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• Lack of plasmodium surface-protein blocks mosquito infection
• Mammalian bone gene may be repurposed to fuel cognition in humans
• Leg movement restored in primates using wireless neural interface
• Toward a hand-held 'breathalyzer' for diagnosing diabetes
• Knowing risk factors could help catch melanomas
• Healthy living means better brain function
• New pathway towards treatments for inflammatory diseases
• Shorter sleep linked to sugar-sweetened drink consumption
• Blood test may help identify fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Targeting pathogenic bacteria
• Tropical bed bug reappears after 60-year absence
• Researchers find key to drug resistant bowel cancer
• Marker for aggressive prostate cancer doubles-up as a drug target
• Giving more pregnant women common thyroid medicine may reduce risk of complications
• New regulator in glucose metabolism discovered
• Urinary incontinence is common also in women who have not given birth
• Microscopic sensor for more precise radiology treatments
• Excessive BMI increase during puberty identified as a new risk factor for mortality due to cardiovascular disease
• Researchers reveal how neurodegenerative diseases spread through the brain
• Human health risks from hydroelectric projects
• Social networking by doctors may save patients' lives, study suggests
• Genetically engineering disease-fighting cells
• Mismatched light and heat levels can disrupt body clock
• Using a patient's own words, machine learning automatically identifies suicidal behavior
• Potential targeted therapy found for newly identified leukemia subtype with poor outcome
• Neuroscientists call for deep collaboration to 'crack' the human brain
• Unlocking big genetic datasets
• Step toward gene therapy for sickle cell disease
• Scientists discover a cause of multiple resistance to cancer chemotherapy
• Dirty laundry may cause environmental contamination
• Study reveals secret to a happy sex life
• Mapping the biology of drug-resistant multiple sclerosis
• New approach against salmonella and other pathogens
• School-based interventions for preventing HIV, STIs and pregnancy in adolescents

Lack of plasmodium surface-protein blocks mosquito infection Posted: 09 Nov 2016 10:38 AM PST A previously unknown feature of the malaria parasite development has just been released by an international research team. Their study has shown that, contrary to what has been assumed so far, a Plasmodium surface-protein plays an essential role at a stage of its life cycle that occurs not in the body of the host, but in the guts of the Anopheles mosquito. The finding has consequences for the search for vaccines or drugs that could alleviate the suffering caused by malaria. By 2015, 214 million people were affected by the parasite, especially in Africa.

Mammalian bone gene may be repurposed to fuel cognition in humans Posted: 09 Nov 2016 10:36 AM PST A gene that regulates bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals may take on an additional role as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and nonhuman primates, according to neurobiologists.

Leg movement restored in primates using wireless neural interface Posted: 09 Nov 2016 10:31 AM PST An international team of scientists has used a wireless "brain-spinal interface" to bypass spinal cord injuries in a pair of rhesus macaques, restoring intentional walking movement to a temporarily paralyzed leg. The researchers say this is the first time a neural prosthetic has been used to restore walking movement directly to the legs of nonhuman primates.

Toward a hand-held 'breathalyzer' for diagnosing diabetes Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:43 AM PST For several years, scientists have been working toward "breathalyzers" that can diagnose various diseases without painful pinpricks, needles or other unpleasant methods. Now, one team has developed a new, portable breath analyzer that could someday help doctors diagnose diabetes noninvasively in the office.

Knowing risk factors could help catch melanomas Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:35 AM PST A new study identifies high risk melanoma patients who may benefit from tailored surveillance. The incidence of melanoma that occurs on the skin is increasing in predominantly white-skinned populations.

Healthy living means better brain function Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:30 AM PST A feedback loop exists between greater executive function and healthy behavior, scientists report. Specifically, individuals with poor executive function showed subsequent decreases in their rates of participation in physical activity and older adults who engaged in sports and other physical activities tended to retain high levels of executive function over time.

New pathway towards treatments for inflammatory diseases Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:28 AM PST A molecule thought to play a key role in some inflammatory diseases can be switched off by two widely used medicines, new research has shown. Scientists have identified a new biochemical pathway that can be controlled using metformin - a medicine used by diabetics to control blood sugar levels - and salicylate - the main ingredient in aspirin.

Shorter sleep linked to sugar-sweetened drink consumption Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:25 AM PST Treating sleep deprivation could potentially help reduce sugar intake, a new study suggests. People who sleep five or fewer hours a night are likely to also drink significantly more sugary caffeinated drinks, such as sodas and energy drinks, researchers found.

Blood test may help identify fetal alcohol spectrum disorders Posted: 09 Nov 2016 08:10 AM PST Researchers have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

Targeting pathogenic bacteria Posted: 09 Nov 2016 07:07 AM PST Applied physicists have recognized the limited reliability of antibodies in providing bacterial detection with specificity. Instead they used phage-derived proteins, proteins developed from the bacteria-invading viruses, for detection of pathogenic bacteria to address this deficiency. This work has implications not only in disease diagnosis, but also in food and water safety.

Tropical bed bug reappears after 60-year absence Posted: 09 Nov 2016 07:07 AM PST Biologically, tropical bed bugs mirror common bed bugs in that they feed on human blood. So they're likely to cause similar health problems if you get a severe infestation: fear, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and itchy, blistery reactions on some people.

Researchers find key to drug resistant bowel cancer Posted: 09 Nov 2016 06:03 AM PST Blcoking a molecule could bypass bowel cancer's defense against the drug cetuximab, according to new research.

Marker for aggressive prostate cancer doubles-up as a drug target Posted: 09 Nov 2016 06:03 AM PST A marker found on aggressive prostate cancer cells could also be used as a way to guide treatments to the cancer, according to new research.

Giving more pregnant women common thyroid medicine may reduce risk of complications Posted: 09 Nov 2016 06:03 AM PST Extending the number of pregnant women given the common drug levothyroxine to boost thyroid hormone levels may lead to a reduced number of stillbirths, early caesarean sections and low-weight babies, according to a new study.

New regulator in glucose metabolism discovered Posted: 09 Nov 2016 06:03 AM PST A key genetic switch in the liver regulates glucose metabolism and insulin action in other organs of the body, scientists have discovered.

Urinary incontinence is common also in women who have not given birth Posted: 09 Nov 2016 05:58 AM PST Women who have not given birth often end up under the radar for research on urinary incontinence. In a study of this group, however, one in five women over 45 years say they experience this type of incontinence.

Microscopic sensor for more precise radiology treatments Posted: 09 Nov 2016 05:58 AM PST A team of researchers is the first in the world to succeed in quantifying the effects of radiation on individual cancer cells. This means that radiation therapies can now be tailored to individual tumors and thus be more effective.

Excessive BMI increase during puberty identified as a new risk factor for mortality due to cardiovascular disease Posted: 09 Nov 2016 05:58 AM PST Boys with a large increase in body mass index (BMI) during puberty are at increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease later in life. There is no corresponding risk among boys overweight when younger and who have normal weight during adolescence, according to a study.

Researchers reveal how neurodegenerative diseases spread through the brain Posted: 09 Nov 2016 05:58 AM PST Synapses, the place where brain cells contact one another, play a pivotal role in the transmission of toxic proteins. This allows neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's to spread through the brain, scientists conclude. If the spreading of these toxic proteins could be prevented, the progression of neurodegenerative diseases might be slowed down substantially.

Human health risks from hydroelectric projects Posted: 09 Nov 2016 05:58 AM PST Over 90 percent of potential new Canadian hydroelectric projects are likely to increase concentrations of the neurotoxin methylmercury in food webs near indigenous communities, new research has found.

Social networking by doctors may save patients' lives, study suggests Posted: 08 Nov 2016 02:30 PM PST Heart surgery patients' chances of survival depends in part on the overall previous level of teamwork among all the physicians who cared for them across their surgery preparation, operation, hospitalization and recuperation, research indicates.

Genetically engineering disease-fighting cells Posted: 08 Nov 2016 10:12 AM PST The human body produces T cells to recognize and fight disease. Each T cell has a unique T cell receptor (or TCR) on its surface that surveils small fragments of proteins presented by other cells. Upon detecting evidence of cancer or infection, a subset of T cells binds the diseased cells and orchestrates their elimination. When tumors and infections cannot be eradicated naturally, researchers employ immunotherapies to boost the immune system's effectiveness.

Mismatched light and heat levels can disrupt body clock Posted: 08 Nov 2016 09:40 AM PST Body clock function can break down when light and temperature levels throughout the day are out of sync, finds new research in fruit flies.

Using a patient's own words, machine learning automatically identifies suicidal behavior Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:59 AM PST Using a person's spoken or written words, new computer tools can identify with great accuracy whether that person is suicidal, mentally ill but not suicidal, or neither, report investigators.

Potential targeted therapy found for newly identified leukemia subtype with poor outcome Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:52 AM PST An international research team has uncovered details of a new, high-risk subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as well as a possible targeted therapy, outlines a new report.

Neuroscientists call for deep collaboration to 'crack' the human brain Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:51 AM PST The time is ripe, the communication technology is available, for teams from different labs and different countries to join efforts and apply new forms of grassroots collaborative research in brain science. This is the right way to gradually upscale the study of the brain so as to usher it into the era of Big Science, claim neuroscientists in Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. And they are already putting ideas into action.

Unlocking big genetic datasets Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:24 AM PST The same algorithms that personalize movie recommendations and extract topics from oceans of text could bring doctors closer to diagnosing, treating and preventing disease on the basis of an individual's unique genetic profile.

Step toward gene therapy for sickle cell disease Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:21 AM PST A gene-editing tool known as CRISPR has been used to repair the gene that causes sickle cell disease in human stem cells, which they say is a key step toward developing a gene therapy for the disorder.

Scientists discover a cause of multiple resistance to cancer chemotherapy Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:17 AM PST The introduction of cancer chemotherapy was a revolution for the treatment of this disease in those cases in which the cure is no longer possible only with the mere extirpation of the tumor. Chemotherapy has been shown to be effective in a wide range of patients, but one of its main problems is the emergence of resistance against the anti-tumor drug used. A new study has found a cause of multiple resistance in cancer chemotherapy.

Dirty laundry may cause environmental contamination Posted: 08 Nov 2016 08:16 AM PST A new paper resulting from an investigation of a laundry facility that services several Seattle-area hospitals, suggests that soiled clinical linens may be a source of surface Clostridium difficile contamination. C. difficile is a hospital and community acquired pathogen. C. difficile are spore-forming anaerobic bacteria that have been identified in 2-3% of healthy, non-hospitalized adults and in 10-25% of hospitalized adults.

Study reveals secret to a happy sex life Posted: 08 Nov 2016 05:55 AM PST The secret to a happy sex life in long-term relationships is the belief that it takes hard work and effort, instead of expecting sexual satisfaction to simply happen if you are true soulmates, suggests a new study.

Mapping the biology of drug-resistant multiple sclerosis Posted: 08 Nov 2016 05:48 AM PST People suffering from multiple sclerosis have relied on a drug called interferon-beta to prevent flare-ups of the disease and avoid its crippling neurological symptoms. But interferon-beta treatment has its downsides: the drug is expensive, it can cause flu-like side-effects, and for up to half of patients, it simply doesn't work. New research may point to alternative treatments for MS, report scientists.

New approach against salmonella and other pathogens Posted: 08 Nov 2016 04:35 AM PST Researchers have developed a new strategy to immunize against microbes that invade the gastrointestinal tract, including Salmonella, which causes more foodborne illness in the United States than any other bacteria.

School-based interventions for preventing HIV, STIs and pregnancy in adolescents Posted: 08 Nov 2016 04:34 AM PST Do school-based interventions prevent HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy? This is the question asked by researchers in a new study.

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