ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Thursday, January 5, 2012

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Thursday, January 5, 2012

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Antiestrogen therapy may decrease risk for melanoma (January 4, 2012) -- Women with breast cancer who take antiestrogen supplements may be decreasing their risk for melanoma, according to a new study. ... > full story

How dengue infection hits harder the second time around (January 4, 2012) -- One of the most vexing challenges in the battle against dengue virus, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne virus, is that getting infected once can put people at greater risk for a more severe infection down the road. A new study details how the interaction between a person's immune response and a subsequent dengue infection could mean the difference between getting a mild fever and going into fatal circulatory failure. ... > full story

Maternal liver grafts more tolerable for children with rare disease (January 4, 2012) -- Children with a rare, life-threatening disease that is the most common cause of neonatal liver failure -- biliary atresia -- better tolerate liver transplants from their mothers than from their fathers, according to a new study. ... > full story

Many NIH-funded clinical trials go unpublished over two years after completion, U.S. study shows (January 4, 2012) -- In a study that investigates the challenges of disseminating clinical research findings in peer-reviewed biomedical journals, researchers have found that fewer than half of a sample of trials primarily or partially funded by the National Institutes of Health were published within 30 months of completing the clinical trial. ... > full story

Cancer-killing compound spares healthy cells (January 4, 2012) -- Lithocholic acid (LCA), naturally produced in the liver during digestion, has been seriously underestimated. A new study shows that LCA can kill several types of cancer cells, such as those found in some brain tumors and breast cancer. ... > full story

Risk factors in rising trend of liver cancer identified (January 4, 2012) -- Doctors have known for years that the incidence of deadly liver cancer is on the rise, but what is causing that trend has remained a mystery. Two recent studies offer a clearer picture of the rise of hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, which has tripled in the IS in the last three decades and has a 10 to 12 percent five-year survival rate when detected in later stages. ... > full story

Exercise is good for your waistline -- but it's a writing exercise (January 4, 2012) -- Is losing weight as simple as doing a 15-minute writing exercise? In a new study, women who wrote about their most important values, like close relationships, music, or religion, lost more weight over the next few months than women who did not have that experience. ... > full story

Experimental vaccine partially protects monkeys from HIV-like infection (January 4, 2012) -- New vaccine research in monkeys suggests that scientists are homing in on the critical ingredients of a protective HIV vaccine and identifies new HIV vaccine candidates to test in human clinical trials. ... > full story

Hydrogen sulfide reduces glucose-induced injury in kidney cells (January 4, 2012) -- Hydrogen sulfide, a noxious gas that smells like rotten eggs, may have beneficial effects in the kidney. Researchers found that this gas diminishes high glucose-induced production of scarring proteins in kidney cells. Considerable work remains to be done before studies can move to animal models. ... > full story

Blogging may help teens dealing with social distress (January 4, 2012) -- Blogging may have psychological benefits for teens suffering from social anxiety, improving their self-esteem and helping them relate better to their friends, according to new research. ... > full story

Boy or girl? Simple blood test in the first trimester predicts fetal gender (January 4, 2012) -- New findings could lead to a non-invasive test allowing expecting mothers to learn the sex of their baby as early as the first trimester. Specifically, researchers discovered that various ratios of two enzymes (DYS14/GAPDH), which can be extracted from a pregnant mother's blood, indicate if the baby will be a boy or a girl. Such a test would be the first of its kind. ... > full story

New clues to human deafness found in mice (January 4, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a gene that is required for proper development of the mouse inner ear. In humans, this gene, known as FGF20, is located in a portion of the genome that has been associated with inherited deafness in otherwise healthy families. ... > full story

Hepatitis C virus hijacks liver microRNA (January 4, 2012) -- Scientists have now shown for the first time how a small RNA molecule that regulates gene expression in human liver cells has been hijacked by the hepatitis C virus to ensure its own survival -- helping medical scientists understand why a new antiviral drug appears to be effective against the virus. ... > full story

Maternal gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status associated with increased risk of ADHD in offspring (January 4, 2012) -- Children exposed to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and low socioeconomic status, particularly in combination, appear to be at an increased risk of developing childhood ADHD, according to a new report. ... > full story

Shot of young stem cells makes rapidly aging mice live much longer and healthier, researchers report (January 4, 2012) -- Mice bred to age too quickly seemed to have sipped from the fountain of youth after scientists injected them with stem cell-like progenitor cells derived from the muscle of young, healthy animals. Instead of becoming infirm and dying early as untreated mice did, animals that got the stem/progenitor cells improved their health and lived two to three times longer than expected. ... > full story

Autism may be linked to abnormal immune system characteristics and novel protein fragment (January 4, 2012) -- Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), according to new research. The study, conducted with mouse models of autism, suggests that elevated levels of an APP fragment circulating in the blood could explain the aberrations in immune cell populations and function -- both observed in some autism patients. ... > full story

Alzheimer's damage occurs early (January 4, 2012) -- The first changes in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease can be observed as much as ten years in advance – ten years before the person in question has become so ill that he or she can be diagnosed with the disease. ... > full story

Physical activity, school performance may be linked (January 4, 2012) -- A systematic review of previous studies suggests that there may be a positive relationship between physical activity and the academic performance of children. ... > full story

When overeating, calories -- not protein -- contribute to increase in body fat, study finds (January 4, 2012) -- In a study conducted among 25 healthy individuals living in a controlled setting who were randomized to overconsumption of different levels of protein diets, those consuming the low-protein diet had less weight gain compared to those consuming normal and high protein diets, and calories alone, and not protein appeared to contribute to an increase in body fat, according to a new study. ... > full story

Females may be more susceptible to infection during ovulation (January 4, 2012) -- A woman's ovarian cycle plays a role in susceptibility to infection, according to new research. Specifically, researchers found women are most susceptible to infection, such as Candida albicans or other sexually transmitted diseases, during ovulation than at any other time during the reproductive cycle. This natural "dip" in immunity may be to allow spermatozoa to survive the threat of an immune response so it may fertilize an egg successfully. ... > full story

'BINGO!' game helps researchers study perception deficits (January 4, 2012) -- Bingo, a popular activity in nursing homes, senior centers and assisted-living facilities, has benefits that extend well beyond socializing. Researchers found high-contrast, large bingo cards boost thinking and playing skills for people with cognitive difficulties and visual perception problems produced by Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. ... > full story

The cost of disabilities could reach 77.2% of household income (January 4, 2012) -- Researchers have for the first time estimated the cost and impact of disabilities on the finances of disabled people. According to data, 90% of the population with a serious disability in Spain is in a state of moderate poverty and 56% lives in a state of extreme poverty. ... > full story

Great apes make sophisticated decisions: Research suggests that great apes are capable of calculating the odds before taking risks (January 3, 2012) -- Chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos make more sophisticated decisions than was previously thought. Great apes weigh their chances of success, based on what they know and the likelihood to succeed when guessing, according to a new study. The findings may provide insight into human decision-making as well. ... > full story

Novel compound to halt virus replication identified (January 3, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a novel compound to halt virus replication. The findings could lead to the development of highly targeted compounds to block the replication of poxviruses, such as the emerging infectious disease monkeypox. ... > full story

Smaller sibling protein calls the shots in cell division (January 3, 2012) -- Scientists have found at least one instance when the smaller sibling gets to call the shots and cancer patients may one day benefit. ... > full story

What are emotion expressions for? (January 3, 2012) -- That cartoon scary face -- wide eyes, ready to run -- may have helped our primate ancestors survive in a dangerous wild, according to a new article. The authors present a way that fear and other facial expressions might have evolved and then come to signal a person's feelings to the people around him. ... > full story

New way to ensure effectiveness of TB treatment? (January 3, 2012) -- A new study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed. ... > full story

Another potential risk factor for developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease in women (January 3, 2012) -- A hormone derived from visceral fat called adiponectin may play a role as a risk factor for development of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease in women, according to a new study. ... > full story

Schizophrenia diagnosis associated with progressive brain changes among adolescents (January 3, 2012) -- Adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis, according to a new report. ... > full story

New aortic valve replacement procedure (January 3, 2012) -- Some individuals with severe aortic stenosis -- also known as narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart -- who are not well enough to undergo open heart surgery have a new treatment option thanks to a new procedure now available. ... > full story

Home monitoring may help manage and reduce costs for heart failure (January 3, 2012) -- Experts have discussed the importance of heart failure disease-management and early identification, as well as the treatment of body-fluid congestion, using a number of home-monitoring strategies. ... > full story

I know something you don't know! Wild chimpanzees inform ignorant group members of danger (January 2, 2012) -- Many animals produce alarm calls to predators, and do this more often when kin or mates are present than other audience members. So far, however, there has been no evidence that they take the other group members' knowledge state into account. Researchers set up a study with wild chimpanzees in Uganda and found that chimpanzees were more likely to alarm call to a snake in the presence of unaware than in the presence of aware group members, suggesting that they recognize knowledge and ignorance in others. ... > full story

New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory (January 2, 2012) -- New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly. ... > full story

More complete picture of kidney cancer: Cancer subtypes distinguished and promising new drug targets suggested (January 2, 2012) -- Scientists are providing a foundation for a more complete understanding of distinct kidney cancer subtypes, which could pave the way for better treatments. ... > full story

People don't just think with their guts: Logic plays a role, too (January 2, 2012) -- For decades, science has suggested that when people make decisions, they tend to ignore logic and go with the gut. But a psychological scientist has a new suggestion: Maybe thinking about logic is also intuitive. ... > full story

Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory (January 1, 2012) -- New research indicates that glia cells are "the brain's supervisors." By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information. This new finding could be critical for technologies based on brain networks, as well as provide a new avenue for research into disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. ... > full story

Inside look at face transplantation (January 1, 2012) -- Researchers describe details of patient preparation, novel design and execution of the operation as well as unique immunosuppression protocol allowing for lowest long-term maintenance drug regimen. ... > full story

Key to school improvement: Reading, writing, arithmetic ... and character? (January 1, 2012) -- A study of 20 elementary schools in Hawaii has found that a focused program to build social, emotional and character skills resulted in significantly improved overall quality of education, as evaluated by teachers, parents and students. ... > full story

Global view of how HIV/AIDS hijacks cells during infection (December 31, 2011) -- Scientists have identified how HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- hijacks the body's own defenses to promote infection. This discovery could one day help curb the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. ... > full story

Gene identified in increasing pancreatic cancer risk (December 31, 2011) -- Mutations in the ATM gene may increase the hereditary risk for pancreatic cancer, according to new research. ... > full story

Elderly can be as fast as young in some brain tasks, study shows (December 31, 2011) -- Both children and the elderly have slower response times when they have to make quick decisions in some settings. But recent research suggests that much of that slower response is a conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed. In fact, healthy older people can be trained to respond faster in some decision-making tasks without hurting their accuracy -- meaning their cognitive skills in this area aren't so different from younger adults. ... > full story

Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking (December 30, 2011) -- People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study. ... > full story

New synthetic molecules treat autoimmune disease in mice (December 30, 2011) -- A team of scientists has turned the tables on an autoimmune disease. In such diseases, including Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's tissues. But the scientists managed to trick the immune systems of mice into targeting one of the body's players in autoimmune processes, an enzyme known as MMP9. ... > full story

Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer (December 30, 2011) -- Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer. A new Phase 3 clinical trial has shown that a targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Avastin) effectively delayed the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer now typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy, but the new research suggests an additional avenue of treatment. ... > full story

Children don't give words special power to categorize their world (December 30, 2011) -- New research challenges the conventional thinking that young children use language just as adults do to help classify and understand objects in the world around them. In a new study involving 4- to 5-year-old children, researchers found that the labels adults use to classify items -- words like "dog" or "pencil" -- don't have the same ability to influence the thinking of children. ... > full story

Brain cell malfunction in schizophrenia identified (December 29, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that DNA stays too tightly wound in certain brain cells of schizophrenic subjects. The findings suggest that drugs already in development for other diseases might eventually offer hope as a treatment for schizophrenia and related conditions in the elderly. ... > full story

Scientists map susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (December 29, 2011) -- New research has provided the first proof of molecular risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, providing an "early warning" sign that could lead to new approaches to treating this and other human disease conditions. ... > full story

Using MP3 players at high volume puts teens at risk for early hearing loss, say researchers (December 29, 2011) -- Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end -- a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to new research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group. ... > full story