ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Drug-resistant bacteria lurk in subway stations, high school students discover Posted: 05 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST Forget commuters and rats, New York City's subway system is crowded with microbes. After spending her vacation swabbing benches and turn styles beneath the city, high school students found bacteria impervious to two major antibiotics.

Organic food reduces pesticide exposure Posted: 05 Feb 2015 02:48 PM PST A new study is among the first to predict a person’s pesticide exposure based on information about their usual diet.

Another breastfeeding benefit: Preparing baby's belly for solid food Posted: 05 Feb 2015 02:46 PM PST Researchers found that a baby’s diet during the first few months of life has a profound influence on the composition, diversity, and stability of the gut microbiome. These factors influence the baby’s ability to transition from milk to solid foods and may have long-term health effects.

Depth and rate of chest compressions during CPR impact survival in cardiac arrest Posted: 05 Feb 2015 12:56 PM PST The depth of chest compressions and the rate at which they were applied make a significant impact on survival and recovery of patients, a review of research by physicians shows.

Forever young: Meditation might slow the age-related loss of gray matter in the brain Posted: 05 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST Building on their earlier work that suggested people who meditate have less age-related atrophy in the brain's white matter, a new study found that meditation appeared to help preserve the brain's gray matter, the tissue that contains neurons.

Brain cells' role in navigating environment Posted: 05 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST A new study sheds light on the brain cells that function in establishing one's location and direction. The findings contribute to our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying our abilities to successfully navigate our environment, which may be crucial to dealing with brain damage due to trauma or a stroke and the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Carnivorous mushroom reveals human immune trick: How we punch our way into cancer cells Posted: 05 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST Edible oyster mushrooms have an intriguing secret: They eat spiders and roundworms. And they do so using proteins that can punch their way into cells, leaving tidy but deadly holes. It's a trick that our immune cells also use to protect us, destroying infected cells, cancerous cells, and bacteria.

Why do new strains of HIV spread slowly? Posted: 05 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST Most HIV epidemics are still dominated by the first strain that entered a particular population. New research offers an explanation of why the global mixing of HIV variants is so slow.

Improving genome editing with drugs Posted: 05 Feb 2015 11:12 AM PST Scientists have discovered a way to enhance the efficiency of CRISPR genome editing with the introduction of a few key chemical compounds. This has important potential implications for correcting disease-causing genetic mutations.

Microbiome linked to type 1 diabetes: Shift in microbiome species diversity prior to disease onset Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST In the largest longitudinal study of the microbiome to date, researchers have identified a connection between changes in gut microbiota and the onset of type 1 diabetes. The study, which followed infants who were genetically predisposed to the condition, found that onset for those who developed the disease was preceded by a drop in microbial diversity -- including a disproportional decrease in the number of species known to promote health in the gut.

Spontaneous cure of rare immune disease Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST A genetic phenomenon called chromothripsis, or 'chromosome shattering,' may have spontaneously cured the first person to be documented with WHIM syndrome. The patient was the subject of a 1964 study that first described the disorder, a syndrome of recurrent infections, warts and cancer caused by the inability of immune cells, particularly infection-fighting neutrophils, to leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream.

Link between inflammation and type 2 diabetes identified Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST Scientists have identified the molecular mechanism by which insulin normally inhibits production of glucose by the liver and why this process stops working in patients with type 2 diabetes, leading to hyperglycemia.

Human stem cells repair damage caused by radiation therapy for brain cancer in rats Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST For patients with brain cancer, radiation is a potentially life-saving treatment, but it can also cause considerable and even permanent injury to the brain. Now, through preclinical experiments conducted in rats, researchers have developed a method to turn human stem cells into cells that are instructed to repair damage in the brain. Rats treated with the human cells regained cognitive and motor functions that were lost after brain irradiation.

Malaria-in-a-dish paves the way for better treatments Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST Researchers have engineered a way to use human liver cells, derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, to screen potential antimalarial drugs and vaccines for their ability to treat the liver stage of malaria infection. The approach may offer new opportunities for personalized antimalarial drug testing and the development of more effective individually tailored drugs to combat the disease, which causes more than 500,000 deaths worldwide each year.

Medical marijuana for children with developmental and behavioral disorders? Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST As medical marijuana becomes increasingly accepted, there is growing interest in its use for children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral problems such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new review.

Circadian clock linked to Angelman syndrome Posted: 05 Feb 2015 09:27 AM PST Biologists have found a direct link between the biological clock and Angelman syndrome, a neurogenetic disorder that occurs in more than one in every 15,000 live births. The link may provide a valuable way to judge the effectiveness of the first experimental drugs under development for treating the syndrome.

Accuracy of NIFTY prenatal test tracked Posted: 05 Feb 2015 07:21 AM PST BGI has published a study tracking the clinical performance of its whole genome sequencing-based non-invasive prenatal test (the NIFTY test) in nearly 147,000 pregnancies, the largest such study to date. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity and no significant difference between high-risk and low-risk pregnant women.

Simple ultrasound measure can diagnose postoperative urinary retention Posted: 05 Feb 2015 07:19 AM PST In patients who don't resume normal urination after surgery, a simple ultrasound test can accurately diagnose the common problem of postoperative urinary retention (POUR), reports a new study.

Opinions on vaccinations heavily influenced by online comments Posted: 05 Feb 2015 06:52 AM PST With measles and other diseases once thought eradicated making a comeback in the United States, healthcare websites are on the spot to educate consumers about important health risks. Researchers say that people may be influenced more by online comments than by credible public service announcements.

Neurogeneticists harness immune cells to clear Alzheimer's-associated plaques Posted: 05 Feb 2015 06:52 AM PST New research shows that the body's immune system may be able to clear the brain of toxic plaque build-up that is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, reversing memory loss and brain cell damage.

Parenting and depression study: Fathers are at risk, too Posted: 05 Feb 2015 06:52 AM PST A national study of parents found that parents with multiple parenting roles -- such as those in blended families -- are at higher risk of depression. Specifically, parents with three roles were 57 percent more likely to be depressed than those with just a single parenting role.

Lyme disease costs up to $1. 3 billion per year to treat, study finds Posted: 05 Feb 2015 06:50 AM PST New research suggests that a prolonged illness associated with Lyme disease is more widespread and serious in some patients than previously understood.

An 'ambulance' for the brain Posted: 05 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST The brain is protected by a barrier of cells that tightly regulates the transport of substances into this organ in order to prevent infection. The essential protective function of this barrier is also a red light for 98% of drug candidates for the treatment of the central nervous system. Today scientists have presented a shuttle able to cross the blood-brain barrier and transport various substances into the brain. The team of chemists is now studying its application for specific medical conditions.

Researchers find gene that confirms existence of psoriatic arthritis Posted: 05 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST Researchers have identified genetic variants that are associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) but not with psoriasis, in the largest study of PsA ever published.

Malocclusion and dental crowding arose 12,000 years ago with earliest farmers Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST Hunter-gatherers had almost no malocclusion and dental crowding, and the condition first became common among the world's earliest farmers some 12,000 years ago in Southwest Asia.

Brain marker hints at depression, anxiety years later Posted: 04 Feb 2015 09:57 AM PST A car accident, the loss of a loved one, and financial trouble are just a few of the myriad stressors we may encounter in our lifetimes. How well will we deal with the inevitable lows of life? By looking at an area of the brain called the amygdala, scientists can predict depression or anxiety in response to stressful life events as far as four years in the future.

How cocaine works in the brain, offers possibility of drug to treat addiction Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:27 AM PST Scientists have discovered a mechanism in the brain that is key to making cocaine seem pleasurable, a finding that could lead to a drug treatment for fighting addiction.

Tiny robotic 'hand' could improve cancer diagnostics, drug delivery Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:26 AM PST Many people imagine robots today as clunky, metal versions of humans, but scientists are forging new territory in the field of 'soft robotics.' One of the latest advances is a flexible, microscopic hand-like gripper. The development could help doctors perform remotely guided surgical procedures or perform biopsies. The materials also could someday deliver therapeutic drugs to hard-to-reach places.

Lung cancer now leading cause of cancer death in females in developed countries Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:26 AM PST A new analysis finds lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in females in developed countries.

New biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:52 AM PST Medical researchers have found new biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, the authors have identified the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in its complete form unprocessed in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Caterpillar to butterfly: New light shed on diet, steroid hormones and development Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:52 AM PST Researchers have discovered an exciting new link between nutrition and development in fruit flies that involves a direct association between the brain and parts of the insect organ secreting the important hormone. It helps to explain when and how caterpillars turn into butterflies and may help us to understand how and when children develop into adults.

After years of debilitating leg pain, spinal stenosis patient finds instant relief Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:48 AM PST A two-part surgery consisting of a spinal decompression and fusion has provided a spinal stenosis patient with instant pain relief.