الأربعاء، 29 يونيو 2016

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

New way out: Researchers show how stem cells exit bloodstream

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 03:25 PM PDT

Therapeutic stem cells exit the bloodstream in a different manner than was previously thought, new research shows. This process, dubbed angiopellosis by the researchers, has implications for improving our understanding of not only intravenous stem cell therapies, but also metastatic cancers.

A lesson from fruit flies: Possible first therapy for an uncommon childhood disease

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 03:25 PM PDT

Extending what they learned from flies to mice, researchers discover a possible first therapy for an uncommon childhood disease. Mucolipidosis IV (MLIV) is a devastating early childhood neurological disease characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, leading to severe impairments in muscle coordination, cognitive deficits and retinal degeneration that causes blindness.

See and sort: Developing novel techniques to visualize uncultured microbial cell activity

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:15 AM PDT

Researchers used a recently refined technique to identify both individual active cells, and single clusters of active bacteria and archaea within microbial communities. Scientists are interested in learning how the planet's microbial dark matter can be harnessed for energy and environmental challenges.

Biologists explain function of Pentagone

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:12 AM PDT

How do the cells in a human embryo know where they are located in the body and how they should develop? Why do certain cells form a finger while others do not? Biologists have explained the mechanisms that control these steps by showing why veins form at particular points in the wing of a fruit fly. The protein Pentagone spreads a particular signal in the wing that tells the cells how to behave.

Non-healing tissue from diabetic foot ulcers reprogrammed as pluripotent stem cells

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:12 AM PDT

Researchers have established for the first time that skin cells from diabetic foot ulcers can be reprogrammed to acquire properties of embryonic-like cells.

'Bugs' on the subway: Monitoring the microbial environment to improve public health

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:12 AM PDT

The trillions of microbes that transfer from people to surfaces could provide an early warning system for the emergence of public health threats such as a flu outbreak or a rise in antibiotic resistance, according to a new study.

Boston subway system covered in microbes, but they're not harmful

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:12 AM PDT

Boston's subway system, known as the T, might be just as bacteria-laden as you'd expect but organisms found there are largely from normal human skin and incapable of causing disease, according to a study published June 28 in mSystems, an open access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Mutant enzyme study aids in understanding of sirtuin's functions

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:11 AM PDT

The enzyme sirtuin 6, or SIRT6, serves many key biological functions in regulating genome stability, DNA repair, metabolism and longevity, but how its multiple enzyme activities relate to its various functions is poorly understood. A team of researchers has devised a method for isolating one specific enzyme activity to determine its contribution and lead to better overall understanding of SIRT6.

Doing the math on Zika and sex

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:11 AM PDT

A math professor has developed a scientific model to address the various ways the Zika virus proliferates. The study reveals that mosquito control should remain the most important mitigation method to control the virus. However, the study reveals that Zika is a complicated virus and sexual transmission increases the risk of infection and prolongs the outbreak.

Lab-tested diagnosis needed when treating patients with persistent diarrhea

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:28 AM PDT

Persistent diarrhea, which is diarrhea that lasts at least 14 days, is an illness typically caused by parasites or bacteria and requires accurate diagnosis in order to determine what treatment to give, according a new report.

New preclinical study indicates vaccine to prevent Zika infection in humans is feasible

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:27 AM PDT

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and collaborators at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have completed a promising preclinical study of two Zika vaccine candidates that suggests that an effective human vaccine will be achievable. Findings from the study were published today in the journal Nature.

Latest research on physical therapy in ICU setting a 'surprising reversal'

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:27 AM PDT

In a surprising about-face, researchers have determined that a protocol providing physical therapy to ICU patients with acute respiratory failure did not shorten hospital length of stay. The study, which is the largest to-date on this topic, reversed the findings from earlier pilot studies.

Antidepressant does not reduce hospitalization, death for HF patients with depression

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:26 AM PDT

Investigators have examined whether 24 months of treatment with the antidepressant escitalopram would improve mortality, illness, and mood in patients with chronic heart failure and depression.

Monkey study shows Zika infection prolonged in pregnancy

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT

Researchers studying monkeys have shown that one infection with Zika virus protects against future infection, though pregnancy may drastically prolong the time the virus stays in the body.

New technology could deliver drugs to brain injuries

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT

A new study describes a technology that could lead to new therapeutics for traumatic brain injuries. The discovery provides a means of homing drugs or nanoparticles to injured areas of the brain.

Insights into neurons that cause symptoms of Rett syndrome could guide new therapy search

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:46 AM PDT

Two studies in mice reveal new insights into neurons that mediate symptoms typical of the postnatal neurological disorder Rett syndrome.

Shape-changing enzyme suggests how small doses of anti-HIV drug might treat Alzheimer's

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:46 AM PDT

An approved anti-HIV drug latches to the enzyme already responsible for about 80 percent of the cholesterol elimination from the human brain, report scientists. Obtained with a cutting-edge atom-substitution technology called hydrogen-deuterium exchange, the molecular roadmap shows how small amounts of the drug can kick the enzyme, called CYP46A1, into higher gear.

Compounds in parsley and dill help fight cancer, research shows

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:46 AM PDT

A team of Russian scientists has proposed an efficient approach to novel agents with anticancer activity. A synthesis of these agents is based on compounds extracted from parsley and dill seeds.

New method to grow and transplant muscle stem cells holds promise for treatment of muscular dystrophy

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:43 AM PDT

Satellite cells are stem cells found in skeletal muscles. While transplantation of such muscle stem cells can be a potent therapy for degenerative muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, these cells tend to lose their transplantation efficiency when cultured in vitro. Researchers treated these stem cells with leukemia inhibitory factor, which effectively maintained the undifferentiated state of the satellite cells and enhanced their transplantation efficiency.

Liquid biopsy biomarkers identify prostate cancer before surgery

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:43 AM PDT

Prostate cancer researchers have discovered biomarkers using non-invasive liquid biopsies to identify aggressive disease before surgery.

Researchers find human development's first gear

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:43 AM PDT

Researchers are closer to solving a decade-old mystery after discovering that a set of genes they are studying play a key role in early human development.

Fish oil during pregnancy offers no protection for children against obesity

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:43 AM PDT

Across the world, many schoolchildren under 10 are overweight. In the search for the cause of this phenomenon, fetal programming was put under scrutiny in new research. That the mother's diet might have some influence could not be confirmed in a long-term study: administering a special diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids to pregnant women neither resulted in children being slimmer nor fatter than their counterparts from the control group whose mothers ate a normal diet.

Researchers identify possible link between the environment and puberty

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:41 AM PDT

A possible epigenetic link between the environment and pubertal timing has been discovered by researchers. To a large extent, pubertal timing is heritable, but the underlying genetic causes are still unexplained. Researchers have now studied how chemical modifications of the human genome (so-called epigenetic modifications) change when girls and boys enter puberty. The results indicate that such epigenetic changes are involved in defining the onset of puberty.

Gene signature in ovarian cancer predicts survival and offers new drug target

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:37 AM PDT

A new study has identified a gene signature that predicts poor survival from ovarian cancer. The study also identified genes which help the cancer develop resistance to chemotherapy -- offering a new route to help tackle the disease.

One giant leap for the future of safe drug delivery

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:37 AM PDT

By using an innovative 3-D inkjet printing method, researchers have taken the biggest step yet in producing microscopic silk swimming devices that are biodegradable and harmless to a biological system.

Next flu pandemic could double past cost estimates

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:03 AM PDT

Policy makers' and public health officials' proper reactions could hold down the total costs to U.S. GDP of an influenza outbreak. Otherwise, costs could be nearly double previous estimates, say experts in a new report.

Study uses diverse sample to examine childhood weight's link to age of first substance use

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:02 AM PDT

Girls who were overweight as children are likely to begin using cigarettes, marijuana or alcohol at an earlier age than their healthy-weight peers, according to a new study.

Early screening spots emergency workers at greater risk of mental illness

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:41 AM PDT

Emergency services workers who are more likely to suffer episodes of mental ill health later in their careers can be spotted in the first week of training. Researchers wanted to see if they could identify risk factors that made people more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress (PTSD) or major depression (MD) when working in emergency services.

Novel lipid lowering medication improves blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:41 AM PDT

Volanesorsen, an experimental lipid-lowering medication, improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control by significantly decreasing patients' overall hemoglobin A1c -- the standard clinical measurement of blood glucose levels for diabetics -- in a new study.

Five new confirmed microcephaly cases in Colombia may be harbingers of epidemic

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 06:30 AM PDT

Just when it seemed that missing cases of microcephaly in Colombia were straining the credibility of the Zika virus' connection to the birth defects, the latest report from Colombia includes five new cases of microcephaly with Zika infections.

Research links high zinc levels, kidney stones

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 04:26 AM PDT

A new study into the causes of kidney stones has revealed that high levels of zinc in the body may contribute to kidney stone formation. Kidney stones are hard, often jagged masses of crystalized minerals that form in the kidney. Some kidney stones are very small and pass through the body without even being noticed. Larger stones may get stuck in the urinary tract, however, causing severe pain and blood in the urine.

Two-in-one approach could help keep brain cancer in check

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 04:26 AM PDT

Glioblastoma is not only the most common form of brain cancer, it's also the most deadly. It affects people from around 40 years of age, and most people live for less than 2 years after aggressive therapy. Now scientists report that a two-in-one approach could help keep brain cancer in check.

Car ownership has the biggest influence over how much exercise londoners do while traveling

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 04:22 AM PDT

Traveling is an important source of exercise for Londoners. Owning a car or bicycle has the strongest influence on how much active travel a Londoner engages in. Car ownership leaves them two to three times less likely to travel actively. And in Outer London, simply owning a bicycle makes you more likely to get 30 minutes of active travel in, even if you have not used it recently.

Lost hormone is found in starfish

Posted: 28 Jun 2016 04:20 AM PDT

Biologists have discovered that the evolutionary history of a hormone responsible for sexual maturity in humans is written in the genes of the humble starfish.

Blocking key enzyme halts parkinson's disease symptoms in mice

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 06:48 PM PDT

Researchers say they have gleaned two important new clues in the fight against Parkinson's disease: that blocking an enzyme called c-Abl prevents the disease in specially bred mice, and that a chemical tag on a second protein may signal the disorder's presence and progression.

Testicular cancer survivors may have hearing loss after cisplatin therapy, study shows

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 06:42 PM PDT

Many testicular cancer survivors experience hearing loss after cisplatin-based chemotherapy, according to researchers who studied, for the first time, the cumulative effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on hearing levels in testicular cancer survivors through comprehensive audiometry measurements. They found that increasing doses of cisplatin were associated with increased hearing loss at most of the tested frequencies, involving 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 kHz.

Researchers find a likely cause of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 06:42 PM PDT

A likely cause of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors is deficiency in nonsense-mediated RNA decay, a system cells use to control which genes are activated, report scientists.

2009 swine flu pandemic originated in Mexico, researchers discover

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:09 PM PDT

The 2009 swine H1N1 flu pandemic -- responsible for more than 17,000 deaths worldwide -- originated in pigs from a very small region in central Mexico, a research team is reporting.The scientists say their findings represent the first time that the origin of an influenza pandemic virus has been determined in such detail.

Mobile, phone-based microscopes work well in the field with minimal training

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:09 PM PDT

Handheld, mobile phone-based microscopes can be used in developing countries after minimal training of community laboratory technicians to diagnose intestinal parasites quickly and accurately.

New pathway to treat heart failure

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:01 PM PDT

Researchers discover a new way to keep the heart pumping, which could lead to new drugs for heart disease. The research offers the possibility of developing a new, and potentially more effective, class of heart-failure medications.

Performance, quality measures updated for patients with atrial fibrillation

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:01 PM PDT

Experts have released updated clinical performance and quality measures for treating adult patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. This document updates the previous measure set that was released in 2008 and for which implementation notes were issued in 2011.

Novel study shows twisting of the heart may predict mitral valve surgery outcomes

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:01 PM PDT

A simple preoperative echocardiographic measurement of the amount of torsion -- a twisting motion -- of the heart predicted outcomes of mitral valve surgery in some heart failure patients, according to a novel study.

Researchers develop method to map cancer progression

Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:01 PM PDT

A team of scientists has developed a computational method to map cancer progression, an advance that offers new insights into the factors that spur this affliction as well as new ways of selecting effective therapies.
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