ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• How household dogs protect against asthma and infection
• Spurred by food allergies, two esophagus conditions stump doctors
• Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones?
• Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity
• 'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants
• Brain waves encode information as time signals
• Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are
• Affordable Care Act offers opportunities to strengthen trauma systems
• Team reduces toxicity of Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models
• Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother
• Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria
• Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts
• Five most effective parenting programs to reduce problem behaviors in teens
• Better first response medical care during catastrophes
• First molecular missteps discovered leading to Alzheimer's disease
• Nicotine drives cell invasion that contributes to plaque formation in coronary arteries
• How healthy is Santa Claus?
• Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery
• Research shows correlation between adult height, underlying heart disease
• New Models of Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Point to Better Treatments
• New diagnostic test can detect chlamydia trachomatis in less than 20 minutes
• Study results inform discussions on US policy for lung transplantation in children
• Drug cuts breast cancer cases by more than 50% in high risk women
• Worms and hot baths: Novel approaches to treating autism
• High levels of maternal care has life-long impact on vulnerability to stress, study says
• Study shows families don't understand genetic test results or their implications

How household dogs protect against asthma and infection Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Children's risk for developing allergies and asthma is reduced when they are exposed in early infancy to a dog in the household, and now researchers have discovered a reason why.

Spurred by food allergies, two esophagus conditions stump doctors Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Researchers found that two on-the-rise esophagus conditions are so similar that even a biopsy is not enough to distinguish one disease from the other.

Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones? Posted: 16 Dec 2013 12:50 PM PST Patients in a vegetative state do not respond to what is happening around them and exhibit no signs of conscious awareness. Now research has shown that the brains of patients in a vegetative state emotionally react to photographs of people they know personally as though they recognize them.

Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Scientists have taken an important step toward making a "vaccine gene chip," by comparing the molecular signatures induced by five very different vaccines in the immune systems of human volunteers.

'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Tests at wastewater treatment plants in China revealed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were not only escaping purification but also breeding and spreading their dangerous cargo.

Brain waves encode information as time signals Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:26 AM PST A research team has examined the synaptic mechanisms of rhythmic brain waves. This was made possible through custom-design tools developed in collaboration with the institute's machine shop.

Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:25 AM PST Many parents say when their second child is born that their first child suddenly appears to have grown overnight. Now, researchers have an explanation: until the birth of the new child, those parents were subject to a "baby illusion," routinely misperceiving their youngest child as smaller (and younger) than he or she really was.

Affordable Care Act offers opportunities to strengthen trauma systems Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:24 AM PST Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 45 and the fourth-leading cause of death for people of all ages. Authors of a review believe more work is needed to ensure the right patient gets to the right place at the right time, and that the Affordable Care Act may offer opportunities to strengthen trauma systems.

Team reduces toxicity of Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:24 AM PST Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of muscle strength and eventually causes a lethal, full-body paralysis. Working with a powerful fruit fly model of the disease, researchers reduced disease toxicity and slowed the dysfunction of neurons. Their discoveries offer the possibility of a new strategy for treating ALS.

Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby, mother Posted: 16 Dec 2013 11:04 AM PST Enduring the last few weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging for some women. The aches and pains, the swelling of the limbs and the anxiety of when labor may start are part of the natural gestation process, but they also can seem unbearable. It may seem easier to relieve symptoms associated with late pregnancy by electing to deliver early, but researchers caution that there can be an increased risk of complications to the mother and the newborn associated with early-term deliveries.

Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Scientists have discovered a key process during the invasion of the blood cell by the Malaria parasite, and more importantly, found a way to block this invasion.

Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts Posted: 16 Dec 2013 07:28 AM PST Osteogeneis imperfecta (OI) is a congenital bone disease that causes stunted growth and repeated, painful fracturing. Ultrasound scans can reveal fractures already in the fetus, and now an international team of researchers has treated two babies in utero by injecting bone-forming stem cells.

Five most effective parenting programs to reduce problem behaviors in teens Posted: 16 Dec 2013 06:55 AM PST Researchers evaluated about 20 parenting programs and found five that are especially effective at helping parents and children at all risk levels avoid adolescent behavior problems that affect not only individuals, but entire communities.

Better first response medical care during catastrophes Posted: 16 Dec 2013 05:03 AM PST When large-scale emergencies occur, it often takes far too long before victims receive the care their injuries demand. Now a new electronic system has been designed to support helpers during the initial assessment of victims and to speed up patient care.

First molecular missteps discovered leading to Alzheimer's disease Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST Additional evidence has been gained indicating that the massive brain cell death of Alzheimer's disease is result of mature neurons mistakenly re-entering the cell cycle. They fail to divide and eventually die.

Nicotine drives cell invasion that contributes to plaque formation in coronary arteries Posted: 15 Dec 2013 01:08 PM PST Research on human and rat vascular smooth muscle cells provides evidence of a link between nicotine and atherosclerosis, major cause of heart attacks.

How healthy is Santa Claus? Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Children around the world look to Santa Claus as a model of good behavior. But can this sleigh-riding bearer of goodies also be a model good health habits for adults?

Study finds acupuncture effective in treating pain after tonsillectomy surgery Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:28 AM PST Children had long been prescribed codeine for pain relief after having surgery to remove their tonsils -- until the FDA banned use of the drug in February. Now a new study finds that acupuncture can be a safe and effective alternative.

Research shows correlation between adult height, underlying heart disease Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:59 PM PST A cardiologist suggests a connection between an adult's height and the prevalence of coronary artery calcium, a direct marker of plaque in the arteries that feed the heart.

New Models of Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer Point to Better Treatments Posted: 12 Dec 2013 03:51 PM PST Human breast tumors transplanted into mice are excellent models of metastatic cancer and are providing insights into how to attack breast cancers that no longer respond to the drugs used to treat them, according to research.

New diagnostic test can detect chlamydia trachomatis in less than 20 minutes Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a new assay for rapid and sensitive detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common sexually transmitted infection in humans. This procedure takes less than 20 minutes and can be easily performed at the point of care during the patient's visit.

Study results inform discussions on US policy for lung transplantation in children Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST A new analysis has found no evidence that children aged six to 11 years seeking a deceased donor lung transplant are disadvantaged in the current US lung allocation system. The findings help inform ongoing discussions regarding potential changes to the nation's lung allocation policy.

Drug cuts breast cancer cases by more than 50% in high risk women Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Taking the breast cancer drug anastrozole for five years reduced the chances of post-menopausal women at high risk of breast cancer developing the disease by 53 percent compared with women who took a placebo, according to a study published.

Worms and hot baths: Novel approaches to treating autism Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Two unusual treatment approaches may have beneficial effects on the symptoms of autism in children and adults. Using a hot bath to raise body temperature and thereby mimic the effects of infection, or using worm eggs to stimulate the production of immunoregulatory factors in the gut to diminish inflammatory signals, both attenuated symptoms of autism. These findings support the idea that disruption of systems in the body that control inflammation may contribute to the disorder.

High levels of maternal care has life-long impact on vulnerability to stress, study says Posted: 12 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST A new study shows that high levels of maternal care during the early post-natal period in rodents can reduce the sensitivity of the offspring to stressful events during adulthood. Maternal care is shown to chemically modify and thereby re-program genes that control stress responses, making them less likely to be activated. The findings have important implications for understanding early environment influences on stress-related disorders.

Study shows families don't understand genetic test results or their implications Posted: 12 Dec 2013 06:59 AM PST A study done shows that many relatives of patients who undergo testing for a gene linked to breast and ovarian cancers misinterpret the results, and less than half of those who could benefit from genetic testing say they plan to get tested themselves -- despite the fact that knowing your genetic status may help catch the disease in its earliest stages.

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