ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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Vitamin D Found To Fight Placental Infection (December 10, 2008) -- Vitamin D induces immune responses in placental tissues, suggesting that the ability of the placenta to combat bacterial infection may be enhanced if pregnant women supplement their diets with vitamin D. ... > full story
Apoptosis Inhibitors Prevent Not Only Cell Death, But Also Play A Role In Cell Migration (December 10, 2008) -- Many of the cancer drugs currently undergoing clinical trials target apoptosis inhibitors (IAPs), since if the levels of IAPs are reduced, tumor cells will be destroyed by the body's own self-protecting mechanism or by the chemotherapeutic drugs. However, researchers have recently discovered that IAPs also have another life: they control cell migration. ... > full story
Towards Improved Immunotherapy (December 10, 2008) -- A new study describes a new method that facilitates the induction of a specific type of immune suppressive cells, called 'regulatory T cells' for therapeutic use. These immune suppressive cells show great potential for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and improving transplantation outcomes. ... > full story
Higher Rates Of Mental Illness Among The Homeless In Western Countries (December 10, 2008) -- Homeless people in Western countries have substantially higher rates of mental health problems than the general population, according to results from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLoS Medicine. ... > full story
New Global Blueprint To Treat Childhood Cancer (December 10, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a global blueprint for the treatment of the most common childhood cancer - neuroblastoma, which affects an estimated 11,000 children each year worldwide. ... > full story
Cell Receptor Identified As Target For Anti-inflammatory Immune Response (December 10, 2008) -- Invading pathogens provoke a series of molecular heroics that, when successful, muster an army of antibodies to neutralize the threat. Like with any close-quarter combat, however, an aggressive immune response runs the risk of friendly fire accidents. For the last decade, immunologists have intensively studied mechanisms evolved by the immune system to avoid these accidents by shutting off the immune response once the invaders have been eliminated. ... > full story
New Statistical Model Could Help Reduce Breast-lesion Biopsies (December 10, 2008) -- A new method of characterizing breast lesions found during an MRI exam could result in fewer biopsies of benign tumors with the benefits of reduced pain and expense for patients and providers, according to a new article. ... > full story
A New Light On Work-related Fatigue (December 10, 2008) -- A research group from Taiwan examined the associations between the objective health indicators and the high need for recovery (NFR) after work. They found that for apparently healthy workers, high NFR after work is not simply a subjective experience. Objective health measures, such as elevated ALT and increased waist circumference, should be carefully evaluated for the apparently healthy workers. ... > full story
Progression Of Retinal Disease Linked To Cell Starvation (December 9, 2008) -- A new study illuminates an incurable eye disease that afflicts approximately 100,000 Americans. Your retina contains two types of cells that send signals when they detect light: rods and cones. In patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa, first the rods, then the cones die, leading to blindness. While most cases of the disease are due to mutations in rod-specific genes, cones don't escape death. New data suggest that the cones die because they are starving. ... > full story
Up To 2 Drinks Per Day Not Linked With Higher Risk Of Irregular Heart Beat For Women (December 9, 2008) -- Women who have up to two alcoholic drinks per day do not appear to be at increased risk of atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat), but drinking more than that amount is associated with a higher risk. ... > full story
Heart Pumps: High Cost, High Mortality In An Emerging Technology (December 9, 2008) -- Ventricular assist devices, or VADs -- surgically-placed mechanical pumps that can support failing hearts or buy time to transplant -- are associated with high hospital costs and high rates of early death among Medicare recipients, say researchers. ... > full story
Nipping Violence In The Bud In Children (December 9, 2008) -- Violent behavioral problems that persist in early childhood are good indicators of school drop-outs and future delinquency. ... > full story
Food Can Affect A Cell In The Same Way Hormones Do (December 9, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered an important new mechanism with which cells can detect nutrients. This happens in the same way - and with the same effects – as when cells receive a message from a hormone. This finding can teach us more about how food affects our body; and, furthermore, it can form the basis for new candidate targets for medicines. ... > full story
Analysis Supports Use Of Surgery To Treat Medication-resistant Epilepsy (December 9, 2008) -- Persons with temporal lobe epilepsy who do not respond to medication could receive a substantial gain in life expectancy and quality of life by undergoing surgery of the temporal lobe part of the brain, according to a new analysis. ... > full story
Why Do People Make 'A Mountain Out of a Molehill?' Aggression, Status And Sex (December 9, 2008) -- Have you ever wondered why it seems like the littlest things make people angry? Why a glance at the wrong person or a spilled glass of water can lead to a fist fight or worse? One researcher has three words to explain why people may be evolutionarily inclined to make a mountain out of molehill: aggression, status and sex. ... > full story
Cancer Projected To Become Leading Cause Of Death Worldwide In 2010 (December 9, 2008) -- Despite the recent good news that cancer incidence and death rates for men and women in the United States continue to decline, cancer is projected to become the leading cause of death worldwide in the year 2010 and low- and middle-income countries will feel the impact of higher cancer incidence and death rates more sharply than industrialized countries. ... > full story
New Breast Imaging Technology Targets Hard-to-detect Cancers (December 9, 2008) -- Breast-specific gamma imaging is effective in the detection of cancers not found on mammograms or by clinical exam. ... > full story
Dismissed Leukemia Drug Helps Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients, Studies Show (December 9, 2008) -- A drug once dismissed as ineffective in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia has shown promising results in two phase I and II clinical trials, according to new research. ... > full story
Natural Hormone Reduces Stress Hormones In Arguing Couples (December 9, 2008) -- A dose of the hormone Oxytocin reduces the stress hormone Cortisol in arguing couples. In addition, Oxytocin strengthens positive behavior, as researchers have discovered. Various studies in recent years have repeatedly shown that the hormone Oxytocin in the brain of mammals -- and therefore human beings too -- is jointly responsible for regulating the social behavior. ... > full story
Key To 'Curing' Obesity May Lie In Worms That Destroy Their Own Fat (December 9, 2008) -- A previously unknown mutation discovered in a common roundworm holds the promise of new treatments for obesity in humans, researchers say. ... > full story
Blame Your Genes: Some People Eight Times More Likely To Suffer From Prolonged Illness With Infection (December 9, 2008) -- People with certain high-risk gene combinations are eight times more likely to suffer from a severe and prolonged illness when they have an infection, according to new research. This group of people is significantly more likely to have an intense illness during the acute stage of an infection -- when fever, aches and pain strike -- to signal the start of the body's immune response. ... > full story
SIDS Linked To Low Blood Pressure In Preterm Infants? (December 9, 2008) -- Scientists have shown that infants born prematurely have lower blood pressure during sleep in the first six months of life, compared to healthy, full-term infants. They believe this may be one reason premature infants are at an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). ... > full story
New 'Wipes' For Better Decontamination Of Chemical Warfare Agents And Toxic Chemicals (December 9, 2008) -- Scientists in Texas, California, and Maryland are reporting development of high-tech "wipes" that are capable of quickly decontaminating people and equipment exposed to a broad range of military and industrial chemicals, including the deadly blister agent known as "mustard." The next generation wipes, which are a major step toward a universal personal decontamination system for nearly any toxic or hazardous chemical, could help save the lives of soldiers and civilians. ... > full story
Medical Terms Worry More People Than Lay Terms, Study Finds (December 9, 2008) -- The label used to identify a disease -- whether it is common language or medical terminology -- can influence how serious people think the condition is, according to new research. Impotence is now widely known as erectile dysfunction; excessive sweatiness is also known as hyperhidrosis. ... > full story
Dogs Feel Envy, Austrian Study Finds (December 9, 2008) -- Dogs can feel a simple form of envy, researchers have found. Compared to a variety of control situations, the dogs reacted differently to unfair reward distribution, as measured by their reaction when the partner was given food for the task, but the subject was not. ... > full story
Mediterranean Diet Plus Nuts May Be Helpful In Managing Metabolic Syndrome (December 9, 2008) -- A traditional Mediterranean diet with an additional daily serving of mixed nuts appears to be useful for managing some metabolic abnormalities in older adults at high risk for heart disease, according to a new report. ... > full story
No Association Found Between Fat, Protein, And Meat Consumption And Kidney Cancer (December 9, 2008) -- There is no association between consumption of fat, protein, or meat and kidney cancer, according to a pooled analysis of prospective studies. ... > full story
Prostate Cancer Spurs New Nerves (December 9, 2008) -- Prostate cancer -- and perhaps other cancers -- promotes the growth of new nerves and the branching axons that carry their messages, a finding associated with more aggressive tumors, said researchers in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. ... > full story
Developing A Global Antidote For Snake Bites: 100,000 People Die From Snake Bites Each Year (December 9, 2008) -- Globally snake bite affects the lives of some 4.5 million people every year, and conservative estimates suggest that at least 100,000 people die from snake bite, and another 250,000 are permanently disabled. The world's leading authorities on snake bite are launching a Global Snake Bite Initiative aimed at developing practical solutions to prevent and treat what is one of the world's most neglected tropical conditions. ... > full story
Genetic Variant, Poor Glycemic Control Linked To Coronary Artery Disease (December 9, 2008) -- A common genetic variant associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease in the general population is also linked to an even higher risk for people with diabetes, particularly those with poor glucose control. ... > full story
Pavlov's Neurons: Brain Cells That Are A Key To Learning Discovered (December 9, 2008) -- More than a century after Ivan Pavlov's dog was conditioned to salivate when it heard the sound of a tone prior to receiving food, scientists have found neurons that are critical to how people and animals learn from experience. ... > full story
Epilepsy Drug Taken When Pregnant May Increase Risk Of Autism In Children (December 9, 2008) -- A new study shows that women who take the epilepsy drug valproate while pregnant may significantly increase their child's risk of developing autism. ... > full story
No ESKAPE! New Drugs Against MRSA, Other Superbugs Still Lacking (December 9, 2008) -- Infectious disease experts warn that new drugs are urgently needed to treat six drug-resistant bacteria that cause most hospital infections and increasingly escape the effects of antibiotics. ... > full story
Understanding Donor-recipient Genetics Could Decrease Early Kidney Transplant Complications (December 9, 2008) -- Researchers have found an association between the genetics of donor-recipient matches in kidney transplants and complications during the first week after transplantation. The team has shown that small differences in the building blocks of cell-surface proteins used to match donors and recipients for deceased-donor kidney transplantation was associated with an increased risk for delayed allograft function. ... > full story
High Levels Of Prenatal Smoking Exposure Affect Sleep Patterns In Preterm Neonates (December 9, 2008) -- A new study is the first to show that high levels of prenatal smoking exposure strongly modify sleep patterns in preterm neonates, which places infants at a higher risk for developmental difficulties that could persist throughout early and middle childhood. ... > full story
How Ovarian Tumors Evade Immune System (December 9, 2008) -- Scientists have determined how the characteristic shedding of fatty substances, or lipids, by ovarian tumors allows the cancer to evade the body's immune system, leaving the disease to spread unchecked. The potential exists for drugs to halt shedding of fatty molecules, stop tumor growth and kill cancer. ... > full story
Growth Hormone Not Beneficial For ALS, Study Finds (December 9, 2008) -- A growth hormone that had shown some promise for treating people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed no benefit in a new study. ... > full story
Harnessing MiRNA Natural Gene Repressors For Anticancer Therapy (December 9, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a new approach to harness natural repressors of gene expression known as miRNAs to modulate the expression of genes for therapeutic purposes and used this approach to mediate effective anticancer therapy in mice. ... > full story
Revised Hours And Workloads For Medical Residents Needed To Reduce Fatigue-Related Mistakes (December 9, 2008) -- A new report proposes revisions to medical residents' duty hours and workloads to decrease the chances of fatigue-related medical errors and to enhance the learning environment for these doctors in training. ... > full story
'Intelligent' Materials To Revolutionize Surgical Implants (December 8, 2008) -- A brand new process that could revolutionize the reliability and durability of surgical implants, such as hip and knee replacements, has received recognition for its medical and commercial potential. ... > full story
Vitamin E Shows Possible Promise In Easing Chronic Inflammation (December 8, 2008) -- With up to half of a person's body mass consisting of skeletal muscle, chronic inflammation of those muscles -- which include those found in the limbs -- can result in significant physical impairment. Researchers have found that vitamin E shows promise in easing inflammation. ... > full story
Prion Infectivity Found In White And Brown Fat Tissues Of Mice (December 8, 2008) -- Researchers have found novel prion infectivity in white and brown fat tissues of mice. Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are infectious progressive fatal neurodegenerative diseases which affect humans as well as wild and domestic animals. ... > full story
Antibiotics: Single Largest Class Of Drugs Causing Liver Injury (December 8, 2008) -- Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury, reports a new study in Gastroenterology. DILI is the most common cause of death from acute liver failure and accounts for approximately 13 percent of cases of acute liver failure in the US. It is caused by a wide variety of prescription and nonprescription medications, nutritional supplements and herbals. ... > full story
Genes For Nine Health Indicators: Population Study Finds Genetics Clues (December 8, 2008) -- A new genome-wide study examines genetic variants associated with nine metabolic traits and is the first to draw out novel variants from a population unselected for current disease. The traits are indicators for common disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, inflammation and lipid levels. ... > full story
Novel Bioreactor Enhances Interleukin-12 Production In Genetically-modified Tobacco Plants (December 8, 2008) -- Scientists have found a way to produce significant quantities of murine interleukin-12, a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system, from the hairy roots of genetically-modified tobacco plants by growing them in a novel mist bioreactor system. ... > full story
New Enzyme In Cancer Growth Discovered (December 8, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered a new enzyme that not only affects the blood, but seems to play a primary role in how cancer tumors expand and spread throughout the body. ... > full story
Men Are Red, Women Are Green, Brown Researcher Finds (December 8, 2008) -- A professor of cognitive and linguistic sciences at Brown University, has discovered a difference in skin tone associated with gender. Men are red. Women are green. ... > full story
Body Clock Linked To Diabetes And High Blood Sugar In New Genome-wide Study (December 8, 2008) -- Diabetes and high levels of blood sugar may be linked to abnormalities in a person's body clock and sleep patterns, according to a genome-wide association study published in the journal Nature Genetics. ... > full story
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