ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Saturday, May 7, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Saturday, May 7, 2011

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Malaria mosquitoes accurately find their way to smelly feet (May 6, 2011) -- Malaria mosquitoes utilize carbon dioxide from exhaled air to localize humans from afar. In the vicinity of their preferred host, they alter their course towards the human feet. Researchers discovered how female malaria mosquitoes use foot odors in the last meters to guide them to their favored biting place. The research suggests possibilities to disrupt the host seeking behavior of the malaria mosquito. ... > full story

Parental exposure to BPA during pregnancy associated with decreased birth weight in offspring (May 6, 2011) -- Parental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy is associated with decreased birth weight of offspring, compared with offspring from families without parental BPA exposure in the workplace, according to researchers. ... > full story

Advanced instrument analyzes immune cells in far more detail: Technology promises more effective prescription drug therapies (May 6, 2011) -- Researchers have taken a machine already in use for the measurement of impurities in semiconductors and used it to analyze immune cells in far more detail than has been possible before. The new technology lets scientists take simultaneous measurements of dozens of features located on and in cells, whereas the existing technology typically begins to encounter technical limitations at about a half-dozen. ... > full story

Protein snapshots reveal clues to breast cancer outcomes (May 6, 2011) -- Measuring the transfer of tiny amounts of energy from one protein to another on breast cancer cells has given scientists a detailed view of molecular interactions that could help predict how breast cancer patients will respond to particular therapies. ... > full story

Combination of ADHD and poor emotional control runs in families, study suggests (May 6, 2011) -- A subgroup of adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also exhibit excessive emotional reactions to everyday occurrences, and this combination of ADHD and emotional reactivity appears to run in families. ... > full story

Insight into HIV immunity may lead to vaccine (May 6, 2011) -- The latest insights into immunity to HIV could help to develop a vaccine to build antibodies' defenses against the disease, a new study has found. ... > full story

Cigarette smoking and arsenic exposure: A deadly combination (May 6, 2011) -- Arsenic exposure and smoking each elevate the risk of disease. But when combined together, the danger of dying from cardiovascular disease is magnified, a new study finds. ... > full story

Children of bipolar parents are overly sensitive to stress hormone cortisol, study finds (May 6, 2011) -- Children whose mother or father is affected by bipolar disorder may need to keep their stress levels in check. A new international study suggests the stress hormone cortisol is a key player in the mood disorder. The findings are the first to show that cortisol is elevated more readily in these children in response to the stressors of normal everyday life. ... > full story

Scientists afflict computers with 'schizophrenia' to better understand the human brain (May 6, 2011) -- Computer networks that can't forget fast enough can show symptoms of a kind of virtual schizophrenia, giving researchers further clues to the inner workings of schizophrenic brains, researchers have found. ... > full story

Antibodies help protect monkeys from HIV-like virus, scientists show (May 6, 2011) -- Using a monkey model of AIDS, scientists have identified a vaccine-generated immune-system response that correlates with protection against infection by the monkey version of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The researchers found that neutralizing antibodies generated by immunization were associated with protection against SIV infection. This finding marks an important step toward understanding how an effective HIV vaccine could work, according to the scientists. ... > full story

EEG headset with flying harness lets users 'fly' by controlling their thoughts (May 6, 2011) -- Students have created a system that pairs an EEG headset with a 3-D theatrical flying harness, allowing users to "fly" by controlling their thoughts. The "Infinity Simulator" will make its debut with an art installation in which participants rise into the air -- and trigger light, sound, and special effects -- by calming their thoughts. ... > full story

Surgery reduces risk of mortality due to prostate cancer even for low-risk groups, study finds (May 6, 2011) -- A Swedish research team followed a group of prostate cancer patients in the Nordic region for 15 years. The study found, among other things, that surgery reduces the risk that men with prostate cancer (even those with low-risk tumors) will die within 15 years. ... > full story