الجمعة، 25 سبتمبر 2015

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

'Remote control' of immune cells opens door to safer, more precise cancer therapies

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:31 AM PDT

A molecular "on switch" that allows tight control over the actions of T cells, immune system cells that have shown great potential as therapies for cancer, has been developed by a group of researchers.

Newly identified mechanism solves enduring mystery of key element of cellular organization

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:28 AM PDT

Scientists have identified a mechanism that plays a key role in cellular organization and function and also offers a possible new treatment strategy for ALS and other degenerative disorders.

In-flight medical emergencies: What doctors and travelers must know

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:28 AM PDT

A new article offers guidance for both healthcare providers and other travelers about how to handle mid-air medical emergencies. This important advice could save your life.

How celebrity suicides change support-seeking practices on social media

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:28 AM PDT

Activity on a Reddit help forum changes dramatically in the aftermath of celebrity suicides, new research shows. Instead of reaching out to others for support against suicidal thoughts, Redditors show expressions that indicate increased and explicit suicidal tendencies. Content and participation in the days and weeks after a celebrity's death are more likely to be angry and more anxious.

Researchers uncover genetic basis for kin recognition in mice

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:27 AM PDT

It is well established that animals, including people, bias cooperation towards close relatives because it increases the odds of the genes that they share with relatives being passed to the next generation. Now the genetic basis of how mice can recognize these close relatives, even if they have never encountered them before, has been identified by researchers.

Of brains and bones: How hunger neurons control bone mass

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:27 AM PDT

In an advance that helps clarify the role of a cluster of neurons in the brain, researchers have found that these neurons not only control hunger and appetite, but also regulate bone mass.

100 years to find a cure: Can the process be accelerated?

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:26 AM PDT

Scientists have provided a detailed map of how basic research translates into new treatments for deadly diseases. Charting the network of discoveries that led to the development of important therapeutic drugs, the investigators revealed that, up to now, the path to a cure has required thousands of scientists and many decades.

Weight loss, exercise improve fertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:25 AM PDT

Weight loss and exercise improve ovulation in women who have polycystic ovary syndrome, a common hormone disorder that often causes infertility, according to a new study.

From brain, to fat, to weight loss

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:25 AM PDT

A breakthrough study shows that fat tissue is innervated and that direct stimulation of neurons in fat is sufficient to induce fat breakdown. These results set up the stage for developing novel anti-obesity therapies.

Antidepressants plus blood thinners cause brain cancer cells to eat themselves in mice

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:25 AM PDT

Antidepressants work against brain cancer by excessively increasing tumor autophagy (a process that causes the cancer cells to eat themselves), new research shows. The scientists next combined the antidepressants with blood thinners -- also known to increase autophagy -- as a treatment for mice with the first stages of human glioblastoma. Mouse lifespan doubled with the drug combination therapy, while either drug alone had no effect.

Mobile app records our erratic eating habits

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 11:25 AM PDT

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? For too many of us, the three meals of the day go more like: office meeting pastry, mid-afternoon energy drink, and midnight pizza. In a new article, scientists present daily food and beverage intake data collected from over 150 participants of a mobile research app over three weeks. They show that a majority of people eat for 15 hours or longer.

Leukemia tumor suppressor identified

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:44 AM PDT

A protein-coding gene called hnRNP K has been identified as a tumor suppressor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a finding that could be important for investigating how best to target treatment of a blood cancer striking mostly older individuals.

New methodology tracks changes in DNA methylation in real time at single-cell resolution

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:44 AM PDT

A tool that allows scientists to monitor changes in DNA methylation over time in individual cells has been developed by a group of researchers. Certain diseases, including cancer, cause changes in DNA methylation patterns, and the ability to document these alterations could aid in the development of novel therapies.

Newly identified biochemical pathway could be target for insulin control

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:44 AM PDT

Researchers are reporting the identification of a new biochemical pathway to control insulin secretion from islet beta cells in the pancreas, establishing a potential target for insulin control.

Stem cell research hints at evolution of human brain

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:44 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded in mapping the genetic signature of a unique group of stem cells in the human brain that seem to generate most of the neurons in our massive cerebral cortex.

Faster resistance analysis for patients with blood poisoning

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:42 AM PDT

When treating cases of blood poisoning, doctors resort immediately to broad-spectrum antibiotics. The problem is that in many cases the bacteria are resistant to the medicine. Analyzing antibiotic resistance is a time-consuming process, and for many patients the results come too late. Now a new technique has been developed that supplies results in just nine hours.

Promising drugs turn immune system on cancer

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:41 AM PDT

A class of experimental drug treatments already in clinical trials could also help the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to a study.

Medications to treat opioid use disorders: New guideline released

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:41 AM PDT

Medications play an important role in managing patients with opioid use disorders, but there are not enough physicians with the knowledge and ability to use these often-complex treatments. New evidence-based recommendations on the use of prescription medications for the treatment of opioid addiction have now been published.

Protein conjugation method offers new possibilities for biomaterials

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:40 AM PDT

A novel method in which protein-polymer conjugates can display new and unique types of functionalities has been demonstrated by a team of researchers.

Do patients with age-related macular degeneration have trouble with touch screens?

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:40 AM PDT

Older adults with central vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration have no problem with accuracy in performing touch screen tasks, according to a study.

Amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's, diabetes: Novel leads for inhibitors

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:40 AM PDT

When proteins change their structure and clump together, formation of amyloid fibrils and plaques may occur. Such 'misfolding' and 'protein aggregation' processes damage cells and cause diseases such as Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes. A team of scientists have now developed molecules that suppress protein aggregation and could pave the way for new treatments to combat Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and other cell-degenerative diseases.

Childhood brain tumors affect working memory of adult survivors, study finds

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 09:40 AM PDT

Adult survivors of childhood brain tumors have lower working memory performance compared to healthy adults, according to researchers. The report suggests that adult survivors of pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors performed significantly lower than controls on standardized clinical tests of working memory performance administered in the study.

'Immune camouflage' may explain H7N9 influenza vaccine failure

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:25 AM PDT

The avian influenza A (H7N9) virus has been a major concern since the first outbreak in China in 2013. Due to its high rate of lethality and pandemic potential, H7N9 vaccine development has become a priority for public health officials. However, candidate vaccines have failed to elicit the strong immune responses necessary to protect from infection. A study has revealed that it may be due to immune camouflage.

Simplified diagnosis of celiac disease

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:25 AM PDT

Diagnosis of celiac disease requires a tissue sample from the small intestine, which can be extremely unpleasant. Researchers have now developed a blood test which provides a rapid, painless answer.

Female gamers a new risk group for overweight

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:24 AM PDT

Young women who play computer games are a new risk group for developing overweight and obesity. This is the finding of a study that includes more than 2,500 Swedes in their 20s.

Fewer patients die at fully accredited hospitals

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 08:24 AM PDT

For the first time, researchers can now demonstrate an association between the level of hospital accreditation and the mortality rate among patients, reports a Danish study.

This year's flu vaccine expected to be a 'good match'

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:44 AM PDT

Every year at this time, we hear it's time to get the flu shot. After last year's vaccine missed the mark, how does the Center for Disease Control regain the public's confidence that their predictions will hold up this year? With the facts.

Significant differences in frailty found by region, by race among older Americans

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:44 AM PDT

A large-scale survey of older Americans living at home or in assisted living settings found that 15 percent are frail, a diminished state that makes people more vulnerable to falls, chronic disease and disability.

Number of young female anesthesiologists increases, but wages lower than male colleagues

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:41 AM PDT

A study has analyzed a 2013 survey of members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists that found 40 percent of anesthesiologists under the age of 36 were female, a substantial increase over 2007 when 26 percent of young anesthesiologists were women. Despite an increasing number of women anesthesiologists, the study found male anesthesiologists earned 29 percent more than female anesthesiologists, with a reported average annual income of $403,616 for men compared to $313,074 for women.

Delayed umbilical cord clamping may benefit some high-risk newborns, research shows

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:41 AM PDT

Preterm infants with delayed cord clamping had higher blood pressure readings in the first 24 hours of life and needed fewer red blood cell transfusions in their first 28 days than infants whose umbilical cords were immediately clamped, a study has found.

Arteries better than veins for liquid biopsy

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:19 AM PDT

Arteries contain higher numbers of circulating tumor cells than veins in uveal melanoma patients, raising a concern for standard technique for detection of tumor cells in the blood, research shows, and therefore is a better choice when conducting a liquid biopsy.

DNA-based nanodevices for molecular medicine

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:19 AM PDT

A new article discusses how DNA molecules can be assembled into tailored and complex nanostructures, and further, how these structures can find uses in therapeutics and bionanotechnological applications. The researchers outline the superior properties of DNA nanostructures. Moreover, these DNA nanostructures provide new applications in molecular medicine, such as novel approaches in tackling cancer. Tailored DNA structures could find targeted cells and release their molecular payload selectively into the cells.

Culture during childhood shapes family planning

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:18 AM PDT

Family planning is not just what we decide consciously as adults. Young parents are noticeably impressed by childhood experiences, as a new analysis on Turkish migrant data proves. Women born in Turkey who moved to Germany after entering school became mothers more often and at younger age than women who were born to Turkish parents in Germany. Both groups have children earlier and more frequently than Western German non-migrants, research shows.

Women with moderate beer consumption run lower risk of heart attack

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:18 AM PDT

Women who drink beer at most once or twice per week run a 30 percent lower risk of heart attack, compared with both heavy drinkers and women who never drink beer. These are the findings of a Swedish study which has followed 1,500 women over a period of almost 50 years.

Vaccination on the horizon for severe viral infection of the brain

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 07:18 AM PDT

Researchers reveal possible new treatment methods for a rare, usually fatal brain disease. Thanks to their discovery that specific antibodies play a key role in combating the viral infection, a vaccine against the disease 'progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy' could now be developed.

Helping breast cancer patients with a challenging decision

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:40 AM PDT

The decision making process women with non-hereditary breast cancer undergo when considering the removal of a healthy breast is a difficult one, and one that has been the focus of recent study. The aim of this new research is to develop a web-based tool to aid them in this process.

Lower sperm motility in men exposed to common chemical

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:39 AM PDT

Men with higher exposure to the substance DEHP, a so-called phthalate, have lower sperm motility and may therefore experience more difficulties conceiving children, according to a new study.

Gel study uncovers unexpected dynamics

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:36 AM PDT

Important new information about the dynamics of bacterial gels has been revealed by research, which could ultimately suggest new ways of helping prevent or better control diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Kids with asthma that are exposed to secondhand smoke have twice as many hospitalizations

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

The risk for hospitalization doubles for kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a study. The study strengthens the association that previous studies have shown which links secondhand smoke exposure with increased asthma prevalence, poorer asthma control and increased symptoms.

Ticks carrying Lyme disease found in South London parks

Posted: 24 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Visitors to two popular parks in South London are at risk of coming into contact with ticks that can transmit Lyme disease to humans, according to new research.

Pain often overlooked in premature infants

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 06:40 PM PDT

Premature infants receiving intensive care are exposed to a great deal of pain, and this pain causes damage to the child. Despite this half of the infants admitted to neonatal intensive units will not receive any pain relief, according to a new European study.

Early miscarriage guidelines should be improved, researchers say

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 06:39 PM PDT

Researchers are calling for improvements to the way early miscarriage is diagnosed, following a new study. An accurate diagnosis is vital since a misdiagnosis could result in a healthy pregnancy being inadvertently terminated. The current standard for diagnosis may require a single ultrasound scan or two scans with the second occurring after a seven days.

Concerns over FDA's increasing use of expedited development and approval pathways

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 06:39 PM PDT

Two studies carried out by US researchers raise questions about whether most new drugs are any more effective than existing products or whether they have been adequately assessed before approval.

Standard treatment better than proposed alternative for unexplained infertility

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 06:39 PM PDT

Treatment with clomiphene, a standard therapy for couples with unexplained infertility, results in more live births than treatment with a potential alternative, letrozole, according to a study of more than 900 couples.

Protecting identities in a sea of big data

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:29 PM PDT

A computer scientist will use three grants to develop approaches to safeguarding sensitive genetic information. Along with co-researchers, he will systematically evaluate potential privacy breaches due to released genomic statistics and analyses. They will design genetic privacy course modules and hands-on projects on privacy infringement and protection to enhance genetic privacy education in computer science, bioinformatics and genomics.

Oxygen treatment boosts the success of umbilical cord blood transplants

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:29 PM PDT

For the past 27 years, cord blood transplants have been a life-saving treatment option for thousands of people with leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myelodysplastic disorders. Cord blood helps replace cancerous blood cells and replenish a patient's own bone marrow and immune system. Researchers have now completed a pilot clinical trial that tested the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to improve the outcomes of umbilical cord blood transplant patients, with positive results.

Team develops strategy to determine how non-coding variants contribute to disease risk

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:27 PM PDT

A new strategy has been developed for meeting one of today's most significant challenges in genomic medicine - determining whether a specific DNA variant in the non-protein-coding genome is the actual cause of an associated disease risk.

New study questions clinical trial data for kidney cancer drugs

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:27 PM PDT

For certain cancer drugs, participants in clinical trials are often not representative of the patients that ultimately take the drugs, raising questions about the direct applicability of trial data, a new article explains.

Titanium, gold based compound fights kidney cancer cells

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:22 PM PDT

The findings of a new study may provide a new way of treating kidney cancer, opening the potential for more potent and less toxic therapies that would give cancer patients a better quality of life.

Calorie consumption: Do numbers or graphics encourage diners to eat less?

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:21 PM PDT

To encourage consumers to lower their caloric intake, the US Food and Drug Administration now requires most chain restaurants to state the number of calories that each menu item contains. But is a number the only effective way of helping diners make low-calorie choices? No, says a new study. According to the study, another popular way of indicating calorie information, an image of a green, yellow, or red traffic light, can be just as effective.

Some forms of dizziness after getting up may signal bigger problems

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 03:21 PM PDT

People who get dizzy several minutes after standing up may be at risk of more serious conditions and even an increased risk of death, according to new research. Feeling dizzy, faint or light-headed after standing due to a sudden drop in blood pressure can be a minor problem due to medication use or dehydration. But when it happens often, it can be a sign of a more serious condition called orthostatic hypotension.

Accountable Care Organizations: A first look at shared savings distributions

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 10:44 AM PDT

Taking the first close look at a federal program designed to provide cost-savings incentives in exchange for more efficient health care, a new study has found that, while using those cost-savings as incentives for physicians showed promise, there appears to be no single formula for success.

Scientists see through bones to uncover new details about blood-forming stem cells

Posted: 23 Sep 2015 10:43 AM PDT

A team of scientists has become the first to use a tissue-clearing technique to localize a rare stem cell population, in the process cracking open a black box containing detailed information about where blood-forming stem cells are located and how they are maintained.
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