ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Wednesday, October 8, 2008
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'Deadly Dozen' Reports Diseases Worsened By Climate Change (October 8, 2008) -- A new report lists 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change, with potential impacts to both human and wildlife health and global economies. ... > full story
Scientists Trace A Novel Way Cells Are Disrupted In Cancer (October 8, 2008) -- A research team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is clarifying a previously unappreciated way that cellular processes are disrupted in cancer. Following upon previous work showing that a splicing factor called SF2/ASF can induce tumors in cell cultures, the team now shows that the same splicing factor induces changes in proteins in a pathway called PI3K-mTOR well known for its involvement in cancers. ... > full story
Proteins Involved In Blood Vessel Dysfunction In Type 2 Diabetes Are Identified (October 8, 2008) -- Using precise microscopes, researchers are dissecting coronary microvessels and testing which proteins are responsible for inflammation that causes blood-vessel dysfunction. By identifying the proteins that play important roles in blood-vessel dysfunction, they hope to develop new treatments for blood-vessel dysfunction in people with type 2 diabetes. ... > full story
Mentally Ill Smoke At 4 Times The Rate Of General Population, Study Suggests (October 8, 2008) -- Australians with mental illness smoke at four times the rate of the general population, according to a new study. ... > full story
C. Difficile And Antibiotics Not Necessarily Linked, Study Finds (October 8, 2008) -- A new study questions the assumption held by a vast majority of medical professionals that Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) infections are essentially always preceded by antibiotic use. The finding could have a major impact on how patients with diarrhea are evaluated upon their admission to the hospital. ... > full story
Racial Differences For Brain Bleeds Suggest Stroke Risk Greater Than Thought For Blacks (October 8, 2008) -- Small, clinically silent areas of bleeding in the brain appear to be more common in black versus white stroke patients hospitalized for new brain bleeds, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. These findings may help explain the higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke among the black population, especially in those who are medically underserved. ... > full story
ADHD Stimulant Treatment May Decrease Risk Of Substance Abuse In Adolescent Girls; Results Mirror Findings In Boys (October 8, 2008) -- Researchers have found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and appears to significantly decrease the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs. ... > full story
Occasional Memory Loss Tied To Lower Brain Volume (October 7, 2008) -- People who occasionally forget an appointment or a friend's name may have a loss of brain volume, even though they don't have memory deficits on regular tests of memory or dementia, according to new study. ... > full story
Many Receptor Models Used In Drug Design May Not Be Useful After All (October 7, 2008) -- It may very well be that models used for the design of new drugs have to be regarded as impractical. Scientists have elucidated the structure of the adenosine A2A receptor, one of caffeine's main targets in the body and a key player in Parkinson's. ... > full story
Presence Of Safety Measures Affects People's Trust In Safety Of Tourist Destinations (October 7, 2008) -- According to the asymmetry principle of trust, information on negative events decreases trust to a much higher extent than information on positive events increases trust. A new study examines whether this notion holds true with respect to trust in the safety of tourist destinations. ... > full story
Red Wine May Lower Lung Cancer Risk (October 7, 2008) -- Moderate consumption of red wine may decrease the risk of lung cancer in men. The most substantial risk reduction was among smokers who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day. The researchers reported a 60 percent reduced lung cancer risk in these men. ... > full story
New Study Examines Effectiveness Of Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests (October 7, 2008) -- New findings from a decision analysis for the US Preventative Services Task Force suggest that routine colorectal cancer screenings can be stopped in patients over the age of 75. ... > full story
Helping People With Disabilities Make Use Of Public Transport (October 7, 2008) -- In an ideal world, all buses would be wheelchair friendly and train timetables would be available as audio recordings for the visually impaired. Reality has yet to catch up with that vision, so instead European researchers have developed a personal navigation aid to help disabled people make use of public transport. ... > full story
Why Current Publication Practices May Distort Science (October 7, 2008) -- The current system of publishing medical and scientific research provides "a distorted view of the reality of scientific data that are generated in the laboratory and clinic," says a team of researchers in PLoS Medicine. ... > full story
New Prenatal Test For Down Syndrome Less Risky Than Amniocentesis, Scientists Say (October 7, 2008) -- Pregnant women worried about their babies' genetic health face a tough decision: get prenatal gene testing and risk miscarriage, or skip the tests and miss the chance to learn of genetic defects before birth. ... > full story
Stool DNA Testing For Colorectal Cancer Has Potential, But Challenges Remain (October 7, 2008) -- The first generation of a stool DNA test to identify early colorectal cancer has limitations, according to a Mayo Clinic-led study published in the Oct. 7, 2008, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. ... > full story
Microwave Ovens Need Added Safety Controls, Researchers Advise (October 7, 2008) -- Curious toddlers and pre-schoolers are all-too-often scalded by foods heated in microwave ovens, but a locking mechanism could prevent these severe injuries that require hospitalization. Researchers investigated these cases as part of a three-year study of children in their burn unit and found that inadequate safeguards exist on microwave ovens. ... > full story
How And Why Some Children Become Chronically Abused By Peers (October 7, 2008) -- As soon as children are old enough to interact socially, some become entrenched in chronic and increasing patterns of victimization by their peers, according to a new report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Children who are aggressive in infancy and are from families with harsh parenting styles and insufficient income appear more likely to be consistently victimized. ... > full story
Air Pollution May Increase Risk Of Appendicitis (October 7, 2008) -- Could there be a link between high levels of air pollution and the risk of appendicitis? New research suggests a novel connection. ... > full story
Metabolic Syndrome Ups Colorectal Cancer Risk (October 7, 2008) -- In a large US population-based study, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome. ... > full story
Girls Have Harder Time Than Boys Adjusting In Language-learning Environment, Study Finds (October 7, 2008) -- Girls who don’t share a common language may have more difficulty adjusting socially than boys, according to surprising new research looking at language acquisition among young children. ... > full story
Oral Vitamin D May Help Prevent Some Skin Infections (October 7, 2008) -- A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. ... > full story
Receptor Could Halt Blinding Diseases, Stop Tumor Growth, Preserve Neurons After Trauma (October 7, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered what promises to be the on-off switch behind several major diseases. They report how the GPR91 receptor contributes to activate unchecked vascular growth that causes vision loss in common blinding diseases. These findings could also have wide-ranging and positive implications for brain tissue regeneration. ... > full story
Using A Fan During Sleep Associated With Lower Risk Of SIDS (October 7, 2008) -- Fan use appears to be associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome in rooms with inadequate ventilation, according to a new report. ... > full story
Seeing Race And Seeming Racist? Whites Go Out Of Their Way To Avoid Talking About Race (October 7, 2008) -- White people -- including children as young as 10 -- may avoid talking about race so as not to appear prejudiced, according to new research. But that approach often backfires as blacks tend to view this "colorblind" approach as evidence of prejudice, especially when race is clearly relevant. ... > full story
Nerve Cell Actions Made Optically Visible In Mice (October 7, 2008) -- Thought processes made visible: Researchers have succeeded in optically detecting individual action potentials in the brains of living animals. The scientists introduced fluorescent indicator proteins into the brain cells of mice via viral gene vectors: the illumination of the fluorescent proteins indicates both when and which neurons are communicating with each other. ... > full story
Form Of Crohn's Disease Traced To Disabled Gut Cells (October 7, 2008) -- Scientists say that they have linked the health of specialized gut immune cells to a gene associated with Crohn's disease, an often debilitating and increasingly prevalent inflammatory bowel disorder. ... > full story
Metastatic Movements In 3-D (October 7, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered how the altered behavior of integrins can prompt metastatic movement in tumor cells. ... > full story
Individuals With Social Phobia See Themselves Differently (October 7, 2008) -- Magnetic resonance brain imaging reveals that patients with generalized social phobia respond differently than others to negative comments about themselves, according to a new report. ... > full story
New Test Could Help Catch Serious Infections In Babies (October 7, 2008) -- A new blood test may help detect serious bacterial infections (such as meningitis and bloodstream infections) in infants with fevers that have no clear cause -- and may spare many infants from unnecessary spinal taps and antibiotics, which are typical in routine evaluations. ... > full story
New Catheter-less Technique May Ease The Pain And Discomfort Of Prostate Cancer Recovery (October 7, 2008) -- To ease the pain of recovery following prostate cancer surgery, physician-scientists have developed an innovative and patient-friendly approach that eliminates the use of a penile urinary catheter. The new patentable technique, used in conjunction with robotic prostatectomy -- the surgical removal of the prostate -- eliminates the pain and discomfort associated with the standard catheter. ... > full story
Excluding Inmates From Health Research Thwarts Advancement Of Public Health, Expert Argues (October 7, 2008) -- More and more persons with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases receive their medical care in a jail or prison. As of mid-2007, approximately 13 million inmates had been admitted to US jails during the previous 12 months. ... > full story
Landmark Discovery Of 'Engine' That Drives Cell Movement (October 7, 2008) -- How a cell assembles its internal machinery required for cell movement has been revealed for the first time. The discovery is fundamental to the understanding of how a cell responds to its external environment. ... > full story
Battling Cancer, One Cell At A Time (October 7, 2008) -- New research suggests that the identification and examination of key cell signaling events required for initiation and progression of cancer might be best accomplished at the single cell level. The research provides new insight that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of some complex cancers. ... > full story
Core Needle Breast Biopsy Safe For Patients Taking Blood Thinners (October 7, 2008) -- It is safe to take anticoagulants (blood thinners) before core needle breast biopsies, according to a study performed at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, N.Y. Core needle biopsies are offered as an alternative to surgical biopsy when a tissue sample of an irregular area in the breast is found by mammogram or sonogram. "They are safer than surgical procedures, require fewer anesthetics, and are accurate," according to Patricia Somerville, M.D., lead author of the study. ... > full story
What Happens When We Ask Autistic Persons What Is Wrong With Them? (October 7, 2008) -- To date, few studies have focused on the viewpoints of autistic persons themselves despite an increasing number of published autobiographies. The results of this study suggest that what has been selected as major signs by psychiatric nosography is regarded as manifestations induced by perceptive peculiarities and strong emotional reactions by the autistic persons who expressed themselves. ... > full story
Patients Who Recover From Coma But Cannot Communicate Feel Pain (October 6, 2008) -- Do patients who survive a severe brain injury but fail to recover speech or non-verbal communication perceive pain? After their remarkable publication where they showed that a patient in a vegetative state in reality was conscious, scientists in Belgium were able to tackle the very difficult issue of pain perception in coma survivors. ... > full story
A Little Exercise Goes A Long Way For Severely Obese (October 6, 2008) -- A little exercise goes a long way toward helping severely obese individuals improve their quality of life and complete important daily tasks, according to researchers at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. ... > full story
Effects Of Disclosing Financial Interests On Participation In Medical Research (October 6, 2008) -- Knowing how an investigator is paid for running a research study surprisingly plays a small role in patients' willingness to take part in clinical trials. However, according to a new study more participants are troubled when they are told that the investigator could profit or lose money depending on the results. ... > full story
Food For Thought: Regulating Energy Supply To The Brain During Fasting (October 6, 2008) -- If the current financial climate has taught us anything, it's that a system where over-borrowing goes unchecked eventually ends in disaster. It turns out this rule applies as much to our bodies as it does to economics. Instead of cash, our body deals in energy borrowed from muscle and given to the brain. ... > full story
New Study Finds Summer Is Peak Season For Diagnosis Of Esophagus Disorder (October 6, 2008) -- Two new studies examine eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition that can mimic symptoms of GERD, in a small proportion of people. The first study finds that the diagnosis of EoE, previously termed "allergic esophagitis," peaked during the summer months. The second analysis reviews a case series of heartburn patients who underwent surgery to treat GERD, but who were found later actually to suffer from EoE. ... > full story
Biophysicists Create New Model For Protein-cholesterol Interactions In Brain And Muscle Tissue (October 6, 2008) -- Using 3,200 computer processors and long-established data on cholesterol, a clearer picture emerges of a protein involved in inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, addiction and more. ... > full story
Corner Stores Capture Kids On Morning Commute (October 6, 2008) -- Researchers recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school as part of a larger project to make corner store snacks healthier. ... > full story
Women Require Less Tobacco Exposure Than Men To Increase Colon Cancer Risk (October 6, 2008) -- While smoking poses a health threat to both men and women, women require less tobacco exposure than men to have a significant increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to new research. In a separate analysis, researchers found smoking may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, particularly in patients with a strong family history of the disease. ... > full story
Combined Minimally Invasive Procedures Offer New Option For Lumbar Degenerative Scoliosis (October 6, 2008) -- Surgeons have combined three innovative minimally invasive spine surgery procedures to treat spinal curvature in adults, a common consequence of aging. A new article in the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques is believed to be the first to document the use of these procedures in combination to correct this condition, known as adult lumbar degenerative scoliosis. ... > full story
Obese Diners Choose Convenience And Overeating At Chinese Buffets (October 6, 2008) -- When dining at Chinese buffets, overweight individuals serve themselves and eat differently than normal weight individuals. This may lead them to overeat, according to a recent study. ... > full story
Human Papilloma Virus And Cancer, HIV Discoveries Recognized In 2008 Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (October 6, 2008) -- The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2008 with one half to Harald zur Hausen for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer and the other half jointly to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus. ... > full story
Smoking And Solid Fuel Use In Homes In China Projected To Cause Millions Of Deaths (October 6, 2008) -- If current levels of smoking and biomass and coal fuel use in homes continues, between 2003 and 2033 there will be an estimated 65 million deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 18 million deaths from lung cancer in China, accounting for 19 percent and 5 percent of all deaths in that country during this period. ... > full story
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