ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Thursday, March 8, 2012

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Thursday, March 8, 2012

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Teaching fat cells to burn calories: New target against obesity involves brown fat (March 7, 2012) -- In the war against obesity, one’s own fat cells may seem an unlikely ally, but new research suggests ordinary fat cells can be reengineered to burn calories. ... > full story

Heart attacks rise following daylight saving time (March 7, 2012) -- The Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10 percent increase in the risk of having a heart attack. Learn what you can do to mitigate your risk. ... > full story

Eating berries benefits the brain (March 7, 2012) -- Strong scientific evidence exists that eating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berry fruits has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes, scientists report. ... > full story

That caffeine in your drink -- is it really 'natural?' (March 7, 2012) -- That caffeine in your tea, energy drink or other beverage -- is it really natural? Scientists are reporting successful use for the first time of a simpler and faster method for answering that question. ... > full story

Upper class people more likely to behave unethically (March 7, 2012) -- New studies reveal something the well off may not want to hear. Individuals who are relatively high in social class are more likely to engage in a variety of unethical behaviors. ... > full story

Nasty people in the media prime the brain for aggression (March 7, 2012) -- Research over the past few decades has shown that viewing physical violence in the media can increase aggression in adults and children. But a new study has also found that onscreen relational aggression -- including social exclusion, gossip and emotional bullying -- may prime the brain for aggression. ... > full story

Self-centered kids? Blame their immature brains (March 7, 2012) -- A new study suggests that age-associated improvements in the ability to consider the preferences of others are linked with maturation of a brain region involved in self control. The findings may help to explain why young children often struggle to control selfish impulses, even when they know better, and could impact educational strategies designed to promote successful social behavior. ... > full story

Deafening affects vocal nerve cells within hours (March 7, 2012) -- Portions of a songbird's brain that control how it sings have been shown to decay within 24 hours of the animal losing its hearing. ... > full story

How repeated stress impairs memory (March 7, 2012) -- Anyone who has ever been subject to chronic stress knows that it can take a toll on emotions and the ability to think clearly. Now, new research uncovers a neural mechanism that directly links repeated stress with impaired memory. The study also provides critical insight into why stress responses can act as a trigger for many mental illnesses. ... > full story

Stumped by a problem? This technique unsticks you (March 7, 2012) -- Stuck solving a problem? Seek the obscure, says a psychologist. "There's a classic obstacle to innovation called 'functional fixedness,' which is the tendency to fixate on the common use of an object or its parts. It hinders people from solving problems." Researchers have developed a systematic way of overcoming that obstacle: the "generic parts technique." ... > full story

The right type of words: Words spelled on right side of keyboards lead to more positive emotions (March 7, 2012) -- Words spelled with more letters on the right of the keyboard are associated with more positive emotions than words spelled with more letters on the left, according to new research by cognitive scientists. Their work shows, for the first time, that there is a link between the meaning of words and the way they are typed -- a relationship they call the QWERTY effect. ... > full story

Switch to daylight saving time leads to cyberloafing at the office (March 7, 2012) -- The annual shift to daylight saving time and its accompanying loss of sleep cause employees to spend more time than normal surfing the Web for content unrelated to their work, resulting in potentially massive productivity losses, according to researchers. ... > full story

New immune-system sensor may speed up, slash cost of detecting disease (March 7, 2012) -- An inexpensive new medical sensor has the potential to simplify the diagnosis of diseases ranging from life-threatening immune deficiencies to the common cold, according to its inventors. ... > full story

Sperm can do 'calculus' to calculate calcium dynamics and react accordingly (March 7, 2012) -- Sperm have only one aim: to find the egg. The egg supports the sperm in their quest by emitting attractants. Calcium ions determine the beating pattern of the sperm tail which enables the sperm to move. Scientists have discovered that sperm only react to changes in calcium concentration but not to the calcium concentration itself. Probably sperm make this calculation so that they remain capable of maneuvering even in the presence of high calcium concentrations. ... > full story

Internet-based therapy relieves persistent tinnitus, study suggests (March 7, 2012) -- Those suffering from nagging tinnitus can benefit from internet-based therapy just as much as patients who take part in group therapy sessions. These are the findings of a German-Swedish study in which patients with moderate to severe tinnitus tried out various forms of therapy over a ten-week period. The outcome of both the internet-based therapy and group therapy sessions was significantly better than that of a control group that only participated in an online discussion forum and thus demonstrated both the former to be effective methods of managing the symptoms of irritating ringing in the ears. ... > full story

Autism: Don't look now -- I'm trying to think (March 7, 2012) -- Children with autism look away from faces when thinking, especially about challenging material, according to new research. ... > full story

Archaea: Crystal structure of archael chromatin clarified (March 7, 2012) -- Researchers have clarified for the first time how chromatin in archaea, one of the three evolutionary branches of organisms in nature, binds to DNA. The results offer valuable clues into the evolution of chromatin structure in multi-cellular organisms and promise insights into how abnormalities in such structure can contribute to cancers and gene disorders. ... > full story

Newly approved drug for infant respiratory distress syndrome (March 7, 2012) -- Scientific advances have led to a new drug Surfaxin® (lucinactant), just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat infant respiratory distress syndrome. ... > full story

New approach for treating genetic muscle wasting disease shows promise in mice (March 6, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that a drug called fasudil can extend the average lifespan of mice with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) from 30.5 days to more than 300 days, and increase the size of muscle fibers. SMA is the leading inherited cause of death in infants and toddlers, affecting approximately 25,000 people in Canada and the United States. ... > full story

Responding to the radiation threat (March 6, 2012) -- Researchers are developing a promising treatment for safely decontaminating humans exposed to radioactive actinides from a major radiation exposure event, such as a nuclear reactor accident or a "dirty bomb" terrorist attack. The treatment, which can be administered as a pill that can result in the excretion of approximately 90-percent of the actinide contaminants within 24 hours, has been advanced through the initial pre-clinical phases. ... > full story

Basque roots revealed through DNA analysis (March 6, 2012) -- The Genographic Project has announced the most comprehensive analysis to date of Basque genetic patterns, showing that Basque genetic uniqueness predates the arrival of agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula some 7,000 years ago. Through detailed DNA analysis of samples from the French and Spanish Basque regions, the team found that Basques share unique genetic patterns that distinguish them from the surrounding non-Basque populations. ... > full story

Specific antibodies halt Alzheimer's disease in mice (March 6, 2012) -- Antibodies that block the process of synapse disintegration in Alzheimer's disease have been identified, raising hopes for a treatment to combat early cognitive decline in the disease. ... > full story

With the right photo, your Facebook text profile hardly matters (March 6, 2012) -- In most cases, your profile photo on Facebook tells viewers what they need to know to form an impression of you -- no words are necessary, new research suggests. College students who viewed a Facebook photo of a fellow student having fun with friends rated that person as extraverted -- even if his profile said he was "not a big people-person." ... > full story

Vegetarian cutlet: New method to prepare a meat substitute (March 6, 2012) -- It looks like a cutlet, it's juicy and fibrous like a cutlet, and it even chews with the consistency of a real cutlet -- but the ingredients are 100 percent vegetable. Researchers are using a new method to prepare a meat substitute that not only tastes good, but is also environmentally sustainable. ... > full story

Scientists pinpoint how vitamin D may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer's (March 6, 2012) -- Researchers have identified the intracellular mechanisms regulated by vitamin D3 that may help the body clear the brain of amyloid beta, the main component of plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. The early findings show that vitamin D3 may activate key genes and cellular signaling networks to help stimulate the immune system to clear the amyloid-beta protein. ... > full story

Influencing stem cell fate: New screening method helps scientists identify key information rapidly (March 6, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a powerful analytical method that they have used to direct stem cell differentiation. Out of millions of possibilities, they rapidly identified the chemical and physical structures that can cue stem cells to become osteocytes, cells found in mature bone. Researchers can use the method, called nanocombinatorics, to build enormous libraries of physical structures varying in size from a few nanometers to many micrometers for addressing problems within and outside biology. ... > full story

Most weight loss supplements are not effective (March 6, 2012) -- Scientists have reviewed the body of evidence around weight loss supplements and has bad news for those trying to find a magic pill to lose weight and keep it off -- it doesn't exist. ... > full story

New brain imaging and computer modeling predicts autistic brain activity and behavior (March 6, 2012) -- New research provides an explanation for some of autism's mysteries and gives scientists clear targets for developing intervention and treatment therapies. Scientists used brain imaging and computer modeling to show how the brain's white matter tracts -- the cabling that connects separated brain areas -- are altered in autism and how these alterations can affect brain function and behavior. ... > full story

Two heads are not always better than one (March 6, 2012) -- From the corporate boardroom to the kitchen table, important decisions are often made in collaboration. But are two -- or three or five -- heads better than one? Not always, according to new research. "People who make judgments by working with someone else are more confident in those judgments. ... > full story

Unnecessary induction of labor increases risk of cesarean section and other complications, study suggests (March 6, 2012) -- A new study reveals that induction of labor at term in the absence of maternal or fetal indications increases the risk of cesarean section and other postpartum complications for the woman, as well as neonatal complications. ... > full story

Gene therapy approach to grow blood vessels in ischemic limbs (March 6, 2012) -- Scientists can offer new hope that people with atherosclerotic disease may one day be able to avoid limb amputation related to ischemia. New research suggests that the delivery of genes for two molecules naturally produced by the body, called "PDGF-BB" and "VEGF" may successfully cause the body to grow new blood vessels that can save ischemic limbs. ... > full story

Exercise and caffeine change your DNA in the same way, study suggests (March 6, 2012) -- When healthy but inactive men and women exercise for a matter of minutes, it produces a rather immediate change to their DNA. Perhaps even more tantalizing, the study suggests that the caffeine in your morning coffee might also influence muscle in essentially the same way. ... > full story

With extra gene, mice are footloose and cancer free (March 6, 2012) -- In a perfect world, we could eat to our heart's content without sacrificing our health and good looks, and now it appears that maybe we can. Mice with an extra dose of a known anti-cancer gene lose weight even as their appetites grow. Not only that, but according to new research, the animals also live longer, and that isn't just because they aren't getting cancer, either. ... > full story

Smaller school classes leads to better student outcomes and higher wages (March 6, 2012) -- Students who were in a small class in grades 4 to 6 had better school achievement and higher wages as adults than those who were in large classes. Smaller classes are also found to be profitable to society.   ... > full story

Blood pressure drug effective for treating PTSD-related nightmares, study suggests (March 6, 2012) -- The blood pressure drug prazosin appears to be an effective treatment to curb post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related nightmares. ... > full story

Microneedle vaccine patch boosts flu protection through robust skin cell immune response (March 6, 2012) -- Recent research found that microneedle vaccine patches are more effective at delivering protection against influenza virus in mice than subcutaneous or intramuscular inoculation. A new, detailed analysis of the early immune responses helps explain why the skin is such fertile ground for vaccination with these tiny, virtually painless microneedles. ... > full story

New H5N1 viruses: How to balance risk of escape with benefits of research? (March 6, 2012) -- In the controversy surrounding the newly developed strains of avian H5N1 flu viruses, scientists and policy makers are struggling with one question in particular: what level of biosafety is best for studying these potentially lethal strains of influenza? Experts now argue their different views of how to safely handle H5N1 flu viruses. ... > full story

Weekend smoking can damage your memory, study suggests (March 6, 2012) -- People who smoke only at weekends cause as much damage to their memory as those who smoke on a daily basis, according to new research. ... > full story

New insight into how 'chemical switch' that increases risk of stroke and heart disease risk is turned on (March 6, 2012) -- Scientists investigating a ‘biochemical switch’ linked to strokes and heart disease claim to have made an advance in understanding how it is ‘turned on’. ... > full story

Embryonic development protein active in cancer growth (March 5, 2012) -- Scientists have identified a novel protein expressed by breast cancer cells – but not normal adult tissues – that could provide a new target for future anti-cancer drugs and treatments. ... > full story

Predicting the spread of ticks across Canada (March 5, 2012) -- Researchers are watching as ticks that carry Lyme disease colonize Canada, but their research aims to predict the communities most likely to be hit by this sickness. ... > full story

Tonsils make T-cells, too (March 5, 2012) -- A new study provides evidence that immune cells called T lymphocytes, or T cells, can develop in human tonsils. The cells have been thought to develop only in the thymus, an organ of the immune system that sits on the heart. The findings could be important for improving stem-cell transplantation and for understanding the development of T-cell cancers and autoimmune diseases. ... > full story

New universal platform for cancer immunotherapy (March 5, 2012) -- Researchers report a universal approach to personalized cancer therapy based on T cells. It is the first time a system for making an adaptable, engineered T-cell to attack specific tumor types has been proposed, depending on which abnormal proteins, called antigens, are expressed by individual patients' tumor cells. ... > full story

Vitamin D intake may be associated with lower stress fracture risk in girls (March 5, 2012) -- Vitamin D may be associated with a lower risk of developing stress fractures in preadolescent and adolescent girls, especially among those very active in high-impact activities, according to a new report. ... > full story

New Alzheimer's marker strongly predicts mental decline (March 5, 2012) -- A new marker of Alzheimer’s disease can predict how rapidly a patient’s memory and other mental abilities will decline after the disorder is diagnosed, researchers have found. ... > full story

Stem cells can repair a damaged cornea (March 5, 2012) -- A new cornea may be the only way to prevent a patient going blind -- but there is a shortage of donated corneas and the queue for transplantation is long. Scientists have for the first time successfully cultivated stem cells on human corneas, which may in the long term remove the need for donators. ... > full story

Perception and preference may have genetic link to obesity (March 5, 2012) -- New discoveries suggest that fats are perceived on the tongue as a "taste" sensation by binding to specialized receptors on taste buds. More specifically, fats are broken down in the mouth to fatty acids, and it's the fatty acids that bind to these receptors. ... > full story

Discovery of a molecule that initiates maturation of mammalian eggs can lead to more IVF pregnancies (March 5, 2012) -- Women who have eggs that cannot mature will not become pregnant, and they cannot be helped by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now researchers have identified a molecule called Cdk1 that has an important function for mammalian egg maturation. In the future this could lead to an increased rate of successful IVF. ... > full story