ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Tuesday, January 17, 2012

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Tuesday, January 17, 2012

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Brain circuits for visual categorization revealed by new experiments (January 16, 2012) -- Hundreds of times during a baseball game, the home plate umpire must instantaneously categorize a fast-moving pitch as a ball or a strike. Scientists have now pinpointed an area in the brain where these kinds of visual categories are encoded. ... > full story

Scientists shed new light on link between 'killer cells' and diabetes (January 16, 2012) -- Killer T-cells in the human body which help protect us from disease can inadvertently destroy cells that produce insulin, new research has uncovered. ... > full story

New indicator may help identify patients with increased risk from throat cancer (January 16, 2012) -- Researchers have found a new indicator that may predict which patients with a common type of throat cancer are most likely have the cancer spread to other parts of their bodies. ... > full story

People mimic each other, but only when they have the same goal, study suggests (January 16, 2012) -- It's easy to pick up on the movements that other people make -- scratching your head, crossing your legs. But a new study finds that people only feel the urge to mimic each other when they have the same goal. ... > full story

Discovery could help stem smoking-related diseases (January 16, 2012) -- Sufferers of smoking-related lung diseases could have their debilitating symptoms reduced following the discovery of a potential new treatment. ... > full story

Revolutionary surgical technique for perforations of the eardrum (January 16, 2012) -- Scientists announce a revolutionary surgical technique for perforations of the eardrum. The 20-minute procedure in outpatient clinic without general anesthetic may replace long and costly day surgery. ... > full story

Some like it hot: Popular yoga style cranks up the heat (January 16, 2012) -- Yoga is one of the hottest fitness trends and a style known as “hot yoga” is gaining in popularity. While the practice can offer health benefits, people practicing hot yoga, especially beginners, should take certain precautions, according to an expert. ... > full story

How stem cell implants help heal traumatic brain injury (January 16, 2012) -- Researchers have identified key molecular mechanisms by which implanted human neural stem cells aid recovery from traumatic axonal injury. ... > full story

Chlorophyll can help prevent cancer -- but study raises other questions (January 16, 2012) -- A recent study found that the chlorophyll in green vegetables offers protection against cancer when tested against the modest carcinogen exposure levels most likely to be found in the environment. However, chlorophyll actually increases the number of tumors at very high carcinogen exposure levels. The research raises serious questions about whether traditional lab studies done with mice and high levels of toxic exposure are providing accurate answers to what is a real health risk, what isn't, and what dietary or pharmaceutical approaches are useful. ... > full story

Advance toward treatment for painful flat feet (January 16, 2012) -- Scientists have made an advance in understanding the causes of adult-acquired flat feet -- a painful condition particularly affecting middle-aged women. ... > full story

New information on the waste-disposal units of living cells (January 16, 2012) -- Researchers have provided the most detailed look ever at the "regulatory particle" used by the proteasome - one of the most critical protein machines in living cells - to identify and degrade proteins marked for destruction. This new information holds implications for a broad range of vital biochemical processes, including transcription, DNA repair and the immune defense system. ... > full story

Deaf sign language users pick up faster on body language (January 16, 2012) -- Deaf people who use sign language are quicker at recognizing and interpreting body language than hearing non-signers, according to new research. ... > full story

Gene identified as a new target for treatment of aggressive childhood eye tumor (January 16, 2012) -- New findings help solve mystery of retinoblastoma's rapid growth in work that also yields a new treatment target and possible therapy. ... > full story

Newly identified type of immune cell may be important protector against sepsis (January 16, 2012) -- Investigators have discovered a previously unknown type of immune cell, a B cell that can produce the important growth factor GM-CSF, which stimulates many other immune cells. They also found that these novel cells may help protect against the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis. ... > full story

Active compounds against Alzheimer's disease: New insights thanks to simulations (January 16, 2012) -- Various molecules have been synthesized that inhibit self-assembly of the amyloid beta peptide in vitro. This peptide is strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease. Based on computer simulations, biochemists have recently shown how the active compounds and fragments of this disease-causing peptide interact with each other: it is the disordered structure of the peptide that determines the interactions with active compounds. ... > full story

Software for analyzing digital pathology images proving its usefulness (January 16, 2012) -- As tissue slides are more routinely digitized to aid interpretation, a software program is proving its utility. In bladder cancer test case, a new software tool separates malignancy from background tissue. ... > full story

Discrimination may harm your health (January 16, 2012) -- Racial discrimination may be harmful to your health, according to new research. In the study, the authors examined data containing measures of social class, race and perceived discriminatory behavior and found that approximately 18 percent of blacks and 4 percent of whites reported higher levels of emotional upset and/or physical symptoms due to race-based treatment. ... > full story

Wood-burning stoves: Harmful or safe? (January 16, 2012) -- Wood-burning stoves are a popular source of heating in many countries. However in recent years there has been much debate about the potential negative health effects associated with wood smoke. A researcher has now studied the influence of combustion conditions on the emissions and their health effects. ... > full story

Changes in tumor cells that lead to metastasis (January 16, 2012) -- Researchers have identified the genetic and phenotypic changes that cause tumor progression and metastasis. The process of metastasis -- which is the main cause of cancer death -- is caused by tumor cells invading distant organs with no direct anatomical relationship with the organ originally affected. ... > full story

Researchers use sugar to halt esophageal cancer in its tracks (January 15, 2012) -- Scientists have identified changes in the patterns of sugar molecules that line pre-cancerous cells in the esophagus, a condition called Barrett’s dysplasia, making it much easier to detect and remove these cells before they develop into esophageal cancer. These findings have important implications for patients and may help to monitor their condition and prevent the development of cancer. ... > full story

Bacterial infections: New laboratory method uses mass spectrometry to rapidly detect staph infections (January 15, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new laboratory test that can rapidly identify the bacterium responsible for staph infections. The test uses mass spectrometry to quantify the number of Staphylococcus aureus organisms in a large number of samples in just a few hours. ... > full story

Pivotal immune cell in Type 1 diabetes in humans identified (January 15, 2012) -- Researchers have demonstrataed -- for the first time in human tissues -- the specific immune system T cells which trigger the destruction of Type 1 diabetes in the pancreas. The finding is an important advance that verifies in humans several important disease characteristics shown in mouse studies and provides a key focal point for interrupting the disease process. ... > full story

Improved method for protein sequence comparisons is faster, more accurate, more sensitive (January 15, 2012) -- Sequence comparisons are an essential tool for the prediction and analysis of the structure and functions of proteins. A new method developed by computational biologists permits sequence comparisons to be performed faster and more accurately than ever before. ... > full story

Office workers spend too much time at their desks, experts say (January 15, 2012) -- In a typical working week, people spend on average 5 hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desk and 7 hours sleeping at night. Prolonged sitting at your desk is not only bad for your physical health, but potentially your mental well-being, experts in the UK say. ... > full story

Cancer sequencing project identifies potential approaches to combat aggressive leukemia (January 15, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered that a subtype of leukemia characterized by a poor prognosis is fueled by mutations in pathways distinctly different from a seemingly similar leukemia associated with a much better outcome. The findings highlight a possible new strategy for treating patients with this more aggressive cancer. ... > full story

Opioids erase memory traces of pain (January 15, 2012) -- Medical researchers have discovered a previously unknown effect of opioids. The study shows that opioids not only temporarily relieve pain, but at the right dose can also erase memory traces of pain in the spinal cord and therefore eliminate a key cause of chronic pain. ... > full story

Surprising results from smoke inhalation study (January 15, 2012) -- A new study includes some unexpected findings about the immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients. ... > full story

New clue in battle against Australian Hendra virus: African bats have antibodies that neutralize deadly virus (January 15, 2012) -- A new study on African bats provides a vital clue for unraveling the mysteries in Australia's battle with the deadly Hendra virus. ... > full story

Brain glia cells increase their DNA content to preserve vital blood-brain barrier (January 14, 2012) -- Scientists report that as the developing larval fruit fly brain grows by cell division, it instructs subperineurial glia (SPG) cells that form the blood-brain barrier to enlarge by creating multiple copies of their genomes in a process known as polyploidization. ... > full story

Faulty proteins may prove significant in identifying new treatments for ovarian cancer (January 14, 2012) -- A constellation of defective proteins suspected in causing a malfunction in the body's ability to repair its own DNA could be the link scientists need to prove a new class of drugs will be effective in treating a broad range of ovarian cancer patients, a new study found. ... > full story

I recognise you! But how did I do it? (January 14, 2012) -- Are you someone who easily recognizes everyone you’ve ever met? Or maybe you struggle, even with familiar faces? It is already known that we are better at recognizing faces from our own race but researchers have only recently questioned how we assimilate the information we use to recognize people. ... > full story

Evolution is written all over your face (January 13, 2012) -- Why are the faces of primates so dramatically different from one another? Biologists serving as "evolutionary detectives" studied the faces of 129 adult male primates from Central and South America, and offer answers. These faces evolved over at least 24 million years. ... > full story

Genes and disease mechanisms behind a common form of muscular dystrophy discovered (January 13, 2012) -- Continuing a series of groundbreaking discoveries begun in 2010 about the genetic causes of the third most common form of inherited muscular dystrophy, scientists have identified the genes and proteins that damage muscle cells, as well as the mechanisms that can cause the disease. ... > full story

NIH study shows 32 million Americans have autoantibodies that target their own tissues (January 13, 2012) -- More than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, which are proteins made by the immune system that target the body’s tissues and define a condition known as autoimmunity, a study shows. The first nationally representative sample looking at the prevalence of the most common type of autoantibody, known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA), found that the frequency of ANA is highest among women, older individuals, and African-Americans. ... > full story

Would you stop eating out to lose weight? (January 13, 2012) -- Going out to eat has become a major part of our culture. Frequently eating out and consuming high-calorie foods in large portions at restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain. A new study demonstrates that people can eat out and still lose weight. ... > full story

Blame your taste buds for liking fat: Receptor for tasting fat identified in humans (January 13, 2012) -- Why do we like fatty foods so much? We can blame our taste buds. In the first study to identify a human receptor that can taste fat, researchers report that our tongues recognize and have an affinity for fat and that variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste of fat in foods. ... > full story

New 'smart' nanotherapeutics can deliver drugs directly to the pancreas (January 13, 2012) -- Scientists have developed "smart" nanotherapeutics that can be programmed to selectively deliver drugs to the cells of the pancreas. The approach was found to increase drug efficacy by 200-fold in in vitro studies based on the ability of these nanomaterials to both protect the drug from degradation and concentrate it at key target sites, such as regions of the pancreas that contain the insulin-producing cells. ... > full story

No link found between prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke and autism, Swedish study finds (January 13, 2012) -- A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. ... > full story

How the brain routes traffic for maximum alertness (January 13, 2012) -- A new study shows how the brain reconfigures its connections to minimize distractions and take best advantage of our knowledge of situations. ... > full story

Rare genetic mutations linked to bipolar disorder (January 13, 2012) -- Scientists report that abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants, or CNVs, appear to play a significant role in the risk for early onset bipolar disorder. ... > full story

Statins may increase risk of interstitial lung abnormalities in smokers (January 13, 2012) -- Use of statins may influence susceptibility to or the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in smokers, according to a new study. ... > full story

Scarcity of women leads men to spend more, save less (January 13, 2012) -- The perception that women are scarce leads men to become impulsive, save less, and increase borrowing, according to new research. ... > full story

The microbiome and disease: Gut bacteria influence the severity of heart attacks in rats (January 13, 2012) -- New research suggests the types and levels of intestinal bacteria may be used to predict a person's likelihood of having a heart attack, and manipulating these organisms may help reduce risk. This discovery may lead to new tests and therapies that physicians use to prevent and treat heart attacks. In addition, this research suggests probiotics may be able to protect the heart in patients undergoing heart surgery and angioplasty. ... > full story

Cancer treatment with minor side effects (January 13, 2012) -- Side effects are currently the biggest problem with any cancer treatment. A new company is drawing closer to the goal of creating a treatment which kills only cancer cells, leaving other cells unaffected. ... > full story

Regulatory enzyme overexpression may protect against neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (January 13, 2012) -- Treatment that increases brain levels of an important regulatory enzyme may slow the loss of brain cells that characterizes Huntington's disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. A team found that increased expression of Sirt1, one of a family of enzymes called sirtuins, in the brain of a mouse model of HD protected against neurodegeneration. The investigators also identified a potential mechanism for this protective effect. ... > full story

Habit formation is enabled by gateway to brain cells (January 13, 2012) -- A brain cell type found where habits are formed and movement is controlled has receptors that work like computer processors to translate regular activities into habits, researchers report. "Habits, for better or worse, basically define who we are," said one of the researchers. Habits also provide mental freedom and flexibility by enabling many activities to be on autopilot while the brain focuses on more urgent matters, he said. ... > full story

New method keeps normal cells and tumor cells taken from an individual cancer patient alive (January 13, 2012) -- In a major step that could revolutionize biomedical research, scientists have discovered a way to keep normal cells as well as tumor cells taken from an individual cancer patient alive in the laboratory -- which previously had not been possible. Normal cells usually die in the lab after dividing only a few times, and many common cancers will not grow, unaltered, outside of the body. ... > full story

Obesity and cancer screening: Does race and gender also play a role? (January 13, 2012) -- Researchers recently found that obesity was linked to higher rates of prostate cancer screening across all races/ethnic differences and lower rates of cervical cancer screening, most notably in white women. ... > full story