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Thursday, November 14, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Gut microbes in healthy kids carry antibiotic resistance genes

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:24 PM PST

Friendly microbes in the intestinal tracts of healthy American children have numerous antibiotic resistance genes that could be passed to harmful microbes, according to a pilot study.

Deletion of any single gene provokes mutations elsewhere in the genome

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:25 PM PST

Researchers report that the deletion of any single gene in yeast cells puts pressure on the organism's genome to compensate, leading to a mutation in another gene. Their discovery, which is likely applicable to human genetics because of the way DNA is conserved across species, could have significant consequences for the way genetic analysis is done in cancer and other areas of research.

Your brain sees things you don't

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:25 PM PST

A study indicates that our brains perceive objects in everyday life of which we may never be aware. The finding challenges currently accepted models about how the brain processes visual information.

Impulsivity, rewards and ritalin: Monkey study shows tighter link

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:23 PM PST

Even as the rate of diagnosis has reached 11 percent among American children aged 4 to 17, neuroscientists are still trying to understand attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One classic symptom is impulsivity — the tendency to act before thinking.

New treatment discovered to cure MRSA infection

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 11:41 AM PST

Recent work promises to overcome one of the leading public health threats of our time. In a groundbreaking study, the team presents a novel approach to treat and eliminate methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a potent bacterium whose resistance to antibiotics has kept it one step ahead of researchers. That is, until now.

Study shows decrease in sepsis mortality rates

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 11:35 AM PST

A recent study shows a significant decrease in severe sepsis mortality rates over the past 20 years. Looking at data from patients with severe sepsis enrolled in clinical trials, researchers found that in-hospital mortality rates decreased from 47 percent between 1991 and 1995 to 29 percent between 2006 and 2009, a time period when no new pharmacological treatments were developed for severe sepsis.

Novel gene therapy works to reverse heart failure

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 11:31 AM PST

Researchers have successfully tested a powerful gene therapy, delivered directly into the heart, to reverse heart failure in large animal models.

Fatty acid produced by gut bacteria boosts the immune system

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:22 AM PST

New research sheds light on the role of gut bacteria on the maturation of the immune system and provides evidence supporting the use of butyrate as therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease.

Menstrual cycle influences concussion outcomes

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST

Researchers found that women injured during the two weeks leading up to their period (the premenstrual phase) had a slower recovery and poorer health one month after injury compared to women injured during the two weeks directly after their period or women taking birth control pills. If confirmed in subsequent research, the findings could alter the treatment and prognosis of women who suffer head injuries from sports, falls, car accidents or combat.

Healing powers of cells

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:57 AM PST

How do cells spread to cover and close a wound? A team of researchers publishes new insights into epithelial cell spreading.

Social networks make us smarter

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:57 AM PST

The secret to why some cultures thrive and others disappear may lie in our social networks and our ability to imitate, rather than our individual smarts, according to a new study.

Human stem cells used to reveal mechanisms of beta-cell failure in diabetes

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 07:20 AM PST

Scientists have used stem cells created from the skin of patients with a rare form of diabetes — Wolfram syndrome — to elucidate an important biochemical pathway for beta-cell failure in diabetes.

New links between social status, brain activity

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:25 AM PST

New studies released today reveal links between social status and specific brain structures and activity, particularly in the context of social stress.

Carbon dioxide’s new-found signalling role could be applied to blood flow, birth and deafness

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:22 AM PST

New research reveals exactly how the body measures carbon dioxide and suggests that far from being a metabolic waste product, it could play a key role as a biological signalling molecule.

HOPE Act passes: May help reduce U. S. organ shortage

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:21 AM PST

The HOPE Act could allow individuals with HIV to receive organ transplants from donors with HIV, and may help reduce the country's current organ shortage.

Nanotechnology researchers prove two-step method for potential pancreatic cancer treatment

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:21 AM PST

A new nanotechnology for drug delivery that could greatly improve the treatment of deadly pancreatic cancer has been proven to work in mice.

Researchers predict risk of valvular heart disease

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:03 AM PST

Researchers have identified a clear link between narrowed heart valves and a special lipoprotein in the blood. In the long term, the research may well help to prevent valvular heart disease.

Development and clinical approval of biodegradeble magnesium alloy for medical devices

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:03 AM PST

This biodegradable and bioabsorbable metal decomposes from 6 months to 2 years after being transplanted into human body and hence, medical devices made with these materials are expected to reshape the landscape in the field of fracture treatment, as it reminders second operation to take out the device after patient recovery obsolete.

No hot flashes? Then don't count on hormones to improve quality of life

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:03 AM PST

Hormones at menopause can help with sleep, memory, and more, but only when a woman also has hot flashes, find researchers.

Redesigned protein opens door for safer gene therapy‬

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:02 AM PST

A fusion protein combining proteins active in HIV and Moloney murine leukaemia virus (MLV) replication may lead to safer, more effective retroviral gene therapy.

Significantly higher risk of mortality at non-accredited bariatric surgery centers

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

Bariatric surgery is significantly safer when performed at an accredited center, according to new research.

Risk of heart attack, stroke among diabetes patients significantly lower after gastric bypass

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

New research shows most patients with diabetes and obesity who undergo gastric bypass not only experience remission of their diabetes and lose significant weight, but they also reduce their risk of having a heart attack by 40 percent and their risk for suffering a stroke by 42 percent, over a 10-year time horizon.

Researcher finds potential new use for old drugs

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 05:08 PM PST

A class of drugs used to treat parasitic infections such as malaria may also be useful in treating cancers and immune-related diseases, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that simple modifications to the drug furamidine have a major impact on its ability to affect specific human proteins involved in the on-off switches of certain genes.

Our relationship with food: What drives us to eat, suffer eating disorders?

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 05:06 PM PST

A growing body of evidence shows the impact of diet on brain function, and identifies patterns of brain activity associated with eating disorders such as binge eating and purging.

New guideline for assessing cardiovascular risk in adults

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 01:32 PM PST

A newly released clinical practice guideline can help primary care clinicians better identify adults who may be at high risk for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, potentially serious cardiovascular conditions caused by atherosclerosis, and who thus may benefit from lifestyle changes or drug therapy to help prevent it.

Pioneers in the fight against 'The Big One': Proton therapy for lung cancer

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 11:12 AM PST

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the U.S., causing more deaths than the next three most common cancers – colon, breast and prostate – combined. Worldwide, lung cancer accounts for 1.3 million deaths annually. An estimated $10.3 billion per year is spent in the U.S. on lung cancer treatment alone, yet those diagnosed with the disease have just a 15 percent survival rate.

Add bone deterioration to diabetes complications

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 11:12 AM PST

The list of complications from type 2 diabetes is long: vascular and heart disease, eye problems, nerve damage, kidney disease, hearing problems and Alzheimer's disease. Physicians have long thought of osteoporosis as another outcome. Based on a study that's confirmed: You can definitely add skeletal problems to that list.

Deaths from pancreatic cancer rise, fall among racial lines

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:39 AM PST

Pancreatic cancer death rates in whites and blacks have gone in opposite directions over the past several decades in the United States, with the direction reversing in each ethnicity during those years.

Using morphine after abdominal surgery may prolong pain

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:38 AM PST

Using morphine to fight the pain associated with abdominal surgery may paradoxically prolong a patient's suffering, doubling or even tripling the amount of time it takes to recover from the surgical pain, according to researchers.

Putting the brakes on immunity

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:38 AM PST

While the immune system's primary role is to fight infections, it can also become overactive, leading to problems like allergies and autoimmune diseases. Now researchers have discovered a powerful mechanism that keeps the system from "going rogue."

Animal, human health benefits anticipated from new biomedical instrument

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 09:36 AM PST

A biomedical instrument that can heat specific cells in the body while simultaneously producing real-time, high-resolution images of the heat's effects on tumors and inflamed cells is anticipated to help with animal, human health.

Aerobic exercise improves memory, brain function, physical fitness

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:50 AM PST

A new study found that engaging in a physical exercise regimen helps healthy aging adults improve their memory, brain health and physical fitness.

First dual-protection intravaginal ring design shows promise in long-term HIV, pregnancy prevention

Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:50 AM PST

A new intravaginal ring has been developed for the sustained 90-day co-delivery of tenofovir and levonorgestrel, an anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug and a contraceptive. Tenofovir is the only topical prophylactic shown to be effective at reducing the sexual transmission of HIV when formulated in a gel.

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