ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Monday, July 7, 2008
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New Antibiotic Beats Superbugs At Their Own Game (July 7, 2008) -- By targeting the gene that confers resistance to antibiotics, a new drug may be able to finally outwit drug-resistant staph bacteria. ... > full story
Newly Identified Enzyme Treats Deadly Bacterial Infections In Mice (July 7, 2008) -- By the time antibiotics made their clinical debut 70 years ago, bacteria had long evolved strategies to shield themselves. For billions of years, bacteria hurled toxic molecules at each other in the struggle to prosper, and those that withstood the chemical onslaught marched on. Now, with an uptick in antibiotic-resistant bacteria reaching alarming proportions, scientists have identified an enzyme produced in viruses (called bacteriophages) that could stop these one-celled powerhouses dead in their tracks. ... > full story
Effects Of Healing Touch Therapy Being Studied (July 7, 2008) -- Researchers are pairing a complementary therapy known as Healing Touch with mild sedation to see if the technique truly calms patients undergoing minor procedures. ... > full story
Glaucoma Surgery Studied In Medicare Patients, New Hope For People With End-stage Glaucoma (July 7, 2008) -- Ophthalmologists continue to develop treatments to help the more than three million Americans with glaucoma. The July issue of Ophthalmology includes a large, national study of outcomes of incisional surgeries, used to reduce pressure inside the eye, in Medicare patients. Also covered is research that may brighten the outlook for patients with end-stage glaucoma. ... > full story
Mother's Vitamin D Status During Pregnancy Will Affect Her Baby's Dental Health (July 7, 2008) -- Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy may affect primary tooth calcification, leading to enamel defects, which are a risk factor for early-childhood tooth decay. ... > full story
'Multi-target' Immune Therapy Improves Outcomes Of Severe Lupus Nephritis (July 7, 2008) -- A new treatment using a combination of drugs targeting different parts of the immune system improves the recovery rate for patients with severe lupus involving the kidneys, according to a new report. ... > full story
Genetic Status Of North-east India's Adi Tribe Detailed (July 7, 2008) -- North-east India has always been a hotspot for population geneticists due to its unique, strategic geographic location and the presence of linguistically, culturally and demographically diverse populations practicing varied occupations (from hunter-gathering to settled agriculture). Researcher have now examined the genetic status of sub-tribes of a remotely located tribal cluster -- the Adi, a Tibeto-Burman-speaking tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east of India. Based on 15 autosomal microsatellite markers, the authors studied the genetic affinity, differentiation and sub-structuring among six Adi subgroups, as well as their genetic affinity with other groups. ... > full story
Looking For The Founatain Of Youth? Cut Your Calories, Research Suggests (July 6, 2008) -- In addition to reducing one's risk for many common diseases, new research found that calorie restriction may slow the aging process. Calorie restriction has long been shown to slow the aging process in rats and mice. Calorie restriction - cutting approximately 300 to 500 calories per day - had a similar biological effect in humans, and, therefore, may slow the aging process. ... > full story
Calpain Inhibitors Never Forget: Improving Memory In Alzheimer's Disease Mice (July 6, 2008) -- Overactivation of proteins known as calpains, which are involved in memory formation, has been linked to Alzheimer disease. Researchers have now shown that two different drugs that inhibit calpains can improve memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, leading them to suggest drugs that target calpains might stop or slow down the memory loss that occurs as Alzheimer's disease progresses. ... > full story
Rare Plants And Endangered Species Such As Tigers At Risk From Traditional Medicine (July 6, 2008) -- Two reports from TRAFFIC, the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network, on traditional medicine systems in Cambodia and Vietnam suggest that illegal wildlife trade, including entire tiger skeletons, and unsustainable harvesting is depleting the region's rich and varied biodiversity and putting the primary health care resource of millions at risk. ... > full story
Woman Aquires New Accent After Stroke (July 6, 2008) -- A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, researchers reported in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences. ... > full story
Statins Have Unexpected Effect On Pool Of Powerful Brain Cells (July 6, 2008) -- Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells known as glial progenitor cells that are important to brain health as we age, scientists have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia. ... > full story
Endocrinology: Understanding The Genetics Of Congenital Hyperinsulinism (July 6, 2008) -- A number of congenital disorders characterized by low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) as a result of excessive secretion of the hormone insulin are collectively known as congenital hyperinsulinism. ... > full story
New Technique Produces Genetically Identical Stem Cells (July 6, 2008) -- Cells from mice created using genetically reprogrammed cells can be triggered via drug administration to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state without the need for further direct genetic manipulation. This technical advancement enables creation of large numbers of genetically identical cells that can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state simply by exposure to a drug. Researchers can exploit such cells to decipher and improve the reprogramming process. ... > full story
Blood Vessel Inhibitor Shows Promise Against Metastatic Thyroid Cancer (July 6, 2008) -- Thyroid cancer that has spread to distant sites has a poor prognosis, but an experimental drug that inhibits tumor blood vessel formation can slow disease progression in some patients, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. ... > full story
Bringing Stability To The Protein Defective In Phenylketonuria (July 6, 2008) -- Phenylketonuria is an inherited disease characterized by progressive mental retardation and seizures because the individual is deficient in the protein PAH. Most of the genetic mutations that cause PKU do so because the PAH protein that is generated by the mutated gene is not stable enough to function. New data now suggest that it might be possible to stabilize the mutated PAH protein in individuals with PKU such that it can function normally. ... > full story
Insights Into Tissue Only Micromillimeters Thick With Help From New High-Tech Robot (July 6, 2008) -- "TIGA," the new high-tech imaging center at the University of Heidelberg provides deep insights: a high-tech robot makes it possible for the first time to automatically reproduce and evaluate tissue slices only micromillimeters thick -- an important aid for researchers in understanding cancer or in following in detail the effect of treatment on cells and tissue. ... > full story
Clinicians Should Consider Economic Impact Of New Interventions, According To New Report (July 6, 2008) -- Cancer clinicians should understand and consider the economic impact of new interventions, which often have substantial costs, according to a new report. ... > full story
Bone Marrow Alternative: Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord May Be Used To Treat Hepatic Diseases (July 5, 2008) -- Researchers from the Universities of Granada and León have shown that mononuclear blood cells from human umbilical cord can be an effective alternative to bone marrow. This work, to be published in the journal Cell Transplantation, could potentially mean a great advance in regenerative hepatic medicine. ... > full story
Women Over 90 More Likely To Have Dementia Than Men (July 5, 2008) -- Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men of the same age, according UC Irvine researchers involved with the 90+ Study, one of the nation's largest studies of dementia and other health factors in the fastest-growing age demographic. ... > full story
Scientists Set Out To Measure How We Perceive Naturalness (July 5, 2008) -- Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory are working towards producing the world's first model that will predict how we perceive naturalness. The results could help make synthetic products so good that they are interpreted by our senses as being fully equivalent to the "real thing," but with the benefits of reduced environmental impact and increased durability. ... > full story
Seizures In Newborns Can Be Detected With Small, Portable Brain Activity Monitors (July 5, 2008) -- Compact, bedside brain-activity monitors detected most seizures in at-risk infants. That means the compact units could assist clinicians in monitoring for electrical seizures until confirmation with conventional EEG, the researchers assert in an article in Pediatrics. ... > full story
Coronary Arterial Calcium Scans Help Detect Overall Death Risk In The Elderly (July 5, 2008) -- Measuring calcium deposits in the heart's arteries can help predict overall death risk in American adults, even when they are elderly, according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. ... > full story
Weight Watchers Vs. Fitness Centers (July 5, 2008) -- The nationally known commercial weight loss program, Weight Watchers, was compared to gym membership programs to find out which method wins in the game of good health. Researchers examined the real-life experiences of participants to determine which program helps people lose pounds, reduce body fat and gain health benefits. ... > full story
Breast Cancer: How Tumor Cells Break Free And Form Metastases (July 5, 2008) -- When tumor cells acquire the capacity to move around and invade other tissues, there is a risk of metastases and cancer treatment becomes more difficult. Scientists have just discovered how breast cancer cells break the bonds that tether them to the tumor. ... > full story
How Cold Sore Virus Hides During Inactive Phase (July 5, 2008) -- Now that scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, they may have a way to wake it up and kill it. Cold sores, painful, unsightly blemishes around the mouth, have so far evaded a cure or even prevention. ... > full story
Healthy Or Diseased? Analysis Of Body's Metabolism Sheds New Light On The Question (July 5, 2008) -- Scientists have shown that biological indicators for diseases caused or influenced by environmental factors can be detected by the systemic analysis of the body's metabolism (metabolomics). The procedure presented here is also suitable for pre-clinical drug testing and allows for the early detection of possible side effects of a new medication. ... > full story
Researchers Coat Titanium With Polymer To Improve Integration Of Joint Replacements (July 5, 2008) -- New research shows that coating a titanium implant with a new biologically inspired material enhances tissue healing, improves bone growth around the implant and strengthens the attachment and integration of the implant to the bone. ... > full story
Depression Ups Risk Of Complications Following Heart Attack, Study Suggests (July 5, 2008) -- People who suffer from severe depression following a heart attack might be more likely to experience cardiac complications while hospitalized, according to a new study. "There is good evidence that if a person has depression after a heart attack, they are more likely to die from cardiac causes in the following months and years," said the lead author and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "No one had yet studied whether depression impacts cardiac outcomes immediately after a heart attack -- the time we see the most complications." ... > full story
'Mind's Eye' Influences Visual Perception (July 4, 2008) -- Letting your imagination run away with you may actually influence how you see the world. New research has found that mental imagery -- what we see with the "mind's eye" -- directly impacts our visual perception. ... > full story
Circulating Tumor Cells Can Reveal Genetic Signature Of Dangerous Lung Cancers (July 4, 2008) -- A microchip-based device that detects and analyzes tumor cells in the bloodstream can be used to determine the genetic signature of lung tumors, allowing identification of those appropriate for targeted treatment and monitoring genetic changes that occur during therapy. ... > full story
Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Balanced Nutrition Saves Lives (July 4, 2008) -- Clinician-scientists are suggesting an immediate and important change to guidelines used in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury. The researchers say that following traumatic brain injury, patients should be given nutritional supplementation through a gastric feeding tube as soon as possible, which they say can improve their chances of survival by as much as four-fold. ... > full story
Experimental Philosophy Movement Explores Real-life Dilemmas (July 4, 2008) -- Imagine a business executive who thinks: "I know that this new policy will harm the environment, but I don't care at all about that -- I just want to increase profits." Is the business executive harming the environment intentionally? Faced with this question, 82 percent of people polled said yes. ... > full story
Invasive Treatment Appears Beneficial For Men And High-risk Women With Certain Coronary Syndromes (July 4, 2008) -- An analysis of previous studies indicates that among men and high-risk women with a certain type of heart attack or angina an invasive treatment strategy (such as cardiac catheterization) is associated with reduced risk of rehospitalization, heart attack or death, whereas low-risk women may have an increased risk of heart attack or death with this treatment. ... > full story
In Vitro Fertilization: New Method Predicts Which Women WIll Get Pregnant (July 4, 2008) -- Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a method that can predict with 70 percent accuracy whether a woman undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment will become pregnant. The researchers found that four factors - total number of embryos, number of eight-cell embryos, percentage of embryos that stopped dividing and would die, and the woman's follicle-stimulating hormone level, a measurement that estimates ovarian function - were most important in determining a woman's chance of becoming pregnant. The four together were 70 percent accurate in predicting whether the current IVF cycle would result in a pregnancy. ... > full story
Death, Division Or Cancer? Newly Discovered Checkpoint Process Holds The Line In Cell Division (July 4, 2008) -- Each day, a staggering number of cells perform a feat that still amazes researchers with its complexity: they divide to produce perfect replicas of each other. The process is called mitosis, and an inability to control it is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Researchers have discovered a novel biochemical activity involved in controlling cell division, which they've called the mitotic checkpoint factor 2. While the proteins involved in MCF2 remain to be determined, their findings offer insight into a fundamental question of biology, which may also help to increase the efficiency of cancer drugs like gemcitabine or paclitaxel. ... > full story
Newborns In ICUs Often Undergo Painful Procedures, Most Without Pain Medication (July 4, 2008) -- An examination of newborn intensive care finds that newborns undergo numerous procedures that are associated with pain and stress, and that many of these procedures are performed without medication or therapy to relieve pain. ... > full story
Resveratrol, Found In Red Wine, Wards Off Effects Of Age On Heart, Bones, Eyes And Muscle (July 3, 2008) -- Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol, found in red wine and grape skin, slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age. This study is a follow-up to 2006 findings that resveratrol improves health and longevity of overweight, aged mice. ... > full story
New System Blocks HIV Transmission Via Breastfeeding (July 3, 2008) -- Researchers are developing a new technology that prevents the infection of HIV by breastfeeding. ... > full story
Researchers Are First To Simulate The Binding Of Molecules To A Protein (July 3, 2008) -- You may not know what it is, but you burn more than your body weight of it every day. Adenosine triphosphate, a tiny molecule that packs a powerful punch, is the primary energy source for most of your cellular functions. Now researchers have identified a key step in the cellular recycling of ATP that allows your body to produce enough of it to survive. ... > full story
Gender Differences And Heart Disease (July 3, 2008) -- Women may respond less favorably than men to cardiovascular disease drug-treatments for enlarged heart. For the first time, researchers have uncovered that women derive a lesser benefit than men from two common high-blood-pressure-lowering drugs — losartan and atenolol — for the reduction of left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The condition is a thickening and enlargement of muscle of the left ventricle of the heart and a marker for future heart disease. ... > full story
Prevalence Of Religious Congregations Affects Mortality Rates (July 3, 2008) -- Researchers have recently found that a community's religious environment -- that is, the type of religious congregations within a locale -- affects mortality rates, often in a positive manner. ... > full story
Discovery Of Gene Mechanism Could Bring About New Ways To Treat Metastatic Cancer (July 3, 2008) -- The molecular and biochemical mechanism of action of unique cytokine gene found to induce potent bystander antitumor effects in animal models and in Phase I clinical trials has been identified. Researchers have uncovered how a gene, melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interleukin-24 (mda-7/IL-24), induces a bystander effect that kills cancer cells not directly receiving mda-7/IL-24 without harming healthy ones, a discovery that could lead to new therapeutic strategies to fight metastatic disease. ... > full story
Sleep Problems Associated With Menopause Vary Among Ethnic Groups (July 3, 2008) -- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep increase as women go through menopause according to new research. Waking up earlier than planned also increases through late perimenopause but decreases when women become postmenopausal. ... > full story
Does This Make Me Look Fat? (July 3, 2008) -- The peer groups teenage girls identify with determine how they decide to control their own figure. Also influencing weight control behavior is girls' own definition of normal body weight and their perception of what others consider normal body weight. ... > full story
Brain ‘trick’ Offers Treatment Hope For Alzheimer’s (July 3, 2008) -- Scientists have made a significant step forward in the search for new drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease. An aging population means that neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease, is one of the major health problems in the developed world. But researchers have designed an enzyme inhibitor which could 'trick' the brain and so help to halt neurodegeneration. ... > full story
Body's Own 'Cannabis (Marijuana)' Is Good For The Skin, Scientists Find (July 3, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the active ingredient in marijuana, but these play an important part in maintaining healthy skin. This finding on "endocannabinoids" could lead to new drugs that treat skin conditions ranging from acne to dry skin, and even skin-related tumors. ... > full story
Smokers Suffer More Back Pain, Survey Shows (July 3, 2008) -- Smokers suffer more chronic back pain according to a new survey. Researchers interviewed more than 8000 people in the course of a telephone health survey. This included questions on social and demographic themes, as well as health and life style. ... > full story
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