ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Scientists identify neurotranmitters that lead to forgetting
• Protein analysis investigates marine worm community
• Lenalidomide shows significant benefit for myeloma patients, phase III study suggests
• Chronic cocaine use triggers changes in brain's neuron structure
• Response to first drug treatment may signal likelihood of future seizures in people with epilepsy
• Genomics used to identify a molecular-based treatment for a viral skin cancer
• Gene-modified stem cell transplant protects patients from toxic side effects of chemotherapy, study suggests
• Genes and vascular risk modify effects of aging on brain and cognition
• Advanced genetic screening method may speed vaccine development
• New under the sun: Recurrent genetic mutations in melanoma
• Important clues to a dangerous complication of pregnancy: Data strongly suggests that peripartum cardiomyopathy is a vascular disease
• Soybeans soaked in warm water naturally release key cancer-fighting substance
• Sunscreen ingredient may be linked to endometriosis
• Hot sauce ingredient reduces 'beer belly' fat as a weight-loss surgery alternative
• Reduction of excess brain activity improves memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment
• Blood test could show women at risk of Postnatal Depression
• Cellist achieves optimal performance through neurofeedback
• Molecule found that inhibits estrogen, key risk factor for endometrial and breast cancers
• Scientists discover new inflammatory target
• New family of key mitochondrial proteins for function and viability of the brain discovered
• Can a hormone disclose the psychological impact of an accidental injury?
• Reusable grocery bags kept in bathroom implicated in norovirus outbreak
• Portable diagnostics designed to be shaken, not stirred
• Mystery of the missing breast cancer genes
• Cocktail party acoustics: How humans perceive sound in noisy and complex environments
• Some HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, may not protect against heart disease
• Diabetes drug could treat leading cause of blindness: Metformin blocks uveitis in rats

Scientists identify neurotranmitters that lead to forgetting Posted: 09 May 2012 03:01 PM PDT Scientists have pinpointed a mechanism that is essential for forming memories in the first place and, as it turns out, is equally essential for eliminating them after memories have formed.

Protein analysis investigates marine worm community Posted: 09 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Techniques used by researchers to analyze a simple marine worm and its resident bacteria could accelerate efforts to understand more complex microbial communities such as those found in humans.

Lenalidomide shows significant benefit for myeloma patients, phase III study suggests Posted: 09 May 2012 02:58 PM PDT Medical researchers report significant time-to-progression benefit as well as survival benefit for patients who took maintenance doses of lenalidomide following stem-cell transplant.

Chronic cocaine use triggers changes in brain's neuron structure Posted: 09 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction.

Response to first drug treatment may signal likelihood of future seizures in people with epilepsy Posted: 09 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT How well people with newly diagnosed epilepsy respond to their first drug treatment may signal the likelihood that they will continue to have more seizures, according to a new study.

Genomics used to identify a molecular-based treatment for a viral skin cancer Posted: 09 May 2012 12:42 PM PDT Four years after they discovered the viral roots of a rare skin cancer, researchers have now identified a molecule activated by this virus that, in animal studies, could be targeted to selectively kill the tumor cells. The treatment will soon be tested in patients.

Gene-modified stem cell transplant protects patients from toxic side effects of chemotherapy, study suggests Posted: 09 May 2012 12:42 PM PDT For the first time, scientists have transplanted brain cancer patients' own gene-modified blood stem cells in order to protect their bone marrow against the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. Initial results of the ongoing, small clinical trial of three patients with glioblastoma showed that two patients survived longer than predicted if they had not been given the transplants, and a third patient remains alive with no disease progression almost three years after treatment.

Genes and vascular risk modify effects of aging on brain and cognition Posted: 09 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Efforts to understand how the aging process affects the brain and cognition have expanded beyond simply comparing younger and older adults.

Advanced genetic screening method may speed vaccine development Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Vaccines remain the best line of defense against deadly pathogens and now medical researchers are using clever functional screening methods to attempt to speed new vaccines into production that are both safer and more potent.

New under the sun: Recurrent genetic mutations in melanoma Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Melanoma -- the deadliest and most aggressive form of skin cancer -- has long been linked to time spent in the sun. Now scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of 25 metastatic melanoma tumors, confirming the role of chronic sun exposure and revealing new genetic changes important in tumor formation.

Important clues to a dangerous complication of pregnancy: Data strongly suggests that peripartum cardiomyopathy is a vascular disease Posted: 09 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT Medical researchers have found the first clear evidence that a dangerous form of heart failure that occurs in pregnancy is a vascular disease, brought about by an imbalance of angiogenic proteins.

Soybeans soaked in warm water naturally release key cancer-fighting substance Posted: 09 May 2012 09:38 AM PDT Soybeans soaking in warm water could become a new "green" source for production of a cancer-fighting substance now manufactured in a complicated and time-consuming industrial process, scientists are reporting.

Sunscreen ingredient may be linked to endometriosis Posted: 09 May 2012 09:38 AM PDT Scientists are reporting a possible link between the use of sunscreen containing a certain ingredient that mimics the effects of the female sex hormone estrogen and an increased risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful condition in which uterine tissue grows outside the uterus.

Hot sauce ingredient reduces 'beer belly' fat as a weight-loss surgery alternative Posted: 09 May 2012 09:38 AM PDT The ingredient that gives hot sauce its heat could play a role in the future of weight loss.

Reduction of excess brain activity improves memory in amnestic mild cognitive impairment Posted: 09 May 2012 09:38 AM PDT New research describes a potential new therapeutic approach for improving memory and modifying disease progression in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The study finds that excess brain activity may be doing more harm than good in some conditions that cause mild cognitive decline and memory impairment.

Blood test could show women at risk of Postnatal Depression Posted: 09 May 2012 09:37 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a way of identifying which women are most at risk of postnatal depression (PND) by checking for specific genetic variants. The findings could lead to the development of a simple, accurate blood test which checks for the likelihood of developing the condition.

Cellist achieves optimal performance through neurofeedback Posted: 09 May 2012 09:36 AM PDT "Practice makes perfect," the saying goes. Optimal performance, however, can require more than talent, effort, and repetition. Training the brain to reduce stress through neurofeedback can remove barriers and enhance one's innate abilities.

Molecule found that inhibits estrogen, key risk factor for endometrial and breast cancers Posted: 09 May 2012 09:36 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a molecule that inhibits the action of estrogen. This female hormone plays a key role in the growth, maintenance and repair of reproductive tissues and fuels the development of endometrial and breast cancers. The molecule, discovered in animal studies, could lead to new therapies for preventing and treating estrogen-related diseases in humans.

Scientists discover new inflammatory target Posted: 09 May 2012 08:14 AM PDT Scientists have found a new role for the tiny organelles known as primary cilia - they are important for regulating inflammation.

New family of key mitochondrial proteins for function and viability of the brain discovered Posted: 09 May 2012 07:53 AM PDT Scientists have described a new family of six genes whose function regulates the movement and position of mitochondria in neurons. Many neurological conditions, including Parkinson's and various types of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, are caused by alterations of genes that control mitochondrial transport, a process that provides the energy required for cell function.

Can a hormone disclose the psychological impact of an accidental injury? Posted: 09 May 2012 07:53 AM PDT A study that was performed in Zurich and was published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics explored the role of a steroid hormone in disclosing the long term psychological consequence of an accidental injury.

Reusable grocery bags kept in bathroom implicated in norovirus outbreak Posted: 09 May 2012 06:25 AM PDT Investigators recently mapped the trail of an outbreak of a nasty stomach bug among participants in a girls' soccer tournament to a reusable open top grocery bag stored in a hotel bathroom. Their findings illustrate the role that inanimate objects can play in spreading norovirus infection.

Portable diagnostics designed to be shaken, not stirred Posted: 09 May 2012 06:24 AM PDT A textured surface mimics a lotus leaf to move drops of liquid in particular directions. The low-cost system could be used in portable medical or environmental tests.

Mystery of the missing breast cancer genes Posted: 08 May 2012 07:00 PM PDT Researchers are hoping to better understand why the mutated genes for breast and ovarian cancer are not passed on more frequently from one generation of women to the next.

Cocktail party acoustics: How humans perceive sound in noisy and complex environments Posted: 08 May 2012 12:19 PM PDT For the ears, a cocktail party presents a chaotic scene: glasses clink, voices buzz, light piano music may waft down from the stage. A group of researchers is trying to understand how the brain makes sense of such complex auditory environments. The team is testing how humans track sound patterns over time, and under what circumstances the brain registers that the pattern has been broken.

Some HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, may not protect against heart disease Posted: 07 May 2012 01:55 PM PDT A new study has found that a subclass of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the so-called "good" cholesterol, may not protect against coronary heart disease and in fact may be harmful.

Diabetes drug could treat leading cause of blindness: Metformin blocks uveitis in rats Posted: 07 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that a drug already prescribed to millions of people with diabetes could also have another important use: treating one of the world's leading causes of blindness.

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