ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• How cancer cells avoid cell death
• Changes in cell shape may lead to metastasis, not the other way around
• Alzheimer's disease protein controls movement in mice
• Fighting infectious disease the modern way - with robots
• Potentially life-saving cooling treatment rarely used for in-hospital cardiac arrests
• Compound enhances SSRI antidepressant's effects in mice
• Blockade in cellular waste disposal: Scientists show how protein aggregates disrupt the molecular balance of the cell
• Scientists discover previously unknown requirement for brain development: Brain requires thalamic input as well as genetics
• Solitary mutation destroys key 'window' of brain development
• Clot-buster trial reveals long-term benefits for stroke patients
• Daily iron during pregnancy linked to improved birth weight
• Emergency helicopter airlifts help the seriously injured
• Stress from 9/11 linked to nationwide resurgence in smoking among Americans who had quit
• Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissue
• Huge falls in diabetes mortality in UK and Canada since mid-1990s
• 'Good' bacteria can battle 'bad' bacteria in eye infections
• New gene involved in obesity: Link between telomeres and obesity discovered
• Why our prehistoric, parasitic 'jumping' genes don't send us into meltdown
• Elevated gluten antibodies found in children with autism
• Genetics of cervical cancer raise concern about antiviral therapy in some cases
• A new wrinkle in smoking research

How cancer cells avoid cell death Posted: 21 Jun 2013 11:18 AM PDT A new study provides an important new insight into how cancer cells are able to avoid the cell death process. The findings may suggest a chemotherapeutic approach to prevent the spread of cancers.

Changes in cell shape may lead to metastasis, not the other way around Posted: 21 Jun 2013 11:16 AM PDT Development of skin cancer may require changes in the genes that control cell shape, report a team of scientists. The work could lead to a better understanding of how the cells become metastatic.

Alzheimer's disease protein controls movement in mice Posted: 21 Jun 2013 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have revealed that a protein well known for its role in Alzheimer's disease controls spindle development in muscle and leads to impaired movement in mice when the protein is absent or treated with inhibitors.

Fighting infectious disease the modern way - with robots Posted: 21 Jun 2013 09:10 AM PDT Hospitals are synonymous with cleanliness and now an academic medical center is taking disinfection to futuristic levels. Nicknamed "little Joe" a 3-foot upright cylindrical robots provide the finishing touches to room sanitation. A rotating telescopic head emits cidal ultraviolet (UV) rays for 15 minutes in closed, unoccupied rooms to systematically kill germs dead.

Potentially life-saving cooling treatment rarely used for in-hospital cardiac arrests Posted: 21 Jun 2013 07:44 AM PDT Therapeutic hypothermia is rarely being used in patients who suffer cardiac arrest while in the hospital, despite its proven potential to improve survival and neurological function, researchers report.

Compound enhances SSRI antidepressant's effects in mice Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:57 AM PDT A synthetic compound is able to turn off "secondary" vacuum cleaners in the brain that take up serotonin, resulting in the "happy" chemical being more plentiful, scientists have discovered. Their study points to novel targets to treat depression.

Blockade in cellular waste disposal: Scientists show how protein aggregates disrupt the molecular balance of the cell Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:55 AM PDT Proteins can only perform their complex functions in the cell when they assume a specific three-dimensional structure for each respective task. Because misfolded proteins are often toxic, they are immediately refolded or degraded. Scientists have now shown in the yeast model that specific protein aggregates block an important degradation pathway for defective proteins – and thus disrupt the fragile molecular balance of the cell.

Scientists discover previously unknown requirement for brain development: Brain requires thalamic input as well as genetics Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:53 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that sensory regions in the brain develop in a fundamentally different way than previously thought, a finding that may yield new insights into visual and neural disorders.

Solitary mutation destroys key 'window' of brain development Posted: 21 Jun 2013 06:53 AM PDT Scientists have shown in animal models that brain damage caused by the loss of a single copy of a gene during very early childhood development can cause a lifetime of behavioral and intellectual problems.

Clot-buster trial reveals long-term benefits for stroke patients Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:40 PM PDT Patients given a clot-busting drug within six hours of a stroke are more likely to have a long-lasting recovery than those who do not receive the treatment, new research has found.

Daily iron during pregnancy linked to improved birth weight Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:40 PM PDT Taking iron daily during pregnancy is associated with a significant increase in birth weight and a reduction in risk of low birth weight, finds a new study.

Emergency helicopter airlifts help the seriously injured Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:40 PM PDT Patients transferred to hospital via helicopter ambulance tend to have a higher survival rate than those who take the more traditional road route, despite having more severe injuries. The research suggests that air ambulances are both effective and worthy of investment.

Stress from 9/11 linked to nationwide resurgence in smoking among Americans who had quit Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT The 9/11 attacks on America appear to have caused about one million former smokers across the country to take up the habit again and maintain it, according to a public health study.

Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissue Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT Bacterial DNA may integrate into the human genome more readily in tumors than in normal human tissue, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed genomic sequencing data available from the Human Genome Project, the 1,000 Genomes Project and The Cancer Genome Atlas. They considered the phenomenon of lateral gene transfer, the transmission of genetic material between organisms in the absence of sex.

Huge falls in diabetes mortality in UK and Canada since mid-1990s Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:20 PM PDT Both the UK and Canada have experienced huge falls in diabetes-related mortality since the mid-1990s, with the result that the gap in mortality risk between those with and without diabetes has narrowed substantially.

'Good' bacteria can battle 'bad' bacteria in eye infections Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:19 PM PDT Like animal predators attacking their prey, some bacteria consume and kill other bacteria. Scientists report progress in putting predator microbes to work, attacking antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause infections that lead to blindness.

New gene involved in obesity: Link between telomeres and obesity discovered Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:25 AM PDT The discovery of an unexpected function for a gene that was associated to another process in the organism might be a solution in search of a problem, a clue to unsuspected connections. That is what has happened with RAP1, a gene that protects telomeres -- the ends of chromosomes -- after researchers surprisingly discovered its key role in obesity.

Why our prehistoric, parasitic 'jumping' genes don't send us into meltdown Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:22 AM PDT A new study reveals for the first time how the movement and duplication of segments of DNA known as transposons, is regulated. This prevents a genomic meltdown, and instead enables transposons to live in harmony with their hosts — including humans.

Elevated gluten antibodies found in children with autism Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Elevated antibodies to gluten proteins of wheat found in children with autism in comparison to those without autism. Results from a new study also indicated an association between the elevated antibodies and the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the affected children. They did not find any connection, however, between the elevated antibodies and celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder known to be triggered by gluten.

Genetics of cervical cancer raise concern about antiviral therapy in some cases Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT A new understanding of the genetic process that can lead to cervical cancer may help improve diagnosis of potentially dangerous lesions for some women, and also raises a warning flag about the use of anti-viral therapies in certain cases -- suggesting they could actually trigger the cancer they are trying to cure.

A new wrinkle in smoking research Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:43 PM PDT If health concerns won't get college students to quit smoking, maybe experiencing the future will. A researcher tested a video game showing social smokers what they might look like after 20 years.

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