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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a new way of making animal models for a broad class of human genetic diseases -- those with pathology caused by errors in the splicing of RNA messages copied from genes. The new modeling approach can provide unique insights into how certain diseases progress and is likely to boost efforts to develop novel treatments. It was tested successfully in mouse analogs of human spinal muscular atrophy.

Meditation reduces loneliness

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:36 PM PDT

Researchers now report that a simple meditation program lasting just eight weeks reduced loneliness in older adults. Further, knowing that loneliness is associated with an increase in the activity of inflammation-related genes that can promote many different diseases, the researchers report this same form of meditation significantly reduced expression of inflammatory genes.

Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT

How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. This network, or vessel vasculature, in the human brain consists of a complex branching network of blood vessels, in total some several hundred miles in length. Abnormalities can lead to various neurological disorders, including strokes, learning difficulties and neurodegeneration.

Blood type may influence heart disease risk

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:34 PM PDT

People with blood type A, B, or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared to those with blood type O, according to new research.

Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT

Compounds in cocoa may help to reduce blood pressure, according to a new systematic review. The researchers reviewed evidence from short-term trials in which participants were given dark chocolate or cocoa powder daily and found that their blood pressure dropped slightly compared to a control group.

Online obesity treatment programmes show promise

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT

Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight.

An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT

For the first time, researchers decipher the retina's neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness.

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT

Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown.

Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT

A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term.

Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT

Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body.

Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 06:32 PM PDT

In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:49 AM PDT

Strawberry-shaped birthmarks called infantile hemangiomas grow rapidly in infants much earlier than previously thought, researchers have found. Their study suggests that babies with complication-causing hemangiomas should be immediately referred to dermatologists for further evaluation.

Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 10:52 AM PDT

Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to deliver infants who are large for their gestational age at delivery, regardless of whether they develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, according to a new study.

Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:10 AM PDT

Researchers have now shown that implanted cells' therapeutic properties depend on their shape, which is determined by the type of scaffold on which they are grown. The work could allow scientists to develop even more effective implants and also target many other diseases, including cancer.

Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT

Researchers are reporting promising results from laboratory and animal experiments involving a new combination therapy for multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer.

Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:09 AM PDT

A researcher says that cancer scientists should look to cyber-warfare tactics to fight the body's deadly enemy.

Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 08:07 AM PDT

Researchers have built pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells, surrounded by a three-dimensional network of blood vessels. When they transplanted the tissue into diabetic mice, the cells began functioning well enough to lower blood sugar levels in the mice. The engineered tissue could pave the way for improved tissue transplants to treat diabetes.

Feedback can have a negative impact on performance

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:03 AM PDT

When people receive feedback during complex decision-making tasks, their performance gets worse according to a new study.

Vaccine for heart disease? New discovery points to possibility

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT

Researchers have identified the specific type of immune cells that orchestrate the inflammatory attack on the artery wall, which is a major contributor to plaque buildup in heart disease. Further, researchers discovered that these immune cells are launching their attack in response to normal proteins that the body mistakes as being foreign, an autoimmune type response that points up the possibility of developing a tolerogenic vaccine for heart disease.

How cancer cells 'hijack' a mechanism to grow

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered a mechanism that explains how some cancer cells "hijack" a biological process to potentially activate cell growth and the survival of cancer gene expression.

Scientists uncover strategy able to dramatically reduce chemotherapy’s side effects

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT

Researchers have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective. They also demonstrated for the first time that this strategy would reduce the harmful side effects of chemotherapy on healthy organs.

Tongue pacemaker for snoring successfully implanted

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:02 AM PDT

The first tongue pacemaker was implanted Europe-wide that prevents pauses in breathing during sleep and helps protect against snoring. Physicians used the device for a patient who suffers from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In this, at times life-threatening illness, pauses in breathing can occur when the upper throat muscles are excessively relaxed during sleep. As a result, parts of the respiratory tract narrow and the person has difficulty breathing. The typical snoring noises occur when the affected person tries with great effort to get air through the blocked airways.

Girls with ADHD at risk for self-injury, suicide attempts as young adults

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 07:01 AM PDT

Girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely to attempt suicide or injure themselves as young adults than girls who do not have ADHD, according to new research.

Gene variants that increase risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome identified

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 05:55 AM PDT

Two new articles may help identify gene variants that contribute to the risks of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder or Tourette syndrome. Both studies are the first genome-wide association studies in the largest groups of individuals affected by the conditions.

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