ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

'Systems-based' hematologist is new way to provide hematology expertise Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:27 AM PST An innovative, sustainable new role for hematologists, particularly those specializing in non-malignant blood diseases, has been offered by experts for today's rapidly changing US health-care system.

Pharmacist survey shows huge growth in compounded menopausal hormone therapy Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:27 AM PST Among prescriptions filled for menopausal hormone therapy in the US, almost half now are custom-compounded 'bioidentical' hormones, according to analysis of a recent survey of nearly 500 pharmacists.

Turning yogurt waste into new products Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PST With exploding consumer demand for Greek yogurt, production is up. That’s great for food companies’ bottom lines, but it also leaves them dealing with a lot more acid whey, a problematic byproduct of the Greek yogurt-making process. Scientists are developing a way to transform this trash into treasure.

Chromosomal Rearrangement Is Key to Progress Against Aggressive Infant Leukemia Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PST A highly aggressive form of leukemia in infants has surprisingly few mutations beyond the chromosomal rearrangement that affects the MLL gene, researchers have found. The findings suggest that targeting the alteration is likely the key to improved survival.

Have a sense of purpose in life? It may protect your heart Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PST Having a high sense of purpose in life may lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study.

Multitasking hunger neurons also control compulsive behaviors Posted: 06 Mar 2015 08:20 AM PST In the absence of food, neurons that normally control appetite initiate complex, repetitive behaviors seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia nervosa, according to a new study.

New tool for detecting, destroying norovirus Posted: 06 Mar 2015 08:20 AM PST Norovirus infection is the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis, or 'stomach flu.' A research team recently produced 'nanobodies' that could be used to better characterize the structural makeup of the virus. They discovered that these nanobodies could detect the virus in clinical stool samples and disassemble intact norovirus particles. Such nanobodies may potentially be used to not only better detect but also treat symptoms of norovirus infection in the clinic.

Parasite infection poses a greater risk for African under-fives Posted: 06 Mar 2015 08:20 AM PST Children under five living in sub-Saharan Africa are at greater risk than older children of developing a long-term parasitic disease, research suggests.

Male smokers at higher risk than females for osteoporosis, fractures Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:27 AM PST In a large study of middle-aged to elderly smokers, men were more likely than women to have osteoporosis and fractures of their vertebrae. The findings suggest that current and past smokers of both genders should be screened for osteoporosis.

Gut bacteria may contribute to diabetes in black males Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:27 AM PST African American men at elevated risk for developing type 2 diabetes may have fewer beneficial and more harmful intestinal bacteria, according to new research.

The price of protection: Abused women and earnings Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:27 AM PST 'Why doesn't she just leave?' is a timeworn question about women trapped in relationships that are physically and/or emotionally abusive to them. Economic dependence is clearly part of the story--many women lack the financial means to leave and find themselves trapped by both poverty and abuse.

Safer drug combination found for patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:26 AM PST Use of a newer blood thinner significantly decreased the risk of strokes for patients with atrial fibrillation who require an anticoagulant and the heart rhythm medication amiodarone, a new study has found.

Gut bacteria may decrease weight loss from bariatric surgery Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:26 AM PST Some patients do not experience the optimal weight loss from bariatric surgery. The presence of a specific methane gas-producing organism in the gastrointestinal tract may account for a decrease in optimal weight loss, according to new research.

Investigational osteoporosis drug, abaloparatide, lowers fracture risk Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST Abaloparatide-SC, an injectable drug being studied for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, reduces the rate of new spinal fractures by a statistically significant 86 percent and as well as statistically significant reductions in the fracture rate at other parts of the body, a phase 3 clinical trial finds.

High-normal thyroid hormone level in pregnancy may affect fetal brain development Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST A new study finds that not only low but also high maternal thyroid hormone levels during early pregnancy may significantly lower the infant's IQ later in childhood. The study results suggest that the common practice of treating pregnant women who have mild thyroid hormone deficiency may pose unexpected risks to the developing baby's brain.

Onion extract may improve high blood sugar and cholesterol Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST The extract of onion bulb, Allium cepa, strongly lowered high blood glucose (sugar) and total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats when given with the antidiabetic drug metformin, according to a new study.

Letrozole is a promising new treatment of male infertility Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST A letrozole pill once a week restored fertility in obese, infertile men and led to their partners giving birth to two full-term, healthy babies, according to a new study from Canada.

Workplace lifestyle intervention program improves health Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST A healthy lifestyle intervention program administered at the workplace significantly reduces risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, according to a new study.

Oncologists see gene expression profiling tests as helpful but have concerns Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:24 AM PST Oncologists praise gene expression profiling tests as a decision-making tool for women with early-stage breast cancer but also have significant reservations.

New study points to better classrooms for children with disabilities Posted: 06 Mar 2015 06:16 AM PST A pilot study in 51 North Carolina classrooms shows the effectiveness of a new measure in assessing the quality of practices in inclusive preschools. Not only is the Inclusive Classroom Profile a reliable instrument, researchers say it also reveals the types of inclusive settings that may be best serving preschoolers with disabilities, researchers say.

Losing 30 minutes of sleep per day may promote weight gain and adversely affect blood sugar control Posted: 06 Mar 2015 05:25 AM PST Losing as little as 30 minutes of sleep per day on weekdays can have long-term consequences for body weight and metabolism, a new study finds.

Seniors' hospital and ER admission rates are higher if they have obesity Posted: 06 Mar 2015 05:25 AM PST Obesity is associated with substantial increases in older adults’ hospitalizations, emergency room admissions and use of outpatient health care services, according to a new study of 172,866 Medicare Advantage members throughout the U.S.

Researchers connect climate change to food safety Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:38 AM PST Climate change can affect our food safety in a number of ways. In a European study, researchers state that there is often a relationship between long-term changes in temperature and rainfall and vegetable and fruit contamination. For example, flooding may result in increased concentrations of harmful bacteria that can be quickly broken down again by UV light. Similarly, in one region fungi that produce toxins may increase due to global warming, while they decrease in other regions.

New findings on 'key players' in brain inflammation Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:38 AM PST Inflammatory processes occur in the brain in conjunction with stroke and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Researchers have presented new findings about some of the ‘key players’ in inflammation. In the long term, these findings could lead to new treatments.

Infant growth affected by exposure to environmental pollutants Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:37 AM PST Even though the levels of two environmental pollutants have declined over the last 20 years, they may still have adverse effects on children's development, according to a new study. The researchers found that maternal levels of DDE (indicating the levels to which the fetuses were exposed to in utero) were significantly associated with rapid growth in early life. They also found that levels of PCB153 in milk and the amount transferred through breastfeeding were associated with decreased infant growth and falling below expected growth curves.

Autism detection improved by multimodal neuroimaging Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:36 AM PST Combined measurements of brain anatomy, connectivity and neurochemistry distinguish autism spectrum disorder subjects from controls, scientists say. This multimodal approach is distinct from many previous studies that have used a single neuroimaging measure. While those studies uncovered widespread functional and anatomical brain abnormalities in ASD, the results were not highly consistent, possibly reflecting the complex brain pathology in autism spectrum disorders.

Popular antioxidant likely ineffective, study finds Posted: 06 Mar 2015 04:36 AM PST The popular dietary supplement ubiquinone, also known as Coenzyme Q10, is widely believed to function as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage from free radicals. But a new study finds that ubiquinone is not a crucial antioxidant.

Restricting fructose in obese Latino and African American children may reduce fat accumulation in their liver Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:18 PM PST In obese Latino and African American children, restricting dietary fructose, but not calories, may decrease liver fat and the conversion of sugar to fat in the liver, a new study finds.

To reduce body fat, eating less fat may be more effective than eating less carbohydrate Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:18 PM PST In adults with obesity, lowering dietary fat may lead to greater body fat loss than lowering dietary carbohydrate, a new study finds.

Nuts may help lower teenagers' risk of metabolic syndrome Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:18 PM PST Modest consumption of nuts every day is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile among adolescents, a new analysis of a large national database shows.