ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

---

• Low chance of obese people recovering normal body weight
• Cell division speeds up as part of antibody selection
• Electrical signals could help repair injured spinal cords, expert suggests
• Futuristic brain probe allows for wireless control of neurons
• Sitting time not associated with poorer diets in US adults
• No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures
• Magnetic pulses to the brain deliver long-lasting relief for tinnitus patients
• The mosquito smells, before it sees, a bloody feast
• Exercising 300 minutes per week better for reducing total fat in postmenopausal women
• Miniature brains made from patient skin cells reveal insights into autism
• Food safety expert explains food labels and their regulations
• Body temperature may trigger sudden cardiac death
• Non-invasive brain stimulation technique could transform learning
• Air pollution from wildfires may ignite heart hazards
• Researchers discover surprising link between chronic stress, preterm birth
• Better DNA hair analysis for catching criminals
• Does salt cause thirst? It's really not all that certain
• Taxing the dose of calories in sugary drinks could help reduce obesity
• Potential target pathway may pave way for new therapeutic approaches for fragile X syndrome, autism
• Eating habits most important in weight gain in children
• Potential treatment for Parkinson's disease discovered
• Gene causing appearance of premature aging found
• New resource makes gene-editing technology even more user-friendly
• Can protein 14-3-3 sigma prevent or kill breast cancer tumors?
• Observing brain network dynamics to diagnose Alzheimer's disease

Low chance of obese people recovering normal body weight Posted: 16 Jul 2015 03:09 PM PDT The chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight is 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with severe obesity, according to a new study. The findings suggest that current weight management programs focused on dieting and exercise are not effective in tackling obesity at population level.

Cell division speeds up as part of antibody selection Posted: 16 Jul 2015 01:05 PM PDT In response to an infection, the immune system refines its defensive proteins, called antibodies, to better target an invader. New research has revealed two mechanisms that favor the selection of B cells capable of producing antibodies with the highest affinity for that invader.

Electrical signals could help repair injured spinal cords, expert suggests Posted: 16 Jul 2015 11:19 AM PDT Wichita State University's Li Yao is taking a special approach to the study of spinal cord injuries through research that uses an electrical signal to repair tissue damage.

Futuristic brain probe allows for wireless control of neurons Posted: 16 Jul 2015 10:50 AM PDT A study showed that scientists can wirelessly determine the path a mouse walks with a press of a button. Researchers created a remote controlled, next-generation tissue implant that allows neuroscientists to inject drugs and shine lights on neurons deep inside the brains of mice.

Sitting time not associated with poorer diets in US adults Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:44 AM PDT Previously identified associations between TV viewing and a less healthful diet may stem from exposure to advertisements of high calorie foods and 'distracted eating' rather than the activity of sitting itself.

No bones about it: Cannabis may be used to treat fractures Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:43 AM PDT A new study explores another promising new medical application for marijuana. According to the research, the administration of the non-psychotropic component significantly helps heal bone fractures.

Magnetic pulses to the brain deliver long-lasting relief for tinnitus patients Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:41 AM PDT In the largest US clinical trial of its kind researchers found that transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improved tinnitus symptoms for more than half of study participants.

The mosquito smells, before it sees, a bloody feast Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:41 AM PDT The itchy marks left by the punctured bite of a mosquito are more than pesky, unwelcomed mementos of a day at the lake. These aggravating bites can also be conduits for hitchhiking pathogens to worm their way into our bodies. Mosquitoes spread malaria, dengue, yellow fever and West Nile virus, among others. As the bloodsucking insects evolve to resist our best pesticides, mosquito control may shift more to understanding how the mosquitoes find a tasty -- and unsuspecting -- human host. A team of biologists has now cracked the cues mosquitoes use to find human hosts.

Exercising 300 minutes per week better for reducing total fat in postmenopausal women Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:38 AM PDT Postmenopausal women who exercised 300 minutes per week were better at reducing total fat and other adiposity measures, especially obese women, during a one-year clinical trial, a noteworthy finding because body fat has been associated with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to a recent article.

Miniature brains made from patient skin cells reveal insights into autism Posted: 16 Jul 2015 09:38 AM PDT Understanding diseases like autism and schizophrenia that affect development of the brain has been challenging due to both the complexity of the diseases and the difficulty of studying developmental processes in human tissues. Researchers have now made steps toward overcoming these challenges by converting skin cells from autism patients into stem cells and growing them into tiny brains in a dish, revealing unexpected mechanisms of the disease.

Food safety expert explains food labels and their regulations Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:16 AM PDT A food safety specialist explains some terms on food labels that are federally regulated and which lack a clear definition.

Body temperature may trigger sudden cardiac death Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:15 AM PDT When studying the proteins that underlie electrical signaling in the heart, and subjecting those proteins to conditions that are similar to the stress of exercise, researchers have found that in some cases, temperature can cause changes that trigger arrhythmia.

Non-invasive brain stimulation technique could transform learning Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:15 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new technique to enhance brain excitability that could improve physical performance in healthy individuals such as athletes and musicians.

Air pollution from wildfires may ignite heart hazards Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:15 AM PDT Air pollution from wildfires may increase risk of cardiac arrests, and other sudden acute heart problems, researchers have found. Researchers noted that while breathing wildfire smoke was linked to respiratory problems such as asthma -- evidence of an association between wildfire smoke exposure and heart problems has been inconsistent.

Researchers discover surprising link between chronic stress, preterm birth Posted: 16 Jul 2015 07:15 AM PDT Excessive stress can result in preterm birth, which has been show to affect a person's health throughout their life, surprising new research shows. The World Health Organization estimates 15 million babies are born preterm each year. It is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five, and babies who survive are at much higher risk of developing a number of health conditions including chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.

Better DNA hair analysis for catching criminals Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:20 AM PDT A simple, lower-cost new method for DNA profiling of human hairs should improve opportunities to link criminals to serious crimes, researchers report. They have modified existing laboratory methods and been able to produce accurate DNA profiles from trace amounts at a much higher success rate.

Does salt cause thirst? It's really not all that certain Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:20 AM PDT Conventional wisdom contends that the consumption of salt makes us thirsty and therefore leads to increased drinking to restore the balance of minerals in the body. However, no correlation was found between salt intake and an increased sense of thirst or more drinking of water, researchers report at the conclusion of their study.

Taxing the dose of calories in sugary drinks could help reduce obesity Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:17 AM PDT A tax on sugary drinks that depends on the number of calories or amount of sugar per liter could help fight obesity, suggests new research. While a few countries are already trialing a tax on sugary drinks, taxing the dose would encourage drinks companies to offer low-calorie alternatives Worldwide, an estimated 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and of these 600 million are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes; in the US alone, obesity-related healthcare costs around $200 billion a year. Due to their high sugar content and low nutritional value, there is growing concern that sugary drinks are a significant contributor to obesity.

Potential target pathway may pave way for new therapeutic approaches for fragile X syndrome, autism Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:17 AM PDT The protein APP plays a significant role in the development of fragile X syndrome (FXS) at young stages, a new study suggests. Researchers identified an unexpected biological pathway as a promising target to ameliorate deficits associated with FXS and autism.

Eating habits most important in weight gain in children Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:17 AM PDT Some children gain weight faster than others. What make some children gain weight faster than others? Eating habits seem to have far more to say than physical activity, new research suggests.

Potential treatment for Parkinson's disease discovered Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:17 AM PDT Scientists have found that existing anti-malaria drugs could be a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that causes a person to lose control of motor movements, such as the ability to move his or her hands, arms, and legs.

Gene causing appearance of premature aging found Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:15 AM PDT A genetic mutation associated with the appearance of premature aging and severe loss of body fat in children has been identified by scientists. They found that the appearance of premature aging, a neonatal form of Progeroid syndrome, in a 3-year-old girl was caused by a mutation in the gene CAV1.

New resource makes gene-editing technology even more user-friendly Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:15 AM PDT A new user-friendly resource to accompany the powerful gene editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9, which has been widely adopted to make precise, targeted changes in DNA, has been developed by researchers. This breakthrough has the potential to facilitate new discoveries in gene therapies and basic genetics research.

Can protein 14-3-3 sigma prevent or kill breast cancer tumors? Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:15 AM PDT Every parent knows the maxim 'feed a cold, starve a fever.' In cancer, however, exactly how to feed or starve a tumor has not been easy to determine. A new study has shown that a simple molecule called 14-3-3 sigma could be one answer for explaining cancer metabolism, the chemical process by which a tumor forms, grows or dies.

Observing brain network dynamics to diagnose Alzheimer's disease Posted: 16 Jul 2015 06:15 AM PDT By analyzing blood flow in the brain, a team of researchers was able to observe the interactions between different regions in the brain in real time. Their new imaging technique could help with the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

You are subscribed to email updates from Health & Medicine News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States