ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Low oxygen levels could drive cancer growth, research suggests
• Environmental toxicants causing ovarian disease across generations
• A needle in a haystack: How does a broken DNA molecule get repaired?
• Genetic pathway of rare facial malformation in children pinpointed
• Awake mental replay of past experiences critical for learning
• Biased evidence? Researchers challenge post-marketing drug trial practices
• Naturally blond hair in Solomon Islanders rooted in native gene
• Possible protective blood factors against type 2 diabetes identified
• First gene linked to missing spleen in newborns
• Rats recall past to make daily decisions
• Genetic pathway impacting the spread of cancer cells discovered
• Insect glands may illuminate human fertilization process
• How mitochondrial genes are passed from mother to child
• Double duty: Versatile immune cells play dual roles in human skin
• Aged hematopoietic stem cells rejuvenated to be functionally younger
• Waking chick embryos before they are born
• Extra gene drove instant leap in human brain evolution
• Scientists show how a gene duplication helped our brains become 'human'
• Dynamic changes in gene regulation in human stem cells revealed
• Stem cells poised to self-destruct for the good of the embryo
• New technique generates predictable complex, wavy shapes: May explain brain folds and be useful for drug delivery
• Research explores the positives of bipolar disorder
• Presence of fetal cells in women lowers risk of breast cancer but raises risk of colon cancer
• Regular jogging shows dramatic increase in life expectancy
• A fish a day keeps the doctor away?
• Of Mice and Men: Characterization of a new autism gene
• Bacteria discovery could lead to antibiotics alternatives
• Some women may be genetically predisposed to smoking-related hot flashes
• Pleasure eating triggers body's reward system and may stimulate overeating
• Junior Seau’s death keeps spotlight on concussion issues in sports
• Study is first to show transgenerational effect of antibiotics

Low oxygen levels could drive cancer growth, research suggests Posted: 03 May 2012 04:42 PM PDT Low oxygen levels in cells may be a primary cause of uncontrollable tumor growth in some cancers, according to a new study. The authors' findings run counter to widely accepted beliefs that genetic mutations are responsible for cancer growth.

Environmental toxicants causing ovarian disease across generations Posted: 03 May 2012 04:42 PM PDT Researchers have found that ovarian disease can result from exposures to a wide range of environmental chemicals and be inherited by future generations. Reproductive biologists looked at how a fungicide, pesticide, plastic, dioxin and hydrocarbon mixtures affected a gestating rat's progeny for multiple generations. They saw subsequent generations inherit ovarian disease by "epigenetic transgenerational inheritance."

A needle in a haystack: How does a broken DNA molecule get repaired? Posted: 03 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a key element in the mechanism of DNA repair. Using a smart new dual-molecule technique, the group has now found out how the DNA molecule is able to perform this search and recognition process in such an efficient way.

Genetic pathway of rare facial malformation in children pinpointed Posted: 03 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a pair of defective genes that cause a rare congenital malformation syndrome that can make it impossible for the child to breathe or eat properly without reparative surgery.

Awake mental replay of past experiences critical for learning Posted: 03 May 2012 11:26 AM PDT Awake mental replay of past experiences is essential for making informed choices, suggests a study in rats. Without it, the animals' memory-based decision-making faltered. Scientists blocked learning from, and acting on, past experience by selectively suppressing replay -- encoded as split-second bursts of neuronal activity in the memory hubs of rats performing a maze task. Similar patterns of brain activity have been detected in humans during similar situations.

Biased evidence? Researchers challenge post-marketing drug trial practices Posted: 03 May 2012 11:25 AM PDT Bioethicists argue that current research ethics frameworks do not flag drug trials that, while not putting patients at risk, produce biased evidence. As an example, they point to phase IV research -- when pharmaceutical companies test drugs and devices that have been approved for marketing.

Naturally blond hair in Solomon Islanders rooted in native gene Posted: 03 May 2012 11:25 AM PDT The common occurrence of blond hair among the dark-skinned indigenous people of the Solomon Islands is due to a homegrown genetic variant distinct from the gene that leads to blond hair in Europeans, according to a new study.

Possible protective blood factors against type 2 diabetes identified Posted: 03 May 2012 11:24 AM PDT Researchers have shown that levels of certain related proteins found in blood are associated with a greatly reduced risk for developing type 2 diabetes up to a decade or more later. The findings could open a new front in the war against diabetes.

First gene linked to missing spleen in newborns Posted: 03 May 2012 11:24 AM PDT New discovery of a genetic mutation in congenital asplenia may lead to genetic prenatal screening in patients with the rare, but deadly, disorder.

Rats recall past to make daily decisions Posted: 03 May 2012 11:24 AM PDT Scientists have identified patterns of brain activity in the rat brain that play a role in the formation and recall of memories and decision-making. The discovery, which builds on the team's previous findings, offers a path for studying learning, decision-making and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Genetic pathway impacting the spread of cancer cells discovered Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new genetic pathway influencing the spread of cancer cells. According to new results, a hormone called transforming growth factor beta is impacting the regulation of cell division. The discovery of this mechanism could lead to new avenues for treatment.

Insect glands may illuminate human fertilization process Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT Insect glands are responsible for producing a host of secretions that allow bees to sting and ants to lay down trails. New research focuses on secretions from glands in the reproductive tract that help sperm survive and guide the sperm on the trip to fertilize an egg. The gene that controls the development of these glands in fruit flies provides important information about gland development in all insects, as well as potential clues to similar human reproductive glands.

How mitochondrial genes are passed from mother to child Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT This finding helps answer some long-standing questions about how mitochondria-linked gene mutations are inherited. Gene mutations in cell mitochondria can cause several diseases, including forms of cancer, diabetes, infertility and neurodegenerative diseases. With this new information, we now better understand how and when these mutations are passed to children to improve diagnosis and prevention.

Double duty: Versatile immune cells play dual roles in human skin Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT A new study helps to resolve an ongoing controversy about whether Langerhans cells (LCs) in human skin function to suppress the immune response and promote tolerance to normal human skin and its "friendly" microbial flora or mobilize a lethal attack against harmful foreign invaders. The research reveals that, depending on the situation, these versatile immune cells can perform either function.

Aged hematopoietic stem cells rejuvenated to be functionally younger Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT Researchers have rejuvenated aged hematopoietic stem cells to be functionally younger, offering intriguing clues into how medicine might one day fend off some of the ailments of old age. The study brings new perspective to what has been a life science controversy -- countering what used to be broad consensus that the aging of hematopoietic stem cells was locked in by nature and not reversible by therapeutic intervention.

Waking chick embryos before they are born Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT Under some conditions, the brains of embryonic chicks appear to be awake well before those chicks are ready to hatch out of their eggs. That's according to an imaging study in which researchers woke chick embryos inside their eggs by playing loud, meaningful sounds to them. Playing meaningless sounds to the embryos wasn't enough to rouse their brains.

Extra gene drove instant leap in human brain evolution Posted: 03 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT A partial, duplicate copy of a gene appears to be responsible for the critical features of the human brain that distinguish us from our closest primate kin. The momentous gene duplication event occurred about two or three million years ago, at a critical transition in the evolution of the human lineage, according to a pair of new studies.

Scientists show how a gene duplication helped our brains become 'human' Posted: 03 May 2012 09:57 AM PDT Scientists have shown that an extra copy of a brain-development gene, which appeared in our ancestors' genomes about 2.4 million years ago, allowed maturing neurons to migrate farther and develop more connections.

Dynamic changes in gene regulation in human stem cells revealed Posted: 03 May 2012 09:57 AM PDT A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California (UC) San Diego has discovered a new type of dynamic change in human stem cells.

Stem cells poised to self-destruct for the good of the embryo Posted: 03 May 2012 09:56 AM PDT Embryonic stem cells are primed to kill themselves if damage to their DNA makes them a threat to the developing embryo. Researchers can reveal how they do it.

New technique generates predictable complex, wavy shapes: May explain brain folds and be useful for drug delivery Posted: 03 May 2012 09:01 AM PDT A new technique predictably generates complex, wavy shapes and may help improve drug delivery and explain natural patterns from brain folds to bell peppers.

Research explores the positives of bipolar disorder Posted: 03 May 2012 08:59 AM PDT The problems of living with bipolar disorder have been well documented, but a new study has captured the views of those who also report highly-valued, positive experiences of living with the condition.

Presence of fetal cells in women lowers risk of breast cancer but raises risk of colon cancer Posted: 03 May 2012 08:58 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have found what could be a causative link between the concentration of circulating Y-chromosome fetal cells in women who gave birth to children of either sex and their risk of later developing breast cancer and colon cancer. The findings show that the presence of fetal cells is a double-edged sword: Women with the lowest concentration of fetal cells were 70 percent less likely to have breast cancer, while women with the highest concentration of fetal cells had a four-fold increased risk for colon cancer when compared with healthy controls.

Regular jogging shows dramatic increase in life expectancy Posted: 03 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT Undertaking regular jogging increases the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, reveals the latest data.  Reviewing the evidence of whether jogging is healthy or hazardous, researchers said that  between one and two-and-a-half hours of jogging  per week at a "slow or average" pace delivers  optimum benefits for longevity.

A fish a day keeps the doctor away? Posted: 03 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT Most people, whether healthy or having cardiovascular disease (CVD), would benefit from regular consumption of oily fish, concluded experts at a conference.  While eating whole fish undoubtedly offers the optimum approach for increasing omega-3 intakes in both primary and secondary prevention, delegates heard, supplements have a major role to play in increasing omega-3 intakes for people who do not like fish.

Of Mice and Men: Characterization of a new autism gene Posted: 03 May 2012 07:43 AM PDT Malfunctioning single proteins can cause disruptions in neuronal junctions leading to autistic forms of behavior. A new study comes to this conclusion after examining genetically altered mice.

Bacteria discovery could lead to antibiotics alternatives Posted: 03 May 2012 07:41 AM PDT Scientists have discovered an Achilles heel within our cells that bacteria are able to exploit to cause and spread infection.

Some women may be genetically predisposed to smoking-related hot flashes Posted: 03 May 2012 07:34 AM PDT Women who smoke and carry specific variations in the genes that impact their metabolism are at higher risk of developing hot flashes in comparison with smokers who do not carry these gene variants, according to a recent study.

Pleasure eating triggers body's reward system and may stimulate overeating Posted: 03 May 2012 07:34 AM PDT When eating is motivated by pleasure, rather than hunger, endogenous rewarding chemical signals are activated which can lead to overeating, according to a recent study. The phenomenon ultimately affects body mass and may be a factor in the continuing rise of obesity.

Junior Seau’s death keeps spotlight on concussion issues in sports Posted: 02 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT Junior Seau's apparent suicide might shock the sports world, but not concussion specialists. NFL players have a higher rate of depression, substance abuse, and dementia. This is thought to be connected to head impacts says an expert.

Study is first to show transgenerational effect of antibiotics Posted: 02 May 2012 08:29 AM PDT Researchers report that male pseudoscorpions treated with the antibiotic tetracycline suffer significantly reduced sperm viability and pass this toxic effect on to their untreated sons. They suggest a similar effect could occur in humans and other species.

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