Πέμπτη 9 Ιανουαρίου 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Mental disorders in mid-life, older adulthood, more prevalent than previously reported

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:09 PM PST

Common methods of assessing mental or physical disorders may consistently underestimate the prevalence of mental disorders among middle-aged and older adults, a new study has found. The analysis reveals substantial discrepancies among mid-life and late-life adults in reporting past mental health disorders, including depression, compared with physical disorders such as arthritis and hypertension.

Two-sizes-too-small 'Grinch' effect hampers heart transplantation success

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:05 PM PST

Current protocols for matching donor hearts to recipients foster sex mismatching and heart size disparities, according to a first-of-its kind analysis by physicians. Matching by donor heart size may provide better outcomes for recipients.

Bio-inspired glue keeps hearts securely sealed

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:44 PM PST

In the preclinical study, researchers developed a bio-inspired adhesive that could rapidly attach biodegradable patches inside a beating heart -- in the exact place where congenital holes in the heart occur, such as with ventricular heart defects.

Information as important as medication in reducing migraine pain

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:44 PM PST

The information that doctors provide when prescribing drug therapies has long been thought to play a role in the way that patients respond to drug therapies. Now an innovative study of migraine headache confirms that a patient's expectations influence the effects of both medication and placebo pills.

Nociceptin: Nature's balm for the stressed brain

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:40 PM PST

Scientists have made new findings on a system in the brain that naturally moderates the effects of stress.

Blood test to locate gene defects associated with cancer may not be far off

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:40 PM PST

A simple blood test that can locate gene defects associated with cancer? New research suggests the technology may not be too far off.

Molecular engines star in new model of DNA repair

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 10:33 AM PST

In a new study, researchers reveal how an enzyme called RNA polymerase patrols the genome for DNA damage and helps recruit partners to repair it. The result: fewer mutations and consequently less cancer and other kinds of disease.

Young children engage in physical activity in short spurts; preschoolers take 11 hours to attain daily exercise levels

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 10:31 AM PST

Preschool-aged children require the majority of their waking day, approximately 11 hours, to achieve their recommended daily physical activity, a study has found.

Infants show ability to tell friends from foes

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 10:31 AM PST

Even before babies have language skills or much information about social structures, they can infer whether other people are likely to be friends by observing their likes and dislikes, a new study on infant cognition has found.

Scientists identify possible key to drug resistance in Crohn's disease

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:37 AM PST

Scientists have identified a normally small subset of immune cells that may play a major role in the development of Crohn's disease generally and in disease-associated steroid resistance specifically.

Heart attacks hit poor hardest

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:37 AM PST

"Frailty syndrome" is emerging in the field of public health as a powerful predictor of healthcare use and death. Now researchers have found that poor people are more than twice as likely as the wealthy to become frail after a heart attack. The findings could help doctors and policymakers improve post-heart-attack care for the poor.

Stopping tumors in their path

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:37 AM PST

Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly form of primary malignant brain cancer, occurring mostly in adults between the ages of 45 and 70. The recurrence of GBM is usually fatal, resulting in an average patient survival time of less than two years. A new study identifies two specific key players in the growth of GBM.

New method for efficiently transporting antibodies across the blood-brain barrier

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 09:35 AM PST

Researchers have published results on the Roche-designed Brain Shuttle technology that efficiently transfers investigational antibodies from the blood through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the brain in preclinical models. Scientists found that such enhanced transfer of antibodies through the BBB was associated with a marked improvement in amyloid reduction in the brain of a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Older firefighters may be more resilient to working in heat

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 08:26 AM PST

A new study finds that older firefighters may show signs of long-term heat adaptation due to repeated occupational heat stress exposure.

Scientists find new mechanism underlying depression

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 07:24 AM PST

Researchers have shown that changes in a type of brain cells called microglia underlie the depressive symptoms brought on by exposure to chronic stress. In animal experiments, the researchers were able to demonstrate that microglia-stimulating drugs served as effective and fast-acting antidepressants, producing complete recovery of the depressive-like behavioral symptoms and increasing neurogenesis to normal levels within days. This suggests new avenues for drug research, using microglia stimulators as antidepressants.

Chemical imaging brings cancer tissue analysis into digital age

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 07:24 AM PST

A new method for analyzing biological samples based on their chemical makeup is set to transform the way medical scientists examine diseased tissue.

Lower fat content for adolescents' diets

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 07:24 AM PST

The prevalence of excess weight and obesity among adolescents and, as a result, the concomitant problems, has increased considerably in recent years. A study has confirmed that, irrespective of the total calories consumed and the physical activity done, an excessive proportion of fat in the diet leads to a greater accumulation of fat in the abdomen of adolescents.

Seniors moving to homecare based services face more hospital risk

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 07:24 AM PST

Community and home-based care services are popular and cost Medicaid less money than nursing home care, but a new study finds that seniors who left the nursing home for such services were 40 percent more likely to become hospitalized for a potentially preventable reason than those who stayed in the nursing home.

Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:53 PM PST

Researchers have discovered a promising strategy for treating cancers that are caused by one of the most common cancer-causing changes in cells. The discovery offers hope for treating many types of cancer that are driven to grow and spread through the actions of a cancer-causing protein called MYC. Up to 70 percent of human cancers, including many leukaemias and lymphomas, have unusually high levels of MYC.

Neuroscience study uncovers new player in obesity

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:51 PM PST

A new neuroscience study sheds light on the biological underpinnings of obesity. The study reveals how a protein in the brain helps regulate food intake and body weight. The findings create a potential new avenue for the treatment of obesity and may help explain why medications that interfere with this protein, such as gabapentin and pregabalin, can cause weight gain.

New diagnostic, therapeutic techniques show potential for patients with metastasized melanoma

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:09 PM PST

With low survival rates for patients with metastasized melanoma, accurate staging and effective treatments are critical to extending life. New research highlights the potential of newly developed radiopharmaceuticals with benzamide for the imaging of metastases, and as a targeted systemic therapy.

BPA increases risk of cancer in human prostate tissue, study shows

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:57 AM PST

Fetal exposure to a commonly used plasticizer found in products such as water bottles, soup can liners and paper receipts, can increase the risk for prostate cancer later in life, according to a study.

Researchers discover molecule behind the benefits of exercise

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:57 AM PST

While it's clear that exercise can improve health and longevity, the changes that occur in the body to facilitate these benefits are less clear. Now researchers have discovered a molecule that is produced during exercise and contributes to the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolism.

By the numbers: Simple 10 step approach to reducing harms of alcohol

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:26 AM PST

Much the same way individuals are encouraged to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a new article urges the European public to know and monitor their alcohol intake number using a simple 10 point plan.

MRSA drug dosage calculations found to be inaccurate for children over 10

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST

The emergence of MRSA, dubbed a 'superbug' due to its resistance to many antibiotic drugs, has resulted in the glycopeptide antibiotic Vancomycin being commonly prescribed for patients in hospital. However, MRSA's resistance to drugs has led to concerns of a 'creeping minimum' in the concentration of the dosage required to treat infection. In adults, nomograms are used to calculate the correct dosage of Vancomycin based on a patient's weight and creatinine levels. New research explores the accuracy of adult nomograms in children over ten.

New global stroke repository offers regional comparative statistics

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST

In many countries, strokes are seen as a lower priority when compared to other diseases despite their public health impact. This is partly due to a lack of readily accessible data to make the case for the development of national stroke strategies. Efforts of a global team to launch a repository housing the latest published information on the impact of strokes worldwide.

Ear tubes vs. watchful waiting: Tubes do not improve long-term development

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST

Study suggests tubes, adenoidectomy reduce fluid in the middle ear and improve hearing in the short term, but tubes did not improve speech or language for children with middle ear fluid.

Researchers link protein with breast cancer's spread to brain

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:33 AM PST

A cancer-research team has identified a protein that may be a major culprit when breast cancer metastasizes to the brain.

Improper use of biocides in food production may endanger public health

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST

Biocides used in the food industry at sublethal doses may be endangering, rather than protecting, public health by increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria and enhancing their ability to form harmful biofilms, according to a study published. This is among the first studies to examine the latter phenomenon.

How tastes are linked with facial expressions

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:29 AM PST

Researchers links between the palatability of various tastes and circulation in different parts of the face.

Tiny proteins have outsized influence on nerve health

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST

Mutations in small proteins that help convey electrical signals throughout the body may have a surprisingly large effect on health, according to results of a new study using spider, scorpion and sea anemone venom.

Researcher looks at link between race, bariatric surgery

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST

While weight loss surgery offers one of the best opportunities to improve health and reduce obesity related illnesses, the nearly 100,000 Americans who undergo bariatric surgery each year represent only a small fraction of people who are medically eligible for the procedure. Caucasian Americans are twice as likely as African Americans to have weight loss surgery. On the surface, the data appear to signal racial disparity, but when researchers dug deeper to ask why this variation exists, the answer was more complicated.

Promising new biomarkers linked to early diagnosis of breast cancer

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:22 AM PST

Two new papers show for the first time that measuring the amount of certain protein fragments and microRNAs in a woman's blood and breast tissue might enable the early diagnosis of breast cancer or prediction of its metastasis, respectively.

Underdiagnosis of women's heart disease not resolved by sex-specific criteria

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:22 AM PST

The symptoms of heart disease are often less obvious in women than in men, and as a result, some experts have recommended changing current medical practice and using separate criteria to identify the disease and predict its progression in women. However, new findings suggest that sex-specific criteria do not improve the prognostic accuracy of blood tests for diagnosing heart disease.

Is silk the right road for eczema treatment?

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:45 AM PST

Three hundred children are being recruited for a clinical trial to establish whether or not specialist silk clothing really does help in the treatment of eczema.

Research breakthroughs advance understanding of genetic causes of vascular disease

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST

The world's leading voices in the fight against pulmonary hypertension have compiled a special publication detailing the breakthrough research into the causes of this debilitating vascular disease.
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