http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A new study examining the brains of fruit flies reveals a novel stem cell mechanism that may help explain how neurons form in humans. A paper on the study by researchers at the University of Oregon appeared in the online version of the journal Nature in advance of the June 27 publication date. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-neural-stem-cells-varied-neurons.html Medical research Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:41:57 EST news290886106 In what is believed to be the largest follow-up record of patients with the most common form of hereditary dystonia – a movement disorder that can cause crippling muscle contractions – experts in deep brain stimulation report good success rates and lasting benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-long-term-deep-brain-effective-common.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:39:01 EST news290885915 Advances in emergency medicine and trauma surgery have had a significant impact on survival of patients in the days immediately after major injuries, including burns. Patients who survive the immediate aftermath of their injuries now are at greatest risk from infections – particularly the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis – or from inflammation-induced multiorgan failure. Now, a device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators that measures the movement of key immune cells may help determine which patients are at greatest risk for complications, and a novel treatment that directly addresses the cause of such complications could prevent many associated deaths. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-movement-immune-cells-patients.html Medical research Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:38:01 EST news290885871 A mysterious new respiratory virus that originated in the Middle East spreads easily between people and appears more deadly than SARS, doctors reported Wednesday after investigating the biggest outbreak in Saudi Arabia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-mers-virus-easily-deadlier-sars.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:34:38 EST news290885659 Child care is linked to fewer emotional problems and symptoms of social withdrawal among children exposed to maternal depression, according to a new study of nearly 2000 children conducted by researchers in Montreal, Canada, at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), and University of Montreal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-group-based-child-linked-emotional-problems.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:20:51 EST news290884819 Approximately 13 million illnesses and over 110,00 hospitalizations may have been averted by the flu vaccine over the last 6 years in the U.S, according to calculations published June 19 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Deliana Kostova and colleagues from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-flu-shot-million-illnesses-hospitalizations.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:19:53 EST news290884675 A study of the patients who received injections of steroids contaminated with the fungus Exserohilum rostratum from the New England Compounding Center has found that some patients had fungal infections even though they did not experience a worsening of their symptoms and that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help detect infection, especially among those individuals who received injections from highly contaminated lots. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-evolution-outbreak-complications-contaminated-steroid.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:16:35 EST news290884573 One in four people who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the first year post-event, and one in nine experience chronic PTSD more than a year later. The data suggest that each year nearly 300,000 stroke/TIA survivors will develop PTSD symptoms as a result of their health scare. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published today in the online edition of PLOS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-patients-ptsd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:05:28 EST news290883915 In a major international study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the targeted therapy ibrutinib continues to show remarkable promise for the treatment of relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-ibrutinib-strong-mantle-cell-lymphoma.html Cancer Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:45:01 EST news290882694 People can plan strategic movements to several different targets at the same time, even when they see far fewer targets than are actually present, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-brain-actions-eye-doesnt.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:41:49 EST news290882478 Although as many as 25 percent of patients undergoing surgery suffer from sleep apnea, few hospitals have policies to help manage the risks of this condition during surgery, and there is little evidence to help guide anesthesiologists and surgeons caring for these patients. In a new editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Stavros Memtsoudis, M.D., Ph.D., director of Critical Care Services at Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City, calls for a new research initiative to identify the safest and most effective ways to manage patients with sleep apnea. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-guidance-urgently-epidemic-apnea-surgical.html Sleep apnea Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:10 EST news290859493 For the first time, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have identified which emotion a person is experiencing based on brain activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-emotions-based-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:07 EST news290860363 Two clinical studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine with an accompanying editorial suggest that the novel agent ibrutinib shows real potential as a safe, effective, targeted treatment for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-drug-efficacy-treatment-chronic-leukemia.html Cancer Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:06 EST news290872517 Some parents desire for their children to fulfill their own unrealized ambitions, just as psychologists have long theorized, according to a new first-of-its-kind study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-parents-child-redeem-broken-popular.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:01 EST news290860468 People who experience any stroke symptoms—but do not have a stroke—may also be more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking, according to new research published in the June 19, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-symptoms-memory-problems.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:00:02 EST news290857391 (HealthDay)—Addie Parker was a happy 4-year-old who appeared to have the flu. But within hours she was in a coma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-deadly-diabetes-doctors.html Diabetes Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:50:03 EST news290873038 (HealthDay)—In an effort to focus greater attention on the weight-gain epidemic plaguing the United States, the American Medical Association has now classified obesity as a disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-doctors-group-obesity-disease.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:50:01 EST news290872599 The number of US girls with the sexually transmitted disease HPV has dropped by about half even though relatively few youths are getting the vaccine, research showed on Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-sexually-transmitted-hpv-declines-teens.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:30:06 EST news290872161 (Medical Xpress)—Neurophysiologist like to think of neurons as communicating with spikes. If that were the whole story, it might be possible to imagine spike codes which could then be used to estimate the flow of information, and perhaps energy, in the brain. The reality as most in the field know, is that neurons do their bidding with transmitter-charged vesicles. The principles of vesicle operation, and by implication any codes that might be involved, are entirely different from those of spikes. While much of neuroscience has concerned itself with the interaction of these two phenomena, they have yet to be satisfactorily reconciled. A recent review appearing in Trends in Neuroscience suggests that sensory systems might offer the best clues towards divining the form of what we might call, an electric potential to vesicle fusion "transfer function." In particular, the researchers examine the ribbon synapses that tend to be found wherever fast, sustained and reliable transmission may be required. By making the case that spikes and graded potentials have complementary roles in transducing sensory information into vesicle fusion, they seek to better define the costs of synaptic transmission. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-efficient-transmission-sensory-synapses.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:30:01 EST news290872391 A team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has developed antibacterial compounds, derived from the outer coating of HIV, that could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections and appear to avoid generating resistance. These new agents are quite small, making them inexpensive and easy to manufacture. The research was published in the June 2013 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-hiv-derived-antibacterial-drug-resistant-bacteria.html Medical research Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:20:03 EST news290871996 (HealthDay)—Following the deaths of two patients three to four days after receiving a dose of Zyprexa Relprevv (olanzapine pamoate) via intramuscular injection, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting an investigation into the possible cause. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-fda-deaths-patients-antipsychotic-drug.html Medications Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:20:01 EST news290872547 A new understanding of the genetic process that can lead to cervical cancer may help improve diagnosis of potentially dangerous lesions for some women, and also raises a warning flag about the use of anti-viral therapies in certain cases – suggesting they could actually trigger the cancer they are trying to cure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-genetics-cervical-cancer-antiviral-therapy.html Cancer Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:10:05 EST news290871946 (HealthDay)—Implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) is a first step toward quality improvement and should be accompanied by use of new payment models to allow physicians to see a return on their investments, according to Farzad Mostashari, M.D., of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, who was recently interviewed by the American Academy of Family Physicians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-ehr-quality.html Health Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:04:41 EST news290873071 The role of dietary fructose in the development of obesity and fatty liver diseases remains controversial, with previous studies indicating that the problems resulted from fructose and a diet too high in calories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-dietary-fructose-liver-animal.html Health Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:02:34 EST news290872942 Much like physical exercise can re-chisel the body, researchers hope targeted mental workouts can sharpen the memory, focus and function of adults with schizophrenia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-brain-re-training-memory-focus-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:02 EST news290871697 (HealthDay)—Could screening for colon cancer someday be as easy as having a blood test? Researchers say just such a test is showing early promise in trials. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-gene-based-blood-colon-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:56:18 EST news290872572 New research out of the University of Minnesota identifies significant risk factors for suicidal behavior in youth being bullied, but also identifies protective factors for the same group of children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-factors-youth-involved-bullying.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:48:34 EST news290872108 Osteomyelitis – a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria – is particularly challenging to treat. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-modeland-treatmentfor-staph-bone-infections.html Medical research Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:47:57 EST news290872066 Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, Mayo Clinic researchers say. Antibiotics, antidepressants and painkilling opioids are most commonly prescribed, their study found. Twenty percent of patients are on five or more prescription medications, according to the findings, published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-americans-prescription-drugs.html Medications Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:43:31 EST news290871804 A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism is the first report of an oral probiotic supplement significantly increasing circulating vitamin D levels in the blood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-probiotic-lactobacillus-reuteri-ncimb-significantly.html Health Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:41:21 EST news290871670