ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• New tool enhances view of muscles
• Molecular structure and function of essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process
• Researchers quantify muscle soreness
• Neuropathy patients more likely to receive high-cost, low-yield screening instead of more effective tests
• Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness
• Cognitive activity linked to brain protein related to Alzheimer disease, study suggests
• Study examines research on overuse of health care services
• Positive affirmation appears to improve medication adherence in hypertensive African-Americans
• Use of iodinated contrast media in imaging procedures appears to affect thyroid function
• Lifelong brain-stimulating habits linked to lower Alzheimer's protein levels
• Gene therapy cures retinitis pigmentosa in dogs
• How cells dispose of their waste: Researchers reveal the structure of the cellular protein degradation machinery
• Magic mushrooms' effects illuminated in brain imaging studies
• Adult stem cells could improve angioplasy outcome; Study to explore usage
• Nurturing mothers rear physically healthier adults
• Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells, in vitro study shows
• Easier testing for diabetics? Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood
• Patterns of chromosome abnormality: The key to cancer?
• Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records
• Molecular fingerprint discovered that may improve outcomes for head and neck cancer patients
• Sex no more strenuous than golf, expert says
• New discoveries in cell aging
• Genes and timing of menopause
• How protein networks stabilize muscle fibers: Same mechanism known for DNA now found for muscle proteins
• Poorest smokers face toughest odds for kicking the habit
• Homeless heavy drinkers imbibe less when housing allows alcohol

New tool enhances view of muscles Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:57 PM PST New research is adding to the arsenal of increasingly sophisticated medical imaging tools with a new signal-processing method for viewing muscle activation details never seen before. A novel method using ultrasound imaging, 3-D motion-capture technology and proprietary data-processing software can scan and capture 3-D maps of the muscle structure in just 90 seconds. Previous methods took 15 minutes -- far too long to ask people to hold a muscle contraction.

Molecular structure and function of essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:57 PM PST A recent study investigating the molecular structure and function of an essential plant hormone could profoundly change our understanding of a key cell process, and might ultimately lead to the development of new drugs for a variety of diseases.

Researchers quantify muscle soreness Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:57 PM PST Quantifying how sore a person is after a long workout is a challenge for doctors and researchers, but scientists think they may have figured it out.

Neuropathy patients more likely to receive high-cost, low-yield screening instead of more effective tests Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:48 PM PST Researchers found more efficient diagnostic tools are not always used.

Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:34 PM PST A new gene therapy has the potential to treat a common form of blindness that strikes both youngsters and adults. The technique works by replacing a malfunctioning gene in the eye with a normal working copy that supplies a protein necessary for light-sensitive cells in the eye to function. Several complex steps remain before the gene therapy technique can be used in humans, but once at that stage, it has great potential to change lives.

Cognitive activity linked to brain protein related to Alzheimer disease, study suggests Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:33 PM PST Individuals who keep their brains active throughout life with cognitively stimulating activities such as reading, writing and playing games appear to have reduced levels of the beta-amyloid protein, which is the major part of the amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

Study examines research on overuse of health care services Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:33 PM PST The overuse of health care services in the United States appears to be an understudied problem with research literature limited to a few services and rates of overuse varying widely, according to a new article.

Positive affirmation appears to improve medication adherence in hypertensive African-Americans Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:33 PM PST Positive affirmation along with patient education appears to help African-American patients with high blood pressure more effectively follow their medication regimen, according to a new study.

Use of iodinated contrast media in imaging procedures appears to affect thyroid function Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:33 PM PST Exposure to iodinated contrast media during imaging procedures is associated with changes in thyroid function, and increased risk of developing hyperthyroidism, according to a new report.

Lifelong brain-stimulating habits linked to lower Alzheimer's protein levels Posted: 23 Jan 2012 01:33 PM PST People who have made mental engagement a lifelong habit have lower levels of a key protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by neuroscientists. The findings could provide support for cognitive therapies to help prevent the onset of a debilitating disease.

Gene therapy cures retinitis pigmentosa in dogs Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:25 PM PST Scientists have shown that they can prevent, or even reverse, a blinding retinal disease, X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa, or XLRP, in dogs. The disease in humans and dogs is caused by defects in the RPGR gene and results in early, severe and progressive vision loss. It is one of the most common inherited forms of retinal degeneration in man.

How cells dispose of their waste: Researchers reveal the structure of the cellular protein degradation machinery Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:20 PM PST Defective proteins that are not disposed of by the body can cause diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Scientists recently succeeded in revealing the structure of the cellular protein degradation machinery (26S proteasome) by combining different methods of structural biology. The results represent an important step forward in the investigation of the 26S proteasome.

Magic mushrooms' effects illuminated in brain imaging studies Posted: 23 Jan 2012 12:20 PM PST Brain scans of people under the influence of the psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have given scientists the most detailed picture to date of how psychedelic drugs work. The findings of two new studies identify areas of the brain where activity is suppressed by psilocybin and suggest that it helps people to experience memories more vividly.

Adult stem cells could improve angioplasy outcome; Study to explore usage Posted: 23 Jan 2012 10:36 AM PST A researcher is studying what role adult stem cells might play in repairing damaged coronary arteries, following angioplasty/stenting.

Nurturing mothers rear physically healthier adults Posted: 23 Jan 2012 09:39 AM PST Nurturing mothers have garnered accolades for rescuing skinned knees on the playground and coaxing their children to sleep with lullabies. Now they're gaining merit for their offspring's physical health in middle age. While children raised in families with low socioeconomic status frequently go on to have high rates of chronic illness in adulthood, a sizable minority remain healthy across the life course, new research shows.

Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells, in vitro study shows Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST In a recent study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when they are exposed to the approximate number of bioactive compounds present in one cup of mate tea, which has long been consumed in South America for its medicinal properties.

Easier testing for diabetics? Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST Engineers have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances.

Patterns of chromosome abnormality: The key to cancer? Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST Researchers have combined techniques from computer science and statistics to discover that many chromosomal pairs are lost or gained together across various cancer types, such as kidney, skeleton, and liver cancers. Tracking these changes, he says, could aid our understanding of the driving forces of cancer's progress.

Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:55 AM PST Women report more intense pain than men in virtually every disease category, according to researchers who mined a huge collection of electronic medical records to establish the broad gender difference to a high level of statistical significance.

Molecular fingerprint discovered that may improve outcomes for head and neck cancer patients Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:42 AM PST Researchers have found a biomarker in head and neck cancers that can predict whether a patient's tumor will be life threatening. The biomarker is considered particularly promising because it can detect the level of risk immediately following diagnosis.

Sex no more strenuous than golf, expert says Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:42 AM PST For most heart and stroke patients, it's probably safe to have sex. "For a patient who has sex with a familiar partner in a familiar setting, sexual activity generally is safe and no more strenuous than golf," a cardiologist said.

New discoveries in cell aging Posted: 23 Jan 2012 07:18 AM PST Researchers have quantified the effect of protein aggregation on the cell aging processes using as models the Escherichia coli bacteria and the molecule which is thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease. Scientists have demonstrated that the effect can be predicted before it occurs. Protein aggregation is related to several diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. The research provides a reliable system with which to model and quantify the effect of protein aggregation on the viability, division and aging of cells. It also aids in the further understanding of proteins.

Genes and timing of menopause Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:47 AM PST Researchers have discovered 13 new regions of the genome associated with the timing of menopause. These genes shed light on the biological pathways involved in reproductive lifespan and will provide insights into conditions connected to menopause, such as breast cancer and heart disease.

How protein networks stabilize muscle fibers: Same mechanism known for DNA now found for muscle proteins Posted: 23 Jan 2012 06:44 AM PST The same mechanism that stabilizes the DNA in the cell nucleus is also important for the structure and function of vertebrate muscle cells. An enzyme attaches a methyl group to the protein Hsp90, which then forms a complex with the muscle protein titin. When the researchers disrupted this protein network through genetic manipulation in zebrafish the muscle structure partly disintegrated. The scientists have thus shown that methylation also plays a significant role outside the nucleus.

Poorest smokers face toughest odds for kicking the habit Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:46 PM PST Quitting smoking is never easy. However, when you're poor and uneducated, kicking the habit for good is doubly hard, according to a new study.

Homeless heavy drinkers imbibe less when housing allows alcohol Posted: 19 Jan 2012 01:32 PM PST A study of a controversial housing project that allows chronically homeless people with severe alcohol problems to drink in their apartments found that during their first two years in the building residents cut their heavy drinking by 35 percent.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610