ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Friday, March 23, 2012

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Friday, March 23, 2012

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Can our genes be making us fat? (March 22, 2012) -- While high-fat foods are thought to be of universal appeal, there is actually a lot of variation in the extent to which people like and consume fat. A new study reported that two specific genes (TAS2R38–a bitter taste receptor and CD36–a possible fat receptor), may play a role in some people’s ability to taste and enjoy dietary fat. By understanding the role of these two genes, food scientists may be able to help people who have trouble controlling how much fat they eat. ... > full story

Scientists wrest partial control of a memory (March 22, 2012) -- Scientists have successfully harnessed neurons in mouse brains, allowing them to at least partially control a specific memory. Researchers have known for decades that stimulating various regions of the brain can trigger behaviors and even memories. But understanding the way these brain functions develop and occur normally -- effectively how we become who we are -- has been a much more complex goal. ... > full story

Blood-pressure drug may slow diabetes progression (March 22, 2012) -- Researchers surprised by second effect of established drug. A common high-blood-pressure medication appears to reverse the diabetes-related death of pancreatic beta cells. ... > full story

Somatic stem cells obtained from skin cells; pluripotency 'detour' skipped (March 22, 2012) -- Breaking new ground, scientists have succeeded in obtaining somatic stem cells from fully differentiated somatic cells. Researchers in Germany took skin cells from mice and, using a unique combination of growth factors while ensuring appropriate culturing conditions, have managed to induce the cells' differentiation into neuronal somatic stem cells. ... > full story

Studying climbers on Everest to help heart patients at home (March 22, 2012) -- Mount Everest is a natural laboratory for studying heart disease, lung problems, muscle loss, sleeping disorders and new medical technologies. ... > full story

Big contact lenses provide instant relief for dry eyes, experts say (March 22, 2012) -- Wide-diameter contact lenses are offering instant relief to people who suffer chronic dry eyes. The lens rests on the sclera, the white part of the eye. Major improvements in materials and design have sparked a resurgence in the use of scleral contact lenses. ... > full story

Anxiety boosts sense of smell (March 22, 2012) -- Anxious people have a heightened sense of smell when it comes to sniffing out a threat, according to a new study. ... > full story

People with autism possess greater ability to process information, study suggests (March 22, 2012) -- People with autism have a greater than normal capacity for processing information even from rapid presentations and are better able to detect information defined as "critical," according to a new study. The research may help explain the apparently higher than average prevalence in the IT industry of people with autism spectrum disorders. ... > full story

Runner's high motivated the evolution of exercise, research suggests (March 22, 2012) -- Runners often extol the virtues of the runner's high, but now a team of researchers suggest that the runner's high could have evolved to motivate us to exercise as part of our early long-distance nomadic lifestyle. ... > full story

Antibiotic resistance genes accumulating in Lake Geneva (March 22, 2012) -- Large quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter the environment via municipal – and especially hospital – wastewater streams. Although wastewater treatment plants reduce the total number of bacteria, the most hazardous – multiresistant – strains appear to withstand or even to be promoted by treatment processes. ... > full story

Antidepressant proves effective in alleviating osteoarthritis pain (March 22, 2012) -- Antidepressants can play a key role in alleviating painful conditions like osteoarthritis and may result in fewer side effects than traditionally prescribed drug regimes, such as anti-inflammatories and opioids, according to new research. ... > full story

Fewer injuries for winning soccer teams (March 22, 2012) -- All soccer players and fans know that it is better to win than to lose. Yet the fact that victory also means less risk of injury is not as obvious. ... > full story

Puzzling over links between monkey research and human health (March 21, 2012) -- Studies in monkeys are unlikely to provide reliable evidence for links between social status and heart disease in humans, according to the first ever systematic review of the relevant research. ... > full story

Discovery offers insight into treating viral stomach flu (March 21, 2012) -- While researchers say that vaccines for intestinal infections are among the most difficult to develop, a recent discovery may provide the critical information needed for success. "Sometimes atomic structure gives us clues on how viruses work and how to make better vaccines," said one of the researchers. ... > full story

Autism risk gene linked to differences in brain structure (March 21, 2012) -- Healthy individuals who carry a gene variation linked to an increased risk of autism have structural differences in their brains that may help explain how the gene affects brain function and increases vulnerability for autism. ... > full story

Holding a gun makes you think others are too, new research shows (March 21, 2012) -- Wielding a gun increases a person's bias to see guns in the hands of others, new research shows. ... > full story

New test may predict the possibility of a heart attack (March 21, 2012) -- New findings from a landmark research study shows a promising new blood test may be useful in helping doctors predict who is at risk for an imminent heart attack. ... > full story

Inhibitor causing male pattern baldness and target for hair-loss treatments identified (March 21, 2012) -- Researchers have identified an abnormal amount a protein called Prostaglandin D2 in the bald scalp of men with male pattern baldness, a discovery that may lead directly to new treatments for the most common cause of hair loss in men. ... > full story

Seeing movement: Why the world in our head stays still when we move our eyes (March 21, 2012) -- When observing a fly buzzing around the room, we should have the impression that it is not the fly, but rather the space that lies behind it that is moving. After all, the fly is always fixed in our central point of view. But how does the brain convey the impression of a fly in motion in a motionless field? With the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scientists have identified two areas of the brain that compare the movements of the eye with the visual movements cast onto the retina so as to correctly perceive objects in motion. ... > full story

Computer model of spread of dementia can predict future disease patterns years before they occur in a patient (March 21, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a computer program that has tracked the manner in which different forms of dementia spread within a human brain. They say their mathematical model can be used to predict where and approximately when an individual patient's brain will suffer from the spread, neuron to neuron, of "prion-like" toxic proteins -- a process they say underlies all forms of dementia. ... > full story

Structure of ‘salvia’ receptor solved (March 21, 2012) -- A research team has determined the structure of the kappa-opioid receptor—site of action of the widely abused hallucinogen Salvia divinorum – solving longstanding scientific mysteries and offering new insights for treating drug addiction, chronic pain and depression. ... > full story

Age-old anesthesia question awakened (March 21, 2012) -- Why does inhaling anesthetics cause unconsciousness? New insights into this century-and-a-half-old question may spring from new research. ... > full story

Differences in brain function for children with math anxiety (March 21, 2012) -- Scientists have shown for the first time how brain function differs in people who have math anxiety from those who don't. A series of scans conducted while second- and third-grade students did addition and subtraction revealed that those who feel panicky about doing math had increased activity in brain regions associated with fear, which caused decreased activity in parts of the brain involved in problem-solving. ... > full story

New evidence of harmfulness of second-hand smoke: Cancer causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke (March 21, 2012) -- Scientists have shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. The authors found a cancer-causing agent called reactive oxygen species present in the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke that has the ability to inhibit normal cell function. Exposure to secondhand smoke impaired the function of the sodium pump, necessary for healthy cell regulation. ... > full story

Drug target for stimulating recovery from stroke discovered (March 21, 2012) -- Investigators have shown that removing a matched set of molecules that typically help to regulate the brain's capacity for forming and eliminating connections between nerve cells could substantially aid recovery from stroke even days after the event. In experiments with mice, the scientists demonstrated that when these molecules are not present, the mice's ability to recover from induced strokes improved significantly. ... > full story

Study shines light on brain mechanism that controls reward enjoyment (March 21, 2012) -- What characterizes many people with depression, schizophrenia and some other mental illnesses is anhedonia: an inability to gain pleasure from normally pleasurable experiences. Researchers have now manipulated brain wiring to identify inner workings of reward enjoyment. ... > full story

Powerful new cells cloned: Key to immune system disease could lie inside the cheek (March 21, 2012) -- Scientists have produced powerful new cells which can suppress the body's immune system. The cells are obtained by cloning tissue lining the human cheek, a less invasive process than obtaining adult stem cells from bone marrow. The breakthrough offers long term hope for dealing with immune system disorders. ... > full story

Brain's involvement in processing depends on language's graphic symbols (March 21, 2012) -- Readers whose mother tongue is Arabic have more challenges reading in Arabic than native Hebrew or English speakers have reading their native languages, because the two halves of the brain divide the labor differently when the brain processes Arabic than when it processes Hebrew or English, new research suggests. ... > full story

Sharp rise in cases of new strain of whooping cough in Australia (March 21, 2012) -- Australia's prolonged whooping cough epidemic has entered a disturbing new phase, with a study showing a new strain or genotype may be responsible for the sharp rise in the number of cases. ... > full story

Alzheimer’s disease spreads through linked nerve cells, brain imaging studies suggest (March 21, 2012) -- Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia may spread within nerve networks in the brain by moving directly between connected neurons, instead of in other ways proposed by scientists, such as by propagating in all directions, according to new research. ... > full story

How the smell of food affects how much you eat (March 21, 2012) -- Bite size depends on the familiarly and texture of food. Smaller bite sizes are taken for foods which need more chewing and smaller bite sizes are often linked to a sensation of feeling fuller sooner. New research shows that strong aromas lead to smaller bite sizes and suggests that aroma may be used as a means to control portion size. ... > full story

Dense breasts can nearly double the risk of breast cancer recurrence (March 21, 2012) -- Women aged 50 and over with breasts that have a high percentage of dense tissue are at greater risk of their breast cancer recurring, according to Swedish research. ... > full story

Have I got cancer or haven’t I? Medical staff confuse women with ductal carcinoma in situ (March 21, 2012) -- Women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) need clear communication and tailored support to enable them to understand this complex breast condition, which has divided the medical profession when it comes to its perception and prognosis, according to new research. ... > full story

Serious risks of vascular disease with two-arm blood pressure difference (March 20, 2012) -- The findings of the study support that there is a link between a difference in blood pressure between arms and vascular disease and mortality -- and further emphasizes the need for two-arm blood pressure checks to become the norm. ... > full story

New hope for treating Alzheimer's Disease: A Role for the FKBP52 protein (March 20, 2012) -- New research in humans reveals that the so-called FKBP52 protein may prevent the Tau protein from turning pathogenic. This may prove significant for the development of new Alzheimer’s drugs and for detecting the disease before the onset of clinical symptoms. ... > full story

Marijuana-like chemicals inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in late-state AIDS (March 20, 2012) -- Marijuana-like chemicals trigger receptors on human immune cells that can directly inhibit a type of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found in late-stage AIDS, research suggests. ... > full story

Why getting healthy can seem worse than getting sick (March 20, 2012) -- A new article helps explain why the immune system often makes us worse while trying to make us well. ... > full story

What was B.F. Skinner really like? A new study parses his traits (March 20, 2012) -- Besides Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner was the most famous and perhaps the most influential psychologist of the 20th century. But who was Skinner? Psychologists have now use source materials and standard measures of personality traits to describe him and compare him with other eminent scientists. Their study reveals a complex man -- but nothing like the monster his detractors called him. ... > full story

Protein critical for tissue regeneration discovered (March 20, 2012) -- Researchers have shown that a protein found in humans stops regeneration when disabled in planaria, providing a potential strategy for preventing the growth of cancer cells. ... > full story

Low-calorie diet may be harmful for bowel disease patients (March 20, 2012) -- In a surprising result, researchers looking at the effects of diet on bowel disease found that mice on a calorie-restricted diet were more likely to die after being infected with an inflammation-causing bacterial pathogen in the colon. ... > full story

Pain relievers could be spiking your blood pressure (March 20, 2012) -- Both doctors and patients should be aware that many common over-the-counter and prescription medications can be the underlying cause of hypertension, one researcher says. He warns that while many of the chemicals in these drugs can raise blood pressure, both patients and doctors remain dangerously uninformed. ... > full story

Test to improve peanut allergy diagnosis (March 20, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a new way to accurately test for peanut allergy. ... > full story

Friendly-to-a-fault, yet tense: Personality traits traced in brain (March 20, 2012) -- Friendly to a fault, yet tense? A personality profile marked by overly gregarious yet anxious behavior is rooted in abnormal development of a circuit hub buried deep in the front center of the brain. Brain scans pinpointed the suspect brain area in people with Williams syndrome. Matching the scans to their scores on a personality rating scale revealed that the temperament traits correlated with abnormalities in the brain structure, called the insula. ... > full story

Nanotherapy: Treating deadly brain tumors by delivering big radiation with tiny tools (March 20, 2012) -- For the past 40 years, radiation has been used to treat deadly brain tumors. But beams of radiation still must pass through healthy brain tissue to reach the tumor, and large amounts cause serious side effects. Medical researchers can now deliver nanoparticle radiation directly to the tumor and keep it there, dosing the tumor itself with much higher levels of radiation but sparing a much greater area of brain tissue. ... > full story

Novel mouse model for autism yields clues to a 50-year-old mystery (March 20, 2012) -- Early disruptions in serotonin signaling in the brain may contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other "enduring effects on behavior," researchers report. The investigators previously identified genetic variations in children with ASD that disrupt the function of the serotonin transporter, which regulates the supply of serotonin. Now, they report the creation of a mouse model that expresses the most common of these variations. ... > full story

Bisphenol A (BPA) could affect reproductive capabilities, cause infection of the uterus (March 20, 2012) -- Researchers have found evidence that, in addition to affecting the heart, brain and nervous system, bisphenol A (BPA), could affect a mammal's ability to reproduce by altering the structure of the uterus in ways that can progress to a potentially fatal infection. ... > full story

Feeding your baby on demand 'may contribute to higher IQ' (March 20, 2012) -- A new study suggests that babies who are breast-fed or bottle-fed to a schedule do not perform academically as well at school as their demand-fed peers. The finding is based on the results of IQ tests and school-based SATs tests carried out between the ages of five and 14, which show that demand-feeding was associated with higher IQ scores. The IQ scores of eight-year-old children who had been demand-fed as babies were between four and five points higher than the scores of schedule-fed children, says the new study. ... > full story

Watching Harry Potter films enhances creativity in children (March 20, 2012) -- Parents who feel guilty about letting their young children watch too many fantasy movies on TV can relax. Researchers have discovered that youngsters who watch films like Harry Potter improve their imagination and creativity. This is believed to be the first attempt to study whether there any educational benefits in exposing children to magical content like witches and wizards, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy. ... > full story