Antibiotics Can Cause Pervasive, Persistent Changes To Microbiota In Human Gut (November 19, 2008) -- Using a novel technique developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory to identify different types of bacteria, scientists have completed the most precise survey to date of how microbial communities in the human gut respond to antibiotic treatment. ... > full story
Battling Bacteria In The Blood: Mathematical Models Help In Tackling Deadly Infections (November 19, 2008) -- It's a leading cause of death, but no one knows for sure how and why it happens. It's a major source of health care costs, adding days or weeks to the hospital stays of millions of people. But no one fully understands how best to fight it. Now, new research is tackling the problem at its most basic level, in hopes of finding new and more effective ways to treat bacteremia and sepsis. ... > full story
Low-dose Aspirin Does Not Appear To Reduce Risk Of CV Events In Patients With Diabetes (November 19, 2008) -- Low-dose aspirin as primary prevention did not appear to significantly reduce the risk of a combined end point of coronary, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular events in patients with type-2 diabetes, according to a new study. However, aspirin did significantly reduce the combination of fatal coronary and fatal cerebrovascular events. ... > full story
Alcohol Sponsorship Linked To Hazardous Drinking In Sportspeople (November 19, 2008) -- A new study provides the first evidence of a link between alcohol-industry sponsorship and hazardous drinking among sportspeople. ... > full story
Cell Pathway Driving A Deadly Sub-type Of Breast Cancer Discovered (November 19, 2008) -- An intra-cellular pathway not previously linked to breast cancer is driving a sub-type of the disease that is highly lethal and disproportionately over-represented in African-American women. ... > full story
Heart Failure Hospitalization Rates Rise Among Nation's Seniors (November 19, 2008) -- The number of patients over age 65 hospitalized for heart failure increased by 131 percent between 1980 and 2006. Women had a much higher annual increase than men. Among the three major forms of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke being the other two), only heart failure has shown a significant increase in hospitalization rates. ... > full story
How Often Will You Use That Treadmill? (November 19, 2008) -- Why not buy that treadmill? You'll be exercising every day, right? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines why our expectations of our behavior so often don't match reality. ... > full story
Clue To Stopping Breast-cancer Metastasis Discovered (November 18, 2008) -- If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research takes a step in that direction. ... > full story
Study Helps Identify Beachgoers At Increased Risk Of Skin Cancer (November 18, 2008) -- Identifying the sun-protection practices and risk profiles of beachgoers may help determine those who would benefit from targeted interventions intended to reduce the risk of skin cancer, according to a study in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology. ... > full story
Calcium May Only Protect Against Colorectal Cancer In Presence Of Magnesium (November 18, 2008) -- An understanding of the relationship between calcium and magnesium may lead to new avenues of personalized prevention for colorectal cancer. ... > full story
Hazardous Alternatives To Alcohol Beverages Are Still Widely Available In Russia (November 18, 2008) -- Non-beverage alcohols are manufactured liquids that contain alcohol but are not intended for consumption, such as medicinal tinctures, aftershave, alcohol-based anti-freeze, antiseptics, and eau-de-colognes. A survey of 17 Russian cities has found that these products are widely available, highly concentrated, and cheaper than standard Russian vodka. ... > full story
Biomedical Engineers' Detective Work Reveals Antibiotic Mechanism (November 18, 2008) -- Biomedical researchers used a series of genetic clues to uncover how certain antibiotics kill bacteria. They focused on finding the precise trigger that caused over-production of hydroxyl radical molecules and how misfolded proteins get delivered to the cell membrane, which with other steps contributes to cell death. ... > full story
Why HIV Treatment Makes People So Susceptible To Heart Disease And Diabetes (November 18, 2008) -- Clinicians have known for some time that people treated for HIV also become much more susceptible to diabetes and heart disease. A study by scientists in Australia has now shown some of the reasons why -- enabling better patient management and monitoring. ... > full story
'Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon' Game Provides Clue To Efficiency Of Complex Networks (November 18, 2008) -- As the global population continues to grow exponentially, our social connections to one another remain relatively small, as if we're all protagonists in the Kevin Bacon game inspired by "Six Degrees of Separation," a Broadway play and Hollywood feature that were popular in the 1990s. ... > full story
Australian First: Kangaroo Genome Mapped (November 18, 2008) -- Australian researchers have launched the world first detailed map of the kangaroo genome, completing the first phase of the kangaroo genomics project. ... > full story
Two Cancer Drugs Prevent, Reverse Type 1 Diabetes, Animal Study Shows (November 18, 2008) -- Two common cancer drugs have been shown to both prevent and reverse type 1 diabetes in a mouse model of the disease, according to new research. The drugs -- imatinib (marketed as Gleevec) and sunitinib (marketed as Sutent) -- were found to put type 1 diabetes into remission in 80 percent of the test mice and work permanently in 80 percent of those that go into remission. ... > full story
Technology Gives 3-D View Of Human Coronary Arteries (November 18, 2008) -- For the first time researchers are getting a detailed look at the interior of human coronary arteries, using an optical imaging technique developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. In their report in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, the research team describes how optical frequency-domain imaging gives 3-D, microscopic views of significant segments of patients' coronary arteries, visualizing areas of inflammation and plaque deposits. ... > full story
New Clue Emerges For Cellular Damage In Huntington's Disease (November 18, 2008) -- Huntington's disease is caused by a single mutated gene that creates proteins with abnormally long repeats of the amino acid glutamine. These proteins misfold and clump together, damaging and eventually killing neurons. Yet the steps that trigger cell death have not been clarified. This study reports one early trigger: The misfolded proteins interfere with the cell's ability to move proteins marked for degradation out of the endoplasmic reticulum (a cell compartment that folds and processes proteins). ... > full story
Scientists Self-censor In Response To Political Controversy, Survey Finds (November 18, 2008) -- A survey of scientists whose studies became the focus of a public debate about NIH grant funding has found that many of them engaged in self-censorship as a result of the controversy. ... > full story
Protein Compels Ovarian Cancer Cells To Cannibalize Themselves (November 18, 2008) -- A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers report in Cancer Research. ... > full story
Newborn Neurons In Adult Brain Can Settle In The Wrong Neighborhood (November 18, 2008) -- In a study that could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation strategies, researchers report that inactivating a specific gene in adult neural stem cells makes nerve cells emerging from those precursors form connections in the wrong part of the adult brain. ... > full story
First At-home Test For Vasectomized Men Proves To Be Safe And Accurate, Study Finds (November 18, 2008) -- In a new report, researchers have confirmed the accuracy and reliability of SpermCheck Vasectomy, the first FDA approved at-home immunodiagnostic test for detecting low concentrations of sperm. ... > full story
Children Distressed By Family Fighting Have Higher Stress Hormones (November 18, 2008) -- A new study found that children who are very distressed when their parents fight have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Distress, hostility, and level of involvement parental arguments were measured in 208 six-year olds. Cortisol levels were measured by taking saliva samples before and after simulated telephone arguments between their parents. Children who were very distressed and very involved in response to parental fighting had especially high cortisol levels. ... > full story
Gene Chips Accurately Detect Pneumonia In ICU Patients On Ventilators (November 18, 2008) -- Even seasoned doctors have a difficult time diagnosing pneumonia in hospitalized patients breathing with the assistance of a ventilator. That's because a patient's underlying illness often skews laboratory test results and masks pneumonia's symptoms. Now, researchers report they have validated the use of gene chip technology to rapidly and accurately detect pneumonia associated with ventilator use in hospitalized patients. ... > full story
Damage Inflicted During Cardiac Attacks More Widespread, Researchers Find (November 18, 2008) -- Cholesterol crystals released in the bloodstream during a cardiac attack or stroke can damage artery linings much further away from the site of the attack, leaving survivors at greater risk than previously thought. ... > full story
How Cancer Spreads: Signaling Between Protein, Growth Factor Is Critical For Coordinated Cell Migration (November 18, 2008) -- The mysterious process that orchestrates cells to move in unison to form human and animal embryos, heal wounds, and even spread cancer depends on interaction between two well-known genetic signaling pathways, researchers have discovered. ... > full story
Kids Not Eating Their Five Fruits Or Vegetables A Day, UK Study Shows (November 18, 2008) -- Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current government recommendations, according to a new study. ... > full story
World's Earliest Nuclear Family Found (November 18, 2008) -- The earliest evidence of a nuclear family, dating back to the Stone Age, has been uncovered by an international team of researchers. ... > full story
Researchers Identify Toehold For HIV's Assault On Brain (November 18, 2008) -- Scientists have unraveled in unprecedented detail the cascade of events that go wrong in brain cells affected by HIV, a virus whose assault on the nervous system continues unabated despite antiviral medications that can keep the virus at bay for years in the rest of the body. ... > full story
Studying Individual Breast Cancer Cells For Days At A Time, Using New Method (November 18, 2008) -- Scientists describe for the first time a method of viewing individual breast cancer cells for several days at a time. ... > full story
How Cells Take Out The Trash To Prevent Disease (November 18, 2008) -- Garbage collectors are important for removing trash; without them waste accumulates and can quickly become a health hazard. Similarly, individual cells that make up such biological organisms as humans also have sophisticated methods for managing waste. ... > full story
Arsenic Linked To Cardiovascular Disease At EPA-regulated Drinking Water Standards (November 18, 2008) -- When mice are exposed to arsenic at federally-approved levels for drinking water, pores in liver blood vessels close, potentially leading to cardiovascular disease, say researchers. The study, while preliminary, also reveals how an enzyme linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis alters cells, and may call into question current US Environmental Protection Agency standards that are based solely on risks for cancer. ... > full story
Helping Children And Teens Deal With Stress In An Uncertain Time (November 18, 2008) -- A psychologist whose research focuses on the relationship between psychological thriving and coping processes during major life transitions says that in these uncertain times, children of any age, including teens, need to be reassured that they are safe and will be cared for no matter how the family is faring. ... > full story
'Orphan' Genes Play An Important Role In Evolution (November 18, 2008) -- Every group of animals possesses a small proportion of genes which are extremely variable among closely related species or even unique. Such genes are referred to as "novel," "orphan" or "taxonomically restricted." Their function and origin are often obscure. What are these genes needed for? A new paper, published in this week's issue of the online open access journal, PLoS Biology, explores this question in the freshwater polyp Hydra, which belongs to the same branch of the evolutionary tree as jelly fish. ... > full story
Immune System And Intestinal Bacteria: The Key To Balanced Cohabitation (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have just discovered a key mechanism that maintains the essential balance between bacteria living in our intestine and the immune system controlling them. Their research, published in the journal Nature, paves the way for new forms of treatment for infectious diseases of the intestine, such as dysentery, or chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease. ... > full story
Protein Can Nurture Or Devastate Brain Cells, Depending On Its 'Friends,' Researchers Find (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have uncovered new insights into the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage. ... > full story
Only Half Of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Achieve And Maintain Response To Interferon Treatment, Study Shows (November 18, 2008) -- Regular magnetic resonance imaging evaluations show that only about half of patients with multiple sclerosis achieve and sustain a response to treatment with interferon beta over three years, according to a new study in the Archives of Neurology. ... > full story
Survey Highlights Support For Nanotech In Health Fields But Disapproval Elsewhere (November 18, 2008) -- A landmark national survey on the use of nanotechnology for "human enhancement" shows widespread public support for applications of the new technology related to improving human health. However, the survey also shows broad disapproval for nanotech human enhancement research in areas without health benefits. ... > full story
Nicotine: A Receptor From The Past Helping To Develop Drugs Of The Future (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have just determined the structure of a bacterial protein similar to the human nicotine receptor, and have published this result in the journal Nature. This is an important step for the molecular modeling of substances able to interact with this receptor and which could help treatment of nicotine addiction. ... > full story
A New Way To Remove Unwanted Heparin From Blood (November 18, 2008) -- Scientists in Poland are reporting development of a potential new way to quickly remove the anticoagulant heparin from patients' blood in order to avoid unwanted side effects that can happen with the current use of that blood thinner. ... > full story
Is It A Mini-stroke? Three Clinical Features Identified To Avoid Misdiagnosis Of Transient Ischemic Attacks (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have identified three bedside clinical features that can help more accurately distinguish transient ischemic attacks from disorders that might mimic their symptoms. ... > full story
More Than Half Of US Chronically Ill Adults Skip Needed Care Due To Costs (November 18, 2008) -- Compared to patients in seven other countries, chronically ill adults in the United States are far more likely to forgo care because of costs; they also experience the highest rates of medical errors, coordination problems, and high out-of-pocket costs, according to a new study from the Commonwealth Fund. US patients are significantly more likely to call for fundamental change in their country's health-care system; one-third say the system needs to be rebuilt completely. ... > full story
Potential Sexual Partner? Brains Of Ovulating Women Respond Strongly To Male Masculine Faces (November 17, 2008) -- Scientists have long known that women's preferences for masculine men change throughout their menstrual cycles. A new study is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner. Researchers identified regions that responded more strongly to masculine faces and demonstrated that differences between masculinized and feminized faces appeared strongest when the women were closer to ovulating. ... > full story
Novel Regulatory Step During HIV Replication (November 17, 2008) -- A previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy, according to researchers. ... > full story
Music As Noise: When The Fortissimo Causes One's Ears To Ring (November 17, 2008) -- "Music is always noise-related - and often not appreciated", the German poet and humorist Wilhelm Busch once mocked. Even though the subject involving beauty is a matter of taste, the sarcastic saying contains some bitter truth: Orchestra musicians jeopardize their ears with their own music. ... > full story
Age, Race Are Among Factors That Influence Carotid-surgery Success (November 17, 2008) -- Advanced age and race are among the factors that can affect whether a patient dies or suffers a stroke after carotid-artery surgery, a multicenter study has found. ... > full story
Personality Shapes Perception Of Romance, But Doesn't Tell The Whole Story (November 17, 2008) -- Researchers have found that measuring the quality of romantic relationships is more complex than earlier studies suggest. While personality has been found to be predictive of perceived relationship satisfaction and success, other measures of relationship quality may offer additional insight into how a romantic relationship is functioning. ... > full story
Tiny Sacs Released By Brain Tumor Cells Carry Information That May Guide Treatment (November 17, 2008) -- Microvesicles - tiny membrane-covered sacs - released from glioblastoma cells contain molecules that may provide data that can guide treatment of the deadly brain tumor. Researchers have found tumor-associated RNA and proteins in membrane microvesicles called exosomes in blood samples from glioblastoma patients. Detailed analysis of exosome contents identified factors that could facilitate a tumor's growth through delivery of genetic information or proteins, or signify its vulnerability to particular medications. ... > full story
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