ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• How underground rodent wards off cancer: Second mole rat species has different mechanism for resisting cancer
• Controlling vascular disease may be key to reducing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease
• Therapy with bone marrow-derived stem cells does not improve short-term recovery after heart attack
• Healthy living adds fourteen years to your life, study suggests
• PTSD linked to smaller brain area regulating fear response
• Study examines smoking by inpatients during hospital stay
• Physical exercise improves gait speed, muscle strength, fitness in patients with Parkinson's disease
• Superbug MRSA identified in US wastewater treatment plants
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators can reduce sudden death in young patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• New DNA vaccine technology poised to deliver safe and cost-effective disease protection
• First gene therapy study in human salivary gland shows promise
• Unexpected bottleneck identified in spread of herpes simplex virus
• Overweight patients hospitalized with pneumonia more apt to survive
• Smell you later! Chemosignals communicate human emotions
• Some heart patients may respond differently to anti-platelet drugs
• Recreational cocaine use linked to conditions that cause heart attack
• New analysis of heart rate patterns on ECGs may predict death risk from all causes
• Daily multivitamin use among men does not reduce risk of major cardiovascular events, study suggests
• Low vitamin D levels linked to longevity, surprising study shows
• Daily doses of a new probiotic reduces 'bad' and total cholesterol
• Genetically engineered tomatoes decrease plaque build-up in mice
• Air exposure between blinks affects deposits on contact lenses
• People can learn to sense with 'rat's whiskers' on fingers; May improve aids for the blind
• Heart attack packs a wallop to wallet of survivors, their employers
• Therapy for stroke patients improved: More mobility due to deafferentation
• Prenatal testosterone levels influence later response to reward
• Grandfathers play a prominent role with grandchildren
• Malaria: Vector mosquitoes are constantly adapting
• Amyloid-beta peptide behind Alzheimer's: Hydrogen bonds analyzed for first time
• Cystic kidney growth curbed
• Novel process represents faster and more economical route for devising countermeasures against biothreats, scientists say
• Family background affects risk of disability from back disorders
• Cheaper and more effective test available for women following pre-cervical cancer treatment, study suggests

How underground rodent wards off cancer: Second mole rat species has different mechanism for resisting cancer Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST Biologists have determined how blind mole rats fight off cancer -- and the mechanism differs from what they discovered three years ago in another long-lived and cancer-resistant mole rat species, the naked mole rat.

Controlling vascular disease may be key to reducing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 05 Nov 2012 04:59 PM PST International Experts Review the Latest Thinking in a Special Issue of Journal of Alzheimer's Disease

Therapy with bone marrow-derived stem cells does not improve short-term recovery after heart attack Posted: 05 Nov 2012 01:14 PM PST Administering to patients stem cells derived from their own bone marrow either three or seven days after a heart attack is safe but does not improve heart function six months later, according to a clinical trial.

Healthy living adds fourteen years to your life, study suggests Posted: 05 Nov 2012 01:13 PM PST If you have optimal heart health in middle age, you may live up to 14 years longer, free of cardiovascular disease, than your peers who have two or more cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new study.

PTSD linked to smaller brain area regulating fear response Posted: 05 Nov 2012 01:13 PM PST Recent combat veterans who are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder have significantly smaller volume in an area of the brain critical for regulating fear and anxiety responses, according to new research.

Study examines smoking by inpatients during hospital stay Posted: 05 Nov 2012 01:13 PM PST A study of smokers admitted to a large urban teaching hospital in Massachusetts found that 18.4 percent reported smoking during their hospitalization.

Physical exercise improves gait speed, muscle strength, fitness in patients with Parkinson's disease Posted: 05 Nov 2012 01:13 PM PST Physical exercise, including treadmill, stretching and resistance exercises, appears to improve gait speed, muscle strength and fitness for patients with Parkinson's disease.

Superbug MRSA identified in US wastewater treatment plants Posted: 05 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PST The "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent at several U.S. wastewater treatment plants, according to new research. MRSA is well known for causing difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal bacterial infections in hospital patients, but is also increasingly infecting otherwise healthy people in community settings. This study is the first to document an environmental source of MRSA in the United States.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators can reduce sudden death in young patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Posted: 05 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PST A multicenter registry has demonstrated that the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators to combat sudden cardiac death in high-risk pediatric patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

New DNA vaccine technology poised to deliver safe and cost-effective disease protection Posted: 05 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PST Scientists have taken a dramatic step forward in vaccine research, revealing the design of a universal platform for delivering highly potent DNA vaccines, by employing a cleverly re-engineered bacterium to speed delivery to host cells in the vaccine recipient.

First gene therapy study in human salivary gland shows promise Posted: 05 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PST This finding comes from the first-ever Phase I clinical study of gene therapy in a human salivary gland. Its results show that the transferred gene, Aquaporin-1, has great potential to help head and neck cancer survivors who battle with chronic dry mouth. Aquaporin-1 encodes a protein that naturally forms pore-like water channels in the membranes of cells to help move fluid, such as occurs when salivary gland cells secrete saliva into the mouth.

Unexpected bottleneck identified in spread of herpes simplex virus Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:04 AM PST New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment.

Overweight patients hospitalized with pneumonia more apt to survive Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:04 AM PST Medical researchers studied the records of nearly 1000 patients who were admitted to hospital with pneumonia and noted those who were obese were more apt to survive compared to those who were of normal weight.

Smell you later! Chemosignals communicate human emotions Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:04 AM PST Many animal species transmit information via chemical signals, but the extent to which these chemosignals play a role in human communication is unclear. Researchers have investigated whether we humans might actually be able to communicate our emotional states to each other through chemical signals.

Some heart patients may respond differently to anti-platelet drugs Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:02 AM PST The cause of heart attacks or strokes among some patients treated with anti-platelet drugs may be different than for patients who have undergone surgical procedures to restore blood flow, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Recreational cocaine use linked to conditions that cause heart attack Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:02 AM PST Recreational cocaine users may have higher blood pressure, stiffer arteries and thicker heart muscle walls than non-users -- all of which can cause a heart attack. The Australian study is the first to document some of these cardiovascular abnormalities in seemingly healthy cocaine users long after the immediate effects of cocaine have worn off.

New analysis of heart rate patterns on ECGs may predict death risk from all causes Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Cardiologists suggest that electrocardiograms (ECGs), which are widely used tests to assess the heart's electrical activity, may have a greater and more profound future role in predicting the risk of death from any cause, not just heart problems.

Daily multivitamin use among men does not reduce risk of major cardiovascular events, study suggests Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:04 AM PST In a randomized study that included nearly 15,000 male physicians who were middle-aged or older, daily multivitamin use for more than 10 years of treatment and follow-up did not result in a reduction of major cardiovascular events, heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease.

Low vitamin D levels linked to longevity, surprising study shows Posted: 05 Nov 2012 10:03 AM PST Low levels of vitamin D may be associated with longevity, according to a study involving middle-aged children of people in their 90s.

Daily doses of a new probiotic reduces 'bad' and total cholesterol Posted: 05 Nov 2012 08:46 AM PST A new probiotic lowered LDL "bad" cholesterol and total cholesterol in patients with high cholesterol. The probiotic reduced molecules known as cholesterol ester saturated fatty acids, which have been tied to dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries.

Genetically engineered tomatoes decrease plaque build-up in mice Posted: 05 Nov 2012 08:46 AM PST For the first time, researchers have genetically engineered tomato plants to produce a peptide that mimics the actions of good cholesterol when eaten. Mice that ate the freeze-dried, ground tomatoes had less inflammation and reduced plaque build-up in their arteries.

Air exposure between blinks affects deposits on contact lenses Posted: 05 Nov 2012 08:45 AM PST Modern contact lens materials are prone to drying when exposed to air, which contributes to the buildup of deposits on contact lenses, according to a new study.

People can learn to sense with 'rat's whiskers' on fingers; May improve aids for the blind Posted: 05 Nov 2012 07:09 AM PST A new experiment in which volunteers learned to sense objects' locations using just "rat whiskers" may help improve aids for the blind.

Heart attack packs a wallop to wallet of survivors, their employers Posted: 05 Nov 2012 07:09 AM PST Heart attack and other forms of acute coronary syndrome are costly to patients and their employers. The economic burden to workers and their employers mounts from lost time, income and productivity.

Therapy for stroke patients improved: More mobility due to deafferentation Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:16 AM PST Painkilling drugs that make many therapies possible are a blessing for patients. Thanks to modern anesthetics, not only can surgical operations be conducted without causing pain, they are also used for various diagnostic procedures. Anesthetics can be very useful in therapies for stroke patients, as psychologists and physicians in Germany are now able to demonstrate.

Prenatal testosterone levels influence later response to reward Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:16 AM PST Testosterone levels early in fetal development influence later sensitivity of brain regions related to reward processing and affect an individual's susceptibility to engage in behavior, that in extremes, are related to several neuropsychiatric conditions that asymmetrically affect one sex more than the other. Although present at low levels in females, testosterone is one of the primary sex hormones that exerts substantial influence over the emergence of differences between males and females. In adults and adolescents, heightened testosterone has been shown to reduce fear, lower sensitivity to punishment, increase risk-tasking, and enhance attention to threat. These effects interact substantially with context to affect social behavior.

Grandfathers play a prominent role with grandchildren Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:16 AM PST Europeans spend much time with their grandchildren. And past 70, the grandfather takes the lead.

Malaria: Vector mosquitoes are constantly adapting Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:15 AM PST Mosquitoes that carry malaria are constantly adapting. Some develop resistance. Others alter their behavior. Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, the vectors of malaria, always find a way to foil human attempts to protect themselves from this disease. Researchers have revealed their great capacity for adaptation, which weakens the strategies to combating their presence.

Amyloid-beta peptide behind Alzheimer's: Hydrogen bonds analyzed for first time Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:14 AM PST Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, researchers have managed to analyze hydrogen bonds in tiny fibrils of Amyloid-beta peptide , which is considered a probable cause of Alzheimer's disease.

Cystic kidney growth curbed Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:14 AM PST Autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is one of the most common genetic disorders, affecting one in every 1,000 people and responsible for up to ten percent of patients on dialysis worldwide. The disease is characterized by the development of cysts that lead to progressive kidney failure and necessitate dialysis or a kidney transplant in most patients aged around fifty. Moreover, the persistent cyst growth causes high blood pressure and painful complications. Although we have known about the disease for over a century and its genetic basis for almost 20 years, there was no effective treatment until now.

Novel process represents faster and more economical route for devising countermeasures against biothreats, scientists say Posted: 05 Nov 2012 05:12 AM PST Scientists have developed a faster, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats and accelerate the application of countermeasures.

Family background affects risk of disability from back disorders Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:13 PM PDT Work and lifestyle factors affecting the risk of disability due to low back disorders tend to be shared among family members, reports a new study.

Cheaper and more effective test available for women following pre-cervical cancer treatment, study suggests Posted: 01 Nov 2012 03:41 PM PDT Testing women to see if they are cured of HPV (the virus that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer) following treatment for abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix is more effective and cheaper than cytology testing (cervical screening) alone, suggests a new study.

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