ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, October 4, 2011
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Overall quality of pregnant woman’s diet affects risk for two birth defects, study shows (October 4, 2011) -- The overall quality of a pregnant woman's diet is linked with risk for two types of serious birth defects, a new study has shown. In the study, women who ate better before and during pregnancy gave birth to fewer infants with malformations of the brain and spinal cord, or orofacial clefts, such as cleft lip and cleft palate. ... > full story
Scientists find mechanism that leads to drug resistance in bacteria causing melioidosis (October 4, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a novel mechanism whereby the organism Burkholderia pseudomallei -- the cause of melioidosis, a neglected tropical infectious disease -- develops resistance to ceftazidime, the standard antibiotic treatment. The change also makes the drug-resistant bacterium difficult to detect. ... > full story
Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students (October 4, 2011) -- Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking, according to a new study. ... > full story
Tuberculosis bacterium's outer cell wall disarms the body's defense to remain infectious (October 4, 2011) -- The bacterium that causes tuberculosis has a unique molecule on its outer cell surface that blocks a key part of the body's defense. New research suggests this represents a novel mechanism in the microbe's evolving efforts to remain hidden from the human immune system. The TB bacterium has a molecule on its outer surface called lipomannan that can stop production of an important protein in the body's immune cells that helps contain TB infection and maintain it in a latent state. ... > full story
Virtual fly-through bronchoscopy yields real results (October 4, 2011) -- For patients with non-small cell lung cancer the accurate determination of the lymph node status before therapy is critical to develop an individualized treatment plan. Research from the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine highlights a new way for this information to be collected -- a virtual fly-through three-dimensional 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography bronchoscopy that has high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of regional lymph node metastases. ... > full story
Community effort brings lasting drop in smoking, delinquency, drug use (October 4, 2011) -- Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. A new study of Communities That Care, a new prevention system, shows that tenth graders in towns using they system were less likely to have tried drinking or smoking. Delinquent behavior decreased too. ... > full story
Priming with DNA vaccine makes avian flu vaccine work better: Proof of concept for universal influenza vaccine (October 3, 2011) -- The immune response to an H5N1 avian influenza vaccine was greatly enhanced in healthy adults if they were first primed with a DNA vaccine expressing a gene for a key H5N1 protein, researchers say. ... > full story
Sentinel lymph node biopsy predicts outcomes for Merkel cell carcinoma (October 3, 2011) -- Patients with Merkel cell carcinoma who underwent a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy had a lower risk of cancer recurrence after two years, according to a new study. When the biopsy's results were used to guide subsequent tests and treatment, these patients had longer survival rates than patients who had not undergone the procedure. ... > full story
Schoolboy rugby: Risk of suffering an injury during a single season can be high, UK study shows (October 3, 2011) -- A new study highlights the injury risks for schoolboys playing rugby. The research shows that the chance of a school player suffering an injury during a single season is at least 12 percent and, according to some research, could be as high as 90 percent. ... > full story
Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life (October 3, 2011) -- Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, according to a new study. ... > full story
Biomarker for Huntington's disease identified (October 3, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a transcriptional biomarker that may assist in the monitoring of disease activity and in the evaluation of new medications. ... > full story
Polymeric material has potential for noninvasive procedures (October 3, 2011) -- Scientists have developed what they believe to be the first polymeric material that is sensitive to biologically benign levels of near infrared irradiation, enabling the material to disassemble in a highly controlled fashion. The study represents a significant milestone in the area of light-sensitive material for non-invasive medical and biological applications. ... > full story
Increased fat in children raises their blood pressure risk (October 3, 2011) -- Overweight or obese children have almost three times the risk of high blood pressure compared to normal weight children. Researchers observed the effects of excess weight on blood pressure in children of all ages. ... > full story
Researchers discover new enzyme function for anemia (October 3, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new function for an enzyme that may protect against organ injury and death from anemia. ... > full story
Severely impaired schizophrenics enter dynamic cycle of recovery after cognitive therapy (October 3, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have shown that a psychosocial treatment can significantly improve daily functioning and quality of life in the lowest-functioning cases of schizophrenia. ... > full story
Previously unknown cell interaction key in immune system attacks (October 3, 2011) -- Most of the time, the immune system is the body's protector. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system does an about face, turning on the body and attacking normal cells. A major discovery of a previously unknown molecular interaction that is essential for T lymphocyte activation, could have major implications for stopping this aberrant immune system behavior and the accompanying undesirable immune responses that cause autoimmune diseases and allergies. ... > full story
Genomic architecture presages genomic instability (October 3, 2011) -- When cells divide, DNA is copied perfectly and distributed among daughter cells evenly. Occasionally, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions. Now researchers who study families with such genomic disorders have found a shared architecture resulting from this jumble that is associated with very severe forms of disease. ... > full story
Pathways of pain-blocking medications modeled by computer (October 3, 2011) -- Although local anesthetics are commonly used, in many cases scientists still don't understand the finer points of how the drugs act on cell membranes. A new computer model may help by showing how readily cell membranes made up of different compounds absorb anesthetics. ... > full story
Everyone's a little bit racist, but it may not be your fault, study suggests (October 3, 2011) -- In looking for the culprit as to why people tend to display tinges of racism, sexism or ageism, even towards members of their own group, a research team found that our culture may be partially to blame. ... > full story
BPA exposure in utero may increase predisposition to breast cancer (October 3, 2011) -- A recent study found that perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) alters long-term hormone response and breast development in mice that may increase the propensity to develop cancer. ... > full story
Stress hormones may increase cardiovascular risks for shift workers (October 3, 2011) -- A recent study found that shift work at a young age is associated with elevated long-term cortisol levels and increased BMI. Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk. ... > full story
Fatty acid test: Why some harm health, but others help (October 3, 2011) -- In a new paper, researchers offer an explanation, and a framework that could lead to dietary supplements designed to treat obesity at the molecular level. ... > full story
Diabetes and cancer: A shared biological basis (October 3, 2011) -- Contrary to what you might think, cancer and diabetes appear to have some biology in common. According to a new study, a pathway that initially drew attention for its role in embryonic stem cells and cancer also influences the odds that mice develop or resist diabetes. ... > full story
Combating mood disorders: New approach simplifies the search for more specific drugs (October 3, 2011) -- Many psychiatric conditions are caused by aberrant metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Researchers have now developed a new screening method, which will facilitate the search for new drugs that modulate the biological activity of serotonin. ... > full story
Referral to talking therapies may cut use of health services and sick leave, UK study finds (October 3, 2011) -- Referring patients with mental health problems to talking therapies seems to cut their use of health-care services and the amount of sick leave they take, suggests research from the UK. ... > full story
Significant variation in organ donations across all four UK countries (October 3, 2011) -- There are significant variations in the number and type of organ donations made across all four UK countries, new research reveals. ... > full story
Employers less likely to interview openly gay men for job openings in certain parts of U.S. (October 3, 2011) -- A new study suggests that openly gay men face substantial job discrimination in certain parts of the US. ... > full story
Medicare patients at risk of long-term institutionalization after hospital stay (October 3, 2011) -- Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care. ... > full story
Suspects of child abuse homicide are convicted at rates similar to suspects of adult homicides, study finds (October 3, 2011) -- Child abuse homicide offenders appear to be convicted at a rate similar to that of adult homicide offenders in Utah and receive similar levels in severity of sentencing, according to a new report. ... > full story
American Cancer Society report finds burden of breast cancer deaths shifts to poor (October 3, 2011) -- A new report finds that a slower and later decline in breast cancer death rates among women in poor areas has resulted in a shift in the highest breast cancer death rates from women residing in affluent areas to those in poor areas. ... > full story
Nursing home hospitalizations often driven by payer status (October 3, 2011) -- The decision by nursing homes whether or not to treat an ill resident on-site or send them to a hospital are often linked to that person's insurance status. A new study out this month shows that on average individuals enrolled in Medicaid are 27 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital than individuals with private insurance -- decisions that often result in higher costs of care and poor health outcomes. ... > full story
Cancer patients in their 60s are tech-savvy (October 3, 2011) -- When cancer patients are given the choice, they are significantly more likely to use Web-based technology to answer questions about their quality of life six months after treatment, compared to a paper survey, according to a unique study. ... > full story
Most cancer physicians reach out to bereaved family, caregivers (October 3, 2011) -- While the majority of surveyed cancer care physicians initiate contact with the bereaved family and caregivers of their patients who have died, over two-thirds do not feel they have received adequate training in this area during their residency or fellowship, according to a new study. ... > full story
Online informed consent tool could boost number of patients in cancer clinical trials (October 3, 2011) -- A new multimedia informed consent tool accessed via the Internet may make it easier for cancer patients to understand and feel comfortable enrolling in clinical trials. The research group points to the tool as a potential way to buoy the low percentage of adult cancer patients who participate in clinical trials, which hovers between 2 and 4 percent nationwide. ... > full story
Higher radiation dose does not help lung cancer patients live longer (October 3, 2011) -- A higher dose of radiation (74 Gy) does not improve overall survival for non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, compared to the standard radiation dose (60 Gy), according to an interim analysis of a new randomized study. ... > full story
Researchers call for more awareness of male breast cancer as cases rise (October 3, 2011) -- Awareness of male breast cancer is low and most men do not even know they are at risk despite an increase in cases, reveals new research. ... > full story
Examining motherly fears (October 3, 2011) -- Neighborhood poverty is likely to make a mother more fearful about letting her children play outdoors, according to a new study. ... > full story
Prevention measures needed to address major risk of falls after stroke (October 3, 2011) -- Most people who have strokes are in danger of falling, getting hurt. Almost 60 per cent of people who have a stroke experience one or more falls afterward -- most often in their own homes -- and some are left with serious injuries. Better identification of people at risk of falling and proactive measures, such as assessments to create fall-proof homes, are required to keep people safe and injury-free. ... > full story
Alcohol impairs the body's ability to fight off viral infection, study finds (October 2, 2011) -- Alcohol can worsen the effects of disease. New research shows that alcohol modulates the anti-viral and inflammatory functions of monocytes. Prolonged alcohol consumption has a double negative effect of reducing the anti-viral effect of Type 1 interferon (IFN) whilst increasing inflammation via the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF±. Consequently this may impair host response to single-stranded virus infection like hepatitis C. ... > full story
New factor in HIV infection uncovered (October 2, 2011) -- Scientists have revealed the specific process by which the HIV virus infects healthy T cells -- a process previously unknown. The principal investigator says he hopes this breakthrough will start a new line on inquiry into how researchers can use this knowledge to create drugs that could limit or halt HIV infection. ... > full story
What's in a kids meal? Not happy news (October 2, 2011) -- High-calorie, high-sodium choices were on the menu when parents purchased lunch for their children at a San Diego fast-food restaurant. Why? Because both children and adults liked the food and the convenience. However, the study of data showed that convenience resulted in lunchtime meals that accounted for between 36 and 51 percent of a child's daily caloric needs. ... > full story
Overweight mothers increase asthma risk for their children, study finds (October 2, 2011) -- The children of mothers who overweight or obese when they become pregnant are more likely to have asthma or wheezing as teenagers, according to a team of researchers. ... > full story
New inherited neurometabolic disorder discovered (October 2, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new inherited disorder that causes severe mental retardation and liver dysfunction. The disease, adenosine kinase deficiency, is caused by mutations in the ADK gene, which codes for the enzyme adenosine kinase. ... > full story
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