ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Worms have teenage ambivalence, too
• Using fat to help wounds heal without scars
• Anemia protects African children against malaria
• Nerve-signaling protein regulates gene associated with Schizophrenia
• Research helps explain why androgen-deprivation therapy doesn't work for many prostate cancers
• Scientists crack the structure of HIV machinery
• Immune cell therapy shows promising results for lymphoma patients
• Surprising process behind sense of touch
• Cancers evade immunotherapy by 'discarding the evidence' of tumor-specific mutations
• Genomic data sharing is critical to improving genetic health care
• Researchers identify factors associated with stopping treatment for opioid dependence
• Lung cancer patients may benefit from delayed chemotherapy after surgery
• Study on sun protection behavior, skin cancer awareness
• Animal study shows harmful effects of secondhand smoke even before pregnancy
• Cancer death rate has dropped 25 percent since 1991 peak
• New apps designed to reduce depression, anxiety as easily as checking your phone
• Protein associated with Parkinson's travels from brain to gut
• E-cigarette flavours pose unknown harm risk
• Evidence of Alzheimer's in patients with Lewy body disease tracks with course of dementia
• Turning up the thermostat could help tropical climates cool down
• Buzzing the vagus nerve just right to fight inflammatory disease
• Mouse model points to potential new treatment for Alzheimer's disease
• 'Zombie apocalypse' would wipe out humankind in just 100 days, students calculate
• Clinical guidelines to reduce risk of peanut allergy
• Foods rich in resistant starch may benefit health
• Acid suppression medications linked to serious gastrointestinal infections
• Genetics play a significant role in immunity
• Ignition interlock laws reduce alcohol-involved fatal crashes
• Vision symptoms following concussion limit a child's ability to return to the classroom
• Alarming levels of hypertension found in the general public
• Medicaid expansion boosts Michigan's economy and will more than pay for itself
• Physician's near-death experience inspires campaign to boost more effective patient communication
• Study suggests route to improve artery repair
• Innovative technique to examine blood vessels in 3D help unlock secrets of the brain
• Mediterranean diet may have lasting effects on brain health
• New technique uses immune cells to deliver anti-cancer drugs
• Researchers use light to launch drugs from red blood cells
• Unpublished research calls into question efficacy of common morning sickness drug
• Study sheds light on esophageal cancer, offers insight into increasingly common disease
• First snapshot of Inuit gut microbiome shows similarities to Western microbiome
• Fewer see e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes
• Pain relief without the high
• Single fecal transplant no more effective than standard of care in treating C. diff

Worms have teenage ambivalence, too Posted: 05 Jan 2017 06:28 PM PST Scientists find that neurological changes mark transition from ambivalent adolescent to capable adult in the roundworm.

Using fat to help wounds heal without scars Posted: 05 Jan 2017 01:02 PM PST Doctors have found a way to manipulate wounds to heal as regenerated skin rather than scar tissue. The method involves transforming the most common type of cells found in wounds into fat cells -- something that was previously thought to be impossible in humans.

Anemia protects African children against malaria Posted: 05 Jan 2017 01:02 PM PST Iron deficiency anemia protects children against the blood-stage of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Africa, and treating anemia with iron supplementation removes this protective effect, new research suggests.

Nerve-signaling protein regulates gene associated with Schizophrenia Posted: 05 Jan 2017 11:43 AM PST Researchers have identified a protein that regulates a gene associated with schizophrenia. The study's findings have significant implications for schizophrenia treatment.

Research helps explain why androgen-deprivation therapy doesn't work for many prostate cancers Posted: 05 Jan 2017 11:35 AM PST Metastatic prostate cancer, or prostate cancer that has spread to other organs, is incurable. In new research, scientists have identified two gatekeeper genes that allow prostate cancer to progress and resist treatment. Their work illuminates the mechanisms behind lineage plasticity, the ability of prostate cancer to adapt to therapy, and highlights opportunities to disrupt and even reverse this deadly process.

Scientists crack the structure of HIV machinery Posted: 05 Jan 2017 11:35 AM PST Antiviral therapy could be improved with newly uncovered atomic-level details of the structure of HIV machinery, report researchers.

Immune cell therapy shows promising results for lymphoma patients Posted: 05 Jan 2017 11:34 AM PST Physician investigators are working to bring immune cellular therapies to refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients. Promising results from the phase 1 portion of the ZUMA-1 study, which uses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cells to treat b-cell lymphoma patients, have now been published.

Surprising process behind sense of touch Posted: 05 Jan 2017 11:34 AM PST Biologists have discovered a new mechanism that likely underlies how we feel force or touch.

Cancers evade immunotherapy by 'discarding the evidence' of tumor-specific mutations Posted: 05 Jan 2017 10:38 AM PST Results of an initial study of tumors from patients with lung cancer or head and neck cancer suggest that the widespread acquired resistance to immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors may be due to the elimination of certain genetic mutations needed to enable the immune system to recognize and attack malignant cells.

Genomic data sharing is critical to improving genetic health care Posted: 05 Jan 2017 10:38 AM PST A new position statement tackles the question of how to make sense of the massive amount of genetic information being generated for better patient care.

Researchers identify factors associated with stopping treatment for opioid dependence Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:32 AM PST Individuals with opioid use disorder who are treated with buprenorphine, a commonly prescribed drug to treat addiction, are more likely to disengage from treatment programs if they are black or Hispanic, unemployed, or have hepatitis C according to a study.

Lung cancer patients may benefit from delayed chemotherapy after surgery Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:32 AM PST Patients with a common form of lung cancer may still benefit from delayed chemotherapy started up to four months after surgery, according to a team of researchers.

Study on sun protection behavior, skin cancer awareness Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:32 AM PST A large international survey asked nearly 20,000 participants about their sun protection behavior and skin cancer awareness.

Animal study shows harmful effects of secondhand smoke even before pregnancy Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:32 AM PST Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke -- even before conception -- appears to have a lingering impact that can later impair the brain development of a fetus, researchers report.

Cancer death rate has dropped 25 percent since 1991 peak Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:31 AM PST A steady decline over more than two decades has resulted in a 25 percent drop in the overall cancer death rate in the United States. The drop equates to 2.1 million fewer cancer deaths between 1991 and 2014.

New apps designed to reduce depression, anxiety as easily as checking your phone Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:31 AM PST Now you can find help for depression and anxiety on your smartphone as quickly as finding a good sushi restaurant. A novel suite of 13 speedy mini-apps called IntelliCare significantly reduced depression and anxiety in study participants, who used the apps on their smartphones up to four times a day. The reductions of 50 percent in anxiety and depression are comparable to results expected in clinical practice using psychotherapy or with antidepressant medication.

Protein associated with Parkinson's travels from brain to gut Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:30 AM PST 'Alpha-synuclein,' a protein involved in a series of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, is capable of traveling from brain to stomach and does so following a specific pathway, researchers have discovered. This study, carried out in rats, sheds new light on pathological processes that could underlie disease progression in humans.

E-cigarette flavours pose unknown harm risk Posted: 05 Jan 2017 09:23 AM PST Electronic cigarette users are more at risk of lung damage if they use flavourings such as menthol and butterscotch, according to a new study.

Evidence of Alzheimer's in patients with Lewy body disease tracks with course of dementia Posted: 05 Jan 2017 07:13 AM PST Patients who had a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease with dementia or dementia with Lewy bodies and had higher levels of Alzheimer's disease pathology in their donated post-mortem brains also had more severe symptoms of these Lewy body diseases during their lives, compared to those whose brains had less AD pathology.

Turning up the thermostat could help tropical climates cool down Posted: 05 Jan 2017 07:13 AM PST New research done in Singapore shows that slightly raising indoor temperatures and equipping office workers with smart fans saves significantly on overall office building energy costs while maintaining employee comfort.

Buzzing the vagus nerve just right to fight inflammatory disease Posted: 05 Jan 2017 07:13 AM PST Electrical vagus nerve stimulation can help fight inflammatory diseases like Crohn's or arthritis but can also contribute somewhat to inflammation. Engineers have tweaked the buzz to keep the good effects and minimize those less desirable. Their innovation could be adapted to existing medical devices with relative ease.

Mouse model points to potential new treatment for Alzheimer's disease Posted: 05 Jan 2017 07:09 AM PST Treatment with an inhibitor of 12/15-lipoxygenase, an enzyme elevated in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), reverses cognitive decline and neuropathology in an AD mouse model, reports a new study. The effects were observed after the AD-like phenotype was already established in the mice, which is promising for its potential therapeutic use, as neuropathology tends to develop many years before the appearance of AD symptoms in patients.

'Zombie apocalypse' would wipe out humankind in just 100 days, students calculate Posted: 05 Jan 2017 07:09 AM PST A student study suggests that one hundred days after zombie infection spread less than 300 people would remain alive globally. After one hundred days human survivors would be outnumbered a million to one by zombies. Students worked on the assumption that a zombie would have a 90% probability of turning others into the undead. However, factoring in humans killing zombies and human reproduction rates, world's population would eventually be able to recover.

Clinical guidelines to reduce risk of peanut allergy Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:29 AM PST An expert panel has issued clinical guidelines to aid health care providers in early introduction of peanut-containing foods to infants to prevent the development of peanut allergy.

Foods rich in resistant starch may benefit health Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:28 AM PST A new comprehensive review examines the potential health benefits of resistant starch, a form of starch that is not digested in the small intestine and is therefore considered a type of dietary fiber. Some forms of resistant starch occur naturally in foods such as bananas, potatoes, grains, and legumes, and some are produced or modified commercially and incorporated into food products.

Acid suppression medications linked to serious gastrointestinal infections Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:28 AM PST In a population-based study from Scotland, use of commonly-prescribed acid suppression medications such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) was linked with an increased risk of intestinal infections with C. difficile and Campylobacter bacteria, which can cause considerable illness.

Genetics play a significant role in immunity Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:27 AM PST Nearly three-quarters of immune traits are influenced by genes, new research reveals.

Ignition interlock laws reduce alcohol-involved fatal crashes Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:27 AM PST State laws requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders appear to reduce the number of fatal drunk driving crashes, a new study suggests.

Vision symptoms following concussion limit a child's ability to return to the classroom Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:27 AM PST Evaluation from a vision specialist should be included in return-to-learn concussion protocols, recommend experts in a new report.

Alarming levels of hypertension found in the general public Posted: 05 Jan 2017 05:27 AM PST A new study finds that 50 percent of the Canadian public is unaware that they suffer from high blood pressure, with most of them unaware of their condition or unwilling to address and manage their high blood pressure.

Medicaid expansion boosts Michigan's economy and will more than pay for itself Posted: 04 Jan 2017 07:23 PM PST Michigan's Medicaid expansion has boosted the state's economy and budget, and will continue to do so for at least the next five years, a new study finds. The expansion's total economic impact will generate more than enough funds for the state to cover its share of the program's cost, and create 30,000 new jobs and $2.3 billion in personal spending power every year.

Physician's near-death experience inspires campaign to boost more effective patient communication Posted: 04 Jan 2017 07:23 PM PST A critical care medicine physician describes in candid detail about how her own near-death experience inspired an organizational campaign to help health professionals communicate more effectively and demonstrate more empathy to their patients.

Study suggests route to improve artery repair Posted: 04 Jan 2017 04:23 PM PST People with any form of diabetes are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular conditions than people without the disease. Moreover, if they undergo an operation to open up a clogged artery by inserting a 'stent' surgical tube, the artery is much more likely to clog up again. However, researchers now have uncovered an explanation for why these procedures often fail, which may lead toward better alternatives.

Innovative technique to examine blood vessels in 3D help unlock secrets of the brain Posted: 04 Jan 2017 04:22 PM PST An important breakthrough has been made in the examination of blood vessels in the brain giving scientists a clearer understanding of how dementia, brain cancer and stroke can affect veins and capillaries in this organ.

Mediterranean diet may have lasting effects on brain health Posted: 04 Jan 2017 02:42 PM PST Older people who followed a Mediterranean diet retained more brain volume over a three-year period than those who did not follow the diet as closely, new research shows. But contrary to earlier studies, eating more fish and less meat was not related to changes in the brain.

New technique uses immune cells to deliver anti-cancer drugs Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:44 PM PST Some researchers are working to discover new, safer ways to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to tumors without damaging healthy cells. Others are finding ways to boost the body's own immune system to attack cancer cells. Researchers have combined the two approaches by taking biodegradable polymer nanoparticles encapsulated with cancer-fighting drugs and incorporating them into immune cells to create a smart, targeted system to attack cancers of specific types.

Researchers use light to launch drugs from red blood cells Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:36 AM PST Scientists have developed a breakthrough technique that uses light to activate a drug stored in circulating red blood cells so that it is released exactly when and where it is needed.

Unpublished research calls into question efficacy of common morning sickness drug Posted: 04 Jan 2017 11:35 AM PST Previously unpublished research calls into question the efficacy of the most commonly prescribed medication for nausea in pregnancy.

Study sheds light on esophageal cancer, offers insight into increasingly common disease Posted: 04 Jan 2017 10:36 AM PST A comprehensive analysis of 559 esophageal and gastric cancer samples, collected from patients around the world, suggests the two main types of esophageal cancer differ markedly in their molecular characteristics and should be considered separate diseases.

First snapshot of Inuit gut microbiome shows similarities to Western microbiome Posted: 04 Jan 2017 10:36 AM PST Researchers have characterized the gut microbiome of the Canadian Arctic Inuit for the first time. The researchers found that the Inuit harbor a composition and diversity of gut microbes remarkably similar to their urbanized, westernized counterparts in urban Montreal. What differences they did find were subtle, and in the relative abundances of individual taxa.

Fewer see e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes Posted: 04 Jan 2017 07:42 AM PST The perception that e-cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes fell between 2012 and 2014, a sign that fewer people see them as a safe alternative to smoking tobacco, a new study suggests.

Pain relief without the high Posted: 04 Jan 2017 07:39 AM PST Researchers have set 'gold standards' for developing new painkillers based on the medicinal effects of cannabis, but without some of its side effects.

Single fecal transplant no more effective than standard of care in treating C. diff Posted: 04 Jan 2017 07:35 AM PST When treating recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (RCDI), a single fecal transplantation delivered by enema is no more effective than the existing standard of care for RCDI, administration of oral vancomycin taper, researchers have found.

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