ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Monday, December 5, 2011
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Natural dye obtained from lichens may combat Alzheimer's disease (December 4, 2011) -- A red dye from lichens that has been used for centuries to color fabrics and food and a related substance appear to reduce the abundance of small toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. Further research with animal models is needed to determine whether this new approach will be useful for therapy development. ... > full story
Scalable amounts of liver and pancreas precursor cells created using new stem cell production method (December 4, 2011) -- Scientists in Canada have overcome a key research hurdle to developing regenerative treatments for diabetes and liver disease with a technique to produce medically useful amounts of endoderm cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The research can be transferred to other areas of stem cell research helping scientists to navigate the route to clinical use known as the "valley of death." ... > full story
Why do some people never forget a face? (December 4, 2011) -- "Face recognition is an important social skill, but not all of us are equally good at it," says a cognitive psychologist. But what accounts for the difference? A new study provides the first experimental evidence that the inequality of abilities is rooted in the unique way in which the mind perceives faces. ... > full story
Tumor-targeting compound points the way to new personalized cancer treatments (December 3, 2011) -- One major obstacle in the fight against cancer is that anticancer drugs often affect normal cells in addition to tumor cells, resulting in significant side effects. Yet research into development of less harmful treatments geared toward the targeting of specific cancer-causing mechanisms is hampered by lack of knowledge of the molecular pathways that drive cancers in individual patients. ... > full story
Innovative approaches help sleep apnea sufferers benefit from CPAP (December 3, 2011) -- People with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to stick to prescribed treatment when a partner or parent is involved with their treatment, according to a team of sleep researchers. ... > full story
Even unconsciously, sound helps us see (December 3, 2011) -- Imagine you are playing ping-pong with a friend. Your friend makes a serve. Information about where and when the ball hit the table is provided by both vision and hearing. And this is how the senses interact in how we perceive the world. ... > full story
Vegetables, fruits, grains reduce stroke risk in women (December 2, 2011) -- Swedish women who ate an antioxidant-rich diet had fewer strokes especially if they had no history of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. The findings persisted even after statistics were adjusted for other risk factors such as smoking and physical activity. Women with the highest level of antioxidants in their diet consumed about half their antioxidants from fruits and vegetables. ... > full story
Research improves diagnosis and potential treatment of neuromyelitis optica (December 2, 2011) -- Researchers have identified critical steps leading to myelin destruction in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a debilitating neurological disease that is commonly misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The findings could lead to better care for the thousands of patients around the world with NMO. ... > full story
Impatient people have lower credit scores, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- Is there a psychological reason why people default on their mortgages? A new study finds that people with bad credit scores are more impatient -- more likely to choose immediate rewards rather than wait for a larger reward later. ... > full story
Fecal microbiota transplants effective treatment for C. difficile, inflammatory bowel disease, research finds (December 2, 2011) -- Growing evidence for the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplants as a treatment for patients with recurrent bouts of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea is presented in three studies -- including a long-term follow-up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent C. difficile Infection that included 77 patients from five different states. ... > full story
New evidence of an unrecognized visual process (December 2, 2011) -- We don't see only what meets the eye. The visual system constantly takes in ambiguous stimuli, weighs its options, and decides what it perceives. This normally happens effortlessly. Sometimes, however, an ambiguity is persistent, and the visual system waffles on which perception is right. Such instances interest scientists because they help us understand how the eyes and the brain make sense of what we see. ... > full story
Amplification of multiple cell-growth genes found in some brain tumors (December 2, 2011) -- A small percentage of the deadly brain tumors called glioblastomas, which usually resist treatment with drugs targeting mutations in cell-growth genes, appears to contain extra copies of two or three of these genes at the same time. The surprising discovery has major implications for the understanding of tumor biology – including the evolution of tumor cell populations – and for targeted cancer therapies. ... > full story
Probiotics reduce infections for patients in intensive care, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- Traumatic brain injury is associated with a profound suppression of the patient's ability to fight infection. At the same time the patient also often suffers hyper-inflammation, due to the brain releasing glucocorticoids. New research shows that including probiotics with nutrients, supplied via the patient's feeding tube, increased interferon levels, reduced the number of infections, and even reduced the amount of time patients spent in intensive care. ... > full story
Novel monoclonal antibody offers potential treatment for tumors resistant to VEGF therapy (December 2, 2011) -- Despite the widespread use of current antiangiogenic cancer therapies, many tumors escape this blockade, which is designed to shut down growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors and spread cancer cells. Now, a study suggests that targeting a novel antiangiogenic receptor may help patients whose cancer does not respond to existing agents. ... > full story
A vaccination against social prejudice (December 2, 2011) -- Evolutionary psychologists suspect that prejudice is rooted in survival: Our distant ancestors had to avoid outsiders who might have carried disease. Research still shows that when people feel vulnerable to illness, they exhibit more bias toward stigmatized groups. But a new study suggests there might be a modern way to break that link. ... > full story
When babies awaken: New study shows surprise regarding important hormone level (December 2, 2011) -- Cortisol may be the Swiss Army knife of hormones in the human body -- just when scientists think they understand what it does, another function pops up. While many of these functions are understood for adults, much less is known about how cortisol operates in babies and toddlers, especially when it comes to an important phenomenon called the cortisol awakening response, or CAR. ... > full story
Probiotics effective in combating antibiotic-associated diarrhea, studies find; 'Good bugs' look promising as anti-inflammatory agents (December 2, 2011) -- In four different studies, researchers explored the effectiveness of probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea; as an anti-inflammatory agent for patients with ulcerative colitis, psoriasis and chronic fatigue syndrome; and for people with abdominal discomfort and bloating who have not been diagnosed with a functional bowel disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome. ... > full story
Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions, according to new research (December 2, 2011) -- Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions for social and personal reasons, according to new research. ... > full story
Not all cellular reprogramming is created equal (December 2, 2011) -- Tweaking the levels of factors used during the reprogramming of adult cells into induced pluriopotent stem (iPS) cells can greatly affect the quality of the resulting iPS cells, according to researchers. This finding explains at least in part the wide variation in quality and fidelity of iPS cells created through different reprogramming methods. ... > full story
Combination therapy shows potent tumor growth inhibition in preclinical studies (December 2, 2011) -- Combining the investigational agents REGN910 and aflibercept yielded statistically significant improvements in antitumor effects in animal models compared with either agent alone, according to recent results. ... > full story
People with dementia less likely to return home after stroke (December 2, 2011) -- New research shows people with dementia who have a stroke are more likely to become disabled and not return home compared to people who didn't have dementia at the time they had a stroke. ... > full story
Adult stem cells use special pathways to repair damaged muscle, researchers find (December 1, 2011) -- Researchers recently found how even distant satellite cells could help with the repair, and are now learning how the stem cells travel within the tissue. This knowledge could ultimately help doctors more effectively treat muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophy, in which the muscle is easily damaged and the patient's satellite cells have lost the ability to repair. ... > full story
Few doctors follow sudden cardiac death screening guidelines for athletes, survey finds (December 1, 2011) -- According to a state survey, fewer than 6 percent of doctors fully follow national guidelines for assessing sudden cardiac death risk during high school sports physicals, researchers report. ... > full story
Nursing error disclosure in nursing homes examined in new study (December 1, 2011) -- In a new study, researchers found the majority of registered nurse respondents reported error disclosure and responding to be a difficult process in their workplaces. The study has implications to improve nursing education, policy, and patient safety culture in the nursing home setting. ... > full story
Lower antioxidant level might explain higher skin-cancer rate in males (December 1, 2011) -- A new study may help explain why men are three times more likely than women to develop a common form of skin cancer. The study found that male mice had lower levels of an important skin antioxidant than female mice and higher levels of certain cancer-linked inflammatory cells. As a result, men may be more susceptible to oxidative stress in the skin, which may raise their risk of skin cancer compared to women. ... > full story
Low vitamin C levels may raise heart failure patients' risk (December 1, 2011) -- Low levels of vitamin C were associated with higher levels of high sensitivity C-Reactive protein and shorter intervals without major cardiac issues or death for heart failure patients, in recent research. ... > full story
Researchers' new recipe cooks up better tissue 'phantoms' (December 1, 2011) -- The precise blending of tiny particles and multicolor dyes transforms gelatin into a realistic surrogate for human tissue. These tissue mimics, known as "phantoms," provide an accurate proving ground for new photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging technologies. ... > full story
Two out of three medical students do not know when to wash their hands (December 1, 2011) -- Only 21 percent of surveyed medical students could identify five true and two false indications of when and when not to wash their hands in the clinical setting, according to a new study. ... > full story
Cancer cells' DNA repair disrupted to increase radiation sensitivity (December 1, 2011) -- Shortening end caps on chromosomes in human cervical cancer cells disrupts DNA repair signaling, increases the cells' sensitivity to radiation treatment and kills them more quickly, according to a new study. Researchers would to like see their laboratory findings lead to safer, more effective combination therapies for hard-to-treat pediatric brain cancers. To this end, they are starting laboratory tests on brain cancer cells. ... > full story
Children with HIV/AIDS falling through the cracks of treatment scale-up efforts (December 1, 2011) -- Less than one-quarter (23 percent) of children with HIV/AIDS who need treatment are getting it, according to a new report. Although treatment coverage for adults has been steadily climbing and has now reached approximately half of those in need, coverage for children is lagging far behind. ... > full story
Your abusive boss may not be good for your marriage, according to new study (December 1, 2011) -- Having an abusive boss not only causes problems at work but can lead to strained relationships at home, according to a new study. The study found that stress and tension caused by an abusive boss have an impact on the employee's partner, which affects the marital relationship and subsequently the employee's entire family. ... > full story
Early sign of Alzheimer's reversed in lab (December 1, 2011) -- One of the earliest known impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease -- loss of sense of smell -- can be restored by removing a plaque-forming protein in a mouse model of the disease, a new study shows. The study confirms that the protein, called amyloid beta, causes the loss. ... > full story
Growth hormone increases bone formation in obese women (December 1, 2011) -- In a new study, growth hormone replacement for six months was found to increase bone formation in abdominally obese women. ... > full story
Why evolutionarily ancient brain areas are important (December 1, 2011) -- Structures in the midbrain that developed early in evolution can be responsible for functions in newborns which in adults are taken over by the cerebral cortex. New evidence for this theory has been found in the visual system of monkeys. The scientists studied a reflex that stabilizes the image of a moving scene on the retina to prevent blur, the so-termed optokinetic nystagmus. ... > full story
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