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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


In surprise finding, blood clots absorb bacterial toxin

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 03:11 PM PST

Blood clots play an unexpected role in protecting the body from the deadly effects of bacteria by absorbing bacterial toxins, researchers have found. The discovery may shed light on the pathology of septic shock.

New drug approach could lead to cures for wide range of diseases

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 03:11 PM PST

Scientists have demonstrated in mice what could be a revolutionary new technique to cure a wide range of human diseases -- from cystic fibrosis to cataracts to Alzheimer's disease -- that are caused by "misfolded" protein molecules.

Gene sequencing project finds drugs with promise for treating childhood tumor

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 03:09 PM PST

Drugs that enhance a process called oxidative stress were found to kill rhabdomyosarcoma tumor cells growing in the laboratory and possibly bolstered the effectiveness of chemotherapy against this aggressive tumor of muscle and other soft tissue.

Brief therapy eases symptoms of combat-related psychological trauma

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST

A new brief therapy eases symptoms of combat-related psychological trauma, a nursing study shows. The research suggests Accelerated Resolution Therapy may be an option for veterans who do not respond optimally to conventional therapies endorsed by the Department of Defense and VA.

Neural prosthesis restores behavior after brain injury

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 12:22 PM PST

Scientists have used a neural prosthesis to restore motor function in a rat model of brain injury. The technology is promising for TBI and stroke patients.

How concussion can lead to depression years later

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 11:32 AM PST

A head injury can lead immune-system brain cells to go on "high alert" and overreact to later immune challenges by becoming excessively inflammatory – a condition linked with depressive complications, a new animal study suggests.

Genetic flaw in males triggers onset of liver cancer, diabetes

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:25 AM PST

Researchers have uncovered a genetic deficiency in males that can trigger the development of one of the most common types of liver cancer and forms of diabetes.

Problem-child behavior could result from early puberty in girls

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:24 AM PST

A study shows early maturing in adolescent girls can increase aggressive and delinquent behavior.

New findings on women, pregnancy, epilepsy

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 10:24 AM PST

New research pertaining to the latest findings on the effects of epilepsy on both the mother and child explore folic acid use, the effect of surgery with intractable focal epilepsy, and antiepileptic drug exposure during breastfeeding.

Math models enhance current therapies for coronary heart disease

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 09:45 AM PST

Coronary heart disease accounts for 18 percent of deaths in the United States every year. The disease results from a blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle due to an inflammatory condition called artherosclerosis, leading to progressive buildup of fatty plaque near the surface of the arterial wall. A paper published proposes a mathematical model to improve currently-employed treatments of coronary heart disease.

Surviving ovarian cancer: Scientists attack drug resistant cancer cells

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 09:41 AM PST

Scientists believe a targeted drug delivery system could make ovarian cancer more treatable for the most deadly gynecological cancer in the United States. In animal research, the cancer is attacked at the genetic level by using small, inhibiting RNA molecules that directly target and decrease the excess CD44 protein in cancer cells while simultaneously treating patients with the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. This allows cells within the cancerous tumors to be successfully treated even at an advanced stage.

How 'good cholesterol' stops inflammation

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 07:52 AM PST

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), known colloquially as "good cholesterol," protects against dangerous deposits in the arteries. An important function of HDL is its anti-inflammatory properties. An international research team has identified a central switch by which HDL controls the inflammatory response.

Better preparedness against Tamiflu-resistant influenza viruses

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 07:52 AM PST

Swedish researchers have found that residues of the influenza drug Tamiflu in our environment can make the influenza virus in birds resistant. This can have serious consequences in the event of an influenza pandemic. The research team will now continue their studies with a focus on alternative antiviral drugs.

Ovarian cancer discovery deepens knowledge of survival outcomes

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 07:52 AM PST

Researchers have identified a series of 10 genes that may signify a trifecta of benefits for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and ultimately reflect improved survival outcomes. The research found that the 10-gene biomarker panel may identify the aggressiveness of a patient's disease, help predict survival outcomes and result in novel therapeutic strategies tailored to patients with the most adverse survival outcomes.

Seizures and Epilepsy: A Significant Burden on Veterans

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 07:49 AM PST

Three new studies expose the high prevalence of epilepsy and other neurological disorders in US Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The research conducted from these studies indicate that veterans are at a particularly high risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and epileptic seizure diagnoses.

Keep on exercising, researchers advise older breast cancer survivors

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST

To build and maintain muscle strength, it is best for older breast cancer survivors to follow an ongoing exercise program of resistance and impact training. Research has found that the bone benefit from one year of such training could be maintained, even with less exercise, up to a year later, which could help prevent bone fractures in the long run.

New insights into immune system of gastrointestinal tract

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST

Lymphotoxin is a cytokine, or intercellular messenger, and plays an important role in the immunological balance of the gastrointestinal tract. It regulates the immune system of the digestive tract, which is made up of immune cells, immunoglobulins (antibodies) as well as intestinal bacteria. An international team of scientists has now discovered how this complex interaction functions and how lymphotoxin controls the production of immunoglobulins in the gut.

Aging out of bounds: New demographic data show how diversely different species age and biologists cannot explain why

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 06:07 AM PST

Despite aging being one the hottest topic in the media recently, scientists have no coherent explanation for it. New demographic data on humans, animals and plants for the first time unveil such an extraordinary diversity of aging processes that no existing evolutionary theory can account for. Both life spans and mortalities vary from species to species. The fact that the probability of dying rises with age applies to humans, but is not principally true. This is shown by a catalog of 46 species with their respective mortality and fertility rates.

Seizure unconsciousness similar to slow wave sleep

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:42 AM PST

Epilepsy patients with complex partial seizures have impaired consciousness during seizure episodes and typically have no memory of the event. However, the mechanisms of seizure unconsciousness are unclear. Research report that the mechanism underlying loss of awareness during complex partial seizures is likely the same as that involved in slow wave or deep sleep.

Economic factors may affect getting guideline-recommended breast cancer treatment

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:41 AM PST

Women with interruptions in health insurance coverage or with low income levels had a significantly increased likelihood of failing to receive breast cancer care that is in concordance with recommended treatment guidelines, according to researchers.

Potential biological factor contributing to racial disparities in prostate cancer

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:41 AM PST

Researchers have uncovered a potential biological factor that may contribute to disparities in prostate cancer incidence and mortality between African-American and non-Hispanic white men in the United States, according to researchers.

Diabetes identified as risk factor for liver cancer across ethnic groups

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:41 AM PST

Diabetes was associated with an increased risk for developing a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma, and this association was highest for Latinos, followed by Hawaiians, African-Americans, and Japanese-Americans, according to scientists.

Biomarker linked to aggressive breast cancers, poor outcomes in African-Americans

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:41 AM PST

Among African-American women with breast cancer, increased levels of the protein HSET were associated with worse breast cancer outcomes, according to results of new research.

Peer-review science is taking off on Twitter, but who is Tweeting what and why?

Posted: 09 Dec 2013 05:41 AM PST

The most tweeted peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2012, and the trends associated with their social media success, have now been identified.

Who's patenting whose genome?

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:06 AM PST

An international project has developed a free and open public resource that will bring much-needed transparency to the murky and contentious world of gene patenting.

Results from first 59 leukemia patients who received investigational, personalized cellular therapy

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:03 AM PST

Three and a half years after beginning a clinical trial that demonstrated the first successful and sustained use of genetically engineered T cells to fight leukemia, a research team will today announce the latest results of studies involving both adults and children with advanced blood cancers that have failed to respond to standard therapies.

T cell immunotherapy shows promising results in children, adults with leukemia

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:03 AM PST

Nearly 90 percent of children and adults with a highly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) showed no evidence of cancer after receiving a novel, personalized cell therapy that reprograms a patient's immune system.

Laser ablation surgery shows better cognitive results for people with epilepsy

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:02 AM PST

MRI-Guided Stereotactic Laser Ablation (SLA) of the hippocampus to control seizures in people with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) may result in seizure control that approaches that from anterior temporal lobectory or selective amygdalohippocampectomy and better cognitive outcomes than any of the standard open resections, according to a study. If the SLA continues to prove safe and shows adequate efficacy for seizure control, the technique has the potential to drastically change brain surgery.

Genetic mutations, molecular alterations may explain racial differences in head, neck cancers

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:02 AM PST

A team of scientists has identified a handful of genetic mutations in black Americans, in addition to some chemical alterations affecting gene activity, which may help explain why the death rate among African-Americans from the most common form of head and neck cancer continues to hover some 18 percent higher above the death rate of whites with the same cancer.

Knowledge lacking about HPV vaccine effectiveness

Posted: 08 Dec 2013 06:02 AM PST

Knowledge about the efficacy of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in preventing cervical cancer was lacking in the majority of survey respondents for whom the information would be relevant, according to researchers.

Vaccine study reveals link between immunity, cells' starvation response

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST

Scientists studying immune responses to the yellow fever vaccine have identified a gene whose activation in key immune cells is a sign of a robust response. The results suggest vaccine components that activate the GCN2 gene could provide long-lasting immunity.

Healthy vs. unhealthy diet costs about $1.50 more per day

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST

The healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per day in the United States than the least healthy diets, according to new research. The finding is based on the most comprehensive examination to date comparing prices of healthy foods and diet patterns vs. less healthy ones.

Malignant cells adopt different pathway for genome duplication

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:01 PM PST

Genomes must be replicated in two copies during cell division. This process occurs at structures called 'replication forks', which are equipped with enzymes and move along the separated DNA strands. In tumor cells, the replication forks are frequently damaged, giving rise to breaks in the double-stranded DNA. An international study has revealed how cancer cells repair the damaged replication forks in order to complete their division.

Single microRNA powers motor activity

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST

New research shows that microRNA-128 is one of the strongest regulators of nerve cell excitability and motor activity, and that it does so by adjusting an entire neuronal signaling pathway. The preclinical study suggests that developing new drugs for treatment-refractory epilepsy that target the microRNA signaling pathway might prove beneficial for patients with severe epilepsy, including the epilepsy of infancy.

Quadriplegics at risk for serious sleep breathing disorder

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 01:58 PM PST

New findings suggest that where the spinal cord is injured—in the neck, or lower—can affect the likelihood and type of breathing problems during sleep, including central sleep apnea. Understanding how and why patients' nighttime breathing is affected could help doctors better manage these conditions.

High-powered handheld blue laser toys can cause serious eye injuries

Posted: 05 Dec 2013 01:57 PM PST

Exposure for even fractions of a second to high-powered blue handheld laser devices can cause serious eye injuries, according to a study recently released. The researchers have concluded that the wide availability of these devices, which are often marketed as toys, could lead to an epidemic of ocular injuries, and greater public awareness and government intervention should be encouraged.

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