ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Widespread exposure to BPA substitute is occurring from cash register receipts, other paper
• Anxiety linked to shortened telomeres, accelerated aging
• Toward new drugs for the human and non-human cells in people
• Memories serve as tools for learning and decision-making
• Transforming cancer into a manageable illness with multi-drug approach
• Switch lets early lung cancer grow unchecked
• Two proteins offer a 'clearer' way to treat Huntington’s disease
• Air in expectant moms' homes contains pesticides, Texas-Mexico border study finds
• Why the thrill is gone: Potential target for treating major symptom of depression
• Using biomarkers to identify and treat schizophrenia
• Scientists see trafficking of immune cells in beating heart
• 'Insulating' brain cells appear to play a critical role in brain cell survival and may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS
• Naturally occurring molecule may prevent atherosclerosis
• No reliable evidence on effectiveness of electric fans in heatwaves
• The more gray matter you have, the more altruistic you are
• Strong communication between brain and muscle requires both having the protein LRP4
• Individual differences in altruism explained by brain region involved in empathy
• New technique identifies cellular 'Needle in a haystack'
• Early-life exposure to PCE, chemical in drinking water, may affect vision, study finds
• Evidence supports health benefits of 'mindfulness-based practices'
• Decline of immune system with aging may have a genetic cause
• Oral contraceptive use in girls and alcohol consumption in boys linked to increased blood pressure in late adolescence
• Weight loss resulting from a low-fat diet may help eliminate menopausal symptoms
• Moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent bone loss, study suggests
• Drugs used to treat HIV also reduce risk of HIV infection, review suggests
• Fewer iron supplements during pregnancy work just as well for preventing anemia, study suggests
• How metastasizing cancer cells enter organs

Widespread exposure to BPA substitute is occurring from cash register receipts, other paper Posted: 11 Jul 2012 06:02 PM PDT People are being exposed to higher levels of the substitute for BPA in cash register thermal paper receipts and many of the other products that engendered concerns about the health effects of bisphenol A, according to a new study. Bisphenol S (BPS) is now frequently found in thermal and recycled paper and paper currency. BPS is closely related to BPA, with some of the same estrogen-mimicking effects, and unanswered questions exist about whether it is safer.

Anxiety linked to shortened telomeres, accelerated aging Posted: 11 Jul 2012 06:01 PM PDT A common form of anxiety, known as phobic anxiety, was associated with shorter telomeres in middle-aged and older women. The study suggests that phobic anxiety is a possible risk factor for accelerated aging.

Toward new drugs for the human and non-human cells in people Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:42 PM PDT Amid the growing recognition that only a small fraction of the cells and genes in a typical human being are human, scientists are suggesting a revolutionary approach to developing new medicines and treatments to target both the human and non-human components of people.

Memories serve as tools for learning and decision-making Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:42 PM PDT People associate past memories with novel information, according to a new study. This memory-binding process allows people to better understand new concepts and make future decisions. The findings could lead to better teaching methods, as well as treatment of degenerative neurological disorders, such as dementia.

Transforming cancer into a manageable illness with multi-drug approach Posted: 11 Jul 2012 12:06 PM PDT A new, multi-drug approach to treatment could make many cancers manageable, if not curable, illnesses by overcoming resistance to certain drug treatments, a new study suggests. The findings suggest that, of the billions of cancer cells that exist in a patient, only a tiny percentage -- about one in a million -- are resistant to drugs used in targeted therapy.

Switch lets early lung cancer grow unchecked Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:18 AM PDT Cellular change thought to happen only in late-stage cancers to help tumors spread also occurs in early-stage lung cancer as a way to bypass growth controls, say researchers.

Two proteins offer a 'clearer' way to treat Huntington’s disease Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:18 AM PDT Researchers have identified two key regulatory proteins critical to clearing away misfolded proteins that accumulate and cause the progressive, deadly neurodegeneration of Huntington's disease (HD).

Air in expectant moms' homes contains pesticides, Texas-Mexico border study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:47 AM PDT Air samples from homes of Hispanic mothers-to-be along the Texas-Mexico border contained multiple pesticides in a majority of houses, a new study has shown. The study was conducted in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Why the thrill is gone: Potential target for treating major symptom of depression Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:47 AM PDT Scientists have laid bare a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the most important symptom of major depression: anhedonia, the loss of the ability to experience pleasure. While their study was conducted in mice, the brain circuit involved in this newly elucidated pathway is largely identical between rodents and humans, upping the odds that the findings point toward new therapies for depression and other disorders.

Using biomarkers to identify and treat schizophrenia Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:45 AM PDT Scientists have identified a set of laboratory-based biomarkers that can be useful for understanding brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. The measurements, known as endophenotypes, could ultimately be a boon to clinicians who sometimes struggle to recognize and treat the complex and confounding mental disorder.

Scientists see trafficking of immune cells in beating heart Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:09 AM PDT Working in mice, surgeons and scientists have captured the first images of a beating heart at a resolution so detailed they can track individual immune cells swarming into the heart muscle, causing the inflammation that is so common after a heart attack or heart surgery.

'Insulating' brain cells appear to play a critical role in brain cell survival and may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS Posted: 11 Jul 2012 10:09 AM PDT Researchers say they have discovered that the central nervous system's oligodendroglia cells, long believed to simply insulate nerves as they "fire" signals, are unexpectedly also vital to the survival of neurons. Damage to these insulators appears to contribute to brain injury in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease for the Yankee baseball great who died from the disease.

Naturally occurring molecule may prevent atherosclerosis Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring molecule may play a role in preventing plaque buildup inside arteries, possibly leading to new plaque-fighting drugs and improved screening of patients at risk of developing atherosclerosis.

No reliable evidence on effectiveness of electric fans in heatwaves Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT A fan might help to increase heat loss if the temperature is below 35°C and the fan is not directly aimed at the person, but, when temperatures are above 35 °C, the fan might actually contribute to heat gain.

The more gray matter you have, the more altruistic you are Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT The volume of a small brain region influences one's predisposition for altruistic behavior. Researchers have shown that people who behave more altruistically than others have more gray matter at the junction between the parietal and temporal lobe, thus showing for the first time that there is a connection between brain anatomy, brain activity and altruistic behavior.

Strong communication between brain and muscle requires both having the protein LRP4 Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT Communication between the brain and muscle must be strong for us to eat, breathe or walk. Now scientists have found that a protein known to be on the surface of muscle cells must be present in both tissues to ensure the conversation is robust.

Individual differences in altruism explained by brain region involved in empathy Posted: 11 Jul 2012 09:30 AM PDT What can explain extreme differences in altruism among individuals, from Ebenezer Scrooge to Mother Teresa? It may all come down to variation in the size and activity of a brain region involved in appreciating others' perspectives, according to a study published by Cell Press in the July 12th issue of the journal Neuron. The findings also provide a neural explanation for why altruistic tendencies remain stable over time.

New technique identifies cellular 'Needle in a haystack' Posted: 11 Jul 2012 08:14 AM PDT Rare cells can be identified within mixed cell populations with near perfect accuracy using a new detection technique. This technique may facilitate cancer diagnosis, which often relies on the detection of rare cancerous cells in tiny amounts of biopsy tissue or fluid.

Early-life exposure to PCE, chemical in drinking water, may affect vision, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:49 AM PDT Prenatal and early childhood exposure to the chemical solvent tetrachloroethylene found in drinking water may be associated with long-term visual impairments, particularly in the area of color discrimination, a new study has found.

Evidence supports health benefits of 'mindfulness-based practices' Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:48 AM PDT Specific types of "mindfulness practices" including Zen meditation have demonstrated benefits for patients with certain physical and mental health problems, according to a new report.

Decline of immune system with aging may have a genetic cause Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:48 AM PDT By examining fruit flies at two different stages of their lives – youth and middle age -- scientists have discovered important insights that explain why our ability to ward off infection declines with age.

Oral contraceptive use in girls and alcohol consumption in boys linked to increased blood pressure in late adolescence Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:10 AM PDT The substantial differences in blood pressure found in the study between those with a healthier or less favorable lifestyle "are likely to significantly affect their risk of both ischemic heart disease and stroke in adulthood," the investigators warn.

Weight loss resulting from a low-fat diet may help eliminate menopausal symptoms Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:10 AM PDT Weight loss that occurs in conjunction with a low-fat, high fruit and vegetable diet may help to reduce or eliminate hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause, according to a new study.

Moderate alcohol consumption may help prevent bone loss, study suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2012 07:07 AM PDT Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle may benefit women's bone health, lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis. A new study assessed the effects of alcohol withdrawal on bone turnover in postmenopausal women who drank one or two drinks per day several times a week. Researchers measured a significant increase in blood markers of bone turnover in women after they stopped drinking for just two weeks.

Drugs used to treat HIV also reduce risk of HIV infection, review suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2012 04:43 AM PDT People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV.

Fewer iron supplements during pregnancy work just as well for preventing anemia, study suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2012 04:43 AM PDT Taking iron supplements one to three times a week instead of every day is just as effective at preventing anemia in pregnant women, according to the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors of the review also showed that women experienced fewer side effects when taking iron supplements intermittently rather than daily.

How metastasizing cancer cells enter organs Posted: 11 Jul 2012 04:42 AM PDT It is not primary tumors that are responsible for the majority of cancer deaths, but rather their metastases. Physiologists and neuropathologists have now identified the origin of metastasis formation, thereby revealing the pathway of metastasizing intestinal cancer cells out of the blood stream. The results allow new approaches in the development of cancer therapies.

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