ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Scientists reprogram embryonic stem cells to expand their potential cell fates
• New technology enables 5-D imaging in live animals, humans
• Your cell phone could curb the intensity of your workout
• Environmentally-friendly soy air filter developed
• Found: Neurons that orient bats toward destination
• Two-thirds of packaged foods, drinks in Canada have added sugars
• Markers for prostate cancer death can identify men in need of more aggressive treatment
• Melanoma mutation likes fat for fuel
• Some cells need a 'haircut' before duplicating
• Seeing vape pen in use boosts desire to smoke among young adults
• Schizophrenia could directly increase risk of diabetes
• Biomarker in pregnant women linked to depression, low fetal birth weight
• T cells join the fight against Zika
• In teens, strong friendships may mitigate depression associated with excessive video gaming
• Problem drinking in older adults
• Sunbed users get melanoma at a younger age
• Dengue, Zika virus family uses an unexpected approach to hijack human cell machinery
• Scientists identify protein central to immune response against tuberculosis bacteria

Scientists reprogram embryonic stem cells to expand their potential cell fates Posted: 13 Jan 2017 04:44 PM PST Pluripotent stem cells can develop into most tissues of the organism, but they cannot develop into extra-embryonic tissue -- the placenta or yolk sac, for example --- like the one-celled fertilized egg or two-celled zygote. Researchers found that by blocking a specific microRNA, pluripotent stem cells can regain the ability to become extra-embryonic tissue, providing a way to expand the developmental potential of iPC cells with implications for regenerative medicine and stem cell-based therapies.

New technology enables 5-D imaging in live animals, humans Posted: 13 Jan 2017 12:56 PM PST A computer algorithm for analyzing time-lapse biological images could make it easier for scientists and clinicians to find and track multiple molecules in living organisms, outlines a new report. The technique developed by an international team of scientists is faster, less expensive and more accurate than current imaging methods that can identify signs of disease.

Your cell phone could curb the intensity of your workout Posted: 13 Jan 2017 12:54 PM PST Talking or texting on a cell phone during exercise will lower the intensity of a workout and also affect balance, new research shows.

Environmentally-friendly soy air filter developed Posted: 13 Jan 2017 12:53 PM PST A new soy-based air filter can capture toxic chemicals such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, which often escape other types of filters.

Found: Neurons that orient bats toward destination Posted: 12 Jan 2017 01:25 PM PST Bats – like humans – can find their favorite fruit stand (or coffee shop) even when it's hidden behind a screen or tall buildings. How? Scientists have now identified the neurons that point bats in the right direction, even when their destination is obscured. This could aid understanding of some aspects of Alzheimer's.

Two-thirds of packaged foods, drinks in Canada have added sugars Posted: 12 Jan 2017 11:14 AM PST An analysis of over 40,000 commonly available packaged foods and beverages in Canada has found that 66 percent of these products -- including some infant formulas and baby food products and many so-called 'healthier' foods such as yogurt, juice, breakfast cereals, and snack bars -- have at least one added sugar in their ingredients list, according to new research.

Markers for prostate cancer death can identify men in need of more aggressive treatment Posted: 12 Jan 2017 11:14 AM PST A prostate specific antigen (PSA) nadir greater than 0.5 ng/mL following radiation and androgen deprivation therapy appears to identify men prior to PSA failure who are at high-risk for dying early as a result of treatment failure for their prostate cancer, research shows.

Melanoma mutation likes fat for fuel Posted: 12 Jan 2017 11:13 AM PST Cancer cells love glucose, so a high-fat, low-carb diet should starve them, right? Not cancers driven by a notorious melanoma mutation. Research in mice suggests that cancers with BRAF V600E will grow faster in response to a high-fat 'ketogenic' diet. In addition, lipid-lowering agents such as statins curb these cancers' growth, even in the context of a more normal diet.

Some cells need a 'haircut' before duplicating Posted: 12 Jan 2017 11:13 AM PST Many of our cells are equipped with a hairlike 'antenna' that relays information about the external environment to the cell, and scientists have already discovered that the appearance and disappearance of these so-called primary cilia are synchronized with the process of cellular duplication, called mitosis.

Seeing vape pen in use boosts desire to smoke among young adults Posted: 12 Jan 2017 11:13 AM PST The newer e-cigarette vape pens (AKA vaporizers) may not look like cigarettes, but they stimulate the urge to smoke as powerfully as watching someone smoke a traditional tobacco cigarette.

Schizophrenia could directly increase risk of diabetes Posted: 12 Jan 2017 08:57 AM PST People with early schizophrenia are at an increased risk of developing diabetes, even when the effects of antipsychotic drugs, diet and exercise are taken out of the equation, according to a new analysis.

Biomarker in pregnant women linked to depression, low fetal birth weight Posted: 12 Jan 2017 08:38 AM PST Depression is very common during pregnancy, with as many as one in seven women suffering from the illness and more than a half million women impacted by postpartum depression in the U.S. alone. The disorder not only affects the mother's mood, but has also been linked to influencing the newborn's development, according to recent research. In a study, researchers found that BDNF levels change during pregnancy, and can cause depression in the mother and low birth weight in the baby.

T cells join the fight against Zika Posted: 12 Jan 2017 08:08 AM PST The worst of the global Zika virus outbreak may be over but many key questions remain, such as why the virus persists in certain tissues after the systemic infection has cleared; how does the immune system counteract the virus and protect against reinfection; what determines the likelihood of long-term complications?

In teens, strong friendships may mitigate depression associated with excessive video gaming Posted: 12 Jan 2017 08:00 AM PST Teenagers who play video games for more than four hours a day suffer from symptoms of depression, but frequent use of social media and instant messaging may mitigate symptoms of game addiction in these teens, new research suggests.

Problem drinking in older adults Posted: 12 Jan 2017 08:00 AM PST Older adults suffering from multiple chronic health conditions and depression are nearly five times as likely to be problem drinkers as older adults with the same conditions and no depression.

Sunbed users get melanoma at a younger age Posted: 12 Jan 2017 07:58 AM PST Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer with the strongest increase in incidence in the last decade, and the incidence rates have never been as high. The World Health Organization based International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified UV-emitting tanning devices as "carcinogenic to humans" in 2009, however, sunbed use is still popular in western countries, especially among young women.

Dengue, Zika virus family uses an unexpected approach to hijack human cell machinery Posted: 12 Jan 2017 05:56 AM PST Flaviviruses -- a family that includes Dengue, Zika and West Nile viruses -- use an unexpected mechanism to hijack the cell's machinery to replicate themselves compared to many other RNA viruses. These findings highlight new ways by which viruses manipulate human cells and may reveal new targets for designing antiviral therapies.

Scientists identify protein central to immune response against tuberculosis bacteria Posted: 12 Jan 2017 05:52 AM PST Researchers have identified a protein that is central to the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy the bacterium responsible for the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic.

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