ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Monday, December 28, 2009
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High-blood-pressure treatment for the over-80s too aggressive, warns expert (December 28, 2009) -- People over 80 years are being treated too aggressively for high blood pressure, warns an expert. ... > full story
Drug for Alzheimer's disease does not appear to slow cognitive decline (December 28, 2009) -- Although there were promising results in a phase 2 trial, patients with mild Alzheimer disease who received the drug tarenflurbil as part of a phase 3 trial did not have better outcomes on measures of cognitive decline or loss of activities of daily living compared to patients who received placebo, according to a new study. ... > full story
Physician-assisted suicide: A perspective from advocates for people with disability (December 28, 2009) -- Although public opinion in the US on physician-assisted suicide is evenly divided, about half of states have either defeated bills to legalize assisted suicide or have passed laws explicitly banning it and only two states have legalized it. "A Disability Perspective on the Issue of Physician-Assisted Suicide," a special issue of Disability and Health Journal, examines the issues related to assisted suicide and disability, the legal considerations and the Oregon and Washington experiences. ... > full story
Modifying Neural Stem Cells Improves Their Therapeutic Efficacy (December 28, 2009) -- Stem cells isolated from the brain of adult mice (adult neural stem cells [aNSCs]) have shown very modest therapeutic effects in a mouse model of the chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis. But now, researchers have developed an approach to enhance the therapeutic effects of aNSCs in this model of multiple sclerosis, something that they hope might increase the chance that aNSC-based therapies might one day be developed for clinical use. ... > full story
Antibiotic unsuccessful in preventing preterm labor (December 28, 2009) -- Scientists have found that an antibiotic, currently used to treat infections linked to incidences of premature births, does not help reduce the risk of preterm labor. ... > full story
How Differing Asian Cultures And Attitudes Impact Cancer Screening Rates (December 28, 2009) -- Asian-Americans have higher instances of certain types of cancer, yet screening rates remain dismal. A new study calls for culturally sensitive materials to stress the importance of early screening, to help close the disparity. ... > full story
Secrets of the Brain: Researchers decipher parts of the neuronal code (December 27, 2009) -- The human brain works at a far higher level of complexity than previously thought. What has been given little attention up to now in the information processing of neuronal circuits has been the time factor. "Liquid computing" -- a new theory about how these complex networks of nerve cells actually work -- has just passed its first test. ... > full story
Targeted therapy prolongs life in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (December 27, 2009) -- Lapatinib plus trastuzumab are significantly better than lapatinib alone in extending the lives of breast cancer patients whose tumors are HER2-positive, according to new research. ... > full story
Rise in drug resistance of dangerous infection in US hospitals (December 27, 2009) -- A new study reports a surge in drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter, a dangerous type of bacteria that is becoming increasingly common in US hospitals. ... > full story
'Garbage disposal' role of VCP and implications for degenerative disease (December 27, 2009) -- New research reveals how a mutant ATPase blocks autophagy partway through to cause a multi-tissue degenerative disease. ... > full story
Structured reporting software creates less complete and accurate radiology reports than free text (December 27, 2009) -- As many software companies work to create programs that will give uniform structure to the way radiological test results are reported, a new study shows that such a system does not improve, but rather decreases the completeness and accuracy of the reports. ... > full story
Physician urges changes in diagnosis for sore throat in young adults (December 27, 2009) -- New analysis suggests that physicians need to re-think their diagnosis and treatment of sore throat, or pharyngitis, in adolescents and young adults to consider a more newly identified and potentially dangerous culprit as the source of that infection. ... > full story
Researchers find evidence of survival gains in bone marrow disease (December 27, 2009) -- Scientists demonstrate new survival data for the blood disorder myelofibrosis. This retrospective study is the largest ever conducted in young patients with primary myelofibrosis. ... > full story
Iranian Scholars Share Avicenna's Medieval Medical Wisdom (December 27, 2009) -- For pulmonary ailments, certain medieval physicians had a useful medical textbook on hand offering detailed information remarkably similar to those a modern doctor might use today. ... > full story
Further progress toward AIDS vaccine: Rabies-virus vaccine protects monkeys (December 26, 2009) -- Researchers are one step closer to developing a vaccine against the AIDS disease. They have found that a rabies virus-based vaccine administered to monkeys protected against the simian equivalent of the HIV virus (SIV). ... > full story
Physical activity associated with lower risk of mortality in men with history of colon cancer (December 26, 2009) -- Increased physical activity appears to be associated with a lower risk of cancer-specific and overall death in men with a history of colorectal cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body, according to a new study. ... > full story
Genomic toggle switches divide autoimmune diseases into distinct clusters (December 26, 2009) -- Genomic switches can predispose an individual to one set of autoimmune disorders but protect the same person against another set of them, scientists have found. ... > full story
Signaling decreases blood pressure, study finds (December 26, 2009) -- Blood pressure is controlled in part by changes in the radius of blood vessels; when the smooth muscle cells in the wall of a blood vessel contract, the radius of the blood vessel decreases and blood pressure increases. Researchers have now identified in mice a new signaling pathway that contributes to relaxation of smooth muscle cells in blood vessel walls triggered by the molecule NO and thereby decreases blood pressure. ... > full story
Certain genes boost chances for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution (December 26, 2009) -- Genes that don't themselves directly affect the inherited characteristics of an organism but leave them increasingly open to variation may be a significant driving force of evolution, say scientists. ... > full story
Do consumers always approach pleasure and avoid pain? New study suggests an alternative (December 26, 2009) -- Whether it's doing sit-ups or eating steamed veggies instead of fries, it's often difficult to get ourselves to do something we know is beneficial. A new study says we can trick ourselves into more favorable evaluations of certain products and behaviors. ... > full story
Antibody-guided drug shows encouraging activity in metastatic breast cancer (December 26, 2009) -- A new antibody-drug compound shrank or halted the growth of metastatic breast tumors in almost half of a group of patients whose HER2-positive cancer had become resistant to standard therapies, according to early data. ... > full story
Bone control of glucose levels (December 26, 2009) -- Bone cells known as osteoblasts were recently shown to have a role in controlling the biochemical reactions that generate energy via secretion of the molecule osteocalcin. Researchers have now determined that the protein FoxO1 regulates this function of osteoblasts in mice. ... > full story
Who gets expensive cancer drugs? A tale of two nations (December 26, 2009) -- The well-worn notion that patients in the United States have unfettered access to the most expensive cancer drugs while the United Kingdom's nationalized health care system regularly denies access to some high-cost treatments needs rethinking, a team of bioethicists and health policy experts says in a new report. ... > full story
Growing evidence suggests progesterone should be considered a treatment option for traumatic brain injuries (December 25, 2009) -- Researchers recommend that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, be considered a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries. ... > full story
Cause of nonallergic itch identified (December 25, 2009) -- Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch. ... > full story
Sensitizing leukemic cells to death-inducing compounds (December 25, 2009) -- Recent research has indicated that in the process of generating energy, leukemic cells use a cellular pathway known as fatty acid oxidation, rather than pyruvate oxidation, as had been previously thought. A team of researchers has now used this knowledge to develop a way to sensitize human leukemic cells to molecules that induce cell death by a process known as apoptosis. ... > full story
Novel gene found for childhood-onset asthma (December 25, 2009) -- Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments. ... > full story
Chicago Cancer Genome Project studies genetics of 1,000 tumors (December 25, 2009) -- A Chicago research team is one year into a three-year project to collect and analyze the genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors with a long-term goal of translating genomic discoveries into diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies. ... > full story
Wii Fit may not help families get fit (December 25, 2009) -- The Nintendo Wii Fit many people are considering as Christmas gifts may be great entertainment, but a new study indicates the console has little effect on family fitness. ... > full story
Genetic study reveals the origins of cavity-causing bacteria (December 24, 2009) -- Researchers have uncovered the complete genetic make-up of the cavity-causing bacterium Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1, revealing the genetic adaptations that allow this microorganism to live and cause decay in the human oral cavity. ... > full story
Good cholesterol not as protective in people with type 2 diabetes (December 24, 2009) -- HDL, known as "good cholesterol," helps protect blood vessels and the heart, but a small European study shows that HDL in men with type 2 diabetes lacks this protective capacity. However, preliminary results indicate that extended-release niacin may help the HDL work better in these patients. ... > full story
Psychologists show that future-minded people make better decisions for their health (December 24, 2009) -- People who tend to think in the long term are more likely to make positive decisions about their health, whether it's how much they drink, what they eat, or their decision to wear sunscreen. ... > full story
Alzheimer's disease may protect against cancer and vice versa (December 24, 2009) -- People who have Alzheimer's disease may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Fight infection by disturbing how bacteria communicate (December 24, 2009) -- Researchers have clarified the structure of an enzyme that disturbs the communication processes between bacteria. By doing so they have laid the foundations for a new method of tackling bacterial infections such as cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
Soil studies reveal rise in antibiotic resistance (December 24, 2009) -- An unexpected rise in environmental levels of antibiotic resistance poses a potential threat to people's health. ... > full story
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