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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


People with depression may struggle with parenthood

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 05:07 PM PDT

An article by researchers has shed light on the link between depression and poor parenting. The article identifies the symptoms of depression that are likely to cause difficulties with parenting. The findings could lead to more effective interventions to prevent depression and other psychological disorders from being passed from parent to child.

Expert panel diagnosis for diagnostic test poorly described, experts not blinded to test under study

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 04:12 PM PDT

Evaluation of diagnostic studies is often a challenge in diseases that are not defined by a specific test. Assessment of the accuracy of diagnostic tests is essential because they may be used to define who is considered to have a disease and receive treatment for it. However, measuring the accuracy of a diagnostic test requires an accurate gold standard, which defines which patients truly have and do not have the disease.

Small bits of genetic material fight cancer's spread

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Researchers have found that microRNAs -- small bits of genetic material capable of repressing the expression of certain genes -- may serve as both therapeutic targets and predictors of metastasis, or a cancer's spread from its initial site to other parts of the body.

To live and learn: Making memories has to be a speedy business

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 10:49 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that nerve cells have a special "pre-assembly" technique to expedite the manufacture of proteins at nerve cell connections (synapses), enabling the brain to rapidly form memories and be plastic.

Beyond antibiotics: 'PPMOs' offer new approach to bacterial infection, other diseases

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 10:49 AM PDT

Researchers today announced the successful use of a new type of antibacterial agent called a PPMO, which appears to function as well or better than an antibiotic, but may be more precise and also solve problems with antibiotic resistance. The new PPMOs offer a fundamentally different way to attack bacterial infection.

Genetic identification of neural circuit that suppresses appetite

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:38 AM PDT

Scientists have used genetic engineering to identify a population of neurons that tell the brain to shut off appetite.

New 3-D method used to grow miniature pancreas

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT

An international team of researchers has successfully developed an innovative 3-D method to grow miniature pancreas from progenitor cells. The future goal is to use this model to help in the fight against diabetes.

Method of recording brain activity could lead to mind-reading devices, Stanford scientists say

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:35 AM PDT

A brain region activated when people are asked to perform mathematical calculations in an experimental setting is similarly activated when they use numbers -- or even imprecise quantitative terms, such as "more than" -- in everyday conversation, according to a new study.

Scientists unravel mechanisms in chronic itching

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 09:33 AM PDT

New research shows that chronic itching, which can occur in many medical conditions, is different from the urge to scratch a mosquito bite. Chronic itching appears to incorporate more than just the nerve cells that normally transmit itch signals. In chronic itching, neurons that send itch signals also co-opt pain neurons to intensify the itch sensation.

Researchers discover new approach to improve personalized cancer treatments

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT

Researchers have successfully shown that a new method for targeting mutated cells could create a major breakthrough in a personalized medicine approach to treat cancer.

Rapid reversal of diabetes after gastric banding surgery

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:46 AM PDT

Clinical researchers have shown that a form of weight loss surgery, known as 'gastric banding', brings about reversal of diabetes in some patients, and dramatic improvement of glucose tolerance in others, within 12 weeks.

Teachers more likely to have progressive speech, language disorders

Posted: 15 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT

Researchers have found a surprising occupational hazard for teachers: progressive speech and language disorders. The research found that people with speech and language disorders are about 3.5 times more likely to be teachers than patients with Alzheimer's dementia.

Overexpressed protein to be culprit in certain thyroid cancers

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 07:14 PM PDT

A specific protein once thought to exist only in the brain may play a crucial role in a deadly form of thyroid cancer, as well as other cancers, and provide a fresh target for researchers seeking ways to stop its progression

Why does maximum heart rate drop with age?

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:57 PM PDT

Researchers at the University of Colorado have new insight into the age-old question of why maximum heart rate (maxHR) decreases with age. This decrease in maxHR not only limits the performance of aging athletes but it is also a leading cause for nursing home admittance for otherwise-healthy elderly individuals who no longer have the physical capacity required for independent living.

Compound derived from vegetables shields rodents from lethal radiation doses

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 12:57 PM PDT

Researchers say a compound derived from cruciferous vegetable such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli protected rats and mice from lethal doses of radiation. Their study suggests the compound, already shown to be safe for humans, may protect normal tissues during radiation therapy for cancer treatment and prevent or mitigate sickness caused by radiation exposure.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease at higher risk for stroke, heart attack

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 09:17 AM PDT

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of stroke and heart attack according to a new study.

Age doesn't impact concussion symptoms

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:37 AM PDT

Recent scientific findings have raised the fear that young athletes may fare worse after sustaining a sports-related concussion than older athletes. Researchers compared symptoms associated with concussion in middle- and high-school aged athletes with those in college-age athletes, and found no significant differences between the two age groups.

New evidence that aging tumor cells may be an effective cancer treatment

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:43 AM PDT

Scientists have shown that diffuse large B-cell lymphoma may be susceptible to treatment by re-activating the normal aging program in tumor cells so they can no longer divide.

Adolescent's weight, socioeconomic status may affect cancer later in life

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:42 AM PDT

Overweight adolescents were twice as likely as their normal weight peers to later develop esophageal cancer, as revealed by a recent study. The study also found that lower socioeconomic status as well as immigration from higher risk countries were important determinants of gastric cancer.

Muscles and meth: Drug analog identified in 'craze' workout supplement

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:41 AM PDT

An international team of scientists have identified potentially dangerous amounts of methamphetamine analog in the workout supplement Craze, a product widely sold across the U.S. and online. The study was prompted by a spate of failed athletic drug tests. The results reveal the presence of methamphetamine analog N,±- DEPEA, which has not been safely tested for human consumption, in three samples.

Non-hallucinogenic cannabinoids are effective anti-cancer drugs

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:41 AM PDT

New research has shown that the non-hallucinogenic components of cannabis could act as effective anti-cancer agents.

Understanding Inflammation

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:39 AM PDT

Scientists for the first time have solved the 3-dimensional structure of the protein LBP and it´s genetic variant. This finding may help certain patients to better survive severe infectious diseases.

Biomarker in bile VEGF can correctly identify pancreatic cancer

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:35 AM PDT

A marker in bile known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the growth of cancerous tumors according to new research. Researchers found that VEGF levels from bile aspirated from the pancreas can accurately distinguish pancreatic cancer from other causes of common problems in the bile duct. The results of this pilot study indicated that using this marker in bile can correctly identify pancreas cancer with high sensitivity, detecting pancreas cancer accurately in 93 percent of cases.

Physical activity may reduce risk of esophageal cancer

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:35 AM PDT

Physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal adenocarcinoma, according to a new meta-analysis of published observational studies.

Football-shaped particles bolster body's defense against cancer

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:35 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded in making flattened, football-shaped artificial particles that impersonate immune cells. These football-shaped particles seem to be better than the typical basketball-shaped particles at teaching immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells in mice.

Giving health workers their own hand gel reduces operating room contamination significantly

Posted: 13 Oct 2013 05:29 PM PDT

Simple remedies – from keeping the antibacterial gel dispenser clean to giving health care workers their own hand sanitizer – can help keep patients safe by decreasing contamination in operating and recovery rooms, suggest two studies.

Researchers 'fish new pond' for antibiotics

Posted: 13 Oct 2013 01:33 PM PDT

Discovery of chemical compounds that block the ability of bacteria to make vitamins and amino acids, processes that are emerging as Achilles' heels for bacteria that infect the human body.

Four genetic variants linked to esophageal cancer and its precursor, Barrett’s esophagus

Posted: 13 Oct 2013 01:33 PM PDT

An international consortium of reseearchers has identified four genetic variants associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer and its precursor, a condition called Barrett's esophagus.

Promising long-term treatment for chronic headache sufferers

Posted: 13 Oct 2013 01:33 PM PDT

For the more than 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches, relief may be on the way in the form of an electric pulse. Electric stimulation of the peripheral nerve reduced average headache intensity by more than 70 percent.

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