http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A new study shows that people who are socially active and not easily stressed may be less likely to develop dementia. The research is published in the January 20, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news151607118.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:06:00 EST news151607118 Scientists and regulators have a golden opportunity to reduce the health toll from a range of diseases by focusing more attention on identification of environmental factors that can damage the prenatal immune system as well as that of infants and children, according to an article scheduled for the Jan. 19 issue of ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology. http://www.physorg.com/news151582960.html Chemistry Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:22:40 EST news151582960 College-age football players who gain weight to add power to their blocks and tackles might also be setting themselves up for diabetes and heart disease later in life, a new study suggests. http://www.physorg.com/news151073243.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:47:23 EST news151073243 Researchers in Taiwan are designing a computer for pedal cyclists that tells them when to change gear to optimize the power they develop while maintaining comfort. The system is described in the latest issue of the International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation. http://www.physorg.com/news151064058.html Technology Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:14:18 EST news151064058 Even younger adults who have few short-term risk factors for heart disease may have a higher risk of developing heart disease over their lifetimes, according to new findings by a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher. http://www.physorg.com/news151000072.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:27:52 EST news151000072 A long-standing system for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease amongst older people should be replaced with something more accurate, according to a study published today on bmj.com. http://www.physorg.com/news150695292.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:48:12 EST news150695292 The international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium works on the discovery of obesity genes. So far, the scientists have analyzed two million DNA variations in 15 genome-wide association studies with a total of more than 32,000 participants. The hereby identified candidate genes were validated in 14 further studies including 59,000 participants. In addition to the FTO and MC4R genes already known, it was now possible for six more obesity genes to be identified: TMEM18, KCTD15, GNPDA2, SH2B1, MTCH2, and NEGR1. http://www.physorg.com/news150636788.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:33:08 EST news150636788 The combination of estrogen plus progestin, which women stopped taking in droves following the news that it may increase their risk of breast cancer, may decrease their risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news150616082.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:48:02 EST news150616082 (PhysOrg.com) -- To help protect its genes, a cell is highly selective about what it allows to move in and out of its nucleus. Yet that choosiness is regulated by just a thin barrier, perforated with tiny transport machines called nuclear pore complexes: protein-coated holes surrounded by flimsy, unfolded protein strands. Now, by building an artificial mimic of this membrane barrier and its pores, scientists have discovered a key to its selectivity and, in the process, have found a practical tool for drug development. http://www.physorg.com/news150475306.html Biology Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:41:46 EST news150475306 (PhysOrg.com) -- Men across the Asia-Pacific region have consistently higher mortality and hospitalization rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than corresponding rates for women in the region. http://www.physorg.com/news150389593.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:53:13 EST news150389593 Traditionally, doctors have had no clear way to predict which of their patients might be headed down the road to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have created a simple eight-point risk factor checklist to do just that. http://www.physorg.com/news149178396.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:26:36 EST news149178396 Testing patient's blood for two proteins or biomarkers that occur when inflammation is present could help doctors identify which patients are more likely to have a stroke, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online in the journal Stroke. http://www.physorg.com/news148844312.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:38:32 EST news148844312 (PhysOrg.com) -- Low glycemic foods - beans, peas, lentils, pasta, rice boiled briefly and breads like pumpernickel and flaxseed - do a better job of managing glycemic control for type 2 diabetes and risk factors for coronary heart disease than high-fibre diets, including whole grain breads, crackers and breakfast cereals. http://www.physorg.com/news148836815.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:33:35 EST news148836815 Persons with type 2 diabetes who had a diet high in low-glycemic foods such as nuts, beans and lentils had greater improvement in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease than persons on a diet with an emphasis on high-cereal fiber, according to a study in the December 17 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news148709030.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:03:50 EST news148709030 A study recently published online in the journal Risk Analysis estimates that eating one egg per day is responsible for less than 1 percent of the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy adults. Alternatively, lifestyle factors including poor diet, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity contribute 30 to 40 percent of heart disease risk, depending on gender. This study adds to more than thirty years of research showing that healthy adults can eat eggs without significantly affecting their risk of heart disease. http://www.physorg.com/news148641987.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:26:27 EST news148641987 Researchers at the UCSF Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center have identified a region on the human genome that appears to determine how strongly drinkers feel the effects of alcohol and thus how prone they are to alcohol abuse. http://www.physorg.com/news148063260.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:41:00 EST news148063260 A pair of proteins may help explain why people with surgically removed colorectal cancer and who are overweight, physically inactive, and follow a Western-pattern diet may have an increased risk of dying of the disease or other causes, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists report in a new study. http://www.physorg.com/news148057346.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:02:26 EST news148057346 For years, scientists have struggled to decipher the genetic instruction book that details where and when the 20,000 genes in a human cell will be turned on or off. Different genes operate in each cell type at different times, and this careful orchestration is what ultimately distinguishes a brain cell from a liver or skin cell. http://www.physorg.com/news147626045.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:14:05 EST news147626045 A third of Americans with diabetes do not know that they have it, and many more who have prediabetic conditions are unaware that they are at risk. A University of Missouri researcher has created a clinical tool to identify those at highest risk for having undetected hyperglycemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and undiagnosed diabetes. If these conditions are identified early, patients may benefit from preventative strategies that can minimize progression to diabetes, other diseases and mortality. http://www.physorg.com/news147621989.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:06:29 EST news147621989 Scientists have successfully created the first induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from adult monkey skin cells. The research, published by Cell Press in the December issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, demonstrates that the method of direct reprogramming is conserved among species and may be useful for creation of clinically valuable primate models for human diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news147532651.html Biology Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:17:31 EST news147532651 Vitamin D deficiency -which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness -may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure. http://www.physorg.com/news147374744.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:25:44 EST news147374744 (PhysOrg.com) -- The popular assumption that most suicides are the result of depression or other mental illness has been challenged by a study of male suicide which will be launched later today by researchers at the University of Western Sydney. http://www.physorg.com/news147362753.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:05:53 EST news147362753 Latina women have a lower risk of breast cancer than European or African-American women generally, but those with higher European ancestry could be at increased risk, according to data published in the December 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news147337377.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:02:57 EST news147337377 Screening for a panel of gene variants associated with the risk for type 2 diabetes can identify adults at risk for the disorder but is not significantly better than assessment based on traditional risk factors such as weight, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. A multi-institutional research team, led by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician, reports their analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study in the November 20 New England Journal of Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news146335183.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:39:43 EST news146335183 Teens who have never done drugs, but engage in other risky behaviours such as drinking, smoking and being sexually active, are more likely to use crystal meth, medical researchers at the University of Alberta have concluded. Among teens already doing other drugs, those with unstable family environments are most likely to do crystal meth, found the research team led by Dr. Terry Klassen, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. http://www.physorg.com/news146248469.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:34:29 EST news146248469 Important pedestrian safety issues have emerged with the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles. These vehicles are relatively quiet -they do not emit the sounds pedestrians and bicyclists are accustomed to hearing as a vehicle approaches them on the street or at an intersection. In a recent study, human factors/ergonomics researchers examined participants' preferences for sounds that could be added to quiet vehicles to make them easier to detect. http://www.physorg.com/news146140027.html Other Sciences Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:27:07 EST news146140027 Healthy adults with higher levels of phosphate in the blood are more likely to have increased levels of calcium in the coronary arteries -a key indicator of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular disease risk, reports a study in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). http://www.physorg.com/news145800211.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:03:31 EST news145800211 Diabetes appears to be linked with an increased risk of pelvic girdle syndrome. This is shown in a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Akershus University Hospital. http://www.physorg.com/news145792552.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:55:52 EST news145792552 By adding the results of an imaging technique to the traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease, doctors at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found they were able to improve prediction of heart attacks in people previously considered low risk. http://www.physorg.com/news145640287.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:38:07 EST news145640287 Hispanic patients were 57 percent less likely than Caucasian patients to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) one year after successful angioplasty, a type of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to open blockages in the coronary arteries. Hispanics also had a trend toward lower rates of overall repeat revascularization procedures including stenting and bypass surgery, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. http://www.physorg.com/news145458880.html Medicine & Health Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:14:40 EST news145458880