السبت، 23 نوفمبر 2013

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News


Investments in aging biology research will pay longevity dividend

Posted: 22 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST

Finding a way to slow the biological processes of aging will do more to extend the period of healthy life in humans than attacking individual diseases alone, according to some of the nation's top gerontologists.

Political correctness could affect holiday weight gain

Posted: 22 Nov 2013 08:58 AM PST

As the festivities proceed, so do countless tips for keeping off extra weight this season. But, there is one factor most people likely won't consider -- political correctness. Research suggests you could be choosing unhealthy options to serve your guests because you don't want to offend someone else.

Powerful tool for genetic engineering

Posted: 22 Nov 2013 08:27 AM PST

Viruses cannot only cause illnesses in humans, they also infect bacteria. Those protect themselves with a kind of "immune system" which -- simply put -- consists of specific sequences in the genetic material of the bacteria and a suitable enzyme. Scientists have now shown that the dual-RNA guided enzyme Cas9 which is involved in the process has developed independently in various strains of bacteria.

Artificial skin created using stem cells from the umbilical cord

Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:44 AM PST

An important scientific breakthrough will aid the immediate use of artificially-grown skin for major burn patients, since the skin could be stored in tissue banks and made available when needed.

Intestinal bacteria influence food transit through the gut

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 06:13 AM PST

Food transit through the small intestine affects the body's absorption of nutrients and, consequently, our health. The discovery that food transit time is regulated by a hormone indicates new ways to increase the intestinal absorption of nutrients, and thus potentially treat malnutrition.

New recommendations for treatment of migraine, headache

Posted: 21 Nov 2013 06:12 AM PST

The American Headache Society (AHS) today released a list of specific tests or procedures that are commonly performed but not always necessary in the treatment or migraine and headache. It identifies five targeted, evidence-based recommendations that can support conversations between patients and physicians about what care is really necessary.

Frequent breaks from sedentary behavior makes kids healthier

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:24 PM PST

This study suggests that frequent interruptions in children's sedentary time -- or the number of times children got up, rather than the duration of the break -- can have a positive impact on reducing global health risks.

Study first to explain type of antimalarial drug resistance

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:24 PM PST

This study explores why drugs designed to fight off malaria stop working in some people with the disease. Researchers found genetic and cell biological evidence linking autophagy to resistance to the parasite. Autophagy is the process by which cells remove damaged parts of themselves to restore normal function. In this case, the cell rids itself of the parts damaged by the antimalarial drug.

PTSD raises risk for obesity in women

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

Women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) gain weight more rapidly and are more likely to be overweight or obese than women without the disorder, find researchers. It is the first study to look at the relationship between PTSD and obesity over time.

Too much weekly sport seems to be as bad as too little for teen wellbeing

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

Too much weekly sport seems to be as bad as too little for teen well-being, suggesting there's an inverted U shaped relationship between the two.

Recessions in mid-life linked to higher risk of cognitive decline

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

People who live through economic recessions in early to mid-life may be at higher risk of cognitive decline in later life, suggests research published.

Long-term unemployment may accelerate aging in men

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

Men who are unemployed for more than two years show signs of faster aging in their DNA, a new study has found.

Current practice may over-diagnose vitamin D deficiency

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

The current "gold standard" test for measuring vitamin D status may not accurately diagnose vitamin D deficiency in black individuals. A team of researchers has found that genetic differences in a vitamin D carrier protein may explain the discrepancy between the prevalence of diagnosed vitamin D deficiency in black Americans and a lack of the usual symptoms of vitamin deficiency.

Brain abnormalities linked to impaired self-awareness in cocaine addiction

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:21 PM PST

New research reveals long-term cocaine abuse may be associated with deficits in parts of the brain involved in monitoring and overseeing one's own behavior.

Brain still injured from concussion after symptoms fade

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 04:21 PM PST

After a mild concussion, special brain scans show evidence of brain abnormalities four months later, when symptoms from the concussion have mostly dissipated, according to research published.

Connections in children's brains strengthen during sleep

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 12:52 PM PST

While young children sleep, connections between the left and the right hemispheres of their brain strengthen, which may help brain functions mature, according to a new study.

Health economics study highlights long-term benefits of rotator cuff surgery

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:37 AM PST

Each year, close to two million people in the United States visit their doctor for shoulder pain. One study examines the long-term benefits of rotator cuff surgery.

Variant forms of protein impact risk of Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:37 AM PST

Investigators have shown that even low levels of the Alzheimer's-associated APOE4 protein can increase the number and density of amyloid brain plaques, related neuronal damage, and the amount of soluble amyloid within the brain in mouse models of the disease. APOE2, a rare variant that has been associated with protection from Alzheimer's of actually reduced A-beta deposition, retention and neurotoxicity, suggesting the potential for gene-therapy-based treatment.

Nurses eliminate pressure ulcers in premature infants

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:36 AM PST

Infants born prematurely are at a significantly increased risk for pressure ulcers, yet nurses at one hospital have been able to eliminate this threat for patients in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

Sudden steep drop in blood pressure may predict atrial fibrillation years later

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:36 AM PST

Results of a study have identified a possible link between a history of sudden drops in blood pressure and the most common form of irregular heartbeat.

Aging impacts epigenome in human skeletal muscle

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:36 AM PST

Our epigenome is a set of chemical switches that turn parts of our genome off and on and are impacted by environmental factors including diet, exercise and stress. Research reveals that aging also effects the epigenome in human skeletal muscle. The study provides a method to study sarcopenia, the degenerative loss of muscle mass that begins in middle age.

Study shows diet alone can be significant source of arsenic

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:39 AM PST

Diet alone can be a significant source of arsenic exposure regardless of arsenic concentrations in drinking and cooking water, a study finds.

Clues of antibiotic use, resistance in US children's hospitals

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:39 AM PST

Two studies published show antibiotic resistance patterns for children have held stable over a seven-year period and surgical patients in US children's hospitals account for 43 percent of all antibiotic use in children's hospitals, presenting an opportunity for targeted intervention.

Drug strategy blocks leading driver of cancer

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:37 AM PST

The protein in cells that most often drives the development of cancers has eluded scientists' efforts to block it for three decades -- until now.

Neurons in 'face recognition center' respond differently in autistic brain

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:35 AM PST

Certain neurons in the brain's "face-recognition center" perform differently in patients who have autism. In what are believed to be the first studies of their kind, researchers recording the real-time firing of individual nerve cells in the brain found that a specific type of neuron in a structure called the amygdala performed differently in people who suffer from autism spectrum disorder than in those who do not.

Excessive testosterone raises mortality risk in older men

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:35 AM PST

Older men whose testosterone levels were neither low nor high tended to live longer, according to new research.

Metabolically healthy obesity does not guarantee clean bill of health

Posted: 20 Nov 2013 10:35 AM PST

Obese people who are currently metabolically healthy face a higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

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