الخميس، 15 مارس 2012

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Health groups issue cervical cancer screening guidelines

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 03:33 PM PDT

A coalition of three health groups has released new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. The guidelines generally advise a reduction in the number of tests women get over their lifetime to better ensure that they receive the benefits of testing while minimizing the harms.

How to best help your child lose weight: Lose weight yourself

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 02:07 PM PDT

A parent's weight change is a key contributor to the success of a child's weight loss in family-based treatment of childhood obesity.

Loss of appetite deciphered in brain cell circuit

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 02:06 PM PDT

A brain circuit has been deciphered that mediates loss of appetite in mice. Potential therapeutic targets were discovered within the cell-signaling pathway. The results may be valuable in developing new treatments for such eating disorders as persistent nausea, food aversions, and anorexia nervosa.

Evidence builds that meditation strengthens the brain

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 02:06 PM PDT

Researchers have found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification ("folding" of the cortex, which may allow the brain to process information faster) then non-meditators. Further, a correlation was found between the amount of gyrification and the number of meditation years, possibly providing further proof of the brain's neuroplasticity.

Lack of sleep may increase calorie consumption

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 02:04 PM PDT

If you don't get enough sleep, you may also eat too much -- and thus be more likely to become obese.

Eye health is related to brain health

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 01:59 PM PDT

People with mild vascular disease that causes damage to the retina in the eye are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills because they may also have vascular disease in the brain, according to a new study.

Killer silk: Making silk fibers that kill anthrax and other microbes in minutes

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:31 AM PDT

A simple, inexpensive dip-and-dry treatment can convert ordinary silk into a fabric that kills disease-causing bacteria -- even the armor-coated spores of microbes like anthrax -- in minutes. Researchers describe a range of potential uses for this new killer silk, including make-shift curtains and other protective coatings that protect homes and other buildings in the event of a terrorist attack with anthrax.

Scientists discover drug side effects, interactions using new computer algorithm

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:28 AM PDT

Researchers have devised a computer algorithm that enabled them to swiftly sift through millions of reports to the US Food and Drug Administration by patients and their physicians and identify "true" drug side effects. The method also identified previously unsuspected interactions between pairs of drugs, notably that antidepressants called SSRIs interact with a common blood pressure medication to significantly increase the risk of a potentially deadly heart condition.

Walking may lessen the influence of genes on obesity by half

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:28 AM PDT

Watching too much TV can worsen your genetic tendency towards obesity, but you can cut the effect in half by walking briskly for an hour a day, researchers report.

Researchers identify unexpected player in intestinal immunity

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 11:20 AM PDT

With every meal, immune cells in the intestine stand like sentries at a citadel, turning away harmful bacteria but allowing vitamins and nutrients to pass. Now, researchers have identified the cells that chaperone food antigens, or proteins, in the intestine so that the immune system doesn't mount an attack. Their discovery provides scientists with a potential target for therapies against inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease and food allergies.

Biologists uncover surprising connection between breast cancer cells and surrounding tissue

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 10:34 AM PDT

Biologists had found a previously unknown connection between breast cancer tumor cells and the surrounding healthy tissue. The results provide new information on the earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis.

How salmonella avoids the body's immune response

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:59 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered how salmonella, a bacterium found in contaminated raw foods that causes major gastrointestinal distress in humans, thrives in the digestive tract despite the immune system's best efforts to destroy it.

Epigenetic signatures direct the repair potential of reprogrammed cells

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:46 AM PDT

A research team has reprogrammed skin cells to identify epigenetic signatures that regulate the expression of a protein critical for repair of non-healing wounds. Identification of these signatures holds promise for future research aimed at applying these cells for personalized tissue regeneration.

H. pylori bacteria linked to blood sugar control in adult type II diabetes

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:46 AM PDT

A new study reveals that the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria is associated with elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important biomarker for blood glucose levels and diabetes. The association was even stronger in obese individuals with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). The results suggest the bacteria may play a role in the development of diabetes in adults.

Motivation to be active may lead to impulsive behavior

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PDT

Those motivated to actively change bad habits may be setting themselves up for failure, a new study suggests.

Health and ecosystem issues found with popular pavement sealcoat

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PDT

A parking lot at the edge of the University of New Hampshire campus has contributed important research to an emerging concern for the environment and human health. The research has found that one type of pavement sealcoat, common on driveways and parking lots throughout the nation, has significant health and ecosystem implications.

'Brain fog' of menopause confirmed

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:40 AM PDT

The difficulties that many women describe as memory problems when menopause approaches are real, according to a new study. The findings won't come as a surprise to millions of women, but the results validate their experiences and provide some clues to what is happening in the brain as women hit menopause.

REM sleep disorder doubles risk of mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's, study finds

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:12 AM PDT

People with symptoms suggesting rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, have twice the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or Parkinson's disease within four years of diagnosis with the sleep problem, compared with people without the disorder, a new study has found.

Few genes control neuronal function

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:04 AM PDT

How are 100 billion cells created, each with specific duties? The human brain is evidence that nature can achieve this. Researchers have now taken a step closer to solving this mystery.

Capturing chromosomes during cell division

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:04 AM PDT

Scientists have been successful in elucidating a new mechanism for the error-free segregation of the human genome during cell division. They have been able to show that the enzyme Aurora B and the protein complex Ska play a central role in flawless chromosome segregation.

Are silver nanoparticles harmful?

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:04 AM PDT

Silver nanoparticles cause more damage to testicular cells than titanium dioxide nanoparticles, according to a recent study. However, the use of both types may affect testicular cells with possible consequences for fertility.

Shyness study examines how human brain adapts to stimuli

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Shyness may be the result of deficits in two areas of the brain, new research finds.

Magnesium lowers blood pressure, study suggests

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 08:03 PM PDT

Researchers have found that magnesium supplements may offer small but clinically significant reductions in blood pressure. The researchers also discovered that the size of the effect increased in line with increased dosage.

A new approach to faster anticancer drug discovery

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 04:02 PM PDT

Tracking the genetic pathway of a disease offers a powerful, new approach to drug discovery, according to scientists who used the approach to uncover a potential treatment for prostate cancer, using a drug currently marketed for congestive heart failure.

Cancer epigenetics: Breakthrough in identifying target genes

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 04:01 PM PDT

Cancer is usually attributed to faulty genes, but growing evidence from the field of cancer epigenetics indicates a key role for the gene "silencing" proteins that stably turn genes off inside the cell nucleus. A new study promises to speed research in the field by rapidly identifying the genes that epigenetic proteins can target for silencing.

Arthritis drugs hold promise for multiple sclerosis

Posted: 12 Mar 2012 12:26 PM PDT

Research suggests that a class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis seeking approval this year could be effective against other autoimmune diseases.
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