السبت، 19 ديسمبر 2015

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Immunotherapy breakthrough now approved as standard of care for advanced melanoma

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 01:17 PM PST

A first-of-its-kind (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as first-line treatment for metastatic melanoma—allowing greater access to this therapy for patients without having to previously receive other prior treatments.

Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 01:14 PM PST

Researchers have found that magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer. Using information from the VITamins and Lifestyle study, the study analyzed data on more than 66,000 men and women, between the ages of 50 and 76, looking at the direct association between magnesium and pancreatic cancer.

PTSD resources lacking for nonveterans

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 01:14 PM PST

Researchers report that information and resources regarding effective therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder are not easily available for nonveterans, who can be affected by the condition after crimes, disasters, and accidents. They offer recommendations for improvement.

Stroke recovery in mice improved by Ambien, study shows

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 01:12 PM PST

Mice that had strokes rebounded significantly faster if they received low doses of a popular sleeping aid, according to researchers. Zolpidem, better known by the trade name Ambien, has long been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating insomnia. But it has never before been definitively shown to enhance recovery from stroke.

Ten-year-old concussed patient participates in research to identify biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injuries

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 10:09 AM PST

Researchers are looking for a relationship between eye movement and the brain to find biomarkers to help diagnose and treat concussions.

Childhood concussions impair brain function

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 10:03 AM PST

Pre-adolescent children who have sustained sports-related concussions have impaired brain function two years following injury, new research indicates. Over a million brain injuries are treated annually in the U.S. While organized sports at all levels have implemented safety protocols for preventing and treating head injuries, most pediatric concussions still result from athletic activities.

Candy games stimulate appetite

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:34 AM PST

At least once a week, two thirds of all children of primary-school age will play an internet game that was created to draw attention to a brand. Most of these advertisements are for snacks and candy. Only 6% of these children are aware that such advergames are advertisements. In the meantime, such games do affect their behavior, research shows.

Brain imaging technology offers new approach for studying Parkinsonian syndromes

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:33 AM PST

Using a portable device, researchers have identified differences in brain activation patterns associated with postural stability in people with Parkinsonian syndromes and healthy adults. The findings describe the critical role of the prefrontal cortex in balance control and may have implications with respect to detecting and treating Parkinsonian symptoms in the elderly.

Superbug colony behaviors revealed in time lapse video

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:05 AM PST

A well-known 'superbug' which was thought to have been a static or non-motile organism has been observed showing signs of active motility by scientists.

Inflammation can fan the flames of depression

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:02 AM PST

Chronic inflammation in the bloodstream can 'fan the flames' of depression, much like throwing gasoline on a fire, according to a new paper.

Antibiotic-infused implants designed to help faces heal

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:02 AM PST

Researchers describe their test of antibiotic-infused block copolymers in their plastic spacers to protect craniofacial tissue from infection while healing.

Insensitive irritable bowel syndrome studied

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:00 AM PST

For the first time, biopsies of patients with irritable bowel syndrome have shown that the nerves in their gut wall respond poorly to a cocktail of inflammatory substances. This refutes the previous theory that patients with irritable bowel syndrome have an overly sensitive gut.

Researchers develop new method for looking into the lungs

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:00 AM PST

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in producing 3-D images showing oxygen and carbon dioxide transport in the lungs. The new method provides hope for better treatment of COPD and lung cancer.

Microfluidic biochip for blood cell counts at the point-of-care

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 08:00 AM PST

Microfluidic biochips are developed to perform blood cell counts using only a drop blood. The clinical trials of the biosensor show a high correlation with the standard hematology analyzer counts.

Coffee may improve athletic endurance performance

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:54 AM PST

The caffeine in a morning cup of coffee could help improve athletic endurance, according to a new review study.

Almonds may help augment nutrients in diet

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:54 AM PST

Eating a moderate amount of almonds each day may enrich the diets of adults and their young children. In the study, when parents and children were eating almonds, their Healthy Eating Index increased for total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins and fatty acids, while they ate fewer empty calories.

Watching the ribosome at work

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:52 AM PST

A new statistical method could help to clarify the function of unknown genes. A research team has adapted and tested a filter method from speech signal processing that makes sequencing data more interpretable.

Dietary cocoa flavanols improve blood vessel function in patients with kidney dysfunction

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:02 AM PST

Individuals with failing kidneys are at increased risk of developing heart problems, and they're more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than from any other cause. Now investigators suggest that ingesting a drink rich in cocoa flavanols improved blood vessel function and reduced diastolic blood pressure in patients with kidney failure.

Nutritional vitamin D supplements do not help treat anemia in dialysis patients

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:02 AM PST

Vitamin D2 supplements taken for 6 months did not reduce dialysis patients' need for anemia drugs that stimulate red blood cell production, report investigators at conclusion of the largest randomized clinical trial to date on the effects of nutritional vitamin D in dialysis patients.

Surfing DNA: Enzyme catches a ride to fight infection

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 06:02 AM PST

An enzyme crucial to keeping our immune system healthy "surfs" along the strands of DNA inside our cells, scientists have shown for the first time. The researchers used extremely powerful microscopy to watch how the enzyme AID (activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase) moves around and interacts with other molecules.

Novel mechanism that helps activated dendritic cells to initiate effective immunity

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:55 AM PST

Phagocytosis represents a critical innate barrier against infection and serves the clearance of extracellular microbes, infected and dying cells. Different immune cells use phagocytosis for microbial killing, but in dendritic cells (DCs) it mainly serves the processing and presentation of specific molecules (antigens) that are able to alert the immune system and to initiate immune responses. Researchers describe now a mechanism of how the fusion between phagosomes and lysosomes influences the presentation of antigens on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I molecules to cytotoxic T cells, a process called cross-presentation.

Multiplying teeth, literally

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:54 AM PST

Researchers have found a way to--literally--multiply teeth. In mice, they were able to extract teeth germs--groups of cells formed early in life that later develop into teeth, split them into two, and then implant the teeth into the mice's jaws, where they developed into two fully functional teeth.

Gene controls stress hormone production in macaques

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:54 AM PST

Some people react more calmly in stressful situations than others. Certain genes, such as the so-called COMT gene, are thought to play a role in determining our stress response. Researchers have now studied this gene in macaques, a genus of Old World monkeys, and for the first time have shown that a specific variant of the gene is associated with higher excretion of the stress hormone cortisol. The gene variant may also influence social rank among the animals.

Mental health status prior to bladder cancer surgery can indicate risk of complications

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:46 AM PST

A patient's mental health prior to surgery can influence postoperative outcomes. Removal of the bladder, or radical cystectomy (RC), is an effective treatment for locally advanced bladder cancer, but complications occur in as many as 66% of patients. In a new study, researchers found that patients whose self-assessment of mental health was low suffered more high grade complications in the 30 days following surgery than patients with higher self-assessments.

Going viral: Could peroxisomes be key to stopping West Nile and Dengue viruses?

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:46 AM PST

A new discovery could open the door to one day treat or prevent diseases caused by West Nile virus and Dengue virus infections. Together the viruses are the cause of tens of millions of infections each year. Currently there are no treatments or vaccines available.

Advancing the Edmonton Protocol for the improved treatment of type 1 diabetes

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:45 AM PST

A drug that mimics a naturally occurring protein found in Arctic fish is helping to significantly improve the efficacy of cell transplant treatments for type 1 diabetes patients -- a procedure known as the Edmonton Protocol that transplants insulin producing islets into patients to render them insulin independent for periods of time.

Targeting frailty in pre-lung transplant patients might improve survival rates, patient outcomes

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:45 AM PST

Frailty can affect people of all ages and demographics. Defined simply as 'an increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes,' frailty can affect a patient's chances of surviving a surgical procedure or needing a nursing home. A new study is among the first to show a definitive connection between frailty and survival after a lung transplant procedure.

Deforestation linked to rise in cases of emerging zoonotic malaria

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:45 AM PST

A steep rise in human cases of P. knowlesi malaria in Malaysia is likely to be linked to deforestation and associated environmental changes, according to new research. Plasmodium knowlesi is a zoonotic malaria parasite, transmitted between hosts by mosquitoes, which is common in forest-dwelling macaque monkeys. Although only recently reported in humans, it is now the most common form of human malaria in many areas of Malaysia, and has been reported across southeast Asia.

Prostate cancer discovery may make it easier to kill cancer cells

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:45 AM PST

A newly discovered connection between two common prostate cancer treatments may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy. Drugs that could capitalize on the discovery are already in the pipeline, report scientists.

New generation of synthetic bone grafts created

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:44 AM PST

A new type of synthetic bone graft has been developed, which boosts the body's own ability to regenerate bone tissue and could produce better outcomes for patients. The research found that the new type of graft called Inductigraft was able to guide bone tissue regeneration in as little as four weeks.

Neurodegenerative diseases: The case of the sticky protein

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:43 AM PST

As interdisciplinary sleuths, medical researchers recently put together clues to solve the case of the sticky protein. This new tool opens more possibilities for studying neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Handle with care: Car seats and newborns

Posted: 18 Dec 2015 05:43 AM PST

In 2013, car accidents resulted in approximately 8,500 infants requiring hospitalization or emergency department visits and 135 infant deaths. When used properly, car seats can reduce the risk of infant death and injury by 71 percent. However, in a new study, researchers found that most families with newborns made at least one serious error in the use and installation of their car safety seat.

Why smoking bans may have advantage over higher tobacco taxes

Posted: 17 Dec 2015 01:56 PM PST

If governments want to discourage smoking among young people, both high taxes and smoking bans do the job – but bans may have one key advantage, say researchers. A first-of-its-kind American study found that bans worked best at limiting smoking among more casual users: Those who smoked less than a pack a day. Heavy taxes worked best with those who smoked more than a pack a day.

Architecture of mTOR protein complex solved

Posted: 17 Dec 2015 12:16 PM PST

For a long time it has been known that the protein TOR - Target of Rapamycin -- controls cell growth and is involved in the development of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Researchers have now examined the structure of mammalian TOR complex 1 (mTORC1) in more detail.

New methods, requirements have changed data sharing among life science researchers

Posted: 17 Dec 2015 10:06 AM PST

Measures instituted in recent years to encourage the sharing of scientific information appear to have reduced the overall level of withholding of data and materials among academic life science researchers, an investigation concludes.
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