ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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Molecule that prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice discovered; Has similar effect on human cells (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers have found a specific molecule that can prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice and has a similar effect on human cells from diabetic patients. ... > full story
Vitamin D study suggests no mortality benefit for older women (November 2, 2011) -- A study of postmenopausal women found no significant mortality benefit from vitamin D after controlling for health risk factors such as abdominal obesity. The only exception was that thin-waisted women with low vitamin D levels might face some risk. The results agree with advice issued last year by the Institute of Medicine that cautioned against vitamin D having a benefit beyond bone health. ... > full story
Preschoolers' language skills improve more when they're placed with more-skilled peers (November 2, 2011) -- Preschool children with relatively poor language skills improve more if they are placed in classrooms with high-achieving students, a new study found. Researchers found that children with relatively poor language skills either didn't improve over the course of one academic year, or actually lost ground in development of language skills, when they were placed with other low-achieving students. ... > full story
Health risk from eating well-done meat may be underestimated (November 2, 2011) -- Mice are often used to test whether substances in food are harmful to humans. This requires that mice and humans metabolize substances in the same way. Humans have certain enzymes in more parts of the body than mice. The health risk associated with harmful substances in food may therefore be underestimated. ... > full story
First-of-its-kind study creates new tool for targeted cancer drug development (November 2, 2011) -- In a technical tour de force, scientists have cataloged and cross-indexed the actions of 178 candidate drugs capable of blocking the activity of one or more of 300 enzymes, including enzymes critical for cancer and other diseases. Additionally, a free library of the results has been made available online to the research community. This unique library represents an important new tool for accelerating the development of an entire class of targeted cancer drugs. ... > full story
Food chemical regulations rely heavily on industry self-policing and lack transparency, report finds (November 2, 2011) -- Safety decisions concerning one-third of the more than 10,000 substances that may be added to human food were made by food manufacturers and a trade association without review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a new analysis. The report illustrates potential problems with the US food additive regulatory program. ... > full story
Nerve protein linked to learning and memory (November 1, 2011) -- Biology professors have found the protein tomosyn plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitter between synapses, and consequently plays a role in longer-term memory and learning. The results may prove helpful in developing new drugs to treat human memory loss. ... > full story
Modern genetics answers age-old question on Garrod's fourth inborn error of metabolism (November 1, 2011) -- Fifty years after participating in studies of pentosuria, an inherited disorder once mistaken for diabetes, 15 families again welcomed medical geneticists into their lives. Their willingness to have their DNA analyzed with genomics technologies has solved a 100-year mystery. The findings may help elucidate when and how human mutations appear and are carried over generations and with migration of humans. Pentosuria occurs almost exclusively in Ashkenazi Jews. The findings suggest it occurs in about 1 in 3,330 people of this ancestry. ... > full story
Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial (November 1, 2011) -- Cancer doctors want to offer a sympathetic ear, but sometimes miss the cues from patients. To help physicians better address their patients' fears and worries, a researcher has developed a new interactive training tool. ... > full story
Obese adolescents benefit from high-dose vitamin D supplements: High doses safely combat nutritional deficiencies, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- Vitamin D deficiency is common in Americans, and especially in overweight and obese adolescents, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers have found that providing obese adolescents with a high daily dose of vitamin D3 is safe and effective in improving their vitamin D status. ... > full story
Key element of cell division: How daughter cells receive the same number of chromosomes (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have uncovered the molecular process of how cells are bypassing the body's inbuilt "health checkpoint" with unequal numbers of chromosomes that have a higher risk of developing cancer. ... > full story
Could social media be used to detect disease outbreaks? (November 1, 2011) -- New research has looked at whether social media could be used to track an event or phenomenon, such as flu outbreaks and rainfall rates. ... > full story
Personal stem cell banks could be staple of future health care (November 1, 2011) -- Taking old stem cells, placing them in a young microenvironment, and increasing their numbers and capabilities raises an intriguing possibility -- that patients could one day be treated for age-related diseases using their own revitalized stem cells. ... > full story
Scientists design experimental treatment for iron-overload diseases (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have developed an experimental treatment for iron-overload diseases that affect millions worldwide. Researchers developed a new type of therapy based on small molecules that mimic a hormone that regulates iron called hepcidin. The findings could lead to new drugs to help prevent and treat iron-overload diseases. ... > full story
Online interactions can lead to risky financial decision-making, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- People who participate in online communities are more likely to make risky financial decisions, according to a new study. ... > full story
Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson's disease (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that the 'oscillatory' nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson's disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. ... > full story
High levels of master heat shock protein linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists report that patients whose estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers have high levels of an ancient cellular survival factor experience poor outcomes -- including increased mortality. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately two-thirds of breast cancer patients have ER-positive tumors. HSF1 status may shed light not only on prognosis but also on how such patients might respond to specific therapies. ... > full story
Older men with higher testosterone levels lose less muscle mass as they age (November 1, 2011) -- A recent study found that higher levels of testosterone were associated with reduced loss of lean muscle mass in older men, especially in those who were losing weight. In these men, higher testosterone levels were also associated with less loss of lower body strength. ... > full story
No higher risk of breast cancer for women who don't have BRCA mutation but have relatives who do (November 1, 2011) -- In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers have shown that women related to a patient with a breast cancer caused by a hereditary mutation -- but who don't have the mutation themselves -- have no higher risk of getting cancer than relatives of patients with other types of breast cancer. ... > full story
Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria have potential as living antibiotic (November 1, 2011) -- A vampire-like bacterium that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates. ... > full story
Noninvasive current stimulation improves sight in patients with optic nerve damage, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation for 10 days (30-40 minutes per day) significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life. ... > full story
Watermelon reduces atherosclerosis, animal study finds (November 1, 2011) -- In a recent study, watermelon was shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animals. ... > full story
Childhood diet lower in fat and higher in fiber may lower risk for chronic disease in adulthood (November 1, 2011) -- A recent study has found that a childhood behavioral intervention to lower dietary intake of total fat and saturated fat and increase consumption of foods that are good sources of dietary fiber resulted in significantly lower fasting plasma glucose levels and lower systolic blood pressure when study participants were re-evaluated in young adulthood. ... > full story
Scientists identify protein form linked to Huntington's disease (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered how a form of the protein linked to Huntington's disease influences the timing and severity of its symptoms, offering new avenues for treating not only this disease, but also a variety of similar conditions. ... > full story
Technical aptitude: Do women score lower because they just aren't interested? (November 1, 2011) -- Boys do better on tests of technical aptitude (for example, mechanical aptitude tests) than girls. The same is true for adults. A new study describes a theory explaining how the difference comes about: the root cause is that boys are just more interested in technical things, like taking apart a bike, than girls are. ... > full story
Fat cells in abdomen fuel spread of ovarian cancer (November 1, 2011) -- A large pad of abdominal fat cells provides nutrients that promote the spread and growth of ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women. This fatty tissue, extraordinarily rich in energy-dense lipids, serves as a rich fuel source, enabling cancer cells to multiply rapidly. ... > full story
Key to avoiding ankle re-injury may be in the hips and knees (November 1, 2011) -- Nearly all active people suffer ankle sprains at some point in their lives, and a new study suggests that the different ways people move their hip and knee joints may influence the risk of re-injury. ... > full story
Don't worry, be happy: Understanding mindfulness meditation (November 1, 2011) -- In times of stress, we're often encouraged to pause for a moment and simply be in the 'now.' This kind of mindfulness, an essential part of Buddhist and Indian Yoga traditions, has entered the mainstream as people try to find ways to combat stress and improve their quality of life. ... > full story
Improving patients’ experience in the emergency department by changing staff perceptions of their roles (November 1, 2011) -- A study from Rhode Island Hospital examined how the perception of roles among emergency department staff can impact patient satisfaction. Through a web survey with embedded interventions, the researchers were able to determine where gaps exist in key indicators of patient satisfaction, while staff reported changing or reconsidering how these factors play into their roles. ... > full story
Conflicting views of a child's behavior problems from parents, teachers, and the child may be helpful to clinician (November 1, 2011) -- Clinicians often face the challenge of trying to make sense of conflicting reports from parents, teachers, and children about a child’s behavioral problems. However, a better understanding of the source and nature of these disagreements may provide important information that could improve treatment and outcomes. ... > full story
How major signaling pathways are wired to our genome gives new insight into disease processes (October 31, 2011) -- Scientists have determined that master transcription factors determine the genes regulated by key signaling pathways. In this way, signaling pathways are targeted to genes that are most relevant to each cell type and tailor gene expression to control cell state, growth, differentiation, and death. By manipulating signaling pathways, scientists may find new therapies for cancer and other diseases or ways to push cells into more specialized states, such as neurons to treat nerve damage or insulin-producing beta cells for diabetes. ... > full story
Key driver of metastasis identified (October 31, 2011) -- Protein S100A10 is essential for metastatic growth. Macrophages rely upon S100A10 to power movement of tumor cells to new sites. ... > full story
Do deficits in brain cannabinoids contribute to eating disorders? (October 31, 2011) -- A new report suggests that deficits in endocannabinoid function may contribute to anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Endocannabinoids are substances made by the brain that affect brain function and chemistry in ways that resemble the effects of cannabis derivatives, including marijuana and hashish. These commonly abused drugs are well known to increase appetite, i.e., to cause the "munchies." Thus, it makes sense that deficits in this brain system would be associated with reduced appetite. ... > full story
Healthy mouth bacteria provide ideal conditions for gum disease (October 31, 2011) -- Gum disease can only develop with the help of normal bacteria living in the mouth, new research has revealed. ... > full story
Gender differences: Viewing TV coverage of terrorism has more negative effect on women, study finds (October 31, 2011) -- Exposure to television coverage of terrorism causes women to lose psychological resources much more than men, which leads to negative feelings and moodiness. This has been shown in a new study that examined the differences between men and women in a controlled experiment environment. ... > full story
New findings may help explain high blood pressure in pregnancy (October 31, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that the infiltration of white blood cells into an expectant mother's blood vessels may explain high blood pressure in pregnancy. ... > full story
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