ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Mediterranean diet cuts heart disease risk by nearly half Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST Adults who closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10-year period compared to similar adults who did not closely follow the diet, according to a new study.

Strong genetic risk factor for MS discovered in family of five affected siblings Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:14 AM PST A genetic variation has been discovered that, in women, significantly increases their risk of developing multiple sclerosis, scientists report. The variant occurs almost twice as often among women with MS as in women without the disease, making it "one of the strongest genetic risk factors for MS discovered to date,” said the study's senior author.

Change in Medicare fee linked to rise of vascular treatment Posted: 04 Mar 2015 11:14 AM PST Federal efforts to curb Medicare costs for unclogging blood vessels in the limbs slowed the growing use of the treatments, but also coincided with a marked increase in doctors using a more expensive approach, according to a recent analysis.

Infant gut bacteria and food sensitization: Associations in the first year of life Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PST New light has been shed on changes in intestinal bacteria of infants that can predict future development of food allergies or asthma. The research reveals that infants with a fewer number of different bacteria in their gut at three months of age are more likely to become sensitized to foods such as milk, egg or peanut by the time they are one year old.

X-ray imaging of a single virus in 3-D Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PST By imaging single viruses injected into the intense beam of an X-ray free-electron laser, researchers have determined the three-dimensional structure of the mimivirus. The technique could be applied to image other pathogenic viruses like HIV or influenza and, with further improvements, it may allow researchers to tackle smaller biomolecules like proteins. This could enable the study of many important biomolecules that cannot form crystals and thus cannot be investigated by X-ray crystallography.

Mechanism behind most common form of inherited Alzheimer's disease revealed Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PST For the first time, a study reveals exactly how mutations associated with the most common form of inherited Alzheimer's disease produce the disorder's devastating effects. The paper upends conventional thinking about the effects of Alzheimer's-associated mutations in the presenilin genes and provides an explanation for the failure of drugs designed to block presenilin activity.

Mental health soon after war-zone concussions predicts disability Posted: 04 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PST Evaluating military personnel with blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries, researchers have found that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as anxiety, emotional numbness, flashbacks and irritability, are the strongest predictors of later disability. The results were surprising because mental health more closely correlated with disability than assessments typically made after concussions, such as tests of memory, thinking, balance, coordination and severity of headaches and dizziness, according to the study.

Treatment guidelines for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma outlined Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PST A guideline has been issued that outlines the use of 3-D computed tomography (CT)-based radiation therapy planning and volumetric image guidance to more effectively treat pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma and to reduce the radiation dose to normal tissue, thus decreasing the risk of late side effects.

Older, white males with advanced bladder cancer at high risk for suicide Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PST Older, single white males with advanced bladder cancer have the highest suicide risk among those with other cancers of the male genitals and urinary system, researchers report. The review identified suicide in these patients as a public health dilemma that needs physician awareness, particularly in patients who are older, male, and have aggressive disease.

Insight into inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:40 AM PST The development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may be influenced through a protein in the gut leading to inflammation according to research. "These results provide further evidence to support the regulatory role of epithelial SOCS3 in intestinal health and suggest that the increased expression of SOCS3 observed in IBD may serve to perpetuate inflammation," authors state.

Genome replication may hold clues to cancer evolution Posted: 04 Mar 2015 09:40 AM PST The more copies of a genome a cell holds, the more adaptable those cells are, scientists have discovered. This may have implications for cancer's evolution and adaptation.

New models yield clearer picture of emissions' true costs Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST New models calculate and compare the true costs of various fuels to health, climate and the environment. Viewed this way, a gallon of gas costs $3.80 more than the pump price. The social cost of a gallon of diesel is about $4.80 more than the pump price; the price of natural gas more than doubles; and coal-fired electricity more than quadruples. Solar and wind power, on the other hand, become cheaper than they initially seem.

Can exercise training prevent premature death in elderly? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Generation 100 is the first and largest randomized clinical study evaluating the effect of regular exercise training on morbidity and mortality in elderly people. "Epidemiological studies suggest that exercise has a tremendous preventative effect on morbidity and premature death, but these findings need to be confirmed by randomized clinical trials," says an author.

Twitter helps smokers kick the habit, study finds Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST When subjects in a smoking cessation program tweet each other regularly, they're more successful at kicking the habit, according to a study. Specifically, daily 'automessages' that encourage and direct the social media exchanges may be more effective than traditional social media interventions for quitting smoking.

Novel drug mechanism that fights brain cancer described by researchers Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Researchers have developed and characterized a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct. The investigators performed a series of studies utilizing high-content analysis, which quantifies changes in living cells in response to a drug treatment. The lab focused on the effects of a patented small molecule, known as UCD38B, on four different human glioma cell lines.

Study sheds light on how malaria parasites grow exponentially Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST The mysterious process by which malaria-related parasites spread at explosive and deadly rates inside humans and other animals has been uncovered by researchers for the first time. As drug-resistant malaria threatens to become a major public health crisis, the findings may lead to a powerful new treatment for malaria-caused illnesses that kill more than 600,000 people a year.

Politics of inequality and the inequality of politics Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Economic inequality is at historic highs. The wealthiest one percent own 40 percent of the nation's wealth. This staggering inequality raises the question, what are the psychological causes and effects of inequality?

Obesity is associated with brain's neurotransmitters Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST Researchers have revealed how obesity is associated with altered opioid neurotransmission in the brain. New research reveals how obesity is associated with altered functioning of brain's opioid system, which is intimately involved in generating pleasurable sensations. The researchers found that obesity was associated with significantly lowered number of opioid receptors in the brain. However, no changes were observed in the dopamine neurotransmitter system, which regulates motivational aspects of eating.

Retina protein that may help conquer blindness discovered Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:45 AM PST A protein in the retina that is crucial for vision has been discovered by researchers who report, for the first time, the key molecular mechanisms leading to visual degeneration and blindness. The research reveals events that may be harnessed for prevention, as well as to slow down progression of retinal degenerative diseases.

Basis for cadmium toxicity uncovered Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Research has uncovered how the metal cadmium, which is accumulating in the food chain, causes toxicity in living cells. "Cadmium is a very important industrial metal, but exposure to it results in accumulation in the food chain, leading to toxicity in animals and humans," says the project. "Exposure to cadmium can occur due to poor disposal of industrial or electronics waste, and also through cigarette smoke and ingestion of contaminated food. While the toxicity of cadmium has been known for a long time, how it causes toxicity and damages cells hasn't been understood."

Function of an enzyme critical to male fertility described Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Researchers have filled in details of how an enzyme, through interactions with a network of nearly two dozen other genes, protects the integrity of the germ line by giving rise to a class of RNA molecules that are essential to sperm development.

Oxytocin may enhance social function in psychiatric disorders Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:43 AM PST Inducing the release of brain oxytocin may be a viable therapeutic option for enhancing social function in psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia, researchers suggest. The oxytocin system is well-known for creating a bond between a mother and her newborn baby, and oxytocin is a lead drug candidate for treating social deficits in autism.

Marriages more likely to end in divorce when wives get sick Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:41 AM PST Countless couples have recited the words, ‘in sickness and in health’ on their wedding day with the intention of honoring those vows. But as it turns out, that may be easier said than done.

Simulating the potential spread of measles Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:41 AM PST To help the public better understand how measles can spread, a team of infectious disease computer modelers has launched a free, mobile-friendly tool that lets users simulate measles outbreaks in cities across the country.

Clinical trial for solid tumors with novel small molecule agent Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is offering a clinical trial examining the investigational treatment known as ONC201 in patients with solid tumors whose cancer no longer responds to standard therapy. Prior research on the study drug suggests that it may be capable of turning off proteins that maintain tumor growth and and may help kill cancer cells while sparing normal ones.

Twitter chatter predicts health insurance marketplace enrollment Posted: 04 Mar 2015 07:40 AM PST An increase in Twitter sentiment (the positivity or negativity of tweets) is associated with an increase in state-level enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance marketplaces — a phenomenon that points to use of the social media platform as a real-time gauge of public opinion and provides a way for marketplaces to quickly identify enrollment changes and emerging issues.

Aneurysm screening should be revisited, say experts Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST Aneurysm screening for men over 65 should be revisited as it is unknown whether the benefits outweigh the harms, argue researchers. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a swelling (aneurysm) of the aorta -- the main blood vessel that leads away from the heart, down through the abdomen to the rest of the body. It usually occurs in men over 65 years old and is more common among smokers.

Agreement on best estimates of breast cancer overdiagnosis urgently needed to inform women Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST More than any other debate about overdiagnosis, the discussion of breast cancer has spilt from the pages of the specialist medical press into the public domain, argues a public health expert, stating that changing screening policy "should be based on demonstrated ability to achieve equivalent benefit to harm ratios and not on the assumption that increased detection will achieve a net benefit."

How much overdetection is acceptable in cancer screening? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST People have highly variable views on how much overdetection is acceptable in cancer screening, finds a UK survey.

Analysis of spider venom reveals seven promising compounds with potential to relieve chronic pain Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:54 AM PST New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain.

An alternative to medical marijuana for pain? Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:53 AM PST Medical marijuana is proliferating across the country due to the ability of cannabis ingestion to treat important clinical problems such as chronic pain. However, negative side effects and the development of tolerance limit the widespread therapeutic use of THC, the major psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. THC's side effects are produced via its actions at cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the brain. Thus, scientists theorized that an agent with similar mechanistic actions, but that activate CB2 receptors instead, may eliminate the unwanted side effects while maintaining an equivalent level of efficacy.

New information on Parkinson’s: GDNF not needed by the midbrain dopamine system Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:52 AM PST A key factor in the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease is the gradual destruction of dopamine neurons. The glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, or GDNF, has been proven to protect dopamine neurons in test tube conditions and in test animal models for Parkinson’s disease. GDNF and its close relative, neurturin, have also been used in experimental treatments of patients with severe Parkinson’s disease. The results have been promising, but vary widely in terms of efficacy. At the moment, two companies are conducting tests to determine the clinical effects of GDNF on Parkinson’s sufferers.

Salt increases physical performance in resistance competitions Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:52 AM PST The effectiveness of salt on sports performance in triathletes has been evaluated by researchers. The athletes who added this supplement to their usual hydration routines during the competition took 26 minutes less to complete a medium-distance triathlon course than those who only used sports drinks.

Robots for stroke rehabilitation Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:52 AM PST A prototype of a robotic glove has been developed which stroke suffers can use in their own home to support rehabilitation and personal independence in receiving therapies. At the chronic stages of stroke, patients are not likely to be receiving treatment but they continue to live with some impairments -- the glove's goal is to provide therapies to target these impairments.

New type of biomarker shows promise in improving prostate cancer care Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:50 AM PST Two biomarkers have been discovered by researchers that may improve oncologists’ ability to predict which patients’ prostate cancer will recur after surgery, long before the development of visible cancer elsewhere in the body.