ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New model to design better flu shots proposed
• How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature
• Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells
• Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors
• What makes anesthetics work
• Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil
• Severe congenital disorder successfully treated in a mouse model for the first time
• Brain size may predict risk for early Alzheimer's disease
• Myths and truths of obesity and pregnancy
• Balancing the womb: New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labour
• When nerve cells stop speaking: Neuroscientists decode important mechanism of nerve cell communication

New model to design better flu shots proposed Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST The flu shot, typically the first line of defense against seasonal influenza, could better treat the US population, thanks to new research.

How bacteria fight fluoride in toothpaste and in nature Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Researchers have uncovered the molecular tricks used by bacteria to fight the effects of fluoride, which is commonly used in toothpaste and mouthwash to combat tooth decay.

Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:34 AM PST Researchers have discovered the first known mechanism by which cells control the survival of messenger RNA (mRNA) -- arguably biology's most important molecule. The findings pertain to mRNAs that help regulate cell division and could therefore have implications for reversing cancer's out-of-control cell division.

Transcriptional elongation control takes on new dimensions as researchers find gene class-specific elongation factors Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:33 AM PST Life is complicated enough, so you can forgive the pioneers of DNA biology for glossing over transcriptional elongation control by RNA polymerase II, the quick and seemingly bulletproof penultimate step in the process that copies the information encoded in our DNA into protein-making instructions carried by messenger RNA. Researchers now not only add a new layer, but a whole new dimension to transcriptional elongation control with evidence that for each class of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), there exists a specific class of elongation factors.

What makes anesthetics work Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST Researchers have uncovered what cells respond to anesthesia in an organism known as the C. elegans, according to a new study.

Possible cure for leukemia found in fish oil Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:31 AM PST A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to researchers.

Severe congenital disorder successfully treated in a mouse model for the first time Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST Using a mouse model, researchers have for the first time successfully treated a severe congenital disorder in which sugar metabolism is disturbed. Scientists demonstrated that if female mice are given mannose with their drinking water prior to mating and during pregnancy, their offspring will develop normally even if they carry the genetic mutation for the congenital disorder.

Brain size may predict risk for early Alzheimer's disease Posted: 21 Dec 2011 06:12 PM PST New research suggests that, in people who don't currently have memory problems, those with smaller regions of the brain's cortex may be more likely to develop symptoms consistent with very early Alzheimer's disease.

Myths and truths of obesity and pregnancy Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:58 AM PST Ironically, despite excessive caloric intake, many obese women are deficient in vitamins vital to a healthy pregnancy. This and other startling statistics abound when obesity and pregnancy collide. Together, they present a unique set of challenges that women and their doctors must tackle in order to achieve the best possible outcome for mom and baby.

Balancing the womb: New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labour Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:57 AM PST New research hopes to explain premature births and failed inductions of labor.

When nerve cells stop speaking: Neuroscientists decode important mechanism of nerve cell communication Posted: 21 Dec 2011 07:56 AM PST By researching fruit flies, neuroscientists were able to gain a better understanding of a meaningful mechanism of neuronal communication. They demonstrated the importance of a specific protein for signal transmission between nerve cells. This is of high significance as certain people with autism - a functional development disturbances of the brain - suffer from genetic defects in this protein. Therefore the findings could improve the possibility of treating this disease more effectively.

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