ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Innovations could save lives of mothers, children
• Nanoparticle vaccine: Particles that deliver vaccines directly to mucosal surfaces could defend against many infectious diseases
• Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors serious problems in the U.S.
• 'X-shape' not true picture of chromosome structure, new imaging technique reveals
• Common cosmetic and sunblock ingredient, titanium dioxide, may have potential health risks
• Genetic makeup and diet interact with the microbiome to impact health
• New early detection test for prostate cancer
• Model to study human response to bacteria that cause peptic ulcers developed
• New approach to treating human brain cancer could lead to improved outcomes
• Commonly prescribed statin linked to memory impairment, study in rats suggests
• Do elite 'power sport' athletes have a genetic advantage?
• Uncovering factors at the heart of muscle weakness
• Sheep mucosa shows the way to more effective medicine for neurological diseases
• New knowledge on molecular mechanisms behind breast cancer
• Recent highlights in molecular biology and evolution
• Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige fat’ that can burn calories instead of storing them, study suggests
• Cocaine exposure in the womb: The brain structure is intact, development is off track
• Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to radiation therapy and surgery in prostate cancer patients
• Flame retardants in blood drop after State ban
• 'Microbial clock' may help determine time of death
• Lighting up can bring you down in colorectal surgery
• Proton therapy cuts side effects for pediatric head, neck cancer patients
• Researchers harness the immune system to fight pancreatic cancer
• Biological risk factor in obesity-related cancers: Insulin disruption
• Study findings may explain delayed onset of heart disease in women
• Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems
• Marriage associated with better cancer outcomes

Innovations could save lives of mothers, children Posted: 25 Sep 2013 11:15 AM PDT Ten health care innovations, if brought to scale immediately in low-resource countries, could have the potential to save the lives of some 1.2 million mothers and children in 2015. Right now the annual global death toll of mothers and children under 5 is 6.9 million. Between 2016-2020, these innovations have the potential to save the lives of nearly 7.5 million women and children.

Nanoparticle vaccine: Particles that deliver vaccines directly to mucosal surfaces could defend against many infectious diseases Posted: 25 Sep 2013 11:15 AM PDT Many viruses and bacteria infect humans through mucosal surfaces, such as those in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive tract. To help fight these pathogens, scientists are working on vaccines that can establish a front line of defense at mucosal surfaces, potentially defending against many infectious diseases.

Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors serious problems in the U.S. Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are serious problems in the United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a whole, and federal agencies should work with state and local partners to raise awareness of these issues and train professionals who work with youths to recognize and assist those who are victimized or at risk, says a new report.

'X-shape' not true picture of chromosome structure, new imaging technique reveals Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT A new method for visualising chromosomes is painting a truer picture of their shape, which is rarely like the X-shaped blob of DNA most of us are familiar with.

Common cosmetic and sunblock ingredient, titanium dioxide, may have potential health risks Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT Using a particular type of titanium dioxide -- a common ingredient in cosmetics, food products, toothpaste and sunscreen -- could reduce the potential health risks associated with the widely used compound.

Genetic makeup and diet interact with the microbiome to impact health Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT New research shows that an individual's genomic makeup and diet interact to determine which microbes exist and how they act in the host intestine. The study was modeled in germ-free knockout mice to mimic a genetic condition that affects 1 in 5 humans and increases the risk for digestive diseases.

New early detection test for prostate cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:03 AM PDT A new urine test that improves on PSA screening for prostate cancer is now available. The test incorporates three specific markers that could indicate cancer and studies have shown that the combination is far more accurate than PSA alone.

Model to study human response to bacteria that cause peptic ulcers developed Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:03 AM PDT Researchers have developed a model that helps scientists and clinicians understand that complex interactions of a type of bacteria that is the leading cause of peptic ulcers. The discovery may inform changes in the ways doctors treat patients.

New approach to treating human brain cancer could lead to improved outcomes Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:02 AM PDT A new experimental approach to treating a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma has been developed, and could lead to improved outcomes.

Commonly prescribed statin linked to memory impairment, study in rats suggests Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:24 AM PDT New research that looked at whether two commonly prescribed statin medicines, used to lower low-density lipoprotein or 'bad cholesterol' levels in the blood, can adversely affect cognitive function has found that one of the drugs tested caused memory impairment in rats.

Do elite 'power sport' athletes have a genetic advantage? Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:23 AM PDT A specific gene variant is more frequent among elite athletes in power sports, reports a new study.

Uncovering factors at the heart of muscle weakness Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:22 AM PDT Researchers show how orange, apple and grapefruit juices affect the absorption of certain prescription drugs into the body.

Sheep mucosa shows the way to more effective medicine for neurological diseases Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT New research shows how medicine for the brain can be absorbed through the nose. This paves the way to more effective treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and tumors in the brain.

New knowledge on molecular mechanisms behind breast cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Researchers have gained more insight into the molecular mechanisms of importance for, for example, cancer cell growth and metastasis. The research objective is improved and more targeted drugs.

Recent highlights in molecular biology and evolution Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT Research has found a greater number of "escaping genes" on the X chromosome than have been previously detected, with implications for the understanding of mental impairment in humans.

Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige fat’ that can burn calories instead of storing them, study suggests Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat', a type of fat cell that burns calories   instead of storing them. White adipose tissue stores calories leading to weight gain whereas 'beige fat' (also known as 'good or thinning fat') helps regulate body weight control, hence its metabolic benefits.

Cocaine exposure in the womb: The brain structure is intact, development is off track Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT Prenatal cocaine exposure affects both behavior and brain. Animal studies have shown that exposure to cocaine during in utero development causes numerous disruptions in normal brain development and negatively affects behavior from birth and into adulthood. For ethical reasons, similar studies in humans have been more limited but some research has shown that children exposed prenatally to cocaine have impairments in attention, control, stress, emotion regulation, and memory. Research also suggests that such children may be more predisposed to initiate substance use.

Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to radiation therapy and surgery in prostate cancer patients Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT Detailed evaluation of a prostate cancer tumor biopsy may predict treatment outcomes for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) or surgery for prostate cancer, according to new research.

Flame retardants in blood drop after State ban Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT A class of flame retardants that has been linked to learning difficulties in children has rapidly declined in pregnant women's blood since the chemicals were banned in California a decade ago.

'Microbial clock' may help determine time of death Posted: 24 Sep 2013 12:39 PM PDT An intriguing study may provide a powerful new tool in the quiver of forensic scientists attempting to determine the time of death in cases involving human corpses: A microbial clock.

Lighting up can bring you down in colorectal surgery Posted: 24 Sep 2013 12:39 PM PDT The first large study to focus specifically on the effects of smoking after colorectal surgery found that smoking boosts the risk of complications like infection and pneumonia after some of the most common colorectal procedures, such as surgery for colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. Lighting up also increases a patient's risk of death after surgery compared with patients who have never smoked.

Proton therapy cuts side effects for pediatric head, neck cancer patients Posted: 24 Sep 2013 11:02 AM PDT The precise targeting and limited dosing of radiation via proton therapy is proving to be an advantage in ongoing efforts to reduce treatment side effects among head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study of pediatric patients.

Researchers harness the immune system to fight pancreatic cancer Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:52 AM PDT Pancreatic cancer ranks as the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is one of the most deadly forms of cancer, due to its resistance to standard treatments with chemotherapy and radiation therapy and frequently, its late stage at the time of diagnosis. A group of researchers has published results of a clinical trial in which the standard chemotherapy drug for this disease, was paired with an agonist CD40 antibody, resulting in substantial tumor regressions among some patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Biological risk factor in obesity-related cancers: Insulin disruption Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:51 AM PDT It is estimated that over a third of the new cancer cases expected to occur in the U.S. in 2013 will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition. Thanks to the work of one researcher, we may better understand why.

Study findings may explain delayed onset of heart disease in women Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:51 AM PDT A biological ability to compensate for the body's reduced response to insulin may explain why women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men.

Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems Posted: 24 Sep 2013 10:51 AM PDT Men who have low testosterone levels may have a slightly elevated risk of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a recent study.

Marriage associated with better cancer outcomes Posted: 23 Sep 2013 02:57 PM PDT People who are married when diagnosed with cancer live longer than those who are not, report researchers. Married patients also tended to have cancers diagnosed at an earlier stage -- when it is often more successfully treated -- and to receive more appropriate treatment. The findings suggest that the availability of social support when facing a serious illness may improve outcomes.

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