ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Friday, October 24, 2008
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Naturally Produced 'Rotten Egg' Gas Helps Control Blood Pressure In Body, Researchers Find (October 24, 2008) -- Anyone with a nose knows the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide, a gas generated by bacteria living in the human colon. Now scientists have discovered that cells inside the blood vessels of mice -- as well as in people, no doubt -- naturally make the gassy stuff, and that it controls blood pressure. Researchers have discover that hydrogen sulfide is a major regulator of blood pressure. ... > full story
First Gene For Clubfoot Identified (October 24, 2008) -- Clubfoot, one of the most common birth defects, has long been thought to have a genetic component. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have found the first gene linked to clubfoot in humans. ... > full story
Knocking The 'Sox' Off Cancer And Lymphatic Disorders (October 24, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene critical for the development of the lymphatic system in a discovery that will have implications for treatment of cancer and lymphatic disorders and other diseases. ... > full story
3-D Doppler Ultrasound Helps Identify Breast Cancer (October 24, 2008) -- Three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound helps radiologists distinguish between malignant and benign breast masses, according to a new study. ... > full story
Race And Insurance Status Associated With Death From Trauma (October 24, 2008) -- African American and Hispanic patients are more likely to die following trauma than white patients, and uninsured patients have a higher death risk when compared with those who have health insurance, according to a new report. ... > full story
New Way Of Inhibiting The Cell Cycle Shows Promise In Cancer Patients In A Phase I Clinical Trial (October 24, 2008) -- A new anti-cancer compound that works by blocking a part of the cell's machinery that is crucial for cell division has shown promising results in a phase I clinical trial in patients who have failed to respond to other treatments. ... > full story
Getting To Grips With The Complexity Of Disease Proteins (October 24, 2008) -- New research into how proteins in human cells interact and 'talk' to each other is leading to a better understanding of how drug molecules work and should result in more effective therapies, according to scientist. ... > full story
Overweight Women Find Health Care Access And Attitudes A Constant Struggle (October 24, 2008) -- Shame, embarrassment, distress, anger. Those are just some of the emotions overweight women expressed when they were asked to talk about their health care experiences. It's vital to tackle the issue, say researchers, as other studies show that when women have bad experiences they may avoid or delay health care. ... > full story
Voters Swayed By Candidates Who Share Their Looks, Researchers Say (October 23, 2008) -- Made up your mind who to vote for? Maybe it's because you like the looks of the candidate. Or maybe it's because the candidate looks a little like you, even if you don't realize it. In a new study, researchers say that people are subconsciously swayed by candidates who share their facial features. ... > full story
New Candidate Genes For Schizophrenia Identified (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers have identified three new candidate genes for schizophrenia that may contribute to a better understanding of how the disease evolves. ... > full story
Heart Valves That Grow With The Patient (October 23, 2008) -- Three scientists have developed and successful transplanted tissue-engineered biological cardiac valves for children that grow with the patients. ... > full story
Exercise Gives Longer Life For People With Heart Disease (October 23, 2008) -- Exercising once a week can help prolong life expectancy for people with heart disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Unique Properties Of Boron Harnessed To Develop New Drugs And Diagnostics (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers are on the verge of unleashing the power of the element boron in a new generation of drugs and therapies, as decades of research begins to bear fruit. Boron has to date far been one of biology's best kept secrets, but is now attracting fast growing research interest and investment from the pharmaceutical industry in the quest for novel drugs to tackle cancer and infectious diseases, potentially overcoming limitations and side effects of current products. ... > full story
Extra Cash From Government Program Linked To Higher Risk Of Adult Obesity (October 23, 2008) -- Adults are not seeing the same benefits as children in a popular poverty-alleviation program that gives cash to impoverished families in exchange for participation in health-promoting activities, according to a new study. The study found that the cash component of the program, launched by the Mexican government and modeled worldwide, is linked to a greater risk of obesity and higher blood pressure in adults. ... > full story
Overweight Mums Have Chubby Babies, Study Suggests (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers have highlighted a link between childhood obesity and a mother's diet before and during pregnancy. The work in animals proves that overweight expectant mothers are more likely to have babies with more body fat, who are at greater risk of diabetes and lipid metabolic disorders later in life. ... > full story
Increased Rate Of Common Birthmarks Linked To Rise In Number Of Low Birth Weight Infants In US (October 23, 2008) -- Low birth weight is the most significant factor for the development of infantile hemangiomas, a common birthmark, according to a new study. ... > full story
Smart Fabrics Make Clever (Medical) Clothing (October 23, 2008) -- European researchers have developed a smart fabric that can monitor muscular overload and help prevent repetitive strain injury or RSI. But that is just the beginning. The team is also exploring a pregnancy belt to monitor baby's heartbeat, clothing to help coach hockey, and shirts that monitor muscle fatigue during training. ... > full story
'Dry Cleaning Effect' Explained By Forgetful Researcher (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers have described how dueling brain systems may explain why you forget to drop off the dry cleaning and may point to ways that substance abusers and people with obsessive compulsive disorder can overcome bad habits. ... > full story
Individual's Gene Variations Linked To Likelihood Of Surviving Cancer (October 23, 2008) -- New research shows that certain genes can influence a person's likelihood to contract particular diseases, cancer for example. The finding demonstrates that genetic markers may also show a person's likelihood to survive the disease. ... > full story
Skin Creams Can Make Skin Drier (October 23, 2008) -- Many people have noticed that as soon as you start using a skin cream, you have to continue with it; if you stop lubricating, your skin becomes drier than when you started. And now there is research to confirm for the first time that normal skin can become drier from creams. ... > full story
Developing Depression After A Heart Attack Increases One’s Risk Of Death Or Readmission (October 23, 2008) -- Science has found many links between depression and other serious medical illnesses, such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, people who develop depression following a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or chest pain (angina) have an elevated risk of cardiac death or hospital readmission over the following year. ... > full story
Memories Selectively, Safely Erased In Mice (October 23, 2008) -- Targeted memory erasure is no longer limited to the realm of science fiction. A new study describes a method through which a selected set of memories can be rapidly and specifically erased from the mouse brain in a controlled and inducible manner. New and old memories have been selectively and safely removed from mice by scientists. ... > full story
Silencing A Protein Could Kill T-Cells, Reverse Leukemia (October 23, 2008) -- Blocking the signals from a protein that activates cells in the immune system could help kill cells that cause a rare form of blood cancer, according to physicists and oncologists who combined computer modeling and molecular biology in their discovery. ... > full story
Sugar Plays Key Role In How Cells Work (October 23, 2008) -- Scientists were dubious in the early 1980s when they stumbled on small sugar molecules lurking in the centers of cells; not only were they not supposed to be there, but they certainly weren't supposed to be repeatedly attaching to and detaching from proteins, effectively switching them on and off. ... > full story
Been There, Done That: Brain Mechanism Predicts Ability To Generalize (October 23, 2008) -- A new study reveals how the brain can connect discrete but overlapping experiences to provide a rich integrated history that extends far beyond individually experienced events and may help to direct future choices. ... > full story
New Genes Linked To Lung Cancer In Large-scale Genetic Study (October 23, 2008) -- A multi-institution team reports results of the largest effort to date to chart the genetic changes involved in the most common form of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma. The findings should help pave the way for more individualized approaches for detecting and treating the nation's leading cause of cancer deaths. ... > full story
Neural Probe Developed That Will Limit Damage To Cells And Biological Tissue (October 23, 2008) -- Engineering researchers have just developed a neural probe that demonstrates significantly greater electrical charge storage capacity than all other neural prosthetic devices to date. More charge storage capacity means the device can stimulate nerves and tissues with less damage and sense neural signals with better sensitivity. ... > full story
Seemingly Suicidal Stunt Is Normal Rite Of Passage For Immune Cells (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers have shown that self-induced breaks in the DNA of immune cells known as lymphocytes activate genes that cause the cells to travel from where they're made to where they help the body fight invaders. The new finding is the first to link such serious DNA damage to activation of genes not directly involved in the cells' attempts to either fix the harm or self-destruct to stop themselves from becoming cancerous. ... > full story
Effective Anti-tobacco Ads Should Either Scare Or Disgust Viewers, Study Reveals (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers examined the effects of two types of content commonly used in anti-tobacco ads -- tobacco health threats that evoke fear and disturbing or disgusting images. The researchers found that ads focused on either fear or disgust increased attention and memory in viewers; however, ads that included both fear and disgust decreased viewers' attention and memory. ... > full story
ADHD Appears To Increase Level Of Nicotine Dependence In Smokers (October 23, 2008) -- Young people with ADHD are not only at increased risk of starting to smoke cigarettes, they also tend to become more seriously addicted to tobacco and more vulnerable to environmental factors such as having friends or parents who smoke. The report also found that individuals with more ADHD-related symptoms, even those without the full syndrome, are at greater risk of becoming dependent on nicotine than those with fewer symptoms. ... > full story
Why Past Oral Contraceptive Use Dramatically Lowers Risk Of Ovarian And Uterine Cancers (October 23, 2008) -- Researchers may be one step closer to understanding why past oral contraceptive use dramatically lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life. Birth control has a long-term effect on hormone exposure. ... > full story
Early-onset Depressive Disorders Predict The Use Of Addictive Substances In Adolescence (October 23, 2008) -- In a prospective study of over 1,800 interviewed young Finnish twins, early-onset depressive disorders at age 14 significantly predicted daily smoking, smokeless tobacco use, frequent illicit drug use, frequent alcohol use and recurrent intoxication three years later. ... > full story
Cross-protective Vaccine May Treat Broad Spectrum Of Bacterial Diseases (October 23, 2008) -- Doctors have always hoped that scientists might one day create a vaccination that would treat a broad spectrum of maladies. They could only imagine that there might be one vaccine that would protect against, say, 2,500 strains of Salmonella. And what if that same vaccine could help protect the elderly? ... > full story
Chronic Inflammation Can Help Nurture Skin Cancer, Study Shows (October 23, 2008) -- Inflammation, a frontline defense against infection or disease, can help nurture skin cancer, researchers have found. IDO, an enzyme that works like a firefighter to keep inflammation under control, can be commandeered to protect early malignant cells, say researchers studying an animal model of chronic inflammation and skin cancer. ... > full story
New TB Test Reveals Patients At Risk, Says Study (October 23, 2008) -- A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Around a third of the world's population is infected with the TB bacteria and approximately 9 million new cases of active TB are diagnosed around the world each year, according to World Health Organization estimates. The majority of those infected live in the developing world. ... > full story
Different Psychosocial Factors Predict Adoption, Maintenance Of Physical Activity Program (October 23, 2008) -- A new study offers some new insight into the role of social and environmental influences on physical activity behaviors. ... > full story
Safety Problems For Biological Products Documented (October 23, 2008) -- Approximately one in four biological medicinal products (such as antibodies, enzymes and insulin) approved since 1995 in the US and Europe have had at least one safety-related regulatory action issued for them 10 years after their approval, including about 11 percent receiving a "black box" warning, according to a new study. ... > full story
Biomarkers For Identifying Infant Infections (October 23, 2008) -- Current diagnostic tests for infection in premature infants can be slow and nonspecific, but researchers have now identified potential biomarkers in the blood that can rapidly identify both the onset of infection and type of microbe. ... > full story
Chest Scans May Help Monitor Spread Of Head And Neck Cancer In High-risk Patients (October 23, 2008) -- Among high-risk patients with head and neck cancer, chest computed tomography may help detect disease progression involving the lungs, according to a new report. ... > full story
Hospital Rankings: More Than Meets The Eye (October 23, 2008) -- Medicare's pay-for-performance program ranks and rewards hospitals according to how well they meet certain guidelines for clinical care. But researchers say the program penalizes hospitals that care for the greatest numbers of the poor and needy by not taking into account their greater clinical burden. ... > full story
Crossing Blood-Brain Barrier: Scientists Develop Drug Delivery System For Brain Cancers, Other Diseases (October 22, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a new drug delivery system that is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier to reach and kill cancer cells in the brain. Following successful preclinical studies, the technology is being evaluated in two phase I clinical trials in patients with malignant glioma and brain metastases. ... > full story
Common Respiratory Syncytial Virus May Hide In The Lungs, Lead To Asthma, Researchers Report (October 22, 2008) -- Conventional wisdom has been that respiratory syncytial virus -- a common virus that causes infection in the lungs -- comes and goes in children without any long lasting impact. A study conducted in mice, however, suggests that RSV may hide in the lungs even after other symptoms abate, ultimately resurfacing to cause recurrent wheezing and chronic airway disease. ... > full story
Estimate Of Lives Lost Due To Delay In Antiretroviral Drug Use For HIV/AIDS In South Africa (October 22, 2008) -- More than 330,000 lives were lost to HIV/AIDS in South Africa from 2000 and 2005 because a feasible and timely antiretroviral (ARV) treatment program was not implemented, assert researchers in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. ... > full story
U.S. Suicide Rate Increasing; Largest Increase Seen In Middle-aged White Women (October 22, 2008) -- The rate of suicide in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade, according to a new report. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase. ... > full story
Erectile Dysfunction Gives Early Warning Of A Heart Attack, Warns Expert (October 22, 2008) -- Erectile dysfunction gives a two to three year early warning of a heart attack, warns an expert. ... > full story
New MRI Technique May Identify Cervical Cancer Early (October 22, 2008) -- Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging with a special vaginal coil, a technique to measure the movement of water within tissue, researchers may be able to identify cervical cancer in its early stages, according to a new study. ... > full story
Computer Model Against Unnecessary Use Of Antibiotics (October 22, 2008) -- Patients in intensive care units are often administered antibiotics against ventilator-associated pneumonia, "to be on the safe side." Researchers have now developed a model that can quickly establish whether or not a patient has pneumonia. This can prevent unnecessary treatment with antibiotics. ... > full story
Couples With Children With ADHD At Risk Of Higher Divorce Rates, Shorter Marriages (October 22, 2008) -- Parents of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are nearly twice as likely to divorce by the time the child is 8 years old than parents of children without ADHD, the first study to look at this issue in depth has shown. ... > full story
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