Everything You Need to Know About Health: ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Sunday, October 26, 2008

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Research Uncovers New Steps On Pathway To Enlarged Heart (October 25, 2008) -- Researchers have new insight into the mechanisms that underlie a pathological increase in the size of the heart. The research may lead to the development of new strategies for managing this extremely common cardiac ailment that often leads to heart failure. ... > full story

High-Dose Hormone Treatment Might Reduce Risk For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (October 25, 2008) -- Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that the answer to this question is complex. In an animal model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), high doses of a cortisol-related substance, corticosterone, prevented negative consequences of stress exposure, including increased startle response and behavioral freezing when exposed to reminders of the stress. However, low-dose corticosterone potentiated these responses. ... > full story

Why Binge Drinking Is Bad For Your Bones (October 25, 2008) -- Studies in recent years have demonstrated that binge drinking can decrease bone mass and bone strength, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Now a new study has found a possible mechanism: Alcohol disturbs genes necessary for maintaining healthy bones. The findings could help in the development of new drugs to minimize bone loss in alcohol abusers and in those who don't abuse alcohol but are at risk for osteoporosis. ... > full story

Potential Strategy To Eliminate Poisonous Protein From Alzheimer Brains Identified (October 25, 2008) -- Scientists discovered that the activity of a potent AB-degrading enzyme can be unleashed in mouse models of the disease by reducing its natural inhibitor cystatin C. ... > full story

Hepatitis C Treatment Is Cost-effective For The US Prison Population (October 25, 2008) -- Treating all US prisoners who have hepatitis C with the standard therapy of pegylated-interferon and ribavirin would be cost-effective, says a new study. ... > full story

U.S. Doctors Regularly Prescribe Real Drugs As Placebo Treatments, Study Claims (October 25, 2008) -- Many rheumatologists and general internal medicine physicians in the US say they regularly prescribe "placebo treatments" including active drugs such as sedatives and antibiotics, but rarely admit they are doing so to their patients, according to a new study. ... > full story

Study Shows How Antibiotic Sets Up Road Block To Kill Bacteria (October 25, 2008) -- Scientists have taken a critical step toward the development of new and more effective antibacterial drugs by identifying exactly how a specific antibiotic sets up a road block that halts bacterial growth. The antibiotic, myxopyronin, is a natural substance that is made by bacteria to fend off other bacteria. Scientists already knew that this antibiotic inhibited the actions of an enzyme called RNA polymerase, which sets gene expression in motion and is essential to the life of any cell. ... > full story

Physical Strength, Fighting Ability Revealed In Human Faces (October 25, 2008) -- For our ancestors, misjudging the physical strength of a would-be opponent might have resulted in painful -- and potentially deadly -- defeat. ... > full story

Laser Therapies For Hair Removal Appear To Be More Effective Than Combination Treatments, Study Suggests (October 25, 2008) -- Laser therapies commonly used for removal of unwanted hair appear to be safer and remove leg hair more effectively when used separately than when used as a combination treatment, according to a new report. ... > full story

UK Teen Suicide Rates On The Decline (October 25, 2008) -- Suicide rates in those aged 10-19 in the UK declined by 28 percent in the seven year period from 1997-2003, shows a study recently published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study showed that the decline was particularly marked in young males, where rates declined by 35 percent. ... > full story

Secret Of Death Protein's Activation Unlocked; May Lead To Drugs That Force Cancer Cells To Self-destruct (October 24, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a previously undetected trigger point on a naturally occurring "death protein" that helps the body get rid of unwanted or diseased cells. They say it may be possible to exploit the newly found trigger as a target for designer drugs that would treat cancer by forcing malignant cells to commit suicide. ... > full story

Gene Mutation In Worms Key To Alcohol Tolerance (October 24, 2008) -- Scientists have found that a genetic mutation in worms could further understanding of alcoholism in humans. ... > full story

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