Παρασκευή 7 Φεβρουαρίου 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Credit card-sized device could analyze biopsy, help diagnose pancreatic cancer in minutes

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 12:53 PM PST

Scientists and engineers are developing a low-cost device that could help pathologists diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier and faster. The prototype can perform the basic steps for processing a biopsy, relying on fluid transport instead of human hands to process the tissue.

Autism: Birth hormone may control expression of the syndrome in animals

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:21 AM PST

A new article demonstrates that chloride levels are abnormally elevated from birth in the neurons of mice used in an animal model of autism. Researchers show for the first time that oxytocin, the birth hormone, brings about a decrease in chloride level during birth, which controls the expression of the autistic syndrome.

Nutritional supplement improves cognitive performance in older adults, study finds

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:39 AM PST

A neuroscientist and gerontologist team up to investigate the effects of a antioxidant-rich nutritional supplement on the mental performance of older adults without impaired memory. An initial clinical trial indicates that the supplement, including blueberries and green tea extracts, improves cognitive processing speeds.

What's love got to do with it? Study on love and sex among America's gay, bisexual men

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:39 AM PST

A first-of-its-kind study by researchers draws some conclusions to an age-old question: What does love have to do with sex, in particular, among gay and bisexual men in the United States?

Quick test finds signs of diarrheal disease

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:38 AM PST

Bioengineers have developed a simple, highly sensitive and efficient test for the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis that could have great impact in developing countries.

New combined therapy to treat cancer proposed

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:38 AM PST

Researchers have discovered how etoposide -- a drug widely used in the treatment of lung and testicular cancers, leukemias and brain tumors -- could increase its efficiency and specificity in combination with other compounds that interfere with cell division.

Scientists reprogram skin cells into insulin-producing pancreas cells

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST

A cure for type 1 diabetes has long eluded even the top experts. Not because they do not know what must be done -- but because the tools did not exist to do it. But now scientists, harnessing the power of regenerative medicine, have developed a technique in animal models that could replenish the very cells destroyed by the disease.

Birds of a different color: Three major genes set feather hue in pigeons

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 10:33 AM PST

Scientists have identified mutations in three key genes that determine feather color in domestic rock pigeons. The same genes control pigmentation of human skin and can be responsible for melanoma and albinism.

New microchip demonstrates how metastasis takes place

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:14 AM PST

Nearly 70 percent of patients with advanced breast cancer experience skeletal metastasis, in which cancer cells migrate from a primary tumor into bone -- a painful development that can cause fractures and spinal compression. While scientists are attempting to better understand metastasis in general, not much is known about how and why certain cancers spread to specific organs, such as bone, liver, and lungs. Now researchers have developed a three-dimensional microfluidic platform that mimics the spread of breast cancer cells into a bonelike environment.

Millions of Canadians still struggle to afford food: Report

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:14 AM PST

Four million Canadians, including 1.15 million children, are living in households where it is sometimes a struggle to put food on the table, according to researchers.

New, surprising link between chloracne and molecule that protects cells against stress

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:14 AM PST

Researchers have discovered a new, surprising link between chloracne and a molecule that protects cells against stress: if Nrf2 gets out of control, disfiguring cysts form on the skin. Nrf2 is thus an interesting candidate for use in skincare creams and for cancer prevention.

Proteins snap those wrinkly fingers back into shape: Physicists model skin from wet to dry

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:13 AM PST

You know how your fingers wrinkle up in the bath? The outer layer of your skin absorbs water and swells up, forming ridges -- but quickly returns to its old state when dry. Physicists have shown just why skin has this remarkable ability.

Bacterial fibers critical to human, avian infection

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 07:11 AM PST

Researchers targeted a specific group of threadlike fibers known as E. coli common pilus, which adorn bacterial cell surfaces. In the first study of its kind, they analyzed the way these structures contribute to avian pathogenic E. coli's ability to cause infection and form dense cell aggregates known as biofilms.

Valentine's Day advice: Don't let rocky past relations with parents spoil your romance

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 07:11 AM PST

The love between parents and teens -- however stormy or peaceful -- may influence whether those children are successful in romance, even up to 15 years later, according to a new study.

Heart disease risk linked with spouses' social support

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST

Matters of the heart can influence actual heart health. A new study published shows that the ways in which your spouse is supportive -- and how you support your spouse -- can actually have significant bearing on your overall cardiovascular health.

Why do young people fail to find stable jobs and thrive?

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST

Around the world, more and more young people are failing to find stable jobs and live independently. A new study explains why.

'Entrance exam' that is key to successful pregnancy

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 07:07 AM PST

Researchers have discovered how an 'entrance exam' set by the womb determines if the implantation of an embryo is successful; potentially a milestone for advances in pregnancy treatments.

'Friendly' robots could allow for more realistic human-android relationships

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:24 AM PST

Two 'friendly' robots, including a 3D-printed humanistic android, are helping scientists to understand how more realistic long-term relationships might be developed between humans and androids.

Record rise in insulin use, British study reveals

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:04 PM PST

The use of insulin to treat type 2 diabetes has tripled in the UK over the last 20 years, a new study has revealed.

Will your child be a slim adult? Crowdsourcing novel childhood predictors of adult obesity

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:47 PM PST

This novel study asked 532 international English speaking adults to submit or crowd-source predictors of whether a child is going to be an overweight or a slim adult. The results indicate that crowd-sourced information could be used to identify new predictors that may, after further study, be useful in understanding and reducing obesity. Furthermore, the trends in BMI obtained through this study provide insights into behaviors that should be encouraged to help children maintain a healthy BMI into adulthood.

Some patients receive unnecessary prioritization for liver transplantation

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 01:55 PM PST

Patients waiting for liver transplants who develop hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), a lung disorder associated with end-stage liver disease, are eligible to move up on the wait list. In a new paper, however, researchers argue the so-called "exception points" given to these patients award some HPS patients unnecessary priority over others on the list, which includes about 17,000 patients.

New analysis of endometriosis could help diagnoses, treatments

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 11:37 AM PST

Researchers find that new analysis of endometriosis patients could help scientists develop better treatments and more revealing diagnoses.

Rural primary care physicians offer insight into rural women's health care

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 09:55 AM PST

Women living in rural communities are less likely than urban-dwelling women to receive sufficient mental health care, in large part due to limited access to services and societal stigma, according to medicine and public health researchers.

Dermatologists overuse antibiotics in treatment of skin, soft tissue infections, study shows

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 09:53 AM PST

National survey in the United States shows that dermatologists' frequent antibiotic use strays from national guidelines.

Non-traditional risk factors illuminate racial disparities in type 2 diabetes

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 08:33 AM PST

Two surprising risk factors – diminished lung function and low serum potassium levels - appear to have nearly the same impact as obesity in explaining why African-Americans are disproportionately prone to developing type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

New way for reducing 'bad' cholesterol?

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:36 AM PST

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally. And one of the major culprits involved -- in arteriosclerosis, for example -- is cholesterol. Now, Danish researchers have made a discovery that may change how increased cholesterol is be treated. The scientists have identified a new receptor, called sortilin, that has a decisive influence on the protein PCSK9, which is of great importance for the body's ability to deal with the harmful LDL cholesterol.

Detection of Down Syndrome during pregnancy improves for younger women

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:35 AM PST

New figures from the National Down Syndrome Cytogenetic Register in England, reveal the proportion of Down Syndrome cases diagnosed antenatally has increased in younger women. Furthermore, Down Syndrome diagnoses are occurring earlier in pregnancy for women of all ages.

Get tough! How Outward Bound adventures increase teenage resilience

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:33 AM PST

Today's youth face many debilitating situations in their lives such as depression, suicide, poverty, and physical issues. In this environment how can they develop coping strategies for life and personal resilience? How can we support them to do this?

Evangelical Christians have higher-than-average divorce rates, new report shows

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:32 AM PST

Despite their strong pro-family values, evangelical Christians have higher-than-average divorce rates -- in fact, being more likely to be divorced than Americans who claim no religion, according to a new study.

Public divided on genetic testing to predict cancer risk: American national poll

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST

An American national poll shows 34 percent of respondents would not seek genetic testing to predict likelihood of developing a hereditary cancer. The poll shows 35 percent of respondents would be extremely or very likely to seek aggressive prophylactic or preventive treatment.

Adding chemotherapy following radiation treatment improves survival for adults with a slow-growing type of brain tumor, study shows

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST

Adults with low-grade gliomas, a form of brain tumor, who received a chemotherapy regimen following completion of radiation therapy, lived longer than patients who received radiation therapy alone, according to long-term follow-up results from a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Genetics impact risk of early menopause among some female smokers

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST

New research is lighting up yet another reason for women to quit smoking. In a study published, researchers report the first evidence showing that smoking causes earlier signs of menopause – in the case of heavy smokers, up to nine years earlier than average – in white women with certain genetic variations.

Innovative technique creates large skin flaps for full-face resurfacing

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST

Patients with massive burns causing complete loss of the facial skin pose a difficult challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Now a group of surgeons has developed an innovative technique for creating a one-piece skin flap large enough to perform full-face resurfacing.

Links explored between physical activity, learning

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:15 AM PST

The association between physical activity and learning has been evidenced in many studies. The results have suggested that being physically active produces positive effects on many cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, information processing and problem solving. Unfortunately, these previous studies have used fairly small datasets and have yielded fairly little information on the actual underlying mechanisms.

New kinds of maths skills needed in the future – and new educational practices

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:15 AM PST

The nature of the mathematical skills required from competent citizens is changing. Gone are the days of inertly applying and performing standard calculations. The mathematical minds of the future will need to understand how different economic, social, technological and work-related processes can be mathematically represented or modeled. A project is exploring new pedagogical practices and technological environments to prepare students for the flexible use of their math skills in future environments.

Links traced between race, stress and inflammation to help decrease preterm birth disparities

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:15 AM PST

African American women today are almost twice as likely to deliver a preterm baby as white, Hispanic or Asian women in the US - a disparity that medical conditions, socioeconomic status, access to prenatal care and health behaviors haven't been able to fully account for. Two new studies explore the complex relationship between race, stress and inflammation and potential impacts on pregnancy in the hope of reducing preterm births and infant mortality, and improving maternal mental health.

The skinny on teen obesity surgery

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:15 AM PST

Some 17 percent of children and adolescents -- or 12.5 million -- are obese, increasing the likelihood that they will become adults with even more serious weight problems. Unlike adults, though, kids might not be physically or emotionally ready for weight-loss surgery as a potential solution.

Wider-faced dates more attractive as short-term mates, study suggests

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST

Women may perceive men with wider faces as more dominant and more attractive for short-term relationships, according to a new study.
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