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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Paradox lost: Speedier heart attack treatment saves more lives after all, study suggests

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A national effort to shave minutes off emergency heart attack treatment time has increased the chance that each patient will survive, a new study suggests. But yet the survival rate for all patients put together hasn't budged. It seems like a paradox. But wait, say the authors of the new report: the paradox vanishes with more detailed analysis of exactly who has been getting this treatment. Far more people are getting emergency angioplasty and stents for heart attacks now than before. That number now includes more people with more complicated health ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

First demonstration of anti-cancer activity for an IDH1 mutation inhibitor

Barcelona, Spain: A phase I trial of the first drug designed to inhibit the cancer-causing activity of a mutated enzyme known as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1, which is involved in cell metabolism, has shown clinical activity in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with the IDH1 mutation. Professor Daniel Pollyea, M.D. will tell the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain, today (Wednesday) that early results from the phase 1 clinical trial of the drug AG-120, an oral, selective and potent inhibitor ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Kidney cancer patients respond well to a combination of 2 existing anti-cancer drugs

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that patients with an advanced form of kidney cancer, for which there is no standard treatment and a very poor prognosis, respond well to a combination of two existing anti-cancer drugs. Dr Ramaprasad Srinivasan, head of the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Section, Urologic Oncology Branch, of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, USA, will tell the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain, today (Wednesday) that the combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib produced ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Galeterone shows activity in a variant form of castration-resistant prostate cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Results from a trial of the anti-cancer drug galeterone show that it is successful in lowering prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with a form of prostate cancer that is resistant to treatment with hormone therapy (castration-resistant prostate cancer or CRPC). Associate professor Mary-Ellen Taplin, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA, will tell the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain, today (Wednesday) that galeterone was well tolerated by patients in the ARMOR2 trial, ...

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Science19 Nov 2014

Low vitamin D levels increase mortality

VIDEO: New research from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital shows that low blood vitamin D levels increase mortality. The study included 96,000 Danes and was recently published in... Click here for more information. Vitamin D deficiency is generally associated with an increased risk of poor bone health. However, recent studies have shown that low levels of this important vitamin also involve an increased risk of other diseases and higher mortality ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

The Lancet Psychiatry: Coping strategies therapy significantly improves dementia carers' mental health and quality of life

A brief coping strategies therapy which provides stress relief and emotional support for people caring for relatives with dementia can reduce depression and anxiety and improve wellbeing at no extra cost to standard care, new research published in The Lancet Psychiatry suggests. The study led by Gill Livingston, Professor of Psychiatry of Older People at University College London in the UK, found that family caregivers receiving the START (STrAtegies for RelaTives) programme were seven times less likely to develop clinically significant depression than those given usual ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Songbirds help scientists develop cooling technique to safely map the human brain

A new diagnostic technique -- resulting from monitoring thousands of courtship calls from songbirds -- can be used to safely map the human brain during complex neurosurgery, according to research from Neuroscientists at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere. The mapping process, first tested in zebra finches, involves gently placing a miniature electrical cooling device at different locations on a small region of the songbirds' brains. This slows down processing of complex neural behaviors, such as a birdsong or human speech. In a report prepared for the Society ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Seniors draw on extra brainpower for shopping

DURHAM, N.C. -- Holiday shopping can be mentally exhausting for anyone. But a new Duke University study finds that older adults seem to need extra brainpower to make shopping decisions -- especially ones that rely on memory. The study appearing Nov. 19 in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that older shoppers use an additional brain area to remember competing consumer products and choose the better one. "The study gives a bright picture, actually," said lead author Nichole Lighthall, a postdoctoral researcher in Roberto Cabeza's lab at Duke's Center for Cognitive ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Cells' natural response to chronic protein misfolding may do more harm than good

LA JOLLA, CA--November 18, 2014--"Protein misfolding" diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer's may be seriously exacerbated by the body's own response against that misfolding, according to a new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). The researchers examined patient cells and animal models of several diseases that feature chronic protein misfolding and found that in each case, a cellular defense system against protein misfolding, called the "heat shock response," was overactive. Reducing its activity lessened the signs of disease and ...

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Science19 Nov 2014

Penn-led team prevents memory problems caused by sleep deprivation

Sleep is a critical period for memory consolidation, and most people don't get enough. Research has shown that even brief periods of sleep deprivation can lead to deficits in memory formation. In a new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, a team led by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania found that a particular set of cells in a small region of the brain are responsible for memory problems after sleep loss. By selectively increasing levels of a signaling molecule in these cells, the researchers prevented mice from having memory deficits. Robbert ...

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Medicine19 Nov 2014

Cedars-Sinai study of Lou Gehrig's disease shifts 'origin' focus to brain's motor neurons

LOS ANGELES (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 5 P.M. EST on NOV. 11, 2014) - Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, might damage muscle-controlling nerve cells in the brain earlier in the disease process than previously known, according to research from the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute. The findings, published in the Nov. 12 Journal of Neuroscience, could shift researchers' attention from the spinal cord to the brain's motor cortex as the disease's initial point of dysfunction. "In this study, we show the ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Home exercise can ease hopelessness in coronary heart disease patients

Home exercise can ease feelings of hopelessness in people with coronary heart disease, according to a small study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. Feeling hopeless can be dangerous because it can discourage people from taking healthful steps such as exercising or quitting smoking, said Susan L. Dunn, Ph.D., R.N., lead author of the study and a professor of nursing at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. People with hopelessness may also suffer from depression, which is marked by a loss of interest in activities they normally enjoy. "For ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

New wireless ECG saves treatment time for people with severe heart attacks

A new trans-satellite wireless 12-lead ECG can identify the most severe type of heart attack swiftly and save significant time from ambulance to angioplasty, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. An ECG measures the electrical activity of the heart and helps medical personnel determine if a person had an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Angioplasty, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is a procedure in which an inflatable balloon opens a blocked artery to restore blood flow to the heart. During ...

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Science18 Nov 2014

People who gained weight after quitting smoking still had lower death risk

In a small study in Japan, people who stopped smoking didn't face increased death risk if they gained weight, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. "Quitters had a significantly lower risk of death compared to smokers regardless of their weight change after they stopped smoking," said Hisako Tsuji, M.D., lead author of the study. Researchers compared deaths from all causes in 1,305 Japanese adults who quit smoking to deaths among 2,803 Japanese smokers. Participants in both groups were 65 percent men, average age ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Education and feedback may help improve heart health among high-risk groups

Using a smart phone app for education and feedback about heart-healthy behavior may decrease the risk for heart and blood vessel disease among young black women, researchers said in a pilot feasibility study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. "We need to raise awareness among women and their healthcare providers of gender and racial differences in cardiovascular disease," said Jo-Ann Eastwood, Ph.D., study lead author and associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing. "Women are social by nature, ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Patients counseled on genetic heart disease risk feel they have more control over fate

Adults counseled on their genetic risk of coronary heart disease believe they have more control over their fate, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. Researchers examined the impact of disclosing risk of 10-year heart disease with or without genetic risk information to 207 patients (48 percent male, average age 58) participating in Myocardial Infarction GENES (MI-GENES), a randomized controlled study. The study's key elements included a risk score based on established risk factors and a genetic risk score based ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Healthy diet linked to decreased blood-pressure measurements

A heart-healthy diet is related to decreased blood pressure measurements, researchers said in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for the development of heart and blood vessel disease. It is known that following U.S. dietary guidelines can decrease the risk for heart and blood vessel disease, their effects on specific blood pressure measurements were unclear. In this study, researchers found that blood pressure measurements were higher among study participants who did not follow ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Social media strategy may increase public awareness about donor heart needs

Using social media to deliver both emotional and concise medical content as well as the need for heart transplants and organs resulted in a higher engagement with members, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014." "Social media has not been used extensively in the healthcare industry, and if we can effectively bridge the gap between health education and medicine using social networks and peer influence, we can potentially have many beneficial applications to the healthcare system," said Mohammad Soroya, lead author ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Youths with a family history of substance use disorders have less efficient forebrain

Youths with a family history of alcohol and other drug use disorders have a greater risk of developing substance-use disorders (SUDs) themselves than their peers with no such family histories. A new study examines forebrain activity in youths with and without a family history of SUDs. Findings indicate that youths with a family history have forebrain regions that function less efficiently. Researchers and clinicians know that youths with a family history of alcohol and other drug use disorders (FH+) have a greater risk of developing substance-use disorders (SUDs) ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Chronic alcohol intake can damage white matter pathways across the entire brain

Chronic misuse of alcohol results in measurable damage to the brain. A new study uses high-resolution structural magnetic resonance (MR) scans to compare the brains of individuals with a history of alcoholism versus those of healthy light drinkers. The abstinent alcoholics showed pronounced reductions in frontal and superior white matter tracts. Chronic misuse of alcohol results in measurable damage to the brain. Chronic drinking may be particularly damaging to the integrity of frontal white matter tracts, which can interfere with cognitive and inhibitory control ...

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Science18 Nov 2014

Childhood adversity hinders genetic protection against problem drinking in white men

An alcohol metabolizing gene called ADH1B is strongly linked to risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). The His allele (genetic variant) at ADHD1B-rs1229984 is considered protective against AUDs. Experiencing adverse events during childhood, such as physical or sexual abuse or witnessing violence, is a well-documented risk factor for alcohol problems. A study of the effects of both the ADH1B gene and childhood adversity has found that under conditions of childhood adversity, the ADH1B His allele does not exert its protective effects against problem drinking in European-American ...

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Science18 Nov 2014

Paramecia need Newton for navigation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- For such humble creatures, single-celled paramecia have remarkable sensory systems. Give them a sharp jab on the nose, they back up and swim away. Jab them in the behind, they speed up their swimming to escape. But according to new research, when paramecia encounter flat surfaces, they're at the mercy of the laws of physics. The findings, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, come from some surprising results in research performed in recent years by James Valles, professor and chair of physics at Brown University, and ...

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Science18 Nov 2014

Ancient New Zealand 'Dawn Whale' identified by Otago researchers

University of Otago palaeontologists are rewriting the history of New Zealand's ancient whales by describing a previously unknown genus of fossil baleen whales and two species within it. Otago Department of Geology PhD student Robert Boessenecker and his supervisor Professor Ewan Fordyce have named the new genus Tohoraata, which translates as 'Dawn Whale' in Māori. The two whales, which lived between 27-25 million years ago, were preserved in a rock formation near Duntroon in North Otago. At that time the continent of Zealandia was largely or completely under ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Scientists get to the heart of fool's gold as a solar material

MADISON, Wis. - As the installation of photovoltaic solar cells continues to accelerate, scientists are looking for inexpensive materials beyond the traditional silicon that can efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. Theoretically, iron pyrite -- a cheap compound that makes a common mineral known as fool's gold -- could do the job, but when it works at all, the conversion efficiency remains frustratingly low. Now, a University of Wisconsin-Madison research team explains why that is, in a discovery that suggests how improvements in this promising material could ...

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Medicine18 Nov 2014

Vanderbilt study finds nationwide decline in one type of serious heart attack

The most emergent form of heart attacks is decreasing nationwide, but this declining incidence could affect emergency departments' quality and timeliness of care. This is the key finding of a Vanderbilt University study released today in the American Journal of Cardiology and presented at the national American Heart Association meeting in Chicago this week. Using data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, the nation's largest database of information about emergency department visits, the researchers found that approximately 250,000 patients present in emergency ...

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