ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Study links sleep to mood disturbance, poor quality of life in obese
• IVF improving, but fertility treatments keep multiple births high
• Researchers find shape-shifting stops migrating cancer cells
• Important discovery related to anxiety disorders, trauma
• Education, not fertility, key for economic development in developing countries
• How to change cell types by flipping a single switch
• Dads: How important are they? New research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring
• New method for stabilizing hemoglobin could lead to stable vaccines, artificial blood
• Radiographic imaging exposes relationship between obesity, cancer
• Blood vessels reorganize after face transplantation surgery
• Mammography screening intervals may affect breast cancer prognosis
• MR-guided ultrasound offers noninvasive treatment for breast cancer
• World record: Longest ECG ever measured non-invasively
• Missing 'brake in the brain' can trigger anxiety
• Depression in pregnant mothers may alter the pattern of brain development in their babies
• Omega-3 dietary supplements pass blood-brain barrier
• Study highlights massive benefits of HIV treatment in South Africa
• Exercise beneficial for dementia
• Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults
• Dispelling urban legend, new study shows who uses emergency departments frequently
• Study on pediatric brain stem tumors
• Malaria treatment could improve in children
• New insights into cancer evolution help define screening window of opportunity
• Less medical errors when continuity of care in hospitals improved
• Sounding tall: Listeners can distinguish the voices of tall versus short people
• Molecular sensor detects early signs of multiple sclerosis, study finds
• HIV-1 movement across genital tract cells surprisingly enhanced by usurping antibody response
• New classification system for cardiomyopathy
• Protein in prostate biopsies signals increased cancer risk
• Race trumps economic status in access to healthy food
• Neurofeedback tunes key brain networks, improving well-being in PTSD
• First real-time flu forecast successful
• Tuberculosis: Nature has double-duty antibiotic up her sleeve
• HIV plus HPV leads to increased anal cancer risk in men
• Disability, distress in rheumatoid arthritis patients cut in half over last 20 years
• International study finds heart disease similar in men, women
• Breast cancer risk related to changes in breast density as women age
• Have researchers found new treatment for sepsis?
• Diverticulosis much less risky than previously thought, study suggests
• 3D mammography increases cancer detection, reduces call-back rates
• Genetic mutation may be vital in lethal prostate cancer in overweight patients
• Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type
• Specific heart contractions could predict atrial fibrillation
• Ultrasound as good as CT scans for pediatric appendicitis, reduces radiation exposure

Study links sleep to mood disturbance, poor quality of life in obese Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:24 PM PST A new study shows that poor sleep quality is strongly associated with mood disturbance and lower quality of life among people with extreme obesity.

IVF improving, but fertility treatments keep multiple births high Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST More than one in three twin births and three of four births of triplets or more in the United States arise from fertility treatments, according to new estimates published. Although in-vitro fertilization (IVF) practices have improved to produce fewer triplets or higher-order births than at peak, multiples from non-IVF treatments continue unabated.

Researchers find shape-shifting stops migrating cancer cells Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:32 AM PST Like a car with a front and back end, a steering mechanism and an engine to push it forward, cancer cells propel themselves through normal tissues and organs to spread cancer throughout the body. Researchers, however, have managed to turn these cells into shapes like a round fried egg and an exaggerated starfish that sticks out in many directions — both of which cannot move.

Important discovery related to anxiety disorders, trauma Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:20 AM PST A team of researchers discovered that the protein PC7 plays a critical role in the brain by affecting certain types of cognitive performance such as anxiety, learning and emotional memory. Their results could have a significant impact on regulating behavior related to anxiety disorders and trauma.

Education, not fertility, key for economic development in developing countries Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:20 AM PST A new study shows that improvements in education levels around the world have been key drivers of economic growth in developing countries that has previously been attributed to declines in fertility rates.

How to change cell types by flipping a single switch Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST With few exceptions, cells don't change type once they have become specialized -- a heart cell, for example, won't suddenly become a brain cell. However, new findings have identified a method for changing one cell type into another in a process called forced transdifferentiation.

Dads: How important are they? New research highlights value of fathers in both neurobiology and behavior of offspring Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST Even with today's technology, it still takes both a male and a female to make a baby. But is it important for both parents to raise that child? Many studies have outlined the value of a mother, but few have clearly defined the importance of a father, until now. New findings show that the absence of a father during critical growth periods, leads to impaired social and behavioral abilities in adults.

New method for stabilizing hemoglobin could lead to stable vaccines, artificial blood Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST A research team has found a way to stabilize hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier protein in the blood, a discovery that could lead to the development of stable vaccines and affordable artificial blood substitutes.

Radiographic imaging exposes relationship between obesity, cancer Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST Researchers are working to improve understanding about obesity and cancer. A study published today is the first to use direct radiographic imaging of adipose tissue rather than estimates like body mass index or waist circumference, and focuses on the relationship between obesity and cancer risk in aging populations.

Blood vessels reorganize after face transplantation surgery Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST For the first time, researchers have found that the blood vessels in face transplant recipients reorganize themselves, leading to an understanding of the biologic changes that happen after full face transplantation.

Mammography screening intervals may affect breast cancer prognosis Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST In a study of screening mammography-detected breast cancers, patients who had more frequent screening mammography had a significantly lower rate of lymph node positivity -- or cancer cells in the lymph nodes -- as compared to women who went longer intervals between screening mammography exams.

MR-guided ultrasound offers noninvasive treatment for breast cancer Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:14 AM PST A technique that uses focused ultrasound under magnetic resonance guidance to heat and destroy tumors may offer a safe and effective treatment for breast cancer, according to new research.

World record: Longest ECG ever measured non-invasively Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:11 AM PST Patients suffering from cardiac diseases may rapidly become emergencies. However, many cardiac diseases are announced several months before, and symptoms are simply overlooked. A long-term ECG may help. A sensor belt for the first time allows clinicians to document cardiac activity of a patient over a long term, around the clock, for up to six months.

Missing 'brake in the brain' can trigger anxiety Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:11 AM PST Fear, at the right level, can increase alertness and protect against dangers. Disproportionate fear, on the other hand, can disrupt the sensory perception, be disabling, reduce happiness and therefore become a danger in itself. In anxiety disorders, the fear is so strong that there is tremendous psychological strain and living a normal life seems impossible. Researchers have now found a possible explanation as to how social phobias and fear can be triggered in the brain: a missing inhibitory connection or missing "brake" in the brain.

Depression in pregnant mothers may alter the pattern of brain development in their babies Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST Depression is a serious mental illness that has many negative consequences for sufferers. But depression among pregnant women may also have an impact on their developing babies. Children of depressed parents are at an increased risk of developing depression themselves, a combination of both genetic and environmental factors. These children also display alterations in the amygdala, a brain structure important for the regulation of emotion and stress.

Omega-3 dietary supplements pass blood-brain barrier Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST New research shows that omega-3 fatty acids in dietary supplements can cross the blood brain barrier in people with Alzheimer's disease, affecting known markers for both the disease itself and inflammation. The findings strengthen the evidence that omega-3 may benefit certain forms of this seriously debilitating disease.

Study highlights massive benefits of HIV treatment in South Africa Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:09 AM PST Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the treatment of HIV infection has saved 2.8 million years of life in South Africa since 2004 and is projected to save an additional 15.1 million years of life by 2030, according to a new study published. The analysis suggests these dramatic benefits could be even greater if more aggressive HIV testing and treatment strategies are implemented.

Exercise beneficial for dementia Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:01 PM PST Exercise may benefit older people with dementia by improving their cognitive functioning and ability to carry out everyday activities, according to a new systematic review. However, the authors of the review did not see any clear effect of exercise on depression in older people with dementia and say that more evidence is needed to understand how exercise could reduce the burden on family caregivers and health systems.

Toxigenic C. difficile resides harmlessly in infants, poses risk to adults Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:12 PM PST Infants and toddlers frequently carry toxigenic Clostridium difficile, usually with no harm to themselves, but can serve as a reservoir and spread the bacteria to adults in whom it can cause severe disease, according to a study by a team of Swedish researchers.

Dispelling urban legend, new study shows who uses emergency departments frequently Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:12 PM PST Frequent emergency department users are have a substantial burden of disease, often having multiple chronic conditions and many hospitalizations, according to the analysis of Medicaid data for New York City.

Study on pediatric brain stem tumors Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:12 PM PST A new study has found, for the first time, two distinct subtypes in pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas.

Malaria treatment could improve in children Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:11 PM PST Antimalarial drug resistance has hampered malaria control programs for almost 60 years. A key factor in combatting this threat is to ensure that all antimalarial drugs are deployed in a way that ensures that the maximum number of patients are completely cured.

New insights into cancer evolution help define screening window of opportunity Posted: 03 Dec 2013 04:10 PM PST Researchers discover that cancer develops a few years after cells undergo drastic mutations, contrary to common belief.

Less medical errors when continuity of care in hospitals improved Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:17 PM PST Implementation of a multifaceted program to improve patient handoffs (change in staff caring for a patient) among physicians-in-training residents at a children's hospital was associated with a reduction in medical errors and preventable adverse events, according to a study.

Sounding tall: Listeners can distinguish the voices of tall versus short people Posted: 03 Dec 2013 01:15 PM PST Our voice can reveal a lot about us: our age, our gender, and now – it seems – our height as well. A new study found that listeners can accurately determine the relative heights of speakers just by listening to them talk. The key clue may be contained in a particular type of sound produced in the lower airways of the lungs, known as a subglottal resonance.

Molecular sensor detects early signs of multiple sclerosis, study finds Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:43 AM PST For some, the disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks its victims slowly over a period of years. For others, it strikes in fits and starts. But all patients share one thing: the disease had long been present in their nervous systems, under the radar from the most sophisticated detection methods. But now, scientists have devised a new sensor that can detect MS at its earliest stages -- even before the onset of physical signs.

HIV-1 movement across genital tract cells surprisingly enhanced by usurping antibody response Posted: 03 Dec 2013 11:43 AM PST Infectious disease researchers have identified a novel mechanism wherein HIV-1 may facilitate its own transmission by usurping the antibody response directed against itself. These results have important implications for HIV vaccine development and for understanding the earliest events in HIV transmission.

New classification system for cardiomyopathy Posted: 03 Dec 2013 10:37 AM PST Leading cardiologists have contributed to the development of a new classification system called MOGE(S) for cardiomyopathies, the diseases of the heart muscle which can lead to heart enlargement and heart failure.

Protein in prostate biopsies signals increased cancer risk Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:47 AM PST Researchers have shown that the presence of a particular protein in biopsied prostate tissue substantially increases the likelihood that cancer will develop in that organ. The discovery will likely help physicians decide how closely to monitor men potentially at risk for the cancer -- among the most confusing and controversial dilemmas in health care.

Race trumps economic status in access to healthy food Posted: 03 Dec 2013 09:45 AM PST A study finds that when compared with other neighborhoods and without regard to income, predominantly black neighborhoods have the most limited access to supermarkets and to the healthier foods such markets sell.

Neurofeedback tunes key brain networks, improving well-being in PTSD Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:22 AM PST Pioneering research points to a promising avenue for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: utilizing neurofeedback training to alter the plasticity of brain networks linked to the condition. During neurofeedback, intentional control of one's own brain activity may be learned with what's called a brain-computer interface, which is able to represent graphically a person's real-time brain activation on a computer.

First real-time flu forecast successful Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:22 AM PST Scientists were able to reliably predict the timing of the 2012-2013 influenza season up to nine weeks in advance of its peak. The first large-scale demonstration of the flu forecasting system by scientists was carried out in 108 cities across the United States.

Tuberculosis: Nature has double-duty antibiotic up her sleeve Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:03 AM PST Technology has made it possible to synthesize increasingly targeted drugs. But scientists still have much to learn from Mother Nature. Pyridomycin, a substance produced by non-pathogenic soil bacteria, has been found to be a potent antibiotic against a related strain of bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Its complex three-dimensional structure allows it to act simultaneously on two parts of a key enzyme in the tuberculosis bacillus, and in doing so, dramatically reduce the risk that the bacteria will develop multiple resistances.

HIV plus HPV leads to increased anal cancer risk in men Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST A study has found that men ages 40-69 who are having sex with other men, are HIV-infected and smoke are at a much higher risk of HPVs that most often cause anal cancer. This is the first large US study of a group of HIV-infected and uninfected men, over the age of 50. Many of these men were followed for more than 25 years.

Disability, distress in rheumatoid arthritis patients cut in half over last 20 years Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST New research reveals that patients with rheumatoid arthritis today have an easier time with daily living than patients diagnosed two decades ago. According to results of the study, anxiety, depressed mood and physical disability have been cut in half over the last 20 years. Researchers believe a reduction in disease activity is partly responsible for this positive change.

International study finds heart disease similar in men, women Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST An analysis of data from an international multicenter study of coronary computed tomography angiography reveals that men and women with mild coronary artery disease and similar cardiovascular risk profiles share similar prognoses.

Breast cancer risk related to changes in breast density as women age Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:16 AM PST Automated breast density measurement is predictive of breast cancer risk in younger women, and that risk may be related to the rate at which breast density changes in some women as they age, according to new research.

Have researchers found new treatment for sepsis? Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:07 AM PST Academics discover new receptor that may be instrumental in the body's response to devastating disease of sepsis.

Diverticulosis much less risky than previously thought, study suggests Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:05 AM PST People who have diverticulosis, or pouches in the lining of the colon, often worry that they will eventually develop a painful and sometimes serious condition called diverticulitis, as previous research has shown that one in four, or up to 25 percent, of those with the condition will.

3D mammography increases cancer detection, reduces call-back rates Posted: 03 Dec 2013 06:05 AM PST Compared to traditional mammography, 3D mammography found 22 percent more breast cancers and led to fewer call backs in a large screening study.

Genetic mutation may be vital in lethal prostate cancer in overweight patients Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST Obesity is associated with a worse prostate cancer prognosis among men whose tumors contain a specific genetic mutation.

Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST A team of researchers have developed a new technique to determine if tumors are fed by estrogen.

Specific heart contractions could predict atrial fibrillation Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:19 PM PST A commonly used heart monitor may be a simple tool for predicting the risk of atrial fibrillation, the most frequently diagnosed type of irregular heart rhythm, according to researchers.

Ultrasound as good as CT scans for pediatric appendicitis, reduces radiation exposure Posted: 02 Dec 2013 02:18 PM PST Using ultrasound as the first diagnostic imaging technique to detect appendicitis in children produces comparable outcomes to using computed tomography (CT) scans and does not increase hospital length of stay.

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