ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Anxiety increases cancer severity in mice, study shows
• Obesity epidemic fueling rise in rheumatoid arthritis among women
• Choosing the right hospital may save your baby's life
• Facial defects shown to self-repair
• Your brain knows which ads are winners, better than you do: Study on smokers' brains may mark dawn of new age in advertising
• Agent reduces autism-like behaviors in mice: Boosts sociability, quells repetitiveness
• New embryonic stem cell line will aid research on nerve condition
• Shedding light on southpaws: Sports data help confirm theory explaining left-handed minority in general population
• A new 'Achilles' heel' in fungus that causes dandruff
• A striking link is found between the Fragile-X gene and mutations that cause autism
• Growing up as a neural stem cell: The importance of clinging together and then letting go
• Just a few cell clones can make heart muscle
• Bacteria beware: Researchers have a natural sidekick that may resolve the antibiotic-resistant bacteria dilemma
• Antibiotic resistance flourishes in freshwater systems
• Top ten toxic chemicals suspected to cause autism and learning disabilities
• Mucus from pig stomachs is effective as anti-viral agent: May be useful in cosmetics and baby formula
• Feel-good music helps with psychological counseling, expert says
• How PCBs promote dendrite growth, may increase autism risk
• Leafy greens help prevent damage caused by a workout, study suggests
• Five foul things that are also good for you
• Strong support for once-marginalized theory on Parkinson’s disease
• Anatomic existence of the elusive G-spot confirmed, study claims
• Evidence of a biological trigger for high blood pressure
• Beyond apples: A serving a day of dark chocolate might keep the doctor away
• Gene critical to development and spread of lung cancer identified
• Mental stress may be harder on women's hearts
• Botox injections associated with only modest benefit for chronic migraine and daily headaches
• Omega-3 fatty acids don't improve heart's ability to relax and efficiently refill with blood
• Division of labor in neural stem cell maintenance
• Complementary and alternative medical therapy combined with conventional medical care may significantly improve treatment of lower back pain
• Bile – not acid – is bad guy in triggering precancerous condition associated with reflux disease
• Bats: An unexpected virus reservoir

Anxiety increases cancer severity in mice, study shows Posted: 25 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT Worrywarts, fidgety folk and the naturally nervy may have a real cause for concern: accelerated cancer. In a new study, anxiety-prone mice developed more severe cancer then their calm counterparts.

Obesity epidemic fueling rise in rheumatoid arthritis among women Posted: 25 Apr 2012 04:28 PM PDT Obesity and the painful autoimmune disorder rheumatoid arthritis are each becoming more common, raising a logical question: Could one have something to do with the other? For women, it appears there is a link, researchers say.

Choosing the right hospital may save your baby's life Posted: 25 Apr 2012 12:55 PM PDT Choosing the right hospital may make the difference between life and death for very low birth weight infants, according to new research.

Facial defects shown to self-repair Posted: 25 Apr 2012 12:54 PM PDT A "self-repair" mechanism has been found by which developing organisms recognize and correct facial defects. A tadpole model showed organisms aren't genetically hard-wired with cell movements that result in normal facial features. Cell groups instead measure shape and position and move and remodel to fix abnormalities.

Your brain knows which ads are winners, better than you do: Study on smokers' brains may mark dawn of new age in advertising Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:36 AM PDT Advertisers and public health officials may be able to access hidden wisdom in the brain to more effectively sell their products and promote public health and safety, neuroscientists report in the first study to use brain data to predict how large populations will respond to advertisements.

Agent reduces autism-like behaviors in mice: Boosts sociability, quells repetitiveness Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:36 AM PDT Researchers have reversed behaviors in mice resembling two of the three core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. An experimental agent increased social interactions and lessened repetitive self-grooming behavior in a strain of mice that normally display such autism-like behaviors. Since the same class of agents is being tested in patients with a related syndrome, the findings suggest a strategy for developing a single treatment that could target multiple diagnostic symptoms of ASDs.

New embryonic stem cell line will aid research on nerve condition Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:04 AM PDT A new human embryonic stem cell line has just been placed on the US National Institutes of Health's registry, making the cells available for federally funded research.

Shedding light on southpaws: Sports data help confirm theory explaining left-handed minority in general population Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:04 AM PDT Lefties (only ten percent of the general population) have always been a bit of a puzzle. Researchers have now developed a mathematical model that shows the low percentage of lefties is a result of the balance between cooperation and competition in human evolution. They are the first to use real-world data (from competitive sports, including baseball, boxing and hockey) to test and confirm the hypothesis that social behavior is related to population-level handedness.

A new 'Achilles' heel' in fungus that causes dandruff Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:04 AM PDT Research on the fungus that ranks as one cause of dandruff -- the embarrassing nuisance that, by some accounts, afflicts half of humanity -- is pointing scientists toward a much-needed new treatment for the condition's flaking and itching.

A striking link is found between the Fragile-X gene and mutations that cause autism Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:03 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a striking association between genes found disrupted in children with autism and genes that are targets of FMRP, the protein generated by the gene FMR1, whose dysfunction causes Fragile-X syndrome.

Growing up as a neural stem cell: The importance of clinging together and then letting go Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:03 AM PDT Stem cell researchers at UCLA have identified new components of the genetic pathway that controls the adhesive properties and proliferation of neural stem cells and the formation of neurons.

Just a few cell clones can make heart muscle Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:03 AM PDT Just a handful of cells in the embryo are all that's needed to form the outer layer of pumping heart muscle in an adult zebrafish. Researchers used zebrafish embryos and careful employment of a new technique that allows for up to 90 color labels on different cells to track individual cells and cell lines as the heart formed.

Bacteria beware: Researchers have a natural sidekick that may resolve the antibiotic-resistant bacteria dilemma Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:03 AM PDT Researchers could change the playing field of human versus bacteria. Scientists have identified pathways of naturally occurring molecules in our bodies that can enhance antibiotic performance.

Antibiotic resistance flourishes in freshwater systems Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:01 AM PDT Researchers have now discovered that floc – "goo-like" substances that occur suspended in water and that host large communities of bacteria – also contain high levels of antibiotic resistance.

Top ten toxic chemicals suspected to cause autism and learning disabilities Posted: 25 Apr 2012 11:01 AM PDT Scientists have prepared a list of ten chemicals considered likely to contribute to autism, learning disabilities and related conditions.

Mucus from pig stomachs is effective as anti-viral agent: May be useful in cosmetics and baby formula Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:55 AM PDT Scientists are reporting that the mucus lining the stomachs of pigs could be a long-sought, abundant source of "mucins" being considered for use as broad-spectrum anti-viral agents to supplement baby formula and for use in personal hygiene and other consumer products to protect against a range of viral infections.

Feel-good music helps with psychological counseling, expert says Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:55 AM PDT Music is akin to medicine, at least for one professor. She uses music as the tool with which to enter into a deep psychological dialogue with individuals ranging from abused children to palliative care patients; female survivors of domestic violence to individuals struggling with workplace woes.

How PCBs promote dendrite growth, may increase autism risk Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:54 AM PDT PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, launch a cellular chain of events that leads to an overabundance of dendrites -- the filament-like projections that conduct electrochemical signals between neurons -- and disrupts normal patterns of neuronal connections in the brain, new research shows.

Leafy greens help prevent damage caused by a workout, study suggests Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:53 AM PDT Researchers have found that antioxidant-rich leafy greens can alleviate the natural stress put on our body by a workout.

Five foul things that are also good for you Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:53 AM PDT Usually, we think of mold, feces, nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and rat poison as rank, toxic or both. But scientists are learning more about the helpful roles these substances can play.

Strong support for once-marginalized theory on Parkinson’s disease Posted: 25 Apr 2012 08:53 AM PDT Scientists have used powerful computational tools and laboratory tests to discover new support for a once-marginalized theory about the underlying cause of Parkinson's disease.

Anatomic existence of the elusive G-spot confirmed, study claims Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:47 AM PDT For centuries, women have been reporting engorgement of the upper, anterior part of the vagina during the stage of sexual excitement, despite the fact the structure of this phenomenon had not been anatomically determined. A new study documents that this elusive structure does exist anatomically.

Evidence of a biological trigger for high blood pressure Posted: 25 Apr 2012 06:44 AM PDT Scientists have identified what could be a biological tipping point in the development of high blood pressure, in a discovery that could one day lead to new treatment.

Beyond apples: A serving a day of dark chocolate might keep the doctor away Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:51 PM PDT Dark chocolate may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving glucose levels and lipid profiles.

Gene critical to development and spread of lung cancer identified Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:51 PM PDT A single gene that promotes initial development of the most common form of lung cancer and its lethal metastases has been identified.

Mental stress may be harder on women's hearts Posted: 24 Apr 2012 05:51 PM PDT New findings could help explain why women are more likely than men to have coronary symptoms after emotional upsets.

Botox injections associated with only modest benefit for chronic migraine and daily headaches Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:23 PM PDT Although botulinum toxin A ("Botox") injections are US Food and Drug Administration approved for preventive treatment for chronic migraines, a review and analysis of previous studies finds a small to modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, although botox injections were not associated with greater benefit than placebo for preventing episodic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches, according to a new article.

Omega-3 fatty acids don't improve heart's ability to relax and efficiently refill with blood Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:22 PM PDT Omega-3 fatty acid supplements have well-established healthy effects on the heart. But a study suggests these heart-healthy effects don't include improving diastolic function, the ability of the heart to relax and efficiently fill with blood.

Division of labor in neural stem cell maintenance Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:22 PM PDT Sibling growth factors cooperate to maintain a pool of neuron-generating stem cells in the brain, according to a new study.

Complementary and alternative medical therapy combined with conventional medical care may significantly improve treatment of lower back pain Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:19 AM PDT Many patients suffering from persistent low back pain might benefit significantly from an individualized, team-based model of care that includes access to licensed complementary care practitioners in addition to conventional care providers.

Bile – not acid – is bad guy in triggering precancerous condition associated with reflux disease Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT For many people with GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid – bile. A new study shows that bile plays a critical and previously unrecognized role in the development of Barrett's – the only known cause of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Bats: An unexpected virus reservoir Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the probable cause of not just one, but several infectious agents at the same time. Paramyxoviruses originate from ubiquitous bats, from where the pathogens have spread to humans and other mammals. In total, this unique study tested 9,278 animals for viruses, among them 86 species of bats and 33 rodent species, leading to the discovery of an enormous number of new virus species. This could make eradicating many dangerous diseases significantly more difficult than had been thought. For bats provide a reservoir from which viruses could come back after vaccination campaigns.

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