely to attempt weight loss if advised by doctor Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:56 AM PDT Overweight firefighters are twice as likely to attempt to lose weight if their health care provider gives them weight loss advice, according to new research. More than 75 percent of firefighters are overweight or obese and more than half do not consider themselves to be overweight, according to previous research.

Two-drug combination shows promise against one type of pancreatic cancer Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:56 AM PDT One form of pancreatic cancer has a new enemy: a two-drug combination that inhibits tumors and kills cancer cells in mouse models. For the first time, researchers have shown that a certain protein becomes overabundant in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, allowing them to thrive. They also found that pairing a synthetic compound with an existing drug provides a more effective anticancer punch than a single drug.

Superbug study reveals how E. coli strain acquired deadly powers Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:56 AM PDT A strain of E. coli became a potentially fatal infection in the UK around 30 years ago, when it acquired a powerful toxin, a gene study has revealed. Scientists say new findings show that E. coli O157 is continuing to evolve and should be monitored closely.

How former problem drinkers navigate social drinking situations Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:55 AM PDT A small, qualitative study highlights a wide variety of approaches that former problem drinkers take to determine how and whether to tell people in social situations that they don't drink.

Tracking down the beam Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:54 AM PDT Proton beams are new high-precision weapons in the fight against cancer. However, uncertainty with regard to the range of the beams has prevented the full exploitation of the potential of this method until now. Researchers are therefore looking for ways to measure the exact range during a course of treatment, and have developed a surprisingly simple solution. Initial preclinical tests have already gone well.

Bugs in space: How microbes are surviving on astronauts Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:49 AM PDT Bugs are winning out, and that's a good thing according to NASA's Human Research Program. As part of NASA's One-Year Mission, researchers are studying how microbes living on astronauts' skin, inside their bodies and on the International Space Station impact their health. To prepare for a journey to Mars, it is important to understand how long-duration spaceflight affects microorganisms because changes to this complex ecosystem could be detrimental to future missions.

Androgen deprivation therapy associated with increased risk for fatal heart attack Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT Long term follow up of a randomized clinical trial that compared ADT and radiation therapy (RT) to RT alone finds that men with significant comorbidity; most commonly prior heart attack, who received ADT died earlier, due to a fatal heart attack, compared to men who did not receive ADT.

Researchers find novel signature in brains of children with cerebral malaria Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT Cells associated with inflammation and blood clotting accumulate in the brain blood vessels of children affected by a potentially fatal form of malaria called cerebral malaria, potentially contributing to the disease process, an international team of researchers has found, and HIV can exacerbate this development.

DNR orders often do not align with poor prognosis Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT Although do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders after in-hospital cardiac arrest were generally aligned with patients' likelihood of favorable neurological survival, almost two-thirds of patients with the worst prognosis did not have DNR orders, according to a study.

Outcomes of ICU admission for older, low-risk patients with pneumonia Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT Among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients which appeared to be discretionary was associated with improved survival and no significant differences in Medicare spending or hospital costs, compared with patients admitted to general wards, according to a study.

Lifestyle focused text messaging results in improvement in cardiovascular risk factors Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT A simple, low-cost automated program of semi-personalized mobile phone text messages supporting lifestyle change led to improvement in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, blood pressure, body mass index, and smoking status in patients with coronary heart disease, according to a study.

Combination drug treatment reduces agitation for patients with probable Alzheimer's disease Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT In a preliminary 10-week randomized trial, patients with probable Alzheimer's disease who received the combination medication dextromethorphan-quinidine demonstrated less occurrences and severity of agitation, compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study.

Diagnostics breakthrough brings viral sequencing to doctors' toolkit Posted: 22 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT A breakthrough genetic testing method promises to give clinicians a powerful new tool to detect and sequence viruses. The Virome-Capture-Sequencing platform for Vertebrate viruses is as sensitive as the gold standard polymerase chain reaction assays while enabling simultaneous testing for hundreds of different viruses and providing near complete sequence of their genomes.

Role of cancer-suppressing gene uncovered Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:46 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered the role played by a gene which suppresses the development of cancer. The findings open new opportunities for scientists to find treatments for cancer, and shed light on the activity of the gene WWOX.

Age, not post-op infection, more important for kidney transplant success, study finds Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:46 AM PDT Infection by virus cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major complication following kidney transplantation. CMV infection has been associated with increased kidney transplant failure and reduced patient survival. However, a new clinical study finds that age may be more important for long-term transplant and patient outcome.

Probiotic formula reverses cow's milk allergies by changing gut bacteria of infants Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:46 AM PDT The gut bacteria of infants who developed tolerance to cow's milk after treatment with probiotic formula showed significant differences from those who remained allergic, according to a new study.

New smart robot accelerates cancer treatment research Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:44 AM PDT A new smart research robot accelerates research on cancer treatments by finding optimal treatment combinations, experts report. For patients with the same cancer type returning multiple times, sometimes the cancer cells develop resistance against the pharmacotherapy used. The new robot systems may also become important in the efforts to find new drug compounds that make these resistant cells sensitive again, they add.

Increased chances for early detection of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:44 AM PDT A method for detecting early signs of Alzheimer's disease using amyloid PET imaging works as well as the previously used cerebrospinal fluid sample method conclude researchers at the conclusion of what they say is the most thorough and extensive undertaken in the field so far.

Unexpected link between choroid plexus, chronic pain Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:42 AM PDT Neuroscientists have found a novel connection between the size of the choroid plexus in the brain and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), an unexpected finding, they say.

First circularly polarized light detector on a silicon chip Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:40 AM PDT Invention of the first integrated circularly polarized light detector on a silicon chip opens the door for development of small, portable sensors could expand the use of polarized light for drug screening, surveillance, etc, say scientists.

Discovery of the redox-switch of a key enzyme involved in n-butanol biosynthesis Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:40 AM PDT The redox-switch of thiolase, a key enzyme for n-butanol production in Clostridium acetobutylicum, one of the best known butanol-producing bacteria, has been discovered by a group of scientists.

Prion disease detected soon after infection, in surprising place in mouse brains Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:40 AM PDT Prion diseases -- incurable, ultimately fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative disorders of mammals -- are believed to develop undetected in the brain over several years from infectious prion protein. In a new study, NIH scientists report they can detect infectious prion protein in mouse brains within a week of inoculation. Equally surprising, the protein was generated outside blood vessels in a place in the brain where scientists believe drug treatment could be targeted to prevent disease.

Gene magnifies psychological impact of life experiences, for better and for worse Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:40 AM PDT People with a certain type of gene are more deeply affected by their life experiences, a new study has revealed. The findings challenge traditional thinking about depression, showing what might be considered a risk gene for depression in one context, may actually be beneficial in another.

More men at risk for prostate cancer as a result of less regular screening Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:39 AM PDT The US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer is controversial. While it may reduce the risk of over diagnosis and overtreatment, the reduction in intermediate and high risk cancer diagnoses raises concern because of the potential for delayed diagnoses of important cancers in men who may benefit from treatment, according to investigators.

The 'Pig-Pen' in each of us: People emit their own personal microbial cloud Posted: 22 Sep 2015 07:39 AM PDT We each give off millions of bacteria from our human microbiome to the air around us every day, and that cloud of bacteria can be traced back to an individual. New research focused on the personal microbial cloud -- the airborne microbes we emit into the air -- examined the microbial connection we have with the air around us. The findings demonstrate the extent to which humans possess a unique 'microbial cloud signature.'

New pathway to regenerate insulin-producing cells discovered Posted: 21 Sep 2015 03:21 PM PDT A new pathway that triggers regeneration of beta cells in the pancreas, a key development that may aid in the development of diabetes treatments, has been discovered by scientists.

Shortage of nurses not as dire as predicted, but challenges remain to meet America's needs Posted: 21 Sep 2015 12:34 PM PDT News for America's nursing workforce isn't as dire as had been predicted a decade ago, but the nation is still expected to be short of nurses in coming years, according to new research.

Brentuximab vedotin effective, safe in elderly Hodgkin lymphoma patients Posted: 21 Sep 2015 12:14 PM PDT Bretuximab vedotin is an effective and safe first course of treatment for older Hodgkin lymphoma patients unfit for chemotherapy, a new report suggests. While standard chemotherapy can achieve complete remissions in younger Hodgkin lymphoma patients, the majority of those 60 and older are either ineligible or refuse treatment in order to avoid complications related to drug toxicity.

Low dose beta-blockers as effective as high dose after a heart attack Posted: 21 Sep 2015 12:14 PM PDT In a surprising finding, heart attack patients treated with a substantially lower dosage of beta-blockers than used in earlier clinical trials showing their effectiveness survived at the same rate, or even better, than patients on the higher doses. Patients receiving one-fourth of the original clinical trial dose had up to a 25 percent decrease in mortality. About 90 percent of patients who have had a heart attack receive beta-blockers, prescribed to prevent future heart attacks.

'Cancer seeing' technology is one in a hundred innovations to change our world Posted: 21 Sep 2015 10:39 AM PDT A groundbreaking piece of medical imaging technology that could revolutionize cancer treatment will be featured as part of a showcase of 100 engineering ideas that have changed our world.

Recent ESC guidelines to identify HCM patients at high risk for sudden death unreliable Posted: 21 Sep 2015 10:38 AM PDT Recently, the European Society of Cardiology published new guidelines advancing an equation as the best way to determine which hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients should receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. However, a study conducted by US and Canadian investigators challenges the ESC Guidelines. Their research found that the ESC sudden death risk score method did not perform effectively in reliably identifying the high-risk patients who need ICDs for the prevention of sudden death.

Combination drug therapy shrinks pancreatic tumors in mice, researchers say Posted: 21 Sep 2015 10:36 AM PDT A combination of two drugs, one already approved by the Food and Drug Administration, appears to be effective at shrinking pancreatic cancers in laboratory mice, according to a new study.

Risk of stroke at time of carotid occlusion Posted: 21 Sep 2015 10:36 AM PDT Preventing carotid artery occlusion (blockage) may not be a valid indication for stenting because the risk of progression to occlusion appears to be below the risk of carotid stenting or endarterectomy (surgical removal of plaque from an artery), according to an article.

DNA sequencing improved by slowing down Posted: 21 Sep 2015 10:34 AM PDT Scientists have developed a method that improves the accuracy of DNA sequencing up to a thousand times. The method, which uses nanopores to read individual nucleotides, paves the way for better -- and cheaper -- DNA sequencing.

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