ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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Biological rationale for why intensive lupus treatment works (July 27, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered the biological rationale for why large doses of corticosteroids given repeatedly over several weeks may help individuals with lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects more than one million people in the US. ... > full story
Seeing the forest and the trees reveals heart problems (July 27, 2010) -- A statistical analysis of publicly available heart rate data using three classification tools -- Random Forests, Logistic Model Tree and Neural Network -- could lead to a rapid and precise way to diagnose heart problems, according to new research. ... > full story
Plentiful maternal affection in early infancy boosts adult coping skills, study finds (July 27, 2010) -- Moms who shower their infants with affection equip them to cope well with life stressors as adults, new research finds. ... > full story
SIRT1 gene important for memory (July 27, 2010) -- A protein implicated in many biological processes also may play a role in memory, according to a new study. ... > full story
Preventing heart problems while keeping a cool head: Cause of flushing effect arising from cholesterol treatment with nicotinic acid (July 27, 2010) -- Cholesterol influences the health of our hearts and blood vessels. Conventional treatment attempts to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, in the blood plasma. The opposite approach, which involves increasing the concentration of "good" HDL cholesterol using nicotinic acid, has proven unpopular among patients up to now. The reason for this is that treatment with nicotinic acid has an unpleasant but harmless side-effect: the drug makes patients turn quite red in the face. Scientists have now discovered the mechanism behind this effect, which is known as flushing. This will enable the development of flush inhibitors and thereby the more effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases. ... > full story
Elder Care Puts Strain on Adult Parent-Child Relationship (July 27, 2010) -- Relationships between elder and younger members of a family can be strained and positive and negative in nature, even when affection is shared. A new study finds that long-term caretaking duties puts further strain on adult parent-child relationships. ... > full story
Childhood cancer survivors may have abnormal long-term cardiac function (July 26, 2010) -- Childhood cancer survival is associated with increased risk of long-term abnormalities in cardiac function, according to a new study. ... > full story
Predicting drug responsiveness in cancer patients (July 26, 2010) -- Drugs that target the protein mTOR are used to treat several forms of cancer, but not all patients respond to the treatment. Now, a team of researchers has identified a way to help predict which patients will respond to such drugs. ... > full story
Our children aren't sleeping and we're medicating them, survey finds (July 26, 2010) -- A new survey of child psychiatrists indicates that insomnia is a major problem among children in mental health treatment and at least a quarter of these patients are given sleep medication. The results of the survey suggests that management of insomnia in this population is a common practice, although the clinical approach varies widely. ... > full story
New compound improves obesity-related health complications (July 26, 2010) -- An experimental compound appears to improve metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity, according to a preliminary study. ... > full story
Noninvasive MR imaging of blood vessel growth in tumors using nanosized contrast agents (July 26, 2010) -- Scientists have incorporated nanotechnology, material science, and the clinical imaging modality MRI, to create a nanosized probe capable of noninvasively visualizing and quantifying the blood vessel growth in tumors in a preclinical model. Studies in cell and preclinical animal models showed increase uptake of vascular targeted-nanoprobes over non-targeted nanoprobes. ... > full story
Certain epilepsy drugs may increase risk of suicide, study suggests (July 26, 2010) -- While the Food and Drug Administration requires a warning of an increased risk of suicide for all epilepsy drugs, a new study shows that only certain drugs may increase the risk. ... > full story
Missing link in cell mitosis discovered: The role of protein in controlling cell division unveiled (July 26, 2010) -- A major discovery promises to revolutionize the way scientists think about key aspects of cellular lifecycle and offers a new avenue for cancer researchers to explore in their quest to one day slow down the progression of cancer. ... > full story
Meals as medicine: Anti-obesity effects of soy in rat model of menopause (July 26, 2010) -- A diet rich in soy prevents weight gain in post-menopausal female rats, according to new research. ... > full story
New links between cholesterol and depression in the elderly (July 26, 2010) -- Most people know that high cholesterol levels place them at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Prior research has shown that particular types of strokes contribute to one’s risk for depression, and that abnormal blood lipid levels can increase the risk of depression in the elderly. However, new findings by French researchers suggest the link between increased cholesterol and depression may be complicated. ... > full story
Non-human sugar in biotech drugs causes inflammation, study finds (July 26, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that a kind of sugar molecule common to chimpanzees, gorillas and other mammals but not found in humans provokes a strong immune response in some people, likely worsening conditions in which chronic inflammation is a major issue. ... > full story
Children born after assisted reproduction at greater risk of congenital malformations, experts say (July 26, 2010) -- Couples considering undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment should be informed about the increased risk of congenital malformation posed by the use of ART, experts say. ... > full story
Why more education lowers dementia risk (July 26, 2010) -- A team of researchers from the UK and Finland has discovered why people who stay in education longer have a lower risk of developing dementia -- a question that has puzzled scientists for the past decade. ... > full story
Irradiating stem cell niche doubles survival in brain cancer patients (July 26, 2010) -- Patients with deadly glioblastomas who received high doses of radiation that hit a portion of the brain that harbors neural stem cells had double the progression-free survival time as patients who had lower doses or no radiation targeting the area, a study has found. ... > full story
How key enzyme repairs sun-damaged DNA (July 26, 2010) -- Researchers have long known that humans lack a key enzyme -- one possessed by most of the animal kingdom and even plants -- that reverses severe sun damage. For the first time, researchers have witnessed how this enzyme works at the atomic level to repair sun-damaged DNA. The discovery holds promise for future sunburn remedies and skin cancer prevention. ... > full story
The hormone IGF-1: A trigger of puberty (July 26, 2010) -- Puberty is triggered by pulsatile release of GnRH from specific nerve cells in the the brain. What signals tell these nerve cells to release GnRH in this manner has not been determined, although it has been suggested that hormones associated with good nutritional status (such as IGF-1) have a role. New research has now confirmed that in mice IGF-1 does indeed have a key role in coordinating the timing of puberty onset. ... > full story
Rare and common genetic variations responsible for high triglyceride levels in blood (July 26, 2010) -- Scientists have shown that it's a combination of both common and rare variants or "misprints" in several genes that add up, and put a patient at risk of developing high levels of triglycerides in the blood, a disease called hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). HTG affects one in 20 people in North America. ... > full story
Parkinson's: New clues to alleviating gait disorders and falls (July 26, 2010) -- Drugs that target the mediator of nerve cell communication dopamine alleviate many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease but not the gait disorders and falls that affect those with severe disease. New research indicates that drugs targeting nerve cells that communicate using the molecule acetylcholine in the PPN region of the brain might provide a way to alleviate these otherwise untreatable symptoms of Parkinson's disease. ... > full story
Power outage: A loss of social power distorts how money is represented (July 26, 2010) -- Retail therapy can soothe the defeat of losing a major client, the rejection of not getting a promotion or even the embarrassment a high-powered executive might feel after receiving a speeding ticket. Spending money to uplift a damaged ego provides more than comfort; it restores the equilibrium of what lies at the foundation of Western culture -- power and social hierarchy. ... > full story
New epigenetic player implicated in mental retardation and facial birth defects (July 26, 2010) -- A subtle mutation affecting the epigenome --- a set of dynamic factors that influence gene activity -- may lead to an inherited form of mental retardation that affects boys, researchers have found The disorder, which also involves cleft lip or cleft palate, appears to hinge on an enzyme working in a biological pathway that may offer several potential drug targets. ... > full story
Confident teachers help preschoolers more with language and literacy skills (July 26, 2010) -- New research suggests that pre-school students may gain more language and literacy skills if they have teachers with higher levels of confidence in their abilities. However, in some cases students only saw gains when their teachers also had classrooms that emphasized emotional support for the children. ... > full story
Most men with low-risk prostate cancer receive aggressive treatment (July 26, 2010) -- Most men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer appear to under undergo aggressive therapy, even if they have a low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and low-risk disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Heart failure care improved by performance intervention at outpatient cardiology practices (July 26, 2010) -- A new study tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting. Although several programs have helped improve heart failure patient care in the hospital, this is the largest performance improvement intervention on the use of national guideline-recommended therapies in an outpatient clinic setting. ... > full story
Light and moderate physical activity reduces the risk of early death, study finds (July 25, 2010) -- A new study has found that even light or moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking or cycling, can substantially reduced the risk of early death. ... > full story
Morning test helps doctors save kidneys (July 25, 2010) -- A morning urine test is superior to all other tests for detecting declining kidney performance in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to a new study. The results suggest that clinicians should monitor kidney function by measuring the albumin:creatinine ratio from a first morning urine sample. ... > full story
Mental health woes grow while spending declines, study finds (July 25, 2010) -- As the current global economic crisis drives up the demand for mental health-care services, cash-strapped agencies are slashing mental health budgets, according to a new study. ... > full story
Starve a cancer: Calorie restriction as an anti-invasive therapy for malignant brain cancer (July 25, 2010) -- Researchers have found that reducing calorie intake can restrict the growth and spread of brain cancer. ... > full story
Test could predict which children with T-cell ALL are best candidates for clinical trials (July 25, 2010) -- A genetic clue uncovered by scientists enables doctors to predict, for the first time, which children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) are unlikely to benefit from standard chemotherapy for the disease and should therefore be among the first to receive new treatments in future clinical trials. ... > full story
Disease genes that followed the Silk Road identified (July 25, 2010) -- Researchers have found susceptibility to Behcet's disease, a painful, inflammatory condition, to be associated with genes involved in the body's immune response. ... > full story
Gene may hold key to reducing spread of oral cancers (July 25, 2010) -- The spread of cancer cells in the tongue may be reduced if a gene that regulates cancer cell migration can be controlled, according to new research. ... > full story
Eye study finds two therapies slow diabetic eye disease progression (July 25, 2010) -- In high-risk adults with Type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that two therapies may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age Americans. ... > full story
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