ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Tuesday, March 13, 2012

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How the human body controls viruses thought to cause a variety of cancers (March 12, 2012) -- New research addresses how the human body controls gamma-herpesviruses, a class of viruses thought to cause a variety of cancers. ... > full story

Tweens just say 'maybe' to cigarettes and alcohol (March 12, 2012) -- When it comes to prevention of substance use in our tween population, turning our kids on to thought control may just be the answer to getting them to say no. ... > full story

Correcting human mitochondrial mutations (March 12, 2012) -- Researchers have identified, for the first time, a generic way to correct mutations in human mitochondrial DNA by targeting corrective RNAs, a finding with implications for treating a host of mitochondrial diseases. ... > full story

New study examines stair-related injuries among children in the US (March 12, 2012) -- A new study found that from 1999 through 2008, more than 93,000 children younger than five years of age were treated in US emergency departments for stair-related injuries. On average, this equates to a child younger than five years of age being rushed to an emergency department for a stair-related injury every six minutes in the US. ... > full story

Epstein Barr-like virus infects and may cause cancer in dogs (March 12, 2012) -- Best known for causing mononucleosis, or "the kissing disease," the Epstein Barr virus has also been implicated in more serious conditions, including Hodgkin's, non-Hodgkin's and Burkitt's lymphomas. Now a team of researchers has the first evidence that an Epstein Barr-like virus can infect and may also be responsible for causing lymphomas in man's best friend. ... > full story

Spring break ritual could lead to brain damage (March 12, 2012) -- Every year, thousands of teens and young adults celebrate Spring Break by binge drinking large amounts of alcohol, a dangerous right-of-passage and one linked to possible brain damage later as adults. ... > full story

Delay in surgery can cause irreparable meniscus tears in children with ACL injuries (March 12, 2012) -- For children aged 14 and under, delaying reconstructive surgery for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries may raise their risk of further injury. If surgery occurs later than 12 weeks after the injury, the injury may even be irreparable. ... > full story

Pockets of high cervical cancer rates found in North Carolina, U.S. (March 12, 2012) -- A study of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in North Carolina has revealed areas where rates are unusually high. ... > full story

'Two steps' ahead in cystic fibrosis research (March 12, 2012) -- Restoring normal function to the mutant gene product responsible for cystic fibrosis (CF) requires correcting two distinct structural defects, according to new research. This finding could point to more effective therapeutic strategies for CF in the future. ... > full story

Potential role of parents' work exposures in autism risk examined: Possible link between some work exposures and risk for offspring (March 12, 2012) -- Could parental exposure to solvents at work be linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their children? According to an exploratory study, such exposures could play a role, but more research would be needed to confirm an association. ... > full story

Circumcision may help protect against prostate cancer (March 12, 2012) -- A new analysis has found that circumcision before a male's first sexual intercourse may help protect against prostate cancer. The study suggests that circumcision can hinder infection and inflammation that may lead to this malignancy. ... > full story

Powerful treatment provides effective relief for urinary incontinence, study suggests (March 12, 2012) -- The biggest study into the treatment of urinary incontinence with botulinum toxin (trade name Botox) has demonstrated that it is effective in treating overactive bladder (OAB) - a debilitating common condition which can affect up to 20% of people over the age of 40. ... > full story

World's tallest man stops growing (March 12, 2012) -- The world’s tallest man appears to have stopped growing following treatment at the University of Virginia Medical Center, earning the medical center a mention in the 2012 Guinness World Records. ... > full story

Mechanism in cells that leads to inflammatory diseases discovered (March 12, 2012) -- Researchers have unlocked the mystery of how an inflammatory molecule is produced in the body, a discovery they say could lead to advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and numerous other chronic diseases that affect tens of millions of people. ... > full story

Reducing academic pressure may help children succeed (March 12, 2012) -- Children may perform better in school and feel more confident about themselves if they are told that failure is a normal part of learning, rather than being pressured to succeed at all costs, according to new research. ... > full story

Sending out an SOS: How telomeres incriminate cells that can't divide (March 12, 2012) -- The well-being of living cells requires specialized squads of proteins that maintain order. Degraders chew up worn-out proteins, recyclers wrap up damaged organelles, and-most importantly-DNA repair crews restitch anything that resembles a broken chromosome. If repair is impossible, the crew foreman calls in executioners to annihilate a cell. As unsavory as this last bunch sounds, failure to summon them is one aspect of what makes a cancer cell a cancer cell. ... > full story

Promising new drug target for kidney disease (March 12, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a regulator protein that plays a crucial role in kidney fibrosis, a condition that leads to kidney failure. Finding this regulator provides a new therapeutic target for the millions of Americans affected by kidney failure. ... > full story

Protein discovery could switch off cardiovascular disease (March 12, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a protein inside blood vessels with an ability to protect the body from substances which cause cardiovascular disease. ... > full story

Antidepressant shows promise as cancer treatment (March 12, 2012) -- An antidepressant combined with a drug derived from vitamin A could be used to treat a common adult form of leukemia, suggests laboratory research. ... > full story

New approach to treating type 1 diabetes? Transforming gut cells into insulin factories (March 11, 2012) -- A new study suggests that cells in the patient’s intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections. ... > full story

New transplant method may allow kidney recipients to live life free of anti-rejection medication (March 11, 2012) -- New ongoing research suggests organ transplant recipients may not require anti-rejection medication in the future thanks to the power of stem cells, which may prove to be able to be manipulated in mismatched kidney donor and recipient pairs to allow for successful transplantation without immunosuppressive drugs. A new clinical trial is set to study the use of donor stem cell infusions that have been specially engineered to "trick" the recipients' immune system into thinking the donated organ is part of the patient's natural self, thus gradually eliminating or reducing the need for anti-rejection medication. ... > full story

In recognizing faces, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts (March 9, 2012) -- How do we recognize a face? To date, most research has answered "holistically": We look at all the features -- eyes, nose, mouth -- simultaneously and, perceiving the relationships among them, gain an advantage over taking in each feature individually. Now a new study overturns this theory. ... > full story

Nanotube technology leading to new era of fast, lower-cost medical diagnostics (March 9, 2012) -- Researchers have tapped into the extraordinary power of carbon "nanotubes" to increase the speed of biological sensors, a technology that might one day allow a doctor to routinely perform lab tests in minutes, speeding diagnosis and treatment while reducing costs. The new findings have almost tripled the speed of prototype nano-biosensors, and should find applications not only in medicine but in toxicology, environmental monitoring, new drug development and other fields. ... > full story

Scientists claim brain memory code cracked (March 9, 2012) -- Despite a century of research, memory encoding in the brain has remained mysterious. Neuronal synaptic connection strengths are involved, but synaptic components are short-lived while memories last lifetimes. This suggests synaptic information is encoded and hard-wired at a deeper, finer-grained molecular scale. ... > full story

Revisiting LSD as a treatment for alcoholism (March 8, 2012) -- Several decades ago, a number of clinics used LSD to treat alcoholism with some success. But until now, no research has pulled together the results of these trials to document exactly how effective LSD was. Now a new meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the drug provides evidence for a clear and consistent beneficial effect of LSD for treating alcohol dependency. ... > full story

Promising new drug could help patients battling deadly and difficult to treat form of melanoma (March 8, 2012) -- Researchers say they may have discovered a new drug for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, one that uses the patient’s own tumor cells to customize the therapy. ... > full story

Scientists discover effects of PD-1 blockade on ART therapy in SIV-infected monkeys (March 8, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that blocking PD-1, an immune molecule that inhibits the immune response to viral infections, can have a significant effect on HIV-like illness in non-human primates. ... > full story

Bias in decision-making leads to poor choices and possibly depression (March 8, 2012) -- When faced with making a complicated decision, our automatic instinct to avoid misfortune can result in missing out on rewards, and could even contribute to depression, according to new research. ... > full story

Deeper view of HIV reveals impact of early mutations (March 8, 2012) -- Mutations in HIV that develop during the first few weeks of infection may play a critical role in undermining a successful early immune response, a finding that reveals the importance of vaccines targeting regions of the virus that are less likely to mutate. ... > full story

Partnerships in the brain: Mathematical model describes the collaboration of individual neurons (March 8, 2012) -- How do neurons in the brain communicate with each other? One common theory suggests that individual cells do not exchange signals among each other, but rather that exchange takes place between groups of cells. Researchers have now developed a mathematical model that can be used to test this assumption. ... > full story

Drug helps purge hidden HIV (March 8, 2012) -- Researchers have successfully flushed latent HIV infection from hiding, with a drug used to treat certain types of lymphoma. ... > full story

Discovery of hair-cell roots suggests the brain modulates sound sensitivity (March 8, 2012) -- The hair cells of the inner ear have a previously unknown "root" extension that may allow them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position, researchers have discovered. ... > full story

Genetic manipulation boosts growth of brain cells linked to learning, enhances effects of antidepressants (March 8, 2012) -- Investigators have identified a genetic manipulation that increases the development of neurons in the brain during aging and enhances the effect of antidepressant drugs. ... > full story

Nanoparticles affect nutrient absorption, study suggests (March 8, 2012) -- Nanoparticles are everywhere. From cosmetics and clothes, to soda and snacks. But as versatile as they are, nanoparticles also have a downside, say researchers. These tiny particles, even in low doses, could have a big impact on our long-term health. ... > full story

Eating wild: Foraging safely in a modern world (March 8, 2012) -- In an expanding “foodie” culture, people go to great lengths to get the best ingredients, seek out the most aesthetic desserts, and buy natural and organic. Less noted, though, is the movement of "foragers": people who “eat wild” on a regular basis, supplemented by naturally growing, edible plants for which they search in their local communities, whether urban or rural. ... > full story

Study pinpoints effects of different doses of an ADHD drug; Finds higher doses may harm learning (March 8, 2012) -- New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ... > full story

Insects have 'personalities' too, research on novelty-seeking honey bees indicates (March 8, 2012) -- Thrill-seeking is not limited to humans and other vertebrates, new research suggests. Some honey bees, too, are more likely than others to seek adventure. The brains of these novelty-seeking bees exhibit distinct patterns of gene activity in molecular pathways known to be associated with thrill-seeking in humans, researchers report. ... > full story

Powerful tool to measure metabolites in living cells (March 8, 2012) -- By engineering cells to express a modified RNA called "Spinach," researchers have imaged small-molecule metabolites in living cells and observed how their levels change over time. Metabolites are the products of individual cell metabolism. The ability to measure their rate of production could be used to recognize a cell gone metabolically awry, as in cancer, or identify the drug that can restore the cell's metabolites to normal. ... > full story

Biologists locate brain's processing point for acoustic signals essential to human communication (March 8, 2012) -- In both animals and humans, vocal signals used for communication contain a wide array of different sounds that are determined by the vibrational frequencies of vocal cords. Knowing how the brain sorts out these different frequencies -- which are called frequency-modulated sweeps—is believed to be essential to understanding many hearing-related behaviors, like speech. Now, a pair of biologists has identified how and where the brain processes this type of sound signal. ... > full story

Could a NOSH-aspirin-a-day keep cancer away? (March 8, 2012) -- The humble aspirin may soon have a new role. Scientists have developed a new aspirin compound that has great promise to be, not only an extremely potent cancer-fighter, but even safer than the classic medicine cabinet staple, researchers say. ... > full story

Researchers crack degeneration process that leads to Alzheimer's (March 8, 2012) -- Scientists have uncovered a critical process in understanding the degeneration of brain cells sensitive to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study suggests that this discovery could help develop alternative AD therapies. ... > full story

Share and share alike: How marketers can exploit infectious sharing behavior (March 8, 2012) -- In the world of marketing, people who are thinking about sharing product information they find in online advertising are likely to first consider whether the information is relevant to friends and family in their social networks. ... > full story

New throat cancer gene uncovered (March 8, 2012) -- A new study has uncovered a mutation in the ATR gene, demonstrating the first evidence of a link between abnormality in this gene and an inherited form of cancer. The researchers say this finding raises new ideas about genetic factors linked to throat cancer and provides a platform for exploring the role of ATR more generally in cancer biology. ... > full story

Scientists discover 'Achilles' heel' of clot-buster (March 8, 2012) -- A new study provides remarkable new insight into how plasmin is produced. This work may lead to more effective clot-busting drugs. ... > full story

Protein folding: Understanding the dance of the chaperones (March 8, 2012) -- Proteins are the molecular building blocks and machinery of cells and involved in practically all biological processes. To fulfill their tasks, they need to be folded into a complicated three-dimensional structure. Scientists have now analyzed one of the key players of this folding process: the molecular chaperone DnaK. ... > full story

Nintendo Wii™ game controllers help diagnose eye disorder (March 8, 2012) -- Wii remotes are not all about fun and games. Scientists can use them to assess and diagnose children with an abnormal head position caused by eye diseases. Researchers have now developed a low-cost digital head posture measuring device with Nintendo Wiimotes to help diagnose this condition, medically called ocular torticollis. ... > full story

Vaccination strategy may hold key to ridding HIV infection from immune system (March 8, 2012) -- Using human immune system cells in the lab, AIDS experts have figured out a way to kill off latent forms of HIV that hide in infected T cells long after antiretroviral therapy has successfully stalled viral replication to undetectable levels in blood tests. ... > full story

Brain cancer blood vessels not substantially tumor-derived (March 8, 2012) -- Scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin). ... > full story