ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Thursday, December 15, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Thursday, December 15, 2011

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Antioxidant has potential in the Alzheimer's fight (December 15, 2011) -- A new study has shown that an antioxidant can delay the onset of all the indicators of Alzheimer's disease, including cognitive decline. The researchers administered an antioxidant compound called MitoQ to mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's. ... > full story

Engineering cartilage replacements (December 15, 2011) -- Self-assembling sheets of mesenchymal stem cells permeated with tiny beads filled with growth factor formed thicker, stiffer cartilage than previous tissue engineering methods, researchers have found. This step toward implantable replacement cartilage, holds promise for damaged joints, ears and noses. ... > full story

Why does stating your intention lead you to purchase your favorite brand? (December 15, 2011) -- If you say you're going to buy something, you're more likely to do it. But why is that? According to a new study, stating an intention leads consumers to action -- and makes them more likely to purchase their preferred brands. ... > full story

Human proteins that may fuel HIV/AIDS transmission identified (December 15, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered new protein fragments in semen that enhance the ability of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to infect new cells -- a discovery that one day could help curb the global spread of this deadly pathogen. ... > full story

Tapping the brain orchestra (December 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new method for detailed analyses of electrical activity in the brain. The method can help doctors and researchers to better interpret brain cell signals. In turn, this may lead to considerable steps forward in terms of interpreting for example EEG measurements, making diagnoses and treatment of various brain illnesses. ... > full story

Is obesity a ciliopathy, triggered by malfunctioning primary cilia? (December 15, 2011) -- Is obesity a ciliopathy, a disorder such as polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which is triggered by a defect in the microscopic hair-like cilia that protrude from virtually every cell of humans and other vertebrates? Researchers report that mutations in primary cilia may scramble signaling pathways in the hypothalamus, the appetite-regulating region of the brain, and trigger chronic obesity. ... > full story

Starving orangutans might help to better understand obesity and eating disorders in humans (December 14, 2011) -- New research examining how endangered Indonesian orangutans – considered a close relative to humans -- survive during times of extreme food scarcity might help scientists better understand eating disorders and obesity in humans. ... > full story

Scientists elevate little-studied cellular mechanism to potential drug target (December 14, 2011) -- For years, science has generally considered the phosphorylation of proteins -- the insertion of a phosphorus group into a protein that turns it on or off -- as perhaps the factor regulating a range of cellular processes from cell metabolism to programmed cell death. ... > full story

Bloodstream malaria infections in mice successfully cleared (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how malaria manipulates the immune system to allow the parasite to persist in the bloodstream. By rescuing this immune system pathway, the research team was able to cure mice of bloodstream malaria infections. ... > full story

'Pep talk' can revive immune cells exhausted by chronic viral infection (December 14, 2011) -- Chronic infections by viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C eventually take hold because they wear the immune system out, a phenomenon immunologists describe as exhaustion. Yet exhausted immune cells can be revived after the introduction of fresh cells that act like coaches giving a pep talk, researchers have found. ... > full story

Do consumers prefer brands that appear on their Facebook pages? (December 14, 2011) -- You are likely to identify with a brand that advertises alongside your personal information on a Facebook page (especially if you have high self-esteem), according to a new study. The same ad will have less impact if you view it on a stranger's page. ... > full story

Ability to love takes root in earliest infancy (December 14, 2011) -- The ability to trust, love, and resolve conflict with loved ones starts in childhood -- way earlier than you may think. New research suggests that your relationship with your mother during the first 12 to 18 months of life predict your behavior in romantic relationships 20 years later. ... > full story

Heart drug may be effective for managing certain cancers, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a new mechanism that could potentially explain why the body's immune system sometimes fails to eliminate cancer. The new findings shed light on the possible cause of immune resistance in cancer cells, and indicate that nitroglycerin, a relatively safe and low-cost drug used for more than a century to treat angina, may be effective for managing certain cancers. ... > full story

Microneedle sensors may allow real-time monitoring of body chemistry (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body -- and to continuously do so for an extended period of time. ... > full story

Study fundamentally alters our understanding of lung growth (December 14, 2011) -- A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three. ... > full story

Early research on cellphone conversations likely overestimated crash risk, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- A new study suggests that two influential early studies of cellphone use and crash risk may have overestimated the relative risk of conversation on cellphones while driving. ... > full story

Brain-heart link may explain sudden death in Rett syndrome (December 14, 2011) -- Poets might scoff at the notion that heart and brain are closely related, but scientists say a genetic defect that affects the brain can stop a heart. In a new study, researchers found that heart problems that occur in nearly 20 percent of children with Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder, originate because the Rett gene is lost in nerve cells -- not in heart muscle cells. ... > full story

In third-degree burn treatment, hydrogel helps grow new, scar-free skin (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a jelly-like material and wound treatment method that, in early experiments on skin damaged by severe burns, appeared to regenerate healthy, scar-free tissue. ... > full story

Simple test to help diagnose bowel and pancreatic cancer could save thousands of lives (December 14, 2011) -- A simple online calculator could offer family GPs a powerful new tool in tackling two of the most deadly forms of cancer, say researchers. ... > full story

Seabirds: Climate differences have less impact on transmission of blood parasites than expected (December 14, 2011) -- Seabirds often live in large colonies in very confined spaces. Parasites, such as fleas and ticks, take advantage of this ideal habitat with its rich supply of nutrition. As a result, they can transmit blood parasites like avian malaria to the birds. Scientists have investigated whether this affects all seabirds equally, and whether climate conditions, the habitat or particular living conditions influence infection with avian malaria. They discovered that most seabirds are free of malaria parasites; however, some groups, especially frigatebirds, are particularly common hosts to malaria parasites. ... > full story

Cigarette and alcohol use at historic low among teens (December 14, 2011) -- Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products (e.g., hookahs, small cigars, smokeless tobacco), marijuana and prescription drugs. ... > full story

Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell (December 14, 2011) -- High-tech medical imaging techniques were recently used to access internal structures of fossil human skulls. Researchers used sophisticated 3-D methods to quantify the shape of the basal brain as reflected in the morphology of the skeletal cranial base. Their findings reveal that the human temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions as well as the olfactory bulbs are relatively larger in Homo sapiens than in Neanderthals. ... > full story

Reprogramming brain cells important first step for new Parkinson's therapy (December 14, 2011) -- In efforts to find new treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD), researchers have directly reprogrammed astrocytes, the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system, into dopamine-producing neurons. PD is marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. ... > full story

Artificially enhanced athletes (December 14, 2011) -- Superstar swimmers and certain comic book superheroes have something unusual in common -- when they wear special suits, they gain phenomenal abilities. A first-of-its-kind study shows how now-banned technical swimsuits artificially enhanced athlete performance in 2009. ... > full story

From teddy bears to iPhones, we overestimate what others will pay for goods (December 14, 2011) -- Compared to what they would pay themselves, most consumers overestimate what others are willing to pay for products, according to a new study. And that holds true for a large range of items, both real and imaginary. ... > full story

Rare genetic disorder provides clues to development of the pancreas (December 14, 2011) -- A rare genetic disorder has given researchers a surprising insight into how the pancreas develops. The finding provides a clue to how it may be possible to 'program' stem cells – master cells in the body that can develop into specialized cells – to become pancreatic cells. ... > full story

The newest of the new in gene therapy: 'Tag and target and exchange' (December 14, 2011) -- New research demonstrates how a combination of two techniques improves the efficiency of experimental gene therapies, while reducing side effects. Scientists combined techniques involving site-specific recombinases that facilitate the exchange of genetic material between DNA strands, to guide where new genetic material is inserted into a cell's DNA. This approach to gene therapy represents an important advance, and has the potential to correct root causes of numerous illnesses. ... > full story

Was Darwin wrong about emotions? (December 14, 2011) -- Contrary to what many psychological scientists think, people do not all have the same set of biologically "basic" emotions, and those emotions are not automatically expressed on the faces of those around us, according to the author of a new article. This means a recent move to train security workers to recognize "basic" emotions from expressions might be misguided. ... > full story

Nanoparticles help researcher deliver steroids to retina (December 14, 2011) -- Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. ... > full story

Visualization of DNA synthesis in vivo (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new substance for labeling and visualization of DNA synthesis in whole animals. Applications for this technique include identifying the sites of virus infections and cancer growth, due to the abundance of DNA replication in these tissues. This approach should therefore lead to new strategies in drug development. ... > full story

First study to reveal how paracetamol works could lead to less harmful pain relief medicines (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how one of the most common household painkillers works, which could pave the way for less harmful pain relief medications to be developed in the future. ... > full story

Holiday shopping: Why does rubbing elbows turn consumers off? (December 14, 2011) -- Although holiday sales and events try to drive as many customers to retail stores as possible, a new study shows that the crowding may drive them away as well. ... > full story

Some plant-based food supplements contain high levels of cancer causing agents, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- While many consumers equal ‘natural’ with ‘safe’, botanicals and botanical preparations such as plant-based food supplements may contain compounds, like the so called alkenylbenzenes, that are of concern for human health. A new study reveals there are plant-based food supplements on the market that contain alkenylbenzenes at levels comparable to those causing tumors in laboratory animals. ... > full story

Origins of blood stem cells detemined (December 14, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a molecular marker for the immediate precursors of hematopoietic stem cells in the developing embryo, which provides much-needed insights for making these cells from engineered precursors. ... > full story

More clues to causes of breast cancer: Hyperactivation of Akt and overexpression of IKBKE observed in 50 percent of human cancers (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered additional mechanisms of "Akt" activation and suggest a component of that activation mechanism -- inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE) -- could be targeted as a therapeutic intervention for treating cancer. ... > full story

Nostalgic consumers are more likely to give to charity (December 14, 2011) -- Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, can boost donations and help drum up volunteers, according to a new study. ... > full story

Most common causes, risk factors for stillbirth (December 14, 2011) -- Two studies by the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network have identified the most common causes and risk factors for stillbirth, including causes such as preterm labor and risk factors that include diabetes and excess weight. ... > full story

What role do cytokines play in autoimmune diseases? (December 14, 2011) -- Cytokines, a varied group of signaling chemicals in the body, have been described as the software that runs the immune system, but when that software malfunctions, dysregulation of the immune system can result in debilitating autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and diabetes. Leading experts in the field of cytokine research present their most up-to-date findings and unique perspectives on the role of cytokines in autoimmune diseases in a special issue of Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research. ... > full story

Few allergies in unstressed babies, Swedish researchers find (December 13, 2011) -- A new study shows that infants with low concentrations of the stress-related hormone cortisol in their saliva develop fewer allergies than other infants. Hopefully this new knowledge will be useful in future allergy prevention. ... > full story

Scar findings could lead to new therapies, researchers say (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers report that they have identified the molecular pathway through which physical force contributes to scarring in mice. ... > full story

Tangled web in Alzheimer's protein deposits is more complex than once thought (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists have made a discovery that will change the direction of Alzheimer's research. They found that the protein tangles, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's, involve three different proteins instead of one. The discovery of these additional proteins, called neurofilaments and vimentin, should help scientists better understand the biology and progression of Alzheimer's and provide additional drug discovery targets. ... > full story

'Left-handed iron corkscrews' point the way to new weapon in battle against superbugs like MRSA (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists have taken inspiration from corkscrew structures found in nature to develop a new weapon in the fight against infections like E. coli and MRSA. ... > full story

Precise detection by the nose: Researchers decipher interaction of fragrances and olfactory receptors (December 13, 2011) -- Banana, mango or apricot -- telling these smells apart is no problem for the human nose. How the olfactory organ distinguishes such similar smells has been uncovered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. The scientists were the first to shed light on the dynamics of the three-dimensional structure of the binding site of an olfactory receptor. In so doing, they also found a characteristic pattern of hydrogen bonds between odorant and receptor, which accounts for the specificity of the olfactory sensors. Using computer simulations, the team was able to predict whether odorant molecules activate a certain receptor or not. ... > full story

New device uses gold nanoparticles to test for lung cancer (December 13, 2011) -- A new device clearly distinguishes between the volatile organic compounds in cancer patients' exhaled breath compared to the breath of a control group. Subjects simply exhale into a bag, and the breath is analyzed by an array of gold nanoparticle sensors. ... > full story

Widespread brain atrophy detected in Parkinson's disease with newly developed structural pattern (December 13, 2011) -- Atrophy in the hippocampus, the region of the brain known for memory formation and storage, is evident in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive impairment, including early decline known as mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study. ... > full story

Life after cigarettes: Compared with those who continue to smoke, quitters are both happier and more satisfied with their health (December 13, 2011) -- Life without cigarettes is not all doom and gloom. In fact, successful quitters are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier, both one year and three years afterwards, than those who continue to smoke. That's according to new research by Dr. Megan Piper, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US, and her team. Their work looks at whether quitting smoking can improve psychological well-being. ... > full story

Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson's disease long before symptoms appear (December 13, 2011) -- A new research report shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson's disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called "phosphorylated alpha-synuclein," which is common in people with Parkinson's disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood. ... > full story

Mothers' weight before and during pregnancy affects baby's weight (December 13, 2011) -- Both pre-pregnant weight (body mass index) and weight gain in pregnancy are important predictors of babies' birthweight. This is important since high birthweight may also predict adult overweight. ... > full story