ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Neuroscientists identify how the brain works to select what we (want to) see
• Cocaine and the teen brain: New insights into addiction
• Stronger intestinal barrier may prevent cancer in the rest of the body, new study suggests
• How good cholesterol turns bad
• Anticipation of stressful situations accelerates cellular aging
• Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack
• Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered
• Many young people don't know what constitutes sensible alcohol consumption
• Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome, researchers say
• Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic?
• Step forward in effort to regenerate damaged nerves
• Does depression contribute to the aging process?
• Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene
• Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels
• Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and livestock
• Implantable, wireless sensors share secrets of healing tissues
• New combo of chemo and well-known malaria drug delivers double punch to tumors

Neuroscientists identify how the brain works to select what we (want to) see Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:26 PM PST If you are looking for a particular object -- say a yellow pencil -- on a cluttered desk, how does your brain work to visually locate it? For the first time, neuroscientists have identified how different neural regions communicate to determine what to visually pay attention to and what to ignore. This finding is a major discovery for visual cognition and will guide future research into visual and attention deficit disorders.

Cocaine and the teen brain: New insights into addiction Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:26 PM PST When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug's effects, scientists have found. Now two new studies identify key genes that regulate this response and show that interfering with this reaction dramatically increases a mouse's sensitivity to cocaine.

Stronger intestinal barrier may prevent cancer in the rest of the body, new study suggests Posted: 21 Feb 2012 06:23 PM PST Researchers have found that silencing a hormone receptor weakens the intestinal barrier, making the body more susceptible to cancer.

How good cholesterol turns bad Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:59 PM PST Researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins (LDLs). These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective next generation CETP inhibitors that could help prevent the development of heart disease.

Anticipation of stressful situations accelerates cellular aging Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:58 PM PST The ability to anticipate future events allows us to plan and exert control over our lives, but it may also contribute to stress-related increased risk for the diseases of aging, according to a new study.

Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:57 PM PST Researchers have developed a new injectable hydrogel that could be an effective and safe treatment for tissue damage caused by heart attacks.

Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered Posted: 21 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST Researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing "thermostat" protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. The researchers have shown that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it's controlled. Without the modification, cells use stored energy, and with it, they default to stockpiling resources. When cells don't properly allocate their energy supply, they can die off or become cancerous.

Many young people don't know what constitutes sensible alcohol consumption Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:52 AM PST A new study reveals that young people do not possess the knowledge or skills required to adhere to U.S. government guidelines for responsible alcohol consumption.

Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome, researchers say Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:51 AM PST Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome. The new approach is more scalable than other recently developed genetic screening tests and has the potential to reduce unnecessary amniocentesis or CVS.

Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:50 AM PST Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories? Researchers reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain. In 31 "isocaloric" trials they reviewed, participants ate a similar number of calories, but one group ate pure fructose and the other ate non-fructose carbohydrates. The fructose group did not gain weight.

Step forward in effort to regenerate damaged nerves Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:50 AM PST Scientists have taken a step forward toward the goal of repairing nerves in such patients more effectively. In a new study, researchers report that a surprising set of cells may hold potential for nerve transplants.

Does depression contribute to the aging process? Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Stress has numerous detrimental effects on the human body. Many of these effects are acutely felt by the sufferer, but many more go "unseen," one of which is shortening of telomere length.

Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene.

Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:48 AM PST Scientists have shed light on how vertebrates evolved closed circulation systems designed to more effectively carry blood to organs and tissues.

Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and livestock Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST A strain of the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium known as MRSA has jumped from livestock to humans, according to a new study.

Implantable, wireless sensors share secrets of healing tissues Posted: 21 Feb 2012 09:47 AM PST A new implantable sensor can wirelessly transmit data from the site of a recent orthopedic surgery. Inexpensive to make and highly reliable, this new sensor holds the promise of more accurate, more cost-effective, and less invasive post-surgery monitoring and diagnosis.

New combo of chemo and well-known malaria drug delivers double punch to tumors Posted: 19 Feb 2012 10:53 AM PST Blocking autophagy -- the process of "self-eating" within cells -- is turning out to be a viable way to enhance the effectiveness of a wide variety of cancer treatments. Specifically, blocking the action of an acidic inner cell part, which acts like a stomach and chews up proteins for recycling, is the main attack strategy.

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