ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• New RNA interference technique finds seven genes for head and neck cancer
• Study on flu evolution may change textbooks, history books
• Researchers rejuvenate stem cell population from elderly mice, enabling muscle recovery
• New blood cells fight brain inflammation
• Loneliness is a major health risk for older adults
• Researchers hijack cancer migration mechanism to 'move' brain tumors
• Thinking it through: Scientists seek to unlock mysteries of the brain
• Obesity in Samoa: A global harbinger?
• Psoriasis researchers identify molecular changes responsible for skin discoloration
• Repeal of Missouri's background check law associated with increase in state's murders
• Longer commutes disadvantage African-American workers
• Can citrus ward off your risk of stroke?
• Topiramate reduces heavy drinking among patients seeking to cut down on alcohol consumption
• Cancer drugs hitch a ride on 'smart' gold nanoshells
• Drought contributed to Typhus epidemics in Mexico from 1655 to 1918, study shows

New RNA interference technique finds seven genes for head and neck cancer Posted: 16 Feb 2014 03:20 PM PST In the hunt for genetic mutations that cause cancer, there is a lot of white noise. So although genetic sequencing has identified hundreds of genetic alterations linked to tumors, it's still an enormous challenge to figure out which ones are actually responsible for the growth and metastasis of cancer. Scientists have now created a new technique that can weed out that noise -- eliminating the random bystander genes and identifying the ones that are critical for cancer. Applying their technique to head and neck cancers, they've discovered seven new tumor-suppressor genes whose role in cancer was previously unknown.

Study on flu evolution may change textbooks, history books Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST A new study reconstructing the evolutionary tree of flu viruses challenges conventional wisdom and solves some of the mysteries surrounding flu outbreaks of historical significance. The study challenges several tenets of conventional wisdom, for example the notion that the virus moves largely unidirectionally from wild birds to domestic birds rather than with spillover in the other direction. It also helps resolve the origin of the virus that caused the unprecedentedly severe influenza pandemic of 1918.

Researchers rejuvenate stem cell population from elderly mice, enabling muscle recovery Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST Researchers have pinpointed why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury: over time, stem cells within muscle tissues dedicated to repairing damage become less able to generate new muscle fibers and struggle to self-renew. Scientists identified for the first time a process by which the older muscle stem cell populations can be rejuvenated to function like younger cells.

New blood cells fight brain inflammation Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:17 PM PST Hyperactivity of our immune system can cause a state of chronic inflammation. If chronic, the inflammation will affect our body and result in disease. In the devastating disease multiple sclerosis, hyperactivity of immune cells called T-cells induce chronic inflammation and degeneration of the brain. Researchers have identified a new type of regulatory blood cells that can combat such hyperactive T-cells in blood from patients with multiple sclerosis.

Loneliness is a major health risk for older adults Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:14 PM PST Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person's chances of premature death by 14 percent, according to new research. The research shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent.

Researchers hijack cancer migration mechanism to 'move' brain tumors Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:14 PM PST One factor that makes glioblastoma cancers so difficult to treat is that malignant cells from the tumors spread throughout the brain by following nerve fibers and blood vessels to invade new locations. Now, researchers have learned to hijack this migratory mechanism, turning it against the cancer by using a film of nanofibers thinner than human hair to lure tumor cells away.

Thinking it through: Scientists seek to unlock mysteries of the brain Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:14 PM PST Pioneering researchers work to uncover the circuitry of human cognition, identify the genetic roots of disease, unlock the power of Big Data for diagnosis, build a new generation of computing hardware inspired by the brain, and perform revolutionary experiments on a realistic model of the brain.

Obesity in Samoa: A global harbinger? Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:14 PM PST Solving the mystery of how the population of the Samoan archipelago developed one of the world's highest rates of obesity is important not only for addressing the problem but also possibly for predicting the course of obesity in other parts of the developing world.

Psoriasis researchers identify molecular changes responsible for skin discoloration Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:05 PM PST Itchy, painful rashes -- such as those that occur with psoriasis -- are uncomfortable, but at least they fade when the flare-up subsides. Mostly. Evidence often remains in the form of dark, discolored areas of skin, serving as a reminder of the disease. A new study however, has uncovered the molecular roots of skin discoloration that is often associated with psoriasis, suggesting the possibility of new treatments for pigmentation changes seen not only in psoriasis, but also in other conditions such as eczema and acne.

Repeal of Missouri's background check law associated with increase in state's murders Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:25 AM PST Missouri's 2007 repeal of its permit-to-purchase (PTP) handgun law, which required all handgun purchasers to obtain a license verifying that they have passed a background check, contributed to a sixteen percent increase in Missouri's murder rate, according to a new study.

Longer commutes disadvantage African-American workers Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:24 AM PST African-Americans spend more time than any other group getting to work and in some cases spend about 15 minutes more a day than whites commuting, according to recent research.

Can citrus ward off your risk of stroke? Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:38 PM PST Eating foods that contain vitamin C may reduce your risk of the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke, according to a new study. Vitamin C is found in fruits and vegetables such as oranges, papaya, peppers, broccoli and strawberries. Hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke, but is more often deadly.

Topiramate reduces heavy drinking among patients seeking to cut down on alcohol consumption Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:53 AM PST Heavy alcohol consumption is common in the United States and takes a personal and societal toll, with an annual estimated cost of $223.5 billion. Researchers have shown that the anticonvulsant medication, topiramate, previously shown to reduce drinking in patients committed to abstinence from alcohol, can also be helpful in treating problem drinkers whose aim is to curb their alcohol consumption – particularly among a specific group of patients whose genetic makeup appears to be linked to the efficacy of the therapy.

Cancer drugs hitch a ride on 'smart' gold nanoshells Posted: 13 Feb 2014 07:04 PM PST Nanoparticles capable of delivering drugs to specifically targeted cancer cells have been created by a group of researchers from China.

Drought contributed to Typhus epidemics in Mexico from 1655 to 1918, study shows Posted: 13 Feb 2014 11:19 AM PST Epidemiological data integrated with climate data estimated from tree-ring measurements indicate that drought contributed to the spread of epidemic typhus in Mexico during the pre-modern era (1655 to 1918).

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