ScienceDaily: Top News

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• New clues to human deafness found in mice
• 'Lost world' discovered around Antarctic vents
• When overeating, calories, not protein, contribute to increase in body fat
• Autism may be linked to abnormal immune system characteristics and novel protein fragment
• Researchers create a healthier cigarette
• Bat brains parse sounds for multitasking
• Novel compound to halt virus replication identified
• Anti-sense might make sense for treating liver cancer
• Smaller sibling protein calls the shots in cell division
• Boy or girl? Simple blood test in the first trimester predicts fetal gender
• Females may be more susceptible to infection during ovulation
• Potential boost for IVF success
• Alzheimer's damage occurs early
• A shot of young stem cells made rapidly aging mice live much longer and healthier
• Changes seen in cerebrospinal fluid levels before onset of Alzheimer's disease
• Schizophrenia diagnosis associated with progressive brain changes among adolescents
• Hepatitis C virus hijacks liver microRNA
• Members of small monkey groups more likely to fight for their group

New clues to human deafness found in mice Posted: 03 Jan 2012 03:52 PM PST Researchers have identified a gene that is required for proper development of the mouse inner ear. In humans, this gene, known as FGF20, is located in a portion of the genome that has been associated with inherited deafness in otherwise healthy families.

'Lost world' discovered around Antarctic vents Posted: 03 Jan 2012 03:52 PM PST Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries include new species of yeti crab, starfish, barnacles, sea anemones, and potentially an octopus.

When overeating, calories, not protein, contribute to increase in body fat Posted: 03 Jan 2012 01:50 PM PST In a study conducted among 25 healthy individuals living in a controlled setting who were randomized to overconsumption of different levels of protein diets, those consuming the low-protein diet had less weight gain compared to those consuming normal and high protein diets, and calories alone, and not protein appeared to contribute to an increase in body fat, according to a new study.

Autism may be linked to abnormal immune system characteristics and novel protein fragment Posted: 03 Jan 2012 12:07 PM PST Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), according to new research. The study, conducted with mouse models of autism, suggests that elevated levels of an APP fragment circulating in the blood could explain the aberrations in immune cell populations and function -- both observed in some autism patients.

Researchers create a healthier cigarette Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:56 AM PST From a health care perspective, the best cigarette is no cigarette, but for the millions of people who try to quit smoking every year, researchers may have found a way to make cigarette smoking less toxic.

Bat brains parse sounds for multitasking Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:55 AM PST Imagine listening to music while carrying on a conversation with friends. This type of multi-tasking is fairly easy to do, right? That's because our brains efficiently and effectively separate the auditory signals – music to the right side; Conversation to the left. But what researchers have not been able to do in humans or animals is to see a parsing of duties at the single neuron level – until now.

Novel compound to halt virus replication identified Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:55 AM PST Researchers have identified a novel compound to halt virus replication. The findings could lead to the development of highly targeted compounds to block the replication of poxviruses, such as the emerging infectious disease monkeypox.

Anti-sense might make sense for treating liver cancer Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST A new study shows that it is possible to selectively target and block a particular microRNA that is important in liver cancer. The findings might offer a new therapy for this malignancy, which kills an estimated 549,000 people worldwide annually. The study focused on miR-221, which is consistently present at abnormally high levels in human liver cancer. The treatment significantly prolonged survival in an animal model and promoted the activity of important tumor-suppressor genes.

Smaller sibling protein calls the shots in cell division Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST Scientists have found at least one instance when the smaller sibling gets to call the shots and cancer patients may one day benefit.

Boy or girl? Simple blood test in the first trimester predicts fetal gender Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST New findings could lead to a non-invasive test allowing expecting mothers to learn the sex of their baby as early as the first trimester. Specifically, researchers discovered that various ratios of two enzymes (DYS14/GAPDH), which can be extracted from a pregnant mother's blood, indicate if the baby will be a boy or a girl. Such a test would be the first of its kind.

Females may be more susceptible to infection during ovulation Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:53 AM PST A woman's ovarian cycle plays a role in susceptibility to infection, according to new research. Specifically, researchers found women are most susceptible to infection, such as Candida albicans or other sexually transmitted diseases, during ovulation than at any other time during the reproductive cycle. This natural "dip" in immunity may be to allow spermatozoa to survive the threat of an immune response so it may fertilize an egg successfully.

Potential boost for IVF success Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:51 AM PST A new technique has already been successfully used in mice to identify embryos likely to result in a successful pregnancy. A new study suggests the same technique could be used in humans, potentially boosting IVF success rates and helping to reduce the number of multiple births.

Alzheimer's damage occurs early Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:51 AM PST The first changes in the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease can be observed as much as ten years in advance – ten years before the person in question has become so ill that he or she can be diagnosed with the disease.

A shot of young stem cells made rapidly aging mice live much longer and healthier Posted: 03 Jan 2012 10:51 AM PST Mice bred to age too quickly seemed to have sipped from the fountain of youth after scientists injected them with stem cell-like progenitor cells derived from the muscle of young, healthy animals. Instead of becoming infirm and dying early as untreated mice did, animals that got the stem/progenitor cells improved their health and lived two to three times longer than expected.

Changes seen in cerebrospinal fluid levels before onset of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:08 PM PST Cerebrospinal fluid levels of A²42 appear to be decreased at least five to 10 years before some patients with mild cognitive impairment develop Alzheimer disease dementia whereas other spinal fluid levels seem to be later markers of disease, according to a new report.

Schizophrenia diagnosis associated with progressive brain changes among adolescents Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:08 PM PST Adolescents diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses appear to show greater decreases in gray matter volume and increases in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe compared to healthy adolescents without a diagnosis of psychosis, according to a new report.

Hepatitis C virus hijacks liver microRNA Posted: 02 Jan 2012 03:08 PM PST Scientists have now shown for the first time how a small RNA molecule that regulates gene expression in human liver cells has been hijacked by the hepatitis C virus to ensure its own survival -- helping medical scientists understand why a new antiviral drug appears to be effective against the virus.

Members of small monkey groups more likely to fight for their group Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:07 PM PST Small monkey groups may win territorial disputes against larger groups because some members of larger, invading groups avoid aggressive encounters. Scientists show that individual monkeys that don't participate in conflicts prevent large groups from achieving their competitive potential.

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