ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Mass spectrometry makes the clinical grade
• Mathematics or memory? Study charts collision course in brain
• Molecular signature of hantavirus infection in humans decoded
• Late motherhood: A selfish choice?
• Newly identified stem cell population in skin's epidermis responsible for tissue repair
• Broader approach provides new insight into diabetes genes
• A promising start for new anticancer drug
• High levels of DDT in breast milk in mothers living in malaria-stricken villages in South Africa
• 'Triple-threat' approach reduces life-threatening central line infections in children with cancer
• Obesity and metabolic syndrome associated with impaired brain function in adolescents
• Simple CT scan can predict worsening COPD, study suggests
• Children taking steroids for asthma are slightly shorter than peers, study finds
• Coconut oil could combat tooth decay

Mass spectrometry makes the clinical grade Posted: 03 Sep 2012 12:40 PM PDT A new mass spectrometry-based test identifies proteins from blood with as much accuracy and sensitivity as the antibody-based tests used clinically, researchers report. The head-to-head comparison using blood samples from cancer patients measured biomarkers, proteins whose presence identifies a disease or condition. The technique should be able to speed up development of protein-specific diagnostic tests and treatment.

Mathematics or memory? Study charts collision course in brain Posted: 03 Sep 2012 12:40 PM PDT You already know it's hard to balance your checkbook while simultaneously reflecting on your past. Now, researchers -- having done the equivalent of wire-tapping a hard-to-reach region of the brain -- can tell us how this impasse arises.

Molecular signature of hantavirus infection in humans decoded Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:30 AM PDT Scientists have succeeded in clarifying the molecular signature of the viruses that lead to an increasing size and number of hantavirus outbreaks in Germany.

Late motherhood: A selfish choice? Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:30 AM PDT When women give birth in their late thirties or in their forties, it is not necessarily the result of a lifestyle choice – putting off motherhood for career reasons or from a desire to "have it all".  Nor should they be accused of selfishness or taking undue health risks.

Newly identified stem cell population in skin's epidermis responsible for tissue repair Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new stem cell population in the skin epidermis responsible for tissue repair. The skin, which is an essential barrier that protects our body against the external environment, undergoes constant turnover throughout life to replace dead cells that are constantly sloughed off from the skin surface. During adult life, the number of cells produced must exactly compensate the number of cells lost. Different theories have been proposed to explain how this delicate balance is achieved. In a new study, researchers demonstrate the existence of a new population of stem cells that give rise to progenitor cells that ensure the daily maintenance of the epidermis and demonstrate the major contribution of epidermal stem cells during wound healing.

Broader approach provides new insight into diabetes genes Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT Using a new method, diabetes researchers have been able to reveal more of the genetic complexity behind type 2 diabetes. The new research findings have been achieved as a result of access to human insulin-producing cells from deceased donors and by not only studying one gene variant, but many genes and how they influence the level of the gene in pancreatic islets and their effect on insulin secretion and glucose control of the donor.

A promising start for new anticancer drug Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT Spanish researchers have developed on a nanometric scale a new drug that combines photothermia and chemotherapy to help fight cancer.

High levels of DDT in breast milk in mothers living in malaria-stricken villages in South Africa Posted: 03 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT The highest levels ever of DDT in breast milk have been measured in mothers living in malaria-stricken villages in South Africa. The values lie well over the limits set by the World Health Organization. DDT has been used for many years in South Africa, sprayed indoors to fight malaria.

'Triple-threat' approach reduces life-threatening central line infections in children with cancer Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:36 AM PDT Hospitals can dramatically reduce the number of life-threatening central line infections in pediatric cancer patients by following a set of basic precautions, by encouraging families to speak up when they observe noncompliance with the protocol and by honest analysis of the root cause behind every single infection, according to a new study.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome associated with impaired brain function in adolescents Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:36 AM PDT A new study reveals for the first time that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents and calls for pediatricians to take this into account when considering the early treatment of childhood obesity.

Simple CT scan can predict worsening COPD, study suggests Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:36 AM PDT The respective size of the pulmonary artery compared to the aorta, visible on a CT scan, is a strong predictor of the risk of exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new research from UAB. The research team says that an increase in the size of the pulmonary artery relative to the size of the aorta is a valid indicator that a patient with COPD is at risk for exacerbating their disease. These exacerbations of COPD are associated with accelerated loss of lung function, worsened quality of life and increased risk of death.

Children taking steroids for asthma are slightly shorter than peers, study finds Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:36 AM PDT Children who use inhaled steroid drugs for asthma end up slightly shorter at their full adult height than children who don't use the drugs, new results from a comprehensive asthma study show.

Coconut oil could combat tooth decay Posted: 02 Sep 2012 07:24 PM PDT Digested coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. It is a natural antibiotic that could be incorporated into commercial dental care products, say scientists.

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