ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Intimate partner violence shows bidirectional link with maternal perinatal depression
• College students whose friends text and drive more likely to do it too, study shows
• Discoveries on women veterans' long-term health outcomes
• Infant-friendly flu vaccine developed with key protein
• New research on inflammation and cancer
• Young people after Obamacare: Some ER visits down, others way up
• Post-term delivery raises risk of complications and illness for newborns
• Synthetic biologists use bacterial superglue for faster vaccine development
• Researchers advocate improvements in end-of-life care
• Slow heart rate does not increase risk of heart disease
• Using electrical signals to train the heart's muscle cells
• Real acupuncture no better than sham acupuncture for treating hot flushes: Study
• Protein 'handbrake' halts leukemia in its tracks
• Virtual bone biopsy helps identify why people with diabetes are at risk of bone fractures
• Psoriasis patients have reduced access to efficient treatment method with age
• Scientists 'artificially evolve' sleeping sickness bacterium
• Immunity genes could protect some from E. coli while others fall ill
• Intensive exercise with intervals 'more effective'
• Depression, obesity common among bipolar patients with exhausted stress system
• Size matters: Small units on a big surface results in fewer calories
• A new method to improve the pre-operative diagnosis of ovarian cancer based on ultrasound
• First study of arthropods in US homes finds huge biodiversity
• New gene fault behind ovarian cancer found by scientists
• Important regulator of immune system decoded
• Ending preventable stillbirths
• Easier diagnosis for fungal infection of the lungs
• Regular exercise critical for heart health, longevity
• Advice for prescribing antibiotics issued
• Weekend catch-up sleep can reduce diabetes risk associated with sleep loss
• Scientists demonstrate basics of nucleic acid computing inside cells
• Blackouts in the brain: New complex systems perspective on Alzheimer's Disease
• Heightened ability to imagine odors linked to higher body weight
• Seeing blood cells in action
• Weight gain through plasticisers

Intimate partner violence shows bidirectional link with maternal perinatal depression Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:11 PM PST Intimate partner violence severity has a statistically significant association with depression symptom severity among pregnant women and new mothers living in poor neighborhoods in Cape Town, South Africa, according to a cohort study.

College students whose friends text and drive more likely to do it too, study shows Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:22 AM PST Texting while driving is a significant risk factor for automobile collisions, and cell phone use while driving is especially prevalent among young people. More than half (52 percent) of a sample of 861 college students in a recent survey reported that they had texted while driving at least once in the past month. The survey also found that texting drivers were more likely to engage in other risky driving behaviors.

Discoveries on women veterans' long-term health outcomes Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:19 AM PST 13 new articles by Veterans Affairs researchers and colleagues are looking at differences in aging and mortality between veteran and non-veteran women.

Infant-friendly flu vaccine developed with key protein Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:19 AM PST Influenza causes serious illness among millions of people each year, resulting in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Those most at risk include infants younger than six months, because they cannot be vaccinated against the disease. Now, researchers have identified a naturally occurring protein that, when added to the flu vaccine, may offer protection to babies during their first months of life.

New research on inflammation and cancer Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:19 AM PST An evolutionarily conserved molecular code, present on cell surface adhesion molecules, is a critical regulator of cell motility, recent research demonstrates. For decades scientists have known that human cells must recycle their adhesion receptors to enable cell motility. However, the basis for specifically regulating this in different environmental conditions in the body has not been known. The identified code sequence explains the specificity of receptor turnover.

Young people after Obamacare: Some ER visits down, others way up Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:18 AM PST While emergency department visits for young adults ages 19 to 25 decreased slightly overall following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, visits for mental illnesses in this age group increased 'significantly,' as did diseases of the circulatory system, according to a study.

Post-term delivery raises risk of complications and illness for newborns Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:17 AM PST Post-term deliveries, even among low-risk pregnancies, are associated with increased short-term risks to newborns, including illnesses and infections. The study isolates the post-term due date as a single, influential risk factor for the first time.

Synthetic biologists use bacterial superglue for faster vaccine development Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:14 AM PST A new technique uses strong isopeptide bonds to link virus-like particles and antigens to create viral vectored vaccines with fewer errors, report scientists at the conclusion of their investigation.

Researchers advocate improvements in end-of-life care Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:00 AM PST The case is being made for policies and practices that give terminally ill patients more control over how and where they will die.

Slow heart rate does not increase risk of heart disease Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:00 AM PST Bradycardia -- a slower than normal heartbeat -- does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study. The heart usually beats between 60 and 100 times a minute in an adult at rest. But with bradycardia, the heart beats fewer than 50 times a minute. The condition can cause light-headedness, shortness of breath, fainting or chest pain due to the heart not pumping enough oxygen-rich blood through the body.

Using electrical signals to train the heart's muscle cells Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:00 AM PST Electrical stimulation of human heart muscle cells engineered from human stem cells aids their development and function, researchers have demonstrated for the first time. They used electrical signals, designed to mimic those in a developing heart, to regulate and synchronize the beating properties of nascent cardiomyocytes, the cells that support the beating function of the heart.

Real acupuncture no better than sham acupuncture for treating hot flushes: Study Posted: 19 Jan 2016 07:33 AM PST Traditional Chinese acupuncture treatments are no better than fake acupuncture for treating menopause symptoms, new research reveals. However, in a surprise finding, both the real and sham treatments showed a 40 per cent improvement in the severity and frequency of hot flushes at the end of eight weeks of treatment. The benefits were sustained at six months after treatment.

Protein 'handbrake' halts leukemia in its tracks Posted: 19 Jan 2016 07:33 AM PST Melbourne researchers have showed that they can stop leukemia in its tracks by targeting a protein that puts the handbrake on cancer cell growth.The researchers discovered that targeting a protein called Hhex could cure acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in preclinical disease models, and could be a key target for new therapies for human leukemia.

Virtual bone biopsy helps identify why people with diabetes are at risk of bone fractures Posted: 19 Jan 2016 06:33 AM PST A study using high resolution imaging to create a "virtual bone biopsy" has shed new light on why people with type 2 diabetes are at risk of bone fractures. Researchers used high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) to assess bone structure and strength at a microstructural level in living patients. The images showed that individuals with type 2 diabetes have structural defects within their bones, which could weaken them and go some way to explaining the greater rates of fracture found in older men and women with the disease.

Psoriasis patients have reduced access to efficient treatment method with age Posted: 19 Jan 2016 06:33 AM PST Age plays a huge role when it comes to patients' access to psoriasis treatment, research shows. Researchers who have examined if patients of varying ages have the same access to the most efficient psoriasis treatment, found that an age increase of 30 years resulted in an average 65 per cent reduction in likelihood of obtaining treatment with biologics.

Scientists 'artificially evolve' sleeping sickness bacterium Posted: 19 Jan 2016 06:33 AM PST Scientists are trying to artificially evolve a bacterium linked to the spread of deadly sleeping sickness, African Trypanosomiasis. They aim to better understand the genomics of Sodalis glossinidius, a bacteria which, when present in the gut, allows the Tsetse fly to become a carrier of the parasitic disease.

Immunity genes could protect some from E. coli while others fall ill Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:48 AM PST When a child comes home from preschool with a stomach bug that threatens to sideline the whole family for days, why do some members of the family get sick while others are unscathed? According to a new study, a person's resistance to certain germs, specifically E. coli bacteria, could come down to their very DNA.

Intensive exercise with intervals 'more effective' Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:45 AM PST Short bursts of intensive exercise provide a more "time-efficient" and realistic way of preventing, delaying and managing Type 2 diabetes and also losing weight, a study has found. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are linked, with over 80 per cent of people with the condition classed as overweight or obese -- diet and physical activity interventions are the cornerstones for management of both conditions.

Depression, obesity common among bipolar patients with exhausted stress system Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:42 AM PST Older bipolar patients often have decreased activity in the hormone system responsible for the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Low levels of cortisol in bipolar patients were also associated with depression, low quality of life, obesity, dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome. These discoveries could provide important clues as to how treatment strategies for depression and bipolar disorder can be improved, according to a dissertation.

Size matters: Small units on a big surface results in fewer calories Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:36 AM PST How does the size of the table we eat at influence how much we eat? This is the question that researchers posed and answered in a new study. They found that table size does have a significant impact on how people perceive the food it holds and consequently how much people eat.

A new method to improve the pre-operative diagnosis of ovarian cancer based on ultrasound Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:36 AM PST In a landmark study, investigators from Europe propose a new and simple method to assess the risk of malignancy of women with an adnexal mass. The method identified between 89-99 percent of patients with ovarian cancer using the results of ultrasound examination, which can be obtained in referral and non-referral centers. The work is based on the 'Simple Rules' criteria developed by the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis group to improve accurate diagnosis of ovarian cancer before surgery.

First study of arthropods in US homes finds huge biodiversity Posted: 19 Jan 2016 04:36 AM PST The first study to evaluate the biodiversity of arthropods in US homes finds that humans share their houses with any of more than 500 different kinds of arthropods -- at least on a short-term basis. Arthropods are invertebrate animals with exoskeletons, segmented bodies and jointed limbs, such as insects, spiders, mites and centipedes.

New gene fault behind ovarian cancer found by scientists Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:42 PM PST Women who carry an inherited fault in the gene BRIP1 are over three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without the fault, according to a new study. Around 18 women in every 1,000 develop ovarian cancer, but this risk increases to around 58 women in every 1,000 for women with a fault in the BRIP1 gene.

Important regulator of immune system decoded Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:49 PM PST Our environment teems with microorganisms and viruses that are potentially harmful. The reason why we survive their daily attacks is the ability of the immune system to neutralize these invaders in numerous ways. Plasma cells are key players in this process. They fight infections and establish long-lasting protection against pathogens.

Ending preventable stillbirths Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:49 PM PST Approximately 2.6 million babies were stillborn in 2015, or around 7200 every day globally. Falls in stillbirth rates since the year 2000 are failing to keep pace with falls in childhood and maternal mortality rates, say the authors of a new report.

Easier diagnosis for fungal infection of the lungs Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:43 PM PST A new clinical imaging method may enable doctors to tackle one of the main killers of patients with weakened immune systems sooner and more effectively.

Regular exercise critical for heart health, longevity Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:43 PM PST The majority of citizens in developed countries should not be concerned by potential harm from exercise but rather by the lack of exercise in their lives, according to a clinical perspective.

Advice for prescribing antibiotics issued Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:43 PM PST New advice has been issued for prescribing antibiotics for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTs) in adults. ARTIs, including the common cold, uncomplicated bronchitis, sore throat, and sinus infection, are the most common reason for doctor's office visits. An estimated 50 percent of antibiotic prescriptions may be unnecessary or inappropriate in the outpatient setting, which equates to over $3 billion in excess costs. Antibiotics also are responsible for the largest number of medication-related adverse events and the cause of about one in five visits to emergency departments for adverse drug reactions, say experts.

Weekend catch-up sleep can reduce diabetes risk associated with sleep loss Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:43 PM PST Two consecutive nights of extended sleep, a typical weekend occurrence, appears to counteract the increased risk of diabetes associated with short-term sleep restriction during the work week, at least in lean, healthy, young men eating a controlled diet.

Scientists demonstrate basics of nucleic acid computing inside cells Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:53 AM PST Using strands of nucleic acid, scientists have demonstrated basic computing operations inside a living mammalian cell. The research could lead to an artificial sensing system that could control a cell's behavior in response to such stimuli as the presence of toxins or the development of cancer.

Blackouts in the brain: New complex systems perspective on Alzheimer's Disease Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:51 AM PST Alzheimer's disease relentlessly targets large-scale brain networks that support the formation of new memories. However, it remains a mystery as to why the disease selectively targets memory-related brain networks and how this relates to misfolded proteins seen by pathologists at autopsy.

Heightened ability to imagine odors linked to higher body weight Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:51 AM PST The ability to vividly imagine the smell of popcorn, freshly baked cookies and even non-food odors is greater in obese adults, new research suggests. Vivid mental imagery is a key factor in stimulating and maintaining food cravings, which can be induced by the thought, smell and sight of food, say authors of a new report on the work.

Seeing blood cells in action Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:49 AM PST Biophysicists measure, for the first time, what happens when red blood cells "wriggle." The function of red blood cells (erythrocytes) is to transport oxygen in the blood of vertebrates. Up to now, scientists had only seen the reason for their constant wriggling in thermal (i.e. external) forces.

Weight gain through plasticisers Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:26 AM PST Plasticisers such as phthalates are always found in plastics. They can get into our bodies through the skin or by the diet. They affect our hormone system and are suspected of having an influence on our body weight. The exact correlations and mechanisms have been unclear thus far. Researchers have now published a study showing that the phthalate DEHP leads to weight gain and revealed the metabolic processes involved.

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