ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Thursday, June 16, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Thursday, June 16, 2011

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Scientists override errant form of genetic signaling for first time: Changing genetic 'red light' to green holds promise for treating disease (June 16, 2011) -- Researchers found a new way to surpass a common mutation that is estimated to cause a third of genetic disorders. The mutation causes the body to create shortened, disabled proteins, which lead to disease like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer. The newly discovered approach directs the body to create normal, full-length proteins and could aid the development of treatment strategies to change the course of these, and other debilitating genetic conditions. ... > full story

'Glowing hands' in the waiting room improves kids' handwashing (June 16, 2011) -- Hand-hygiene in children was improved with the use of a glowing gel that, when black lit, illustrates bacteria on hands, even after washing. ... > full story

Oral appliance therapy improves craniofacial growth direction and snoring, research finds (June 16, 2011) -- Children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids who wore an oral appliance for six months experienced more favorable craniofacial growth, enlargement of pharyngeal dimensions, and improved breathing and snoring during sleep, according to new research. ... > full story

Red-light cameras critical to public safety, traffic researcher finds (June 16, 2011) -- As automated traffic monitoring systems such as red light cameras keep a law enforcement "eye" on the streets across the country, many drivers accuse city governments of installing the monitors as a way to generate revenue. New research says the safety benefits of automated traffic monitoring systems far outweigh the potential for abuse. ... > full story

Using olive oil in your diet may prevent a stroke (June 16, 2011) -- A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. ... > full story

Several methods for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease developed (June 16, 2011) -- Scientists have taken several significant steps to enable earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They have developed new approaches for measuring biomarkers for diagnostics and a novel system for integrating the information systematically. ... > full story

Sugar-binding protein may play a role in HIV infection (June 16, 2011) -- Researchers report that a sugar-binding protein called galectin-9 traps PDI on T-cells' surface, making them more susceptible to HIV infection. ... > full story

Sexy doesn't always sell: When do beautiful models help? (June 16, 2011) -- Having an attractive model shill for a product only helps influence sales in certain situations, according to a new study. It seems it all depends on the set-up for the advertising. ... > full story

Potential cause of severe sleep disorder discovered, implications for Parkinson's disease (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. ... > full story

Immune response to tumour cells could aid cancer battle (June 15, 2011) -- New research in the UK has yielded a novel immunotherapeutic approach with potential for cancer treatment. ... > full story

White adolescent girls may be losing sleep from the pressure to be thin (June 15, 2011) -- Pressures to be thin from girlfriends and the media significantly predict sleep duration, accounting for 4.5 percent of the variance in hours of sleep for adolescent girls, according to a new study. These pressures to be skinny were significantly predictive of sleep duration for white girls, but not for blacks or Hispanics. Together, the two predictors shared 6 percent of the variance in hours of sleep among white girls, with the strongest predictor being pressure to be skinny from girlfriends. ... > full story

Non-invasive brain stimulation helps curb impulsivity (June 15, 2011) -- Inhibitory control can be boosted with a mild form of brain stimulation, according to a new study. The study's findings indicate that non-invasive intervention can greatly improve patients' inhibitory control. ... > full story

Evidence of a natural origin for banned drug that plumps up livestock (June 15, 2011) -- There may be a natural solution to the mystery of how small amounts of a banned drug that disrupts thyroid function and plumps up livestock gets into their bodies -- and the bodies of humans, scientists are reporting. Their study reports the first evidence that the substance can form naturally in feed and food. ... > full story

Study hints at antibiotic overuse in home-care patients (June 15, 2011) -- A study of Canadian home-care patients looks at the prescribing practices for receiving ongoing medical care at home. Younger home-care patients are more likely to receive antibiotics than older patients. ... > full story

'Magical thinking' helps dieters cope with unrealistic expectations (June 15, 2011) -- 'Magical thinking', usually dismissed as naive and irrational, can actually help consumers cope with stressful situations like trying to lose weight, according to a new study. ... > full story

Drug significantly improves glycemic control in type 1 diabetics on insulin, study suggests (June 15, 2011) -- Results of a new study suggest that liraglutide, an injectable medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, also helps type 1 diabetics on insulin achieve optimal control of their blood glucose levels. If the findings are confirmed in a larger, prospective, randomized study now being planned, they could mean the first significant, new treatment for type 1 diabetes since insulin was discovered and made available in the 1920s. ... > full story

Learning to count not as easy as 1, 2, 3: Working with larger numbers matters (June 15, 2011) -- Preschool children seem to grasp the true concept of counting only if they are taught to understand the number value of groups of objects greater than three, research shows. Seeing that there are three objects doesn't have to involve counting. It's only when children go beyond three that counting is necessary to determine how many objects there are, researchers have found. ... > full story

Malaria vaccination strategy provides model for superior protection (June 15, 2011) -- A new study uncovers a powerful strategy for eliciting an immune response that can combat the parasite during multiple stages of its complex life cycle and describes what may be the most effective next-generation vaccination approach for malaria. ... > full story

European experts propose method to harmonize nuclear emergency plans (June 15, 2011) -- A team of European radiological protection specialists has developed a method to calculate benchmark values to help establish whether the local population should be required to take shelter or be evacuated or relocated following a nuclear accident. The study shows that these levels are more restrictive in wet environments than in dry ones. ... > full story

Anxious searchers miss multiple objects (June 15, 2011) -- A person scanning baggage or X-rays stands a better chance of seeing everything they're searching for if they aren't feeling anxious, according to a new laboratory experiment. ... > full story

Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets may reduce both tumor growth rates and cancer risk (June 15, 2011) -- Eating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may reduce the risk of cancer and slow the growth of tumors already present, according to a new study. ... > full story

Sleep loss in early childhood may contribute to the development of ADHD symptoms (June 15, 2011) -- Less sleep in preschool-age children significantly predicted worse parent-reported hyperactivity and inattention at kindergarten. In contrast, hyperactivity and inattention at preschool did not predict sleep duration at kindergarten. The sample consisted of approximately 6,860 children, and analyses controlled for gender, ethnicity and family income. According to the authors, sleep problems, particularly difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, are frequently reported in children and adolescents with ADHD. Longitudinal studies may reveal the direction of causation. ... > full story

Molecular mechanism for some anti-arrhythmia drugs discovered (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers -- using an innovative, atom-by-atom substitution method -- have uncovered the mechanism by which a particular class of drugs controls irregular heartbeats. ... > full story

What gamers want: Researchers develop tool to predict player behavior (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new method that can accurately predict the behavior of players in online role-playing games. The tool could be used by the game industry to develop new game content, or to help steer players to the parts of a game they will enjoy most. ... > full story

Potential therapeutic target for controlling obesity discovered (June 15, 2011) -- A new study has found that a cellular signaling pathway governs the differentiation of cells into fat tissue or smooth muscle, which lines the vascular system. Engaging this signaling pathway and its capacity to govern cell differentiation has important implications in preventing obesity and cardiovascular disease. ... > full story

Study estimates potential for ranibizumab to prevent blindness from age-related macular degeneration (June 15, 2011) -- A computer modeling study suggests that administering the drug ranibizumab is associated with reducing the magnitude of legal blindness and visual impairment caused by age-related macular degeneration in non-Hispanic white individuals, according to a new study. ... > full story

The good life: Good sleepers have better quality of life and less depression (June 15, 2011) -- People with a "normal" sleep duration of six to nine hours per night had higher self-reported scores for quality of life and lower scores for depression severity compared to short and long sleepers. Among patients who reported having perfect health, there were a higher percentage of normal sleepers, who also had significantly lower scores for depression severity compared to short and long sleepers with perfect health. Data were analyzed from 10,654 patient records. ... > full story

Prolonged TV viewing linked to increased risk of type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease (June 15, 2011) -- Prolonged TV viewing is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Safety concern with mist inhalers for delivering common drug for chronic lung disease (June 15, 2011) -- People who use a mist inhaler to deliver a drug widely prescribed in more than 55 countries to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may be 52 percent more likely to die, new research suggests. ... > full story

Protecting medical implants from attack (June 15, 2011) -- A new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users. ... > full story

Sleep can boost classroom performance of college students (June 15, 2011) -- Performance by university undergraduates on a microeconomics test after completing an introductory, virtual lecture was preserved after a 12-hour period that included sleep, especially for cognitively-taxing integration problems. In contrast, performance declined after 12 hours of wakefulness and after a longer delay of one week. The study uniquely extends sleep research to a realistic task that students would encounter in a university classroom. The study involved 102 undergraduates who had never taken an economics course. ... > full story

Fluent English speakers translate into Chinese automatically (June 15, 2011) -- Over half the world's population speaks more than one language. But it's not clear how these languages interact in the brain. A new study finds that Chinese people who are fluent in English translate English words into Chinese automatically and quickly, without thinking about it. ... > full story

Fear boosts activation of immature brain cells: Adult neural stem cells play role in creating emotional context of memory (June 15, 2011) -- Scientists have long known that fear and highly emotional experiences lead to incredibly strong memories. A new study describes one way by which emotions can affect memory: The brain's emotional center, the amygdala, induces the hippocampus, a relay hub for memory, to generate new neurons. In a fearful situation, these newborn neurons are activated by the amygdala, providing a "blank slate" to strongly imprint the new fearful memory. ... > full story

Copper folds protein into precursors of Parkinson's plaques (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have figured out how copper induces misfolding in the protein associated with Parkinson's disease, leading to creation of the fibrillar plaques which characterize the disease. ... > full story

New strategy to attack tumor-feeding blood vessels (June 15, 2011) -- Scientists in Australia have discovered a key molecule needed to kill the blood vessels that supply tumors. The research team found that for anti-cancer therapies that target tumor blood vessels to work the death-inducing molecule Bim is required. The finding could lead to improved anti-cancer treatments that are based on a two- or three-pronged attack on both the tumor and its blood supply. ... > full story

Molecular imaging finds link between obesity and low estrogen levels (June 15, 2011) -- A new study could throw open the door to a recently established area of obesity research. Investigators have developed a novel molecular imaging agent that targets estrogenic mechanisms in the brain to find out what effect an enzyme called aromatase has on body mass index (BMI), a measurement of body fat based on height and weight. Aromatase is crucial for the production of estrogen in tissues throughout the body, including the brain. ... > full story

Daytime sleepiness is associated with an increased craving for carbs among teens (June 15, 2011) -- In a new study, the intensity of self-reported craving for carbohydrates among 262 high school seniors increased in a linear relationship with the severity of subjective daytime sleepiness. The odds of having a strong craving for carbs were 50 percent higher among those with excessive daytime sleepiness. The rate of depression also was higher among students who had a strong craving for carbohydrates (34 percent) than among students who had little or no craving for carbs (22 percent). ... > full story

Laminin's role in cancer formation illuminated (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have shown how the protein laminin, long thought to provide only structural support in the microenvironment of breast and other epithelial tissue, can play a leading role in the development of cancer. ... > full story

3-D tracking of single molecules inside cells using new multifocal plane microscopy method (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers are using a novel 3-D cell imaging method for studying the complex spatial-temporal dynamics of protein transport, providing a solution to this fundamental problem in cell biology. ... > full story

Pathology study tracks uterine changes with mifepristone (June 15, 2011) -- Research continues to show that the controversial abortion drug mifepristone might have another use, as a therapeutic option besides hysterectomy for women who suffer from severe symptoms associated with uterine fibroids. ... > full story

Media character use on food packaging appears to influence children's taste assessment (June 15, 2011) -- The use of media characters on cereal packaging may influence children's opinions about taste, according to a new article. ... > full story

Report reveals immense burden of osteoporotic fractures in Europe (June 15, 2011) -- A new report reveals that the burden of fractures in Europe has been vastly underestimated. The report concludes that in Europe's five largest countries and Sweden alone, an estimated 2.5 million new fragility fractures occurred in 2010; fractures result in more costs and disability than many other common chronic diseases. ... > full story

A grid approach to pandemic disease control (June 15, 2011) -- An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a new study. ... > full story

UK first use of 3-D imaging derived from post-mortem computed tomography imaging in UK trial (June 15, 2011) -- Scientists have used 3D images derived from post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) scans as an aid to demonstrate injuries to a jury for the first time in evidence at a UK trial. ... > full story

Prostate cancer gets around hormone therapy by activating a survival cell signaling pathway (June 14, 2011) -- Cancer is crafty. Researchers found that when a common type of prostate cancer was treated with conventional hormone ablation therapy blocking androgen production or androgen receptor (AR) function -- which drives growth of the tumor -- the cancer was able to adapt and compensate by activating a survival cell signaling pathway, effectively circumventing the roadblock put up by this treatment. ... > full story

Scientists image beginning stages of ovarian cancer growth with time-lapse technique (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists have created a laboratory model using time-lapse video microscopic technology that allows observation of early stages of ovarian cancer metastasis. ... > full story

Patient safety risks outside hospital walls (June 14, 2011) -- Ever since the Institute of Medicine issued its landmark report "To Err Is Human" in 1999, significant attention has been paid to improving patient safety in hospitals nationwide. In an examination of trends of malpractice claims, there has been a greater decline in the rate of paid claims for inpatient settings than outpatient settings, and in 2009, the number of malpractice claims for events resulting in paid malpractice claims in outpatient and inpatient settings were similar, according to a new study. ... > full story

Flooding of farmland does not increase levels of potentially harmful flame retardants in milk, study suggests (June 14, 2011) -- As millions of acres of farmland in the US Midwest and South recover from Mississippi River flooding, scientists report that river flooding can increase levels of potentially harmful flame retardants in farm soils. But the higher levels apparently do not find their way into the milk produced by cows that graze on these lands, according to a new study. ... > full story