ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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Naked mole rats may hold clues to surviving stroke (December 1, 2009) -- Naked mole-rats can withstand brain oxygen deprivation for more than 30 minutes -- more than any other mammal. The finding may provide clues for developing new brain injury treatments following stroke or heart attack. ... > full story
CPR is successful without mouth-to-mouth, but not without oxygen (December 1, 2009) -- People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them -- as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests. Scientists tested different scenarios in an animal study of cardiac arrest. Rats received either 100 percent oxygen, 21 percent oxygen -- the equivalent of room air -- or no oxygen (100 percent nitrogen) at the same time they received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ... > full story
It takes two to infect: Structural biologists shed light on mechanism of invasion protein (December 1, 2009) -- Bacteria are quite creative when infecting the human organism. They invade cells, migrate through the body, avoid an immune response and misuse processes of the host cell for their own purposes. Structural biologists have now elucidated one mechanism of Listeria bacteria. ... > full story
Muscle 'synergies' may be key to stroke treatment (December 1, 2009) -- Researchers have shown that motor impairments in stroke patients can be understood as impairments in specific combinations of muscle activity, known as synergies. ... > full story
Action recommended for indoor radon below current guidelines (December 1, 2009) -- With radon-caused lung cancer deaths averaging 20,000 per year, the Health Physics Society asks the public to consider taking action even at measured levels below current guidelines. ... > full story
Is it right for drug companies to carry out their own clinical trials? (December 1, 2009) -- In a new article, two experts debate whether the conflict of interest is unacceptable when drug companies carry out clinical trials on their own medicines. Their views come as new guidance on the standards required for communicating company sponsored medical research is published. ... > full story
New light shed on epilepsy (December 1, 2009) -- Neuroscientists move a step closer to finding new treatments for epilepsy. ... > full story
Protein engineering advancing Alzheimer’s research (December 1, 2009) -- No one has yet found a cure or a way to prevent people from developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are breaking new ground in biotechnology to find new tools that can help provide new solutions. A newly constructed protein has yielded experimental results that are promising when it comes to stopping the disease. And for the first time, using protein engineering, it seems researchers have successfully created the oligomer that is believed to trigger the disorder. ... > full story
Exercise therapy best for knee pain, study finds (December 1, 2009) -- For patients with severe knee pain, supervised exercise therapy is more effective at reducing pain and improving function than usual care, a study finds. ... > full story
Getting on 'the GABA receptor shuttle' to treat anxiety disorders (December 1, 2009) -- There are increasingly precise molecular insights into ways that stress exposure leads to fear and through which fear extinction resolves these fear states. Extinction is generally regarded as new inhibitory learning, but where the inhibition originates from remains to be determined. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory chemical messenger in the brain, seems to be very important to these processes. ... > full story
Two-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers have uncovered what they believe could be the major factor contributing to the SARS virus' virulence: the pathogen's use of a single viral protein to weaken host cell defenses by launching a "two-pronged" attack on cellular protein-synthesis machinery. ... > full story
Molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, bacterium that causes syphilis (November 30, 2009) -- A team of scientists has used state-of-the-art technology to elucidate the molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium which causes syphilis. The previously unknown detailed structure of the bacteria can now be shown in three dimensions. This provides the first real image of the pathogen and reveals previously unknown features, which may help fight the spread of syphilis. ... > full story
New molecule implicated in diabetes-associated blindness (November 30, 2009) -- Scientists have demonstrated that the Wnt signaling pathway plays a role in diabetic retinopathy. ... > full story
PTSD less common than depression and alcohol misuse amongst UK troops (November 30, 2009) -- Common mental disorders, such as depression and alcohol misuse, are the top psychological problems amongst UK troops post-deployment and not post traumatic stress disorder as is widely believed. A new study also finds that reservists remain at special risk of operational stress injury. ... > full story
New stem cell technology provides rapid healing from complicated bone fractures (November 30, 2009) -- A novel technology involving use of stem cells has been applied to provide better and rapid healing for patients suffering from complicated bone fractures. ... > full story
Immune cells that prevent development of asthma identified (November 30, 2009) -- Asthma is inhibited by regulatory macrophages, a cell population never previously described. ... > full story
Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds (November 30, 2009) -- An estimated quarter of a million 11- to 17-year-olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers. ... > full story
Hospital noise initiative reduces average peak decibel levels by 20 percent (November 30, 2009) -- Getting medical staff to adopt some simple measures on three hospital wards reduced noise levels by just under 20 percent -- from 96.48 decibels to 77.52 decibels. Hospitals can be very noisy places. Dropping a stainless steel bowl creates 108 decibels, more than the 100 decibels from a nearby car horn or chainsaw. Even opening a packet of rubber gloves creates 86 decibels, louder than heavy traffic at 80 decibels. ... > full story
Birth control pill for men? Scientists find a hormonal on-and-off switch for male fertility (November 30, 2009) -- Scientists have found how and where androgenic hormones work in the testis to control normal sperm production and male fertility. This opens a promising avenue for the development of "the pill" for men. The discovery also offers hope to those who cannot have children because of low sperm counts. ... > full story
First live targeting of tumors with RNA-based technology (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers have devised a way they might deliver the right therapy directly to tumors using special molecules, called aptamers, which specifically bind to living tumor tissue. They screened a large pool of aptamers in a rodent with liver cancer until they found the best molecule to bind to a tumor protein. ... > full story
Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified, without the need to fast, findings suggest (November 30, 2009) -- Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified by measuring either total and HDL cholesterol levels or apolipoproteins, without the need to fast and without regard to triglyceride levels, according to a new study. ... > full story
Availability of vaccine no guarantee public will want it (November 30, 2009) -- Just because a vaccine is available doesn't mean people will choose to be inoculated, according to new research published amid widespread public confusion around the merit of H1N1 flu shots. ... > full story
Early intervention for toddlers with autism highly effective, study finds (November 30, 2009) -- A novel early intervention program for very young children with autism -- some as young as 18 months -- is effective for improving IQ, language ability and social interaction, a comprehensive new study has found. ... > full story
Smart phones allow quick diagnosis of acute appendicitis (November 30, 2009) -- Radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a hand-held device or mobile phone equipped with special software, according to a new study. ... > full story
Therapeutic benefits of the human-animal bond (November 30, 2009) -- A pet owner knows the enormous joy and comfort that an animal can provide, especially in troubled times. Most pets are considered important members of the family and irreplaceable companions. A growing body of research now documents the value of the human-animal bond in child development, elderly care, mental illness, physical impairment, dementia, abuse and trauma recovery, and the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth and adults. ... > full story
Plasma produces KO cocktail for MRSA (November 30, 2009) -- Two prototype devices have been developed: one for efficient disinfection of healthy skin (e.g. hands and feet) in hospitals and public spaces where bacteria can pose a lethal threat; and another to shoot bacteria-killing agents into infested chronic wounds and enable a quicker healing process. ... > full story
New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people. The study bucks the general belief that declining immune responses are to blame for susceptibility to viral infections. ... > full story
Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance (November 30, 2009) -- The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at U.K. pharmacies in 2005. ... > full story
Men and women may respond differently to danger (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activation have found that men and women respond differently to positive and negative stimuli, according to a new study. ... > full story
New brain connections form rapidly during motor learning (November 30, 2009) -- New connections begin to form between brain cells almost immediately as animals learn a new task, according to a study in which researchers observed the rewiring processes that take place in the brain during motor learning. ... > full story
High salt intake directly linked to stroke and cardiovascular disease (November 30, 2009) -- High salt intake is associated with significantly greater risk of both stroke and cardiovascular disease, concludes a new study. ... > full story
New tools for prediction of disease progression in acute childhood leukemia (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers have devised powerful new tools for typing cells from children with acute lymphatic leukemia and for prediction of how children with leukemia will respond to chemotherapy. ... > full story
Stents can be coated with dissolvable drug-eluting fibers (November 30, 2009) -- Scientists have developed a new patent-pending dissolvable fiber platform that can be used to coat both metal stents, which are currently available, and biodegradable stents now in development. ... > full story
Virtual reality offers solution to driving phobias (November 30, 2009) -- Nervous drivers are being helped to overcome their road phobias by donning Cyclops-style goggles that transport them to a three-dimensional virtual world. Researchers have recruited volunteers with a variety of driving phobias to test whether virtual reality can be used alongside conventional psychological therapies to help tackle their fears. ... > full story
Polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids boost the birth of new neurons, study finds (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers in Spain have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain's stem cells -- neurogenesis -- and strengthens their differentiation in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus. ... > full story
Long-term testicular cancer survivors at high risk for neurological side effects (November 30, 2009) -- Long-term survivors of testicular cancer who were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy had more severe side effects, including neurological side effects and Raynaud-like phenomena, than men who were not treated with chemotherapy, according to a new study. ... > full story
Demand for cosmetic and surgical procedures in dermatologic surgery rising rapidly (November 30, 2009) -- Researchers have found that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of procedures performed and patient demand for dermatologic health care since 2000. The findings parallels the growth in the age of individuals between the ages of 40 to 55, who make up the "baby boomer" generation. ... > full story
New disease among HIV-infected gay men (November 30, 2009) -- A rare parasitic disease, which normally only is transmitted by contaminated water, has been shown to be transmitted by gay sex between hiv-positive men. In the industrial world the disease is virtually absent, but that could change. ... > full story
Male factor infertility associated with comorbidities (November 30, 2009) -- New research suggests that that male factor infertility is associated with a number of medical comorbidities, as objectively scored with the hospital-based Charlson Comorbidity Index. ... > full story
Connection between depression and osteoporosis detailed (November 30, 2009) -- Research carried out among thousands of people has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures. ... > full story
New therapy may be effective against bacterial infections and sepsis (November 29, 2009) -- A new study found that certain immune cells primarily associated with asthma and allergies may enhance innate immunity and improve clearance of bacterial infections and may be an effective new therapy against bacterial infections and sepsis in humans. ... > full story
New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies (November 29, 2009) -- New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper. ... > full story
Client-directed therapy technique drastically reduces rates of divorce or separation (November 29, 2009) -- Using four simple questions to generate client-directed feedback can greatly increase the chances that struggling couples will stay together, according to a recently published study. Couples that had systematic client feedback incorporated into their sessions were 46.2 percent less likely to wind up divorced or separated. ... > full story
Clue to mystery of how biological clock operates on 24-hour cycle (November 29, 2009) -- How does our biological system know that it is supposed to operate on a 24-hour cycle? Scientists have discovered that a tiny molecule holds the clue to the mystery. ... > full story
How HIV is assembled and released from infected cells (November 29, 2009) -- The HIV/AIDS virus continues to ravage populations worldwide. Using a novel combination of optical techniques, researchers visualize how virus particles assemble and are released from infected cells to find new victims -- knowledge which could lead to new technologies for inhibiting this process. ... > full story
Free e-samples of prescription drugs: At what cost? (November 29, 2009) -- An analysis of Web coupons and vouchers for free or discounted prescription medications found the value of such introductory offers is low compared to costs to continue to take the medication. Many such Web sites also de-emphasize risks and provide little quantitative data on indications for use and effectiveness. Many sites also collect personal information as a condition of the free offer. ... > full story
'Glow-in-the-dark' red blood cells made from human stem cells (November 29, 2009) -- Stem cell scientists have modified a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line to glow red when the stem cells become red blood cells. The modified hESC line, ErythRED, represents a major step forward to the eventual aim of generating mature, fully functional red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells. ... > full story
Forming new brain cells: Key regulatory peptide discovered (November 29, 2009) -- The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue. ... > full story
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