ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Thursday, November 27, 2008
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Nitric Oxide Can Alter Brain Function (November 27, 2008) -- Nitric oxide can change the computational ability of the brain. This finding has implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and our understanding of brain function more generally. ... > full story
Behavior, Lifestyle Factors Influence Cancer Risk Among The Elderly (November 27, 2008) -- Behavioral risk factors have a significant effect on cancer risk in the US elderly population, according to new research. Understanding these factors may allow clinicians to make specific recommendations for their elderly patients in order to reduce their risks of future cancers. ... > full story
Electronic Health Records May Lower Malpractice Settlements (November 27, 2008) -- Use of electronic health records may help reduce paid malpractice settlements for physicians, according to a new study. The study showed a trend toward lower paid malpractice claims for physicians who are active users of electronic health records technology. ... > full story
Exercise Increases Brain Growth Factor And Receptors, Prevents Stem Cell Drop In Middle Age (November 27, 2008) -- A new study confirms that exercise can reverse the age-related decline in the production of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the mouse brain, and suggests that this happens because exercise restores a brain chemical which promotes the production and maturation of new stem cells. ... > full story
New European Guidelines On Heart Attack Management Put Emphasis On Speed Of Action (November 27, 2008) -- New European guidelines on the management of heart attack emphasize speed of action and the importance of "reperfusion" therapy to restore blood flow to the heart and improve survival rates. "A well-functioning regional system of care... and fast transport to the most appropriate facility is key to the success of the treatment," state the guidelines, which have been developed by a Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology. ... > full story
New Molecular Insight Into Vertebrate Brain Development (November 27, 2008) -- Scientists reveal a role for the Hippo signaling pathway in the regulation of vertebrate neural development, identifying new factors and potential therapeutic targets that may be involved in congenital brain size disorders and neurological tumor formation. ... > full story
Sperm Size Isn't Everything (November 26, 2008) -- Contrary to common scientific belief, the length of a sperm's tail does not always determine how fast it can swim. Research has shown that in the counterintuitive microscopic world in which sperm operate, streamlining and longer tails don't always provide a speed advantage. ... > full story
New Layer Of Regulation In Cell Division Cycle Discovered: Could Help Cancer Research (November 26, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered an important new layer of regulation in the cell division cycle, which could lead to a greater understanding of the way cancer begins. ... > full story
Publication Bias Found Among Trials Submitted To FDA: New Study (November 26, 2008) -- A quarter of drug trials submitted in support of new drug applications to the US Food and Drug Administration remain unpublished five years after the fact, says new research. ... > full story
Synthetic Sea Worm Glue May Mend Shattered Knee, Face Bones (November 26, 2008) -- Sandcastle worms live in intertidal surf, building sturdy tube-shaped homes from bits of sand and shell and their own natural glue. Bioengineers have made a synthetic version of this seaworthy superglue, and hope it will be used within several years to repair shattered bones in knees, other joints and the face. ... > full story
Pain Is In The Eye Of The Beholder (November 26, 2008) -- By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers. ... > full story
Scientists Shed Light On Evolution Of Gene Regulation (November 26, 2008) -- Scientists have shed light on some of the processes that regulate genes and on the evolution of the DNA regions that regulate genes. The team focused on regulatory regions that, when bound to a certain protein, are thought to turn on genes that play an important role in the development of red blood cells. The research results could help in the development of drugs to treat sickle-cell anemia and other blood disorders. ... > full story
High Blood Pressure In The Doctor's Office May Not Predict Heart Risks (November 26, 2008) -- Continuously measuring blood pressure may help predict heart disease and related deaths among individuals with treatment-resistant hypertension, while blood pressure readings taken in a medical office do not appear to predict future heart risks, according to a report in Nov. 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ... > full story
Mothers' Mental Games Increase Depressive Symptoms In Daughters, Study Finds (November 26, 2008) -- A new study in the journal Family Relations examined the effects of a mother's psychological control on the risk for depression of African-American adolescents. Researchers found that girls whose mothers played mental games with them like making them feel guilty or withdrawing expressions of love reported much higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of personal agency. ... > full story
Tiny Protein Provokes Healthy Bonding Between Cells (November 26, 2008) -- In human relationships, a certain "spark" often governs whether we prefer one person to another. Critical first impressions can occur within seconds. Researchers have found that cell-to-cell "friendships" operate in much the same way and that dysfunctional bonding is linked to the spread of cancer. ... > full story
Gasping Helps Cardiac Arrest Victims Survive, New Research Shows (November 26, 2008) -- People who witness an individual collapse suddenly and unexpectedly should perform uninterrupted chest compressions even if the patient gasps or breathes in a funny way, a new study shows. Researchers hope their findings lead to greater willingness of untrained bystanders to jump in and perform continuous chest compressions. ... > full story
'Barcode Chip' For Cheap, Fast Blood Tests Developed (November 26, 2008) -- A new "barcode chip" promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes, and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases like cancer and heart disease. ... > full story
Scientists Achieve Repair Of Injured Heart Muscle In Lab Tests Of Stem Cells (November 26, 2008) -- Researchers have been able to effectively repair damaged heart muscle in an animal model using a novel population of stem cells they discovered that is derived from human skeletal muscle tissue. ... > full story
Transfusions Increase Clot Risk In Hospitalized Cancer Patients, Scientists Find (November 26, 2008) -- Blood transfusions used to treat anemia in patients with cancer are associated with an increased risk of life-threatening blood clots, at a similar rate as other treatments for cancer-induced anemia, according to scientists. ... > full story
Better Protection Against Improvised Explosive Devices (November 26, 2008) -- Of all the threats facing U.S. soldiers in combat, among the most dangerous are roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices. Scientists are aiming to predict the risk of traumatic brain injury for US soldiers and other people who are wounded by improvised explosive devices. ... > full story
Why C Is Not G: Dyslexia Treatment Clues From Research On How We Identify Letters (November 26, 2008) -- The next time you are reading a book, or even as you read this article, consider the words that you are seeing. How do you recognize these words? A new study reveals that the most important features for identifying both upper and lower case letters are the points where the letters end, also known as line terminations. The presence of horizontal lines in the letters was the second most important feature for letter recognition. ... > full story
Key Advance Toward Treatment For Most Common Adult Form Of Muscular Dystrophy (November 26, 2008) -- Using a drug-discovery technique in which molecules compete against each other for access to the target, scientists have identified several compounds that, in the laboratory, block the unwanted coupling of two molecules that is at the root of muscular dystrophy. ... > full story
'Let The Sunshine In' To Protect Your Heart This Winter (November 26, 2008) -- The temperature might not be the only thing plummeting this winter. Many people also will experience a decrease in their vitamin D levels, which can play a role in heart disease, according to a new article. ... > full story
Nontoxic Nanoparticle Can Deliver And Track Drugs, According To New Research (November 26, 2008) -- A nontoxic nanoparticle is proving to be an all-around effective delivery system for both therapeutic drugs and the fluorescent dyes that can track their delivery. ... > full story
Household Exposure To Toxic Chemicals Lurks Unrecognized, Researchers Find (November 26, 2008) -- Many women are surprised to learn the extent of personal, in-home contamination caused by exposure to everyday consumer products, according to a team of researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, is one of the first accounts of participants' responses to learning personal exposure data, research critical to environmental science and public health. ... > full story
Some Cancers Found By Mammograms Would Have Naturally Regressed, Study Suggests (November 26, 2008) -- Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began undergoing mammography every two years, according to a new report. Rates among regularly screened women remained higher than rates among women of the same age who were screened only once after six years, suggesting that some of the cancers detected by mammography may have spontaneously regressed had they not been discovered and treated. ... > full story
New Tool Trains Athlete Brains To React 53 Percent Faster (November 26, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered how to train the brain of athletes to improve their overall athletic performance. ... > full story
Breast Cancer Common Among Women With Family History But Without BRCA1 Or BRCA2 (November 26, 2008) -- New data assesses breast cancer risk among women with a strong family history of breast cancer, but without a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. This may facilitate earlier detection and prevention among high-risk women. ... > full story
Study Reveals Smoking's Effect On Nurses' Health, Death Rates (November 26, 2008) -- A new UCLA School of Nursing study is the first to reveal the devastating consequences of smoking on the nursing profession. The findings describe smoking trends among nurses and emphasize the importance of supporting smoking cessation programs for U.S. nurses. ... > full story
14 Drugs Identified As Most Urgently Needing Study For Off-label Use (November 26, 2008) -- Physicians and policy-makers know that drugs are frequently prescribed to treat certain diseases despite a lack of FDA approval, a practice known as off-label prescribing. Now researchers have developed a list of 14 widely prescribed medications most urgently in need of additional study to determine how effective and safe they are for their off-label uses. Antidepressants and antipsychotics are the most prominent classes of drugs on the list. ... > full story
Vitamin D Can Alter Color Cancer Cells In Many Ways, Through One Pathway (November 26, 2008) -- A colon cancer cell isn't a lost cause. Vitamin D can tame the rogue cell by adjusting everything from its gene expression to its cytoskeleton. Scientists now show that one pathway governs the vitamin's diverse effects. The results help clarify the actions of a molecule that is undergoing clinical trials as a cancer therapy. ... > full story
Two Antidepressants Taken During Pregnancy Linked To Heart Anomalies In Babies (November 26, 2008) -- Women who took the antidepressant fluoxetine during the first three months of pregnancy gave birth to four times as many babies with heart problems as women who did not and the levels were three times higher in women taking paroxetine. ... > full story
Controlling Bad Cholesterol: Finding May Herald Scientific Breakthrough (November 26, 2008) -- A new study shows for the very first time that the degradation by PCSK9 of the LDLR receptor, which is responsible for removing the bad cholesterol from the bloodstream, may be inhibited by a third protein, annexin A2. ... > full story
Grow Old In Good Health: Vast Disparity Between European Countries (November 26, 2008) -- Although life expectancy is constantly growing in the countries of the EU, living longer isn't always the same as living well, and knowing to what age someone will live in good health remains a different question altogether. ... > full story
Chemotherapy Plus Targeted Therapies Shows Improved Survival In Advance-stage Lung Cancer Patients (November 26, 2008) -- The combination of traditional chemotherapy agents with targeted therapies called monoclonal antibodies showed no safety concerns and improved survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer according to a study presented at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, sponsored by ASTRO, ASCO, IASLC and the University of Chicago. ... > full story
Television: Not The Only Channel To Early Sex (November 26, 2008) -- A new study says a combination of factors must be targeted to reduce sexual activity in teenagers. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 750,000 pregnancies and almost half of new cases of sexually transmitted infections were among adolescents. ... > full story
Novel Approach For Suppressing Prostate Cancer Development (November 25, 2008) -- Researchers have found that inactivating a specific biomarker for aggressive prostate cancer blocks the development of prostate cancer in animal models. ... > full story
Hypertension Develops Early, Silently, In African-American Men (November 25, 2008) -- Young and healthy African-American men were found to silently develop hypertension earlier than their white counterparts, and this rise in blood pressure may go undetected unless young African-American men are screened by measuring central blood pressure, not brachial pressure, according to a new study. ... > full story
Overuse Of Narcotics And Barbiturates May Make Migraine Attacks More Frequent (November 25, 2008) -- Scientists have determined that certain commonly-prescribed medications may have the unintended consequence of increasing the frequency of migraine attacks. ... > full story
E. Coli Bacteria Transferring Between Humans And Mountain Gorillas (November 25, 2008) -- A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as E. coli, from humans. The study examines the exchange of digestive system bacteria between humans, mountain gorillas and domestic animals with overlapping habitats. ... > full story
Inherited Genetic Cause, Possible Treatment Found For Complex Lung Disorder (November 25, 2008) -- A tale of two sisters has helped researchers solve a medical mystery and discover a familial genetic mutation that causes an inherited form of the lung disease pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The researchers also point to the possibility of an inhaled therapy to overcome a chain of molecular events that lead to PAP. ... > full story
Study Shows How Social Support May Protect Brain During Stroke (November 25, 2008) -- New research in mice suggests that high levels of social support may provide some protection against strokes by reducing the amount of damaging inflammation in the brain. Researchers found that male mice that lived with a female partner before and after a stroke had a much higher survival rate compared to those mice that lived alone. ... > full story
Feed A Cold, Feed A Fever: Calorie Cut Makes It Harder To Fight Flu, Animal Study Shows (November 25, 2008) -- Dieters or those who consume fewer calories during flu season could have a harder time fighting off the flu virus, according to a nutritional immunology professor. Researchers have shown that mice with a calorie-restricted diet were more likely to die during the first few days of infection than mice with a normal diet. ... > full story
New Research Helps Explain Genetics Of Parkinson's Disease (November 25, 2008) -- A new study suggests that Parkin, the product of the Parkinson's disease-related gene Park2, prompts neuronal survival by clearing the cell of its damaged mitochondria. ... > full story
Football Helmet Shields Can Protect Against A Kick In The Face, Study Suggests (November 25, 2008) -- Researchers have determined that the two most popular brands of football helmet faceshields can withstand a hit equivalent to a kick in the face and provide that protection without disrupting players' vision. The eye specialists used an air cannon to hurl baseballs at the plastic faceshields. The impact was designed to mimic the force of a kick to the face, considered the riskiest way to sustain an eye injury in football. ... > full story
New Diabetes Treatment? New Source Of Insulin-producing Cells Identified (November 25, 2008) -- Researchers have shown that insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells can form after birth or after injury from progenitor cells within the pancreas that were not beta cells. ... > full story
Pain And Itch Responses Regulated Separately (November 25, 2008) -- Historically, scientists have regarded itching as a less intense version of the body's response to pain, but researchers have now determined that pain and itch actually are regulated by different molecular mechanisms. ... > full story
How Is Our Left Brain Is Different From Our Right? (November 25, 2008) -- Scientists found that synaptic size and shape in the center of the spatial memory (i.e. hippocampus) were asymmetrical between synapses receiving input from the left and right hemisphere. Differences were found in the synaptic connections of the learning center of the brain. ... > full story
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