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Thursday, August 30, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


MRI scanners affect concentration and visuospatial awareness

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Standard head movements made while exposed to one of the three electromagnetic fields produced by a heavy duty MRI scanner seem to temporarily lower concentration and visuospatial awareness, an experimental study shows.

Smokers more than double their risk of burst aneurysm

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day doubles the risk of a potentially fatal brain bleed as a result of a burst aneurysm, new research finds.

Chronic stress linked to high risk of stroke

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Chronic stress, prompted by major life stressors and type A personality traits, is linked to a high risk of stroke, new research finds.

Bacterial cause found for skin condition rosacea

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

Scientists are closer to establishing a definitive bacterial cause for the skin condition rosacea. This will allow more targeted, effective treatments to be developed for sufferers.

Living against the clock; Does loss of daily rhythms cause obesity?

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

When Thomas Edison tested the first light bulb in 1879, he could never have imagined that his invention could one day contribute to a global obesity epidemic. Electric light allows us to work, rest and play at all hours of the day, and a new article suggests that this might have serious consequences for our health and for our waistlines.

Increased risk of prematurity and low birth weight in babies born after three or more abortions

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

One of the largest studies to look at the effect of induced abortions on a subsequent first birth has found that women who have had three or more abortions have a higher risk of some adverse birth outcomes, such as delivering a baby prematurely and with a low birth weight.

Malaria nearly eliminated in Sri Lanka despite decades of conflict

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

Despite nearly three decades of conflict, Sri Lanka has succeeded in reducing malaria cases by 99.9 percent since 1999 and is on track to eliminate the disease entirely by 2014.

New cancer drug is ten times more potent

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT

Chemists have taken an existing drug that is being developed for use in fighting certain types of cancer, added a special structure to it, and created a more potent, efficient weapon against cancer.

US performs worst on potentially preventable death rates compared to France, Germany, and UK

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT

The United States lags three other industrialized nations -- France, Germany, and the United Kingdom -- in its potentially preventable death rate, and in the pace of improvement in preventing deaths that could have been avoided with timely and effective health care, according to new research.

Protein linked to increased risk of heart failure and death in older adults

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT

A protein known as galectin-3 can identify people at higher risk of heart failure, according to new research.

Aspirin-clopidogrel no better than aspirin alone for patients with lacunar stroke, study suggests

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT

Aspirin combined with the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel is no better than aspirin alone for stroke prevention in people with a history of lacunar strokes, and the combination carries a greater risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to new results. Lacunar strokes occur due to chronic high blood pressure and typically produce small lesions deep within the brain.

Chocolate: A sweet method for stroke prevention in men?

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT

Eating a moderate amount of chocolate each week may be associated with a lower risk of stroke in men, according to a new study.

Flu is transmitted before symptoms appear, study in ferrets suggests

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 02:18 PM PDT

New research examining influenza transmission in ferrets suggests that the virus can be passed on before the appearance of symptoms. If the finding applies to humans, it means that people pass on flu to others before they know they're infected, making it very difficult to contain epidemics.

Collagen-seeking synthetic protein could lead doctors to tumor locations

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 12:11 PM PDT

A new synthetic protein can pinpoint cancer and other diseases in the body by finding nearby damaged collagen.

For diabetics, a steady job is good for your health

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 11:18 AM PDT

If you're diabetic or prone to diabetes, having a steady job appears to be good for your health, and not just because of the insurance coverage.

Malignant mesothelioma patients likely to benefit from drug pemetrexed identified, study suggests

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 11:18 AM PDT

Previous studies have hypothesized that low levels of the enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS) likely mark patients who will benefit from the drug pemetrexed – but results have been inconclusive at best and at times contradictory. A new study provides an explanation why: Only in combination with high levels of a second enzyme, FPGS, does low TS predict response to pemetrexed in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Diabetes can be controlled in patients after pancreas removal

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 11:18 AM PDT

Removing the entire pancreas in patients with cancer or precancerous cysts in part of the organ does not result in unmanageable diabetes -- as many physicians previously believed, new research has found.

Scientists map first steps in flu antibody development

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:17 AM PDT

Scientists have identified how a kind of immature immune cell responds to a part of influenza virus and have traced the path those cells take to generate antibodies that can neutralize a wide range of influenza virus strains.

New antibacterial coating for sutures could reduce infections after surgery

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:16 AM PDT

Responding to an urgent need for better antibacterial coatings on surgical sutures, scientists are reporting the discovery of a new coating that is almost 1,000 times more effective than the most widely used commercial coating.

Many trendy 'microgreens' are more nutritious than their mature counterparts

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:16 AM PDT

The first scientific analysis of nutrient levels in edible microgreens has found that many of those trendy seedlings of green vegetables and herbs have more vitamins and healthful nutrients than their fully grown counterparts.

Mystery surrounding death of two sisters nearly 50 years ago finally solved

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 09:49 AM PDT

Researchers have identified the genetic cause of a rare and fatal bone disease by studying frozen skin cells that were taken from a child with the condition almost fifty years ago. Their study details how the MT1-MMP gene leads to the disease known as Winchester syndrome.

Oversized fat droplets: Too much of a good thing

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 08:17 AM PDT

As the national waistline expands, so do pools of intra-cellular fat known as lipid droplets. Although most of us wish our lipid droplets would vanish, they represent a cellular paradox: on the one hand droplets play beneficial roles by corralling fat into non-toxic organelles. On the other, oversized lipid droplets are associated with obesity and its associated health hazards.

Math ability requires crosstalk in the brain

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 07:35 AM PDT

Scientists have found that the strength of communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain predicts performance on basic arithmetic problems. The findings shed light on the neural basis of human math abilities and suggest a possible route to aiding those who suffer from dyscalculia-- an inability to understand and manipulate numbers.

Could a cancer drug prevent learning disabilities in some kids?

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:38 AM PDT

A drug originally developed to stop cancerous tumors may hold the potential to prevent abnormal brain cell growth and learning disabilities in some children, if they can be diagnosed early enough, a new animal study suggests.

Climate change could increase levels of avian influenza in wild birds

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:38 AM PDT

Rising sea levels, melting glaciers, more intense rainstorms and more frequent heat waves are among the planetary woes that may come to mind when climate change is mentioned. Now, researchers say an increased risk of avian influenza transmission in wild birds can be added to the list.

Earphones potentially as dangerous as noise from jet engines, researchers find

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 03:47 AM PDT

Turning the volume up too high on your headphones can damage the coating of nerve cells, leading to temporary deafness, scientists have shown. Earphones or headphones on personal music players can reach noise levels similar to those of jet engines, the researchers said.

New 'traffic light' test could save lives with earlier diagnosis of liver disease

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 03:46 AM PDT

A new 'traffic light' test could be used in primary care to diagnose liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in high risk populations more easily than at present.

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