http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—In the battle against aging and age-related neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, a key factor has long appeared to be the toxicity of proteins which tend to aggregate. Recently, scientists at University of Groningen, The Netherlands identified the protein-coding gene TDO2 that encodes for tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase – the enzyme that degrades tryptophan and thereby reduces its levels – as a metabolic regulator of age-related protein toxicity and lifespan in the eukaryotic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The researchers also showed that the regulation of lifespan occurred through evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways. The study demonstrated that TDO2 depletion increases tryptophan levels, while feeding C. elegans with extra L-tryptophan also suppresses toxicity. The researchers conclude that their findings suggest that TDO2 regulates proteotoxicity through tryptophan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-enzymes-aging-tryptophan-metabolism-key.html Medical research Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:00:01 EST news268652991 Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have identified a molecule in the immune system that could affect hunger and satiety. The researchers hope that new treatments for obesity will benefit from this finding. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-immune-molecule-affects-weight.html Immunology Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:39:29 EST news267701962 Two years ago, Randy Nelson, Ph.D., chair of neuroscience at Ohio State University, doctoral student Tracy Bedrosian, and colleagues reported that dim-light exposure at night was capable of triggering depressive-like behaviors in animals. The dim-light exposure, they explained, was comparable to having a television on in a darkened room. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-chronic-exposure-dim-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:26:15 EST news267693922 The diagnosis and treatment of cancer does not only trigger posttraumatic stress disorder in adults and older children; infants and toddlers with cancer also suffer from trauma disorders, as researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Children's Hospital Zurich show for the first time. This discovery should be taken into account while treating children to prevent them from developing long-term psychological disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-young-children-cancer-trauma-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:13:51 EST news266145217 As moms have always known, a good night's sleep is crucial to good health -- and now a new study led by a UCSF researcher shows that poor sleep can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-affects-potency-vaccines.html Immunology Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:17:14 EST news263013325 USC researchers show that men and women focus on different things when paying attention and are drawn away by different types of distractions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hey-im-men-women-differently.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:00:29 EST news262965621 (Medical Xpress) -- Experts have long since determined the recommended daily amounts of certain nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, but the numbers for nutrients like fiber have proven more difficult to nail down. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-future-fiber-children-nutrient.html Health Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:55:00 EST news262857292 (HealthDay) -- Got a weird ache or pain? A rash that's hung around too long? With the wealth of information now available at the click of a mouse, it's common to search the Web to figure out what may be wrong with you. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-symptom-experts-self-diagnosis-web.html Health Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:30:16 EST news262621803 Forest Institute doctoral student Gage Stermensky II recently conducted a study on consumer attitudes towards healthcare reform and the use of social media. More than 1,000 participants from around the US, of various ages, educational level, incomes, ethnicity, rural, and metropolitan areas participated in the study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-student-social-media-usage-healthcare.html Health Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:32:19 EST news261217897 Leading muscular dystrophy researcher Dean Burkin, of the University of Nevada School of Medicine summarizes the impact of a new protein therapeutic, MG53, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in an article published this week in Science Translational Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-muscular-dystrophy-therapies.html Medical research Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:38:12 EST news259576622 An Indiana University study found that teens and young adults who are members of multiple minority or disadvantaged groups face more discrimination than their more privileged peers and, as a result, report worse mental and physical health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-young-people-multiple-disadvantaged-groups.html Health Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:45:34 EST news258626726 New research confirms an association between smoking and a reduced risk for a rare benign tumor near the brain, but the addition of smokeless tobacco to the analysis suggests nicotine is not the protective substance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-nicotine-rare-tumor.html Cancer Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:44:11 EST news254403839 A Queen's physicist and a PhD student have developed a groundbreaking device that controls the depth of a laser cut, laying groundwork to provide pinpoint accuracy during surgeries. This new laser control technology is valuable in all surgeries where cutting too deeply could lead to serious complications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-groundbreaking-device-laser-accuracy-surgeries.html Surgery Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:49:26 EST news253979359 (Medical Xpress) -- Life gets off to a rough start for babies born to drug-dependent women, even when their mothers' addiction is clinically managed during pregnancy with methadone or other therapeutic replacement drugs. Born with their own chemical dependency, approximately 70 percent of these babies spend weeks in intensive care being treated for a cluster of unpleasant and dangerous symptoms of opiate withdrawal known collectively as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-long-term-effects-methadone-treatment-pregnancy.html Addiction Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:06:30 EST news251359572 Utilizing technology within smartphones and tablets for patient advantage, Di Pan, a doctoral student at ASU’s Department of Biomedical Informatics (BMI), has created a state of the art device to measure tremors in patients with Parkinson’s disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-biomedical-informatics-student-device-parkinson.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:44:27 EST news249896648 Only a few decades ago, sudden cardiac arrest was a death sentence. Today, a victim of sudden cardiac arrest is saved roughly once every six hours in Sweden, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reviewing all cases of sudden cardiac arrest over a 30-year period. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-sharp-decrease-deaths-sudden-cardiac.html Cardiology Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:21:28 EST news241262478 Developing type 2 diabetes is a lengthy process. An early sign that it has begun is high levels of insulin in the blood. As long as the insulin-producing beta cells are able to compensate for the increased demand, for example when the individual is overweight, the blood sugar levels remain normal. It is not until the capacity for insulin secretion falls below the level needed that type 2 diabetes becomes a fact. The latter stage generally goes quickly, as the stressed beta cells work themselves to death. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-molecular-link-diabetes-cancer.html Medical research Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:21:15 EST news240574867 Malcolm Oswald, a doctoral student in Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence in the School of Law, is a co-author of the new guide, entitled, Making Difficult Choices - Ethical Commissioning Guidance to General Practitioners. The document is aimed at all GPs but particularly those who will have a role as commissioners in clinical commissioning groups in England. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-doctoral-student-ethical-guidelines-gps.html Other Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:14:39 EST news239616873 Around one in 500 Swedes carry a genetic mutation which can cause sudden cardiac death. The diagnosis can lead to major lifestyle changes, but quality of life can be maintained with the right advice and support, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-broader-screening-sudden-cardiac-death.html Cardiology Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:44:58 EST news239381092 They're the prime demographic for developing eating disorders, yet new research out of the University of Cincinnati suggests that it could be difficult for college students to notice the warning signs. On Oct. 31, Ashlee Hoffman, a UC doctoral student in health promotion and education, will present her research, titled, "University Students' Knowledge of An Ability to Identify Disordered Eating, Warning Signs and Risk Factors," at the American Public Health Association's 139th annual meeting and exposition in Washington, DC. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-college-students-knowledge-disorders.html Health Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:28:22 EST news239275672 While mammography rates have improved among foreign-born women residing in the United States, these women are still less likely to have undergone breast cancer screening than native-born U.S. women. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-mammography-immigrants.html Cancer Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:18:49 EST news235660708 University of Cincinnati research finds that college students could be undermining their own education, simply because they're not practicing proper sleep habits. The study, led by Adam Knowlden, a UC doctoral student in UC's Health Promotion and Education Program, also holds recommendations for students to form better sleep habits that will ultimately enhance their learning. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-wakeup-college-students.html Health Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:14:39 EST news233918065