Parental Warning: Second-hand Smoke May Trigger Nicotine Dependence Symptoms In Kids (September 30, 2008) -- Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware -- second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions. ... > full story
New Way To Control Protein Activity Could Lead To Cancer Therapies (September 30, 2008) -- Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found a way to quickly and reversibly fine-tune the activity of individual proteins in cells and living mammals, providing a powerful new laboratory tool for identifying — more precisely than ever before — the functions of different proteins. ... > full story
Robotic Surgery Lowers Risk Of A Rare But Serious Complication Of Gastric Bypass, Study Suggests (September 30, 2008) -- The use of a robot to assist with the most commonly performed weight-loss surgery appears to significantly lower a patient's risk of developing a rare but serious complication, according to a study published in the Journal of Robotic Surgery. ... > full story
Community-based Behavior Change Management Cuts Neonatal Mortality In Half (September 30, 2008) -- A community-based program that reinforces basic childbirth and newborn care practices can reduce a baby's risk of death within the first month of life by as much as 54 percent, according to a new study. ... > full story
How A 'Stuck Accelerator' Causes Cancer Cell Expansion (September 30, 2008) -- What allows cancer cells to divide uncontrolled? The cellular oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes are analogous to the accelerator and brake pedals in a car. If an oncogene is permanently active, similar to a stuck accelerator in a car, cells divide without restraints and a tumor develops. ... > full story
Age Alone Should Not Be Used To Determine Whether To Treat Prostate Cancer With Hormones, Research Suggests (September 30, 2008) -- Concerns regarding the association of hormone therapy used to treat prostate cancer with cardiovascular disease in some older men may lead doctors to forgo hormone treatment solely on the basis of age. But a new study shows that men over age 70 with high-risk prostate cancer lived longer and experienced increases in PSA less frequently when treated with long-term androgen deprivation therapy. ... > full story
Drinking Alcohol Before 15 Years Of Age Is Risky For Later Alcohol Problems (September 30, 2008) -- Researchers have known that age of first drink (AFD) is associated with the later development of alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). New findings show that an early AFD, before the age of 15, is especially risky for later AUDs. Experts recommend delaying the onset of drinking behavior as late as possible, until 18 or older. ... > full story
Out Of Iraq Emerges Hope For Those With Severest Of Head Injuries (September 29, 2008) -- There may be more hope than has been recognized for some people with severe brain injuries, according to a US neurosurgeon who earlier this year spent four months in Iraq treating soldiers and civilians. ... > full story
Popular COPD Treatment Increases Risk For Cardiac Events, Cardiac Death (September 29, 2008) -- The use of the most commonly prescribed once-a-day treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for longer than one month increases the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke by more than 50 percent, according to new research. ... > full story
Helping Dogs With Cancer May Benefit People (September 29, 2008) -- A new study may one day help not only our canine friends with cancer, but also people with the human form of the disease. ... > full story
New Predictive Tool Can Help Determine Treatment Of Breast Cancer Patients (September 29, 2008) -- A new predictive measurement, called a PEPI score, could bring good news to many women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer -- a low PEPI (preoperative endocrine prognostic index) score could show that they have little risk of relapse, and can safely avoid chemotherapy after surgery. ... > full story
Helping Students With Mental Illnesses: Support Services Prepare For 'What If' Scenarios (September 29, 2008) -- Nationally, an estimated 15 percent of students experience some form of mental illness such as major depression while in college. Many often struggle with where to get support. ... > full story
Getting Lost: A Newly Discovered Developmental Brain Disorder (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have recently documented the first case of a patient who, without apparent brain damage or cognitive impairment, is unable to orient within any environment. Researchers also believe that there are many others in the general population who may be affected by this developmental topographical disorder. ... > full story
Deadly Rugby Virus Spreads In Sumo Wrestlers (September 29, 2008) -- Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum -- herpes virus can cause a skin disease called "scrumpox" and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article in the Journal of General Virology. ... > full story
Black Patients At Higher Risk For Colon Polyps (September 29, 2008) -- Compared with white patients, black patients undergoing screening colonoscopy have a higher prevalence of colon polyps. ... > full story
Independent Brain Pathways Generate Positive Or Negative Reappraisals Of Emotional Events (September 29, 2008) -- Scientists now have a better understanding of how the human brain orchestrates the sophisticated pathways involved in the regulation of emotions. New research identifies brain pathways that underlie reinterpretation of aversive images in ways that reduce or enhance their negative emotional intensity. ... > full story
Do 'Light' Cigarettes Deliver Less Nicotine To The Brain Than Regular Cigarettes? (September 29, 2008) -- So-called light (low) nicotine cigarettes act in a similar way to regular cigarettes by occupying most of the common nicotine receptors in the brain. ... > full story
Childhood Cancer Survivors Continue To Have Higher Mortality Rates than the General Population (September 29, 2008) -- Survivors of childhood or adolescent cancer have a greater than 8-fold increased risk of death than the general U.S. population 16 to 32 years after hitting the five-year survival mark. ... > full story
Sexual Practice Of Polygyny Skews Genetic Variability (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have found DNA evidence that polygyny, the practice among males of siring children with multiple female partners at the same time or successively, has led to an excess of genetic diversity on the X chromosome relative to the autosomes. ... > full story
Microscopic Version Of CT Scan Reveals Secrets Of Bone Formation (September 29, 2008) -- A new version of the computerized tomography (CT) scan, which revolutionized medical imaging during the last 25 years, is giving scientists precious new information about how Mother Nature forms shells, bones, and other hard structures in animals ranging from guppies to mice. ... > full story
Discovery May Help Diabetic Gastric Problem (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have found what may provide a solution to one of the more troubling complications of diabetes -- delayed gastric emptying or gastroparesis. The researchers showed in animal models that a red blood cell derivative increases production of a key molecule, normalizing the digestive process. ... > full story
Why Does Gecko, A Chinese Traditional Medicine, Have Anti-tumor Effects? (September 29, 2008) -- Gecko is a Chinese traditional medicine. It has definite effect on malignant tumor, especially on digestive system tumor. A research group in China found that Gecko powder could inhibit EC9706 and EC1 growth and proliferation. Gecko can also decrease vascular endothelin growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor expression in tumor tissue and induce tumor cell apoptosis. ... > full story
Protecting Patient Privacy The New Fashioned Way (September 29, 2008) -- The Medical De-identification System (MeDS) is a highly accurate and speedy computer software program designed to de-identify patient information while retaining the essential data key to medical research, according to a new study. ... > full story
Risky Behaviors On TV May Be Modeled By Inexperienced Viewers (September 29, 2008) -- Inexperienced viewers are more likely to mimic unsafe behavior on TV, regardless of the consequences displayed, a new study finds. ... > full story
Existing Anti-obesity Drugs May Be Effective Against Flu, Hepatitis And HIV (September 29, 2008) -- Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a new study in the journal Nature Biotechnology. ... > full story
Is The Salad Bar Safe? Produce Concerns Linger After Summer Scares (September 29, 2008) -- Widespread reports had most people afraid to eat tomatoes this summer and when tomatoes were vindicated, eating peppers became a fear. A food safety expert says there is only so much that can be done to assure produce is safe to eat. ... > full story
Vascular Marker Of Ovarian Cancer Identified (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have identified TEM1 as a specific genetic marker for the vascular cells associated with tumor growth, a finding that could aid in diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. ... > full story
Voice-Commanded Robot Wheelchair Finds Its Own Way (September 29, 2008) -- A new kind of autonomous wheelchair under development can learn all about the locations in a given building, and then take its occupant to a given place in response to a verbal command. ... > full story
Ethical Argument: Include Pregnant Women In Research (September 29, 2008) -- Why aren't pregnant women included in most clinical trials? That's the question posed by leading bioethicists, who say it's time to confront the challenges that have led to the exclusion of pregnant women from important research that could positively impact maternal and fetal health. ... > full story
New Understanding Of Diabetes Drug Target (September 29, 2008) -- Scientists have made a new advance in the study of major diabetes drug target. The advance -- described by the researchers as 'very significant' -- could lead to new drugs being developed to target a protein that plays a critical role in controlling the way the body breaks down sugar. ... > full story
Pistachio Nuts May Improve Heart Health (September 29, 2008) -- Going green may be heart healthy if the green you choose is pistachio nuts, according to researchers who conducted the first study to investigate the way pistachios lower cholesterol. ... > full story
Hormone Therapy May Be Safe For Postmenopausal BRCA Mutation Carriers (September 29, 2008) -- The use of hormone therapy was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women who carry BRCA mutations, according to a case-control study. ... > full story
Optimism Experts Handicap The Presidential Election With About 6 Weeks Remaining Until Nov. 4 (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have determined that the most optimistic candidates win more than 80 percent of presidential elections dating back to 1900. A new study measures the optimism of this year's candidates. ... > full story
Novel Attempt Of Gene Therapy For Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (September 29, 2008) -- There are considerable endocrine cells in gastrointestinal tracts. These cells may be the potential and ideal target cells in gene therapy of type 1 diabetes mellitus. Chitosan nanoparticle is a kind of non-viral vector. A research group in China investigated the gene therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus in rats by gastrointestinal administration of chitosan nanoparticles containing human insulin gene. ... > full story
New Tool To Assess Speech Development In Infants, Toddlers With Hearing Impairments (September 29, 2008) -- The number of hearing impaired infants and toddlers who are successfully aided by technological devices, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, continues to grow, but there are still unknowns about these children's speaking abilities. ... > full story
Side Effects Severely Under-reported In ENT Medical Journals (September 29, 2008) -- Harms and adverse events (untoward side effects of surgery or medicine) have been under-reported or poorly described at an alarming low rate by the publishing authors in the four leading otolaryngology medical journals, according to new research. ... > full story
Promising Approach In Prevention And Treatment Of Pancreatic Cancer (September 29, 2008) -- Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal human cancers and continues to be a major unsolved health problem. The overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor and its ligands correlates with rapidly progressive disease and resistance to chemotherapy. ... > full story
Neuropeptide Y System Linked To More Severe Form Of Alcohol Dependence (September 29, 2008) -- Prior animal research showed an association between the neuropeptide Y (NPY) pathway and its three receptor genes and alcohol dependence, alcohol withdrawal and cocaine use. New human findings link two NPY receptor genes, NPY2R and NPY5R, with a more severe form of AD, and cocaine dependence. ... > full story
Impact Of Stress On Police Officers' Physical And Mental Health (September 29, 2008) -- Policing is dangerous work, and the danger lurks not on the streets alone. The pressures of law enforcement put officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide, researchers have found through a decade of studies of police officers. ... > full story
Novel Mechanism To Reduce Nervous System Inflammation Identified (September 28, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered a new way to limit inflammation caused by the activation of microglia -- key immune cells in the brain. Although the role of such cells is to "clean up damage" after injury, they often worsen the damage by releasing toxic inflammatory factors. ... > full story
Brain Imaging Study Provides New Insight Into Why People Pay Too Much In Auctions (September 28, 2008) -- Auctions are an old and widely used method for allocating goods that have become increasingly common with the advent of internet auctions sites such as Ebay. Previous economic research has shown that in an auction people tend to bid "too high," or overbid, given the value of the item for sale. By combining brain imaging techniques with behavioral economic research, neuroscientists and economists were able to provide new insight into this tendency to overbid. ... > full story
Inhibiting Cholesterol-associated Protein Reduces High-risk Blockages In Arteries (September 28, 2008) -- Using the drug darapladib, researchers have inhibited a cholesterol-and immune system-associated protein, thereby reducing the development of heart-disease plaques that may cause death, heart attacks, and strokes in a pig model of atherosclerosis and diabetes. ... > full story
Workers More Prone To Lie In E-mail, And Feel Justified In Lying (September 28, 2008) -- A pair of recent studies suggest that E-mail is the most deceptive form of communications in the workplace -- even more so than more traditional kinds of written communications, like pen-and-paper. More surprising is that people actually feel justified when lying using E-mail, the studies show. ... > full story
CDC Urges More Children To Get Flu Shots (September 28, 2008) -- For the first time, health officials are urging all kids going back to school to get a flu shot. It's one of the changes being made after last year's bad influenza season. The Food and Drug Administration has also reformulated the vaccine to better combat the virus. The vaccine was largely ineffective last year, blocking only 40 percent of the strains of influenza virus, compared to the usual 70 to 90 percent protection rate. ... > full story
Majority Of Children Vaccinated Against Hepatitis B Not At Increased Risk Of Multiple Sclerosis, Study Shows (September 28, 2008) -- The majority of children vaccinated against hepatitis B are not at an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study in Neurology. ... > full story
Most Elementary Schools In California Will Fail To Meet Proficiency Requirements By 2014, Study Shows (September 28, 2008) -- A new study shows that nearly all elementary schools in California will fail to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements for proficiency by 2014, the year when all students in the nation need to be proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics, per the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. For most schools, the greatest risk of failing AYP lies with ELA proficiency, the study finds. ... > full story
Brand Attitudes Improve When Product Is Paired With Favorable Actor (September 28, 2008) -- Love a rap artist's music, and you may develop fond feelings for the products placed in that artist's rap video. But, researchers recently found that the evaluation of brand decreases when paired with a negatively viewed actor. ... > full story
Working Environment Is One Cause Of Rheumatoid Arthritis (September 28, 2008) -- It has long been known that environmental factors play a part in the development of rheumatoid arthritis; smoking and drinking alcohol, along with heredity, are particularly instrumental in increasing the risk of the disease. Scientists have now produced results that suggest that working environment factors can also increase the chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis. ... > full story
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