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BOSTON, July 31 (UPI) — Boston researchers say they have linked resting-state brain connectivity and spontaneous pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia.

Vitaly Napadow of Massachusetts General Hospital and colleagues at the University of Michigan enrolled 36 female subjects –18 fibromyalgia patients — mean age of 38.9 — and 18 healthy subjects as controls with a mean age of 36.1.

The fibromyalgia study subjects had been diagnosed for at least one year, reported pain for more than 50 percent of each day, and were willing to limit introduction of new medications or treatment strategies to control symptoms.

In addition to widespread pain, fibromyalgia patients report symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory problems and temperature sensitivity.

As a part of the study, 6 minutes of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from study subjects and analyzed.

Prior to the MRI scan, participants were asked to rate the intensity of their fibromyalgia pain on a scale of 0-10 — 0 being equivalent to no pain and 10 the worst pain ever. The study, published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, found pain scores ranged from 0 to 8.1.

“Our results clearly show that individuals with fibromyalgia have greater connectivity between multiple brain networks and the insular cortex, which is a brain region previously linked with evoked pain processing and hyperexcitability in fibromyalgia,” Napadow said in a statement.

The findings indicate pain arises from a complex interplay among multiple brain networks.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

BALTIMORE, July 31 (UPI) — University of Maryland researchers say discovery of a chemical in the brain that appears to reduce cognition could lead to pills that make people smarter.

The work on kynurenic acid could also be used in the development of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, The Baltimore Sun reported. But any drugs based on the discovery are years away.

Robert Schwarcz, a professor at the medical school, said he and his colleagues developed mice that had been genetically engineered to have 70 percent less kynurenic and found they were better at finding their way through mazes and performing other cognitive tasks. Scientists have also found high levels of the acid in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s and other diseases that involve the loss of brain function.

The human brain is stimulated to produce the acid when people eat food high in tryptophan, such as turkey.

Schwarcz said his research has mostly focused on helping healthy people function better.

“What happens with diseases would be a major add-on,” he said.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 31 (UPI) — U.S. researchers advise using highly sensitive fecal occult blood tests to economically screen for colon cancer.

Researchers at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C., say the colonoscopy is the most accurate method for detecting colorectal cancers early. However, the fecal occult blood tests may offer a more efficient use of limited budgets.

The study, published in Health Affairs, uses computer modeling to compare scenarios and concludes under fixed budget conditions, the fecal occult blood test provides the most benefit.

“Under the majority of the scenarios analyzed in this paper, the use of high-sensitivity guaiac fecal occult blood tests will result in more individuals receiving colorectal cancer screening than with colonoscopy and thus will result in a higher number of life-years gained than screening fewer individuals with colonoscopy,” study lead author Sujha Subramanian, a senior health economist at RTI, said in a statement.

However, Subramanian and colleagues suggest colonoscopy screening may be the optimal choice in some circumstances. For instance, if it is anticipated there will be very low compliance with diagnostic follow-up or when repeated annual testing is not feasible, choosing a colonoscopy would be preferable.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

MIAMI, July 31 (UPI) — Health officials are warning South Florida residents that mosquitoes carrying dengue fever can breed in a few ounces of water, even indoors.

Ed Bradford, head of mosquito control in Palm Beach County, said he found Aedes aegypti breeding in one family’s bathroom, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday.

“They were in the Waterpik,” Bradford said. “The family hadn’t used it in a while, I guess, and there was a little water left in it.”

In Broward County, Evaristo Miqueli said the mosquitoes turned up under the water dispenser on a refrigerator.

At least 46 people have been infected with dengue fever in Key West in the past 10 months, the first outbreak of the disease in the continental United States in more than 60 years. While all the cases so far have been mild, the disease can be fatal.

Experts say Aedes aegypti can be trickier to deal with than other mosquitoes, including the ones that carry encephalitis, malaria and West Nile. Those species tend to bite at night and are most active after heavy rains, while dengue mosquitoes bite during the day and live in and around houses.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 31 (UPI) — A U.S. researcher says post-menopausal women taking some diabetes drugs may be at greater risk of bone fractures.

Dr. William Herman of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor says postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes taking a group of drugs called thiazolidinediones — including rosiglitazone and pioglitazone — may significantly increase their risk of fractures.

Herman is senior author of study that shows greater fracture risk with both rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. This suggests, he says, a class effect of thiazolidinediones.

“Physicians should be aware of this risk and weigh the benefits and risks of therapy when they initially prescribe or renew prescriptions for thiazolidinediones,” Herman said in a statement.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, also finds men with diabetes who take both loop diuretics and thiazolidinediones may be at increased risk of fractures. Interestingly in men, Herman says, neither loop diuretics nor thiazolidinediones alone affect fracture risks significantly.

Herman and colleagues base their findings on a matched case-control study of 786 cases of fractures and 2,657 matched controls — diabetes patients without fractures — using data from a multicenter prospective observational study of diabetes patients in managed care.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (UPI) — A U.N. agency Saturday added Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands and Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea islands and atolls to the World Heritage List.

The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said in a release issued in New York .

The Central Highlands comprise the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. UNESCO says the region is considered a super biodiversity hot spot noted for its range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species, including the western purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard.

Papahanaumokuakea is an isolated cluster of small, low-lying islands and atolls about 150 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands and stretching for about 1,200 miles

UNESCO says the area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for native Hawaiian culture. It also is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.

The additions bring the total number of World Heritage Properties to 892.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has been meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, this week to review candidates for inclusion on its heritage list and assess its List of World Heritage in Danger.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

RALEIGH, N.C., July 31 (UPI) — U.S. researchers suggest a fad diet may work for some people because weight loss is achieved through a combination of genes and diet.

Researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh say their fruit fly studies show genetic interactions with diet are the source of metabolic variation. Diet alone makes a small contribution to the total variation, while genotype and genotype interactions with diet make very large contributions, the researchers say.

The study, published in Genetics, predicts an effective diet will be one tailored to an individual’s genes.

“Each person has a unique set of genetic and environmental factors contributing to his or her metabolic health,” lead investigator Laura Reed said in a statement. “We should stop looking for a panacea and start accepting that this is a complex problem that may have a different solution for each individual.”

Reed and colleagues measured several metabolic traits, including body weight in 146 different genetic lines of fruit flies as they were fed diets that were either nutritionally balanced, low calorie, high sugar or high fat. Some genetic lines were highly sensitive to diets — as reflected by changes in body weight — while flies of other lines showed little change in weight across diets.

The scientists say they ascertained what portion of metabolic variation was determined by genetics alone, by diet alone, or by the interaction between genotype and diet.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

PERTH, Australia, July 31 (UPI) — Australian researchers linked the “Western-style” diet — processed, fried and refined foods — and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Researchers at Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research say a diet high in the Western pattern of foods high in fat, refined sugar and sodium — is associated with more than double the risk of having an ADHD diagnosis compared with a diet low in the Western pattern.

The study, published in the International Journal of Attention Disorders, suggests teens eating what the researchers characterized as a healthy diet — lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and fish and high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, folate and fiber — provides mental health benefits and optimal brain function.

However, the researchers point out it is not clear if the healthy diet provides essential micronutrients needed for brain function — particularly attention and concentration — or if other substances in the Western diet — colors, flavors and other additives — may lead to an increase in ADHD symptoms. In addition, impulsivity — a characteristic of ADHD — leads to poor dietary choices such as quick snacks when hungry.

“We cannot be sure whether a poor diet leads to ADHD or whether ADHD leads to poor dietary choices and cravings,” study leader Wendy Oddy said in a statement.

Oddy and colleagues examined the dietary patterns of 1,800 adolescents of whom 115 had been diagnosed with ADHD by age 14.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

MUMBAI, July 31 (UPI) — India says it will introduce laws to regulate the lucrative “surrogacy tourism” practice of Indian women bearing children on behalf of childless Westerners.

Being surrogate mothers offers financial freedom for many Indian women, often allowing them to escape India’s slums and move into better housing with the proceeds gained from surrogate pregnancies, The Guardian reported Friday.

Since the practice was legalized in 2002, India has become a world center of “surrogacy tourism”.

A relative lack of red tape and prices a quarter of those in the United States or Europe bring thousands of childless couples to Indian clinics to be matched with surrogate mothers.

Indian experts predict the business will generate $2.3billion annually by 2012.

Now India has proposed measures to bring supervision to a largely unregulated practice, the report said.

One measure will require prospective parents prove infants born to a surrogate mother will have automatic citizenship in their home countries to avoid messy legal battles.

A second will stop clinics that perform the clinical procedures from sourcing, supplying and taking care of the surrogate mothers themselves.

“The IVF clinics’ job is to do IVF (in vitro fertilization). We want them away from the potential areas where corruption and malpractice take place,” said Dr. R.S. Sharma, deputy director general of the Indian Council for Medical Research, said.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.

AUGUSTA, Ga., July 31 (UPI) — Black teens deficient in vitamin D, who took vitamin D supplements of 2,000 international units, had less central arterial stiffness, U.S. researchers found.

“While we think of the sun as providing humans with most of our body’s requirement of vitamin D, 95 percent of the 44 black teenagers living in sunny Georgia who took part in this study were classified as vitamin D deficient,” lead author Dr. Yanbin Dong of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta said in a statement. “Our study shows vitamin D supplementation may improve cardiovascular health in black teens who don’t get enough vitamin D from their diet and sun exposure.”

The study involves 44 black teenagers — male and female — randomly assigned to receive either 400 IU of vitamin D per day as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics or 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day.

The study, accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in October, found those taking 400 IU of vitamin D per day did not achieve vitamin D sufficiency, but those who took 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day on average became vitamin D sufficient.

Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent.