ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Clues to flu's mechanisms uncovered: Scientists analyze how influenza-related proteins help infect cells
• Study of twins discovers gene mutation linked to short sleep duration
• C. difficile vaccine proves safe, 100 percent effective in animal models
• New leads for liver disease treatments: Strict genomic partitioning by biological clock separates key metabolic functions
• The 'memory' of starvation is in your genes
• Insular cortex alterations in mouse models of autism
• A mathematical theory proposed by Alan Turing in 1952 can explain the formation of fingers
• 'Rewired' mice show signs of longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses
• Disease mutations in mosaicism, rare condition where cells within the same person have different genetic makeup
• Lead in teeth can tell a body's tale, study finds
• Effect of loud noises on brain revealed in study
• Monoamine oxidase A: Biomarker for postpartum depression
• Breakthrough in understanding of important blood protein
• Key to aging immune system: Discovery of DNA replication problem
• Children and hot cars a cause for deadly concern
• Benefits of e-cigarettes outweigh harms, current evidence suggests
• Over 80% of patients undergoing interventions for aortic stenosis are in same or better health one year after procedure

Clues to flu's mechanisms uncovered: Scientists analyze how influenza-related proteins help infect cells Posted: 31 Jul 2014 05:16 PM PDT Scientists calculate the transformation of a protein associated with influenza and discover details of intermediate states that may be treated with new drugs.

Study of twins discovers gene mutation linked to short sleep duration Posted: 31 Jul 2014 05:15 PM PDT Researchers who studied 100 twin pairs have identified a gene mutation that may allow the carrier to function normally on less than six hours of sleep per night. The genetic variant also appears to provide greater resistance to the effects of sleep deprivation.

C. difficile vaccine proves safe, 100 percent effective in animal models Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:59 AM PDT An experimental vaccine protected 100 percent of animal models against the highly infectious and virulent bacterium, Clostridium difficile, which causes an intestinal disease that kills approximately 30,000 Americans annually.

New leads for liver disease treatments: Strict genomic partitioning by biological clock separates key metabolic functions Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:59 AM PDT Much of the liver's metabolic function is governed by circadian rhythms -- our own body clock -- and researchers have now found two independent mechanisms by which this occurs.

The 'memory' of starvation is in your genes Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:58 AM PDT Epigenetic 'experiments' -- changes resulting from external rather than genetic influences -- suggest that the body's physiological responses to hardship could be inherited, although the underlying mechanism has been a mystery. Now researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism that passes on the body's response to starvation to subsequent generations of worms, with potential implications for humans also exposed to starvation and other physiological challenges.

Insular cortex alterations in mouse models of autism Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:58 AM PDT The insular cortex is an integral "hub," combining sensory, emotional and cognitive content. Not surprisingly, alterations in insular structure and function have been reported in many psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, addiction and autism spectrum disorders. Scientists now describe consistent alterations in integrative processing of the insular cortex across autism mouse models of diverse etiologies.

A mathematical theory proposed by Alan Turing in 1952 can explain the formation of fingers Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:58 AM PDT Researchers have shown that BMP and WNT proteins are the so-called 'Turing molecules' for creating embryonic fingers. Findings explain why polydactyly -- the development of extra fingers or toes -- is relatively common in humans, affecting up to one in 500 births, and confirms a fundamental theory first proposed by the founding father of computer science, Alan Turing, back in 1952.

'Rewired' mice show signs of longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:58 AM PDT While developing a new cancer drug, researchers discovered that mice lacking a specific protein live longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses. The mice, which lack the TRAP-1 protein, demonstrated less age related tissue degeneration, obesity, and spontaneous tumor formation when compared to normal mice. Their findings could change how scientists view the metabolic networks within cells.

Disease mutations in mosaicism, rare condition where cells within the same person have different genetic makeup Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:57 AM PDT Scientists have long speculated that mosaicism -- a biological phenomenon, in which cells within the same person have a different genetic makeup -- plays a bigger role in the transmission of rare disease mutations than is currently known. A study sheds new light on the frequency of mosaicism in genomic disorders and its influence on recurrence risk.

Lead in teeth can tell a body's tale, study finds Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:09 AM PDT Your teeth can tell stories about you, and not just that you always forget to floss. The discovery could help police solve cold cases, an investigator has said. For instance, if an unidentified decomposed body is found, testing the lead in the teeth could immediately help focus the investigation on a certain geographic area. That way, law enforcement can avoid wasting resources checking for missing persons in the wrong places.

Effect of loud noises on brain revealed in study Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:25 AM PDT Prolonged exposure to loud noise alters how the brain processes speech, potentially increasing the difficulty in distinguishing speech sounds, according to neuroscientists. Exposure to intensely loud sounds leads to permanent damage of the hair cells, which act as sound receivers in the ear. Once damaged, the hair cells do not grow back, leading to noise-induced hearing loss.

Monoamine oxidase A: Biomarker for postpartum depression Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:25 AM PDT Postpartum mood swings are correlated with high monoamine oxidase A binding, a study shows. For most women, the birth of their baby is one of the most strenuous but also happiest days in their lives. The vast majority of women experience a temporary drop in mood for a few days after birth. These symptoms of "baby blues" are not an illness; however, in some cases they can represent early signs of an imminent episode of depression: in 13 percent of mothers, the emotional turmoil experienced after childbirth leads to the development of a full-blown postpartum depression.

Breakthrough in understanding of important blood protein Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:51 AM PDT A previously unknown protein mechanism has now been described by new research. This provides an exceptionally detailed understanding of how nature works, and it can also provide the ability to control nature -- in this case, it is about how coagulated blood can be dissolved, and this can lead to treatment of diseases carrying a risk of blood clots.

Key to aging immune system: Discovery of DNA replication problem Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:44 AM PDT The immune system ages and weakens with time, making the elderly prone to life-threatening infection and other maladies, and scientists have now discovered a reason why.

Children and hot cars a cause for deadly concern Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:44 AM PDT Nearly 700 children have lost their lives over the last 20 years in the United States as a result of being left in or playing in a hot car. At last count, the total in the U.S. this year is 18.

Benefits of e-cigarettes outweigh harms, current evidence suggests Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:36 PM PDT A major scientific review of available research on the use, content, and safety of e-cigarettes has concluded that -- although long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are unknown -- compared with conventional cigarettes they are likely to be much less harmful to users or bystanders.

Over 80% of patients undergoing interventions for aortic stenosis are in same or better health one year after procedure Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:35 PM PDT A survey of 13,860 patients who had undergone interventions for aortic valve disease in Germany has revealed that over 80% were in the same or a better state of health one year after the intervention, and was satisfied with the procedural outcome. Aortic stenosis -- the narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart -- is the most frequent valvular heart disease in the aging Western population.

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