ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Zika Virus found in Colombia: Looking for ways to stop it
• Sleep apnea treatment associated with reduced readmissions for patients with heart failure
• Texting at night affects teens' sleep, academic performance
• Early puberty associated with gestational diabetes
• Cancer riddle solved: How cancer cells form tumors
• Cancer in China
• Zika virus 'a game-changer' for mosquito-borne diseases
• Anti-asthma drugs taken during pregnancy associated with autism risk
• Titan targets tumors
• Mass media coverage helps slow down disease spread in an epidemic
• Disclosure of incidental genetic findings can have positive impact for patients
• Comparison of smoking cessation therapies finds similar quit rates
• Food imported from low-GDP nations poses higher safety risks, study finds
• Scientists identify potential 'guardian' against neurodegeneration
• Being married might hurt your chances of weight loss after surgery
• Use of psychosocial treatments in conjunction with medication for opioid addiction
• Engineer models heart valves, wind turbines for better designs, performance
• Why you should never use the term 'the mentally ill'
• Alzheimer-type brain pathology after transplantation of dura mater
• New policies, educational programs help, but don't solve, problems with opioid abuse
• DNA imprinting defects associated with childhood osteosarcoma development, progression
• Incidence of psychiatric disorders has increased in a shrinking population of smokers
• Social media use in young adults linked to sleep disturbance
• Mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika virus found in Washington, D. C.
• Better access to contraception means more sex for married couples
• Community-level violence linked to teens' risky sexual behavior
• Physician assistant home visits significantly reduce hospital readmissions after heart surgery
• Virologists investigating novel applications for viruses
• 3D images reveal the body's guardian against urinary infection
• Milestone for Parkinson's research: The amyloid protein ?-synuclein has been visualised in the cell for the first time
• Epilepsy drug could protect nerves from damage in MS
• Breaking the brain's garbage disposal: Study shows even a small problem causes big effects
• Messages from the food police
• Treating depressive symptoms from their roots
• Open-source laser fabrication lowers costs for cancer research
• Health and thinking skills linked to same genes, study shows
• Study links fatty liver, heart failure in obese people
• Targeted axillary dissection of lymph nodes after chemotherapy improves staging accuracy of node-positive breast cancer
• Study solves mystery of cell powerhouse's balance of calcium
• Health goes downhill when older adults stop driving
• Billing code invalid measure to identify nurse anesthetist stand-alone practice
• Leadership: Key to quality care and retention among nurses
• Optogenetic technology uses light to trigger immunotherapy
• No more insulin injections?
• Scientists synthesize nanoparticles that can deliver tumor suppressors to damaged livers
• Toward more predictive genetic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease
• Recombinant bacterium boosts production of compound that can relieve menopause symptoms
• Extra sperm analysis could help involuntarily childless couples
• Acid-sensitive molecular changes contribute to the emergence of pandemic influenza
• New mouse-human modeling system enables study of disease development in vivo
• The aftermath of 1492: Study shows how Native American depopulation impacted ecology
• Animals with larger brains are best problem solvers, study shows

Zika Virus found in Colombia: Looking for ways to stop it Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:24 PM PST In October 2015, researchers ran the first tests confirming the presence of Zika virus transmission in the South American country. The team documents a disease trajectory that started with nine positive patients and has now spread to more than 13,000 infected individuals in that country.

Sleep apnea treatment associated with reduced readmissions for patients with heart failure Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:23 PM PST Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea may reduce six-month readmissions for patients hospitalized with heart failure, according to new research.

Texting at night affects teens' sleep, academic performance Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:22 PM PST A new study is the first of its kind to link nighttime instant messaging habits of American teenagers to sleep health and school performance. Media use among children of all ages is increasing exponentially; studies have found that children ages 8 to 18 use electronic devices approximately seven-and-a-half hours daily.

Early puberty associated with gestational diabetes Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:22 PM PST Women who began having menstrual cycles at age 11 had a 39 percent higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, new research has demonstrated. The study followed more than 27,000 women and observed that when menarche began at age 11 compared to age 14, women had a 39 percent higher risk of developing gestational diabetes. An increased risk, although lower, also occurred when menarche began at 12 and 13.

Cancer riddle solved: How cancer cells form tumors Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:22 PM PST Using real-time recording of cellular movement, biologists have discovered how tumors form. Cancer cells extend cables and grab other cells. As little as five percent cancerous cells are needed for tumor formation, they suggest, stating that their findings could lead to more precise cancer testing.

Cancer in China Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:22 PM PST There were 4.3 million new cancer cases and more than 2.8 million cancer deaths in China in 2015, with lung cancer the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in China, a new report estimates.

Zika virus 'a game-changer' for mosquito-borne diseases Posted: 26 Jan 2016 11:41 AM PST The Zika virus, unlike other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, is relatively unknown and unstudied. That is set to change since Zika, now spreading through Latin America and the Caribbean, has been associated with an alarming rise in babies born in Brazil with abnormally small heads and brain defects – a condition called microcephaly.

Anti-asthma drugs taken during pregnancy associated with autism risk Posted: 26 Jan 2016 10:08 AM PST Taking B2AR agonist asthma drugs during pregnancy appears to be associated with an increased risk that the child will develop autism, according to new research.

Titan targets tumors Posted: 26 Jan 2016 10:08 AM PST Researchers are using Titan to understand and control new methods for particle acceleration that could have big impacts on laser-driven tumor removal. Since lasers were first produced in the early 1960s, researchers have worked to apply laser technology from welding metal to surgeries, with laser technology advancing quickly through the last 50 years.

Mass media coverage helps slow down disease spread in an epidemic Posted: 26 Jan 2016 10:08 AM PST Mass media coverage about an epidemic can help slow the spread of the disease, according to a new study. Researchers say to maximize this effect media reports should focus on changing people's behavior in an epidemic.

Disclosure of incidental genetic findings can have positive impact for patients Posted: 26 Jan 2016 10:01 AM PST Providing unanticipated information about risk of coronary artery disease during a genetic risk assessment for Alzheimer's disease helped some participants cope with their results, and also motivated participants to make changes to their health behaviors, report researchers at the conclusion of a randomized controlled study.

Comparison of smoking cessation therapies finds similar quit rates Posted: 26 Jan 2016 09:52 AM PST Among adults motivated to quit smoking, 12 weeks of treatment with a nicotine patch, the drug varenicline, or combination nicotine replacement therapy produced no significant differences in confirmed rates of smoking abstinence at 26 or 52 weeks, raising questions about the current relative effectiveness of intense smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, according to a study.

Food imported from low-GDP nations poses higher safety risks, study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Food imported into the United States from countries with low GDP poses higher safety risks, suggesting the need for food safety management reforms, according to a new analysis of federal import violations data.

Scientists identify potential 'guardian' against neurodegeneration Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Stopping disruptions in cellular "trash removal" brought on by errors in molecular marks on DNA may guard against neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's.

Being married might hurt your chances of weight loss after surgery Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:21 AM PST Spouses ideally could play a key role in helping patients lose pounds and keep them off after weight-loss surgery, but being married might actually work against patients, researchers have found. The researchers concluded that the impact of weight-loss surgery extends to his or her romantic relationships and likely to the entire family.

Use of psychosocial treatments in conjunction with medication for opioid addiction Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:19 AM PST Psychosocial interventions, used together with effective medications, are a key part of recommended treatment for opioid addiction. But while research generally supports the effectiveness of psychosocial treatments, there are major gaps in the evidence on their use in conjunction with medications, according to a review.

Engineer models heart valves, wind turbines for better designs, performance Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:19 AM PST Computer modeling technologies are being developed to help engineers design better machines. The models are being applied to wind turbines, artificial hearts and gas turbines.

Why you should never use the term 'the mentally ill' Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:19 AM PST Even subtle differences in how you refer to people with mental illness can affect levels of tolerance, a new study has found. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that participants showed less tolerance toward people who were referred to as "the mentally ill" when compared to those referred to as "people with mental illness."

Alzheimer-type brain pathology after transplantation of dura mater Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:15 AM PST Up to now Alzheimer's disease has not been recognized as transmissible. Now researchers have demonstrated Alzheimer-type pathology in brains of recipients of dura mater grafts who died later from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

New policies, educational programs help, but don't solve, problems with opioid abuse Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:14 AM PST Medical provider training, new clinic policies and efforts to 'taper' opioid use for pain treatment could significantly reduce the level of opioid medication that patients used -- a limited but positive step for a nation enmeshed in opioid use, abuse and overdose deaths.

DNA imprinting defects associated with childhood osteosarcoma development, progression Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:14 AM PST Children diagnosed with osteosarcoma may be impacted by a DNA imprinting defect also found in parents, according to new research. DNA imprinting is a phenomenon in which just one of the two inherited genes is active while the other is present but inactive.

Incidence of psychiatric disorders has increased in a shrinking population of smokers Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:08 AM PST While cigarette smoking rates have declined among younger people in the United States, those who do smoke are more likely to have a psychiatric or substance use disorder compared with those who began smoking in earlier decades, new research indicates.

Social media use in young adults linked to sleep disturbance Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:07 AM PST Young adults who spend a lot of time on social media during the day or check it frequently throughout the week are more likely to suffer sleep disturbance than their peers who use social media less, according to new research.

Mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika virus found in Washington, D. C. Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:15 AM PST Researchers have reported the discovery of a major population of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, the species capable of carrying tropical diseases such as Zika virus, dengue fever and chikungunya, in a Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington, D.C. To add insult to injury, the team identified genetic evidence that these mosquitoes have overwintered for at least the past four years, meaning they are adapting for persistence in a northern climate well out of their normal range.

Better access to contraception means more sex for married couples Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:14 AM PST Married couples in low- and middle-income countries around the world that use contraception are having more frequent sexual intercourse than those that do not, new research suggests.

Community-level violence linked to teens' risky sexual behavior Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:14 AM PST Teens' experiences with violence -- either through fear of violence, observing violent events, or being victims of violence themselves -- are associated with how likely they are to have sex and use condoms, new research suggests.

Physician assistant home visits significantly reduce hospital readmissions after heart surgery Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:14 AM PST Two home visits by a physician's assistant (PA) during the week after hospital discharge significantly reduces the chance that a heart surgery patient will be readmitted, and reduces overall costs associated with the heart surgery, a new study demonstrates.

Virologists investigating novel applications for viruses Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:01 AM PST Viruses can be classified in a completely new way based on viral structures, new research suggests. A better understanding of how viruses work can help open up new applications for viruses in the field of synthetic biology, for instance.

3D images reveal the body's guardian against urinary infection Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:00 AM PST Researchers have obtained the first 3D structure of uromodulin, the building block of the unique safety net that constantly protects our urinary tract against bacterial infections. Uromodulin also plays a part in certain chronic diseases of the kidney. By analyzing the structure of uromodulin, the researchers that they can better understand the mutations that cause these kidney diseases.

Milestone for Parkinson's research: The amyloid protein ?-synuclein has been visualised in the cell for the first time Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:00 AM PST The protein ?-synuclein plays an important role in Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although a considerable amount is known about the structure of the protein within the Parkinson's-typical amyloid deposits, nothing was known about its original state in the healthy cell up to now. Scientists have now for the first time visualized the protein in healthy cells with the help of high resolution spectroscopic procedures. Surprisingly, they discovered an unstructured state.

Epilepsy drug could protect nerves from damage in MS Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:58 AM PST An epilepsy drug could lead to a new treatment that protects nerve damage in MS patients, according to research. Scientists have found that the anti-convulsant drug phenytoin protected neural tissue in patients with optic neuritis. Optic neuritis is a symptom of MS which causes the nerves carrying information between the eye to the brain to become inflamed and damaged.

Breaking the brain's garbage disposal: Study shows even a small problem causes big effects Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST You wouldn't think that two Turkish children, some yeast and a bunch of Hungarian fruit flies could teach scientists much. But in fact, that unlikely combination has just helped an international team make a key discovery about how the brain's 'garbage disposal' process works -- and how little needs to go wrong in order for it to break down.

Messages from the food police Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST We have all seen messages from the 'food police' telling us that sugary snacks are bad. But is it possible that seeing these messages actually make us more likely to eat sugary snacks? Researchers find that these messages backfire among dieters. Dieters ate 39 percent more cookies after seeing a 'food police' style message that says, 'All sugary snacks are bad" than those who saw a positive message.'

Treating depressive symptoms from their roots Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST A wide range of compounds is on the market to ameliorate depressive symptoms, however their efficiency is achieved only after long periods of treatment and not in 100 percent of patients. Researchers identified early cellular changes in the brain for the emergence of depressive symptoms, and a novel promising drug target.

Open-source laser fabrication lowers costs for cancer research Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST In a move that slashes 90 percent of the cost of mass-producing metastatic microtumors and therapeutic microtissues for screening and research, bioengineers have adapted techniques from the open-source 'maker' movement to reprogram a commercial laser cutter to etch up to 50,000 tiny 'microwells' per hour into sheets of silicone.

Health and thinking skills linked to same genes, study shows Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST Genes that influence people's health also shape how effectively they think, a study shows. Scientists found that genes associated with diseases including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and autism also have an impact on some cognitive functions.

Study links fatty liver, heart failure in obese people Posted: 26 Jan 2016 05:57 AM PST Fatty liver is independently associated with subclinical heart failure in obese people, according to a new study. The findings add more support to the importance of dietary interventions in such patients, researchers said.

Targeted axillary dissection of lymph nodes after chemotherapy improves staging accuracy of node-positive breast cancer Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:51 PM PST A new procedure improves the accuracy of axillary staging and pathologic evaluation in clinically node-positive breast cancer, and reduces the need for a more invasive procedure with debilitating complications.

Study solves mystery of cell powerhouse's balance of calcium Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:48 PM PST A decades-long mystery of how the cell's powerhouse, and its energy currency of calcium ion flow, is maintained under different physiological conditions has been solved. The team identified a novel regulatory mechanism that governs levels of calcium inside cells. Without this physiological mechanism, calcium levels can increase uncontrollably, contributing to a variety of neurodegenerative, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases.

Health goes downhill when older adults stop driving Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:45 PM PST While 81 percent of the 29.5 million older U.S. adults continue to hold a license and get behind the wheel, age-related declines in cognition and physical function make driving more difficult, and many seniors eventually stop driving altogether. Researchers examined the health of older adults after they stopped driving and found that driving cessation nearly doubled the risk of depressive symptoms, while also contributing to diminished cognitive abilities and physical functioning.

Billing code invalid measure to identify nurse anesthetist stand-alone practice Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:45 PM PST Nurse anesthetists often receive guidance from physician anesthesiologists, yet bill their time as if they are making decisions alone, according to a recent study of more than 9,000 cases.

Leadership: Key to quality care and retention among nurses Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:44 PM PST Nurses faced with abusive managers are more likely to quit. But a recent study finds that the opposite is also true -- transformational leadership -- a style of management in which employees are encouraged to work towards a collective goal within a supportive milieu, is linked to nurses' well-being, and has positive impacts upon job retention.

Optogenetic technology uses light to trigger immunotherapy Posted: 25 Jan 2016 03:44 PM PST A new optogenetic technology, called optogenetic immunomodulation, is capable of turning on immune cells to attack melanoma tumors in mice. Using near-infrared light, researchers have shown they can selectively activate an immune response by controlling the flow of calcium ions into the cell.

No more insulin injections? Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:11 PM PST In patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas, eventually leaving patients without the ability to naturally control blood sugar. These patients must carefully monitor the amount of sugar in their blood, measuring it several times a day and then injecting themselves with insulin to keep their blood sugar levels within a healthy range, which is a challenge for many reasons. Now researchers report that encapsulated pancreatic cells offer possible new diabetes treatment.

Scientists synthesize nanoparticles that can deliver tumor suppressors to damaged livers Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:03 PM PST Chemists have successfully used synthetic nanoparticles to deliver tumor-suppressing therapies to diseased livers with cancer, an important hurdle scientists have been struggling to conquer.

Toward more predictive genetic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:03 PM PST Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disease that leads to cognitive decline, dementia and ultimately death, mostly in the elderly. It's already a huge health burden, and it's getting worse as the population ages. Experts estimate that by 2050, one in 85 people around the globe—more than 100 million total—will be afflicted.

Recombinant bacterium boosts production of compound that can relieve menopause symptoms Posted: 25 Jan 2016 01:03 PM PST A soy isoflavone derivative that goes by the scientific moniker, (S)-equol, has proven potent for mitigating menopausal symptoms. However, it has been impossible to produce in quantities sufficient for widespread commercial nutraceutical production. But now, a team of researchers reports having constructed a recombinant bacterium which they say can boost production.

Extra sperm analysis could help involuntarily childless couples Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:59 PM PST A simple analysis of chromosomal breaks in sperms can help guide choice of fertility treatment and, thereby, increase chances of successful assisted reproduction for involuntary childless couples, new research shows.

Acid-sensitive molecular changes contribute to the emergence of pandemic influenza Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:57 PM PST Scientists have linked increased resistance of hemagglutinin protein to acidic pH with emergence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu virus; the finding may help spot future pandemic viruses.

New mouse-human modeling system enables study of disease development in vivo Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:57 PM PST A new mouse-human modeling system has been created that could be used to study neural crest development as well as the modeling of a variety of neural crest related diseases, including such cancers as melanoma and neurofibromatosis. Mouse-human chimeras would fill an important gap in disease research, as existing models do not accurately mimic key disease processes, including solid tumor initiation and progression, and are of little value for studying diseases with long latencies, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

The aftermath of 1492: Study shows how Native American depopulation impacted ecology Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:57 PM PST Among the Pueblo Indians of northern New Mexico, disease didn't break out until nearly a century after their first contact with Europeans, following the establishment of mission churches in the seventeenth century, a team of researchers has shown. The depopulation was so extreme it led to changes in forest fires in the region, they say.

Animals with larger brains are best problem solvers, study shows Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:57 PM PST Despite decades of research, the idea that relative brain size predicts cognitive abilities remains highly controversial, because there is still little experimental evidence to support it. However, a new paper describes a massive experiment that supports the theory.

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