ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• We're over the hill at 24, study says
• Everest trek shows how some people get type II diabetes
• Severe sleep apnea linked to increased risk of stroke, cancer, death
• Penicillin redux: Rearming proven warriors for the 21st century
• Lashing out at your spouse? Check your blood sugar
• Rare bone diseases and their dental, oral, craniofacial manifestations
• Dog ownership benefits families of children with autism
• Babies prefer fairness -- but only if it benefits them -- in choosing a playmate
• Young dads at high risk of depression, too
• High marks to a state pre-kindergarten program
• Patients with kidney failure to get a new lease on life
• Neuroscientists: Brain activity may mark beginning of memories
• Domestic abuse linked to mental health problems in new mothers
• Surgeons develop personalized 3-D printed kidney to simulate surgery prior to cancer operation
• Single cell genomics technique developed to reverse-engineer developing lung
• Reduction in HPV in young women in England following national immunization program
• Longer nurse tenure on hospital units leads to higher quality care
• Chemo before or after surgery for high-risk bladder cancer improves survival, but is not routinely administered
• Detrimental effects of television viewing on sleep in young children
• Women who gain too much or too little weight during pregnancy at risk for having an overweight child
• Singlet oxygen: Stable research model for an unstable target
• Empowerment program greatly decreases incidence of rape, study finds
• Teaching to optimize learning or control misbehavior? Scale of disruptive behavior in schools seriously underestimated
• Beneficial organisms react differently to parasite drug
• Recurrence of prostate cancer is significantly lower in men with blood group O
• New clinical definition for epilepsy improves diagnosis accuracy
• Young people with epilepsy at significantly more risk of injury
• Regenerating muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Age matters
• Efficient analysis of small quantity of cells improves chances to understand disease
• Gene linked to pediatric kidney cancer suggests new strategies for kidney regeneration
• How a Silly Putty ingredient could advance stem cell therapies
• Adding dexmedetomidine reduces anesthesia dose required for surgery

We're over the hill at 24, study says Posted: 14 Apr 2014 02:22 PM PDT It's a hard pill to swallow, but if you're over 24 years of age you've already reached your peak in terms of your cognitive motor performance, according to a new study. In one of the first social science experiments to rest on big data, the researchers investigate when we start to experience an age-related decline in our cognitive motor skills and how we compensate for that.

Everest trek shows how some people get type II diabetes Posted: 14 Apr 2014 02:21 PM PDT Scientists have gained new insights into the molecular process of how some people get type II diabetes, which could lead to new ways of preventing people from getting the condition. The research, which took place on Mount Everest, assessed the mechanisms by which low oxygen levels in the body -- known as hypoxia -- are associated with the development of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when cells fail to respond to insulin in the body. Insulin enables the body to regulate sugar levels. Too much sugar can be toxic and leads to type II diabetes.

Severe sleep apnea linked to increased risk of stroke, cancer, death Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:44 PM PDT Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with an increased risk of stroke, cancer and death. Results of the 20-year follow-up study show that people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea were four times more likely to die (hazard ratio = 4.2), nearly four times more likely to have a stroke (HR = 3.7), three times more likely to die from cancer (HR = 3.4), and 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer. Results were adjusted for potential confounding factors such as body mass index, smoking status, total cholesterol and blood pressure.

Penicillin redux: Rearming proven warriors for the 21st century Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:44 PM PDT Drug-resistant bacteria like MRSA are hard to treat because so many antibiotics are ineffective against them. A team of researchers has shown a new way to reclaim the power of penicillin and similar drugs against so-called "superbugs." "In the United States every year, around 100,000 patients die of bacteria-induced infections," a researcher said. "And the problem is increasing because bacteria are building resistance. It's a really, really big problem, not only for individual patients, but also for society."

Lashing out at your spouse? Check your blood sugar Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:44 PM PDT Lower levels of blood sugar may make married people angrier at their spouses and even more likely to lash out aggressively, new research reveals. Researchers found that levels of blood glucose in married people, measured each night, predicted how angry they would be with their spouse that evening.

Rare bone diseases and their dental, oral, craniofacial manifestations Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:08 PM PDT Hereditary diseases affecting the skeleton are heterogeneous in etiology and severity. Though many of these conditions are individually rare, the total number of people affected is great. These disorders often include dental-oral-craniofacial (DOC) manifestations, but the combination of the rarity and lack of in-depth reporting often limit our understanding and ability to diagnose and treat affected individuals.

Dog ownership benefits families of children with autism Posted: 14 Apr 2014 12:08 PM PDT Dog ownership decisions in families of children with autism have been studied in a new project. Researchers have found, regardless of whether they owned dogs, the parents of these children reported the benefits of dog ownership included companionship, stress relief and opportunities for their children to learn responsibility.

Babies prefer fairness -- but only if it benefits them -- in choosing a playmate Posted: 14 Apr 2014 10:40 AM PDT Babies as young as 15 months preferred people with the same ethnicity as themselves -- a phenomenon known as in-group bias, or favoring people who have the same characteristics as oneself. The findings show that 15-month-old babies value a person's fairness -- whether or not an experimenter equally distributes toys -- unless babies see that the experimenter unevenly distributed toys in a way that benefits a person of the same race as the infant.

Young dads at high risk of depression, too Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:38 AM PDT This study is the first to identify when young fathers are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. The lead author of the paper said the results of this longitudinal study are significant and could lead to more effective interventions and treatment for young men early in the fatherhood years.

High marks to a state pre-kindergarten program Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:37 AM PDT A state's program to prepare four-year-olds for success in kindergarten has been recently evaluate for effectiveness. Findings from researchers conclude that students enrolled in program show significant gains across all areas of learning, progressing at an even greater rate than is expected for normal developmental growth.

Patients with kidney failure to get a new lease on life Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:36 AM PDT A European research consortium has been developing a wearable artificial kidney that would make it possible for dialysis patients to lead a more full and active life while adding another 10 to 16 years to their life expectancy.

Neuroscientists: Brain activity may mark beginning of memories Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:35 AM PDT By tracking brain activity when an animal stops to look around its environment, neuroscientists can mark the birth of a memory. The hippocampus is the brain's warehouse for long- and short-term processing of episodic memories, such as memories of a specific experience like a trip to Maine or a recent dinner. What no one knew was what happens in the hippocampus the moment an experience imprints itself as a memory. New research is lending clues to what they call "spatial mapping functions" in the brain.

Domestic abuse linked to mental health problems in new mothers Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:24 AM PDT Domestic abuse is closely linked to postpartum mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, in mothers, new research confirms. The research also found that specific types of abuse are associated with specific mental health problems. "The sheer scope of the mental health problems and types of abuse that we found tells us that we need to take a broader approach to tackling these issues," states a co-author. "And this is clearly not a 'lower class' problem -- medical professionals everywhere need to pay attention."

Surgeons develop personalized 3-D printed kidney to simulate surgery prior to cancer operation Posted: 14 Apr 2014 07:08 AM PDT For the first time, surgeons have used 3-D printing to produce exact models of tumor-containing kidneys, allowing them to simulate surgery prior to the real operation. These models can be personalized to each patient, giving doctors a 3-D model of each individual's tumor. The ability to produce exact 3-dimensional models of objects means that 3D printing is set to revolutionize many fields.

Single cell genomics technique developed to reverse-engineer developing lung Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT In a feat of reverse tissue engineering, researchers took lung cells from the embryos of mice at different points in their development cycles, and recorded what genes were active in each cell at each time. They studied lung cells, but the technique is applicable to any type of cell. "This lays out a playbook for how to do reverse tissue engineering," said the leader of the research team.

Reduction in HPV in young women in England following national immunization program Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT A reduction in two High Risk human papillomavirus types in sexually-active young women in England has been seen, following the introduction of a national immunization program. "The data provide reassurance that the high efficacy against HPV infection in women reported in clinical trials can be effectively realized in practice, and in a program achieving high coverage amongst young females. These data adds to our confidence that the HPV immunization program will achieve its aim of reducing cervical cancer," researchers concluded.

Longer nurse tenure on hospital units leads to higher quality care Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT Patients get the best care when they are treated in units that are staffed by nurses who have extensive experience in their current job, according to a study. The review of more than 900,000 patient admissions over four years in hospital is the largest study of its kind to link nurse staffing to patient outcomes.

Chemo before or after surgery for high-risk bladder cancer improves survival, but is not routinely administered Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT Contrary to treatment guidelines for high-risk bladder cancer, chemotherapy before or after surgery is not commonly used in routine clinical practice. "Results from our study demonstrate that chemotherapy given after surgery improves patient survival -- probably on the same order of magnitude as chemotherapy before surgery," said the lead researcher.

Detrimental effects of television viewing on sleep in young children Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT A study following more than 1,800 children from ages 6 months to nearly 8 years found a small but consistent association between increased television viewing and shorter sleep duration. The presence of a television in the room where a child sleeps also was associated with less sleep, particularly in minority children.

Women who gain too much or too little weight during pregnancy at risk for having an overweight child Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT Gaining both too much or too little weight during pregnancy appears to increase the risk of having an overweight or obese child, according to a study. In one of the largest studies to examine current Institute of Medicine recommendations regarding pregnancy weight gain in relation to childhood obesity, researchers reviewed the electronic health records of 4,145 racially diverse females who had completed a health survey between 2007 and 2009 and subsequently had a baby.

Singlet oxygen: Stable research model for an unstable target Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT Researchers provide new insights about singlet oxygen and set the stage for better understanding of this highly reactive and challenging substance. Singlet oxygen is an electronically excited state of oxygen that is less stable than normal oxygen. Its high reactivity has enabled its use in photodynamic therapy, in which light is used in combination with a photosensitizing drug to generate large amounts of singlet oxygen to kill cancer cells or various pathogens.

Empowerment program greatly decreases incidence of rape, study finds Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:21 AM PDT A low-cost empowerment program for adolescent girls in Kenyan slums sharply curtails rape and sexual harassment of these girls, who live in an environment where women have low status and are frequently attacked, a large new study shows. The findings validated the program's effectiveness in combating an appallingly common hazard among girls living in the slums of Nairobi: rape. The researchers found that nearly 18 percent of participants had been raped in the year before their program began.

Teaching to optimize learning or control misbehavior? Scale of disruptive behavior in schools seriously underestimated Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:20 AM PDT The true extent of poor pupil behavior in schools is seriously underestimated, according to an academic. The research raises the question of the extent to which there is a right to learn in classrooms. The researcher argues that behavior cannot be interpreted as satisfactory if some pupils are impeding the learning of others and if teachers are not able to teach the class in a way that focuses primarily on optimizing pupil learning rather than on control issues.

Beneficial organisms react differently to parasite drug Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT The substance ivermectin has been used for more than thirty years all over the world to combat parasites like roundworms, lice and mites in humans, livestock and pets. The active ingredient belongs to the chemical group of avermectins, which generally disrupt cell transport and thus attack pests. When ivermectin is excreted in the feces of treated animals, at overly high doses it also harms dung-degrading beneficial insects like dung beetles and dung flies. This impairs the functioning of the ecosystem. In extreme cases the dung is not decomposed and the pasture is destroyed.

Recurrence of prostate cancer is significantly lower in men with blood group O Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT A man's blood group can affect the chance of a recurrence of prostate cancer after surgery, according to new research. This is the first time that this relationship has been demonstrated. Specifically, this new study has shown that patients with blood group O had a significantly decreased risk of cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

New clinical definition for epilepsy improves diagnosis accuracy Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT An expert task force has created a new definition for epilepsy that refines the scope of patients diagnosed with this brain disease. The study provides a greater level of detail to diagnose epilepsy by including individuals with two unprovoked seizures, and those with one unprovoked seizure and other factors that increase risk of seizure recurrence.

Young people with epilepsy at significantly more risk of injury Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT Children and young adults with epilepsy are more likely to suffer broken bones, burns and poisonings compared to those without the neurological disorder, new research has found. The results, taken in tandem with previous research findings, highlight the need for further research into whether young people with the condition are at greater risk from an overdose, accidental or intentional, of their epilepsy drugs or other medication.

Regenerating muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Age matters Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT Novel cellular and molecular elements of muscle repair have been revealed by researchers. A new study explains how drugs can induce regeneration, while preventing fibrosis and fat deposition, in dystrophic muscle at early stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an incurable muscle-wasting disease.

Efficient analysis of small quantity of cells improves chances to understand disease Posted: 14 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT Techniques have been developed that allow researchers to obtain reliable results over the course of disease development inside cells. Based on mouse studies, the researchers believe that "the single live animal data will grant unique insights into the molecular events involved in biological processes and provide an important basis for diagnosis, prognosis, drug design and discovery, and treatment strategy."

Gene linked to pediatric kidney cancer suggests new strategies for kidney regeneration Posted: 13 Apr 2014 02:17 PM PDT Nearly one-third of cases of Wilms tumor, a pediatric cancer of the kidney, are linked to a gene called Lin28, according to research. Mice engineered to express Lin28 in their kidneys developed Wilms tumor, which regressed when Lin28 was withdrawn, indicating that strategies aimed at blocking or deactivating the gene hold therapeutic promise. Studies also suggest that controlled expression of Lin28 can promote kidney development and therefore may hold clues to regeneration of damaged adult kidneys.

How a Silly Putty ingredient could advance stem cell therapies Posted: 13 Apr 2014 10:59 AM PDT The sponginess of the environment where human embryonic stem cells are growing affects the type of specialized cells they eventually become, a study shows. The researchers coaxed human embryonic stem cells to turn into working spinal cord cells more efficiently by growing the cells on a soft, utrafine carpet made of a key ingredient in Silly Putty.

Adding dexmedetomidine reduces anesthesia dose required for surgery Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:34 PM PDT For patients undergoing surgery, adding a sedative drug called dexmedetomidine can reduce the necessary doses of other anesthetic drugs, reports a study. The results of this randomized trials show that a relatively low dose of dexmedetomidine can reduce anesthetic dose while also helping to control pain after surgery, without prolonging recovery time.

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