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Friday, January 25, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


HIV-like viruses in non-human primates have existed much longer than previously thought

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST

Viruses similar to those that cause AIDS in humans were present in non-human primates in Africa at least five million years ago and perhaps up to 12 million years ago, according to new study. Until now, researchers have hypothesized that such viruses originated much more recently.

Jet fuel, plastics exposures cause disease in later generations; Reproductive diseases, obesity

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST

Researchers have lengthened their list of environmental toxicants that can negatively affect as many as three generations of an exposed animal's offspring. Among them: BPA and jet fuel. And they see a new outcome: Obesity.

Low vitamin D levels linked to high risk of premenopausal breast cancer

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST

Low serum vitamin D levels in the months preceding diagnosis may predict a high risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

Fetal exposure to tributyltin linked to obesity

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:34 PM PST

Exposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin -- which was used in marine antifouling paints and is used as an antifungal agent in some paints, certain plastics and a variety of consumer products -- can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a new study has found.

Stem cell therapy to repair damaged knee cartilage

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:32 PM PST

Medical researchers are conducting the first clinical study in the U.S. of an innovative stem cell drug, Cartistem, to repair knee cartilage damaged by aging, trauma or degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Using Twitter to track the flu: Researchers find a better way to screen the tweets

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 01:32 PM PST

Computer scientists have developed a new tweet-screening method that not only delivers real-time data on flu cases, but also filters out online chatter that is not linked to actual flu infections.

Chance finding reveals new control on blood vessels in developing brain

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

Zhen Huang freely admits he was not interested in blood vessels four years ago when he was studying brain development in a fetal mouse. Instead, he wanted to see how changing a particular gene in brain cells called glia would affect the growth of neurons. The result was hemorrhage, caused by deteriorating veins and arteries, and it begged for explanation.

New mutations discovered driving malignant melanoma

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

Two new mutations that collectively occur in 71 percent of malignant melanoma tumors have been discovered in what scientists call the "dark matter" of the cancer genome, where cancer-related mutations haven't been previously found.

Scientists discover how epigenetic information could be inherited: Mechanism of epigenetic reprogramming revealed

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

New research reveals a potential way for how parents' experiences could be passed to their offspring's genes.

Genetic landscape of common brain tumors holds key to personalized treatment

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST

Nearly the entire genetic landscape of the most common form of brain tumor can be explained by abnormalities in just five genes, an international team of researchers report. Knowledge of the genomic profile of the tumors and their location in the brain make it possible for the first time to develop personalized medical therapies for meningiomas, which currently are only managed surgically.

Immune cell suicide alarm helps destroy escaping bacteria

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:07 PM PST

A new study may have implications for thwarting the effects of bio-terrorism attack with lethal microbes, as well as finding a way to save people in septic shock, an overwhelming bacterial infection of the blood.

Genes provide clues to gender disparity in human hearts

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 12:07 PM PST

Healthy men and women show little difference in their hearts, except for small electrocardiographic disparities. But new genetic differences found in hearts with disease could ultimately lead to personalized treatment of various heart ailments.

'Cool' kids in middle school bully more, psychologists report

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 11:07 AM PST

Bullying boosts the social status and popularity of middle school students, a new psychology study shows, and popular students engage most in bullying.

Prenatal inflammation linked to autism risk

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 11:07 AM PST

Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy may be related to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new findings. Researchers found this in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein, a well-established marker of systemic inflammation.

Vocabulary instruction failing U.S. students, expert says

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:40 AM PST

Vocabulary instruction in the early years is not challenging enough to prepare students for long-term reading comprehension, argues an author of a new study.

Female mice exposed to BPA by mothers show unexpected characteristics

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 10:39 AM PST

Female mice exposed to Bisphenol A through their mother's diet during gestation and lactation were found to be hyperactive, exhibit spontaneous activity and had leaner body mass than those not exposed to the chemical, researchers have discovered.

Smokers who quit before age 40 have lifespan almost as long as people who never smoked

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:36 AM PST

Smokers who quit when they are young adults can live almost as long as people who never smoked, groundbreaking new research has found.

Cells 'flock' to heal wounds: Researchers analyze physics of epithelial cell cooperation

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:36 AM PST

Like flocks of birds, cells coordinate their motions as they race to cover and ultimately heal wounds to the skin. A new computational model offers clues to the physics behind their cooperation.

Medical cannabis provides dramatic relief for sufferers of chronic ailments, Israeli study finds

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:34 AM PST

Though still controversial, medical cannabis has been gaining ground as a valid therapy for cancer, PTSD, and chronic pain. Now a specialist says that residents of an Israel nursing home experienced dramatic physical and mental improvements following cannabis therapy and that the therapy significantly reduced the need for chronic medications for many of them.

Lightning linked to onset of headache, migraines

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:33 AM PST

Researchers have found that lightning may affect the onset of headaches and migraines.

Synthetic corkscrew peptide kills antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

An engineered peptide provides a new prototype for killing an entire category of resistant bacteria by shredding and dissolving their double-layered membranes, which are thought to protect those microbes from antibiotics. The synthetic peptide was effective in lab experiments against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, which cause a variety of difficult-to-treat, potentially lethal infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.

Don’t ignore the snore: Snoring may be early sign of future health risks

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:27 AM PST

Snoring may be more than a common bedtime nuisance, say researchers. According to their new study, snoring, even without sleep apnea, causes thickening and abnormalities the carotid artery - a potential precursor to atherosclerosis.

'Connection error' in brains of anorexics

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:15 AM PST

Researchers have found altered connectivity in the brain network for body perception in people with anorexia: The weaker the connection, the greater the misjudgement of body shape.

Implementation of smoke-free legislation reduces the number of acute myocardial infarctions by 11 percent

Posted: 23 Jan 2013 04:53 PM PST

Researchers assessed the impact of the partial smoke-free legislation passed in 2006 on the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in the province of Girona and observed it has dropped 11 percent. This decrease has been noticed especially among women, population aged between 65 and 74, and among non-smokers.

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