ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects
• Meditation reduces loneliness
• Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form
• Blood type may influence heart disease risk
• Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure
• Online obesity treatment programmes show promise
• An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision
• Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan
• Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds
• Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease
• Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction
• 'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old
• Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood
• Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies
• Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown
• Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma
• Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression
• Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer
• Scientists decode TREX which could see new treatments for cancer realized
• Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics
• Vaccine for heart disease? New discovery points to possibility
• How cancer cells 'hijack' a mechanism to grow
• Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy’s side effects
• Tongue pacemaker for snoring successfully implanted
• Girls with ADHD at risk for self-injury, suicide attempts as young adults
• Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters
• Gene variants that increase risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome identified
• Green tea and chocolate compounds offer hope for patients with HIV-associated cognitive impairment
• New approaches for evaluating benefits and risks of obesity drugs
• Dermatologists' tips to reduce the signs of aging

New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new way of making animal models for a broad class of human genetic diseases -- those with pathology caused by errors in the splicing of RNA messages copied from genes. The new modeling approach can provide unique insights into how certain diseases progress and is likely to boost efforts to develop novel treatments. It was tested successfully in mouse analogs of human spinal muscular atrophy.

Meditation reduces loneliness Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT Researchers now report that a simple meditation program lasting just eight weeks reduced loneliness in older adults. Further, knowing that loneliness is associated with an increase in the activity of inflammation-related genes that can promote many different diseases, the researchers report this same form of meditation significantly reduced expression of inflammatory genes.

Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. This network, or vessel vasculature, in the human brain consists of a complex branching network of blood vessels, in total some several hundred miles in length. Abnormalities can lead to various neurological disorders, including strokes, learning difficulties and neurodegeneration.

Blood type may influence heart disease risk Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT People with blood type A, B, or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared to those with blood type O, according to new research.

Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT Compounds in cocoa may help to reduce blood pressure, according to a new systematic review. The researchers reviewed evidence from short-term trials in which participants were given dark chocolate or cocoa powder daily and found that their blood pressure dropped slightly compared to a control group.

Online obesity treatment programmes show promise Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight.

An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT For the first time, researchers decipher the retina's neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness.

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown.

Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term.

Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body.

Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:49 AM PDT Strawberry-shaped birthmarks called infantile hemangiomas grow rapidly in infants much earlier than previously thought, researchers have found. Their study suggests that babies with complication-causing hemangiomas should be immediately referred to dermatologists for further evaluation.

Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:21 AM PDT Girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) -- and their families -- often look forward to the likely decline in visible symptoms such as fidgety or disruptive behavior as they mature into young women. However, new findings caution that, as they enter adulthood, girls with histories of ADHD are more prone to internalize their struggles and feelings of failure -- a development that can manifest itself in self-injury and even attempted suicide.

Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:52 AM PDT Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to deliver infants who are large for their gestational age at delivery, regardless of whether they develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, according to a new study.

Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:10 AM PDT Researchers have now shown that implanted cells' therapeutic properties depend on their shape, which is determined by the type of scaffold on which they are grown. The work could allow scientists to develop even more effective implants and also target many other diseases, including cancer.

Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Researchers are reporting promising results from laboratory and animal experiments involving a new combination therapy for multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer.

Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Connecting the dots between two molecules whose levels are decreased in depression and increased by current antidepressants could yield new therapies, researchers say. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that enables brain cells to communicate and brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF, is a brain-nourishing molecule that also aids connectivity. Popular antidepressants such as Prozac, developed to increase levels of serotonin, have recently been found to also increase BDNF levels.

Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT A researcher says that cancer scientists should look to cyber-warfare tactics to fight the body's deadly enemy.

Scientists decode TREX which could see new treatments for cancer realized Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT Scientists have decoded the processes which create proteins in all forms of life which - for the first time - opens the door to fixing these problems which can cause fatal health problems like motor neuron disease, myotonic dystrophy and cancer.

Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:07 AM PDT Researchers have built pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells, surrounded by a three-dimensional network of blood vessels. When they transplanted the tissue into diabetic mice, the cells began functioning well enough to lower blood sugar levels in the mice. The engineered tissue could pave the way for improved tissue transplants to treat diabetes.

Vaccine for heart disease? New discovery points to possibility Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have identified the specific type of immune cells that orchestrate the inflammatory attack on the artery wall, which is a major contributor to plaque buildup in heart disease. Further, researchers discovered that these immune cells are launching their attack in response to normal proteins that the body mistakes as being foreign, an autoimmune type response that points up the possibility of developing a tolerogenic vaccine for heart disease.

How cancer cells 'hijack' a mechanism to grow Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a mechanism that explains how some cancer cells "hijack" a biological process to potentially activate cell growth and the survival of cancer gene expression.

Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy’s side effects Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective. They also demonstrated for the first time that this strategy would reduce the harmful side effects of chemotherapy on healthy organs.

Tongue pacemaker for snoring successfully implanted Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT The first tongue pacemaker was implanted Europe-wide that prevents pauses in breathing during sleep and helps protect against snoring. Physicians used the device for a patient who suffers from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In this, at times life-threatening illness, pauses in breathing can occur when the upper throat muscles are excessively relaxed during sleep. As a result, parts of the respiratory tract narrow and the person has difficulty breathing. The typical snoring noises occur when the affected person tries with great effort to get air through the blocked airways.

Girls with ADHD at risk for self-injury, suicide attempts as young adults Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:01 AM PDT Girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely to attempt suicide or injure themselves as young adults than girls who do not have ADHD, according to new research.

Potent human toxins prevalent in Canada's freshwaters Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT Nutrient pollution, one of the greatest threats to our freshwater resources, is responsible for the algal blooms that blanket our lakes and waterways in summer months. Large blooms of cyanobacteria ('blue green algae') can cause fish kills, increase the cost of drinking water treatment, devalue shoreline properties, and pose health risks to people, pets, and wildlife. Microcystin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria, is present in Canadian lakes in every province, according to new research.

Gene variants that increase risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome identified Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT Two new articles may help identify gene variants that contribute to the risks of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette syndrome. Both studies are the first genome-wide association studies in the largest groups of individuals affected by the conditions.

Green tea and chocolate compounds offer hope for patients with HIV-associated cognitive impairment Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:54 AM PDT Researchers discover compounds in green tea and chocolate may help reduce neurological complications linked to HIV.

New approaches for evaluating benefits and risks of obesity drugs Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:53 AM PDT A new report could help transform the process used to evaluate interventions to treat obesity, a public health crisis that now affects one in three adults.

Dermatologists' tips to reduce the signs of aging Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:53 AM PDT Getting better results from your anti-aging products can be as easy as following simple tips from dermatologists.

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