ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Do women talk more than men? It's all about context
• Mutation stops worms from getting drunk
• Preventing heart disease in New York City children and their caregivers
• Do daughters really cause divorce? Maybe not
• Prostate cancer in young men: More frequent, more aggressive?
• Likely origin of lung fungus invading Pacific Northwest found by study
• New assay to spot fake malaria drugs could save thousands of lives
• Mormon pioneer mortality rate calculated at 3.5 percent
• Protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection, research finds
• Cardiac patients underserved globally due to lack of rehab programs, says researcher
• Four Lessons for Effective, Efficient Research in Health Care Settings
• Understanding melanoma development
• 'Game theory' model reveals vulnerable moments for metastatic cancer cells' energy production
• Brain responses to emotional images predict ptsd symptoms after Boston Marathon bombing
• Removing disordered regions of shape-shifting protein explains how blood clots
• Neurons, brain cancer cells require the same little-known protein for long-term survival
• Taking B vitamins won't prevent Alzheimer's disease, researchers conclude
• Does cat poop parasite play a role in curing cancer?
• Kids' 'community' knowledge from internet leaves researcher hopeful
• New hope for treatment of Alzheimer's disease: Role of genetic variant may delay onset
• To accept or not accept: Patients want a say in liver transplant decisions
• Cholesterol activates signaling pathway that promotes cancer, study shows
• How gardens could help dementia care
• Researchers assess emergency radiology response after Boston Marathon bombings
• Cancer patients: How strongly does tissue decelerate the therapeutic heavy ion beam?
• Eating disorders and depression in athletes: Does one lead to the other?
• Progress in allergic asthma research after ingestion of fruits
• No anti-clotting treatment needed for most kids undergoing spine surgeries
• Hidden variations in neuronal networks may explain differences in traumatic brain injury outcomes
• Zinc deficiency magnifies, prolongs lethal immune response to sepsis
• The power of making amends
• Bonuses for doctors do little to improve cancer screening in Ontario
• Moderate alcohol use associated with increased risk for atrial fibrillation
• Home blood pressure-monitoring kits save insurance companies money
• Avoiding abuse: Empathy, realistic expectations key to raising a child with disabilities
• Beneath the surface: What zebrafish can tell us about anxiety
• Pulmonary inflammation successfully alleviated through targeted drug delivery
• Acute glaucoma discovered to be an inflammatory disease
• Innovative technique may transform hunt for new antibiotics, cancer therapies
• New route for ovarian cancer spread discovered
• Senescence: New vision of a process wrongly associated with aging
• Is cancer avoidable as you grow older?
• Molecular mechanisms underlying prevention of autoimmunity by Roquin revealed
• A sweet pathway into the cell
• New theory turns cancer on its head: Does cancer form after cellular evolution?

Do women talk more than men? It's all about context Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT A new study has been able to tease out a more accurate picture of the talkative-woman stereotype we're so familiar with -- and they found that context plays a large role. Using so-​​called "sociometers" -- wearable devices roughly the size of smart­phones that col­lect real-​​time data about the user's social interactions -- the research team was able to tease out a more accu­rate pic­ture of the stereo­type.

Mutation stops worms from getting drunk Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:43 PM PDT Neuroscientists have generated mutant worms that do not get intoxicated by alcohol, a result that could lead to new drugs to treat the symptoms of people going through alcohol withdrawal. The scientists accomplished this feat by inserting a modified human alcohol target into the worms.

Preventing heart disease in New York City children and their caregivers Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:41 PM PDT The promotion of cardiovascular health among high-risk New York City children, and their parents, living in Harlem and the Bronx is the focus of new work. Almost one-third of adults and children in the United States are obese, with the highest rates affecting the Hispanic and African-American communities in New York City and elsewhere. The new programs take a family-centric approach to reduce obesity and prevent heart disease by concentrating on behavior, environment, and genetics.

Do daughters really cause divorce? Maybe not Posted: 15 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT Couples with daughters are somewhat more likely to divorce than couples with sons. But do daughters really cause divorce, as some scholars have claimed? Maybe not. New research suggests a different potential explanation: the female survival advantage. Girls may be hardier than boys, even in the womb. And because they are more able to survive stressful pregnancies, more girl babies may be born into troubled marriages that are headed for divorce.

Prostate cancer in young men: More frequent, more aggressive? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT The number of younger men diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased nearly 6-fold in the last 20 years, and the disease is more likely to be aggressive in these younger men, according to a new analysis. Typically, prostate cancer occurs more frequently as men age into their 70s or 80s. However, the researchers found that when prostate cancer strikes at a younger age, it's likely because the tumor is growing quickly.

Likely origin of lung fungus invading Pacific Northwest found by study Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:45 PM PDT Cryptococcus gattii, a virulent fungus that has invaded the Pacific Northwest, is highly adaptive and warrants global "public health vigilance," according to a study by an international team of researchers. C. gattii, which likely originated in Brazil, is responsible for dozens of deaths in recent years since it was first found in 1999 on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, well outside its usual tropical habitats.

New assay to spot fake malaria drugs could save thousands of lives Posted: 15 Jul 2014 12:45 PM PDT Chemists have created a new type of chemical test, or assay, that's inexpensive, simple, and can tell whether or not one of the primary drugs being used to treat malaria is genuine -- an enormous and deadly problem in the developing world. If widely used it could help save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Mormon pioneer mortality rate calculated at 3.5 percent Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:28 AM PDT A team of statisticians and a historian have calculated the mortality rate of Mormon pioneers. The pioneer mortality rate of 3.5 percent was only slighly higher than national averages at the time. The data suggest the emigration was a success despite perceptions of widespread tragedy. This may come as a surprise to modern Mormon youth who've participated in handcart treks.

Protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection, research finds Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:27 AM PDT Biochemists have discovered how protein's 'hands' enable bacteria to establish infection. "These structures are like small hands on the surface of bacterial cells," said the study's principal investigator. "They make the bacteria capable of recognizing something and grabbing it from the environment. It's amazing that such a tiny molecule can do that." The research may help scientists develop targeted treatment and intervention methods.

Cardiac patients underserved globally due to lack of rehab programs, says researcher Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:26 AM PDT While 68 per cent of high-income countries have cardiac rehabilitation, only 23 per cent of low-income and middle-income countries do, despite the fact that 80 per cent of deaths from heart disease occur in these countries. Heart disease has become an epidemic in low-income and middle-income countries, and cardiac rehab can reduce the socio-economic impact of the disease by promoting return to work and reducing premature mortality, authors say.

Four Lessons for Effective, Efficient Research in Health Care Settings Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:19 AM PDT By taking into account the real-world constraints of the systems in which providers deliver care and patients receive it, researchers can help speed results, cut costs, and increase chances that recommendations from their findings will be implemented, experts say.

Understanding melanoma development Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT A new study shows how a genetic defect in a specific hormonal pathway may make people more susceptible to developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer. The study looked at the role of the melanocortin1 receptor (MC1R), the receptor on melanocytes in the skin that gets called into action following ultraviolet exposure to help the skin lay down more UV-blocking melanin to protect itself. Fair-skinned people are more likely to inherit a defect in this receptor, and as a result, cannot make enough melanin to fully protect themselves from UV damage.

'Game theory' model reveals vulnerable moments for metastatic cancer cells' energy production Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT Cancer's no game, but researchers are borrowing ideas from evolutionary game theory to learn how cells cooperate within a tumor to gather energy. Their experiments, they say, could identify the ideal time to disrupt metastatic cancer cell cooperation and make a tumor more vulnerable to anti-cancer drugs.

Brain responses to emotional images predict ptsd symptoms after Boston Marathon bombing Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:17 AM PDT By using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans from before the attack and survey data from after, the researchers found that heightened amygdala reaction to negative emotional stimuli was a risk factor for later developing symptoms of PTSD. This study intended to focus on whether patterns of brain activity predict teenagers' response to a terrorist attack.

Removing disordered regions of shape-shifting protein explains how blood clots Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Researchers used x-ray crystallography to publish the first image of prothrombin. The protein's flexible structure is key to the development of blood-clotting. Blood-clotting has long ensured our survival, stopping blood loss after an injury. However, when triggered in the wrong circumstances, clotting can lead to debilitating or fatal conditions such as a heart attack, stroke or deep vein thrombosis.

Neurons, brain cancer cells require the same little-known protein for long-term survival Posted: 15 Jul 2014 11:13 AM PDT Researchers show how the protein PARC/CUL9 helps neurons and brain cancer cells override the biochemical mechanisms that lead to cell death in most other cells.

Taking B vitamins won't prevent Alzheimer's disease, researchers conclude Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT Taking B vitamins doesn't slow mental decline as we age, nor is it likely to prevent Alzheimer's disease, conclude researchers who have assembled all the best clinical trial data involving 22,000 people to offer a final answer on this debate. When looking at measures of global cognitive function -- or scores for specific mental processes such as memory, speed or executive function -- there was no difference between those on B vitamins and those receiving placebo to a high degree of accuracy.

Does cat poop parasite play a role in curing cancer? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT From the litter box to the laboratory, a microscopic organism native to cats shows promise in treating cancer. Researchers' mutated strain of T. gondii has been found to reprogram the natural power of the immune system to kill cells. Found worldwide, T. gondii affects about one-third of the world's population, 60 million of which are Americans.

Kids' 'community' knowledge from internet leaves researcher hopeful Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:55 AM PDT Many parents assume the Internet leads to negative behavior in their children. But a team of researchers found kids found a sense of "community" by using the Internet in two after-school programs. By increasing at-risk children's exposure to various community-based websites, Facebook pages and other social media, one researcher said, they learn to use the Internet in a positive way.

New hope for treatment of Alzheimer's disease: Role of genetic variant may delay onset Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:28 AM PDT A relatively frequent genetic variant actually conveys significant protection against the common form of Alzheimer's disease and can delay the onset of the disease by as much as 4 years, new research has shown.

To accept or not accept: Patients want a say in liver transplant decisions Posted: 15 Jul 2014 06:28 AM PDT More than half of liver transplant patients want to be informed of donor risk at the time a liver is offered for transplantation, a novel study has shown. Nearly 80% of those patients want to be involved in the decision of whether or not to accept the organ according to findings. There is a shortage of available donor organs, which leaves many on the liver transplant waiting list. Currently, there are more than 16,000 patients in need of a liver in the U.S.

Cholesterol activates signaling pathway that promotes cancer, study shows Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:52 AM PDT Everyone knows that cholesterol, at least the bad kind, can cause heart disease and hardening of the arteries. Now, researchers describe a new role for cholesterol in the activation of a cellular signaling pathway that has been linked to cancer.

How gardens could help dementia care Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:52 AM PDT Gardens in care homes could provide promising therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from dementia, a study has shown. The research critically reviewed the findings from 17 different pieces of research, has found that outdoor spaces can offer environments that promote relaxation, encourage activity and reduce residents' agitation.

Researchers assess emergency radiology response after Boston Marathon bombings Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:52 AM PDT An after-action review of one hospital's emergency radiology response to the Boston Marathon bombings highlights the crucial role medical imaging plays in emergency situations and ways in which radiology departments can improve their preparedness for mass casualty events.

Cancer patients: How strongly does tissue decelerate the therapeutic heavy ion beam? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:51 AM PDT A method for the more exact dosing of heavy ion irradiation in the case of cancer has been developed by researchers. Research in this relatively new therapy method is focused again and again on the exact dosing: how must the radiation parameters be set in order to destroy the cancerous cells "on the spot" with as low a damage as possible to the surrounding tissue?

Eating disorders and depression in athletes: Does one lead to the other? Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:50 AM PDT Sport is a proven contributor to high self-esteem, confidence, positive outlook and good health. It would be reasonable to assume then that athletes have higher than average protection from depression and dysfunctional eating? On the contrary, athletes are considered three times more likely to develop an eating disorder and there is strong empirical evidence linking eating disorders and depression. Previous research to determine causality between the two conditions has been conflicting.

Progress in allergic asthma research after ingestion of fruits Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:50 AM PDT The interaction between two proteins can be the responsible for the allergic asthma episodes after eating an infected fruit, new research suggests. Alternaria alternata is a fungus that proliferates in fruit and vegetables crops and also when are collected and are on sale for the final consumer. A protein known as Alt a 1 and related to the virulence is found in the spores, this protein is described as the major allergen of this fungus. According to this research, this protein can be a major cause of childhood asthma in U.S.

No anti-clotting treatment needed for most kids undergoing spine surgeries Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:49 AM PDT Blood clots occur so rarely in children undergoing spine operations that most patients require nothing more than vigilant monitoring after surgery and should be spared risky and costly anti-clotting medications, according to a new study. Because clotting risk in children is poorly understood, treatment guidelines are largely absent, leaving doctors caring for pediatric patients at a loss on whom to treat and when.

Hidden variations in neuronal networks may explain differences in traumatic brain injury outcomes Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:49 AM PDT Hidden differences in the properties of neural circuits can account for whether animals are behaviorally susceptible to brain injury, new research shows. These results could have implications for the treatment of brain trauma. People vary in their responses to stroke and trauma, which impedes the ability of physicians to predict patient outcomes. Damage to the brain and nervous system can lead to severe disabilities, including epilepsy and cognitive impairment.

Zinc deficiency magnifies, prolongs lethal immune response to sepsis Posted: 15 Jul 2014 05:49 AM PDT A key immune response pathway regulated by zinc has been discovered by scientists that may hold clues to stopping sepsis, one of the leading causes of death in America's intensive care units. As many as 20% of people who develop sepsis will die, not from the infection itself -- but from the overload of inflammatory chemical signals created by the immune system which ultimately leads to organ failure.

The power of making amends Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:36 PM PDT A new study reveals how conciliatory gestures promote human forgiveness. These findings show that peacemaking efforts such as apologies, offers of compensation and owning up to one's responsibility increase forgiveness -- and reduce anger -- by making the aggressor seem more valuable as a relationship partner and by causing the victim to feel less at risk of getting hurt again by the transgressor.

Bonuses for doctors do little to improve cancer screening in Ontario Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:36 PM PDT Ontario spent nearly $110 million dollars between 2006 and 2010 on bonuses to motivate family doctors to screen more of their patients for cancer but these bonuses were associated with little or no improvement in actual cancer screening rates, according to researchers. "Governments around the world are experimenting with paying doctors extra to improve the quality of care but there's actually very little evidence that this strategy works," said the lead author.

Moderate alcohol use associated with increased risk for atrial fibrillation Posted: 14 Jul 2014 03:24 PM PDT Even in moderation, consumption of wine and hard liquor may be a risk factor for atrial fibrillation, an abnormally fast heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure and dementia, according to new research. Moderate drinking was defined as one to three drinks per day. The research did not identify a similar risk for moderate consumption of beer.

Home blood pressure-monitoring kits save insurance companies money Posted: 14 Jul 2014 03:20 PM PDT Insurance companies can save money by paying for home blood pressure-monitoring kits, which can improve healthcare quality and reduce healthcare costs. Home monitoring kits can be very effective in diagnosing high blood pressure and should become a mainstay of diagnosis and treatment in the United States.

Avoiding abuse: Empathy, realistic expectations key to raising a child with disabilities Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT Higher expectations and lack of empathy toward children trigger abuse and neglect in children with disabilities, research shows. "We already know that children with delayed or developmental problems are at 1.7 times greater risk for abuse than children without disabilities. In this study, we wanted to investigate areas of a parent's behavior or reaction that might increase this risk," an investigator explains.

Beneath the surface: What zebrafish can tell us about anxiety Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT One researcher has focused how genetics influence responses to stimuli that can trigger anxiety, and he's using zebrafish — a tropical member of the minnow family named for the black stripes on their bodies — to do so. His research team examines how fish with tweaked genes respond to different triggers compared to unmodified fish. The work could someday lead to better, more nuanced medications for anxiety disorders.

Pulmonary inflammation successfully alleviated through targeted drug delivery Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT Pulmonary inflammation can cause shallow breathing and the lungs to become brittle in patients who experience multiple blood transfusions, sepsis, lung surgery and acute lung trauma. This complication can leave patients on ventilators, which can further traumatize the lungs, and often results in a mortality rate of 30 to 40 percent. Now, a multidisciplinary research team has found that when delivered by a microscopic transporter called a nanocarrier, steroids can access the hard-to-reach lung endothelial cells that need it most and are successful at preventing inflammation in mice.

Acute glaucoma discovered to be an inflammatory disease Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT Acute glaucoma in mice is largely an inflammatory disease and that high pressure in the eye causes vision loss by setting in motion an inflammatory response similar to that evoked by bacterial infections, researchers have determined. The study has immediate clinical relevance in treating the tens of millions of people worldwide from what is known as acute closed-angle glaucoma.

Innovative technique may transform hunt for new antibiotics, cancer therapies Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT A new technique to quickly uncover novel, medically relevant products produced by bacteria has been developed by researchers. Past techniques involved screening more than 10,000 samples to find a novel product, but now researchers have discovered a novel product after screening just a few dozen soil bacteria by using this new technique.

New route for ovarian cancer spread discovered Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:26 AM PDT Circulating tumor cells spread ovarian cancer through the bloodstream, homing in on a sheath of abdominal fatty tissue where it can grow and metastasize to other organs, scientists report. The researchers found the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) rely on HER3, a less-famous sibling of the HER2 receptor protein prominent in some breast cancers, to find their way to the omentum, a sheet of tissue that covers and supports abdominal organs.

Senescence: New vision of a process wrongly associated with aging Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Without actually renaming the term 'senescence,' a new article promotes a paradigm shift: senescence is, above all, 'a mechanism to eliminate unwanted cells', which ends with the remodelling of tissues. And it can be something of a double-edged sword for the body.

Is cancer avoidable as you grow older? Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Although it is widely thought that cancer is an inevitable consequence of aging, the risk of developing several common cancers decreases with age. A new protein biomarker test platform developed by researchers promises to improve diagnostic testing. The test can accurately and simultaneously measure multiple proteins that indicate the presence of diseases like graft-versus-host disease (bone marrow transplant rejection) in only two hours, no washing steps, and using only a minute volume of blood plasma.

Molecular mechanisms underlying prevention of autoimmunity by Roquin revealed Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Scientists have moved an important step closer to understanding molecular mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. They solved the three-dimensional structure of the Roquin protein when bound to messenger ribonucleic acid molecules. The results revealed that there is a much wider range of functionally important Roquin binding partners than previously assumed.

A sweet pathway into the cell Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:58 AM PDT Researchers engineer bacterial proteins that can transport substances across the cell membrane, as outlined in a new report. Lectins are proteins that can be formed by bacteria. They bind to sugars distributed on signaling proteins on the surface of the host cell, thus activating a cascade of signals in the cell. The outer membrane then folds in to cover the protein and transport it inside the cell. Bacteria use this process, referred to as endocytosis, to penetrate into the cell and reproduce.

New theory turns cancer on its head: Does cancer form after cellular evolution? Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT A new theory of how cancer works could lead to the next generation of treatments of the disease. The theory suggests that cancer forms when recently evolved genes are damaged, and cells have to revert to using older, inappropriate genetic pathways. "Our model suggests that cancer progression is the accumulation of damage to the more recently acquired genes. Without the regulation of these recent genes, cell physiology reverts to earlier programs, such as unregulated cell proliferation," researchers explain.

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