ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Carcinogens linked to cancer stem cells, but spinach can help
• Apple peel compound boosts brown fat, reduces obesity in mice
• Discovery increases understanding how bacteria spread
• Children exposed to HIV in the womb at increased risk for hearing loss
• Role of cellular protein demonstrated in regulation of binge eating
• 'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
• Muscular dystrophy: MG53 protein is shown to repair cell and tissue damage
• Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear
• Healthy muscle mass linked to healthy bones, but there are gender differences
• New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy
• Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help
• How humans predict other's decisions
• Poor role models: Children say two-thirds of parents do 'almost no physical activity'
• Molecule thought cancer foe actually helps thyroid tumors grow
• Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs
• Proposed drug may reverse Huntington's disease symptoms: Single treatment gives long-term improvement in animals
• Gold nanoparticles capable of 'unzipping' DNA
• Surgery 'Reanimates' smile in patients with facial paralysis
• Understanding of spinal muscular atrophy improved with use of stem cells
• New clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths
• Risk factors for heart attack remain low seven years after gastric bypass
• Resveratrol may be natural exercise performance enhancer
• Low/moderate drinking in early pregnancy has no adverse effects on children aged five, study suggests
• Eat less meat and farm efficiently to tackle climate change

Carcinogens linked to cancer stem cells, but spinach can help Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:32 PM PDT Researchers for the first time have traced the actions of a known carcinogen in cooked meat to its complex biological effects on microRNA and cancer stem cells. They also found that spinach can help prevent some of the damage done by this carcinogen.

Apple peel compound boosts brown fat, reduces obesity in mice Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:28 PM PDT Obesity and its associated problems such as diabetes and fatty liver disease are increasingly common global health concerns. A new study shows that a natural substance found in apple peel can partially protect mice from obesity and some of its harmful effects.

Discovery increases understanding how bacteria spread Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:24 PM PDT A researcher is moving closer to understanding how infection is caused by the spread of bacteria.

Children exposed to HIV in the womb at increased risk for hearing loss Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT Children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience hearing loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers.

Role of cellular protein demonstrated in regulation of binge eating Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly.

'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:39 PM PDT A single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into blood vessels or muscle tissue, a finding that may lead to better ways to treat heart attack patients.

Muscular dystrophy: MG53 protein is shown to repair cell and tissue damage Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:38 PM PDT Throughout the lifecycle, injury to the body's cells occurs naturally, as well as through trauma. Cells have the ability to repair and regenerate themselves, but a defect in the repair process can lead to cardiovascular, neurological, muscular or pulmonary diseases. Recent discoveries of key genes that control cell repair have advanced the often painstaking search for ways to enhance the repair process. A new study reports that the protein MG53, previously shown to be the key initiator in the cell membrane repair process, has the potential to be used directly as a therapeutic approach to treating traumatic tissue damage.

Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers have determined and analyzed the crystal structure of a yeast Argonaute protein bound to RNA, which plays a key role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that silences genes.

Healthy muscle mass linked to healthy bones, but there are gender differences Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT A new study looked at skeletal muscle mass and bone health across the life span and discovered distinct differences in how muscle affects the two layers of bone in men and women.

New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT Prostate cancer cells require androgens including testosterone to grow. A recent review describes new classes of drugs that target androgens in novel ways, providing alternatives to the traditional methods that frequently carry high side effects.

Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT A Web-based program featuring successful strategies of others who have lost weight may be an effective strategy for weight loss, according to researchers.

How humans predict other's decisions Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered two brain signals in the human prefrontal cortex involved in how humans predict the decisions of other people. Their results suggest that the two signals, each located in distinct prefrontal circuits, strike a balance between expected and observed rewards and choices, enabling humans to predict the actions of people with different values than their own.

Poor role models: Children say two-thirds of parents do 'almost no physical activity' Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT Children who said their parents do almost no physical activity have a 50 per cent greater risk of being unfit than children with more physically active parents, according to new research.

Molecule thought cancer foe actually helps thyroid tumors grow Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT A molecule widely believed to fight many forms of cancer actually helps deadly thyroid tumors grow, and cancer therapies now being tested in humans might boost the activity of this newly revealed bad guy, researchers say.

Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT A protein required to regrow injured peripheral nerves has been identified. The finding, in mice, has implications for improving recovery after nerve injury in the extremities. It also opens new avenues of investigation toward triggering nerve regeneration in the central nervous system, notorious for its inability to heal.

Proposed drug may reverse Huntington's disease symptoms: Single treatment gives long-term improvement in animals Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT With a single drug treatment, researchers can silence the mutated gene responsible for Huntington's disease, slowing and partially reversing progression of the fatal neurodegenerative disorder in animal models.

Gold nanoparticles capable of 'unzipping' DNA Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT Gold nanoparticles with a slight positive charge work collectively to unravel DNA's double helix. This finding has ramifications for gene therapy research and the emerging field of DNA-based electronics.

Surgery 'Reanimates' smile in patients with facial paralysis Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT A surgical technique using a muscle flap from the thigh restores facial motion —- and the ability to smile —- in patients with facial nerve paralysis resulting from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), reports a new study.

Understanding of spinal muscular atrophy improved with use of stem cells Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:10 AM PDT Scientists have pioneered research on how motor-neuron cell-death occurs in patients with spinal muscular atrophy, offering an important clue in identifying potential medicines to treat this leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers.

New clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:08 AM PDT Research sheds light on unexpected deaths that may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome.

Risk factors for heart attack remain low seven years after gastric bypass Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:37 AM PDT Total cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein levels are among 11 risk factors for heart attack that remained greatly reduced up to seven years after gastric bypass surgery, according to a new study.

Resveratrol may be natural exercise performance enhancer Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT A natural compound found in some fruits, nuts and red wine may enhance exercise training and performance, demonstrates newly published medical research.

Low/moderate drinking in early pregnancy has no adverse effects on children aged five, study suggests Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT Low and moderate weekly alcohol consumption in early pregnancy is not associated with adverse neuropsychological effects in children aged five, suggests a series of new articles. However, high levels of alcohol per week were linked with a lower attention span among five year olds.

Eat less meat and farm efficiently to tackle climate change Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT We need to eat less meat and recycle our waste to re-balance the global carbon cycle and reduce our risk of dangerous levels of climate change. New research shows that if today's meat-eating habits continue, the predicted rise in the global population could spell ecological disaster. But changes in our lifestyle and our farming could make space for growing crops for bioenergy and carbon storage.

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