ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Driving and hands-free talking lead to spike in errors

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:07:07 EDT

A pilot study shows driving while talking on a hands-free cellular device leads to more driving errors than driving alone.

Promising strategy to help vaccines outsmart HIV

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:20:20 EDT

New research highlights an ingenious method to ensure the body effectively reacts when infected with the highly-evasive HIV virus that causes AIDS. The method involves the use of cytomegalovirus as a vector to help a vaccine better instruct T cells how to identify and fight the virus.

Youth with type 2 diabetes at much higher risk for heart, kidney disease

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:20:20 EDT

The news about youth and diabetes keeps getting worse. The latest data shows that children with type 2 diabetes are at high risk to develop heart, kidney and eye problems faster and at a higher rate than adults with diabetes.

New fluorescent tools for cancer diagnosis

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:20:20 EDT

Researchers have developed a multicolor fluorescence labeling method that can be used to visualize miRNAs in tissue sections, such as those recovered from biopsies.

Modulating the immune system to combat metastatic cancer

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:20:20 EDT

Researchers have found that regulatory T cells that infiltrate tumors express proteins that can be targeted with therapeutic antibodies.

Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:17:17 EDT

Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.

Proteins in migration: New animal model provides important clues on mechanisms of Parkinson's disease

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:48:48 EDT

Scientists have developed a novel experimental model that reproduces for the first time this pattern of alpha-synuclein brain spreading and provides important clues on the mechanisms underlying this pathological process. They triggered the production of human alpha-synuclein in the lower rat brain and were able to trace the spreading of this protein toward higher brain regions. The new experimental paradigm could promote the development of ways to halt or slow down disease development in humans.

Cause of infantile amnesia revealed: New neuron formation could increase capacity for new learning, at expense of old memories

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:46:46 EDT

New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus -- a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering -- could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization of existing brain circuits. Researchers argue this reorganization could have the positive effect of clearing old memories, reducing interference and thereby increasing capacity for new learning.

New method for predicting cancer virulence

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:42:42 EDT

A new way of tackling cancer and predicting tumor virulence are has been reported by a team of researchers. The scientists have shown that, in all cancers, an aberrant activation of numerous genes specific to other tissues occurs. For example, in lung cancers, the tumorous cells express genes specific to the production of spermatozoids, which should be silent.

Discovery of how a key enzyme of the spliceosome exerts its controlling function

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:42:42 EDT

To sustain life, processes in biological cells have to be strictly controlled both in time and in space. Researchers have elucidated a previously unknown mechanism that regulates one of the essential processes accompanying gene expression in higher organisms. In humans, errors in this control mechanism can lead to blindness.

Help at hand for schizophrenics

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:41:41 EDT

How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the center of research conducted by a group of scientists in Norway.

A new strategy required in the search for Alzheimer's drugs?

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

In the search for medication against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have focused on -- among other factors -- drugs that can break down Amyloid beta (A-beta). After all, it is the accumulation of A-beta that causes the known plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The starting point for the formation of A-beta is APP.

Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis: New indicator molecules visualize activation of auto-aggressive T cells

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to examine individual cells and their activity directly in the tissue. The development of new microscopes and fluorescent dyes in recent years has brought this scientific dream tantalizingly close. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now presented two studies introducing new indicator molecules which can visualize the activation of T cells. Their findings provide new insight into the role of these cells in the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS). The new indicators are set to be an important tool in the study of other immune reactions as well.

Nano-needles for cells: Tiny needles can force medicine into cells, even when they resist taking it

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers in Norway can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

New insights contradict promising Alzheimer's research

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

Approximately a year ago, the journal Science published an article about bexarotene as a potential Alzheimer's drug -- a significant breakthrough and an important starting point for further Alzheimer's research. Now other researchers have tested this candidate drug in various Alzheimer's animal test models. Their results were different, as were those of two American study groups. Therefore, they have recommended that bexarotene should not be tested on patients.

New microsphere-based methods for detecting HIV antibodies

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:40:40 EDT

Detection of HIV antibodies is used to diagnose HIV infection and monitor trials of experimental HIV/AIDS vaccines. New, more sensitive detection systems being developed use microspheres to capture HIV antibodies and can measure even small amounts of multiple antibodies at one time.

Infantile myofibromatosis: First drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:35:35 EDT

Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM) -- a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers.

Consumers largely underestimating calorie content of fast food

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:38:38 EDT

People eating at fast food restaurants largely underestimate the calorie content of meals, especially large ones, according to a new article.

Statin use is linked to increased risk of developing diabetes, warn researchers

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:38:38 EDT

Treatment with high potency statins (especially atorvastatin and simvastatin) may increase the risk of developing diabetes, suggests a new article.

Scientists make breast cancer advance that turns previous thinking on its head

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:38:38 EDT

Scientists have made an advance in breast cancer research which shows how some enzymes released by cancerous cells could have a protective function.

Research identifies a way to make cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:13:13 EDT

Breast cancer characterized as "triple negative" carries a poor prognosis, with limited treatment options. In some cases, chemotherapy doesn't kill the cancer cells the way it's supposed to. New research explains why some cancer cells don't respond to chemotherapy, and identifies a mechanism to rectify that.

Heart healthy lifestyle may cut kidney disease patients' risk of kidney failure

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:13:13 EDT

Compared with kidney disease patients who had zero or one heart healthy lifestyle component in the ideal range, those with two, three, and four ideal factors had progressively lower risks for kidney failure over four years. No kidney disease patients with five to seven ideal factors developed kidney failure. Patients' risk of dying during the study followed a similar trend.

Technique to detect breast cancer in urine developed

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

Medical researchers have developed a new screening method that uses urinalysis to diagnose breast cancer – and determine its severity – before it could be detected with a mammogram.

Noninvasive detection, diagnosis of oral cancer

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

More effective detection and diagnosis of oral cancer could result from an advance in noninvasive imaging of epithelial tissue. The research is thought to have the potential to change the way doctors look for precancerous and cancerous areas in a patient’s mouth.

Genomic analysis lends insight to prostate cancer

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:23:23 EDT

Researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression.

When oxygen is short, EGFR prevents maturation of cancer-fighting miRNAs

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers have reported.

Scientists discover how rapamycin slows cell growth

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal Cell, scientists have explained how they found that the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative drug rapamycin slows down or prevents cells from dividing.

Vaccine blackjack: IL-21 critical to fight against viral infections

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Scientists have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections.

Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. Researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone's built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules. Although the cradle holds only about $200 of optical components, it performs as accurately as a large $50,000 spectrophotometer in the laboratory.

Diabetes' genetic underpinnings can vary based on ethnic background

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Ethnic background plays a surprisingly large role in how diabetes develops on a cellular level, according to two new studies.

Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7N9 avian influenza virus

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

Chinese and US scientists have used a virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian model in influenza research, and efficient transmission of influenza virus between ferrets can provide clues as to how well the same process might occur in people.

Cinnamon compound has potential ability to prevent Alzheimer's

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of -- or warding off -- the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

Drug reverses Alzheimer's disease deficits in mice

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:35:35 EDT

An anti-cancer drug reverses memory deficits in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model, new research shows. The article reviewed previously published findings on the drug bexarotene, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in cutaneous T cell lymphoma.

Discarded immune cells induce the relocation of stem cells

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:35:35 EDT

The study reveals a surprising coordination between two fundamental body systems, the immune and the hematopoietic. The study has implications for the understanding of metastasis, because malignant stem cells involved in tumor formation could take advantage of this mechanism.

Molecule that triggers sensation of itch discovered

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:33:33 EDT

Scientists report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as the sensation of itch.

New screening approach uncovers potential alternative drug therapies for neuroblastoma

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:33:33 EDT

Nearly two-thirds of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma -- a common tumor that forms in the nerve cells of children -- cannot be cured using tumor-killing cancer drugs. A new study reveals a new genomic approach to screen for compounds that inhibit tumor growth by causing cancer cells to differentiate. Using this screening method, the researchers identified a compound that causes neuroblastoma cells to differentiate, uncovering promising new treatment strategies.

Powerful new method IDs therapeutic antibodies

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:31:31 EDT

Scientists have devised a powerful new technique for finding antibodies that have a desired biological effect. The newly reported technique should greatly speed the process of discovering medicines, diagnostics and laboratory reagents.

Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter visual motion

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:31:31 EDT

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain’s unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose brains are better at suppressing background motion perform better on standard measures of intelligence.

Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:30:30 EDT

Teams of highly respected Alzheimer’s researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.

Schools should provide students with daily physical activity, experts say

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:38:38 EDT

A new report from the Institute of Medicine says schools should be responsible for helping pupils engage in at least 60 minutes of vigorous or moderate intensity activity during each school day.

Common childhood asthma not rooted in allergens, inflammation

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:37:37 EDT

Allergens? No. Inflammation? No. An over-active gene that interrupts lipid synthesis appears to be the cause of 20-30% childhood asthma cases.

New discovery in fight against deadly meningococcal disease: Understanding the pathway of how the bacterium colonizes people

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:18 EDT

Neisseria meningitidis is an important human pathogen that can cause rapidly progressing, life threatening meningitis and meningococcal sepsis in humans, according to authors of a new study. People can be carriers of the bug and not get any symptoms, while some people progress to invasive disease. To understand why, we need to know the detail of how the bacterium colonises the airway.

First successful treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood: Awoken from a persistent vegetative state

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:18 EDT

Medics have succeeded in treating cerebral palsy with autologous cord blood. Following a cardiac arrest with severe brain damage, a two-and-a-half year old boy had been in a persistent vegetative state -- with minimal chances of survival. Just two months after treatment with the cord blood containing stem cells, the symptoms improved significantly; over the following months, the child learned to speak simple sentences and to move.

Regenerating spinal cord fibers may be treatment for stroke-related disabilities

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:18 EDT

A new study finds "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims. The findings may offer new hope to those who suffer stroke, the leading cause of long-term disability in adults.

The secret lives (and deaths) of neurons

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:18 EDT

Researchers have uncovered surprising insights about how nerve cells rewire themselves, shedding light on a process linked with neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

Chemists find new compounds to curb staph infection

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:33:33 EDT

In an age when microbial pathogens are growing increasingly resistant to the conventional antibiotics used to tamp down infection, scientists have synthesized a potent new class of compounds capable of curbing the bacteria that cause staph infections.

Pay attention: How we focus and concentrate

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:33:33 EDT

Scientists have shed new light on how the brain tunes in to relevant information.

Biochemistry: Unspooling DNA from nucleosomal disks

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:30 EDT

The tight wrapping of genomic DNA around nucleosomes in the cell nucleus makes it unavailable for gene expression. This study describes a mechanism that allows chromosomal DNA to be locally displaced from nucleosomes for transcription.

Boosting body's natural flu killers as way to offset virus mutation problem

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:30 EDT

The known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body’s natural flu killer system.

Breakthrough on Huntington's disease

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:29:29 EDT

Researchers have succeeded in preventing very early symptoms of Huntington’s disease, depression and anxiety, by deactivating the mutated huntingtin protein in the brains of mice.

Key find for early bladder cancer treatment

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:29:29 EDT

Aggressive forms of bladder cancer involve the protein PODXL – a discovery that could hold the key to improved treatment, according to new research.

Depression linked to telomere enzyme, aging, chronic disease

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:45:45 EDT

The first symptoms of major depression may be behavioral, but the common mental illness is based in biology — and not limited to the brain, new research suggests.

'Boys will be boys' in U.S., but not in Asia

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

A new study shows there is a gender gap when it comes to behavior and self-control in American young children -- one that does not appear to exist in children in Asia.

Pinpointing how nature's benefits link to human well-being

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

What people take from nature -- water, food, timber, inspiration, relaxation -- are so abundant, it seems self-evident. Until you try to quantitatively understand how and to what extent they contribute to humans.

Swine flu pandemic of 2009 more deadly for younger adults

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

As the world prepares for what may be the next pandemic strain of influenza virus, in the H7N9 bird flu, a new study reveals that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was deadliest for people under the age of 65, while those 65 and over had greater immunity due to previous exposure to similar viruses.

Fetch, boy! Study shows homes with dogs have more types of bacteria

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

New research shows that households with dogs are home to more types of bacteria -- including bacteria that are rarely found in households that do not have dogs. The finding is part of a larger study to improve our understanding of the microscopic life forms that live in our homes.

Scientists develop worm EEG to test the effects of drugs

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:01 EDT

Scientists have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs. NeuroChip is a microfluidic electrophysiological device, which can trap the microscopic worm Caenorhadbitis elegans and record the activity of discrete neural circuits in its 'brain' - a worm equivalent of the EEG.

CT detects twice as many lung cancers as X-ray

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:01 EDT

CT scans detected twice as many early-stage lung cancers as chest X-ray on initial screening exam, according to new results. Investigators say the 20 percent lung cancer mortality reduction previously reported in the NLST is achievable at screening centers in the U.S.

Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:01 EDT

A bioresorbable splint has been created and used for first time at the University of Michigan, where doctors implanted the device in an infant and stopped a life-threatening condition called tracheobronchomalacia.

Migraine and depression together may be linked with brain size

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

Older people with a history of migraines and depression may have smaller brain tissue volumes than people with only one or neither of the conditions, according to a new study.