Health: Interesting Stories from Medical News Today

Here is the latest Health News from Medical News Today.

Medical News Today: Bipolar, autism, and schizophrenia might share genetic origin
Researchers investigating rare genetic variations involved in bipolar disorder find an intriguing link to other psychiatric conditions, such as autism and schizophrenia.

Medical News Today: My baby is imitating me…or is she?
Human babies are not born with the ability to imitate the gestures of others, but probably learn to around the age of 6 to 8 months, says research that challenges popular opinion.

Medical News Today: Vitamin D supplementation among infants boosts muscle mass at 3 years
Giving infants extra vitamin D in their first year of life appears to encourage muscle development and reduce the proportion of fat by the age of 3 years.

Medical News Today: Poor fetal, maternal outcomes linked to high-fructose diet in pregnancy
Consuming too much fructose – often present in processed foods – during pregnancy may restrict fetal growth and cause placental defects, a new study suggests.

Medical News Today: Schizophrenia, bipolar tied to yeast infection
Research finds a history of Candida yeast infection is more common in men with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and in women with these illnesses who have memory problems.

Medical News Today: Warfarin use for atrial fibrillation increases dementia risk
A new study using data from more than 10,000 patients demonstrates a link between warfarin, atrial fibrillation, and an increased risk of dementia.

Medical News Today: ALS may arise from protein build-up in nerve cells
Mutations in the gene SOD1 are known to cause ALS, but it was not known if the associated protein was involved. Now, a study shows the protein may drive ALS in a prion-like way.

Medical News Today: What are the Health Benefits of Walnuts?
Learn all about the health benefits of walnuts. This article provides both nutritional information and recipes for these single-seeded stone fruits.

Medical News Today: Antibiotics can promote ‘bad’ gut microbes by disrupting oxygen
A new study provides further insight into how antibiotics can paradoxically reduce infection and cause illness by disrupting conditions that alter good-bad gut microbe balance.

Medical News Today: Wired Health: Innovations within our reach
The third annual Wired Health conference took place last week in the United Kingdom, and MNT were on hand to report on how technology is helping to transform health.

Medical News Today: Medical error ’causes more than 250,000 deaths in the U.S. annually’
Researchers estimate that medical error is a cause of more than 250,000 deaths annually in the U.S., making it the third leading cause of death in the country.

Medical News Today: Early respiratory tract infections may raise children’s type 1 diabetes risk
Developing viral respiratory tract infections before 6 months of age may raise a child’s risk for type 1 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Medical News Today: Antibiotic use in America: 30 percent of prescriptions ‘inappropriate’
Although antibiotics have saved countless lives, their overuse is now producing antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. New research scopes out the extent of the problem.

Medical News Today: Prostate cancer: new drugs show promise against aggressive, resistant forms
Tests in mice show that new drugs called Hsp90 inhibitors can disable a mechanism in prostate cancer cells that allows them to evade standard treatment.

Medical News Today: Personalized breast cancer treatment steps closer with gene discovery
Researchers have shed light on which gene mutations and mutational signatures drive breast cancer development, bringing us closer to personalized treatment for the disease.

Medical News Today: Why do Labrador retrievers love food so much?
Labrador and flat-coat retrievers are particularly fond of food and are inclined to be obese. Understanding the genetic mutation underlying this could help treat human obesity.

Medical News Today: Flu vaccination during pregnancy protects infants in early life
Researchers hail flu vaccination during pregnancy as a ‘public health priority,’ after finding 97 percent flu-infected infants in a new study were born to non-vaccinated mothers.

Medical News Today: New swine flu epidemic could rise from rapidly evolving virus in pigs
Study shows human flu viruses rapidly evolve their antigens in pigs, creating strains unrecognized by human immune systems and raising potential for new swine flu outbreaks.

Medical News Today: Bile duct cancer risk may be reduced with aspirin use
The risk of bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma, was reduced by up to 3.6-fold for aspirin users in a new study, providing further evidence of the drug’s anticancer effects.

Medical News Today: Fasting no longer necessary before cholesterol test, experts say
In all countries except Denmark, patients have to fast before a cholesterol test. Now, after studying 300,000 people, experts say it makes little difference to cholesterol levels.

Medical News Today: What are the Effects of Using Salvia?
Learn all about the effects of the drug salvia. Salvia is a fast-acting hallucinogenic plant that can distort sensations of time and space.

Medical News Today: Does listening to the radio make driving more dangerous?
Driving while listening to the radio might interfere with our ability to notice hazards more than we once thought. Would you notice an elephant by the side of the road?

Medical News Today: PTSD could be prevented with gut microbes, study suggests
Researchers reviewing recent experimental and clinical data suggest targeting gut microbes could be a way to prevent neurological conditions, such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Medical News Today: Neurodegenerative disease damage reversed in fruit flies
Scientists have reversed damage to nerve cells by inhibiting two metabolites that are linked to nerve cell death, raising hopes for a future treatment.

Medical News Today: Happiness genes located for the first time
For the first time, from a genome-wide analysis of nearly 300,000 people, scientists have located gene variants associated with subjective well-being, depression, and neuroticism.

Medical News Today: Beer, chocolate intake among factors that influence the gut microbiome
Researchers from Belgium have uncovered numerous factors that influence the composition of gut microbiota, many of which are diet and lifestyle factors.

Medical News Today: Mediterranean diet linked to a healthier heart
People with heart disease who choose to eat from the Mediterranean diet food groups are less likely to have a heart-related event, a new study suggests.

Medical News Today: Lab-on-a-chip to measure glucose in a single drop of sweat
To aid earlier diabetes diagnosis, researchers are creating an ultra-sensitive lab-on-a-chip with fiber optic sensors to rapidly read off glucose levels from just a drop of sweat.

Medical News Today: Binge drinking may be encouraged by cycle of stress and reward
Two areas of the brain that are involved in stress response and reward are linked in a loop when people binge drinking, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to drink.

Medical News Today: Daily chocolate intake linked to lower risk of diabetes, heart disease
There is some welcome news for chocolate lovers; new research suggests eating chocolate every day may lower the likelihood of diabetes and heart disease.

Medical News Today: What Disorders Can Affect the Placenta During Pregnancy?
Learn about common disorders of the placenta, including placenta previa and placental abruption. This article will look at risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.

Medical News Today: Psoriasis and obesity may share genetic source
Psoriasis often occurs alongside metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and research now suggests that there may be a linked genetic cause.

Medical News Today: ‘Youth gene’ identified by researchers
Researchers have pinned down a particular genetic variation that plays a role in defining whether you look older or younger than your years.

Medical News Today: Alzheimer’s risk higher in people with rosacea
A new study finds that people with the chronic inflammatory skin condition rosacea appear to be at slightly higher risk of developing dementia – particularly Alzheimer’s disease.