ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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Pathologists Believe They Have Pinpointed Achilles Heel Of HIV (July 16, 2008) -- Human immunodeficiency virus researchers believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions. The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. ... > full story
Huntington's Disease Linked To Overactive Immune Response In The Brain (July 16, 2008) -- The damage to brain tissue seen in Huntington's disease may be caused by an overactive immune response in the bloodstream and the brain. Working separately, two teams found evidence in both brain cells and the bloodstream suggesting an important link between the immune system's response and Huntington's disease. ... > full story
Administering Heparin Soon After Stroke Can Increase Risk Of Serious Bleeding (July 16, 2008) -- The common practice of administering heparin soon after cardioembolic stroke is associated with an increased risk for serious bleeding, according to an article in the Archives of Neurology. However, it appears that anticoagulation with warfarin therapy may safely begin shortly after stroke. ... > full story
Rx For Time-crunched Physicians (July 16, 2008) -- Certain communication skills can help physicians increase the efficiency of their time with patients during office visits. ... > full story
Newly Described 'Dragon' Protein Could Be Key To Bird Flu Cure (July 16, 2008) -- Scientists have taken a big step closer to a cure for the most common strain of avian influenza, or "bird flu," the potential pandemic that has claimed more than 200 lives and infected nearly 400 people in 14 countries since it was identified in 2003. ... > full story
Gaining Ground On Sickle Cell Disease (July 16, 2008) -- Although sickle cell disease is a single-gene disorder, its symptoms are highly variable. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists report five gene variants that could potentially be helpful in predicting sickle cell disease severity, perhaps even leading to better treatment approaches in the future. ... > full story
High-dose HBO2 Therapy Extends Survival Window After Cardiopulmonary Arrest, Study Suggests (July 16, 2008) -- A new study has major implications for the No. 1 cause of death of Americans -- sudden cardiac arrest. To resuscitate any living organism after 25 minutes of heart stoppage at room temperature has never been reported and suggests that the time to successful resuscitation in humans may be extended beyond the stubborn figure of 16 minutes that has stood for 50 years. ... > full story
New System Detects Dementia Risk Among Highly Educated Older Adults (July 16, 2008) -- A different cutoff point on an existing mental function assessment may more effectively assess the risk of dementia in highly educated older adults, according to a new article. ... > full story
'Smothered' Genes Combine With Mutations To Yield Poor Outcome In Cancer Patients (July 15, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a set of genes in breast and colon cancers with a deadly combination of traditional mutations and "smothered" gene activity that may result in poor outcomes for patients. ... > full story
Diabetes Could Be A Hidden Condition For Heart Disease Patients (July 15, 2008) -- Diabetes could be a hidden condition for some patients with coronary heart disease. Researchers found high levels of oxidative stress in people with coronary heart disease, previously thought to be a marker of the heart condition, could instead indicate a condition of glucose abnormality, such as overt type 2 diabetes. ... > full story
Weeding Out The Highs Of Medical Marijuana (July 15, 2008) -- Research exploring new ways of exploiting the full medicinal uses of cannabis while avoiding unwanted side-effects. Cannabis is a source of compounds known as cannabinoids, one of which, THC -- the main chemical responsible for the 'high' -- has long been licensed as a medicine for suppressing nausea produced by chemotherapy and for stimulating appetite, for instance, in AIDS patients. ... > full story
Possible Link Found Between X-rays And Prostate Cancer (July 15, 2008) -- Researchers have shown an association between certain past diagnostic radiation procedures and an increased risk of young-onset prostate cancer -- a rare form of prostate cancer which affects about 10 percent of all men diagnosed with the disease. ... > full story
Men And Women Are Programmed Differently When It Comes To Temptation (July 15, 2008) -- Men may not see their flirtations with an attractive woman as threatening to the relationship while women do, according to research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ... > full story
Kidney Transplants Less Successful At Night (July 15, 2008) -- Kidney transplants should be carried out during the day if possible. At least this is the conclusion suggested by a survey just published by urologists and internists at the University of Bonn. Operations carried out at night require a further operation more than twice as often as other operations. ... > full story
Myths About Postmenopausal Pain During Sex Shattered (July 15, 2008) -- Using hormone replacement therapy to alleviate painful sexual intercourse in post-menopausal women is not effective for a significant proportion of sufferers, according to a review study. "This often-prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has mainly been studied in women who suffer from vaginal atrophy, a condition caused by declining estrogen levels, and changes in the genitals," one of the researchers said. ... > full story
Consumption Of Nut Products During Pregnancy Linked To Increased Asthma In Children (July 15, 2008) -- Expectant mothers who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily during pregnancy increase their children's risk of developing asthma by more than 50 percent over women who rarely or never consume nut products during pregnancy, according to new research from the Netherlands. ... > full story
Tumor-inhibiting Protein Could Be Effective In Treating Leukemia (July 15, 2008) -- Angiocidin, a tumor-inhibiting novel protein, may also have a role as a new therapeutic application in treating leukemia by inducing a differentiation of monocytic leukemia cells into a normal, macrophage-like phenotype. ... > full story
Parents Should Limit Young Children's Exposure To Background TV (July 15, 2008) -- Research conducted among 50 children ages 1, 2, and 3 found that background TV disrupted children's play and may be an environmental risk factor for most American children. A television in the room played an episode of Jeopardy for half of the hour of observation, while the television was turned off for the other half hour. Children played for significantly less time and focused for shorter intervals on their play when the television was on. ... > full story
More Kidney Stone Disease Projected Due To Global Warming (July 15, 2008) -- Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of the population affected by kidney stones by expanding the higher-risk region known as the "kidney-stone belt" into neighboring states, researchers have found. ... > full story
Toothpick: New Molecular Tag IDs Bone And Tooth Minerals (July 15, 2008) -- Enlisting an army of plant viruses to their cause, NIST materials researchers have identified a small biomolecule that binds specifically to one of the key crystal structures of the body, the calcium compound that is the basic building block of teeth and bone. With refinements, the researchers say, the new molecule can be a highly discriminating probe for a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic applications related to bones and teeth. ... > full story
Exercise May Prevent Brain Shrinkage In Early Alzheimer's Disease (July 15, 2008) -- Mild Alzheimer's disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger brains compared to mild Alzheimer's patients with lower physical fitness, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. ... > full story
Long Commutes, Cell Phones While Driving Can Cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (July 15, 2008) -- Is your long, daily commute causing you pain? According to experts, hours in the car can create more than stress--it can actually cause carpal tunnel syndrome. "Repeated, prolonged gripping of anything--whether it's a steering wheel or a tool--can contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome," says Jennifer Valle, occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. "There are activities you can do and modifications you can make to help alleviate the risk of developing carpal tunnel." ... > full story
The 700-year-old Mexican Mummy With A Tummy Ache (July 15, 2008) -- Remnants of the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, have been discovered in gastric tissue from North American mummies. A study of human remains believed to predate Columbus' discovery of the New World has shown for the first time that H. pylori infection occurred in native populations. ... > full story
Researchers Hone Technique To KO Pediatric Brain Tumors (July 15, 2008) -- Scientists are a step closer to delivering cancer-killing drugs to pediatric brain tumors, similar to the tumor that Senator Ted Kennedy is suffering from. They developed polymeric nanoparticles that can entrap doxorubicin, a drug commonly used in chemotherapy, and slowly release the drug over an extended time. Such tumors are often difficult to completely remove surgically; frequently, cancerous cells remain following surgery and the tumor returns. Chemotherapy, while effective at treating tumors, often harms healthy cells as well, leading to severe side effects especially in young children that are still developing their brain functions. ... > full story
Visual Impairment May Be Associated With Higher Suicide Risk (July 15, 2008) -- Visual impairment may be associated with an increased risk of suicide through its indirect negative effect on health, according to a new article. Eye conditions that lead to visual impairment often have psychosocial and health consequences including impaired activities of daily living, social isolation, mental impairment, increased dependency on others, increased motor vehicle crashes, falls and fractures, depression and poor self-rated health, according to background information in the article. ... > full story
Language Without Numbers: Amazonian Tribe Has No Word To Express 'One,' Other Numbers (July 15, 2008) -- An Amazonian language with only 300 speakers has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team. ... > full story
Excavated Jericho Bones May Help Israeli-Palestinian-German Team Combat Tuberculosis (July 15, 2008) -- Six-thousand year old bones excavated in Jericho may help a joint Israeli-Palestinian-German research group combat tuberculosis. The bones, which were all excavated between 50 and 70 years ago, will be tested for tuberculosis, leprosy, leishmania and malaria. However, the primary focus will be tuberculosis. ... > full story
Perfect Teeth: Polished To Perfection (July 15, 2008) -- Dentists use special polish to make teeth shiny white again. A new measuring technique determines the effect of dental care products and helps to optimize them so they polish the rough tooth surfaces until they are perfectly smooth, but preserve the tooth enamel. ... > full story
Apert's Syndrome: Why Kids Of Older Dads Are More Likely To Have Some Genetic Disorders (July 15, 2008) -- In a cruel irony, testis cells carrying the mutation that causes Apert's syndrome are fitter than normal cells, even though children born from sperm derived from those cells are weakened by fused fingers, toes and skulls, a new study has found. The research can explain why the syndrome is unexpectedly common, and why sperm from older men carry the mutation more frequently than expected. ... > full story
Closing Coal-fired Power Plants Improves Cognitive Development Of Children, New Study Suggests (July 15, 2008) -- Closing coal-fired power plants can have a direct, positive impact on children's cognitive development and health according to a new study. The study allowed researchers to compare the development of two groups of children born in Tongliang, China -- one in utero while a coal-fired power plant was operating in the city and one in utero after the Chinese government had closed the plant. ... > full story
89 Percent Of Children's Food Products Provide Poor Nutritional Quality, Study Finds (July 15, 2008) -- Most kids' foods provide poor nutritional quality, but packaging claims and healthy images could be misleading parents, according to a new study. Researchers used US guidelines to review 367 products. 70 percent of the products had higher than recommended sugar levels, 23 percent had high fat levels and 17 percent had high salt levels. But 62 percent of them still make health claims on the packaging. ... > full story
Passive Learning Imprints On The Brain Just Like Active Learning (July 15, 2008) -- It's conventional wisdom that practice makes perfect. But if practicing only consists of watching, rather than doing, does that advance proficiency? Yes, according to a new study. ... > full story
Anatomy Of Membrane Protein Mapped: May Lead Faster Drug Development (July 15, 2008) -- Scientists have mapped the anatomy of a membrane protein. This exciting discovery has the potential to turn the way we discover new drugs on its head and reduce the development time for new treatments. ... > full story
Vitamin D: Builds Bones And Much More (July 15, 2008) -- Vitamin D is essential to strong bones. Inadequate vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis, a brittle bone disease. Recently, researchers have found that vitamin D may help reduce the risk of other diseases. ... > full story
Forget The Stethoscope, New Technology Sounds Out Wide Range Of Heart Problems Automatically (July 15, 2008) -- Sounding the chest with a cold stethoscope is probably one of the most commonly used diagnostics in the medical room after peering down the back of the throat while the patient says, "Aaaah". But a new article aims to add an information-age approach to diagnosing heart problems. The technique could circumvent the problem of the failing stethoscope skills of medical graduates and reduce errors of judgment. ... > full story
Sociological Research Shows Combined Impact Of Genetics, Social Factors On Delinquency (July 15, 2008) -- In one of the first studies to link molecular genetic variants to adolescent delinquency, sociological research identifies three genetic predictors -- of serious and violent delinquency -- that gain predictive precision when considered together with social influences, such as family, friends and school processes. ... > full story
Diabetes Increases Risk Of Tuberculosis, Studies Show (July 15, 2008) -- Searching for research over the past four decades containing data on the relationship between diabetes and TB, researchers identified 13 studies involving more than 1.7 million participants, including 17,698 cases of TB. Combining the data from cohort studies in particular, the researchers calculated that diabetes increases the risk of active TB by about a factor of three. ... > full story
Mitochondrial Cholesterol Makes Response To Chemotherapy Difficult In Hepatic Cancer (July 15, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated that the increase of cholesterol concentration in the mitochondrial membrane makes the action of chemotherapy difficult in cellular hepatocarcinoma. According to these results, drugs such as statins could sensitize cancer cells against chemotherapy since they diminish the level of mitochondrial cholesterol. ... > full story
Scientists Discover Key Patterns In The Packaging Of Genes (July 15, 2008) -- Although every cell of our bodies contains the same genetic instructions, specific genes typically act only in specific cells at particular times. Other genes are "silenced" in a variety of ways. One mode of gene silencing depends upon the way DNA, the genetic material, is packed in the nucleus of cells. ... > full story
Potential To Prevent Loss Of Insulin In Type 2 Diabetes (July 14, 2008) -- There are two completely different diseases known as diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that often starts in childhood or adolescence. Type 2 is a metabolic disorder sometimes associated with lifestyle. In both cases, the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas die, albeit at different rates. Until now, it was thought that the processes leading to beta cell death were similar in both diseases. Scientists have now shown that the causes of cell death are quite different. ... > full story
Risk Of Gall Bladder Disease With Hormone Replacement Therapy Patches Lower Than With HRT Pills (July 14, 2008) -- Use of hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of gallbladder disease but the effects are less with HRT given in skin patches or gels compared with HRT given orally, according to a new study. ... > full story
Program Discourages HIV Transmission In Russia (July 14, 2008) -- Sexual behavior counseling during drug addiction treatment should be considered an important component among Russian substance-dependent individuals, in order to decrease risky sexual behavior in the HIV at-risk population, according to recent research. ... > full story
Seasonal Programmed Brain Cell Death Foiled In Living Birds (July 14, 2008) -- Neurons in brains of one songbird species equipped with a built-in suicide program that kicks in at the end of the breeding season have been kept alive for seven days in live birds by researchers trying to understand the role that steroid hormones play in the growth and maintenance of the neural song system. ... > full story
Exhausted B Cells Hamper Immune Response To HIV (July 14, 2008) -- Recent studies have shown that HIV causes a vigorous and prolonged immune response that eventually leads to the exhaustion of key immune system cells -- CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells -- that target HIV. These tired cells become less able to fight the virus. Now, researchers have shown that a similar type of exhaustion strikes another important brigade of immune system soldiers: the B cells that make virus-fighting proteins called antibodies. ... > full story
Immunology: April Showers Bring Mucosal Antibody Secreting Cells Long Life (July 14, 2008) -- Antibodies are proteins that are a crucial component of the immune system. They are produced in large amounts by immune cells known as plasma cells, which live in just a few parts of the body, including the bone marrow and special areas of the various parts of the body that are exposed to the outside (e.g., the gut, nose, and airways). These areas are known as mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and include tissues such as the tonsils, but what regulates plasma cell survival in MALT has not been determined. ... > full story
'Tommy John' Surgery For Elbow Reconstruction Effective, But Number Of Baseball Players Requiring It Alarming (July 14, 2008) -- According to a new study, 83 percent of athletes who had "Tommy John" elbow reconstruction surgery were able to return to the same or better level of play. While reassuring to athletes, the study authors find the trend of more and more young athletes requiring the surgery, alarming. ... > full story
Researchers Locate And Image Prostate Cancer As It Spreads To Lymph Nodes (July 14, 2008) -- Using an engineered common cold virus, UCLA researchers delivered a genetic payload to prostate cancer cells that allowed them, using positron emission tomography, to locate the diseased cells as they spread to the lymph nodes, the first place prostate cancer goes before invading other organs. ... > full story
New Helmet May Significantly Reduce Forces To Neck During Head-first Impact (July 14, 2008) -- Researchers have invented a sports helmet that reduces direct impact to the neck by up to 56 per cent, according to preliminary tests. The patent-pending technology features a movable inner shell that guides the head to tilt slightly forward or backward in a head-on impact, thus allowing dissipation of direct loads to the cervical spine. ... > full story
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