http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A Michigan State University surgeon is teaming up with a Lansing-area dental benefits firm on a clinical trial to create a simple, cost-effective saliva test to detect oral cancer, a breakthrough that would drastically improve screening and result in fewer people dying of the world's sixth most common cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-saliva-oral-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:53:12 EST news253893177 Researchers at the University of Tokyo's School of Medicine have shown for the first time that caffeine intake can significantly increase the eye's ability to produce tears, a finding that could improve treatment of dry eye syndrome. This common eye condition affects about four million people age 50 and older in the United States. For many, dry eye syndrome is simply uncomfortable and annoying, but for others it escalates into a vision-threatening disease. All of the 78 participants in the new study produced significantly more tears after consuming caffeine than after taking a placebo. The study is available in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-caffeine-relief-millions-eye.html Ophthalmology Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:09:40 EST news253876156 There is little evidence that over the counter remedies for simple insect bites actually work, and in most cases, no treatment at all will suffice, concludes an evidence review in the April Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-evidence-insect-remedies.html Medications Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:30:04 EST news253378834 More than 75 percent of fourth-graders in urban and rural settings have measurable levels of a nicotine breakdown product in their saliva that documents their second-hand smoke exposure, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-majority-fourth-graders-exposed.html Health Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:16:02 EST news251612155 (AP) -- Angeline Chilton says she can't drive unless she smokes pot. The suburban Denver woman uses medical marijuana to ease multiple sclerosis symptoms and says she'd never get behind the wheel right after smoking. But her case underscores a problem that no one's sure how to solve: How do you tell if someone is too stoned to drive? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-stoned-epidemic-wrinkle-pot-debate.html Addiction Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:16:27 EST news251295321 A middle-aged man goes to see his doctor, complaining of a host of vague symptoms: He's lethargic, somewhat depressed and feeling a little anxious about his manliness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-reality.html Sleep apnea Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:20:01 EST news250772176 "Stand by me" is a common refrain when it comes to friendship but new research from Concordia University proves that the concept goes beyond pop music: keeping friends close has real physiological and psychological benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-friends-negating-negativity.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:52:59 EST news246801172 A saliva test used to diagnose the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is comparable in accuracy to the traditional blood test, according to a new study led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University. The meta-analysis, which compared studies worldwide, showed that the saliva HIV test, OraQuick HIV1/2, had the same accuracy as the blood test for high-risk populations. The test sensitivity was slightly reduced for low risk populations. The study, published in this week's issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, has major implications for countries that wish to adopt self-testing strategies for HIV. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-saliva-hiv-grade.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:40:02 EST news246626925 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from the University of California have found that negative social interactions can cause internal inflammation that may over time lead to possible health consequences. In the study, the results of which the team has published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team writes that stressful events can lead to increased production of cytokines, molecules that are produced when inflammation occurs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-negative-social-interactions-amounts-internal.html Medical research Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:50:05 EST news246610186 In a report on a preclinical investigation titled "Flagellin Enhances Saliva IgA Response and Protection of Anti-caries DNA Vaccine," lead author Wei Shi, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team of researchers demonstrate that anti-caries DNA vaccines, including pGJA-P/VAX, are promising for preventing dental caries. However, challenges remain because of the low immunogenicity of DNA vaccines. This study is published in the Journal of Dental Research, the official publication of the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-iadraadr-publish-dental-caries-vaccine.html Other Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:39:59 EST news238771528 As the United States nears another election day, researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have determined scientifically, for the first time, that voting is a stressful event, inducing measurable hormonal changes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-voting-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:20:26 EST news235225198 New parents have one more reason to pay attention to the oral health of their toothless babies. A recent University of Illinois study confirms the presence of bacteria associated with early childhood caries (ECC) in infant saliva. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-oral-babies-future-cavities.html Health Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:37:54 EST news232634237 (AP) -- Health officials say a bat on a flight from Wisconsin to Atlanta last week has sparked a national search for passengers to protect them against possible rabies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-wisconsin-flight-prompts-rabies-probe.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:52:15 EST news232375923 Knowing the right way to handle stress in the classroom and on the sports field can make the difference between success and failure for the millions of students going back to school this fall, new University of Chicago research shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-perspective-school.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:18:19 EST news232074895 Biobanks are repositories for tissue samples, usually in the form of blood or saliva or leftover tissue from surgical procedures. These samples are collected and used for future research, including genetic research. They may be linked to personal health information regarding the sample donor. People who are eligible to donate these samples and researchers who want to use them face important questions with respect to whether and how informed consent should be obtained for sample and health information collection and use. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-limited-consent-biobanks.html Genetics Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:07:35 EST news228539222 Self-conscious about your age? Careful where you spit. UCLA geneticists now can use saliva to reveal how old you are. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-scientists-accurately-age-saliva-sample.html Genetics Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:24:02 EST news227982232 Swabbing a newborn's mouth for saliva can be used to quickly and effectively screen for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, a leading cause of hearing loss in children, says research in the June 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-saliva-effective-screening-cmv-infection.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:43:22 EST news226168968