ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• How mitochondrial DNA defects cause inherited deafness
• Military service, even without combat, can change personality and make vets less agreeable, research suggests
• Nano-technology uses virus' coats to fool cancer cell
• Heat energy used to fix odd heart beat
• Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism
• Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health, researchers warn
• DNA nanorobot triggers targeted therapeutic responses
• Synthetic protein amplifies genes needed for stem cells
• Nanosurgery and the fight against cancer
• Cell signaling discovery provides new hope for blood disorders
• Fruit flies use alcohol as a drug to kill parasites
• Secret of sperm quality control revealed
• Circadian clock governs highs and lows of immune response
• Sex differences in infant care trump gender-neutral ideology
• Organic food sweetener may be a hidden source of dietary arsenic
• New mouse reference library should speed gene discoveries
• Brain rehearsal time ensures lasting memory performance

How mitochondrial DNA defects cause inherited deafness Posted: 17 Feb 2012 08:56 AM PST Scientists have discovered the molecular pathway by which maternally inherited deafness appears to occur: Mitochondrial DNA mutations trigger a signaling cascade, resulting in programmed cell death.

Military service, even without combat, can change personality and make vets less agreeable, research suggests Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:19 AM PST It's no secret that battlefield trauma can leave veterans with deep emotional scars that impact their ability to function in civilian life. But new research suggests that military service, even without combat, has a subtle lingering effect on a man's personality, making it potentially more difficult for veterans to get along with friends, family and co-workers.

Nano-technology uses virus' coats to fool cancer cell Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:17 AM PST While there have been major advances in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tumors within the brain, brain cancer continues to have a very low survival rate in part to high levels of resistance to treatment. New research has used Sendai virus to transport Quantum Dots (Qdots) into brain cancer cells and to specifically bind Qdots to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) which is often over-expressed and up-regulated in tumors.

Heat energy used to fix odd heart beat Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST Some hospitals are now offering patients with atrial fibrillation the breakthrough benefits of heat energy, or radio frequency waves, to irreversibly alter heart tissue that triggers an abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia.

Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST A new study has found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism. The study also suggests that autism does not appear suddenly in young children, but instead develops over time during infancy, raising the possibility that scientists may be able to interrupt that process with targeted intervention.

Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health, researchers warn Posted: 16 Feb 2012 03:54 PM PST Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new study warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.

DNA nanorobot triggers targeted therapeutic responses Posted: 16 Feb 2012 11:42 AM PST A new robotic device made from DNA could potentially seek out specific cell targets and deliver important molecular instructions, such as telling cancer cells to self-destruct. Inspired by the mechanics of the body's own immune system, the technology represents a major breakthrough in the field of nanobiotechnology and might one day be used to program immune responses to treat various diseases.

Synthetic protein amplifies genes needed for stem cells Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:39 AM PST Scientists have found a way to generate and maintain stem cells much more efficiently by amplifying the effect of an essential protein. Researchers have created synthetic versions of a protein, which manipulates adult cells – such as skin cells – so that they can subsequently revert to an earlier, embryonic like state. These reverted cells have the potential to become any cell in the body.

Nanosurgery and the fight against cancer Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:39 AM PST Researchers have succeeded in changing the genetic material of cancer cells using a brand-new transfection method. This breakthrough in nanosurgery opens the door to new medical applications, among others for the treatment of cancers.

Cell signaling discovery provides new hope for blood disorders Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:39 AM PST Scientists have revealed new details about how cell signaling is controlled in the immune system, identifying in the process potential new therapeutic targets for treating severe blood disorders.

Fruit flies use alcohol as a drug to kill parasites Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Fruit flies infected with a blood-borne parasite consume alcohol to self-medicate, a behavior that greatly increases their survival rate, a new study finds. The researchers say the results are the first to show that alcohol consumption can have a protective effect against infectious disease, and in particular against blood-borne parasites. The data raises an important question: Could other organisms, perhaps even humans, control blood-borne parasites through high doses of alcohol?

Secret of sperm quality control revealed Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Researchers have discovered how the "guardian of the genome'' oversees quality control in the production of sperm -- and perhaps in many other cells as well.

Circadian clock governs highs and lows of immune response Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST It's been said that timing is everything, and that may be particularly true when it comes to the ability to fight off disease. New research shows that the success of host immune defense depends in part on an organism's "body clock." The study may lead to therapeutic strategies designed to optimize the immune response and to protect patients at the time when they are most vulnerable.

Sex differences in infant care trump gender-neutral ideology Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:32 AM PST Among college professors who take paid post-birth leave and who believe infant care duties should be shared equally by both sexes, the women almost always do more than half of the infant care, and report enjoying it more than men, which is likely rooted in evolutionary differences between the sexes.

Organic food sweetener may be a hidden source of dietary arsenic Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:49 AM PST As people seek healthier dietary regimens they often turn to things labeled "organic." Lurking in the background, however, is an ingredient that may be a hidden source of arsenic -- an element known to be both toxic and potentially carcinogenic. Organic brown rice syrup has become a preferred alternative to using high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in food. Unfortunately, organic brown rice syrup is not without its faults. Researchers have previously called attention to the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice, and organic brown rice syrup may be the latest culprit on the scene.

New mouse reference library should speed gene discoveries Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:46 AM PST Genetic information provided by a large group of specially-designed mice could pave the way to faster human health discoveries and transform the ways people battle and prevent disease.

Brain rehearsal time ensures lasting memory performance Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:55 PM PST Researchers have established that the ability of the brain to rehearse or repeat electrical impulses may be absolutely critical in order to make a newly acquired memory more permanent.

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