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Thursday, October 24, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Child born with HIV still in remission after 18 months off treatment

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 03:32 PM PDT

A three-year-old Mississippi child born with HIV and treated with a combination of antiviral drugs unusually early continues to do well and remains free of active infection 18 months after all treatment ceased, according to an updated case report.

Study focused on transitioning cystic fibrosis care

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 01:52 PM PDT

A new study on cystic fibrosis care has found that patients had a less rapid decline in pulmonary function and no other significant health-related changes after transitioning from pediatric to adult care.

Child neurologist finds potential route to better treatments for Fragile X, autism

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 01:52 PM PDT

Researchers describe a major reason why current medications only moderately alleviate Fragile X symptoms. His team discovered that three specific drugs affect three different kinds of neurotransmitter receptors that all seem to play roles in Fragile X. As a result, current Fragile X drugs have limited benefit because most of them only affect one receptor.

Lower blood sugars may be good for the brain

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 01:50 PM PDT

Even for people who don't have diabetes or high blood sugar, those with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to have memory problems, according to a new study.

Detailed look at a DNA repair protein in action

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 11:11 AM PDT

Researchers have invented a new technique for studying the process by which certain errors in the genetic code are detected and repaired. The technique is based on a combination of hybrid nanomaterials and SAXS imaging at the ALS SIBYLS beamline.

Induced pluripotent stem cells reveal differences between humans and great apes

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 11:10 AM PDT

Researchers have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.

H5N1 bird flu genes show nature can pick worrisome traits

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 10:17 AM PDT

In the beginning, all flu viruses came from birds. Over time, the virus evolved to adapt to other animals, including humans, as natural selection favored viruses with mutations that allowed them to more readily infect the cells of new host species.

A simple test may catch early pancreatic cancer

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:56 AM PDT

Reporting on a small preliminary study, researchers say a simple blood test based on detection of tiny epigenetic alterations may reveal the earliest signs of pancreatic cancer, a disease that is nearly always fatal because it isn't usually discovered until it has spread to other parts of the body.

Researchers discover potential new treatment for colitis

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:56 AM PDT

A drug currently on the market to treat leukemia reversed symptoms of colitis in lab tests.

Development of novel robots funded to assist people with disabilities, aid doctors

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:54 AM PDT

As part of the National Robotics Initiative, NIH has awarded funding for three projects to develop the next generation of robots that work cooperatively with people.

What Should You Know About E-cigarettes?

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:54 AM PDT

E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular and widely available as the use of regular cigarettes drops. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that e-cigarette use by children doubled from 2011 and 2012. The health effects of e-cigarettes have not been effectively studied and the ingredients have little or no regulation.

A young Picasso or Beethoven could be the next Edison

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT

Good news for parents: Those pricey piano lessons or random toy parts littering your floors may one day lead to the next scientific breakthrough. That's according to new research linking childhood participation in arts and crafts activities to patents generated and businesses launched as adults.

Vinyl flooring linked to potentially harmful substances at schools and daycare centers

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT

Large areas of vinyl flooring in daycares and schools appear to expose children to a group of compounds called phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems, scientists are reporting.

Testosterone therapy may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT

Research suggests that testosterone treatment in hypogonadal (testosterone deficient) men restores normal lipid profiles and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Stealth nanoparticles lower drug-resistant tumors' defenses

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT

Some of the most dangerous cancers are those that can outmaneuver the very drugs designed to defeat them, but researchers are now reporting a new Trojan-horse approach. In a preliminary study focusing on a type of breast cancer that is highly resistant to current therapies, they describe a way to sneak small particles into tumor cells, lower their defenses and attack them with drugs, potentially making the therapy much more effective.

A step towards early Alzheimer's diagnosis

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT

If Alzheimer's disease is to be treated in the future, it requires an early diagnosis, which is not yet possible. Now researchers at higher education institutions have identified six proteins in spinal fluid that can be used as markers for the illness.

Natural compound can be used for 3-D printing of medical implants

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 07:13 AM PDT

Biomedical engineering researchers have discovered that a naturally-occurring compound can be incorporated into three-dimensional printing processes to create medical implants out of non-toxic polymers. The compound is riboflavin, which is better known as vitamin B2.

Changes in epigenetic DNA functions links diabetes predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 07:09 AM PDT

Diabetes and dementia are rising dramatically in the United States and worldwide. In the last few years, epidemiological data has accrued showing that older people with diabetes are significantly more likely to develop cognitive deterioration and increased susceptibility to onset of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease.

Multiple ssclerosis: Functional change in brain as cause of cognitive disorders

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:08 AM PDT

Over the course of the disease, multiple sclerosis is very often combined with a deteriorating memory and attention deficits. Researchers have now demonstrated by means of a meta-analysis of functional image data that increased activations in the involuntary attention system in the brain are responsible for these disorders in MS patients.

Novel autism candidate genes identified

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:07 AM PDT

A scientific study identifies new genes involved in autism, a polygenic disorder that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Autism spectrum disorders represent a group of neurodevelopmental disorders which affect one out of 80-100 children. Autism's aetiology remains mainly unknown but there is strong evidence that genetic factors play a major role. International research has identified candidate genes that explain the origin and development of the disease.

Putting together the pieces of the Parkinson's puzzle

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:07 AM PDT

Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors. Now for the first time ever, researchers have published an interactive picture containing the current knowledge about the underlying genetic and molecular causes of Parkinson's disease.

Insights into how TB tricks the immune system could help combat the disease

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:07 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a potential way to manipulate the immune system to improve its ability to fight off tuberculosis (TB). TB is a major problem for both humans and cattle and the new findings could help scientists to create better drugs to combat the disease in both.

A trace of memory, explored

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:05 AM PDT

Most of our behavior – and thus our personality – is shaped by previous experience. To store the memory of these experiences and to be able to retrieve the information at will is therefore considered one of the most basic and important functions of the brain. The current model in neuroscience poses that memory is stored as long-lasting anatomical changes in synapses, the specialized structures by which nerve cells connect and signal to each other.

New eye treatment effective in laboratory tests

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:05 AM PDT

A promising technique for treating human eye disease has proven effective in preclinical studies and may lead to new treatments to prevent blindness.

Researchers link DDT, obesity

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:51 PM PDT

Researchers say ancestral exposures to environmental compounds like the insecticide DDT may be a factor in high rates of obesity. The finding comes as DDT is getting a second look as a tool against malaria.

Delaying gratification, when the reward is under our noses

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:32 PM PDT

How can some people resist the attraction of immediate pleasures and pursue long-term goals, while others easily succumb and compromise their ultimate expectations? A recent study has found that the brain's memory systems help in resisting temptations. One factor which might explain the difference in people's ability to resist temptation might lie in the activity of a deep brain structure: the hippocampus.

Test may improve diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis in HIV-infected individuals

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:32 PM PDT

Tuberculous meningitis is a serious and often fatal illness that is difficult to diagnose particularly in resource-poor areas, and is especially common in individuals infected with HIV. Now, a new DNA test is available that can be used in resource-poor settings and is generally used to detect TB in sputum, to detect TB DNA in cerebrospinal fluid.

RNA signatures from suspected TB patients could form basis of diagnostic test

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:32 PM PDT

A set of RNA transcriptional signatures expressed in the blood of patients might provide the basis of a diagnostic test that can distinguish active tuberculosis (TB) from latent TB, and also from other diseases that have similar clinical symptoms and signs.

HIV elimination in South Africa could be achieved by current treatment policy

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:32 PM PDT

The current antiretroviral treatment policy in South Africa could lead to elimination of HIV within the country over the next 24 to 34 years, but a universal test and treat approach could achieve elimination 10 years earlier according to new research.

What a difference a grade makes: First graders with attention problem lag for years afterward, Second graders, less so

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:08 PM PDT

Children with attention problems that emerge in first grade show poorer school performance for years afterward, including scoring lower on fifth grade reading. The poor performance occurred even if the attention problems were fleeting and improved after first grade. By contrast, children who developed attention problems starting in second grade performed as well as their peers in later years.

Predicting the fate of stem cells

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:07 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a method that can rapidly screen human stem cells and better control what they will turn into. The technology could have potential use in regenerative medicine and drug development.

Keeping it local: Protecting the brain starts at the synapse

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:07 PM PDT

New research by scientists shows that one of the brain's fundamental self-protection mechanisms depends on coordinated, finely calibrated teamwork among neurons and non-neural cells knows as glial cells, which until fairly recently were thought to be mere support cells for neurons.

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