السبت، 1 ديسمبر 2012

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

Vitamin D tied to women's cognitive performance

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:22 PM PST

Two new studies show that vitamin D may be a vital component for the cognitive health of women as they age.

In schizophrenia patients, auditory cues sound bigger problems

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:21 PM PST

Researchers have found that deficiencies in the neural processing of simple auditory tones can evolve into a cascade of dysfunctional information processing across wide swaths of the brain in patients with schizophrenia.

Emerging vector-borne diseases create new public health challenges

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:16 PM PST

West Nile virus, Lyme disease, dengue fever, and plague are examples of "vector-borne zoonotic diseases," caused by pathogens that naturally infect wildlife and are transmitted to humans by vectors such as mosquitoes or ticks. Land-use change, globalization of trade and travel, and social upheaval are driving the emergence of such diseases in many regions.

Novel studies of gene regulation in brain development may mean new treatment of mental disorders

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:16 PM PST

Researchers have come up with a novel way to describe a time-dependent brain development based on coherent–gene-groups (CGGs) and transcription-factors (TFs) hierarchy. The findings could lead to new drug designs for mental disorders such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia.

Food retailers: The solution to childhood obesity?

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:11 PM PST

While most of the blame for childhood obesity is placed on the marketing practices of food manufacturers, research by a professor of food marketing suggests that more attention should be given to the in-store marketing activities of food retailers, especially those that directly target children.

Molecular knock-out alleviates Alzheimer's symptoms in mice

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 09:16 AM PST

Researchers have identified an enzyme as a possible target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The protein known as HDAC6 impairs transport processes within the nerve cells. The scientists observed only mild symptoms of the disease in mice if the enzyme was not produced. They propose to block its activity in a targeted fashion to treat the disease.

Residents believe vacant land threatens community, physical and mental health

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PST

As public health researchers continue efforts to understand the effects of neighborhood conditions on health, residents themselves can provide valuable insights regarding public health issues and potential solutions. A new study uses in-depth interviews with local residents to examine perspectives on how vacant land affects community, physical, and mental health. The study highlights the importance of community engagement in promoting urban revitalization.

Biomarker progress offers hope for early autism spectrum disorder detection

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders typically characterized by difficulties in social interactions and delayed or abnormal language development. Although ASD reportedly affects 1 in 88 people in the United States, to date there have been no distinctive biomarkers to diagnose the disease. Investigators now report on the current understanding of ASD genetics and the possibilities of translating genetic research toward biomarker development in ASD.

Nutrition: Help for children to resist unhealthy temptations

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST

It is easy for children and teenagers to get their hands on sweets and other unhealthy foods. A major research project has therefore developed a range of tools that children and teenagers can use to ward off temptation.

Ppossible road map for improving healthcare

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST

Given the right equipment, training and skill, an individual surgeon can expect to provide the best possible care on a consistent basis. But how do you get an entire system of surgeons -- each with his or her own ideas, backgrounds, and routines -- to provide that same level of care? New research shows that it's possible to improve care across the board if you tackle the problem in a standardized way, relying on the best evidence available.

How signal molecules for formation of various cell types are controlled

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST

The regulation of important signal molecules that are critical for the formation of various cell types can be influenced by a chemically produced variant of indirubin, a natural material used in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers were also able to demonstrate for the first time that these signal molecules in the cell -- regulatory SMAD proteins -- are not only controlled through regulation of their activation but also through the available quantity of signal molecules in the non-activated state.

C. diff researchers reveal potential target to fight infections

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST

Researchers have discovered how a common diarrhea-causing bacterium sends the body's natural defenses into overdrive, actually intensifying illness while fighting infection.

Breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST

A significant breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells has been made. New research describes the process whereby genes that are 'on' in embryonic stem cells are switched 'off'. This process is essential in order to convert embryonic stem cells into different cell types such as neurons, blood or heart cells and therefore represents an important breakthrough in the area of regenerative medicine.

Repeated knocks to the head leads to newly recognized brain disease

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST

Take a look inside the brains of many soldiers, football players, and boxers, and you'll find shrinking structures and massive, spreading pathology. Scientists now realize the pattern looks different from any known neurodegenerative disease. A fledgling scientific field has sprung up around these findings and is hurrying to identify, study, and prevent this newly described disease.

Prenatal intervention reduces learning deficit in mice

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:52 AM PST

Mice with a condition that serves as a laboratory model for Down syndrome perform better on memory and learning tasks as adults if they were treated before birth with neuroprotective peptides, according to researchers.

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:52 AM PST

Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV.

Hospital cleaning protocol ineffective against multidrug-resistant A. Baumannii

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:50 AM PST

Current hospital cleaning protocol may be inadequate to rid patient rooms of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii.

Pathway to bypass DNA lesions in replication process is experimentally shown

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:50 AM PST

DNA lesions are really common —- about one million individual molecular lesions per cell per day -— because its long strands usually have one missing base or are damaged. These lesions can stall the DNA replication process, what can lead to the cell death. To avoid it, there are several pathways to bypass lesions in order to continue with the process of DNA replication. One of these processes has been entirely reproduced in vitro using some techniques of manipulation of single-molecules.

Exposing the achilles' heel of the AIDS virus

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:49 AM PST

Researchers have been studying HIV regions that could be used to design a vaccine. One scientist has focused her research on a specific region of the surface protein of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is responsible for the Autoimmune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), one of the diseases with the greatest human morbidity and mortality.

As cigarette taxes go up, heavy smoking goes down

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:47 AM PST

When cigarette taxes rise, hard-core smokers are more likely than lighter smokers to cut back, according to new research.

Could mistletoe give the kiss of death to cancer?

Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:47 AM PST

Mistletoe has become an important symbol of Christmas, but it also has the potential to play a vital role as an alternative therapy for sufferers of colon cancer.

Advances in understanding of the mechanisms of drug resistance to dual-agent chemotherapy in recurrent ovarian cancer

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 08:26 PM PST

More than half of all patients with ovarian cancer experience recurrent disease and will eventually fail to respond to chemotherapy. The failure of chemotherapy is usually due to the development of resistance to the two main classes of chemotherapy agents used to fight it – platinating agents and taxanes. Now, a new study provides novel information that further adds to clinicians' understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of resistance to dual-agent chemotherapy.

Obese children more vulnerable to food advertising

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 08:26 PM PST

Rates of childhood obesity have tripled in the past 30 years, and food marketing has been implicated as one factor contributing to this trend. Every year, companies spend more than $10 billion in the US marketing their food and beverages to children; 98% of the food products advertised to children on television are high in fat, sugar, or sodium. Researchers have now used neuroimaging to study the effects of food logos on obese and healthy weight children.

Guineafowl may spread, not halt, fever-bearing ticks in turkey

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 08:25 PM PST

The country Turkey releases non-native guineafowl to eat ticks that carry deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Yet research suggests guineafowl eat few ticks, but carry the parasites on their feathers, possibly spreading the disease they were meant to stop, says a Turkish biologist.

Genome-scale study ID's hundreds of drug targets for Huntington's

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 02:37 PM PST

Scientists seeking to develop treatments for Huntington's disease just got a roadmap that could dramatically speed their discovery process. Researchers have used RNAi technology to identify hundreds of "druggable" molecular targets linked to the toxicity associated with HD. The gene RRAS, involved in cell motility and neuronal development, was among the diverse range of modifiers identified. RRAS was revealed as a potent modulator of HD toxicity in multiple HD models.

Gene involved in lung tumor growth identified

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:21 PM PST

Lung cancer researchers have identified a gene that plays a role in the growth and spread of non-small cell lung cancer tumors, opening the door for potential new treatment options.

Brief interventions can help college students return to a healthy lifestyle

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:21 PM PST

A new study from the University of Missouri has found that a brief intervention, sometimes as little as 30 minutes, can help put students back on the right track to a healthy lifestyle -- a change that can impact the rest of their lives.

Working couples face greater odds of intimate partner violence

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:20 PM PST

Intimate partner violence is two times more likely to occur in two income households, compared to those where only one partner works, a recent study found.

Diabetics with cancer dangerously ignore blood sugar

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:35 AM PST

When people with Type 2 diabetes are diagnosed with cancer -- for which they are at higher risk -- they ignore their diabetes to focus on cancer. But high blood sugar is more likely to kill them. When they received diabetes education after a cancer diagnosis, however, they were more likely to monitor their blood sugar and had fewer visits to the emergency room, fewer hospital admissions and lower health care costs.

Running too far, too fast, and too long speeds progress 'to finish line of life'

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:34 AM PST

Vigorous exercise is good for health, but only if it's limited to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes, say researchers.

Jigsaw a critical piece of the Notch puzzle

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:33 AM PST

The Notch signaling pathway helps determine cell fate determination, differentiation and proliferative ability of numerous cells. How it accomplishes these tasks has been a puzzle, but researchers have identified a key piece -- a specific domain within the Notch receptor that is critical for determining the specific ligand to which the receptor binds.

Integrating science and policy to address the impacts of air pollution

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:32 AM PST

New research examines how science and policy address air pollution effects on human health and ecosystems, and climate change in Europe.

Molecular root of 'exhausted' t cells in chronic viral infection

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:31 AM PST

In the case of such pathogens as hepatitis C, HIV, and malaria, the body and the pathogen essentially fight to a prolonged stalemate, neither able to gain an advantage. Over time, however, the cells become "exhausted" and the immune system can collapse, giving the pathogen the edge. A new study is showing how that happens, suggesting a novel approach that might shift the balance of power in chronic infections.

New genetic test detects early breast cancer and identifies future risk

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:05 AM PST

Breast cancer detection has improved, but more work remains to ensure accurate diagnosis, and to assess future risk. Researchers are developing a test of gene action that predicts cancer risk at first diagnosis, and into the future. This research discusses how genetic switches, which are turned on and off in regular cellular development, can be analyzed in minute detail to determine the presence, or risk, of breast cancer growth.

Enzyme inhibition protects against Huntington's disease damage in two animal models

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:05 AM PST

Treatment with a novel agent that inhibits the activity of SIRT2, an enzyme that regulates many important cellular functions, reduced neurological damage, slowed the loss of motor function and extended survival in two animal models of Huntington's disease.

Alcoholic fly larvae need fix for learning

Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:04 AM PST

Fly larvae fed on alcohol-spiked food for a period of days grow dependent on those spirits for learning. The findings show how overuse of alcohol can produce lasting changes in the brain, even after alcohol abuse stops.
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