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Thursday, April 4, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Marriage can threaten health: Study finds satisfied newlyweds more likely to gain weight

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:04 PM PDT

A study of 169 newlywed couples finds that spouses who are more satisfied with their marriage are more likely to gain weight because they are less likely to consider divorce and thus find a new partner.

Scientists develop monkey model to study novel coronavirus infection

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:02 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a model of infection in rhesus macaques that will help scientists around the world better understand how an emerging coronavirus, first identified in Sept. 2012, affects people. The virus has so far infected at least 17 people in the Middle East and Europe, killing 11 of them.

Exhaled breath carries a molecular 'breathprint' unique to each individual

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:02 PM PDT

Researchers have shown that exhaled human breath contains a characteristic molecular "fingerprint". Stable, specific 'breathprints' unique to an individual exist and may have applications as diagnostic tools in personalized medicine. The scientists want to use this finding to diagnose diseases based on the chemical analysis of patient's exhaled breath, using highly sensitive and precise instrumental methods.

Brain cell signal network genes linked to schizophrenia risk in families

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:02 PM PDT

New genetic factors predisposing to schizophrenia have been uncovered in five families with several affected relatives. These gene variants weaken NMDA receptors. Found throughout the brain, NMDA receptors normally influence the strength of brain cell connections and the ongoing remodeling of brain networks.

Dementia costs top those for heart disease or cancer, study finds

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:02 PM PDT

The most-detailed examination of the costs of dementia in the United States finds the disease is more costly to the nation than either heart disease or cancer. The analysis suggests that the costs of dementia could more than double by 2040 if the rate of the disease remains constant as the nation's population continues to grow older.

Low testosterone levels may herald rheumatoid arthritis in men

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:01 PM PDT

Low testosterone levels may herald the subsequent development of rheumatoid arthritis in men, new research suggests.

Baldness linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:01 PM PDT

Male pattern baldness is linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only if it's on the top/crown of the head, rather than at the front, a new analysis finds.

Avoid impulsive acts by imagining future benefits

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT

Why is it so hard for some people to resist the least little temptation, while others seem to possess incredible patience, passing up immediate gratification for a greater long-term good? The answer, suggests a new study, is that patient people focus on future rewards in a way that makes the waiting process seem much more pleasurable.

On-and-off approach to prostate cancer treatment may compromise survival

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT

Taking a break from hormone-blocking prostate cancer treatments once the cancer seems to be stabilized is not equivalent to continuing therapy, a new large-scale international study finds.

Potential therapy for human prion disease

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:43 PM PDT

Scientists have for the first time identified a pair of drugs already approved for human use that show anti-prion activity and, for one of them, great promise in treating rare and universally fatal disorders, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, caused by misfolded proteins called prions.

One specific microRNA promotes tumor growth and cancer spread

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:43 PM PDT

Researchers have determined that the overexpression of microRNA-155 (miR-155), a short, single strand of ribonucleic acid encoded by the miR-155 host gene, promotes the growth of blood vessels in tumors, tumor inflammation, and metastasis. As a therapeutic target, miR-155 could potentially provide a new avenue of treatment when targeted with drugs to suppress its activity.

Phase 1 ALS trial is first to test antisense treatment of neurodegenerative disease: No serious adverse effects reported

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT

The initial clinical trial of a novel approach to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- blocking production of a mutant protein that causes an inherited form of the progressive neurodegererative disease -- may be a first step towards a new era in the treatment of such disorders.

Accused of complicity in Alzheimer's, amyloid proteins may be getting a bad rap

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT

Amyloids -- clumps of misfolded proteins found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders -- are the quintessential bad boys of neurobiology. But now a pair of recent research studies sets a solid course toward rehabilitating the reputation of the proteins that form these amyloid tangles, or plaques. In the process, they appear poised to turn the field of neurobiology on its head.

Third-generation device significantly improves capture of circulating tumor cells

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT

A new system for isolating rare circulating tumor cells -- living solid tumor cells found at low levels in the bloodstream -- shows significant improvement over previously developed devices and does not require prior identification of tumor-specific target molecules.

Will cell therapy become a 'third pillar' of medicine?

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT

Treating patients with cells may one day become as common as it is now to treat the sick with drugs made from engineered proteins, antibodies or smaller chemicals, according to UC San Francisco researchers. They have outlined their vision of cell-based therapeutics as a "third pillar of medicine."

Breakthrough cancer-killing treatment has no side-effects in mice: New chemistry may cure human cancers

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT

The scientific crusade against cancer recently achieved a victory. Medical researchers have developed a new form of radiation therapy that successfully put cancer into remission in mice. This innovative treatment produced none of the harmful side-effects of conventional chemo and radiation cancer therapies.

Laser light zaps away cocaine addiction

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT

By stimulating one part of the brain with laser light, researchers have shown that they can wipe away addictive behavior in rats -- or conversely turn non-addicted rats into compulsive cocaine seekers.

Potential map to more effective HIV vaccine

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT

By tracking the very earliest days of one person's robust immune response to HIV, researchers have charted a new route for developing a long-sought vaccine that could boost the body's ability to neutralize the virus.

Brain-imaging tool and stroke risk test help identify cognitive decline early

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:13 AM PDT

Medical researchers have used a brain-imaging tool and stroke risk assessment to identify signs of cognitive decline early on in individuals who don't yet show symptoms of dementia.

Gender bias found in how scholars review scientific studies

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:20 AM PDT

A scientist's gender can have a big impact on how other researchers perceive his or her work, according to a new study.

New relief for gynecological disorders: Injectable protein to reverse symptoms of dangerous conditions

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:20 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered an injectable protein that reverses symptoms of two dangerous gynecological conditions, endometriosis and overian hyperstimulation syndrome. Because there are currently no treatment options for women suffering from these diseases, this breakthrough promises long-awaited relief from severe abdominal pain and infertility issues.

New system to study trigger of cell death in nervous system developed

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:19 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new model system to study a receptor protein that controls cell death in both humans and fruit flies.

Urinary tract infections 29 times more likely in schizophrenia relapse

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:27 AM PDT

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are 29 times more likely than healthy individuals to have a urinary tract infection, researchers report.

Dental anesthesia may interrupt development of wisdom teeth in children, study suggests

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:26 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered an association between local dental anesthesia given to children ages two to six and evidence of missing lower wisdom teeth. The results of this epidemiological study suggest that injecting anesthesia into the gums of young children could interrupt the development of lower wisdom teeth.

Verifying that sorghum is a new safe grain for people with celiac disease

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT

Strong new biochemical evidence exists showing that the cereal grain sorghum is a safe food for people with celiac disease, who must avoid wheat and certain other grains, scientists are reporting. Their study includes molecular evidence that sorghum lacks the proteins toxic to people with celiac disease.

Scientists build material that mimics squid beak: Promising step toward safer, more comfortable implants

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT

Researchers have turned to an unlikely model to make medical devices safer and more comfortable -- a squid's beak. Many medical implants require hard materials that have to connect to or pass through soft body tissue. This mechanical mismatch leads to problems. But the beak, which boasts a mechanical gradient that can act as a shock absorber, may provide a solution.

Brain Activity Mapping Project aims to understand the brain

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT

The scientific tools are not yet available to build a comprehensive map of the activity in the most complicated 3 pounds of material in the world -- the human brain, scientists say in a newly published article. It describes the technologies that could be applied and developed for the Brain Activity Mapping Project, which aims to do for the brain what the Human Genome Project did for genetics.

Medical enigma: The healing element is also the enemy

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT

The same factor in our immune system that is instrumental in enabling us to fight off severe and dangerous inflammatory ailments is also a player in doing the opposite at a later stage, causing the suppression of our immune response. Why and how this happens and what can be done to mediate this process for the benefit of humankind is the subject of a new article.

Research identifies co-factors critical to PTSD development

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:42 AM PDT

New research has found that the action of a specific gene occurring during exposure to adolescent trauma is critical for the development of adult-onset post-traumatic stress disorder.

New view of origins of eye diseases

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 07:41 AM PDT

Using new technology and new approaches, researchers in Sweden hope to be able to explain why people suffer vision loss in eye diseases such as retinal detachment and glaucoma.

Autism linked to increased genetic change in regions of genome instability

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Children with autism have increased levels of genetic change in regions of the genome prone to DNA rearrangements, so called "hotspots," according to a new research discovery. The research has relevance in a vigorous ongoing debate in the research community about the degree of genetic versus environmental contributions to autism.

New protocol to ready clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 06:26 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new way to generate induced pluripotent stem cell lines from human fibroblasts, acquired from both healthy and diseased donors. This cell-sorting method consistently selects the highest quality, standardized iPS cells, representing a major step forward for drug discovery and the development of cell therapies.

High blood pressure in pregnancy may spell hot flashes later

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 06:26 AM PDT

Women who have hypertensive diseases during pregnancy seem to be at higher risk of having troublesome hot flashes and night sweats at menopause, report researchers from the Netherlands.

Immune system: The healing element is also the enemy

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:20 AM PDT

The same factor in our immune system that is instrumental in enabling us to fight off severe and dangerous inflammatory ailments is also a player in doing the opposite at a later stage, causing the suppression of our immune response.

Men 'more depressed and sad' than women if childless, says study

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:19 AM PDT

Men are almost as likely as women to want children, and they feel more isolated, depressed, angry and sad than women if they don't have them, a new study says.

Targeting mental defeat among pain patients could prevent anxiety and depression

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:19 AM PDT

A new study of Hong Kong chronic pain patients suggests that targeting feelings of mental defeat could prevent severe depression, anxiety and interference with daily activities.

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