ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Identical twins with significant weight differences shed light on the phenomenon of metabolically healthy obesity
• First-ever view of gene activity, transcript patterns in single human cells
• How binge drinking impairs healing of broken bones
• Association between adolescents' anxiety, depressive symptoms
• High rates of unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics continue
• Key cellular auto-cleaning mechanism mediates formation of plaques in Alzheimer's brain
• Genetic analysis of individuals with autism finds gene deletions
• 'Mistake' in single-cell organism actually a rewrite essential to life
• Rett Syndrome gene dysfunction redefined
• Stem cells help repair traumatic brain injury by building 'biobridge'
• Researcher discovers target for new Rx class for inflammatory disorders
• Why do humans pig out?
• New role for cell dark matter in genome integrity

Identical twins with significant weight differences shed light on the phenomenon of metabolically healthy obesity Posted: 06 Oct 2013 05:42 PM PDT A unique study of 16 pairs of identical twins in which one twin is obese and the other lean has yielded some surprising results. In 8 of the pairs of twins, the obese twin was as 'metabolically healthy' as his or her lean co-twin, while in the other 8 pairs, the obese twin had a poorer blood fat profile, higher liver fat and increased insulin production and resistance, and higher blood pressure -- all hallmarks of unhealthy obesity.

First-ever view of gene activity, transcript patterns in single human cells Posted: 06 Oct 2013 01:13 PM PDT Biologists have developed a method to visualize the activity of genes in single cells. The method is so efficient that, for the first time, a thousand genes can be studied in parallel in ten thousand single human cells. Applications lie in fields of basic research and medical diagnostics. The new method shows that the activity of genes, and the spatial organization of the resulting transcript molecules, strongly vary between single cells.

How binge drinking impairs healing of broken bones Posted: 06 Oct 2013 01:13 PM PDT Physicians have long observed that binge drinking impairs healing of broken bones. A new study is providing insights into how alcohol slows healing on the cellular and molecular levels. The findings could lead to better treatments to improve bone healing.

Association between adolescents' anxiety, depressive symptoms Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:27 AM PDT A large-scale study conducted on the family life, physical and emotional health of high school students has shed light on an association between adolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms.

High rates of unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics continue Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT For decades, there has been a significant effort to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Despite this work, new research finds only incremental improvement in antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute bronchitis and sore throat.

Key cellular auto-cleaning mechanism mediates formation of plaques in Alzheimer's brain Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT Autophagy, a key cellular auto-cleaning mechanism, mediates the formation of amyloid beta plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. It might be a potential drug target for the treatment of the disease, concludes new research. The study sheds light on the metabolism of amyloid beta, and its role in neurodegeneration and memory loss.

Genetic analysis of individuals with autism finds gene deletions Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT Using powerful genetic sequencing technology, a team of investigators scanned the genome of hundreds of individuals, and discovered those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likely to have gene deletions than were people without the disorder. That means those individuals -- seven percent of the study group -- had one copy of one or more genes when they should have had two.

'Mistake' in single-cell organism actually a rewrite essential to life Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT A tiny but unexpected change to a segment of RNA in a single-cell organism looks a lot like a mistake, but is instead a change to the genetic information that is essential to the organism's survival.

Rett Syndrome gene dysfunction redefined Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that the protein product of the gene MECP2, which is mutated in about 95% of Rett syndrome patients, is a global activator of neuronal gene expression. Mutations in the protein can cause decreased gene transcription, reduced protein synthesis, and severe defects in the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Stem cells help repair traumatic brain injury by building 'biobridge' Posted: 03 Oct 2013 08:12 AM PDT Researchers suggest a new view of how stem cells may help repair the brain following trauma.

Researcher discovers target for new Rx class for inflammatory disorders Posted: 03 Oct 2013 08:11 AM PDT A powerful new anti-inflammatory mechanism that could lead to the development of new oral medications for atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disorders has been described in a new study.

Why do humans pig out? Posted: 03 Oct 2013 08:01 AM PDT Researchers have discovered big differences in the variability of eating habits among pigs. A newly published study showed that for some overeating was normal behavior and for a particular group of pigs there was clear evidence they were genetically programmed to eat more food than others.

New role for cell dark matter in genome integrity Posted: 03 Oct 2013 07:57 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how telomerase, a molecule essential for cancer development, is directed to structures on our genome called telomeres in order to maintain its integrity and in turn, the integrity of the genome.

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