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• Drug to reverse breast cancer spread in development
• From one cell to many: How did multicellularity evolve?
• Space-raised flies show weakened immunity to fungus
• Highly reliable brain-imaging protocol identifies delays in premature infants
• Variation in circadian clock protein in fruit flies discovered
• Clinical trial studies vaccine targeting cancer stem cells in brain cancers
• What's with Sloth's Dangerous Bathroom Break? Maybe Hunger
• Scientists develop powerful new animal model for metastatic prostate cancer
• Do patient decision support interventions lead to savings? A systematic review
• Researchers use sensory integration model to understand unconscious priming
• Maternal-fetal medicine professionals identify ways to reduce first cesarean
• Patient participation in surgical safety checklist a win-win
• System leads to 47 percent more 'on-time' surgeries
• High-intensity strength training shows benefit for Parkinson's patients
• Integrating vegetation into sustainable transportation planning may benefit public health
• Researchers developing new approach for imaging dense breasts for abnormalities
• Infections damage ability to form spatial memories
• New prostate cancer drugs may not target root cause of disease, scientists warn
• More relief options may be available for hay fever sufferers
• Researchers identify two HIV-1 envelope immunogens capable of eliciting antibodies associated with vaccine protection
• Researchers find epileptic activity spreads in new way
• Biomarker for stress hormones in polar bears, wildlife affected by global climate change
• Diabetes: Having a spouse with diabetes is a risk factor for diabetes yourself
• Simple protein test could improve prediction of survival rates for patients with head, neck cancer
• Birch helps wounds heals faster
• Dietary treatment shows potential in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
• Patients receiving ADT should be counseled to improve mental, emotional well-being
• Exploring the roots of the problem: How a South American tree adapts to volcanic soils
• Ultrasound training should be implemented early into medical education programs
• Almost 200 years later, are we living in the final days of the stethoscope?
• Would criminalizing guilty healthcare professionals improve patient care?
• Small size in early pregnancy linked to poor heart health later in life

Drug to reverse breast cancer spread in development Posted: 25 Jan 2014 07:49 PM PST Researchers at Cardiff University are developing a novel compound known to reverse the spread of malignant breast cancer cells. The vast majority of deaths from cancer result from its progressive spread to vital organs, known as metastasis. In breast cancer up to 12,000 patients a year develop this form of the disease, often several years after initial diagnosis of a breast lump. In a recent series of studies, researchers identified a previously unknown critical role for a potential cancer causing gene, Bcl3, in metastatic breast cancer.

From one cell to many: How did multicellularity evolve? Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST In the beginning there were single cells. Today, many millions of years later, most plants, animals, fungi, and algae are composed of multiple cells that work collaboratively as a single being. Despite the various ways these organisms achieved multicellularity, their conglomeration of cells operate cooperatively to consume energy, survive, and reproduce. But how did multicellularity evolve?

Space-raised flies show weakened immunity to fungus Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST Venturing into space might be a bold adventure, but it may not be good for your immune system. Now a study shows how growing up on the Space Shuttle weakened a key arm of the immune system in Drosophila flies.

Highly reliable brain-imaging protocol identifies delays in premature infants Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST Infants born prematurely are at elevated risk for cognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits -- the severity of which was, until recently, almost impossible to accurately predict in the neonatal period with conventional brain-imaging technology. But physicians may now be able to identify the premature infants most at risk for deficits as well as the type of deficit, enabling them to quickly initiate early neuroprotective therapies, by using highly reliable 3-D MRI imaging techniques developed by clinician scientists.

Variation in circadian clock protein in fruit flies discovered Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:23 PM PST Scientists have studied genetic variation in circadian clock genes in wild populations of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster -- and has discovered that their genes have developed different genetic variations that are functionally important. The circadian clock is a molecular network that generates daily rhythms, and is present in both plants and animals.

Clinical trial studies vaccine targeting cancer stem cells in brain cancers Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:22 PM PST An early-phase clinical trial of an experimental vaccine that targets cancer stem cells in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, has been launched.

What's with Sloth's Dangerous Bathroom Break? Maybe Hunger Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:22 PM PST For the three-toed sloth, a trip to the restroom is no rest at all. It's a long, slow descent into mortal danger from the safety of home among the upper branches of the forest.

Scientists develop powerful new animal model for metastatic prostate cancer Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, yet research has been stymied by imperfect animal models of the disease. Now, scientists have developed a new method to rapidly create much better mouse models for the most lethal, terminal events of metastatic prostate cancer. This discovery allows scientists to investigate the causes of the disease while at the same time testing new therapeutics to treat it.

Do patient decision support interventions lead to savings? A systematic review Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Publicity surrounding the implementation of patient decision support interventions traditionally focuses on two areas of improvement: helping patients make better decisions AND lowering health care spending. The use of patient decision support interventions as a means to generate health care savings has been widely advocated, but the extent and quality of evidence is unclear. A systematic review found that the evidence for savings was not as broad or deep as suspected.

Researchers use sensory integration model to understand unconscious priming Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Priming, an unconscious phenomenon that causes the context of information to change the way we think or behave, has frustrated scientists as they have unsuccessfully attempted to understand how it works. But, recent failures to replicate demonstrations of unconscious priming have resulted in a heated debate within the field of psychology. In a breakthrough paper, Carnegie Mellon University researchers use a well-established human perception theory to illustrate the mechanisms underlying priming and explain how its effects do not always act as predicted.

Maternal-fetal medicine professionals identify ways to reduce first cesarean Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST A recently published article outlines a collaboration of specialists providing obstetrical care in helping to identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary first cesarean deliveries.

Patient participation in surgical safety checklist a win-win Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Patients feel safer – and likely are safer – when they receive a surgical safety checklist and request that their health care providers use it, suggests a pilot study.

System leads to 47 percent more 'on-time' surgeries Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Implementing a system to ensure the surgical team uses the most effective practices resulted in significant improvements in operating room performance, suggests research.

High-intensity strength training shows benefit for Parkinson's patients Posted: 24 Jan 2014 01:12 PM PST Researchers say that high-intensity strength training produced significant improvements in quality of life, mood and motor function in older patients with Parkinson's disease.

Integrating vegetation into sustainable transportation planning may benefit public health Posted: 24 Jan 2014 10:57 AM PST Strategic placement of trees and plants near busy roadways may enhance air quality and positively impact public health.

Researchers developing new approach for imaging dense breasts for abnormalities Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:11 AM PST Engineers and radiologists develop new approach for diagnostic imaging of dense breasts with suspicious lesions. MRI/near-infrared spectroscopy technique offers greater flexibility, speed, and accuracy. Technology shows promise for improving MRI's ability to distinguish cancer from benign abnormalities.

Infections damage ability to form spatial memories Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:11 AM PST Increased inflammation following an infection impairs the brain's ability to form spatial memories, according to new research. The impairment results from a decrease in glucose metabolism in the brain's memory center, disrupting the neural circuits involved in learning and memory. This is the first study to image the effects of inflammation on the brain. The findings help explain why inflammation impairs memory and could spur the development of new drugs targeting the immune system to treat dementia.

New prostate cancer drugs may not target root cause of disease, scientists warn Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:07 AM PST New drugs being developed for the treatment of prostate cancer may not be targeting the root cause of the disease, according to research published.

More relief options may be available for hay fever sufferers Posted: 24 Jan 2014 08:07 AM PST There is more to seasonal allergies than a little congestion and sneezing. If you notice eating watermelon, cantaloupe or avocado make you cough and itch, it may be a symptom of ragweed allergy. But more help might be on the way for some of the 23 million hay fever sufferers.

Researchers identify two HIV-1 envelope immunogens capable of eliciting antibodies associated with vaccine protection Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:17 AM PST Researchers identified two HIV-1 Envelope immunogens that elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies when introduced as a vaccine.

Researchers find epileptic activity spreads in new way Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:37 AM PST Biomedical engineers have found that epileptic activity can spread through a part of the brain in a new way, suggesting a possible novel target for seizure-blocking medicines. Evidence from a series of experiments and computer modeling strongly suggests individual cells in a part of the brain, known as the hippocampus, use a small electrical field to stimulate and synchronize neighboring cells, spreading the activity layer by layer.

Biomarker for stress hormones in polar bears, wildlife affected by global climate change Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:36 AM PST Researchers have reported fluctuations in climate and ice cover related to stress in polar bears as indicated by levels of cortisol in hair samples.

Diabetes: Having a spouse with diabetes is a risk factor for diabetes yourself Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:27 AM PST Living in a household implies sharing duties and responsibilities but it could also imply sharing your diabetes. Medical researchers have shown, through combined analyses of several studies, evidence that spousal diabetes is a diabetes risk factor.

Simple protein test could improve prediction of survival rates for patients with head, neck cancer Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:26 AM PST Scientists used a simple protein test that could prove more useful in predicting survival chances for patients with head-and-neck cancer compared to existing methods. The team believes the test could allow doctors to choose more appropriate and tailored treatments. Oral cancers, including the tongue and tonsils, are usually associated with tobacco and alcohol intake. However, increasing numbers of cases are instead linked to human papillomaviruses (HPV).

Birch helps wounds heals faster Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:26 AM PST Pharmaceutical researchers elucidate the effect of a natural extract -- from birch trees.

Dietary treatment shows potential in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:25 AM PST According to current understanding, Alzheimer's disease develops slowly and it may take up to 20 years before the first obvious symptoms occur. With the development of early diagnostics of the disease, the question of which treatments to offer to completely healthy people with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's becomes of key importance in the field of medicine. Various dietary treatments seem a promising alternative.

Patients receiving ADT should be counseled to improve mental, emotional well-being Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:23 PM PST A new study reports that prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) experienced changes in mental and emotional well-being during treatment, although there was no meaningful decline in emotional quality of life two years after treatment. Investigators recommend counseling men about the potential adverse effects of ADT as well as the interventions to improve mental and emotional health such as exercise programs and diet.

Exploring the roots of the problem: How a South American tree adapts to volcanic soils Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:23 PM PST Soils of southern South America, including Patagonia, have endured disturbances from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, and erosion. Also, massive fires in the mid-20th century were set to forests in order to promote colonization. In 2010, another 17,000 acres of Patagonia burned, fueling an international reforestation effort. Although the young soils of Patagonia may contain high phosphorus levels, the element is tightly bound to the soil. How can local plants take root and access that phosphorus?

Ultrasound training should be implemented early into medical education programs Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:20 PM PST A new paper advocates including ultrasound in medical education programs to realize the full benefits of the technology as early as possible.

Almost 200 years later, are we living in the final days of the stethoscope? Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:20 PM PST New research suggests the world of medicine could be experiencing its final days of the stethoscope due to the rapid advent of point-of-care ultrasound devices that are becoming increasingly accurate, smaller to the point of being hand-held and less expensive as the years pass.

Would criminalizing guilty healthcare professionals improve patient care? Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:20 PM PST The UK government is considering whether to adopt a recommendation to introduce a new criminal sanction in cases where healthcare workers are "unequivocally guilty of willful or reckless neglect or mistreatment of patients." A discussion on asks whether this will improve patient care.

Small size in early pregnancy linked to poor heart health later in life Posted: 23 Jan 2014 07:20 PM PST Poor growth in the first three months of pregnancy is associated with a range of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood, finds a study published.

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