ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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Aboriginal Kids Can Count Without Numbers (August 19, 2008) -- Knowing the words for numbers is not necessary to be able to count, according to new research. The study of the aboriginal children -- from two communities which do not have words or gestures for numbers -- found that they were able to copy and perform number-related tasks. The findings suggest that we possess an innate mechanism for counting, which may develop differently in children with dyscalculia. ... > full story
New Method To Overcome Multiple Drug Resistant Diseases (August 19, 2008) -- Many drugs once considered Charles Atlases of the pharmaceutical realm have been reduced to the therapeutic equivalent of 97-pound weaklings as the diseases they once dispatched with ease have developed resistance to them. But researchers have developed a method to get around one of the most common forms of resistance, thereby opening up some if not many resistant diseases to the reinvigorated fury of the medications that once laid them low. ... > full story
Study Examines Association Of Smoking With Hemorrhage After Throat Surgery (August 19, 2008) -- Smoking appears to be associated with an increased rate of hemorrhage in patients who undergo uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP, a surgical procedure used to remove excess tissue from the throat) with tonsillectomy (a surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed), but not in those who undergo tonsillectomy alone, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ... > full story
When The Patient Can't Decide: Study Looks At Physician Perspectives On Surrogate Decision-making (August 19, 2008) -- Researchers led by Alexia Torke, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute Inc., studied how physicians treating patients who are unable to make medical decisions interacted with surrogate decision-makers. ... > full story
Immune Response To Human Embryonic Stem Cells In Mice Suggests Human Therapy May Face Challenge (August 19, 2008) -- Human embryonic stem cells trigger an immune response in mice, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine report. The finding suggests that the effectiveness of human therapies derived from the cells could be limited unless ways are found to dampen the rejection response. ... > full story
Landmark Sickle Cell Disease Trial To Investigate Unrelated Donor Marrow And Umbilical Cord Blood Transplants (August 19, 2008) -- More than 20 institutions are taking part in a first-ever Phase II clinical trial of unrelated donor marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants for severe sickle cell disease. If successful, the Sickle Cell Unrelated Transplant trial has the potential to extend a promising and possibly curative treatment option to more severely affected patients. Sickle cell disease affects more than 70,000 people in the United States. ... > full story
Biracial Asian Americans And Mental Health (August 19, 2008) -- Biracial Asian Americans are twice as likely as monoracial Asian Americans to have been diagnosed with a psychological disorder, UC Davis researchers report. ... > full story
Synthetic Molecules Could Add Spice To Fight Against Cancer (August 18, 2008) -- Seeking to improve on nature, scientists used a spice-based compound as a starting point and developed synthetic molecules that, in lab settings, are able to kill cancer cells and stop the cells from spreading. The researchers are combining organic chemistry, computer-aided design and molecular biology techniques in developing and testing pharmaceutical compounds that can fight breast and prostate cancer cells. The synthetic molecules are derived from curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the spice turmeric. ... > full story
Leishmaniasis Parasites Evade Death By Exploiting Immune Response To Sand Fly Bites (August 18, 2008) -- Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease characterized by painful skin ulcers, occurs when the parasite Leishmania major, or a related species, is transmitted to a mammalian host by the bite of an infected sand fly. In a new study, scientists have discovered L. major does its damage by not only evading but also by exploiting the body's wound-healing response to sand fly bites. ... > full story
Toxoplasmosis Found More Severe In Brazil Compared To Europe (August 18, 2008) -- Newborns in Brazil are more susceptible to toxoplasmosis than those in Europe, according to a recent study. Researchers based in Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom studied the disease's ocular effects in children from birth to four years of age. ... > full story
Call For Better Protection Of Older People From Climate Change Impact (August 18, 2008) -- A new report calls on government and public authorities to take action to better protect older people from the future effects of climate change. ... > full story
1918 Flu Antibodies Resurrected From Elderly Survivors (August 18, 2008) -- Ninety years after the sweeping destruction of the 1918 flu pandemic, researchers have recovered antibodies to the virus -- from elderly survivors of the original outbreak. In addition to revealing the surprisingly long-lasting immunity to such viruses, these antibodies could be effective treatments to have on hand if another virus similar to the 1918 flu breaks out in the future. ... > full story
Why An Exciting Book Is Just As Thrilling As A Hair-raising Movie (August 18, 2008) -- Sharing of emotions in movies has been shown to depend on the fact that the same brain regions are activated in the observers when they feel an emotion and when they see someone else experience a similar emotion. We all know, however, that reading a book describing the same scene can be similarly gripping. A new study shows us why. ... > full story
Targeted Drug Therapy Found Effective In Patients With Common Form Of Immune-mediated Kidney Disease (August 18, 2008) -- The drug rituximab causes considerable kidney injury healing in patients with membranous nephropathy, a common form of kidney disease, according to a new study. The results suggest that this condition, previously destined to progress to kidney failure in 30-40 percent of cases, can actually be healed in some patients. ... > full story
Light Metals Against Bombs And Grenades (August 18, 2008) -- A cheap and simple structure made of aluminum can mean the difference between life and death the day the bombs go off. ... > full story
Potential Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Cure Found In Century-old Drug (August 18, 2008) -- A century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Used at a very low concentration -- about the equivalent of a few raindrops in four Olympic-sized swimming pools of water -- the drug slows cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with the diseases to live longer, healthier lives. ... > full story
Antidepressants May Impair Driving Ability, New Research Finds (August 18, 2008) -- People taking prescription antidepressants appear to drive worse than people who aren't taking such drugs, and depressed people on antidepressants have even more trouble concentrating and reacting behind the wheel. ... > full story
India Continues To Progress In AIDS Vaccine Development Efforts (August 18, 2008) -- A second Phase I AIDS vaccine clinical trial in India was successfully completed, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organization and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative announced. The results of the trial of an MVA-based AIDS vaccine candidate (TBC-M4), which was conducted in Chennai, indicated that the vaccine candidate had acceptable levels of safety and was well-tolerated. ... > full story
Playing Video Games Offers Learning Across Life Span, Say Studies (August 18, 2008) -- Certain types of video games can have beneficial effects, improving gamers' dexterity as well as their ability to problem-solve -- attributes that have proven useful not only to students but to surgeons, according to new research. Skills transfer to the classroom, surgical procedures, even scientific thinking. ... > full story
Engineers Build Mini Drug-producing Biofactories In Yeast (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a novel way to churn out large quantities of drugs, including antiplaque toothpaste additives, antibiotics, nicotine, and even morphine, using mini biofactories -- in yeast. ... > full story
Fruit Flies Provide Insight Into Bacterial Infections In Humans (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers have used a fruit fly (Drosophila) model of infection to provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the virulence of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a major cause of infections in individuals who are hospitalized, have burn wounds, or have cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
Study Examines The Psychology Behind Students Who Don't Cheat (August 18, 2008) -- While many studies have examined cheating among college students, new research looks at the issue from a different perspective -- identifying students who are least likely to cheat. The study of students at one Ohio university found that students who scored high on measures of courage, empathy and honesty were less likely than others to report their cheating in the past -- or intending to cheat in the future. ... > full story
Light Receptors In Eye Play Key Role In Setting Biological Clock, Study Shows (August 18, 2008) -- Biologists have discovered a switching mechanism in the eye that plays a key role in regulating the sleep/wake cycles in mammals. ... > full story
Safer Alternative To Heparin Created (August 18, 2008) -- Robert Linhardt has spent years stitching together minuscule carbohydrates to build a more pure and safer alternative to the commonly used and controversial blood thinner heparin. Now he has announced that his research team may have accomplished this task by building the first fully synthetic heparin. Their creation is the largest dose of heparin ever created in the lab. ... > full story
Massaging Muscles Facilitates Recovery After Exercise (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers testing the long-held theory that therapeutic massage can speed recovery after a sports injury have found early scientific evidence of the healing effects of massage. The scientists have determined that immediate cyclic compression of muscles after intense exercise reduced swelling and muscle damage in a study using animals. ... > full story
A Therapy For Baby Boomers To Sleep On: New Drug For Insomniacs Over 55 (August 18, 2008) -- If you're over 55 and have spent more than a few sleepless nights, you're not alone -- insomnia affects about half of all people over 55 -- but you may also be at increased risk for physical and mental ailments. ... > full story
Adults Easily Fooled By Children's False Denials, Study Finds (August 18, 2008) -- Adults are easily fooled when a child denies that an actual event took place, but do somewhat better at detecting when a child makes up information about something that never happened. These findings have important implications for forensic child sexual abuse evaluations. ... > full story
Experiments Could Lead To New Treatments For Neuroblastoma (August 18, 2008) -- Based on cell-culture and animal experiments, researchers believe they've found a critical weakness in neuroblastoma -- one that could lead to the development of a lifesaving therapy for victims of the cancer. ... > full story
Maelstrom Quashes Jumping Genes (August 18, 2008) -- Scientists have known for decades that genes called transposons can jump around the genome in a cell. This jumping can be dangerous, especially when it arises in cells that produce eggs and sperm. Although nature developed a mechanism to quash this genetic scrambling, how it works has remained a mystery. Now scientists have identified a key protein that suppresses jumping genes in mouse sperm and found that the protein is vital to sperm formation. ... > full story
Prototype Test For Predicting Clinical Outcome For Melanoma Patients (August 18, 2008) -- Investigators have developed a test to predict whether a patient will progress rapidly from Stage III melanoma to metastatic Stage IV cancer and death. More than 70% of patients with Stage III melanoma — melanoma that has spread to the lymph nodes — will typically have a rapid time to progression (TTP) to Stage IV melanoma, and pass away within five years of their diagnosis. ... > full story
Few Pharmacologic Treatments Of Cancer-Related Fatigue Available To Patients (August 18, 2008) -- There is limited evidence to support the use of methylphenidate and erythropoietin for the treatment of cancer-related fatigue in some patients, according to a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. ... > full story
Bipolar Disorder And Gene Abnormalities: Sodium, Calcium Imbalances Linked To Manic Depressive Episodes (August 18, 2008) -- A large genetic study of bipolar disorder has implicated machinery that balances levels of sodium and calcium in neurons. The disorder was associated with variation in two genes that make components of such ion channels. Although it's not yet known if or how the suspect genetic variation might affect the balance machinery, the results point to the possibility that bipolar disorder might stem, at least in part, from malfunction of ion channels. ... > full story
Cancer Signatures Uncovered (August 18, 2008) -- A new systematic analysis of the relationship between the neoplastic and developmental transcriptome provides an outline of trends in cancer gene expression. The research describes how cancers can be divided into three groups distinguished by disparate developmental signatures. ... > full story
Patients Reluctant To Change Surgeons Despite Lure Of Shorter Wait Times (August 18, 2008) -- A new study in CMAJ has found that, despite the possibility of shorter waiting times for surgery, a majority of patients were unlikely to consider changing surgeons. ... > full story
By Amplifying Cell Death Signals, Scientists Make Precancerous Cells Self-destruct (August 17, 2008) -- On the cellular level, death signals can actually be life saving -- by killing off abnormally dividing cells before they turn cancerous. Now, Rockefeller University researchers have found a way to amplify these signals by turning a life affirming protein into a killer. The findings not only mark a breakthrough in the field but also open the door to a new line of drugs for cancer therapeutics. ... > full story
Helping Tumor Cells Not To Stick To The Wound During Surgical Removal (August 17, 2008) -- Sometimes during surgery to remove a tumor, cells become detached from the bulk of the tumor. In a small number of cases, these tumor cells stick to cells at the site of the surgical wound and go on to form a secondary tumor, having an enormous negative impact on the survival and quality of life of the patient. ... > full story
Parents' Expectations, Styles Can Harm College Students' Self-esteem (August 17, 2008) -- College students want to please their parents but often stress out about meeting goals far tougher than what their parents have in mind, psychologists have found. Scientists have examined the effects of parenting styles on how students adjust to college. Students reported making smoother transitions if they have at least one parent whose style combines warmth, a demanding nature and democracy. ... > full story
Stress, Anxiety Can Make Allergy Attacks Even More Miserable And Last Longer (August 17, 2008) -- A new study shows that even slight stress and anxiety can substantially worsen a person's allergic reaction to some routine allergens. Moreover, the added impact of stress and anxiety seem to linger, causing the second day of a stressed person's allergy attack to be much worse. ... > full story
Personalized Immunotherapy To Fight HIV/AIDS (August 17, 2008) -- The main obstacle to creating an AIDS vaccine has been the high genetic variability of the HIV virus. Scientists have overcome this difficulty by designing a personalized immunotherapy for HIV-infected patients. ... > full story
New Mushroom Study Shows The Power Of Energy Density (August 17, 2008) -- Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity. This is good news for the more than one-third of US adults age 20 and older who are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control. ... > full story
Young Children's 'Theory Of Mind' Linked To Subsequent Metacognitive Development In Adolescence (August 17, 2008) -- A new study detects a systematic link between children's "theory of mind" as assessed in kindergarten and their metacognitive knowledge in elementary school. ... > full story
Potatoes May Hold Key To Alzheimer's Treatment (August 16, 2008) -- A virus that commonly infects potatoes bears a striking resemblance to one of the key proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and researchers have used that to develop antibodies that may slow or prevent the onset of AD. ... > full story
Mechanism Behind Cocaine Craving Identified (August 16, 2008) -- A possible future way to prevent relapses into drug dependence has been discovered. The target is the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain. ... > full story
Resistant Prions: Can They Be Transmitted By Environment As Well As Direct Contact? (August 16, 2008) -- Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant. ... > full story
Asthma In Boys May Be Just A Phase, But For Girls It May Be There To Stay (August 16, 2008) -- Boys may be more apt than girls to have childhood asthma, but, when compared to girls, they are also more likely to grow out of it in adolescence and have a decreased incidence of asthma in the post-pubertal years. ... > full story
Americans Spending, Gambling, Saving: Who's Happiest, Who's Most At Risk? (August 16, 2008) -- For some, spending in today's tumultuous economy is not a problem, especially for those who don't care what everyone else has. But for others, casino splurges, not saving enough or buying the latest iPhone on impulse can lead to emotional turmoil or financial troubles, according to several new studies on consumer behavior. ... > full story
Hope For Patients With COPD (August 16, 2008) -- For the first time, a drug therapy appears to reduce lung function loss in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 42 countries. ... > full story
Synthetic Biology Is Bearing Fruit: Blockers Against Blockers (August 16, 2008) -- Synthetic Biology is bearing fruit: the tuberculosis pathogen can be fooled by a widely used food additive. The WHO records around nine million new cases of the disease each year, and about 50 million people are infected with a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is resistant to the antibiotics Isoniazid and Rifampicin. ... > full story
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