ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Friday, January 20, 2012
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How immune cells move against invaders (January 20, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered the unexpected way in which a key cell of the immune system prepares for battle. The finding, they said, offers insight into the processes that take place within these cells and could lead to strategies for treating conditions from spinal cord injury to cancer. ... > full story
Statin use in postmenopausal women associated with increased diabetes risk (January 20, 2012) -- The use of statins in postmenopausal women is associated with increased diabetes risk, according to a new study. ... > full story
Listen up: Abnormality in auditory processing underlies dyslexia (January 20, 2012) -- Although disrupted processing of speech sounds has been implicated in the underlying pathology of dyslexia, the basis of this disruption and how it interferes with reading comprehension has not been fully explained. Now, new research finds that a specific abnormality in the processing of auditory signals accounts for the main symptoms of dyslexia. ... > full story
Flexible adult stem cells, right there in your eye (January 20, 2012) -- In the future, patients in need of perfectly matched neural stem cells may not need to look any further than their own eyes. Researchers have identified adult stem cells of the central nervous system in a single layer of cells at the back of the eye. ... > full story
New, noninvasive way to identify lymph node metastasis (January 20, 2012) -- Using two cell surface markers found to be highly expressed in breast cancer lymph node metastases, researchers have developed targeted, fluorescent molecular imaging probes that can non-invasively detect breast cancer lymph node metastases. The new procedure could spare breast cancer patients invasive and unreliable sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies and surgery-associated negative side effects. ... > full story
Two new standard reference materials for monitoring human exposure to environmental toxins (January 20, 2012) -- Scientists have developed two new standard reference materials for measurements of human exposure to environmental toxins. The new reference materials replace and improve older versions, adding measures for emerging environmental contaminants such as perchlorate, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency has targeted for regulation as a contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act. ... > full story
Scientists map the frontiers of vision (January 20, 2012) -- Pioneering vision study in mice will help revolutionize the study of brain function and mental disease. ... > full story
Environmental exposure to organochlorines may impact male reproduction (January 19, 2012) -- Environmental exposure to organochlorine chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p'-DDE (the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT) can affect male reproduction, according to new research. ... > full story
Insulin therapy may help repair atherosclerotic lesions in diabetic patients (January 19, 2012) -- New research reveals that insulin applied in therapeutic doses selectively stimulates the formation of new elastic fibers in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells. These results advance the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of diabetic vascular disease. ... > full story
Imagine that: How you envision others says a lot about you in real life (January 19, 2012) -- Researchers have found that study participants who conjured positive imaginary co-workers contributed more in the actual workplace, both in job performance and going above and beyond to help others. ... > full story
Nanoparticles refined for more accurate delivery of cancer drugs (January 19, 2012) -- A new class of nanoparticles, synthesized to prevent premature drug release, holds promise for greater accuracy and effectiveness in delivering cancer drugs to tumors. ... > full story
Mechanism by which newly approved melanoma drug accelerates secondary skin cancers uncovered (January 19, 2012) -- Patients with metastatic melanoma taking the recently approved drug vemurafenib (Zelboraf®) responded well to the twice daily pill, but some of them developed a different, secondary skin cancer. Now, researchers have elucidated the mechanism by which vemurafenib excels at fighting melanoma but also allows for the development of skin squamous cell carcinomas. ... > full story
When it comes to accepting evolution, gut feelings trump facts (January 19, 2012) -- For students to accept the theory of evolution, an intuitive "gut feeling" may be just as important as understanding the facts, according to a new study. In an analysis of the beliefs of biology teachers, researchers found that a quick intuitive notion of how right an idea feels was a powerful driver of whether or not students accepted evolution -- often trumping factors such as knowledge level or religion. ... > full story
Another clue in the mystery of autism (January 19, 2012) -- A study of discordant twins -- twins in which one has autism spectrum disorder and one doesn't -- finds the lower birth weight twins are more than three times as likely to have ASD than heavier twins. Though genetic effects are of major importance, say researchers, the study suggests a non-genetic influence associated with birth weight may contribute to development of ASD. ... > full story
Study finds potential key to immune suppression in cancer (January 19, 2012) -- In a study investigating immune response in cancer, researchers have found that interaction between the immune system's antigen-specific CD4 T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) – cells that play a major role in cancer-related immune suppression – dramatically change the nature of MDSC-mediated suppression. By contrast, the same effect was not observed when MDSCs interacted with the immune system's CD8 T cells. ... > full story
Estrogen-targeting drug combo may help prevent lung cancer (January 19, 2012) -- A combination of drugs that target estrogen production significantly reduced the number of tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumors in mice, according to results from a preclinical study. ... > full story
Participating in marathons, half-marathons not found to increase risk of cardiac arrest (January 19, 2012) -- A new study finds that participating in marathons and half-marathons is associated with a relatively low risk of cardiac arrest, compared to other forms of athletics. The study also identifies bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a key factor in patient survival. ... > full story
Chemists unlock potential target for drug development (January 19, 2012) -- A receptor found on blood platelets whose importance as a potential pharmaceutical target has long been questioned may in fact be fruitful in drug testing, according to new research. ... > full story
Which direction now? Just ask the north-facing map in your head (January 19, 2012) -- You're driving from work to pick up your kids at school. The drive is familiar; you've done it almost every day for years. But how do you know in which direction the school is from your home? Landmarks? The sun? Animal instinct? ... > full story
New gene discovery unlocks mystery of epilepsy in infants (January 19, 2012) -- Researchers have come a step closer to unlocking a mystery that causes epileptic seizures in babies. Benign familial infantile epilepsy has been recognized for some time as infantile seizures, without fever, that run in families but the cause has so far eluded researchers. However, clinical researchers have now discovered a gene. ... > full story
Solving the mystery of an old diabetes drug that may reduce cancer risk (January 19, 2012) -- Researchers now report on how the diabetes drug metformin potentially reduces cancer risk. ... > full story
Does marriage really make people happier? Study finds few well-being advantages to marriage over cohabitation (January 19, 2012) -- Married couples experience few advantages for psychological well-being, health, or social ties compared to unmarried couples who live together, according to a new study. While both marriage and cohabitation provide benefits over being single, these reduce over time following a honeymoon period. ... > full story
Commonly used blood pressure drug prevents smoking-related lung damage in mice (January 19, 2012) -- Working with mice, scientists have successfully used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent almost all of the lung damage caused from two months of exposure to cigarette smoke. The treatment specifically targeted lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung over-expansion. ... > full story
How drugs get those tongue-twisting generic names (January 19, 2012) -- Oseltamivir. Esomeprazole. Trastuzumab. Where do drugs get those odd-sounding generic names? The answers are in a new article that explains the logic behind the tongue-twisters. ... > full story
People behave socially and 'well' even without rules, online avatar study shows (January 19, 2012) -- Millions of online human interactions were assessed during a new study which included actions such as communication, founding and ending friendships, trading goods, sleeping, moving, however also starting hostilities, attacks and punishment. The game does not suggest any rules and everyone can live with their avatar (i.e. with their “game character” in the virtual world) as they choose. ... > full story
Diabetic mice provide a surprising breakthrough for multiple sclerosis research (January 19, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that when mice with diabetes are injected with a specific protein, they experience the same brain lesions and disabilities that occur in human MS patients. Monitoring this brain lesion process through magnetic resonance imaging, scientists say they're on the path to treating MS more effectively. ... > full story
Novel gene mutations associated with bile duct cancer (January 19, 2012) -- Investigators have identified a new genetic signature associated with bile duct cancer, a usually deadly tumor for which effective treatment currently is limited. ... > full story
Unhappy at work? The boss or the company may be to blame (January 19, 2012) -- If our psychological needs at work are met, we are more likely to be happy. If you are unhappy at work, it could be partly due to your boss' management style, according to a new study. Both over-controlling managers who use threats as a way to motivate employees, and organizations that do not appear to value individuals' contributions, frustrate our basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (how we relate to others). This, in turn, is likely to have a negative impact on our well-being at work. ... > full story
Explaining heart failure as a cause of diabetes (January 19, 2012) -- Either heart failure or diabetes alone is bad enough, but oftentimes the two conditions seem to go together. Now, researchers appear to have found the culprit that leads from heart failure to diabetes and perhaps a novel way to break that metabolic vicious cycle. ... > full story
Important gene-regulation proteins pinpointed by new method (January 19, 2012) -- A novel technique precisely pinpoints the location of proteins that read and regulate chromosomes. The order of these proteins determines whether a brain cell, a liver cell, or a cancer cell is formed. Until now, it has been exceedingly difficult to determine exactly where such proteins bind to the chromosome, and therefore how they work. The new technique has the potential to take high-resolution snapshots of proteins as they regulate or miss-regulate an entire genome. ... > full story
Alarm clock monitors brain and wakes you in a time window when you will rouse easily (January 19, 2012) -- Researchers have developed an alarm clock that monitors your brain activity and triggers its alarm within a time window you set in advance but only when your brain is in a more easily roused state rather than deep sleep. ... > full story
Study maps destructive path from cigarette to emphysema (January 18, 2012) -- Scientists described the track the toxic smoke takes through the tissues and how they accomplish their destructive work. ... > full story
Genetic predisposition to disease common in two supercentenarians (January 18, 2012) -- The first-ever published whole-genome sequences of not just one, but two supercentenarians, aged more than 114 years, reveal that both unusual and common genetic phenomena contribute to the genetic background of extreme human longevity. Data from the study will be available to researchers around the world at the NIH data repository. ... > full story
Good intentions ease pain, add to pleasure (January 18, 2012) -- A nurse's tender loving care really does ease the pain of a medical procedure, and grandma's cookies really do taste better, if we perceive them to be made with love -- suggests newly published research. The findings have many real-world applications, including in medicine, relationships, parenting and business. ... > full story
Nicotine patch shows benefits in mild cognitive impairment, study suggests (January 18, 2012) -- Using a nicotine patch may help improve mild memory loss in older adults, according to a new study. ... > full story
No walk in the park: Factors that predict walking difficulty in elderly (January 18, 2012) -- Researchers have found that the likelihood of becoming disabled with age increases with the following factors: having a chronic condition or cognitive impairment; low physical activity; slower gross motor coordination; having poor lower-extremity function; and being hospitalized. Women are also more likely than men to become disabled in their later years. ... > full story
'Women worse at math than men' explanation scientifically incorrect, experts say (January 18, 2012) -- Researchers have conducted a review that casts doubt on the accuracy of a popular theory that attempted to explain why there are more men than women in top levels of mathematical fields. The researchers found that numerous studies claiming that the stereotype, "men are better at math" – believed to undermine women's math performance – had major methodological flaws, utilized improper statistical techniques, and many studies had no scientific evidence of this stereotype. ... > full story
Scientists create novel RNA repair technology (January 18, 2012) -- Scientists have identified a compound that can help repair a specific type of defect in RNA, a type of genetic material. The methods in the new study could accelerate the development of therapeutics to treat a variety of incurable diseases such as Huntington’s disease, Spinocerebellar ataxia, and Kennedy disease. ... > full story
Contact lenses provide extended pain relief to laser eye surgery patients (January 18, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting development of contact lenses that could provide a continuous supply of anesthetic medication to the eyes of patients who undergo laser eye surgery -- an advance that could relieve patients of the burden of repeatedly placing drops of medicine into their eyes every few hours for several days. ... > full story
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