ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Monday, November 3, 2008
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Simple Chemical Procedure Augments Therapeutic Potential Of Stem Cells (November 3, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a simple method for making a certain class of adult stem cells more therapeutically effective. By attaching a molecule called SLeX to the surface of human cells extracted from bone marrow, researchers have altered how the cells travel through vessels. This might enable the cells to more effectively reach sites of injury and replace damaged tissue. ... > full story
Diabetes Treatment Becomes More Complex, Costly (November 3, 2008) -- Because of the increased number of patients, growing reliance on multiple medications and the shift toward more expensive new medicines, the annual cost of diabetes drugs nearly doubled in only six years, rising from .7 billion in 2001 to .5 billion in 2007. The single greatest contributor was the use of newer, more expensive medications. ... > full story
NASA-enhanced Dust Storm Predictions To Aid Health Community (November 3, 2008) -- NASA satellite data can improve forecasts of dust storms in the American Southwest in ways that can benefit public health managers. ... > full story
Birth Control Pill Does Not Deserve Its Reputation For Causing Weight Gain (November 3, 2008) -- Research has not proven that the pill causes weight gain. But many women are put off using contraceptive pills because this has been listed as one of their adverse effects. Their concern may be narrowing their contraceptive choices without good reason, according to new research. ... > full story
Genetic Differences That Cause Childhood Eye Disease (November 3, 2008) -- Medical researchers have unlocked part of the mystery underlying a childhood eye disease. New research shows how children with some types of glaucoma end up with missing or extra pieces of DNA. ... > full story
African-American Canadians Who Receive Kidney Transplants Fare Better Than Those In US (November 3, 2008) -- African American kidney disease patients in both Canada and the United States are less likely than Caucasian Americans to have access to kidney transplants, but only African-Americans in the United States have worse health outcomes than Caucasians after a transplant is performed, according to a new study. The results could further open the debate about what has driven the disparities seen only in the United States. ... > full story
Systems Biology And Glycomics Applied To Study Of Human Inflammatory Diseases (November 3, 2008) -- An innovative systems biology approach to understanding the carbohydrate structures in cells is leading to new ways to understand how inflammatory illnesses and cardiovascular disease develop in humans. ... > full story
Patients Give Low Scores To Hospitals In First National Survey (November 3, 2008) -- Researchers analyzed the first national data on patients' experiences in hospital settings and found that though patients are generally satisfied with their care, there is substantial room for improvement in a number of key areas, including pain management and discharge instructions. ... > full story
Transplantation: 'Molecular Miscegenation' Blurs The Boundary Between Self And Non-self (November 2, 2008) -- A new discovery by London biologists may yield new ways of handling transplant rejection. Scientists confirm the two-way transfer of a molecule that instructs the immune system to tell "self" from "non-self." By disrupting the transfer of this molecule, newly transplanted organs should become "invisible" to the host's immune system. Such an advance would be considered a major medical breakthrough. ... > full story
Severe Gestational Hypertension May Protect Sons Against Testicular Cancer (November 2, 2008) -- Women who experience severe gestational hypertension may give birth to boys at lower risk for testicular cancer, although the exact reasons why are still unclear. ... > full story
Ultrasound Shown To Exert Remote Control Of Brain Circuits (November 2, 2008) -- In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, neuroscientists have developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity. The findings provide insights into how low-power ultrasound can be harnessed for the noninvasive neurostimulation of brain circuits and offers the potential for new treatments of brain disorders and disease. ... > full story
Does Your Personality Influence Who You Vote For? (November 2, 2008) -- Does your personality influence who you vote for? The short answer is yes, according to one professor of psychology. As Americans go to the polls in record numbers to vote for the next U.S. president, some voters will crave social stability and others will crave social change. Liberals and conservatives divide according to these personality preferences. ... > full story
Simple Blood Test Predicts Obesity (November 2, 2008) -- According to new research, the degree of change in blood triglyceride levels following a fatty meal may indicate susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. The findings open doors to new methods of identifying people, including children, who are at risk for becoming obese. ... > full story
Friend Or Foe? How The Body's Clot-busting System Speeds Up Atherosclerosis (November 2, 2008) -- Scientists have been puzzled by the fact that high levels of plasmin in blood and high levels of urokinase in artery walls are linked to high risk for rapid progression of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Are these naturally occurring clot busters contributors to disease or evidence of the body's attempt to fight it? Molecular biology research shows interactions between urokinase and plasminogen accelerate atherosclerosis. Genetic loss of plasminogen production (the precursor to plasmin) protects mice against atherosclerosis, even when urokinase levels are elevated. ... > full story
Children Of Smokers Tend To Be More Impulsive (November 2, 2008) -- Adolescents may have more in common with their smoking parents than previously thought. These adolescents may also share a tendency to act impulsively, a trait that could be linked to a decision to become a smoker. ... > full story
Aggressive, Personalized Treatment Increases Kidney Cancer Patient Survival, Study Shows (November 2, 2008) -- A study of nearly 1,500 patients treated for kidney cancer in the last 15 years shows that an aggressive, tailored treatment approach results in better survival rates and also uncovers subsets of kidney cancer that behave differently and need to be treated accordingly. ... > full story
New Tumor Inhibitor For Treatment Of Hereditary Breast Cancer Shows Promising Results In Mouse Model (November 2, 2008) -- Researchers used the novel inhibitor AZD2281 to target breast cancer, in which the BRCA1-gene plays a role, in a genetically engineered mouse model. Treatment resulted in tumor regression and a strong increase in survival without signs of toxicity. The inhibitor, which recently entered trials in human cancer patients, thus seems to have therapeutic potential for BRCA-defective tumors. ... > full story
Ageism More Prevalent Than Racism Among Presidential Voters, Study Finds (November 2, 2008) -- An ongoing study of 20,000 registered voters has found that far more of them would vote against Sen. John McCain because of his age than would vote against Sen. Barack Obama because of his race. ... > full story
Scientists Identify Machinery That Helps Make Memories (November 1, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a missing-link molecule that helps to explain the process of plasticity in the brain during memory creation and that could lead to targeted therapies. ... > full story
Grapes And Grape Extracts May Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Review Article Suggests (November 1, 2008) -- A growing body of research data suggests that consuming foods rich in polyphenols from grapes, including red wine, helps reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review article in Nutrition Research. ... > full story
A Pretty Face Can Make A Difference In Whom You Vote For (November 1, 2008) -- It's not surprising that everyone is talking about the great looks of Sarah Palin. The decision to play up the looks of the former beauty queen is a winning strategy. A perception of competence is not enough to give women the winning edge in political contests. For both male and female voters, female political candidates needed to be seen as attractive as well as competent to get their votes. ... > full story
Interferon Could Be A Key To Preventing Or Treating Multiple Sclerosis (November 1, 2008) -- Multiple sclerosis results when the body's own defense system attacks nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Now scientists have shown that interferon-gamma plays a deciding role in whether immune cells attack and injure the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in mice. ... > full story
Cell Changes Leading To Impaired 'Artificial Kidney' Function Identified (November 1, 2008) -- Molecular targets identified by a Spanish research team may hold the key to freedom for some sufferers of kidney disease. A new study reveals the cellular signals which cause one treatment for kidney failure to lose its usefulness over time. ... > full story
'Old Blood' Linked To Infection (November 1, 2008) -- Patients who received transfusions with blood stored for 29 days or more were twice as likely to suffer from nosocomial infections, including pneumonia, upper respiratory infections and sepsis, with the oldest blood being associated with the most infections. Currently, federal regulations allow red blood cells to be stored up to 42 days, after which they must be discarded. ... > full story
Behavioral Link Between Breastfeeding And Lower Risk Of Childhood Obesity (November 1, 2008) -- While breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of childhood obesity, the reason isn't clear. Researchers think it might have something to do with mom's attitudes and behavior at feeding time. ... > full story
Frequent Urination Protects Against Bladder Cancer, Study Finds (October 31, 2008) -- A new study has analyzed the effect of urinary frequency on the risk of bladder cancer. The research shows a direct association between the number of times people get up at night to urinate and protection against bladder cancer. ... > full story
Exercise Prevents Fatty Liver Disease, New Study Suggests (October 31, 2008) -- A new study indicates that the negative effects of skipping exercise can occur in a short period. The researchers found that a sudden transition to a sedentary lifestyle can quickly lead to symptoms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis), which affects at least 75 percent of obese people. ... > full story
Once Improbable James Bond Villains Now Close To Real Thing, Spy Researcher Says (October 31, 2008) -- Researchers say that the once improbable seeming villains in the Bond movies have become close to the real threats face faced by modern security services. One researcher said, "Remarkably, the Bond villains - including Dr No, Goldfinger and Blofeld - have always been post-Cold War figures. Bond's enemies are in fact very close the real enemies of the last two decades - part master criminal - part arms smuggler - part terrorist - part warlord." ... > full story
Gaining Too Much Weight During Pregnancy Nearly Doubles Risk Of Having A Heavy Baby (October 31, 2008) -- A study of over 40,000 women and their babies found that women who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancies were nearly twice as likely to have a heavy baby. The study found that more than one in five women gains excessive weight during pregnancy, doubling her chances of having a baby that weighs 9 pounds or more. ... > full story
In Decision To Grow, Bacteria Follow The Crowd (October 31, 2008) -- When it comes to the decision to wake up and grow, bacterial spores "listen in" to find out what their neighbors are doing and then they follow the crowd, according to a new report. ... > full story
Three Effective Treatments For Childhood Anxiety Disorders (October 31, 2008) -- Treatment that combines a certain type of psychotherapy with an antidepressant medication is most likely to help children with anxiety disorders, but each of the treatments alone is also effective, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. ... > full story
High-fat Diet Could Promote Development Of Alzheimer's Disease (October 31, 2008) -- Researchers have shown that the main neurological markers for Alzheimer's disease are exacerbated in the brains of mice fed a diet rich in animal fat and poor in omega-3s. Details of the study -- which suggests that diets typical of most industrialized countries promote the development of Alzheimer's -- are outlined in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. ... > full story
Cancer Requires Support From Immune System To Develop (October 31, 2008) -- Tumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow, according to scientists. ... > full story
Negative Cues From Appearance Alone Matter For Real Elections (October 31, 2008) -- Brain-imaging studies reveal that voting decisions are more associated with the brain's response to negative aspects of a politician's appearance than to positive ones, says researchers. This appears to be particularly true when voters have little or no information about a politician aside from their physical appearance. ... > full story
Pneumococcal Vaccine Could Prevent Numerous Deaths, Save Costs During A Flu Pandemic, Model Predicts (October 31, 2008) -- A new predictive model shows that vaccinating infants with 7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine -- the current recommendation--not only saves lives and money during a normal flu season by preventing related bacterial infections; it also would prevent more than 357,000 deaths during an influenza pandemic, while saving billion in costs. ... > full story
Predicting Evolution’s Next Best Move With Simulator (October 31, 2008) -- Biologists today are doing what Darwin thought impossible. They are studying the process of evolution not through fossils but directly, as it is happening. Now, by modeling the steps evolution takes to build, from scratch, an adaptive biochemical network, biophysicists have gone one step further. Instead of watching evolution in action, they show that they can predict its next best move. ... > full story
Study In Transsexuals: Significant Genetic Link To Gender Identity (October 31, 2008) -- In the largest ever genetic study of male to female transsexuals, Australian researchers have found a significant genetic link between gender identity and a gene involved in testosterone action. ... > full story
Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Spread Is Explained (October 31, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered the two key processes that allow cancer cells to change the way they move in order to spread through the body, according to a new study. ... > full story
Engineering Technique Can Identify Disease-causing Genes (October 31, 2008) -- Scientists believe that complex diseases such as schizophrenia, major depression and cancer are not caused by one, but a multitude of dysfunctional genes. ... > full story
Local Retail Meat Safe From Antibiotic-resistant Organisms, Study Suggests (October 31, 2008) -- Rhode Island Hospital researchers report that findings from a new study of retail meat in the Providence, RI area indicate little to no presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The study, prompted by the identification of such organisms in retail meat in Canada, Europe and Asia, is among the first in this country to look at the possible spread of infection through retail meat. ... > full story
U.S. Nicotine Addiction Reaches 15-year High (October 31, 2008) -- Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent. ... > full story
New Way To Attack Some Forms Of Leukemia Discovered (October 31, 2008) -- What if a way could be found to reprogram cancerous cells back into normal cells? Researchers believes it may have found a way to do just that. Scientists discovered a way to disrupt the protein switch that is a critical component in the process to create white blood cells. ... > full story
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