http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A placebo can activate a number of biological mechanisms in the same way that medicine can, which is why we are now beginning to understand why a placebo can heal and alleviate symptoms. Psychosocial factors, such as words or how a person is received, can help to heal or bring relief. These findings are being presented by the Italian researcher Fabrizio Benedetti, who is the keynote speaker at the PNIRS 20th Scientific Meeting in Stockholm on Thursday, June 6. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-being-well-received-in-care.html Health Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:29:51 EST news289729784 Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology report details on the biological mechanisms through which cells degrade own cellular material, allowing them to survive starvation conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-insight-cell-survival.html Medical research Fri, 17 May 2013 08:23:25 EST news287997679 Bipolar disorder – where patients experience recurrent episodes of mood disturbance, ranging from extreme elation (mania) to severe depression – is thought to affect roughly 2% of the world's population in its most pronounced forms (bipolar I and II), with milder forms of the disorder affecting another 2%. A new Lancet Series provides a comprehensive overview of the genetics, diagnosis, and treatment of bipolar disorder, outlining future challenges, and debating imminent changes to the criteria that psychiatrists use to diagnose the illness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-lancet-series-bipolar-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 09 May 2013 18:30:02 EST news287337873 An experimental procedure successfully tested in obese laboratory rats may provide a less-invasive alternative to bariatric weight-loss surgery, researchers report online in Endocrinology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-alternative-bariatric-weight-loss-surgery.html Surgery Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:18:56 EST news286543129 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge have unpicked genetic variants that affect the formation of blood cells. They found that around a third of the variants play a role in gene regulation, and that the action of these variants is specific to individual cell types. The discovery is an important step towards unravelling the biological mechanisms behind variants identified in genome-wide scans of blood traits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-closer-biology-genetic-variants-linked.html Genetics Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:43:41 EST news285410601 Despite concerns that have been expressed about possible health risks from high intake of vitamin E, a new review concludes that biological mechanisms exist to routinely eliminate excess levels of the vitamin, and they make it almost impossible to take a harmful amount. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-excess-vitamin-intake-health.html Health Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:03:58 EST news285249831 Researchers have generated new insights into the ways in which physical activity affects how much estrogen is broken down and secreted in the urine of postmenopausal women. These findings enhance understanding of the potential biological mechanisms linking increased physical activity and decreased risk for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to the scientist who presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-approach-effect-physical-estrogen-metabolism.html Cancer Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:40:01 EST news284804476 Multiple genes contribute to risk for schizophrenia and appear to function in pathways related to transmission of signals in the brain and immunity, according to an international study led by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-multiple-genes-robustly-contribute-schizophrenia.html Genetics Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:48:25 EST news284744896 (Medical Xpress)—New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-blocking-inflammation-pathway-cardiac-fibrosis.html Medical research Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:10:05 EST news283167535 After outgrowing teenage infatuations with the girl next door, adult males seem to be biologically designed to avoid amorous attractions to the wife next door, according to a University of Missouri study that found adult males' testosterone levels dropped when they were interacting with the marital partner of a close friend. Understanding the biological mechanisms that keep men from constantly competing for each others' wives may shed light on how people manage to cooperate on the levels of neighborhoods, cities and even globally. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-men-natural-aversion-adultery-friends.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:27:12 EST news283076825 Smoking significantly increases individuals' risk of developing serious forms of urothelial carcinoma and a higher likelihood of dying from the disease, particularly for women. That is the conclusion of a recent study published in BJU International. While the biological mechanisms underlying this gender difference are unknown, the findings indicate that clinicians and society in general should focus on smoking prevention and cessation to safeguard against deadly cancers of the bladder, ureters, and renal pelvis, especially in females. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-linked-worse-urothelial-cancer-prognosis.html Cancer Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:44:38 EST news282476672 New findings about how the brain functions to suppress pain have been published in the leading journal in the field Pain, by National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway) researchers. For the first time, it has been shown that suppression of pain during times of fear involves complex interplay between marijuana-like chemicals and other neurotransmitters in a brain region called the amygdala. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reveal-brain-suppresses-pain-stress.html Neuroscience Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:35:28 EST news281799307 The belief that nervous shock can cause you to go grey overnight (medically termed canities subita) is one of those tales which could nearly be true. There are certainly cases in medical literature of rapid greying over quite short periods of time. And reported cases go back to antiquity including such legendary figures as Thomas More and Marie Antoinette. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-medical-myth-stress-hair-greyovernight.html Health Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:10:01 EST news281178027 After uncovering a mechanism that promotes chronic intestinal inflammation and the development of colorectal cancer, scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have found that fingolimod, a drug currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, could potentially eliminate or reduce the progression of colitis-associated cancer (CAC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-multiple-sclerosis-drug-day-colorectal.html Cancer Wed, 09 Jan 2013 09:24:39 EST news276945870 (Medical Xpress)—Higher body mass index (BMI) and physical inactivity are associated with more than a two-fold increase in risk for mortality among women with endometrial cancer, new research by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-healthy-bmi-physical-linked-endometrial.html Cancer Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:13:29 EST news276847998 (Medical Xpress)—The holidays are a time to consume—food, gifts, and spirits. Here are a few alcohol-related story ideas from The Methodist Hospital. Because alcohol's effects on human physiology are complex, advice about is often contradictory. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-toasting-health-alcohol-consumption.html Health Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:30:03 EST news275213041 The benefits of tea drinking have been shown again in a study that has found the risk of ovarian cancer is reduced in tea drinkers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-higher-regular-tea-consumption-benefits.html Health Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:02:24 EST news274525336 (Medical Xpress)—Hot flushes are not "in the head," but new research suggests they may start there. A UA research team has identified a region in the brain that may trigger the uncomfortable surges of heat most women experience in the first few years of menopause. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-hot-flushes-menopause-therapy.html Medical research Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:12:45 EST news274439553 (HealthDay)—For white middle-aged adults, there may be an association between variants in a gene associated with fat mass and obesity (FTO) and memory decline, according to research published online Nov. 7 in Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fat-gene-variants-linked-middle.html Neuroscience Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:00:01 EST news271593336 Scientists have adopted a novel laboratory approach for determining the effect of genetic variation on the efficiency of the biological process that translates a gene's DNA sequence into a protein, such as hemoglobin, according to a presentation, Nov. 6, at the American Society of Human Genetics 2012 meeting in San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-method-link-genomic-variation-protein.html Genetics Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:30:01 EST news271440596 Increased concentrations of the pregnancy hormones estradiol and progesterone were associated with an increased risk for hormone receptor-negative breast cancer diagnosed before age 50, according to the results of a nested case-control study presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held here Oct. 16-19, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-high-hormones-pregnancy-higher-hr-negative.html Cancer Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:00:06 EST news269786242 (Medical Xpress)—Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients sometimes experience "natural" improvements in disability at least over the short term, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-ms-patients-natural-disability.html Neuroscience Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:41:15 EST news269764866 (Medical Xpress)—Millions of Americans take antidepressants such as Prozac, Effexor, and Paxil, but the explanations for how they work never satisfied René Hen, a professor of psychiatry, neuroscience and pharmacology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-chemical-mechanism-antidepressants.html Neuroscience Fri, 21 Sep 2012 08:48:31 EST news267436101 Six months ago, researchers at UCLA published a study that showed using a specific type of yoga to engage in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer's and dementia. Now they know why. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-yoga-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:27:29 EST news262362442 Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified biological mechanisms by which glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a gut hormone, protects against kidney disease, and also mechanisms that inhibit its actions in diabetes. The findings, which are reported today online by Diabetes, may lead to the development of new therapeutic agents that harness the actions of GLP-1 to prevent the harmful effects of hyperglycemia on renal endothelial cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-joslin-gain-diabetes-kidney-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 23 Jul 2012 10:27:42 EST news262258055 Zebrafish, popular as aquarium fish, now have an important place in research labs as a model organism for studying human diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-zebrafish-insights-treatment-human-diseases.html Genetics Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:20:16 EST news260806747 It's clear where the black-and-white striped zebrafish got its name, but less obvious at first glance is what zebrafish has to do with biomedical research. Amazingly, it has biological similarities to humans, which are making this small freshwater fish an increasingly popular model organism for studying vertebrate development, genetics, physiology, and mechanisms of disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-versatility-zebrafish-highlighted-international-conference.html Genetics Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:11:37 EST news259517356 A long-term follow-up analysis of participants in the Step Study, an international HIV-vaccine trial, has confirmed that certain subgroups of male study participants were at higher risk of becoming infected after receiving the experimental vaccine compared to those who received a placebo. The vaccine used in the study did not contain the HIV virus, but it did contain HIV genes which were delivered to cells using a vector that employed a type of cold virus known as adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-early-elevated-hiv-infection.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 07 May 2012 11:35:16 EST news255609306 Pancreas cancer tumors spread quickly and are notoriously resistant to treatment, making them among the deadliest of malignancies. Their resistance to chemotherapy stems in part from a unique biological barrier the tumor builds around itself. Now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a way to break through that defense, and their research represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreas cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-scientists-pancreas-cancer-treatment-barrier.html Cancer Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:00:01 EST news251375099 A new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-differences-autism-brain-early-months.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:36:59 EST news248675809