ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Occupational therapy reduces hospital readmissions, research finds
• New way to reprogram lymph node function to fight multiple sclerosis
• Assessing health risks from oil and gas operations
• Gene therapy used to treat pulmonary dysfunction in Pompe disease
• New mosquito-borne disease detected in Haiti
• Lowering systolic blood pressure would save more than 100,000 lives per year, study finds
• 'Open science' paves new pathway to develop malaria drugs
• Study discovers potential new target for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy
• Taste for Fat: Scientists discover molecular handle behind some cancers' preference for fat
• Seven-year study pays off with 'most detailed' picture of head and neck cancer stem cells to date
• Computer program beats physicians at brain cancer diagnoses
• New way of testing drugs could speed up development of breast cancer treatments
• Stem cells grown into 3-D lung-in-a-dish
• Research reduces violence against pregnant women
• Offspring to parents who were babies during the Holocaust had a worse course of schizophrenia
• Nightclub goers more likely to use new designer drugs
• Keeping medical imaging safe for children
• Study explores potency of antibodies to combat HIV infection
• Patient overcomes rare acute necrotizing pancreatitis
• Laughter-based exercise program has health benefits, study finds
• Team discovers, successfully treats new variant of antibiotic-resistant bacterium
• Fighting cancer with space research
• Skull base surgeons help pioneer method of extracting tumors from ear canal
• Drug-loaded synthetic nanoparticles can distinguish lung cancer cells from healthy cells
• Tobacco industry tactics influential in e-cigarette policy
• How a small implanted device could help limit metastatic breast cancer
• New clinical guidelines for LAM, a rare lung disease
• Yes, computing genetic ancestors is super accurate
• Link discovered between touch of individuals with autism, their social difficulties
• Poison in the brain
• Research provides clues to how Zika virus breaches the placental barrier
• Cancer patients not getting adequate pain relief
• Dying tumor cells release intracellular ions in a last-ditch attempt to block the immune system
• Neglected tropical diseases: Progress towards addressing the chronic pandemic
• Prevalence of mental disorders among older people is greater than previously assumed
• New T cell subsets with potential to improve cellular therapy for cancer identified
• Women, minorities may be undertreated for stroke
• Potent anti-cancer molecule in tumors can be reawakened
• Testing for damage to airways caused by drinking, smoking
• Multi-drug-resistant TB cure rates higher than expected in Europe
• Fusion targeted prostate biopsy proves more accuratein diagnosis of prostate cancer

Occupational therapy reduces hospital readmissions, research finds Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:59 PM PDT A recent study has found that 30-day readmission rates for heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction were improved with the help of occupational therapy.

New way to reprogram lymph node function to fight multiple sclerosis Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:40 PM PDT Researchers report a new way to turn off the harmful immune attack that occurs during autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), while keeping healthy functions of the immune system intact.

Assessing health risks from oil and gas operations Posted: 15 Sep 2016 02:36 PM PDT A new study of air pollutant emissions from northern Front Range oil and gas operations has been presented to state officials in Colorado.

Gene therapy used to treat pulmonary dysfunction in Pompe disease Posted: 15 Sep 2016 01:58 PM PDT Researchers have successfully used gene therapy to treat patients with infantile onset Pompe disease, a progressive condition that severely compromises cardiopulmonary function in the first years of life.

New mosquito-borne disease detected in Haiti Posted: 15 Sep 2016 01:49 PM PDT Researchers have identified a patient in Haiti with a serious mosquito-borne illness that has never before been reported in the Caribbean nation.

Lowering systolic blood pressure would save more than 100,000 lives per year, study finds Posted: 15 Sep 2016 11:05 AM PDT Intensive treatment to lower systolic (top number) blood pressure to below 120 would save more than 100,000 lives per year in the United States, say scientists. Two thirds of the lives saved would be men and two thirds would be aged 75 or older.

'Open science' paves new pathway to develop malaria drugs Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:31 AM PDT Malaria remains one of the world's leading causes of mortality in developing countries. Last year alone, it killed more than 400,000 people, mostly young children. An international consortium of researchers now unveils the mechanics and findings of a unique "open science" project for malaria drug discovery that has been five years in the making.

Study discovers potential new target for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:31 AM PDT In spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the affected nerve cells that control muscle movement, or motor neurons, have defects in their mitochondria, which generate energy used by the cell, scientists have found for the first time. Impaired mitochondrial function and structure in motor neurons were discovered before symptoms occurred, suggesting a role in disease development.

Taste for Fat: Scientists discover molecular handle behind some cancers' preference for fat Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:30 AM PDT Most cancers have a sweet tooth but—mysteriously—some tumors prefer fat over sugar. Now, a study reveals how these cancers develop their appetite for fat.

Seven-year study pays off with 'most detailed' picture of head and neck cancer stem cells to date Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:30 AM PDT Cancer stem cells resist therapy and are a major cause of relapse, long after the bulk of a tumor has been killed. A new study provides the most comprehensive picture to date of head and neck cancer stem cells, identifying genetic pathways that cancer stem cells hijack to promote tumor growth and visualizing the process of "asymmetric division" that allows a stem cell to create tumor tissue cells while retaining its own stem-like profile.

Computer program beats physicians at brain cancer diagnoses Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:24 AM PDT A computer program has been developed that uses radiomic features found in routine MRI scans to distinguish between radiation necrosis and recurrent brain cancer. In a comparison, the program was nearly twice as accurate as a pair of neruoradiologists.

New way of testing drugs could speed up development of breast cancer treatments Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:23 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new way to test hundreds of cancer drugs very quickly, which could drastically cut the time it takes to find potential breast cancer treatments, according to a report.

Stem cells grown into 3-D lung-in-a-dish Posted: 15 Sep 2016 10:22 AM PDT By coating tiny gel beads with lung-derived stem cells and then allowing them to self-assemble into the shapes of the air sacs found in human lungs, researchers have succeeded in creating three-dimensional lung "organoids." The laboratory-grown lung-like tissue can be used to study diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which has traditionally been difficult to study using conventional methods.

Research reduces violence against pregnant women Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:13 AM PDT Results of a study on intimate partner violence show that pregnant victims saw a significant reduction in exposure to such acts after participating in the Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation Program (DOVE).

Offspring to parents who were babies during the Holocaust had a worse course of schizophrenia Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:13 AM PDT Results of a new study have found that no difference in the risk of developing schizophrenia between second-generations Holocaust survivors and those whose parents were not exposed to the Holocaust. However, an examination of various sub-groups showed that second-generation survivors whose parents were babies during the Holocaust are at higher risk of suffering from a more severe course of schizophrenia.

Nightclub goers more likely to use new designer drugs Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:13 AM PDT Novel Psychoactive Substances are synthetic or "designer" drugs which have increased in popularity in recent years. Few studies in the U.S. have focused on use among one of the highest-risk populations—electronic dance music (EDM) nightclub and festival attendees. Researchers found that more frequent nightclub attendance was strongly associated with increased risk of use of new street drugs. Attending nightclubs every week more than doubled the odds of reporting use.

Keeping medical imaging safe for children Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:12 AM PDT What's the difference between an MRI and a CT scan? An X-ray and an ultrasound? Will it involve radiation that could harm the child in the long term?

Study explores potency of antibodies to combat HIV infection Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:12 AM PDT A clinical trial underway – known as the AMP study (for Antibody Meditated Prevention) – will determine whether infusing an experimental antibody (VRC01) into HIV-negative men and transgender individuals who have sex with men, will prevent the acquisition of HIV.

Patient overcomes rare acute necrotizing pancreatitis Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:12 AM PDT Larry Jacob got the call every parent fears. His daughter was sick, away at college and needed help. Mr. Jacob left his home in the Chicago suburbs and was driving to Western Illinois University when he suddenly doubled over in pain. He called an ambulance and was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for pancreatitis, which is a painful condition most commonly caused by gallstones developing and becoming lodged in the bile duct.

Laughter-based exercise program has health benefits, study finds Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:05 AM PDT Incorporating laughter into a physical activity program that is focused on strength, balance and flexibility could improve older adults' mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their ability to exercise, according to a study.

Team discovers, successfully treats new variant of antibiotic-resistant bacterium Posted: 15 Sep 2016 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new mutation in a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli that resists clearance by the body's own immune system by inhibiting white blood cells that ordinarily kill and remove bacteria. In a new paper, the researchers describe the case that led them to discover the mutation, and offer suggestions for how to recognize and address this particular microbe if encountered in the future.

Fighting cancer with space research Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT For the past 15 years, the big data techniques pioneered by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have been revolutionizing biomedical research. On Sept. 6, 2016, JPL and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, renewed a research partnership through 2021, extending the development of data science that originated in space exploration and is now supporting new cancer discoveries.

Skull base surgeons help pioneer method of extracting tumors from ear canal Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT A surgical team is helping to pioneer a new minimally invasive procedure that extracts vertigo-inducing tumors from the inner ear without having to remove a large piece of skull, as is usually required.

Drug-loaded synthetic nanoparticles can distinguish lung cancer cells from healthy cells Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT A synthetic polymer that can transport a drug into lung cancer cells without going inside of normal lung cells has now been successfully developed by scientists, a new report outlines.

Tobacco industry tactics influential in e-cigarette policy Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT By employing the same tactics it used to drive policymaking from the 1970s-1990s, the tobacco industry has become successful in influencing pro-industry e-cigarette laws at the state level, according to a new study.

How a small implanted device could help limit metastatic breast cancer Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT A small device implanted under the skin can improve breast cancer survival by catching cancer cells, slowing the development of metastatic tumors in other organs and allowing time to intervene with surgery or other therapies.

New clinical guidelines for LAM, a rare lung disease Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT New clinical practice guidelines have now been published for the diagnosis and management of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease that primarily affects women of child-bearing age.

Yes, computing genetic ancestors is super accurate Posted: 15 Sep 2016 06:00 AM PDT For decades, geneticists have used programs to compute back through tens of millions of years of mutations to ancestral genes. Are the algorithms really working? A novel lab physical benchmark says yes.

Link discovered between touch of individuals with autism, their social difficulties Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:57 AM PDT The sense of touch may play a more crucial role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than previously assumed. The main findings of the research show that individuals with ASD may have difficulties to determine which tactile sensations belong to the action of someone else.

Poison in the brain Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:57 AM PDT There are factors that facilitate the formation of putatively toxic structures in the neuronal nuclei of Alzheimer's patients, report scientists. A research team compared brain samples from Alzheimer's patients with those of the healthy individuals in the same age group. The result: in the samples taken from Alzheimer's patients, the number of nuclear spheres was much higher than in those taken from healthy study participants.

Research provides clues to how Zika virus breaches the placental barrier Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:57 AM PDT New research reveals that in pregnant women, Zika virus infection damages certain cells that affect placental formation and function. Furthermore, herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) infection augments placental sensitivity to Zika virus by enhancing the expression of receptors that allow Zika virus to enter cells.

Cancer patients not getting adequate pain relief Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:55 AM PDT Many terminal cancer patients are not getting adequate pain relief early enough, according to an English study. The researchers found that, on average, terminal cancer patients were given their first dose of a strong opioid such as morphine just nine weeks before their death.

Dying tumor cells release intracellular ions in a last-ditch attempt to block the immune system Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:55 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how a mineral ion leaked from tumor tissue as it dies acts to stop the work of anti-tumor immune cells. This discovery provides a new approach in the development of treatments to engage the immune system in the fight against cancer.

Neglected tropical diseases: Progress towards addressing the chronic pandemic Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:55 AM PDT A review of the progress made in addressing the chronic pandemic of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has now been released. The authors looked at the progress made in terms of the donated medicines which are used in mass drug administration (MDA) interventions, which represent something in the region of one billion treatments a year. They also highlighted some of the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the massive impact of NTDs is fully mitigated.

Prevalence of mental disorders among older people is greater than previously assumed Posted: 15 Sep 2016 05:55 AM PDT Previous studies have largely assumed that the prevalence of mental disorders declines with old age. The results of a new large-scale study with innovative diagnostic methods conducted in six European countries reveal that, considering the previous year retrospectively, approximately one third of the respondents in the age group between 65 and 85 had suffered from a mental disorder, and roughly one quarter were mentally ill at the time of the interviews.

New T cell subsets with potential to improve cellular therapy for cancer identified Posted: 14 Sep 2016 02:24 PM PDT Two genes, NR4A1 and ABC transporters, mark a distinct subset of quiescent T cells within human tissues, researchers say. They report that they have developed methods to mobilize them into circulation for potential application in adoptive T cell therapy of cancer.

Women, minorities may be undertreated for stroke Posted: 14 Sep 2016 02:24 PM PDT Women and minorities may be less likely to receive treatment for stroke, according to a study. For the study, the researchers looked back at more than eight years of hospital records from across the country of people with an ischemic stroke who arrived at the hospital within two hours after the start of stroke symptoms and had no documented reasons that they could not receive the treatment.

Potent anti-cancer molecule in tumors can be reawakened Posted: 14 Sep 2016 02:24 PM PDT The cancer-fighting molecule p53 plays a key role in preventing tumor initiation and progression. In mice studies, targeting the SET protein revives p53, a potent tumor suppressor, and prevents cancer growth, report scientists.

Testing for damage to airways caused by drinking, smoking Posted: 14 Sep 2016 02:24 PM PDT Cells in the lung are constantly exposed to oxygen and intermittently exposed to other environmental factors, resulting in a susceptibility to oxidative injury. Both alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and cigarette smoking heighten pulmonary oxidative stress, likely due to antioxidant depletion. Pulmonary oxidative stress damages innate immunity, which can contribute to increased pneumonia susceptibility and severity. This study sought to understand whether measures of pulmonary oxidative stress in upper airway fluid are comparable to measures in the lower airways, and whether either compartment is preferentially affected by AUDs and/or smoking.

Multi-drug-resistant TB cure rates higher than expected in Europe Posted: 14 Sep 2016 02:23 PM PDT Cure rates for multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Europe have been estimated to be twice as high as previously thought, according to a research team.

Fusion targeted prostate biopsy proves more accuratein diagnosis of prostate cancer Posted: 14 Sep 2016 11:20 AM PDT An innovative procedure combining MRI and ultrasound to create a 3D image of the prostate can more accurately locate suspicious areas and help diagnose whether it's prostate cancer, new research confirms.

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