ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New treatment leaves liver cancer cells in limbo
• Targeting the host to get rid of unwanted guests
• This new technology could prevent a leading cause of death
• Zika infection causes reduced fertility, low testosterone in male mice
• New study suggests way to slow skin fibrosis in scleroderma
• Acupuncture lowers hypertension by activating opioids, study finds
• First-in-human of new polymer-free stent demonstrates favorable angiographic, imaging-based outcomes at nine-months
• Social media proves effective as a tool for antimicrobial stewardship
• Artificial muscles show more flex
• Hospitalizations for children, teens attributed to opioid poisoning jump
• Chinese medical education rising unevenly from Cultural Revolution rubble
• Bedtime use of media devices more than doubles the risk of poor sleep in children
• Vaccinating against dengue may increase Zika outbreaks
• Missing link between smoking and inflammation identified
• Key protein implicated in negative side effects of senescence
• Study reveals that adrenergic nerves control immune cells' daily schedule
• Silencing SIRT2, a sirtuin enzyme, reduces malignancy in deadly breast cancer subtype
• Studying stents for coronary artery disease
• Guiding coronary stent implantation
• State policies will determine whether or not most Americans smoke marijuana
• Nearly 600 Zika investigations force public health department in Harris County, Texas to improvise
• Sports injury app detects 99% more health conditions for college athletes than traditional medicine
• Sudden cardiac death of teen reminds physicians of promises, challenges of precision medicine
• Few children born to parents with serious mental illness live with both parents while growing up
• New sperm research could lead to cut in infertility rate
• Study identifies molecule that limits excessive expansion of heart muscle cells
• Structure of toxic tau aggregates determines type of dementia, rate of progression
• Activation of two genes linked to development of atherosclerosis
• Battle hymns and lullabies: Scientist sheds new light on how dendritic cells conduct the T cell orchestra
• Researchers use video gamelike test to study learning and recovery in stroke patients
• Shifting epidemiology in drug-resistant organisms, large integrated health outcomes study reveals

New treatment leaves liver cancer cells in limbo Posted: 31 Oct 2016 10:38 AM PDT Scientists have shown that a mutation in a gene called Arid1b can cause liver cancer. The gene normally protects against cancer by limiting cell growth, but when mutated it allows cells to grow uncontrollably. The researchers have shown that two existing drugs can halt this growth in human cells. This points to a new approach to treating liver cancer, say researchers.

Targeting the host to get rid of unwanted guests Posted: 31 Oct 2016 10:37 AM PDT A new approach has been developed to combat diseases caused by herpesvirus infections, including everything from cold sores to cancer.

This new technology could prevent a leading cause of death Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:52 AM PDT Sepsis can kill a person in two days. Normal methods of detecting sepsis take at least that long. But researchers have found a new way to significantly reduce that detection time, giving medical professionals more time to treat the patient.

Zika infection causes reduced fertility, low testosterone in male mice Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:50 AM PDT Zika targets the male reproductive system, at least in mice, say researchers. Three weeks after Zika infection, male mice had shrunken testicles, low levels of sex hormones and reduced fertility. The results suggest that Zika infection may interfere with men's ability to have children.

New study suggests way to slow skin fibrosis in scleroderma Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:50 AM PDT A possible mechanism behind the fibrosis that occurs in scleroderma has now been identified, a mechanism, researchers say, that may one day lead to a treatment for the disease.

Acupuncture lowers hypertension by activating opioids, study finds Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:50 AM PDT Regular electroacupunture treatment can lower hypertension by increasing the release of a kind of opioid in the brainstem region that controls blood pressure, investigators have found.

First-in-human of new polymer-free stent demonstrates favorable angiographic, imaging-based outcomes at nine-months Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:50 AM PDT A first-in-human study of a new polymer-free drug-filled stent, which provides controlled drug elution from an internal lumen, indicated non-inferior in-stent late lumen loss at nine-months compared with historical zotarolimus-eluting stent (Resolute) data. In addition, there was no binary restenosis, and a high degree of early stent strut coverage with minimal malapposition.

Social media proves effective as a tool for antimicrobial stewardship Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:49 AM PDT A new study examines the use of social media platforms to inform young physicians about proper use of antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics. Currently, as much as 50 percent of all antibiotic use is inappropriate, leading to such unintended consequences such as antibiotic toxicity and increased antimicrobial resistance. Ensuring optimal use of antibiotics continues to be a central public health concern, and medical residents are a central focus of efforts to improve education in this field. But the question remains as to the best way to reach them.

Artificial muscles show more flex Posted: 31 Oct 2016 09:49 AM PDT Artificial muscles made significant gains when a literal twist in the development approach uncovered the tensile or stretchy abilities of polymer fibers once they were twisted and coiled into a spring-like geometry. In a similar manner to the powerful climbing tendrils of cucumber plants, the unique geometry gives the coil a flexing motion when fiber material shrinks a reaction that can be controlled with heat. Now, researchers have improved these tensile properties even further by focusing on the thermal properties of the polymer fiber and the molecular structure that makes best use of the chiral configuration.

Hospitalizations for children, teens attributed to opioid poisoning jump Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:37 AM PDT The overall incidence of hospitalizations for prescription opioid poisonings in children and adolescents has more than doubled from 1997 to 2012, with increasing incidence of poisonings attributed to suicide or self-inflicted injury and accidental intent, according to a new study.

Chinese medical education rising unevenly from Cultural Revolution rubble Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:32 AM PDT For scores of years after the first medical school opened in China in 1886, the country progressed in building a medical education system for its fast-growing population. Then 50 years ago, it not only came to a screeching halt, but to a full reversal with the Cultural Revolution.

Bedtime use of media devices more than doubles the risk of poor sleep in children Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:13 AM PDT Children using devices such as smartphones and tablets at bedtime have over double the risk of a disrupted night's sleep compared to children without access to such devices, according to a new study.

Vaccinating against dengue may increase Zika outbreaks Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:08 AM PDT Vaccinating against dengue fever could increase outbreaks of Zika, suggests new research. The study identifies a potentially serious public health concern. More than a third of the world's population lives in areas where dengue is endemic and cases of co-infection with Zika have already been reported.

Missing link between smoking and inflammation identified Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:08 AM PDT It's no secret that using tobacco is bad for you, but what has been a mystery until now is how tobacco causes increased inflammation throughout the body. Now, a team of researchers has learned why. Scientists show that nicotine activates certain white blood cells, called neutrophils, which in turn release molecules that lead to increased inflammation.

Key protein implicated in negative side effects of senescence Posted: 31 Oct 2016 07:37 AM PDT A protein that plays a critical role in the expression of cytokines and chemokines has been identified by researchers. They have noted that decreasing this protein suppresses the expression of these secreted factors. This suggests that there may be ways of promoting the positive effects of senescence while suppressing its negative effects.

Study reveals that adrenergic nerves control immune cells' daily schedule Posted: 31 Oct 2016 07:35 AM PDT The adrenergic nervous system controls when white blood cells circulate through the body, boosting the immune response by retaining T and B cells in lymph nodes at the time of day when they are most likely to encounter foreign antigens, scientists have discovered.

Silencing SIRT2, a sirtuin enzyme, reduces malignancy in deadly breast cancer subtype Posted: 31 Oct 2016 07:35 AM PDT Silencing SIRT2, a member of the sirtuin family of enzymes, reduces the invasiveness of basal-like breast cancer cells in culture and inhibits tumor growth in mice, according to new research.

Studying stents for coronary artery disease Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:03 AM PDT Results of a large-scale, multicenter study found that treatment with two thin-strut drug-eluting stents were both non-inferior to a durable polymer drug-eluting stent and showed favorable clinical outcomes at one year in treating an all-comers population with a high proportion of patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Guiding coronary stent implantation Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:03 AM PDT Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is most commonly guided by angiography alone, results from a new study investigating adjunctive imaging modalities showed that the use of a novel optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based stent sizing strategy results in similar minimal stent area (MSA) compared to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI. Imaging-guided PCI (with both OCT and IVUS) also resulted in improved stent expansion and acute stent-based procedural success compared to angiography-guided PCI.

State policies will determine whether or not most Americans smoke marijuana Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:02 AM PDT More than 50 percent of Americans changed their minds about intentions to smoke marijuana based on ramifications — or lack thereof — set forth by their state of residency, according to new research.

Nearly 600 Zika investigations force public health department in Harris County, Texas to improvise Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:02 AM PDT The Harris County Public Health Department -- which this past summer confirmed the state of Texas' first Zika-associated death -- has investigated nearly 600 suspected cases this year, 55 percent of which were pregnancy-related, according to new research.

Sports injury app detects 99% more health conditions for college athletes than traditional medicine Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:02 AM PDT A new cell phone app specializing in sports injury detection captured 99 percent more physical and mental health symptoms for college athletes than traditional sports medicine surveillance, according to new research.

Sudden cardiac death of teen reminds physicians of promises, challenges of precision medicine Posted: 31 Oct 2016 06:02 AM PDT The sudden death of a 13-year-old boy resulted in more than 20 relatives to be incorrectly diagnosed as having a potentially lethal heart rhythm condition. This erroneous diagnosis occurred as a result of inappropriate use of genetic testing and incorrect interpretation of genetic test results, according to research.

Few children born to parents with serious mental illness live with both parents while growing up Posted: 31 Oct 2016 05:59 AM PDT Serious mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia has been shown to affect relationships and parenting capabilities. Children of parents with serious mental illness are vulnerable, and therefore comprehensive knowledge about their life circumstances is warranted for public health strategies to provide helpful supportive services.

New sperm research could lead to cut in infertility rate Posted: 31 Oct 2016 05:59 AM PDT Sperm and mathematics don't appear to be the likeliest of bedfellows, but new research bringing the two together could lead to devices that could cut infertility rates.

Study identifies molecule that limits excessive expansion of heart muscle cells Posted: 31 Oct 2016 05:59 AM PDT A research team has identified a protein that stops heart muscle cells from increasing in size when the heart is under stress, representing a candidate for treating a range of heart diseases.

Structure of toxic tau aggregates determines type of dementia, rate of progression Posted: 28 Oct 2016 05:53 PM PDT The distinct structures of toxic protein aggregates that form in degenerating brains determine which type of dementia will occur, which regions of brain will be affected, and how quickly the disease will spread, according to a study.

Activation of two genes linked to development of atherosclerosis Posted: 28 Oct 2016 08:37 AM PDT Two new potential drug targets for treating arterial diseases such as atherosclerosis have been identified by researchers. By using proteomics to screen a vast number of molecules, the researchers identified PARP9 and PARP14 - two members of the PARP family of proteins - as regulators of macrophage activation, which has been linked to arterial disease by systems biology.

Battle hymns and lullabies: Scientist sheds new light on how dendritic cells conduct the T cell orchestra Posted: 27 Oct 2016 11:35 AM PDT New findings about how the immune system directs T cells to learn tolerance for the body's own cells have been reported by researchers in a new report.

Researchers use video gamelike test to study learning and recovery in stroke patients Posted: 27 Oct 2016 11:35 AM PDT A robotic arm and a virtual game were essential tools in a new study that suggests that while training doesn't change neurological repair in chronic stroke patients, it can indeed help such patients learn new motor skills and achieve more independence in their daily lives.

Shifting epidemiology in drug-resistant organisms, large integrated health outcomes study reveals Posted: 27 Oct 2016 11:33 AM PDT A first-of-its-kind study of 900,000 hospital admissions from an integrated health system has yielded insights into shifts in the epidemiology of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in the community.

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