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Thursday, June 20, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Drug shows surprising efficacy as treatment for chronic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:52 PM PDT

Clinical studies suggest that the novel, targeted agent ibrutinib shows real potential is a safe, effective, treatment for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and for patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

Mindfulness can increase wellbeing and reduce stress in school children

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:51 PM PDT

Mindfulness -- a mental training that develops sustained attention that can change the ways people think, act and feel -- could reduce symptoms of stress and depression and promote wellbeing among school children, according to a new study.

Scientists identify emotions based on brain activity

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:51 PM PDT

For the first time, scientists have identified which emotion a person is experiencing based on brain activity. The study combines functional magnetic resonance imaging and machine learning to measure brain signals to accurately read emotions in individuals. The findings illustrate how the brain categorizes feelings, giving researchers the first reliable process to analyze emotions. Until now, research on emotions has been long stymied by the lack of reliable methods to evaluate them.

Carbon nanotube harpoon catches individual brain-cell signals

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:51 PM PDT

Neuroscientists may soon be modern-day harpooners, snaring individual brain-cell signals instead of whales with tiny spears made of carbon nanotubes.

Some parents want their child to redeem their broken dreams

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:49 PM PDT

Some parents desire for their children to fulfill their own unrealized ambitions, just as psychologists have long theorized, according to a new first-of-its-kind study.

New details about H7N9 influenza infections that suddenly appeared in China

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:48 PM PDT

Researchers have revealed new information about the latest strain of type A influenza, known as H7N9.

A shot in the arm for old antibiotics

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT

Slipping bacteria some silver could give old antibiotics new life, scientists report. This could pave the way for new therapies for drug-resistant and recurrent infections.

New technology reduces, controls CT radiation exposure in children: CT scan radiation reduced by 37 percent

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT

Patients at certain hospitals are being exposed to significantly less radiation during CT scans because of new technology that allows doctors to more tightly control radiation doses. The first-of-its-kind imaging software reduced overall radiation exposure from CT scans by 37 percent.

How neural stem cells create new and varied neurons

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT

A new study examining the brains of fruit flies reveals a novel stem cell mechanism that may help explain how neurons form in humans.

Brain can plan actions toward things the eye doesn't see

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT

People can plan strategic movements to several different targets at the same time, even when they see far fewer targets than are actually present, according to a new study.

A new model -- and possible treatment -- for staph bone infections

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT

Osteomyelitis -- a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria – is particularly challenging to treat. Now, investigators have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis, and they have developed a new mouse model that will be useful for testing this compound and for generating additional therapeutic strategies.

Estrogen is a new weapon against urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:46 PM PDT

Estrogen stimulates the production of the body's own antibiotic and strengthens the cells in the urinary tract, according to a new study. The results show that estrogen supplements may help menopausal women to ward off recurrent urinary tract infections.

Fate of the heart: Researchers track cellular events leading to cardiac regeneration

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:44 PM PDT

Scientists have visually monitored the dynamic cellular events that take place when cardiac regeneration occurs in zebrafish after cardiac ventricular injury. Their findings provide evidence that various cell lines in the heart are more plastic, or capable of transformation into new cell types, than previously thought.

Dietary fructose causes liver damage in animal model

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:44 PM PDT

The role of dietary fructose in the development of obesity and fatty liver diseases remains controversial, with previous studies indicating that the problems resulted from fructose and a diet too high in calories. However, a new study conducted in an animal model showed that fructose rapidly caused liver damage even without weight gain. The researchers found that over the six-week study period liver damage more than doubled in the animals fed a high-fructose diet as compared to those in the control group.

Stroke symptoms associated with developing memory and thinking problems, even without stroke

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:43 PM PDT

People who experience any stroke symptoms —- but do not have a stroke —- may also be more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking, according to new research.

HIV-derived antibacterial shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:25 AM PDT

Scientists have developed antibacterial compounds, derived from the outer coating of HIV, that could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections and appear to avoid generating resistance.

Chemical that makes naked mole rats cancer-proof discovered

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered the chemical that makes naked mole rats cancer-proof. Naked mole rats are small, hairless, subterranean rodents that have never been known to get cancer, despite having a 30-year lifespan. Scientists discovered that these rodents are protected from cancer because their tissues are very rich with high molecular weight hyaluronan (HMW-HA).

Structure from disorder: Scientists find new source of versatility so 'floppy' proteins can get things done

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT

Many proteins work like Swiss Army knives, fitting multiple functions into their elaborately folded structures. A bit mysteriously, some proteins manage to multitask even with structures that are unfolded and floppy -- "intrinsically disordered." Scientists have now discovered an important trick that a well-known intrinsically disordered protein uses to expand and control its functionality.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are on prescription drugs

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, researchers say.

No danger of cancer through gene therapy virus, study suggests

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:22 AM PDT

The first modified adeno-associated virus was recently approved for clinical gene therapy in the Western world. Scientists say it appears that no cancer risk emanates from the virus used for gene delivery.

Antioxidant shows promise in Parkinson's disease

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:21 AM PDT

Diapocynin, a synthetic molecule derived from a naturally occurring compound (apocynin), has been found to protect neurobehavioral function in mice with Parkinson's Disease symptoms by preventing deficits in motor coordination.

What do memories look like?

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:21 AM PDT

Scientists develop a way to see the structures that store memories in a living brain.

Validating Maps of the Brain's Resting State

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:19 AM PDT

Researchers have provided important validation of maps of the brain at rest that may offer insights into changes in the brain that occur in neurological and psychiatric disorders.

New Alzheimer's research suggests possible cause: Interaction of proteins in brain

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:28 AM PDT

For years, Alzheimer's researchers have focused on two proteins that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's and may contribute to the disease: Plaques made up of the protein amyloid-beta, and tangles of another protein, called tau.

'Ugly' finding: Unattractive workers suffer more

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:28 AM PDT

People who are considered unattractive are more likely to be belittled and bullied in the workplace, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

Stress hormone could trigger mechanism for the onset of Alzheimer's

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:26 AM PDT

A chemical hormone released in the body as a reaction to stress could be a key trigger of the mechanism for the late onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers discover immunity mechanism: Platelets patrolling the bloodstream

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:16 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered a mechanism that is used to protect the body from harmful bacteria. Platelets, a component of blood typically associated with clotting, were discovered to actively search for specific bacteria, and upon detection, seal it off from the rest of the body. The findings provide the science community with a greater understanding of immunity.

Altered brain structure in pathological narcissism

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:14 AM PDT

A far-reaching disorder of the self-esteem is denoted as a narcissistic personality disorder. Persons with pathological narcissism on the one hand suffer from feelings of inferiority, while on the other hand projecting themselves to the world as arrogant, disparaging and self-absorbed. One of the key features of a narcissistic personality disorder is the lack of empathy. Although patients suffering from such a disorder are well able to recognize what other persons feel, think and intent, they display little compassion.

Distracted walking: Injuries soar for pedestrians on phones

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:10 AM PDT

More than 1,500 pedestrians were estimated to be treated in emergency rooms in 2010 for injuries related to using a cell phone while walking, according to a new nationwide study.

Research of essential molecule reveals important targets in diabetes and obesity

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:10 AM PDT

Medical researchers have made breakthrough advancements on a molecule that may provide more answers in understanding the precise molecular mechanisms by which insulin regulates glucose uptake in fat and muscle cells.

Moderate drinking during pregnancy does not seem to harm baby's neurodevelopment, study suggests

Posted: 17 Jun 2013 05:27 PM PDT

Moderate drinking during pregnancy -- 3 to 7 glasses of alcohol a week -- does not seem to harm fetal neurodevelopment, as indicated by the child's ability to balance, suggests a large study. In the study, moderate alcohol intake was a marker for social advantage, which may itself be the key factor in better balance, possibly overriding subtle harmful effects of moderate alcohol use, say the authors.

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