ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Discovery points to new approach to fight dengue virus
• Molecular hub links obesity, heart disease to high blood pressure
• Stem cell proliferation and differentiation observed within hydrogel
• Sleep apnea patients more likely to report nodding at the wheel and fail driving simulator tests
• Bone-marrow grafts show promise for some sufferers of low-back pain
• 'Seeing' the flavor of foods before tasting them
• Most effective PTSD therapies are not being widely used, researchers find
• What happens in the brain to make music rewarding?
• Scientists find interferon, one of the body's own proteins, induces persistent viral infection
• Material screening method allows more precise control over stem cells
• Gene that causes newborn spleen disease identified
• Blocking immune response protein helps body clear chronic infection; Potential therapy for HIV, other viral infections?
• Interactions between drugs can also be measured at lowest doses
• New findings on the brain's immune cells during Alzheimer's disease progression
• Healing by the clock: In fruit flies, intestinal stem-cell regeneration fluctuates with the time of day
• Mutations found in individuals with autism interfere with endocannabinoid signaling in the brain
• Weight loss surgery not only shrinks waists but also affects genes
• Genetic master controls expose cancers' Achilles' heel
• Do drugs for bipolar disorder 'normalize' brain gene function?
• Molecular 'superglue' based on flesh-eating bacteria
• Scientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees
• Restoring paretic hand function via an artificial neural connection bridging spinal cord injury

Discovery points to new approach to fight dengue virus Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:49 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that rising temperature induces key changes in the dengue virus when it enters its human host, and the findings represent a new approach for designing vaccines against the aggressive mosquito-borne pathogen.

Molecular hub links obesity, heart disease to high blood pressure Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:49 PM PDT A new study identifies a brain protein that acts as a communications hub for blood pressure control, and links cardiovascular disease and obesity to hypertension.

Stem cell proliferation and differentiation observed within hydrogel Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:49 PM PDT A new technique holds promise for studying how physical, chemical and other influences affect stem cell behavior in three-dimensions, and, ultimately, as a method to grow tissues for regenerative medicine applications.

Sleep apnea patients more likely to report nodding at the wheel and fail driving simulator tests Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:48 PM PDT People with sleep apnea are more likely to fail a driving simulator test and report nodding whilst driving, according to new research.

Bone-marrow grafts show promise for some sufferers of low-back pain Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:40 PM PDT Autologous bio-cellular grafts are increasingly encountered in surgical literature as a means to enhance tissue repair. Biologic graft use has expanded beyond simple platelet rich plasma to encompass bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) and adipose derived autologous stem cell products. The clinical application of such grafts in the treatment of low back pain is intriguing, but remains unproven.

'Seeing' the flavor of foods before tasting them Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:40 PM PDT The eyes sometimes have it, beating out the tongue, nose and brain in the emotional and biochemical balloting that determines the taste and allure of food, a scientist said at a recent meeting. He described how people sometimes "see" flavors in foods and beverages before actually tasting them.

Most effective PTSD therapies are not being widely used, researchers find Posted: 11 Apr 2013 12:24 PM PDT Post-traumatic stress disorder affects nearly 8 million adults in any given year, federal statistics show. Fortunately, clinical research has identified certain psychological interventions that effectively ameliorate the symptoms of PTSD. But most people struggling with PTSD don't receive those treatments, according to a new report.

What happens in the brain to make music rewarding? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:30 AM PDT A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study pinpoints the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the decision to purchase music.

Scientists find interferon, one of the body's own proteins, induces persistent viral infection Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:28 AM PDT Scientists have made a counterintuitive finding that may lead to new ways to clear persistent infection that is the hallmark of such diseases as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Material screening method allows more precise control over stem cells Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT When it comes to delivering genes to living human tissue, the odds of success come down the molecule. The entire therapy — including the tools used to bring new genetic material into a cell — must have predictable effects.

Gene that causes newborn spleen disease identified Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT Researchers have identified the defective gene responsible for a rare disorder in which children are born without a spleen, which makes them susceptible to life-threatening bacterial infections. The findings may lead to new diagnostic tests and raises new questions about the role of this gene in the body's protein-making machinery.

Blocking immune response protein helps body clear chronic infection; Potential therapy for HIV, other viral infections? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have shown that temporarily blocking a protein critical to immune response actually helps the body clear itself of chronic infection. The finding suggests new approaches to treating HIV and other persistent viral infections.

Interactions between drugs can also be measured at lowest doses Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:40 AM PDT Clinical pharmacologists have achieved major progress for improving the reliability of drugs. In a pharmacological study, they showed that interactions between drugs can be detected with minute doses in the range of nanograms.

New findings on the brain's immune cells during Alzheimer's disease progression Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:40 AM PDT The plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's patients are surrounded by the brain's own immune cells, the microglia. But it still remains unclear what role microglia play in Alzheimer's disease. Do they help break down the plaque deposit?

Healing by the clock: In fruit flies, intestinal stem-cell regeneration fluctuates with the time of day Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:39 AM PDT Genetic screening in flies reveals that the circadian clock regulates intestinal regeneration in response to damage, meaning that gut healing fluctuates according to the time of day.

Mutations found in individuals with autism interfere with endocannabinoid signaling in the brain Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:38 AM PDT Mutations found in individuals with autism block the action of molecules made by the brain that act on the same receptors that marijuana's active chemical acts on, according to new research. The findings implicate specific molecules, called endocannabinoids, in the development of some autism cases and point to potential treatment strategies.

Weight loss surgery not only shrinks waists but also affects genes Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:38 AM PDT Gastric bypass surgery can drastically reduce the body weight of obese individuals in a short timeframe. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the surgery also leads to early remission of type 2 diabetes in the vast majority of patients.

Genetic master controls expose cancers' Achilles' heel Posted: 11 Apr 2013 09:34 AM PDT In a surprising finding that helps explain fundamental behaviors of normal and diseased cells, scientists have discovered a set of powerful gene regulators dubbed "super-enhancers" that control cell state and identity.

Do drugs for bipolar disorder 'normalize' brain gene function? Posted: 11 Apr 2013 07:58 AM PDT Every day, millions of people with bipolar disorder take medicines to stabilize their moods. But just how these drugs work is still a mystery. Now, a new study of brain tissue helps reveal what might actually be happening. And further research using stem cells programmed to act like brain cells is already underway.

Molecular 'superglue' based on flesh-eating bacteria Posted: 11 Apr 2013 07:58 AM PDT In a classic case of turning an enemy into a friend, scientists have engineered a protein from flesh-eating bacteria to act as a molecular "superglue" that promises to become a disease fighter.

Scientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:56 AM PDT The sensation of having a physical body is not as self-evident as one might think. Almost everyone who has had an arm or leg amputated experiences a phantom limb: a vivid sensation that the missing limb is still present. A new study by neuroscientists in Sweden shows that it is possible to evoke the illusion of having a phantom hand in non-amputated individuals.

Restoring paretic hand function via an artificial neural connection bridging spinal cord injury Posted: 11 Apr 2013 04:56 AM PDT Scientists have investigated the effects of introducing a novel artificial neural connection which bridged a spinal cord lesion in a paretic monkey. This allowed the monkey to electrically stimulate the spinal cord through controlled brain activity and thereby to restore volitional control of the paretic hand.

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