ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Not all 'good cholesterol' is 'good': Raising HDL not a sure route to countering heart disease
• Damaged connections in Phineas Gage's brain: Famous 1848 case of man who survived accident has modern parallel
• Children with cancer have complete responses in a COG phase 1 trial: Pills zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers
• Biologists produce potential malarial vaccine from algae
• Head impacts in contact sports may reduce learning in college athletes
• You are what you eat: Why do male consumers avoid vegetarian options?
• Nine new breast cancer risk genes: Landscape of cancer genes and mutational processes in breast cancer complicated
• Want to avoid erectile dysfunction following prostate cancer surgery? Find an experienced, gentle surgeon
• Alzheimer's gene causes brain's blood vessels to leak toxins and die
• Human genes transplanted into zebrafish: Helps identify genes related to autism, schizophrenia and obesity
• New clues on how ApoE4 affects Alzheimer's risk
• Paralyzed individuals use thought-controlled robotic arm to reach and grasp
• People with paralysis control robotic arms to reach and grasp using brain computer interface
• Internet usage patterns may signify depression
• Let's get moving: Unraveling how locomotion starts
• Make or break for cellular tissues
• 20 percent 'fat tax' needed to improve population health, experts say
• Sunscreens remain safe, effective form of sun protection, experts say
• 740,000 lives saved: Benefits of AIDS relief program
• Why omega-3 oils help at the cellular level
• High doses of certain dietary supplements increase cancer risk
• New biomarker test predicts arthritis before symptoms appear
• All cancer cells are not created equal: Some cell types control continued tumor growth, others prepare the way for metastasis
• Protein inhibitor points to potential medical treatments for skull and skin birth defects
• Palpitations are predictive of future atrial fibrillation
• 'Fertilizing' bone marrow helps answer why some cancers spread to bones

Not all 'good cholesterol' is 'good': Raising HDL not a sure route to countering heart disease Posted: 16 May 2012 04:55 PM PDT Medical researchers explored naturally occurring genetic variations in humans to test the connection between HDL levels and heart attack. By studying the genes of roughly 170,000 individuals, the team discovered that, when examined together, the 15 HDL-raising variants they tested do not reduce the risk of heart attack.

Damaged connections in Phineas Gage's brain: Famous 1848 case of man who survived accident has modern parallel Posted: 16 May 2012 04:54 PM PDT In 1848, Phineas Gage survived an accident that drove an iron rod through his head. Researchers, for the first time, used images of Gage's skull combined with modern-day brain images to suggest there was extensive damage to the white matter "pathways" that connected various regions of his brain.

Children with cancer have complete responses in a COG phase 1 trial: Pills zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers Posted: 16 May 2012 04:54 PM PDT A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, as well as in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma.

Biologists produce potential malarial vaccine from algae Posted: 16 May 2012 02:44 PM PDT Biologists have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria.

Head impacts in contact sports may reduce learning in college athletes Posted: 16 May 2012 02:37 PM PDT A new study suggests that head impacts experienced during contact sports such as football and hockey may worsen some college athletes' ability to acquire new information.

You are what you eat: Why do male consumers avoid vegetarian options? Posted: 16 May 2012 12:25 PM PDT Why are men generally more reluctant to try vegetarian products? According to a new study consumers are influenced by a strong association of meat with masculinity.

Nine new breast cancer risk genes: Landscape of cancer genes and mutational processes in breast cancer complicated Posted: 16 May 2012 12:23 PM PDT Researchers have described nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer. This takes the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40.

Want to avoid erectile dysfunction following prostate cancer surgery? Find an experienced, gentle surgeon Posted: 16 May 2012 12:22 PM PDT A new study suggests that men undergoing robotic-assisted surgery for prostate cancer should look for a doctor who has performed at least 1,000 surgeries and who actively seeks to improve and enhance his surgical skills to help ensure a successful post-surgery recovery of erectile function.

Alzheimer's gene causes brain's blood vessels to leak toxins and die Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT ApoE4, a well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease triggers a cascade of signaling that ultimately results in leaky blood vessels in the brain, allowing toxic substances to pour into brain tissue in large amounts, scientists report.

Human genes transplanted into zebrafish: Helps identify genes related to autism, schizophrenia and obesity Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have transplanted a set of human genes into a zebrafish and then used it to identify genes responsible for head size at birth. This finding also is related to some cases of autism and possibly schizophrenia and childhood obesity.

New clues on how ApoE4 affects Alzheimer's risk Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Common variants of the ApoE gene are strongly associated with the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but the gene's role in the disease has been unclear. Now, researchers have found that in mice, having the most risky variant of ApoE damages the blood vessels that feed the brain.

Paralyzed individuals use thought-controlled robotic arm to reach and grasp Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own -- for the first time in nearly 15 years -- by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system, which is intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control.

People with paralysis control robotic arms to reach and grasp using brain computer interface Posted: 16 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Two people with tetraplegia were able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space with robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity. They used the BrainGate neural interface system, an investigational device currently being studied under an IDE. One participant used the system to serve herself coffee for the first time since becoming paralyzed nearly 15 years ago.

Internet usage patterns may signify depression Posted: 16 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT In a new study analyzing Internet usage among college students, researchers have found that students who show signs of depression tend to use the Internet differently than those who show no symptoms of depression.

Let's get moving: Unraveling how locomotion starts Posted: 16 May 2012 08:59 AM PDT Scientists have shed new light on one of the great unanswered questions of neuroscience: How the brain initiates rhythmic movements like walking, running and swimming.

Make or break for cellular tissues Posted: 16 May 2012 06:32 AM PDT Models developed to study liquids are used to investigate the mechanics of cellular tissues, which could further our understanding of embryonic development and cancer. Scientists have demonstrated that the behavior of a thin layer of cells in contact with an unfavorable substrate is akin to that of thin fluid or elastic films. Understanding the mechanism by which a thin layer of cells splits into disjointed patches, thus breaking the layer's structural integrity, bears great significance because the human tissue, or epithelium, covering organs can only fulfill its role if there are no holes or gaps between the cells.

20 percent 'fat tax' needed to improve population health, experts say Posted: 15 May 2012 05:30 PM PDT Taxes on unhealthy food and drinks would need to be at least 20 percent to have a significant effect on diet-related conditions such as obesity and heart disease, say experts on bmj.com today. Ideally, this should be combined with subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, they add.

Sunscreens remain safe, effective form of sun protection, experts say Posted: 15 May 2012 05:21 PM PDT The American Academy of Dermatology today reiterated the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens to protect against the damaging effects from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. As one component of a daily sun-protection strategy, sunscreen is an important tool in the fight against skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

740,000 lives saved: Benefits of AIDS relief program Posted: 15 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the government's far-reaching health-care foreign aid program, has contributed to a significant decline in adult death rates from all causes in Africa, according to a new study.

Why omega-3 oils help at the cellular level Posted: 15 May 2012 12:10 PM PDT For the first time, researchers have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental.

High doses of certain dietary supplements increase cancer risk Posted: 15 May 2012 12:10 PM PDT Beta-carotene, selenium and folic acid -- taken up to three times their recommended daily allowance, these supplements are probably harmless. But taken at much higher levels as some supplement manufacturers suggest, these three supplements have now been shown to increase the risk of developing a host of cancers.

New biomarker test predicts arthritis before symptoms appear Posted: 15 May 2012 10:18 AM PDT A research team has found a way to detect and predict arthritis before patients begin suffering from symptoms.

All cancer cells are not created equal: Some cell types control continued tumor growth, others prepare the way for metastasis Posted: 15 May 2012 10:17 AM PDT New researchers suggests that specific populations of tumor cells have different roles in the process by which tumors make new copies of themselves and grow.

Protein inhibitor points to potential medical treatments for skull and skin birth defects Posted: 15 May 2012 10:13 AM PDT Researchers have found new clues in the pathogenesis of skull and skin birth defects associated with a rare genetic disorder, Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome (BSS).

Palpitations are predictive of future atrial fibrillation Posted: 15 May 2012 06:39 AM PDT A large cohort study has found that the strongest risk factors for atrial fibrillation in both men and women were a history of palpitations and hypertension. While hypertension is a well known risk factor for AF, the investigators note that "the impact of self-reported palpitations on later occurrence of AF has not been documented earlier."

'Fertilizing' bone marrow helps answer why some cancers spread to bones Posted: 15 May 2012 04:04 AM PDT Researchers found that administering a common chemotherapy drug before bone tumors took root actually fertilized the bone marrow, enabling cancer cells, once introduced, to seed and grow more easily.

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