ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Scientists show two-drug combination has potential to fight cocaine addiction
• Chronic exposure to staph bacteria may be risk factor for lupus
• Researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity
• Why do older adults display more positive emotion? It might have to do with what they're looking at
• New atmospheric compound tied to climate change, human health
• A molecule central to diabetes is uncovered
• One in three post-partum women suffers PTSD symptoms after giving birth: Natural births a major cause of post-traumatic stress, study suggests
• Protein that boosts longevity may protect against diabetes: Sirtuins help fight off disorders linked to obesity
• Boys appear to be more vulnerable than girls to the insecticide chlorpyrifos: Lower IQs seen in boys exposed in the womb to comparable amounts of the chemical
• New substances 15,000 times more effective in destroying chemical warfare agents
• Leveraging bacteria in drinking water to benefit consumers
• New model synapse could shed light on disorders such as epilepsy and anxiety
• No difference in death rates among patients exposed to common rheumatoid arthritis drugs, study suggests
• Learning: Stressed people use different strategies and brain regions
• More effective treatments for throat and cervical cancer?
• Patterns in adolescent brains could predict heavy alcohol use

Scientists show two-drug combination has potential to fight cocaine addiction Posted: 08 Aug 2012 11:21 AM PDT A fine-tuned combination of two existing pharmaceutical drugs has shown promise as a potential new therapy for people addicted to cocaine -— a therapy that would reduce their craving for the drug and blunt their symptoms of withdrawal.

Chronic exposure to staph bacteria may be risk factor for lupus Posted: 08 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, new research shows.

Researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:27 AM PDT Researchers are collecting and harvesting enzymes while maintaining the enzyme's bioactivity. The new model system may impact cancer research.

Why do older adults display more positive emotion? It might have to do with what they're looking at Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:27 AM PDT Research has shown that older adults display more positive emotions and are quicker to regulate out of negative emotional states than younger adults. Given the declines in cognitive functioning and physical health that tend to come with age, we might expect that age would be associated with worse moods, not better ones. So what explains older adults' positive mood regulation?

New atmospheric compound tied to climate change, human health Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:27 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a surprising new chemical compound in Earth's atmosphere that reacts with sulfur dioxide to form sulfuric acid, which is known to have significant impacts on climate and health. The new compound, a type of carbonyl oxide, is formed from the reaction of ozone with alkenes, which are a family of hydrocarbons with both natural and human-made sources.

A molecule central to diabetes is uncovered Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:19 AM PDT At its most fundamental level, diabetes is a disease characterized by stress -- microscopic stress that causes inflammation and the loss of insulin production in the pancreas, and system-wide stress due to the loss of that blood-sugar-regulating hormone.

One in three post-partum women suffers PTSD symptoms after giving birth: Natural births a major cause of post-traumatic stress, study suggests Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:19 AM PDT Doctors are still divided about whether childbirth qualifies as a "traumatic event." But new research now indicates that approximately one-third of all post-partum women exhibit some symptoms of PTSD, and a smaller percentage develop full-blown PTSD following labor.

Protein that boosts longevity may protect against diabetes: Sirtuins help fight off disorders linked to obesity Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:19 AM PDT According to a new study, a protein that slows aging in mice and other animals also protects against the ravages of a high-fat diet, including diabetes.

Boys appear to be more vulnerable than girls to the insecticide chlorpyrifos: Lower IQs seen in boys exposed in the womb to comparable amounts of the chemical Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:19 AM PDT A new study is the first to find a difference between how boys and girls respond to prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Researchers have found that, at age seven, boys had greater difficulty with working memory, a key component of IQ, than girls with similar exposures.

New substances 15,000 times more effective in destroying chemical warfare agents Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:19 AM PDT In an advance that could be used in masks to protect against nerve gas, scientists are reporting development of proteins that are up to 15,000 times more effective than their natural counterpart in destroying chemical warfare agents.

Leveraging bacteria in drinking water to benefit consumers Posted: 08 Aug 2012 09:18 AM PDT Contrary to popular belief, purified drinking water from home faucets contains millions to hundreds of millions of widely differing bacteria per gallon, and scientists have discovered a plausible way to manipulate those populations of mostly beneficial microbes to potentially benefit consumers.

New model synapse could shed light on disorders such as epilepsy and anxiety Posted: 08 Aug 2012 06:38 AM PDT A new way to study the role of a critical neurotransmitter in disorders such as epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, and alcoholism has been developed. The new method involves molecularly engineering a model synapse that can precisely control a variety of receptors for a neurotransmitter that is important in brain chemistry. The research opens the door to the possibility of creating safer and more-efficient drugs that target GABA receptors and that cause fewer side effects.

No difference in death rates among patients exposed to common rheumatoid arthritis drugs, study suggests Posted: 08 Aug 2012 05:13 AM PDT New research confirms no significant difference in the rates of death among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were exposed to one of several TNF inhibitors used to treat RA, adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel), and infliximab (Remicade).

Learning: Stressed people use different strategies and brain regions Posted: 08 Aug 2012 05:13 AM PDT Stressed and non-stressed people use different brain regions and different strategies when learning. Non-stressed individuals applied a deliberate learning strategy, while stressed subjects relied more on their gut feeling.

More effective treatments for throat and cervical cancer? Posted: 08 Aug 2012 05:13 AM PDT A breakthrough could lead to more effective treatments for throat and cervical cancer. The discovery could see the development of new therapies, which would target the non-cancerous cells surrounding a tumor, as well as treating the tumor itself.

Patterns in adolescent brains could predict heavy alcohol use Posted: 08 Aug 2012 04:37 AM PDT Heavy drinking is known to affect an adolescents' developing brain, but certain patterns of brain activity may also help predict which teens are at risk of becoming problem drinkers, according to a new study.

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