ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Adult obesity rates could exceed 60 percent in 13 U.S. states by 2030, according to new study
• Music underlies language acquisition, theorists propose
• Statins are unlikely to prevent blood clots, large analysis finds
• Food supplements have little effect on the weight of malnourished children
• Extreme temperatures may raise risk of premature cardiovascular death
• Nanoparticles detect biochemistry of inflammation
• Compound found in purple corn may aid in developing future treatments for type 2 diabetes, kidney disease
• Erroneous link between prostate cancer and retrovirus from mice confirmed: Contamination of XMRV in cancer tissue sample
• Discovery of reprogramming signature may help overcome barriers to stem cell-based regenerative medicine
• Engineering a better hip implant
• Pacifiers may have emotional consequences for boys
• New research could provide new insights into tuberculosis and other diseases
• Least aggressive form of breast cancer still poses risk for death years later
• Rating HPV biomarkers in head, neck cancers
• Like a spring in a toy car: Catalysis mechanism of cell growth protein Ras clarified
• Lack of sleep affects bone health and bone marrow activity
• Oral bacteria may signal pancreatic cancer risk
• Women speak less when they're outnumbered
• Neurodegenerative diseases: New findings on protein misfolding
• Obesity is major contributor to heart disease, impediment to diagnosis and treatment
• Longer exercise provides added benefit to children's health
• Body fat location may determine type 2 diabetes risk for obese patients
• Disability caused by traumatic brain injury in children may persist and stop improving after two years
• Brain neurons and diet influence onset of obesity and diabetes in mice
• App lets you monitor lung health using only a smartphone
• Early menopause associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, study suggests
• Higher levels of BPA in children and teens significantly associated with obesity
• Alzheimer's breaks brain networks' coordination
• Tasered youth fare as well as adults, study finds
• Chronic fatigue syndrome not linked to suspect viruses; Study puts to rest notion that XMRV or pMLV cause the mysterious ailment
• New gene offers hope for preventive medicine against fractures
• Cancer and chronic disease causes almost half of gradual deaths in Europe
• Millions of Europeans still at risk from high trans fatty acid content in popular foods

Adult obesity rates could exceed 60 percent in 13 U.S. states by 2030, according to new study Posted: 18 Sep 2012 04:09 PM PDT The number of obese adults, along with related disease rates and health care costs, are on course to increase dramatically in every state in the United States over the next 20 years, according to a new report.

Music underlies language acquisition, theorists propose Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:56 PM PDT Contrary to the prevailing theories that music and language are cognitively separate or that music is a byproduct of language, theorists advocate that music underlies the ability to acquire language.

Statins are unlikely to prevent blood clots, large analysis finds Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:56 PM PDT Despite previous studies suggesting the contrary, statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) may not prevent blood clots (venous thrombo-embolism) in adults, according to a large analysis.

Food supplements have little effect on the weight of malnourished children Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:56 PM PDT Providing energy dense food supplements within a general household food distribution has little effect on the weight of children at risk of malnutrition, new research shows.

Extreme temperatures may raise risk of premature cardiovascular death Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:48 PM PDT Extreme temperatures during heat waves and cold spells may increase the risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) death, according to new research.

Nanoparticles detect biochemistry of inflammation Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:48 PM PDT Researchers have developed the first degradable polymer that is extremely sensitive to low but biologically relevant concentrations of hydrogen peroxide.

Compound found in purple corn may aid in developing future treatments for type 2 diabetes, kidney disease Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:47 PM PDT Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most serious complications related to diabetes, often leading to end-stage kidney disease. Purple corn grown in Peru and Chile is a relative of blue corn, which is readily available in the U.S. The maize is rich in anthocyanins (also known as flavonoids), which are reported to have anti-diabetic properties. Scientists investigated the cellular and molecular activity of purple corn anthocyanins (PCA) to determine whether and how it affects the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Their findings suggest that PCA inhibits multiple pathways involved in the development of DN, which may help in developing therapies aimed at type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.

Erroneous link between prostate cancer and retrovirus from mice confirmed: Contamination of XMRV in cancer tissue sample Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:47 PM PDT A once-promising discovery linking prostate cancer to an obscure retrovirus derived from mice was the result of an inadvertent laboratory contamination, a forensic analysis of tissue samples and lab experiments -- some dating back nearly a decade -- has confirmed.

Discovery of reprogramming signature may help overcome barriers to stem cell-based regenerative medicine Posted: 18 Sep 2012 03:47 PM PDT Scientists have identified a unique molecular signature in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), "reprogrammed" cells that show great promise in regenerative medicine thanks to their ability to generate a range of body tissues.

Engineering a better hip implant Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:41 PM PDT Researchers have engineered a better design for hip implants for obese patients. The team learned that thigh size is a reason why hip implants fail, and why it contributes to an increased rate of failure for the morbidly obese.

Pacifiers may have emotional consequences for boys Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:41 PM PDT Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.

New research could provide new insights into tuberculosis and other diseases Posted: 18 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Scientists have developed a method to directly detect bacterial protein secretion, which could provide new insights into a variety of diseases including tuberculosis.

Least aggressive form of breast cancer still poses risk for death years later Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:56 AM PDT Women with the most common and least aggressive subtype of breast cancer were still at risk of death from the disease more than 10 years after diagnosis, according to a new study.

Rating HPV biomarkers in head, neck cancers Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:56 AM PDT A new study of head and neck cancers finds that combinations of biomarkers are better than DNA alone in determining whether the human papillomavirus is involved. That's important because people with HPV-caused cancers are likely to fare much better than people whose cancer came from causes like smoking. Reliably assessing HPV's presence could prevent overtreatment.

Like a spring in a toy car: Catalysis mechanism of cell growth protein Ras clarified Posted: 18 Sep 2012 11:50 AM PDT Proteins accelerate certain chemical reactions in cells by several orders of magnitude. The molecular mechanism by which the Ras protein accelerates the cleavage of the molecule GTP and thus slows cell growth is described by biophysicists. Using a combination of infrared spectroscopy and computer simulations, they showed that Ras puts a phosphate chain under tension to such an extent that a phosphate group can very easily detach -- the brake for cell growth. Mutated Ras is involved in tumor formation, because this reaction slows down and the brake for cell growth fails.

Lack of sleep affects bone health and bone marrow activity Posted: 18 Sep 2012 09:15 AM PDT Scientists specializing in neurology, cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy have discovered abnormalities in bone and bone marrow in rats undergoing chronic lack of sleep. They discovered abnormalities in serum markers of bone metabolism in sleep-deprived rats, which led them to conduct direct measurements of bone parameters; this time in rats experiencing recurrent sleep restriction during a large portion of their young adulthood.

Oral bacteria may signal pancreatic cancer risk Posted: 18 Sep 2012 09:15 AM PDT Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal and difficult to detect early. In a new study, researchers report that people who had high levels of antibodies for an infectious oral bacterium turned out to have double the risk for developing the cancer. High antibody levels for harmless oral bacteria, meanwhile, predicted a reduced pancreatic cancer risk.

Women speak less when they're outnumbered Posted: 18 Sep 2012 09:12 AM PDT Scholars examined whether women speak less than men when a group collaborates to solve a problem. In most groups that they studied, the time that women spoke was significantly less than their proportional representation – amounting to less than 75 percent of the time that men spoke. The disparity vanished when groups followed a unanimous voting rule.

Neurodegenerative diseases: New findings on protein misfolding Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT Misfolded proteins can cause various neurodegenerative diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxias or Huntington's disease, which are characterized by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain. Researchers have now identified 21 proteins that specifically bind to the protein ataxin-1. Twelve of these proteins enhance the misfolding of ataxin-1 and thus promote the formation of harmful protein aggregate structures.

Obesity is major contributor to heart disease, impediment to diagnosis and treatment Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:28 AM PDT Obesity is a major contributor to heart disease that substantially hinders the disease's proper diagnosis and treatment, says a cardiologist researching the impact of obesity and weight loss on the heart. With obese youth as the fastest-growing demographic group, the country's problem is only going to get worse, a preventive cardiologist says.

Longer exercise provides added benefit to children's health Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:28 AM PDT Twenty minutes of daily, vigorous physical activity over just three months can reduce a child's risk of diabetes as well as his total body fat -- including dangerous, deep abdominal fat -- but 40 minutes works even better, researchers report.

Body fat location may determine type 2 diabetes risk for obese patients Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:28 AM PDT Obese individuals with excess visceral fat (abdominal fat that surrounds the body's internal organs) have an increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Disability caused by traumatic brain injury in children may persist and stop improving after two years Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:16 AM PDT A child who suffers a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may still have substantial functional disabilities and reduced quality of life 2 years after the injury. After those first 2 years, further improvement may be minimal.

Brain neurons and diet influence onset of obesity and diabetes in mice Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:16 AM PDT The absence of a specific type of neuron in the brain can lead to obesity and diabetes in mice report researchers. The outcome, however, depends on the type of diet that the animals are fed.

App lets you monitor lung health using only a smartphone Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:13 AM PDT Feeling wheezy? You could call the doctor. Or soon you could use your smartphone to diagnose your lung health, with a new app that uses the frequencies in the breath to determine how much and how fast you can exhale.

Early menopause associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, study suggests Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:13 AM PDT Women who go into early menopause are twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and stroke, new Jresearch suggests. The association holds true in patients from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds, the study found, and is independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, the scientists say.

Higher levels of BPA in children and teens significantly associated with obesity Posted: 18 Sep 2012 08:11 AM PDT Researchers have revealed a significant association between obesity and children and adolescents with higher concentrations of urinary bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical recently banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from sippy cups and baby bottles. Still, the chemical continues to be used in aluminum cans, such as those containing soda.

Alzheimer's breaks brain networks' coordination Posted: 18 Sep 2012 06:08 AM PDT Scientists have taken one of the first detailed looks into how Alzheimer's disease disrupts coordination among several of the brain's networks. The results include some of the earliest assessments of Alzheimer's effects on networks that are active when the brain is at rest.

Tasered youth fare as well as adults, study finds Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:53 AM PDT Adolescents who are tasered by law enforcement officers do not appear to be at higher risk for serious injury than adults, according to new a new study.

Chronic fatigue syndrome not linked to suspect viruses; Study puts to rest notion that XMRV or pMLV cause the mysterious ailment Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:39 AM PDT The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have long eluded scientists. Since investigations by several laboratories have been unable to detect XMRV or pMLV in CFS patients, researchers collaborated on a study to resolve this issue. Findings show no evidence of the xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMRV) or polytropic MLV in samples from the recruited CFS control subjects.

New gene offers hope for preventive medicine against fractures Posted: 18 Sep 2012 05:34 AM PDT An international study has identified a special gene that regulates bone density and bone strength. The gene can be used as a risk marker for fractures and opens up opportunities for preventive medicine against fractures.

Cancer and chronic disease causes almost half of gradual deaths in Europe Posted: 17 Sep 2012 05:28 PM PDT Cancer and chronic disease account for almost half of gradual deaths in European Union countries, suggests new research.

Millions of Europeans still at risk from high trans fatty acid content in popular foods Posted: 17 Sep 2012 05:28 PM PDT The heart health of millions of Europeans is still at risk because of the persistently high trans fatty acid content of certain fast and convenience foods, indicates new research.

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