http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/ Medical Research News. Health news on everything from cancer to nutrition. Full-text, images, updated daily. en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:05:01 EST Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120091959.htm A community in Papua New Guinea that suffered a major epidemic of a CJD-like fatal brain disease called kuru has developed strong genetic resistance to the disease, according to new research by scientists in the UK. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120091959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118114459.htm In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age. The discovery could lead to a simple, noninvasive test for better diagnosing and treating certain age-related diseases in women, they suggest. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118114459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111555.htm The estimated 4.6 million Americans involved in the equine industry may be at risk of developing respiratory symptoms due to poor air quality in horse barns, according to a questionnaire study. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119085216.htm Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to new research. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119085216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm Scientists have discovered a method of using nanoparticles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal the slow, complex processes taking place in a living cell. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141217.htm Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121304.htm Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients' bodies. Now, an engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124831.htm Older adults who have alcohol dependence problems drink significantly more than do younger adults who have similar problems, a new study has found. The findings suggest that older problem drinkers may have developed a tolerance for alcohol and need to drink even more than younger abusers to achieve the effects they seek. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141048.htm Scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193642.htm Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a new study. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Scientists have found that this trade is a potential carrier of pathogens deadly to amphibians. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm Researchers have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173153.htm Many biological processes are controlled by small molecules known as microRNAs. Researchers have now identified a previously unknown microRNA (miR-2861) as crucial to bone maintenance in mice and humans; significantly, expression of functional miR-2861 was absent in two related adolescents with primary osteoporosis. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135640.htm Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193644.htm Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a disengaged brake resulted in potentially dangerous cellular stress. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101207.htm A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. She explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more protein. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094839.htm Resurgence of thalidomide use in Africa and South America raises the urgent need to isolate the negative side effects by identifying the drug's "common mechanism." Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124013.htm Convincing experimental evidence has finally been found for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through a population or how water soaks through loose soil. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193805.htm High irradiances of low-level laser therapy should not be used over melanomas. Researchers studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory "cold laser," finding that it caused increased tumor growth in a mouse model of skin cancer. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102040.htm A new generation of implanted devices that help a failing heart function properly is significantly more effective than the previous version, making these new devices an appropriate permanent therapy for many of the more than 5 million Americans who suffer from heart failure. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193626.htm Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits. Mathematical ability seems particularly damaged in children with FASD. A new study supports the importance of the left parietal area for mathematical abilities in children with FASD. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141225.htm Scientists have discovered a direct link between insulin -- a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes -- and core body temperature. While much research has been conducted on insulin since its discovery in the 1920s, this is the first time the hormone has been connected to the fundamental process of temperature regulation. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118072053.htm A recent study determined there is a significant risk of seizure for individuals who currently smoke cigarettes. This is the first prospective study to examine the potential risks associated with cigarette smoking, caffeine intake, and alcohol consumption as they independently relate to epilepsy. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118072053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193811.htm Researchers in France have just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells. The goal is to one day be able to propose this unlimited resource of cells as an alternative treatment in particular for victims of third degree burns. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184531.htm So a baby can detect outside signals, the brain cells use a a "pump" that drains chloride out of newborn neurons, making these highly chaotic, developing cells quiet down. Researchers have figured out the genetic control of the pump in rodents. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141223.htm A new article brings to light the gaps in knowledge on the transmission of the influenza virus and its impact on decisions about how best to protect health care workers. Infectious diseases specialists look at the ongoing debate in light of the H1N1 pandemic, what past research tells us about the spread of influenza and what is missing in the debate. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121300.htm Cigarettes are widely contaminated with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new study conducted by an environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists. The research team describes the study as the first to show that "cigarettes themselves could be the direct source of exposure to a wide array of potentially pathogenic microbes among smokers and other people exposed to secondhand smoke." Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141213.htm More that 7,000 rare disorders in aggregate affect millions of people. Researchers have now shown that it may be possible to more quickly identify the causative gene for many of these disorders by sequencing only the protein-coding regions of the genome. This can be done on unrelated individuals, thereby avoiding the need for large families for such studies. Results show that exome-sequencing might help identify the genetic cause of thousands of disorders. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141213.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112613.htm Children can tolerate the stress of surgery when they are fed until two hours before surgery, because there was no difference regarding stomach residue and metabolic changes among patients that underwent surgery after fasting for short and long periods. There is no need for more than two hours of fasting before inguinoscrotal region surgery. Further studies in surgical patients should help to substantiate the safety and clinical benefits of this new concept. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194122.htm Maternal depression can worsen asthma symptoms in their children, according to new research. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103111.htm At the end of a 10-year, coast-to-coast study of women with an unusual form of breast cancer, medical researchers are making the case for a particular combination of treatments to stop the tumors in their tracks. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027103111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184537.htm Alternative health remedies are increasingly important in the health care marketplace. A new study explores how consumers choose among the many available remedies. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026220005.htm New research challenges the dogma of the antibody-dependent enhancement model for the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026220005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193630.htm Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to significant impairments in social skills. Researchers have found that a social- skills intervention called Children's Friendship Training can lead to a decrease in hostile attributions or perceptions of children with PAE. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124835.htm Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry. This large scale analysis of the effects of common genetic variation on plasma lipoprotein profile, a critical component of cardiovascular risk, identified 43 genetic loci contributing to lipoprotein metabolism. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124833.htm Researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111551.htm Short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to invasive biopsy of palpable (capable of being touched or felt) breast lesions with benign imaging features, particularly in younger women with probable fibroadenoma (non-cancerous tumors that often occur in women during their reproductive years), according to a new study. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111548.htm In women with lower urinary tract symptoms, a medical imaging technique called dynamic MRI allows clinicians to diagnose pelvic organ prolapse -- a condition that often goes undiagnosed on static MRI and at physical examination, according to a new study. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111546.htm A simple blood test corresponding to the follicular phase (days 3-14) of a normal menstrual cycle can aid in optimal scheduling of breast MRI exams in premenopausal women with irregular cycles -- possibly reducing the number of repeat scans and non-diagnostic tests patients experience and providing clearer images on which doctors make their recommendations, according to a new study. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111544.htm In patients with unresectable (unable to be removed by surgery) liver cancer, an interventional radiology procedure called triple-drug transcatheter arterial chemoemobolization followed by a liver transplant may significantly increase a patient's chance of long-term survival, according to a new study. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094747.htm Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy, according to a largest of its kind study. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163210.htm A modified soybean oil increased the level of an omega-3 fatty acid in humans more than regular soybean oil. The modified oil may provide a plant-based alternative source of omega-3s. However, the oil's health effectiveness as a food ingredient remains to be proven. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111335.htm Contrary to current thinking, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease might not develop as a direct result of acidic digestive juices burning the esophagus, researchers have found in an animal study. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111339.htm For years, it has been widely assumed that older adults may experience memory loss and other cognitive problems following surgery. But a new study questions that assumption. In the 575 patients they studied, the investigators did not detect any long-term cognitive declines attributable to surgery. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111419.htm Many women don't quit smoking because they are afraid of gaining weight. That's because nicotine suppresses appetite and boosts a smoker's metabolism. But a new meta-analysis shows that women who quit smoking while receiving treatment for weight control are better able to control their weight gain and are more successful at quitting cigarettes. The finding disproves clinical guidelines that say trying to diet and quit smoking at the same time will sabotage efforts to ditch cigarettes. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143223.htm Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor. These cells, known as circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, can provide critical information for examining and diagnosing cancer metastasis, determining patient prognosis, and monitoring the effectiveness of therapies. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165635.htm The recent failure of an HIV vaccine was probably caused by the immune system reacting to the virus 'shell' used to transmit the therapy around the body, according to new research. The researchers behind the study say their findings mean scientists may have to rethink other vaccines they are developing for diseases like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, which are delivered in the same way, using the same virus "shell." Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111410.htm A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, researchers have discovered. The findings may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111410.htm