ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Health benefits of exercise may depend on cellular degradation
• Elusive Z- DNA found on nucleosomes
• Why do smells make some people sick?
• Chemical in personal care products (phthalates) may contribute to child obesity
• Gene critical to sense of smell in fruit fly identified
• Researchers engineer a switch to tame aggressive cancers
• Novel iron source: Newly identified iron absorption mechanism suggests that legumes could provide key to treating iron deficiency worldwide
• 'Senior' runners never stop pushing their limits in marathons
• Unveiling malaria's 'cloak of invisibility'
• Cell signaling key to stopping growth and migration of brain cancer cells

Health benefits of exercise may depend on cellular degradation Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:45 PM PST The health benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism may come from the body's ability to devour itself.

Elusive Z- DNA found on nucleosomes Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:30 PM PST New research shows that left-handed Z-DNA, normally only found at sites where DNA is being copied, can also form on nucleosomes. The structure of DNA which provides the blueprint for life has famously been described as a double helix. To save space inside the nucleus, DNA is tightly wound around proteins to form nucleosomes which are then further wound and compacted into chromatin, which is further compacted into chromosomes. But this familiar image of a right handed coil (also called B-DNA) is not the only form of DNA. At sites where DNA is being copied into RNA (the messenger which is used as the instruction to make proteins) the DNA needs to unwind, and, in a process of negative supercoiling, can form a left-handed variety of the DNA double helix (Z-DNA).

Why do smells make some people sick? Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:29 PM PST Do you get a headache from the perfume of the lady next to you at the table? Do cleaning solutions at work make your nose itch? If you have symptoms prompted by everyday smells, it does not necessarily mean you are allergic but rather that you suffer from chemical intolerance. This hypersensitivity can be the result of an inability to get used to smells.

Chemical in personal care products (phthalates) may contribute to child obesity Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:27 PM PST Researchers have found an association between exposure to the chemical group known as phthalates and obesity in young children – including increased body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Gene critical to sense of smell in fruit fly identified Posted: 19 Jan 2012 10:04 PM PST Researchers have discovered that a gene called distal-less is critical to the fly's ability to receive, process and respond to smells.

Researchers engineer a switch to tame aggressive cancers Posted: 19 Jan 2012 10:03 PM PST A new imaging platform provides insight into the exact moment when cancer cells turn deadly. The new approach can modulate and monitor how the effects of a particular protein can affect the entire tumor in real-time.

Novel iron source: Newly identified iron absorption mechanism suggests that legumes could provide key to treating iron deficiency worldwide Posted: 19 Jan 2012 09:35 PM PST A groundbreaking study reveals the existence of at least two independent mechanisms for iron absorption from non-meat sources -- and a potential treatment for iron deficiency, the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide. The discovery of an alternative mechanism for iron absorption from vegetables and legumes may provide the key to helping solve iron deficiency by providing an alternative, affordable, and readily available source of iron.

'Senior' runners never stop pushing their limits in marathons Posted: 19 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST Researchers have analyzed changes in participation and performance of runners aged 20 to 80 in the New York marathon over the last 30 years. The results are largely unexpected: the best male marathon runners over 65 and the best female marathon runners over 45 have consistently improved their performance over the last 30 years.

Unveiling malaria's 'cloak of invisibility' Posted: 18 Jan 2012 09:30 AM PST Scientists have discovered a molecule that is key to malaria's 'invisibility cloak.' The research will help to better understand how the parasite causes disease and escapes from the defenses mounted by the immune system.

Cell signaling key to stopping growth and migration of brain cancer cells Posted: 18 Jan 2012 08:15 AM PST Inhibition of cell signaling through the Mer receptor tyrosine kinase pathway shown to both sensitize glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy and decrease their ability to migrate to other, non-targeted areas of the brain.

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