ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Potential for investigational bioengineered vessel as dialysis graft
• Aging erodes genetic control, but that's flexible
• What composes the human heart?
• Involving patients in nurses' shift change reduces medical errors, satisfies patients
• Differences in brains of children with nonverbal learning disability
• Listen to this: New research upends understanding of how humans perceive sound
• Virtual sailing simulator shows key role of recreation in spinal cord injury rehabilitation
• Insomnia linked to mortality risk
• Coffee may help perk up your blood vessels
• Linking risk factors, disease origins in breast cancer
• Predicting human body height from DNA
• Brain activity in severely brain injured patients who 'wake up' with sleeping pill: Other patients may also respond
• Services fail to treat prisoners with schizophrenia, increasing risk of violent reoffending, UK study shows
• Newly discovered ancestral enzyme facilitates DNA repair
• Distracted driving killing more pedestrians, bicyclists
• Neanderthal viruses found in modern humans
• Drug effective in preventing stroke, reducing bleeding, cardiovascular death in patients with atrial fibrillation
• HIV virus spread, evolution studied through computer modeling
• New research links smoking synthetic marijuana with stroke in healthy, young adults
• Demand for details on food labels includes the good – and the bad
• Smaller bowls may help curb childhood obesity
• Many pediatricians uncomfortable providing care to kids with genetic conditions, study concludes
• Advanced CT imaging proves as accurate as invasive tests for heart blockages
• Many sudden cardiac arrests preceded by warning signs
• Children's cardiovascular fitness declining worldwide
• Blood test accurately diagnoses concussion, predicts long term cognitive disability
• Odds of rehospitalization of cognitively impaired varies by discharge destination
• Hashtag health
• Age affects short-term quality of life after breast biopsy
• Study finds altered brain connections in epilepsy patients
• Breakthrough in adult heart repair
• Brain imaging reveals dynamic changes caused by pain meds
• Tackling socioeconomic inequality is as important as encouraging adult smoking cessation
• Adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk of early aging
• Drug being tested to reduce cardiovascular events increased risk of heart attack
• Higher than normal levels of Vitamin B12 may indicate cancer risk
• New models predict where E. coli strains will thrive
• Reading the pancreas through the eye
• Meditation may help slow progression of Alzheimer's disease

Potential for investigational bioengineered vessel as dialysis graft Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:21 PM PST An investigational, human-made blood vessel used in vascular grafts for kidney dialysis patients may potentially show encouraging early results among study patients in Poland, according to preliminary data reported.

Aging erodes genetic control, but that's flexible Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:37 AM PST In yeast at least, the aging process appears to reduce an organism's ability to silence certain genes that need to be silenced. Now researchers who study the biology of aging have shown that the loss of genetic control occurs in fruit flies as well.

What composes the human heart? Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:40 AM PST A foundational study by researchers has identified the optimal structure and cell ratio associated with heart function -- and the discovery has already led the team to another research first: the engineering of the first-ever living, 3-D human arrhythmic tissue.

Involving patients in nurses' shift change reduces medical errors, satisfies patients Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:40 AM PST At shift change, incoming and outgoing nurses transfer accountability by exchanging information about the patients under their charge. Called bedside handover, this process empowers patients and allows them to become active partners in their own care.

Differences in brains of children with nonverbal learning disability Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:39 AM PST A researcher has discovered the first anatomical evidence that the brains of children with a nonverbal learning disability -- long considered a "pseudo" diagnosis -- may develop differently than the brains of other children.

Listen to this: New research upends understanding of how humans perceive sound Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:37 AM PST A key piece of the scientific model used for the past 30 years to help explain how humans perceive sound is wrong, according to a new study.

Virtual sailing simulator shows key role of recreation in spinal cord injury rehabilitation Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:36 AM PST Researchers conducted a study on the role of a hands on virtual sailing simulator for use in rehabilitation following a spinal cord injury.

Insomnia linked to mortality risk Posted: 20 Nov 2013 08:20 AM PST Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, affects up to one-third of the population in the United States. In new findings, researchers have found that some insomnia symptoms are associated with an increased risk of mortality in men.

Coffee may help perk up your blood vessels Posted: 20 Nov 2013 08:19 AM PST A small study showed that a cup of coffee improved small blood vessel function. The study takes us one step closer to understanding how coffee might benefit cardiovascular health.

Linking risk factors, disease origins in breast cancer Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST Researchers have found that epigenetic changes to DNA are associated with aging in disease-free breast tissues and are further altered in breast tumors. Epigenetic changes describe heritable alterations caused by mechanisms other than by changes in DNA sequence. The discovery illustrates how cancer and aging are tightly interconnected processes by identifying epigenetic alterations present in the normal aging breast that may increase disease risk in cancer-free individuals.

Predicting human body height from DNA Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST Predicting adult body height from genetic data is helpful in several areas such as pediatric endocrinology and forensic investigations. However, despite large international efforts to catalog the genes that influence the stature of humans, knowledge on genetic determinants of adult body height is still incomplete. Now DNA-based prediction of taller-than-average body height is feasible.

Brain activity in severely brain injured patients who 'wake up' with sleeping pill: Other patients may also respond Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:06 AM PST George Melendez has been called a medical miracle. After a near drowning deprived his brain of oxygen, Melendez remained in a fitful, minimally conscious state until his mother, in 2002, decided to give him the sleep aid drug Ambien to quiet his moaning and writhing. The next thing she knew, her son was quietly looking at her and trying to talk. He has been using the drug ever since to maintain awareness, but no one could understand why Ambien led to such an awakening.

Services fail to treat prisoners with schizophrenia, increasing risk of violent reoffending, UK study shows Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:06 AM PST New research shows released prisoners with schizophrenia are three times more likely to be violent than other prisoners, but only if they receive no treatment or follow-up support from mental health services.

Newly discovered ancestral enzyme facilitates DNA repair Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:06 AM PST Researchers have discovered how a new human enzyme, the protein PrimPol, is capable of recognizing DNA lesions and facilitate their repair during the DNA copying process, thus avoiding irreversible and lethal damage to the cells and, therefore, to the organism.

Distracted driving killing more pedestrians, bicyclists Posted: 20 Nov 2013 07:03 AM PST From 2005 to 2010, the national number of pedestrians struck and killed by distracted drivers went up from 344 to 500 – an almost 50 percent increase. For cyclists, the numbers killed went from 56 to 73 — a 30 percent increase.

Neanderthal viruses found in modern humans Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:04 PM PST Ancient viruses from Neanderthals have been found in modern human DNA. Researchers compared genetic data from fossils of Neanderthals and another group of ancient human ancestors called Denisovans to data from modern-day cancer patients. They found evidence of Neanderthal and Denisovan viruses in the modern human DNA, suggesting that the viruses originated in our common ancestors more than half a million years ago.

Drug effective in preventing stroke, reducing bleeding, cardiovascular death in patients with atrial fibrillation Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST A late-breaking clinical trial demonstrates that high- and low-dose edoxaban were at least as effective in preventing stroke or systemic embolism (blood clot), while significantly reducing bleeding and cardiovascular death, compared to warfarin.

HIV virus spread, evolution studied through computer modeling Posted: 19 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST Researchers are investigating the complex relationships between the spread of the HIV virus in a population (epidemiology) and the actual, rapid evolution of the virus (phylogenetics) within each patient's body.

New research links smoking synthetic marijuana with stroke in healthy, young adults Posted: 19 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST Add stroke to the list of severe health hazards that may be associated with smoking synthetic marijuana, popularly known as spice or K2, a neurology team reports.

Demand for details on food labels includes the good – and the bad Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:08 AM PST It's no surprise that labels are becoming the "go to" place when people have questions about how food is produced. But new research finds that consumers crave more information, especially for the potentially harmful ingredients that aren't included in the product.

Smaller bowls may help curb childhood obesity Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:08 AM PST Smaller bowl sizes may be the next weapon in the battle against childhood obesity, says a new study that found children not only ask for more food to fill larger bowls, but they also eat 52 percent more.

Many pediatricians uncomfortable providing care to kids with genetic conditions, study concludes Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:08 AM PST A new study finds general physicians order few genetic tests, don't always discuss risks and benefits; take limited family histories.

Advanced CT imaging proves as accurate as invasive tests for heart blockages Posted: 19 Nov 2013 10:08 AM PST An ultrafast, 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner that shows both anatomy within coronary arteries and blood flowcan accurately sort out which people need – or don't need – an invasive procedure to identify coronary blockages, according to an international study. The researchers say their findings could potentially save millions of people worldwide from having an unnecessary cardiac catheterization.

Many sudden cardiac arrests preceded by warning signs Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:28 AM PST More than half of the men who had a sudden cardiac arrest had symptoms up to a month before.

Children's cardiovascular fitness declining worldwide Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:28 AM PST Around the globe, children are about 15 percent less fit than their parents were when they were young. In the United States, kids' cardiovascular endurance performance declined about 6 percent per decade between 1970 and 2000.

Blood test accurately diagnoses concussion, predicts long term cognitive disability Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:24 AM PST A new blood biomarker correctly predicted which concussion victims went on to have white matter tract structural damage and persistent cognitive dysfunction following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). If validated in larger studies, this blood test could identify concussion patients at increased risk for persistent cognitive dysfunction or further brain damage and disability if returning to sports or military activities.

Odds of rehospitalization of cognitively impaired varies by discharge destination Posted: 19 Nov 2013 08:24 AM PST Cognitively impaired older adults released from the hospital are less likely to be rehospitalized within 30 days if they go to a nursing home than if they return to their own home.

Hashtag health Posted: 19 Nov 2013 06:33 AM PST A social media–monitoring program could help physicians and health officials learn when and where severe outbreaks are occurring in real time. The researchers demonstrated that this technique might allow officials to more quickly and efficiently direct resources to outbreak zones and better contain the spread of the disease.

Age affects short-term quality of life after breast biopsy Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:29 AM PST Breast biopsies can adversely affect short-term quality-of-life, and the effects are more pronounced in younger patients, according to a new study.

Study finds altered brain connections in epilepsy patients Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:29 AM PST Patients with the most common form of focal epilepsy have widespread, abnormal connections in their brains that could provide clues toward diagnosis and treatment, according to a new study.

Breakthrough in adult heart repair Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:29 AM PST Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for approximately one-third of all deaths. A major problem with CVD is that adult hearts do not repair well after injury. Now, researchers have discovered a way to change that. By identifying and manipulating the normal signals that block heart repair, they were able to show complete functional heart recovery in adult mice after myocardial infarction, which mimics a human heart attack. This breakthrough brings new hope for treating CVD.

Brain imaging reveals dynamic changes caused by pain meds Posted: 19 Nov 2013 05:26 AM PST A study suggests a role for brain imaging in the assessment and potential treatment of chronic pain. Researchers are the first to use brain imaging procedures to track the clinical action of pregabalin, a drug known by the brand name Lyrica® that is prescribed to patients suffering from fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain.

Tackling socioeconomic inequality is as important as encouraging adult smoking cessation Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:31 PM PST Although health behaviors such as smoking are directly linked to the majority of early deaths in the UK, tackling these individual factors fails to address the underlying cause. To get to the root of the problem, childhood deprivation must be addressed because it promotes damaging health behaviors in adult life.

Adult survivors of childhood cancer at risk of early aging Posted: 18 Nov 2013 04:30 PM PST Young adults who survived childhood cancer are more likely than their peers to be frail. Research suggests that the condition is more common among female survivors than women decades older.

Drug being tested to reduce cardiovascular events increased risk of heart attack Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:29 PM PST Patients with acute coronary syndrome who were treated with the experimental drug varespladib were more likely to experience additional cardiovascular events -- including sudden death, heart attack and stroke -- than those treated with placebo, according to research.

Higher than normal levels of Vitamin B12 may indicate cancer risk Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:28 PM PST Vitamin B12 (cobalamin [Cbl]) is essential for maintaining healthy bodily function, but higher than normal levels (reference range 200-600 pmol/L) may indicate that a patient is at risk of developing certain cancers, according to a study published. Previous studies had suggested an association between high Cbl levels and specific cancers.

New models predict where E. coli strains will thrive Posted: 18 Nov 2013 12:59 PM PST Bioengineers have used the genomic sequences of 55 E. coli strains to reconstruct the metabolic repertoire for each strain. Surprisingly, these reconstructions do an excellent job of predicting the kind of environment where each strain will thrive, the researchers found.

Reading the pancreas through the eye Posted: 18 Nov 2013 12:58 PM PST Researchers have found an innovative way to study glucose regulation in the body: by transferring the vital insulin-producing cells from the pancreas to the eye. The latter can serve as a kind of window through which health reports can be obtained from the former. The results, which are expected to have a significant impact on diabetes research.

Meditation may help slow progression of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 18 Nov 2013 11:18 AM PST A new pilot study suggests that the brain changes associated with meditation and stress reduction may play an important role in slowing the progression of age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

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