ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Sunday, October 23, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Sunday, October 23, 2011

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Brain scans support findings that IQ can rise or fall significantly during adolescence (October 22, 2011) -- IQ, the standard measure of intelligence, can increase or fall significantly during our teenage years, according to new research, and these changes are associated with changes to the structure of our brains. The findings may have implications for testing and streaming of children during their school years. ... > full story

First Ebola-like virus native to Europe discovered (October 22, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new Ebola-like virus -- Lloviu virus -- in bats from northern Spain. Lloviu virus is the first known filovirus native to Europe. Filoviruses, which include well-known viruses like Ebola and Marburg, are among the deadliest pathogens in humans and non-human primates, and are generally found in East Africa and the Philippines. The findings thus expand the natural geographical distribution of filoviruses. ... > full story

West Nile virus transmission linked to land use patterns and 'super-spreaders' (October 22, 2011) -- After its initial appearance in New York in 1999, West Nile virus spread across the United States in just a few years and is now well established throughout North and South America. Researchers have found that in most places only a few key species of bird "hosts" and mosquito "vectors" are important in transmission of the virus. ... > full story

Preventing cancer development inside the cell cycle (October 22, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a cell cycle-regulated mechanism behind the transformation of normal cells into cancerous cells. The study results suggest that inhibition of the CK1 enzyme may be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer cells formed as a result of a malfunction in the cell's mTOR signaling pathway. ... > full story

Simple lifestyle changes can add a decade or more healthy years to the average lifespan, Canadian study shows (October 22, 2011) -- Health prevention strategies to help people achieve their optimal health potential could add a decade or more of healthy years to the average lifespan and save the economy billions of dollars as a result of reduced cardiovascular disease. ... > full story

Burden of osteoporotic fractures increases dramatically in the Middle East and Africa (October 22, 2011) -- Osteoporosis is a serious and growing problem throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa, according to new research. Gathering data from 17 countries in the region as well as Turkey, "The Middle East & Africa Regional Audit" is a landmark report examining epidemiology, costs and burden in individual countries as well as collectively across the region. ... > full story

Blood-pressure-lowering drug after stroke aids recovery, study suggests (October 21, 2011) -- A commonly prescribed blood pressure-lowering medication appears to kick start recovery in the unaffected brain hemisphere after a stroke by boosting blood vessel growth, a new study has found. ... > full story

Are acid-suppressing drugs prescribed too often in infants? (October 21, 2011) -- Frequent spitting up, irritability, and unexplained crying in infants can be very distressing to parents. Pediatricians often prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms in an effort to treat infants for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); however, GERD is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants. Experts now caution against the over-diagnosis of GERD and over-prescription of acid-suppressing drugs in infants. ... > full story

Improved living environments can reduce health problems for women and children (October 21, 2011) -- Low-income women with children who moved from high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhoods experienced notable long-term improvements in aspects of their health; namely, reductions in diabetes and extreme obesity, according to a new study. ... > full story

Can aromatherapy produce harmful indoor air pollutants? (October 21, 2011) -- Spas that offer massage therapy using fragrant essential oils, called aromatherapy, may have elevated levels of potentially harmful indoor air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles, according to a new article. ... > full story

Women can self-test for HPV, easily and accurately, study suggests (October 21, 2011) -- A team of German researchers has shown that women can accurately test themselves for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the most common cause of cervical cancer. ... > full story

A new discipline emerges: The psychology of science (October 21, 2011) -- You've heard of the history of science, the philosophy of science, maybe even the sociology of science. But how about the psychology of science? ... > full story