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Thursday, August 28, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Three-quarters of depressed cancer patients do not receive treatment for depression; new approach could transform care

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:36 PM PDT

Three papers reveal that around three-quarters of cancer patients who have major depression are not currently receiving treatment for depression, and that a new integrated treatment program is strikingly more effective at reducing depression and improving quality of life than current care.

Inside the Teenage Brain: New Studies Explain Risky Behavior

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 05:35 PM PDT

It's common knowledge that teenage boys seem predisposed to risky behaviors. Now, a series of new studies is shedding light on specific brain mechanisms that help to explain what might be going on inside juvenile male brains.

Social class makes a difference in how children tackle classroom problems

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 01:34 PM PDT

Social class can account for differences in how parents coach their children to manage classroom challenges, a study shows. Such differences can affect a child's education by reproducing inequalities in the classroom. With the widening gaps in educational outcomes between social classes, the researcher suggested that this study could help schools become more aware of these differences and make moves to reduce the inequalities.

First study of brain activation in MS using fNIRS

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT

Using functional near infrared spectroscopy, researchers showed differential brain activation patterns between people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls. This is first MS study to examine brain activation using fNIRS during a cognitive task.

Encyclopedia of how genomes function gets much bigger

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT

A big step in understanding the mysteries of the human genome has been unveiled in the form of three analyses that provide the most detailed comparison yet of how the genomes of the fruit fly, roundworm, and human function. The analyses will likely offer insights into how the information in the human genome regulates development, and how it is responsible for diseases.

Tracking spending among commercially insured

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT

Recent growth in health care spending for commercially insured individuals is due primarily to increases in prices for medical services, rather than increased use, according to a new study. Increases in health care spending for commercially insured beneficiaries were principally the result of increases in prices (how much medical services cost) -- especially for outpatient services -- rather than increases in utilization (how much medical care is received), researchers conclude.

Junk food makes rats lose appetite for balanced diet

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:17 PM PDT

A diet of junk food not only makes rats fat, but also reduces their appetite for novel foods, a preference that normally drives them to seek a balanced diet, reports a study. "The interesting thing about this finding is that if the same thing happens in humans, eating junk food may change our responses to signals associated with food rewards," says an author. "It's like you've just had ice cream for lunch, yet you still go and eat more when you hear the ice cream van come by."

Gang life brings deep health risks for girls

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 12:16 PM PDT

Being involved in a gang poses considerable health-related risks for adolescent African American girls, including more casual sex partners and substance abuse combined with less testing for HIV and less knowledge about preventing sexually transmitted diseases, according to a new study.

Stop and listen: Study shows how movement affects hearing

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:17 AM PDT

When we want to listen carefully to someone, the first thing we do is stop talking. The second thing we do is stop moving altogether. The interplay between movement and hearing has a counterpart deep in the brain. A new study used optogenetics to reveal exactly how the motor cortex, which controls movement, can tweak the volume control in the auditory cortex, which interprets sound.

Malaria symptoms fade on repeat infections due to loss of immune cells

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Children who repeatedly become infected with malaria often experience no clinical symptoms with these subsequent infections, and a team of scientists has discovered that this might be due at least in part to a depletion of specific types of immune cells. Additionally, researchers speculate that malaria infection, by reshaping immune responses, might influence susceptibility to, and protection from, other infectious diseases.

Self-deceived individuals deceive others better

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Over-confident people can fool others into believing they are more talented than they actually are, a study has found. These 'self-deceived' individuals could be more likely to get promotions and reach influential positions in banks and other organizations. And these people are more likely to overestimate other people's abilities and take greater risks, possibly creating problems for their organizations.

Orphaned children can do just as well in institutions, study concludes

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

The removal of institutions or group homes will not lead to better child well-being and could even worsen outcomes for some orphaned and separated children, according to new findings from a three-year study across five low- and middle-income countries. Children in institutions are as healthy and, in some ways, healthier than those in family-based care, according to the study.

Stone-tipped spears lethal, may indicate early cognitive and social skills

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Attaching a stone tip on to a wooden spear shaft was a significant innovation for early modern humans living around 500,000 years ago. However, it was also a costly behavior in terms of time and effort to collect, prepare and assemble the spear. Researchers conducted controlled experiments to learn if there was a 'wounding' advantage between using a wooden spear or a stone-tipped spear.

Xenon exposure shown to erase traumatic memories

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Xenon gas, used in humans for anesthesia and diagnostic imaging, has the potential to be a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other memory-related disorders, researchers report. "We know from previous research that each time an emotional memory is recalled, the brain actually restores it as if it were a new memory. With this knowledge, we decided to see whether we could alter the process by introducing xenon gas immediately after a fear memory was reactivated," explained an author.

Alcohol-dependence gene linked to neurotransmitter

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Scientists have solved the mystery of why a specific signaling pathway can be associated with alcohol dependence. The new research shows the gene, Nf1, regulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that lowers anxiety and increases relaxation feelings.

Dosage of HIV drug may be ineffective for half of African-Americans

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Many African-Americans may not be getting effective doses of the HIV drug maraviroc because they are more likely than European-Americans to inherit functional copies of a protein that speeds the removal of the drug from the body.

emotional association of memories changed by researchers

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:18 AM PDT

By manipulating neural circuits in the brain of mice, scientists have altered the emotional associations of specific memories. The research reveals that the connections between the part of the brain that stores contextual information about an experience and the part of the brain that stores the emotional memory of that experience are malleable.

Marijuana compound may offer treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:18 AM PDT

Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a recent study from neuroscientists shows.

NIH issues finalized policy on genomic data sharing

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:17 AM PDT

The National Institutes of Health has issued a final NIH Genomic Data Sharing policy to promote data sharing as a way to speed the translation of data into knowledge, products and procedures that improve health while protecting the privacy of research participants.

Neuroscientists reverse memories' emotional associations: Brain circuit that links feelings to memories manipulated

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:16 AM PDT

Most memories have some kind of emotion associated with them: Recalling the week you just spent at the beach probably makes you feel happy, while reflecting on being bullied provokes more negative feelings. A new study from neuroscientists reveals the brain circuit that controls how memories become linked with positive or negative emotions.

Flexing the brain: Why learning tasks can be difficult

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:16 AM PDT

Learning a new skill is easier when it is related to an ability we already have. For example, a trained pianist can learn a new melody easier than learning how to hit a tennis serve. Scientists have discovered a fundamental constraint in the brain that may explain why this happens.

Educated consumers more likely to use potentially unreliable online healthcare information

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Consumers are increasingly turning to forums, video-sharing sites, and peer support groups to gather anecdotal health-care information and advice, which may distract them from more reliable and trustworthy sources. New research studies the characteristics of consumers who use the Internet to collect health-care information.

Lifetime of fitness: Fountain of youth for bone, joint health?

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Being physically active may significantly improve musculoskeletal and overall health, and minimize or delay the effects of aging. "An increasing amount of evidence demonstrates that we can modulate age-related decline in the musculoskeletal system," said the lead study author.. "A lot of the deterioration we see with aging can be attributed to a more sedentary lifestyle instead of aging itself."

Parents, listen next time your baby babbles

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Parents who try to understand their baby's babbling let their infants know they can communicate, which leads to children forming complex sounds and using language more quickly. The study's results showed infants whose mothers attended more closely to their babbling vocalized more complex sounds and develop language skills sooner.

Impact of cultural diversity in brain injury research

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

The implications for cultural diversity and cultural competence in brain injury research and rehabilitation has been the focus of recent study. Risk for brain injury is higher among minorities, as is the likelihood for poorer outcomes. More research is needed to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes among minorities with brain injury, experts say.

'Junk' blood tests may offer life-saving information

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:26 AM PDT

Thirty percent of all positive hospital blood culture samples are discarded every day because they reflect the presence of skin germs instead of specific disease-causing bacteria. Now research demonstrates that rather than toss these samples into the trash, clinicians may be able to use the resistance profiles of skin bacteria to treat patients with antibiotics appropriate to their ailment.

New smartphone app can detect newborn jaundice in minutes

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 09:25 AM PDT

Engineers and physicians have developed a smartphone application that checks for jaundice in newborns and can deliver results to parents and pediatricians within minutes. Skin that turns yellow can be a sure sign that a newborn is jaundiced and isn't adequately eliminating the chemical bilirubin. But that discoloration is sometimes hard to see, and severe jaundice left untreated can harm a baby.

Group identity emphasized more by those who just make the cut

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:21 AM PDT

People and institutions who are marginal members of a high-status or well-esteemed group tend to emphasize their group membership more than those who are squarely entrenched members of the group, according to new research.

Promising new cancer therapy uses molecular 'Trash Man' to exploit a common cancer defense

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:21 AM PDT

While many scientists are trying to prevent the onset of a cancer defense mechanism known as autophagy, other researchers are leveraging it in a new therapy that causes the process to culminate in cell death rather than survival.

New study throws into question long-held belief about depression

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT

New evidence puts into doubt the long-standing belief that a deficiency in serotonin -- a chemical messenger in the brain -- plays a central role in depression. Scientists report that mice lacking the ability to make serotonin in their brains (and thus should have been 'depressed' by conventional wisdom) did not show depression-like symptoms.

Potential therapy for the Sudan strain of Ebola could help contain some future outbreaks

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT

Ebola is a rare, but deadly disease that exists as five strains, none of which have approved therapies. One of the most lethal strains is the Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV). Although not the strain currently devastating West Africa, SUDV has caused widespread illness, even as recently as 2012. Researchers now report a possible therapy that could someday help treat patients infected with SUDV.

Common anemia: Drug represents first potential treatment

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT

An experimental drug designed to help regulate the blood's iron supply shows promise as a viable first treatment for anemia of inflammation, according to results from the first human study of the treatment. Anemia is a condition that occurs when red blood cells are in short supply or do not function properly. When an individual has anemia, the body does not get enough oxygen, since there are fewer red blood cells to carry the iron-rich protein hemoglobin that helps distribute oxygen throughout the body.

Potential therapy for incurable Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease found

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT

A potential new treatment approach for hereditary neurological disorder, the incurable Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, has been found by researchers. Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A harbour an extra copy of the PMP22 gene which leads to the overproduction of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), a key component of myelin.

Student debt growing, number of university financial education programs still deficient

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:18 AM PDT

A financial planner finds most universities are lacking a financial education program, and outlines in a new article the different types of successful programs and how to get started.

Shy people use Facebook longer but disclose less, research reveals

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:18 AM PDT

It's not the person posting 10,000 pictures a week of their cat who's the big-time Facebook user. Instead, it's the quiet ones who are logging in longer, says research.

Statistical Approach for Calculating Environmental Influences in Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Results

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 08:18 AM PDT

A statistical model allows researchers to remove false positive findings that plague modern research when many dozens of factors and their interactions are suggested to play a role in causing complex diseases.

Gifts that generate gratitude keep customers loyal

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT

They promise us discounts, upgrades and freebies in exchange for our allegiance -- so why are shoppers failing to stay faithful to customer loyalty programs? Despite major retailers investing tens of millions of dollars a year into loyalty programs, they are a dying breed, with customers struggling to see the benefits of signing up, according to research.

Factors predicting functional recovery of upper limb after peripheral nerve injuries

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT

A study by Dr. Bo He and co-workers from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in China showed that predictors of outcome after the repair of peripheral nerve injuries include age, gender, repair time, repair materials, nerve injured, defect length, and duration of follow-up, and the nerve injured is the main factor affecting the rate of good to excellent recovery.

Baicalin suppresses iron accumulation after substantia nigra injury

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT

Baicalin down-regulated iron concentration in a recent study, which positively regulated divalent metal transporter 1 expression and negatively regulated ferroportin 1 expression, and decreased iron accumulation in the substantia nigra.

Marching in unison may increase risk of use of excessive force in policing protests

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT

What if the simple act of marching in unison -- as riot police commonly do -- increases the likelihood that law enforcement will use excessive force in policing protests? That's the suggestion of a new study that examined the judgments of men who were asked to walk in step with other men.

Prescription for better stroke care: Prescription at discharge improves outcomes

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:14 AM PDT

Stroke patients are 70 percent more likely to continue taking their stroke prevention medications one year later if they have a prescription in hand when discharged, according to researchers. After having a stroke or minor stroke, the risk of having another stroke is greater. The risk of recurrence, however, can be reduced by more than 80 per cent by following stroke prevention strategies such as rehabilitation and taking medications.

Why Listeria bacterium is so hard to fight

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:02 AM PDT

The harmful and potentially deadly bacterium Listeria is extremely good at adapting to changes. Now research uncovers exactly how cunning Listeria is and why it is so hard to fight. The discovery can help develop more efficient ways to combat the bacteria.

Fighting prostate cancer with tomato-rich diet

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 07:02 AM PDT

Men who eat over 10 portions a week of tomatoes have an 18 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, new research suggests. With 35,000 new cases every year in the UK, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernised diet and lifestyle.

Soda tax for adolescents, exercise for children best strategies for reducing obesity

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:58 AM PDT

Childhood obesity in the United States remains high. A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas, and sports drinks would reduce obesity in adolescents more than other policies, such as exercise or an advertising ban, and would also generate significant revenue for additional obesity prevention activities, say researchers.

Conflicts with teachers are risk factor for school shootings

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:21 AM PDT

Researchers conducted a systematic literature search of all the available studies dealing with school shootings. The aim of the analysis was to clarify which social dynamics in the social network of perpetrators can be observed in advance as playing an important role in school shootings. Up to now, researchers had assumed that bullying between peers and the social exclusion of the perpetrators were the most prominent factors in school shootings. This study shows, however, that in many cases conflicts with teachers seemed to be a decisive factor in the school shooting cases investigated.

Gamblers are greedy bird-brains, new research finds

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:21 AM PDT

Gamblers show the same tendencies as pigeons when they make risky decisions, new research has shown. Researchers conducted tests that found that both human gamblers and pigeons were 35% more likely to gamble for high-value than low-value rewards.

The evolutionary roots of human altruism

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:20 AM PDT

Scientists have long been searching for the factor that determines why humans often behave so selflessly. It was known that humans share this tendency with species of small Latin American primates of the family Callitrichidae (tamarins and marmosets), leading some to suggest that cooperative care for the young, which is ubiquitous in this family, was responsible for spontaneous helping behavior. But it was not so clear what other primate species do in this regard, because most studies were not comparable.

Does food advertising make us eat more?

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:20 AM PDT

On a daily basis we are surrounded with images of appetizing and often unhealthy food on TV adverts, billboards, in magazines and everywhere we go. With obesity on the rise, a new article raises questions about constant exposure to food cues and its effect on eating habits. Does it encourage over-indulgence? Are overweight people more vulnerable? The research examines our cognitive processes, our motivators to eat, and the practical implications for the management of dysfunctional eating behaviors.

Eat your fruits, vegetables for skin with sun-kissed glow

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Forget sun beds, sunbathing and fake tanning lotions. The secret to a healthy glow lies in eating your five-a-day servings of fruit and vegetables, reveals new breakthrough research. This research is the first to show strong evidence for the importance of skin coloration in attractiveness judgements.

Sweet dreams? Client and therapist dreams of each other during psychodynamic psychotherapy

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Researchers set out to interpret the content and consequences of client's dreams about their therapists and vice versa, in a new study. The analysis reveals some fascinating insights into client and therapist personalities, therapeutic relationships, and the psychotherapy process.

Preclinical development of tumor therapeutic agent begins

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT

There is an urgent need for medical agents to treat metastatic tumors. In case of pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive types of cancer that is often detected late, 95% of the patients die within five years after the diagnosis. Researchers now report that amcure develops tumor therapeutic agents that might reduce this mortality rate. For preclinical and clinical tests of the agents, amcure has received a total of EUR 5 million from investors. This will allow for the further development of these substances in the next years.

Thunder God Vine, with assists by nanotechnology, could shake up future cancer treatment

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. These regrettably poor prognoses are due to the difficulty in treating this cancer using conventional chemo drugs, which are not able to reach in a sufficient concentration the liver tumor cells safely. Considering the large percentage of patients that are deemed ineligible to undergo conventional curative interventions, it is highly important to develop alternative drug treatment options that are able to target the tumor tissues, without inducing toxicity in other parts of the body.

Fear, safety and the role of sleep in human PTDS

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:01 AM PDT

The effectiveness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment may hinge significantly upon sleep quality, report researchers. PTSD is an often difficult-to-treat mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event. It is characterized by severe anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares and uncontrollable thoughts, often fearful. Research has shown that fear conditioning, considered an animal model of PTSD, results in disruption of animals' rapid eye movement (REM) sleep -- periods of deeper, dream-filled slumber.

Knowledge is power: Men who are uneducated about their prostate cancer have difficulty making good treatment choices

Posted: 27 Aug 2014 06:01 AM PDT

They say knowledge is power, and a new study has shown this is definitely the case when it comes to men making the best decisions about how to treat their prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men aside from skin cancer. An estimated 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in the United States in 2014. Of those, nearly 30,000 men will die.

Breakthrough antibacterial approach could resolve serious skin infections

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 06:01 PM PDT

In several cases, scientists found an ionic liquid was more efficacious on a pathogenic biofilm than a standard bleach treatment and exhibited minimal cytotoxicity effects on human cell lines (unlike bleach). This has excellent prospects for aiding antibiotic delivery to the pathogen through biofilm disruption.

HIV antibodies block infection by reservoir-derived virus in laboratory study

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 06:01 PM PDT

A laboratory study lends further weight to the potential effectiveness of passive immunotherapy to suppress HIV in the absence of drug treatment. Passive immunotherapy for HIV is an experimental strategy that involves periodically administering broadly neutralizing HIV-specific antibodies (bNAbs) to control the virus.

Fever's origin discovered by researchers

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:57 PM PDT

Fever is a response to inflammation, and is triggered by an onset of the signaling substance prostaglandin. Researchers can now see precisely where these substances are produced -- a discovery that paves the way for smarter drugs.

Protecting brains of very preterm infants

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT

Premature babies are far more at risk than infants born at term of developing brain damage resulting in neurodevelopmental delay that may persist throughout their lives. A team of specialists in infant brain imaging has demonstrated that administering three doses of erythropoietin may help.

New estrogen-based compound suppresses binge-like eating behavior in female mice

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT

The hormone estrogen can specifically trigger brain serotonin neurons to inhibit binge eating in female mice, researchers report. They add that this result is consistent with data in humans. "We can speculate that in women who develop binge eating who also happen to have irregular menstrual cycles, it is probably because their estrogen function is somehow damaged, which is what leads to the development of binge eating," said the study's lead author.

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