ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Scent-trained dog detects thyroid cancer in human urine samples Posted: 07 Mar 2015 06:59 AM PST A trained scent dog accurately identified whether patients' urine samples had thyroid cancer or were benign (noncancerous) 88.2 percent of the time, according to a new study.

Experimental drug turns 'bad' white fat into 'good' brown-like fat Posted: 07 Mar 2015 06:59 AM PST An experimental drug causes loss of weight and fat in mice, a new study has found. Known as GC-1, the drug reportedly speeds up metabolism, or burning off, of fat cells.

After breast cancer diagnosis, risk of thyroid cancer goes up Posted: 07 Mar 2015 06:59 AM PST Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, especially within five years of their breast cancer diagnosis, according to a new analysis of a large national database.

Maternal age at childbirth may affect glucose metabolism in their adult male children Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PST A mother's age at childbirth may affect her male baby's birth weight as well as his adult glucose metabolism, new research shows.

Stress reduction may reduce fasting glucose in overweight and obese women Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PST A treatment known as mindfulness-based stress reduction may decrease fasting glucose and improve quality of life in overweight and obese women, new research suggests.

In chronic heart failure, monitoring calcitriol may help prevent death Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PST In patients with chronic heart failure, the vitamin D metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), also called calcitriol, and its ratio to parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-84) may help predict cardiovascular death; and patients with decreased calcitriol and decreased ratio of calcitriol to PTH might benefit from more aggressive supplementation, a new study finds.

Endocrine disruptors cause fatty liver Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:18 PM PST Exposure to low doses of hormone-disrupting chemicals early in life can alter gene expression in the liver as well as liver function, increasing the susceptibility to obesity and other metabolic diseases in adulthood, a new study finds.

BPA harms dental enamel in young animals, mimicking human tooth defect Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST A tooth enamel abnormality in children, molar incisor hypomineralization, may result from exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A, authors of a new study conclude after finding similar damage to the dental enamel of rats that received BPA.

Brain structure varies depending on how trusting people are of others, study shows Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST Brain structure varies according to how trusting people are of others, scientists say. This research may have implications for future treatments of psychological conditions such as autism, said the study's lead author. Each autism diagnosis is on a spectrum and varies, but some diagnosed with the condition exhibit problems trusting other people.

Feeling sleepy? Might be the melatonin Posted: 06 Mar 2015 11:45 AM PST Melatonin supplements are commonly used as sleep aids; however, our bodies also make melatonin naturally, and until a recent study using zebrafish, no one knew how -- or even if -- this melatonin contributed to our natural sleep. The new work suggests that even in the absence of a supplement, naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall and stay asleep.

Most men with borderline testosterone levels may have depression Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PST Men with borderline testosterone levels have higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms than the general population, new research finds.

Menopausal hormone therapy does not affect the risk of dying early Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:25 AM PST Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) does not have a significant effect on death, according to a new review of the medical literature published over the past three decades. The results included studies with follow-up as long as 18 years.

Long-term effects of obesity surgery on adolescent skeleton are favorable Posted: 06 Mar 2015 07:25 AM PST The skeletons of obese adolescents are usually more dense than those of normal weight teens, but after gastric bypass surgery, most return to normal density within two years, a new study finds.