ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.
Passive Learning Imprints On The Brain Just Like Active Learning (July 15, 2008) -- It's conventional wisdom that practice makes perfect. But if practicing only consists of watching, rather than doing, does that advance proficiency? Yes, according to a new study. ... > full story
Anatomy Of Membrane Protein Mapped: May Lead Faster Drug Development (July 15, 2008) -- Scientists have mapped the anatomy of a membrane protein. This exciting discovery has the potential to turn the way we discover new drugs on its head and reduce the development time for new treatments. ... > full story
Vitamin D: Builds Bones And Much More (July 15, 2008) -- Vitamin D is essential to strong bones. Inadequate vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis, a brittle bone disease. Recently, researchers have found that vitamin D may help reduce the risk of other diseases. ... > full story
Forget The Stethoscope, New Technology Sounds Out Wide Range Of Heart Problems Automatically (July 15, 2008) -- Sounding the chest with a cold stethoscope is probably one of the most commonly used diagnostics in the medical room after peering down the back of the throat while the patient says, "Aaaah". But a new article aims to add an information-age approach to diagnosing heart problems. The technique could circumvent the problem of the failing stethoscope skills of medical graduates and reduce errors of judgment. ... > full story
Sociological Research Shows Combined Impact Of Genetics, Social Factors On Delinquency (July 15, 2008) -- In one of the first studies to link molecular genetic variants to adolescent delinquency, sociological research identifies three genetic predictors -- of serious and violent delinquency -- that gain predictive precision when considered together with social influences, such as family, friends and school processes. ... > full story
Diabetes Increases Risk Of Tuberculosis, Studies Show (July 15, 2008) -- Searching for research over the past four decades containing data on the relationship between diabetes and TB, researchers identified 13 studies involving more than 1.7 million participants, including 17,698 cases of TB. Combining the data from cohort studies in particular, the researchers calculated that diabetes increases the risk of active TB by about a factor of three. ... > full story
Mitochondrial Cholesterol Makes Response To Chemotherapy Difficult In Hepatic Cancer (July 15, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated that the increase of cholesterol concentration in the mitochondrial membrane makes the action of chemotherapy difficult in cellular hepatocarcinoma. According to these results, drugs such as statins could sensitize cancer cells against chemotherapy since they diminish the level of mitochondrial cholesterol. ... > full story
Scientists Discover Key Patterns In The Packaging Of Genes (July 15, 2008) -- Although every cell of our bodies contains the same genetic instructions, specific genes typically act only in specific cells at particular times. Other genes are "silenced" in a variety of ways. One mode of gene silencing depends upon the way DNA, the genetic material, is packed in the nucleus of cells. ... > full story
Potential To Prevent Loss Of Insulin In Type 2 Diabetes (July 14, 2008) -- There are two completely different diseases known as diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition that often starts in childhood or adolescence. Type 2 is a metabolic disorder sometimes associated with lifestyle. In both cases, the insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas die, albeit at different rates. Until now, it was thought that the processes leading to beta cell death were similar in both diseases. Scientists have now shown that the causes of cell death are quite different. ... > full story
Risk Of Gall Bladder Disease With Hormone Replacement Therapy Patches Lower Than With HRT Pills (July 14, 2008) -- Use of hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of gallbladder disease but the effects are less with HRT given in skin patches or gels compared with HRT given orally, according to a new study. ... > full story
Program Discourages HIV Transmission In Russia (July 14, 2008) -- Sexual behavior counseling during drug addiction treatment should be considered an important component among Russian substance-dependent individuals, in order to decrease risky sexual behavior in the HIV at-risk population, according to recent research. ... > full story
Seasonal Programmed Brain Cell Death Foiled In Living Birds (July 14, 2008) -- Neurons in brains of one songbird species equipped with a built-in suicide program that kicks in at the end of the breeding season have been kept alive for seven days in live birds by researchers trying to understand the role that steroid hormones play in the growth and maintenance of the neural song system. ... > full story
Exhausted B Cells Hamper Immune Response To HIV (July 14, 2008) -- Recent studies have shown that HIV causes a vigorous and prolonged immune response that eventually leads to the exhaustion of key immune system cells -- CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells -- that target HIV. These tired cells become less able to fight the virus. Now, researchers have shown that a similar type of exhaustion strikes another important brigade of immune system soldiers: the B cells that make virus-fighting proteins called antibodies. ... > full story
Immunology: April Showers Bring Mucosal Antibody Secreting Cells Long Life (July 14, 2008) -- Antibodies are proteins that are a crucial component of the immune system. They are produced in large amounts by immune cells known as plasma cells, which live in just a few parts of the body, including the bone marrow and special areas of the various parts of the body that are exposed to the outside (e.g., the gut, nose, and airways). These areas are known as mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) and include tissues such as the tonsils, but what regulates plasma cell survival in MALT has not been determined. ... > full story
'Tommy John' Surgery For Elbow Reconstruction Effective, But Number Of Baseball Players Requiring It Alarming (July 14, 2008) -- According to a new study, 83 percent of athletes who had "Tommy John" elbow reconstruction surgery were able to return to the same or better level of play. While reassuring to athletes, the study authors find the trend of more and more young athletes requiring the surgery, alarming. ... > full story
Researchers Locate And Image Prostate Cancer As It Spreads To Lymph Nodes (July 14, 2008) -- Using an engineered common cold virus, UCLA researchers delivered a genetic payload to prostate cancer cells that allowed them, using positron emission tomography, to locate the diseased cells as they spread to the lymph nodes, the first place prostate cancer goes before invading other organs. ... > full story
New Helmet May Significantly Reduce Forces To Neck During Head-first Impact (July 14, 2008) -- Researchers have invented a sports helmet that reduces direct impact to the neck by up to 56 per cent, according to preliminary tests. The patent-pending technology features a movable inner shell that guides the head to tilt slightly forward or backward in a head-on impact, thus allowing dissipation of direct loads to the cervical spine. ... > full story
Metabolic Disease: Understanding How The Brain Can Influence The Effects Of Insulin (July 14, 2008) -- One of the characteristics of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance, which refers to the inability of cells in the body to respond appropriately to the hormone insulin. Among the cells in the body that normally respond to insulin are nerves in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Now, new research provides insight into a molecular pathway in the hypothalamus that contributes to the development of insulin resistance. ... > full story
Positive Thinking Is Prescription For The Heart (July 14, 2008) -- Optimism is good for heart health, at least among men, a new study shows. Researchers found that men who believed they were at lower-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease actually experienced a three times lower incidence of death from heart attacks and strokes. ... > full story
Deep Brain Pacemaker Offers Hope For Parkinson's Sufferers: 'Cross Fire' From Brain Makes Patients Tremble (July 14, 2008) -- A typical symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor in patients. Scientists have succeeded in demonstrating the mechanisms which cause the so-called tremor: neuron clusters in the depths of the brain drive the tremor. This discovery supports Tass' research activities aiming at developing a therapy for Parkinson's disease. A new deep brain pacemaker has been developed with the aim of bringing cells out of the diseased mode for good. ... > full story
Alaskan Eskimos' High Rates Of Artery Plaque Could Be From High Smoking (July 14, 2008) -- Alaskan Inuit people have higher rates of fatty-plaque lined arteries than other Americans, possibly because they smoke more and are increasing other unhealthy behaviors. An observational population study found that 60 percent of adult Eskimos smoke at least three times more than other US populations. Researchers said heart protection that should come with Eskimos' high fish diet may be negated by smoking. ... > full story
Revolutionary Chefs? Not Likely, Physics Research Shows (July 14, 2008) -- However much the likes of Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay might want to shake up our diets, culinary evolution dictates that our cultural cuisines remain little changed as generations move on. Three national cuisines - British, French and Brazilian -- are affected by the founder effect which keeps idiosyncratic and nutritionally ambivalent, expensive and sometimes hard to transport ingredients in our diets. ... > full story
The Brain Hides Information From Us To Prevent Mistakes (July 14, 2008) -- When we notice a mosquito alight on our forearm, we direct our gaze in order to find its exact position and quickly try to swat it or brush it away to prevent it bite us. This apparently simple, instantaneous reaction is the result of a mental process that is much more complex than it may seem. ... > full story
Genetic Variations Put Youth At Higher Risk For Lifetime Of Tobacco Addiction (July 14, 2008) -- Common genetic variations affecting nicotine receptors in the nervous system can significantly increase the chance that European Americans who begin smoking by age 17 will struggle with lifelong nicotine addiction, according to researchers at the University of Utah and their colleagues at University of Wisconsin-Madison. ... > full story
Magnolia Compound Hits Elusive Target In Cancer Cells (July 14, 2008) -- The natural compound honokiol blocks survival signals from the Ras family of genes in breast, lung and bladder cancer cells. As a drug target, Ras is considered difficult to approach chemically. Honokiol comes from magnolia trees and has been used in Japanese and Chinese herbal medicines. ... > full story
Computer Simulations Help Predict Bone Fracture Risk (July 14, 2008) -- Using a Blue Gene supercomputer, scientists have demonstrated the most extensive simulation yet of actual human bone structure. This achievement may lead to better clinical tools to improve the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, a widespread disease that worldwide affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50. ... > full story
New Hearing Aid Technology Passes The Restaurant Noise Test (July 14, 2008) -- The sound of a noisy Chicago restaurant during the breakfast rush -- the clang of plates and silverware and the clamor of many voices -- was the crucial test of new hearing aid technology in a study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study showed that the hearing aids worked well in a noisy environment -- the most challenging test for a hearing aid. ... > full story
Thunderstorms Linked To Asthma Attacks (July 14, 2008) -- In the first in-depth study of its kind ever done in the Southeastern United States, researchers have discovered a link between thunderstorms and asthma attacks in the metro Atlanta area that could have a "significant public health impact." ... > full story
Touch Can Trump Taste, Even When It Comes To Selecting Mineral Water (July 14, 2008) -- For some consumers, the way a cup of mineral water tastes has more to do with the container than the contents. Especially for consumers who are less likely to enjoy touching items or products before deciding to buy them. ... > full story
Southeast Asia At High Risk For Arsenic Contamination In Water (July 14, 2008) -- The contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a risk to the health of millions of people, especially in the densely populated river deltas of Southeast Asia. To date, no method has been available for identifying high-risk areas without conducting costly sampling campaigns. Now, scientists have developed a model that allows vulnerable areas to be pinpointed using existing data on geology and soil properties. ... > full story
Mobilizing White Blood Cells To The Lung: New Discovery Could Lead To An Improved Influenza Vaccine (July 14, 2008) -- New findings shed new light on how a previously-unknown messaging mechanism within the human immune system prompts specific influenza-fighting cells to the lung airways during an infection. Although researchers have known for some time that white blood cells congregating in the lung and directly attacking the virus play an important role in defending against influenza, it has never been clear how exactly these white blood cells know when they are required in the lung. ... > full story
Identifying And Disrupting Key Elements Of Malaria's 'Sticky Sack' Adhesion Strategy (July 14, 2008) -- Malaria is one of the most devastating diseases afflicting humanity. It infects and debilitates about 600 million people, and kills up to three million people every year, mainly in the wet tropical regions of the world. Children and pregnant women are at particularly high risk. ... > full story
Bio-X Researchers Use Needle-thin Probe To Get First Look At Working Muscle Fiber (July 14, 2008) -- Sarcomeres are key microscopic elements of muscle fiber. Examining them typically requires a painful muscle biopsy that does not offer the opportunity to see the sarcomeres at work within the body. The Stanford microendoscopy technique provides a real-time view of contracting sarcomeres. This should prove useful in understanding how muscles are altered by spinal cord injuries or strokes, as well as muscular dystrophy and other diseases of diminished muscular control. ... > full story
Binge Drinking Tied To Conditions In The College Environment (July 14, 2008) -- Heavy alcohol use, or binge drinking, among college students in the United States is tied to conditions in the college environment. The review of a landmark 14-year study cites factors such as easy access to alcohol, low prices and special promotions, weak control policies and lax enforcement. ... > full story
Keeping Hands Where You Can See Them Alters Perception, Study Finds (July 14, 2008) -- Psychologists have shown that to see objects better, you should take the matter into your own hands. The new study demonstrates that humans more thoroughly inspect objects when their hands are near the object rather than farther away from it. ... > full story
Why Men Are More At Risk Of Diseases Caused By Blood Clots Than Women (July 14, 2008) -- Being male increases your risk of diseases caused by the inappropriate formation of a blood clot (a process known as thrombosis), such as heart attack and stroke, but the reasons for this are not completely understood. However, researchers have used a mouse model of thrombosis to shed light on this matter in the hope of facilitating the development of sex-specific treatments for thrombosis. ... > full story
Herpesvirus Proteins That Target Key Cellular Processes Identified (July 14, 2008) -- Herpesviruses use multiple strategies to manipulate important components of the host cell nuclear environment during infection, according to new research. The study provides novel insights into the potential functions of over 120 previously uncharacterized viral proteins. ... > full story
Reading, Math Scores Up For U.S. 4th And 8th Graders (July 14, 2008) -- The United States' fourth and eighth graders scored higher in reading and mathematics than they did during their last national assessment, according to the federal government's latest annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children. Not all the report's findings were positive; there also were increases in the adolescent birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight. ... > full story
Will Our Future Brains Be Smaller? (July 13, 2008) -- New research has shown that the evolutionary pressures arising from the older, faster, but less accurate, part of the brain may have shaped the more recent development of the slower-acting but more precise cortex, found in humans and higher animals. ... > full story
Purified Stem Cells Restore Muscle In Mice With Muscular Dystrophy (July 13, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted muscle stem cells can both improve muscle function in animals with a form of muscular dystrophy and replenish the stem cell population for use in the repair of future muscle injuries. ... > full story
Skyscraper Run-Ups: What It Takes To Be An Extreme Athlete (July 13, 2008) -- Scientists have recently become interested in the biomechanics of a very unusual activity: skyscraper run-ups. Competitors in this extreme sport ascend the steps inside the world's tallest buildings, the winners often scaling thousands of steps in just a few minutes. New research has shed light on the metabolic profile of athletes, as well as having a potential impact on studies of aging. ... > full story
Mechanism That Explains How Cancer Enzyme Winds Up On Ends Of Chromosomes Found (July 13, 2008) -- Researchers have shown a mechanism that explains how two essential components of human telomerase -- normally active only in early prenatal development but turned back on during cancer growth -- are "recruited" from distinct sites in the cell to the telomere, an area at the end of a chromosome that normally protects it from destruction. ... > full story
Non-parental Care Of Infants Tied To Unfavorable Feeding Practices (July 13, 2008) -- With more new mothers in the workplace than ever before, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of child care facilities in the United States. At the same time, data from a variety of sources point to a growing prevalence of overweight infants and toddlers. Is there a connection? According to a new study, child care factors and feeding practices may indeed play a role. ... > full story
Prostate Cancer Vaccines More Effective With Hormone Therapy (July 13, 2008) -- Among patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, the addition of hormone therapy following vaccine treatment improved overall survival compared with either treatment alone or when the vaccine followed hormone treatment, according to recent data published in Clinical Cancer Research. ... > full story
Herceptin Targets Breast Cancer Stem Cells (July 13, 2008) -- A gene that is overexpressed in 20 percent of breast cancers increases the number of cancer stem cells, the cells that fuel a tumor's growth and spread, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. ... > full story
Zooming In On Genetic Shuffling (July 13, 2008) -- Researchers have presented the most precise map of genetic recombination yet. A new study sheds light on fundamental questions about genetic shuffling and has implications for the tracking of disease genes and their inheritance. ... > full story
Alcohol's Impact On Heart And Stroke Risk May Differ For Men, Women (July 13, 2008) -- Heart and stroke risks associated with alcohol use differ among Japanese men and women. Women with light alcohol consumption had a small decrease in heart disease death risk; heavy alcohol users had a much greater increase in risk. Men with heavy alcohol use had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease than non-drinking men. Heavy alcohol use increased the risk of stroke in men and women. ... > full story
Understanding Hearing, Molecule By Molecule (July 13, 2008) -- Scientists have for the first time pieced together the three-dimensional structure of one of nature's most exquisite pieces of machinery, a gossamer-like filament of proteins in the inner ear that enables the sense of hearing and balance. ... > full story
Copyright 1995-2008 © ScienceDaily LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
|
 To update/change your account click here  |
No comments:
Post a Comment