ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Sunday, November 27, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Sunday, November 27, 2011

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Scientists uncover new role for gene in maintaining steady weight (November 26, 2011) -- Against the backdrop of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, scientists have made an important new discovery regarding a specific gene that plays an important role in keeping a steady balance between our food intake and energy expenditure. The study may help scientists better understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes. ... > full story

Ulcer-causing bacteria tamed by defect in cell-targeting ability (November 26, 2011) -- Without the ability to swim to their targets in the stomach, ulcer-causing bacteria do not cause the inflammation of the stomach lining that leads to ulcers and stomach cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

Psychological intervention reduces disability and depression in adolescents with fibromyalgia (November 26, 2011) -- A recent trial shows cognitive-behavioral therapy reduces functional disability and depressive symptoms in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia. The psychological intervention was found to be safe and effective, and proved to be superior to disease management education. ... > full story

DNA system developed to identify and authenticate plant species (November 26, 2011) -- Biologists have developed a method which can detect the use of illegal or counterfeit plants in medicine and could also be used to boost conservation by identifying and monitoring the exploitation of endangered plant species. ... > full story

Worms reveal secrets of wound-healing response (November 25, 2011) -- The lowly and simple roundworm may be the ideal laboratory model to learn more about the complex processes involved in repairing wounds and could eventually allow scientists to improve the body's response to healing skin wounds, a serious problem in diabetics and the elderly. ... > full story

Discovery of a new muscle repair gene (November 25, 2011) -- Scientists have presented new findings regarding the function of muscle stem cells. Researchers investigated several families with children suffering from a progressive muscle disease. Using a genetic analysis technique known as "next generation sequencing" the scientists identified a defective gene called MEGF10 responsible for the muscle weakness. ... > full story

Body mass index associated with short-term mortality rates following surgery (November 25, 2011) -- Body Mass Index appears to be associated with 30-day mortality risk following surgical procedures, and patients with a BMI of less than 23.1 appear to be at highest risk of death, according to a new study. ... > full story

Human development experts recommend tuning in to family, not devices (November 25, 2011) -- Human development specialists say powering down digital devices is a vital step in maintaining family relationships and health. ... > full story

Scientists turn on fountain of youth in yeast (November 25, 2011) -- Researchers have successfully manipulated the life span of common, single-celled yeast organisms by figuring out how to remove and restore protein functions related to yeast aging. ... > full story

The ABCC9 of sleep: A genetic factor regulates how long we sleep (November 25, 2011) -- Researchers have shown that ABCC9, a known genetic factor in heart disease and diabetes, also influences the duration of sleep in humans. This function is evolutionarily conserved as knock-out of the gene reduces the duration of nocturnal sleep in fruitflies. ... > full story

Researchers decode a puzzling movement disorder (November 25, 2011) -- Neurodegenerative diseases represent one of the greatest challenges of our aging society. However, investigation into these diseases is made particularly difficult due to the limited availability of human brain tissue. Scientists have now taken a roundabout path: They reprogrammed skin cells from patients with a hereditary movement disorder into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and obtained functional nerve cells from them. They subsequently decoded how the disease arises. ... > full story

Abnormal levels of caffeine in water indicate human contamination (November 25, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that traces of caffeine are a useful indicator of the contamination of our water by sewers. ... > full story