ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Immune System: How memory B cells stay 'in class' to fight different infections
• Not all tumor cells are equal: Huge genetic diversity found in cells shed by tumors
• Increased bodyweight after stopping smoking may be due to changes in insulin secretion
• Eating fast increases diabetes risk
• Peak risk about 16 years old for teens misusing prescription drugs
• Exercise slows muscle wasting from age and heart failure
• Gene that leads to severe weight gain with antipsychotic treatment discovered
• Deep brain stimulation may hold promise for mild Alzheimer's disease
• Greater purpose in life may protect against harmful changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease
• Maternal perceptions of toddler body size often wrong
• Midlife and Late-Life Depressive Symptoms Associated with Dementia
• Heart attack survivors living close to highways face higher 10-year death risk
• Clusters of cooperating tumor-suppressor genes are found in large regions deleted in common cancers
• Biodiversity loss may cause increase in allergies and asthma
• BPA effects seen in monkey mammary glands
• Delayed female sexual maturity linked to longer lifespan in mice
• Defective carnitine metabolism may play role in autism
• Anthropologist finds explanation for hominin brain evolution in famous fossils
• Protein may represent a switch to turn off B cell lymphoma
• Screening for breast cancer without X-rays: Lasers and sound merge in promising diagnostic technique
• Keeping obesity rates level could save nearly $550 billion over 2 decades
• Oral zinc may lessen common cold symptoms but adverse effects are common
• Biomarkers can reveal irritable bowel syndrome
• Allergies: Gut flora affects maturation of B cells in infants
• New eye imaging techniques are on the horizon
• Early elevated hiv infection risk in some step study participants who received vaccine; risk decreased over time
• Sunscreen ingredient may increase skin cancer risk
• New type of cell with a key role in treatment-resistant asthma
• Happiness model could help people go from good to great
• Overweight? New research explains how proper sleep is important for healthy weight
• Kids with cerebral palsy may benefit from video game play
• Diabetes improved regardless of surgical procedure
• Diabetes shrinks elderly brain
• Half of patients affected by drug-related morbidity, study suggests
• Multiple thought channels may help brain avoid traffic jams
• Liver fat gets a wake-up call that maintains blood sugar levels
• Turning 'bad' fat into good: A new candidate pathway for treating visceral obesity

Immune System: How memory B cells stay 'in class' to fight different infections Posted: 07 May 2012 06:01 PM PDT Scientists have made an important discovery about the internal programming of B cells, the immune cells that make antibodies against infections.

Not all tumor cells are equal: Huge genetic diversity found in cells shed by tumors Posted: 07 May 2012 06:01 PM PDT The cells that slough off from a cancerous tumor into the bloodstream are genetically diverse, researchers have found. Even within one patient, the tumor cells that make it into circulating blood vary drastically. The finding underscores how multiple types of treatment may be required to cure what appears outwardly as a single type of cancer. And it hints that current cell-line models of human cancers need to be improved.

Increased bodyweight after stopping smoking may be due to changes in insulin secretion Posted: 07 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Fear of putting on weight is one of the major reasons why smokers do not give up their habit. The reasons for this weight gain are believed to be in part due to metabolic changes in the body, but until now precise details of these changes were not known. New work had shown that changes in insulin secretion could be related to weight gain after smoking cessation.

Eating fast increases diabetes risk Posted: 07 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT People who wolf down their food are two and a half times more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who take their time according to new research.

Peak risk about 16 years old for teens misusing prescription drugs Posted: 07 May 2012 01:55 PM PDT The peak risk for misusing prescription pain relievers occurs in mid-adolescence, specifically about 16 years old and earlier than many experts thought, according to a new study. The results, based on recent nationwide surveys of nearly 120,000 US adolescents, suggest prevention programs may need to be introduced earlier, in childhood and early adolescence.

Exercise slows muscle wasting from age and heart failure Posted: 07 May 2012 01:53 PM PDT A four-week exercise program for heart-failure patients slowed muscle-wasting and improved their exercise capacity, regardless of age, according to new research. The study confirms that exercise can reduce inflammation in skeletal muscle. Findings offer a possible avenue for future drug therapy to treat muscle-wasting in heart failure patients.

Gene that leads to severe weight gain with antipsychotic treatment discovered Posted: 07 May 2012 01:46 PM PDT Antipsychotic medications are increasingly prescribed in the US, but they can cause serious side effects including rapid weight gain, especially in children.

Deep brain stimulation may hold promise for mild Alzheimer's disease Posted: 07 May 2012 01:43 PM PDT A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure.

Greater purpose in life may protect against harmful changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 07 May 2012 01:43 PM PDT Greater purpose in life may help stave off the harmful effects of plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

Maternal perceptions of toddler body size often wrong Posted: 07 May 2012 01:42 PM PDT A study of mothers and their toddlers suggests that mothers of overweight toddlers often had inaccurate perceptions of their child's body size, according to a new report.

Midlife and Late-Life Depressive Symptoms Associated with Dementia Posted: 07 May 2012 01:42 PM PDT Depressive symptoms that are present in midlife or in late life are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new report.

Heart attack survivors living close to highways face higher 10-year death risk Posted: 07 May 2012 01:42 PM PDT Living close to a major highway poses a significant risk to heart attack survivors, reinforcing the need to isolate housing developments from heavy traffic areas, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study concludes.

Clusters of cooperating tumor-suppressor genes are found in large regions deleted in common cancers Posted: 07 May 2012 12:41 PM PDT Scientists have amassed evidence implying that commonly occurring large chromosomal deletions seen in many cancer types contain areas harboring multiple functionally linked genes whose loss, they posit, confers a survival advantage on growing tumors.

Biodiversity loss may cause increase in allergies and asthma Posted: 07 May 2012 12:41 PM PDT Declining biodiversity may be contributing to the rise of asthma, allergies, and other chronic inflammatory diseases among people living in cities worldwide, a Finnish study suggests.

BPA effects seen in monkey mammary glands Posted: 07 May 2012 12:41 PM PDT A new study finds that fetal exposure to the plastic additive bisphenol A, or BPA, alters mammary gland development in primates. The finding adds to the evidence that the chemical can be causing health problems in humans and bolsters concerns about it contributing to breast cancer.

Delayed female sexual maturity linked to longer lifespan in mice Posted: 07 May 2012 12:41 PM PDT Female mice from strains with lower IGF1 levels reach sexual maturity at a significantly later age. Combined with previous research showing that mouse strains with lower circulating levels of IGF1 live longer, the findings suggest a genetically regulated tradeoff: delayed reproduction but longer life.

Defective carnitine metabolism may play role in autism Posted: 07 May 2012 12:41 PM PDT The deletion of part of a gene that plays a role in the synthesis of carnitine – an amino acid derivative that helps the body use fat for energy – may play a role in milder forms of autism, said a group of researchers.

Anthropologist finds explanation for hominin brain evolution in famous fossils Posted: 07 May 2012 12:40 PM PDT One of the world's most important fossils has a story to tell about the brain evolution of modern humans and their ancestors, according to new research. The Taung fossil -- the first australopithecine ever discovered -- has two significant features that were analyzed by anthropological researchers. Their findings suggest brain evolution was a result of a complex set of interrelated dynamics in childbirth among new bipeds.

Protein may represent a switch to turn off B cell lymphoma Posted: 07 May 2012 12:11 PM PDT Researchers studying molecular signals that drive B cell lymphoma have found a key biological pathway leading to this type of cancer. The finding may help to break so-called "oncogene addiction" in treating this cancer.

Screening for breast cancer without X-rays: Lasers and sound merge in promising diagnostic technique Posted: 07 May 2012 11:13 AM PDT In the first phase of clinical testing of a new imaging device, researchers in the Netherlands used photoacoustics rather than ionizing radiation to detect and visualize breast tumors. The team's preliminary results, which were conducted on 12 patients with diagnosed malignancies, have just been published.

Keeping obesity rates level could save nearly $550 billion over 2 decades Posted: 07 May 2012 11:12 AM PDT Researchers have forecast the cost savings and rise in obesity prevalence over the next two decades in a new public health study. The forecasting study found that 42 percent of the US population could be obese by 2030.

Oral zinc may lessen common cold symptoms but adverse effects are common Posted: 07 May 2012 11:12 AM PDT Oral zinc treatments may shorten the duration of symptoms of the common cold in adults, although adverse effects are common, according to a new study.

Biomarkers can reveal irritable bowel syndrome Posted: 07 May 2012 11:11 AM PDT Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is hard to diagnose as well as treat, but researchers have now discovered a way of confirming the disorder using stool samples.

Allergies: Gut flora affects maturation of B cells in infants Posted: 07 May 2012 11:11 AM PDT Infants whose gut is colonised by E. coli bacteria early in life have a higher number of memory B cells in their blood, reveals a new study of infants.

New eye imaging techniques are on the horizon Posted: 07 May 2012 10:20 AM PDT The same technology used by astronomers to obtain clear views of distant stars is now being used by optometrists to perform incredibly detailed examinations of the living eye.

Early elevated hiv infection risk in some step study participants who received vaccine; risk decreased over time Posted: 07 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT A long-term follow-up analysis of participants in the Step Study, an international HIV-vaccine trial, has confirmed that certain subgroups of male study participants were at higher risk of becoming infected after receiving the experimental vaccine compared to those who received a placebo. The vaccine used in the study did not contain the HIV virus, but it did contain HIV genes which were delivered to cells using a vector that employed a type of cold virus known as adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5).

Sunscreen ingredient may increase skin cancer risk Posted: 07 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT As vacationers prepare to spend time outdoors this summer, many of them will pack plenty of sunscreen in hopes it will protect their bodies from overexposure, and possibly from skin cancer. But researchers are discovering that sunscreen may not be so safe after all.

New type of cell with a key role in treatment-resistant asthma Posted: 07 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT New research may help explain what's going on in the lungs of people with treatment-resistant asthma -- and aid the development of new treatment options and better ways to identify people at risk.

Happiness model could help people go from good to great Posted: 07 May 2012 08:37 AM PDT The sayings "variety is the spice of life" and "happiness isn't getting what you want, but wanting what you get" seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by a psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way.

Overweight? New research explains how proper sleep is important for healthy weight Posted: 07 May 2012 08:37 AM PDT A new report shows that counting calories to lose weight is only part of the equation. Scientists show that impairments to a gene responsible for our internal body clocks, called "Rev-Erb alpha," leads to excessive weight gain and related health problems. This research provides insights into the importance of proper alignment between the body's internal timing and natural environmental light cycles to limit excessive weight gain and the problems weight gain causes.

Kids with cerebral palsy may benefit from video game play Posted: 07 May 2012 07:22 AM PDT Like their healthy peers, children with disabilities may spend too much time in front of a video screen. For children with cerebral palsy (CP), this leads to an even greater risk of being overweight or developing health issues such as diabetes or musculoskeletal disorders. A group of scientists has found that video games such as Nintendo's Wii offer an enjoyable opportunity to promote light to moderate physical activity in children with CP, and may have a role to play in rehabilitation therapy.

Diabetes improved regardless of surgical procedure Posted: 07 May 2012 07:22 AM PDT New research reports that no procedure for weight loss surgery is any better at treating diabetes than another. A large ongoing study has shown that improvements to diabetes in patients undergoing such surgery is likely to be due to the degree of weight loss itself rather than the type of procedure.

Diabetes shrinks elderly brain Posted: 07 May 2012 07:22 AM PDT Elderly people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes suffer from an accelerated decline in brain size and mental capacity in as little as two years according to new research.

Half of patients affected by drug-related morbidity, study suggests Posted: 07 May 2012 07:20 AM PDT It is well known that drug-related morbidity is common among hospitalized patients, and is to some extent preventable, but less is known about drug-related morbidity outside hospitals. Two new studies show that healthcare professionals perceive drug-related morbidity to affect half of all patients attending healthcare.

Multiple thought channels may help brain avoid traffic jams Posted: 06 May 2012 01:01 PM PDT Brain networks may avoid traffic jams at their busiest intersections by communicating on different frequencies, researchers have learned.

Liver fat gets a wake-up call that maintains blood sugar levels Posted: 06 May 2012 01:01 PM PDT A research team reports that mice in which an enzyme called histone deacetylase 3 was deleted had massively fatty livers, but lower blood sugar, and were thus protected from glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, the hallmark of diabetes.

Turning 'bad' fat into good: A new candidate pathway for treating visceral obesity Posted: 06 May 2012 01:01 PM PDT Brown seems to be the color of choice when it comes to the types of fat cells in our bodies. Brown fat expends energy, while its counterpart, white fat stores it. Now a team of researchers has essentially made white fat take on characteristics of brown fat. Their findings put medical science a step closer in the race to develop novel anti-obesity therapies.

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