ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Novel portable diagnostic tool pairs optical and gamma imaging
• CT-based calculations improve accuracy of PET for cancer patients
• Childhood abuse, parental death and divorce are linked to adult insomnia symptoms
• Alcohol dependent individuals show greater risk of suicide in evening hours
• Young African-American adults are less susceptible to delirium in ICU than Caucasians
• Zika's potential threat to world blood supply deserves study and action
• Sleepiness and fatigue linked to brain atrophy in cognitively normal elderly
• Pituitary tissue grown from human stem cells releases hormones in rats
• Bone hormone boosts muscle performance during exercise but declines with age
• Fighting virtual reality sickness
• Regenerating memory with neural stem cells
• What do my cravings say about my health?
• Engineers develop a new biosensor chip for detecting DNA mutations
• 'Traffic-light' and numeric calorie labels cut calorie consumption by 10 percent
• New study explains how very aggressive cancer cells use energy to divide, move
• Origin of a myth: The second trauma cure for amnesia
• Blood pressure medications reduce stroke, heart attack in peritoneal dialysis patients
• Study compares effectiveness of weight-loss drugs
• Migraine as a risk marker for stroke, heart attack
• As Olympics near, study finds low levels of physical activity in Brazil
• Antibiotics against severe salmonella infections in Africa increasingly ineffective
• Nighttime sleep-aid helps people experiencing occasional sleeplessness, study suggests
• Study enables first-time analysis of earliest stage of HIV infection
• Virus uses 'stolen' CRISPR to hack its host's immune system
• Study asks, how much impact do genes have on behavior?
• Electronic bacteria sensor is potential future tool for medicine and food safety
• Overcome strength-training plateau with accentuated eccentric loading
• Chill coffee beans for a more flavorsome brew, say scientists
• How environmental pollutant dioxin alters brain development in mice
• How to diagnose systemic infections much more quickly, reliably
• Empathy for others' pain rooted in cognition rather than sensation
• Sleep hormone helps breast cancer drug kill more cancer cells
• Heart drug could reduce diabetes related blindness, researchers discover
• In the fight to control glucose levels, this control algorithm comes out on top
• PET points to tau protein as leading culprit in Alzheimer's
• Middle-aged more likely to be diagnosed with advanced lung cancer
• Researchers discover new therapeutic approach for cardiorenal syndrome type 2
• Starving cancer cells by blocking their metabolism
• Drug treatment of hyperactivity in kids may have levelled off in UK
• Revised UK 'Eatwell Guide' promotes industry wealth not public health, argues expert
• Diabetes drug lowers risk of cardiovascular complications, kidney disease
• New plant engineering method could help fill demand for crucial malaria drug
• Adolescent alcohol, marijuana use leads to poor academic performance, health problems
• Breast is best for premature babies' hearts, study confirms
• 15 minutes daily exercise may be reasonable target in older adults
• Crash study aims to make roads safer
• Nanosubs gain better fluorescent properties for tracking
• New discovery may improve future mosquito control
• Physical activity builds stronger bones, even in children with genetic risk
• Culture crash: How common pediatric diseases affect the healthy intestinal microbiome

Novel portable diagnostic tool pairs optical and gamma imaging Posted: 14 Jun 2016 06:44 PM PDT Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to a new and surprisingly portable molecular imaging system that combines optical imaging at the surface level and scintigraphy, which captures the physiological function of what lies beneath.

CT-based calculations improve accuracy of PET for cancer patients Posted: 14 Jun 2016 06:44 PM PDT Cancer patients often experience significant fluctuations in weight and lean body mass (LBM). Neglecting to account for these changes can prevent clinicians from obtaining precise data from molecular imaging, but a new method of measuring LBM takes changes in individual body composition into account for better staging of disease and therapy monitoring.

Childhood abuse, parental death and divorce are linked to adult insomnia symptoms Posted: 14 Jun 2016 12:59 PM PDT Child abuse, parental divorce and parental death, where shown to be associated with higher rates of adult insomnia. Mild insomnia was uniquely predicted by childhood abuse and divorce, and moderate-severe insomnia was uniquely predicated by childhood abuse and parental death.

Alcohol dependent individuals show greater risk of suicide in evening hours Posted: 14 Jun 2016 11:21 AM PDT A new study found that there is a circadian pattern of peak and nadir in the incidence of suicides committed in alcohol dependent individuals.

Young African-American adults are less susceptible to delirium in ICU than Caucasians Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT African-American ICU patients age 18 to 50 are less susceptible to delirium than similarly aged Caucasians or than either African-American or Caucasian ICU patients age 50 or older, the first study to evaluate the relationship between race and intensive care unit delirium has found.

Zika's potential threat to world blood supply deserves study and action Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT Blood safety researchers say it is highly likely that the mosquito-borne Zika virus can be transmitted through blood transfusions and are calling for an evidence-based approach to protecting the blood supply from the threat of Zika virus according to experts. The researchers say among several possible steps that could be taken to mitigate safety concerns: deferring blood donors who have symptoms of the infection, developing better blood screening tests, and finding ways to reduce the pathogen.

Sleepiness and fatigue linked to brain atrophy in cognitively normal elderly Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT A new study found that normal older adults who experience excessive sleepiness during the day or significant fatigue may have more brain atrophy than expected for their age, particularly in areas of the brain that are more susceptible to aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Pituitary tissue grown from human stem cells releases hormones in rats Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT Researchers have successfully used human stem cells to generate functional pituitary tissue that secretes hormones important for the body's stress response as well as for its growth and reproductive functions. When transplanted into rats with hypopituitarism -- a disease linked to dwarfism and premature aging in humans -- the lab-grown pituitary cells promoted normal hormone release.

Bone hormone boosts muscle performance during exercise but declines with age Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT When we exercise, our bones produce a hormone called osteocalcin that increases muscle performance, according to a new study. Osteocalcin naturally declines in humans as we age, beginning in women at age 30 and in men at age 50. This study describes the first bone-derived hormone known to affect exercise capacity and shows that osteocalcin injections can reverse the age-related exercise capacity decline in mice.

Fighting virtual reality sickness Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:19 AM PDT Engineers have developed a way to combat virtual reality sickness that can be applied to consumer head-worn VR displays, such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR, and Google Cardboard. Their approach dynamically, yet subtly, changes the user's field of view (FOV) in response to visually perceived motion, as the user virtually traverses an environment while remaining physically stationary, and significantly reduces VR sickness.

Regenerating memory with neural stem cells Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:19 AM PDT Although brains -- even adult brains -- are far more malleable than we used to think, they are eventually subject to age-related illnesses, like dementia, and loss of cognitive function. Someday, though, we may actually be able to replace brain cells and restore memory.

What do my cravings say about my health? Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:18 AM PDT After a stressful day, it's almost second nature to laze on the couch and drown our sorrows in a bowl of ice-cream or potato chips. Soon, we glance down and realize we've managed to consume the entire pint or bag. So, what makes these foods so irresistible -- causing us to mindlessly indulge?

Engineers develop a new biosensor chip for detecting DNA mutations Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:15 AM PDT An electrical graphene chip capable of detecting mutations in DNA has been developed by engineers. The researchers say the technology could one day be used in various medical applications such as blood-based tests for early cancer screening, monitoring disease biomarkers and real-time detection of viral and microbial sequences.

'Traffic-light' and numeric calorie labels cut calorie consumption by 10 percent Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:15 AM PDT When researchers added color-coded or numeric calorie labels to online food ordering systems, the total calories ordered was reduced by about 10 percent when compared to menus featuring no calorie information at all. The study is the first to evaluate the effect of 'traffic-light' calorie labeling in the increasingly common setting of ordering meals online.

New study explains how very aggressive cancer cells use energy to divide, move Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:15 AM PDT A new study explains how cancer cells use energy to fuel this switch between motion and proliferation. The researchers identified for the first time a connection between a cancer gene that controls motility and how cancer cells metabolize energy to move and divide so quickly.

Origin of a myth: The second trauma cure for amnesia Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:13 AM PDT A professor explains how scientists' limited and faulty understanding of the brain hundreds of years ago gave birth to the erroneous idea that amnesia induced by a blow to the head can be cured by a second 'conk.'

Blood pressure medications reduce stroke, heart attack in peritoneal dialysis patients Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:13 AM PDT Two classes of blood pressure medications are associated with a 16 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events in patients who are undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Study compares effectiveness of weight-loss drugs Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:12 AM PDT In an analysis that included nearly 30,000 overweight or obese adults, compared with placebo, orlistat, lorcaserin, naltrexone-bupropion, phentermine-topiramate, and liraglutide were each associated with achieving at least 5 percent weight loss at 52 weeks, and phentermine-topiramate and liraglutide were associated with the highest odds of achieving at least 5 percent weight loss, according to a study.

Migraine as a risk marker for stroke, heart attack Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:44 AM PDT A team of researchers has now been able to establish the following: female migraine patients have a higher risk of stroke or heart attacks than women without migraine. Their findings are based on an analysis of data collected as part of the US-based Nurses' Health Study II.

As Olympics near, study finds low levels of physical activity in Brazil Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:44 AM PDT Physical activity provides Brazilians with significant cardio-metabolic health benefits, but reports that fewer than three in 10 participants are active, a large study confirms.

Antibiotics against severe salmonella infections in Africa increasingly ineffective Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:44 AM PDT Salmonella infections in the bloodstream, caused by Salmonella enterica bacteria, are still the cause of many deaths in southern regions and Southeast Asia. Children between the age of two and five years are particularly affected. Treating these infections could become a growing problem owing to increasing antibiotic resistance. Scientists have now confirmed that even the newer generations of antibiotics are becoming less and less effective.

Nighttime sleep-aid helps people experiencing occasional sleeplessness, study suggests Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:40 AM PDT New research shows that an over-the-counter sleep aid helps people suffering from occasional sleep difficulties fall asleep in less than 20 minutes, on average, and improves their reported quality of sleep. The first-of-its-kind study characterizes the sleep benefits of diphenhydramine HCI (DPH), marketed for decades as a sleep-aid.

Study enables first-time analysis of earliest stage of HIV infection Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:40 AM PDT The first days after HIV infection are very important because sexual partners are exposed to extremely high risks of infection due to the subsequent high viral load in the infected person. Additionally, this period of time determines the further course of HIV infection. Scientists in Tanzania participated in a prospective, multinational study which investigated virological and immunological changes due to HIV.

Virus uses 'stolen' CRISPR to hack its host's immune system Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:40 AM PDT Microbiologists have discovered that the Cyanophage N1 virus carries a DNA sequence -- a CRISPR -- that is generally used by bacteria to fight off viral infection. The virus appears to use the stolen bits of immune system DNA to highjack their hosts' immune response.

Study asks, how much impact do genes have on behavior? Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:52 AM PDT How much impact do genes have on behavioral changes? One researcher wants to better understand the genetic underpinnings of ecologically relevant behaviors.

Electronic bacteria sensor is potential future tool for medicine and food safety Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:03 AM PDT A new type of electronic sensor that might be used to quickly detect and classify bacteria for medical diagnostics and food safety has passed a key hurdle by distinguishing between dead and living bacteria cells.

Overcome strength-training plateau with accentuated eccentric loading Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:03 AM PDT Many experienced strength trainers try to overcome a plateau by trying to adapt their strength program, however this is sometimes ineffective. In just five weeks accentuated eccentric loading training considerably improved results for experienced strength-trainers, a study recently found.

Chill coffee beans for a more flavorsome brew, say scientists Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:02 AM PDT Scientists say brewing more flavorsome coffee could be as simple as chilling the beans before grinding. Chilling roasted beans before grinding resulted in narrower distribution of small particles, which during the brewing process allows access to more flavor from the same amount of coffee.

How environmental pollutant dioxin alters brain development in mice Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have unveiled key processes involved in the toxicity of dioxin, an environmental pollutant that has been linked to impaired brain development. In the body, dioxin forms a complex with the protein AhR, which leads to disruption of normal brain development. Further studies on the topic will deepen understanding of the mechanism of environmental-pollutant-related toxicity.

How to diagnose systemic infections much more quickly, reliably Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:02 AM PDT A rapid and specific diagnostic assay has been developed to detect infectious pathogenic material that could help physicians decide within an hour whether a patient has a systemic infection and should be hospitalized for aggressive intervention therapy.

Empathy for others' pain rooted in cognition rather than sensation Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:02 AM PDT The ability to understand and empathize with others' pain is grounded in cognitive neural processes rather than sensory ones, according to the results of a new study.

Sleep hormone helps breast cancer drug kill more cancer cells Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:42 AM PDT Tiny bubbles filled with the sleep hormone melatonin can make breast cancer treatment more effective, which means people need a lower dose, giving them less severe side effects. In a new study, researchers show that the bubbles, called nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), made tamoxifen stronger and help it kill cancer cells.

Heart drug could reduce diabetes related blindness, researchers discover Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:38 AM PDT A drug, originally developed to treat cardiovascular disease, has the potential to reduce diabetes related blindness, researchers have discovered. According to recent WHO global estimates, 422 million people have diabetes, and one of the most common complications of this disease is vision loss.

In the fight to control glucose levels, this control algorithm comes out on top Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:38 AM PDT The so-called artificial pancreas — an automated insulin delivery system for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus — uses an advanced control algorithm to regulate how much insulin a pump should deliver and when. Regulating glucose is challenging because levels respond to a wide-array of variables, including food, physical activity, sleep, stress, hormones, metabolism and more.

PET points to tau protein as leading culprit in Alzheimer's Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:34 AM PDT Alzheimer's is a devastating and incurable disease marked by beta-amyloid and tau protein aggregations in the brain, yet the direct relationship between these proteins and neurodegeneration has remained a mystery. New molecular imaging research is revealing how tau, rather than amyloid-deposition, may be more directly instigating neuronal dysfunction.

Middle-aged more likely to be diagnosed with advanced lung cancer Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT Younger patients aged 50 to 64 are more likely to be diagnosed with late stage lung cancer than older patients according to new data.

Researchers discover new therapeutic approach for cardiorenal syndrome type 2 Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT A study suggests a new therapeutic approach to treat the development of chronic kidney disease secondary to chronic heart failure, known as cardiorenal syndrome type 2. Researchers suggest inhibiting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) could prevent renal damage in cardiorenal syndrome type 2 (CRS2), and could also prevent acute kidney injury (AKI).

Starving cancer cells by blocking their metabolism Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT Scientists have found a way to starve liver cancer cells by blocking a protein that is required for glutamine breakdown -- while leaving normal cells intact. The discovery opens new ways to treat liver cancer.

Drug treatment of hyperactivity in kids may have levelled off in UK Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT The tendency to treat childhood hyperactivity (ADHD) with drugs may have reached a plateau in the UK, following a steep rise in the number of prescriptions for these medicines over the past 20 years, reveals research.

Revised UK 'Eatwell Guide' promotes industry wealth not public health, argues expert Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT The revised UK 'Eatwell Guide,' which visually represents the government's recommendations on food groups for a 'healthy, balanced diet,' is not evidence based, and has been formulated by too many people with industry ties, insists a dietary expert in a new editorial.

Diabetes drug lowers risk of cardiovascular complications, kidney disease Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:33 AM PDT The glucose-lowering drug liraglutide safely and effectively decreases the overall risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death, kidney disease, and death from all causes for people with type 2 diabetes, according to data from the large, multinational LEADER clinical trial.

New plant engineering method could help fill demand for crucial malaria drug Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:31 AM PDT A new and inexpensive technique for mass-producing the main ingredient in the most effective treatment for malaria, artemisinin, could help meet global demands for the drug, according to a new study.

Adolescent alcohol, marijuana use leads to poor academic performance, health problems Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:31 AM PDT Adolescents who use both marijuana and alcohol during middle school and high school are more likely to have poor academic performance and mental health during high school, according to a new study that followed a group of students over a seven-year period. However, the study found marijuana use was predictive of poorer functioning across more areas, including lower academic functioning, being less prepared for school, more delinquent behavior and poorer mental health.

Breast is best for premature babies' hearts, study confirms Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:31 AM PDT Breastfeeding premature babies improves long-term heart structure and function, an new study has found. And in those fed a combination of breastmilk and formula, the more breastmilk consumed in the diet as babies the better their heart structure and function as adults.

15 minutes daily exercise may be reasonable target in older adults Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:31 AM PDT Fifteen minutes of daily exercise is associated with a 22 percent lower risk of death and may be a reasonable target for older adults, reveals new research.

Crash study aims to make roads safer Posted: 13 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes are on the rise in Wisconsin, where an urban planning professor has created a list of policy recommendations and urban design solutions to make the state's roads safer.

Nanosubs gain better fluorescent properties for tracking Posted: 13 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT Single-molecule nanosubmersibles get enhanced fluorescence for better tracking, report scientists. The vehicles are being developed to carry drugs and other cargo through a solution.

New discovery may improve future mosquito control Posted: 13 Jun 2016 11:44 AM PDT Major rainfall across most of Texas triggering hordes of mosquitoes coupled with seemingly constant mosquito-related Zika virus media reports from around the globe may have set the stage perfectly for what one researcher deems as a very significant discovery in our war against Earth's leading human disease carrier.

Physical activity builds stronger bones, even in children with genetic risk Posted: 13 Jun 2016 11:43 AM PDT Exercise, particularly high-impact activity, builds stronger bones in children, even for those who carry genetic variants that predispose them to bone weakness, according to new research. The scientists say their findings underscore that genetics does not necessarily equate to destiny, and reinforce the importance of physical activity as a key factor to improve the bone health of children in the present and into later life.

Culture crash: How common pediatric diseases affect the healthy intestinal microbiome Posted: 13 Jun 2016 11:43 AM PDT A large number of young patients require surgery for various intestinal diseases. Since the intestinal microbiome is an important regulator of gut health and immune function, researchers investigated how surgical treatment of certain pediatric intestinal diseases have a long-term impact on intestinal flora.

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