ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Vitamin D tied to women's cognitive performance
• Men and women explore the visual world differently
• In schizophrenia patients, auditory cues sound bigger problems
• Emerging vector-borne diseases create new public health challenges
• Novel studies of gene regulation in brain development may mean new treatment of mental disorders
• Molecular knock-out alleviates Alzheimer's symptoms in mice
• How signal molecules for formation of various cell types are controlled
• C. diff researchers reveal potential target to fight infections
• Breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells
• Repeated knocks to the head leads to newly recognized brain disease
• Prenatal intervention reduces learning deficit in mice
• Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV
• Hospital cleaning protocol ineffective against multidrug-resistant A. Baumannii
• Pathway to bypass DNA lesions in replication process is experimentally shown
• As cigarette taxes go up, heavy smoking goes down
• Could mistletoe give the kiss of death to cancer?
• Obese children more vulnerable to food advertising
• Genome-scale study ID's hundreds of drug targets for Huntington's
• Gene involved in lung tumor growth identified
• Working couples face greater odds of intimate partner violence
• Jigsaw a critical piece of the Notch puzzle
• Molecular root of 'exhausted' t cells in chronic viral infection
• New genetic test detects early breast cancer and identifies future risk
• Enzyme inhibition protects against Huntington's disease damage in two animal models
• Alcoholic fly larvae need fix for learning

Vitamin D tied to women's cognitive performance Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:22 PM PST Two new studies show that vitamin D may be a vital component for the cognitive health of women as they age.

Men and women explore the visual world differently Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:22 PM PST New research has found that men and women see things differently.

In schizophrenia patients, auditory cues sound bigger problems Posted: 30 Nov 2012 07:21 PM PST Researchers have found that deficiencies in the neural processing of simple auditory tones can evolve into a cascade of dysfunctional information processing across wide swaths of the brain in patients with schizophrenia.

Emerging vector-borne diseases create new public health challenges Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:16 PM PST West Nile virus, Lyme disease, dengue fever, and plague are examples of "vector-borne zoonotic diseases," caused by pathogens that naturally infect wildlife and are transmitted to humans by vectors such as mosquitoes or ticks. Land-use change, globalization of trade and travel, and social upheaval are driving the emergence of such diseases in many regions.

Novel studies of gene regulation in brain development may mean new treatment of mental disorders Posted: 30 Nov 2012 12:16 PM PST Researchers have come up with a novel way to describe a time-dependent brain development based on coherent–gene-groups (CGGs) and transcription-factors (TFs) hierarchy. The findings could lead to new drug designs for mental disorders such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia.

Molecular knock-out alleviates Alzheimer's symptoms in mice Posted: 30 Nov 2012 09:16 AM PST Researchers have identified an enzyme as a possible target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The protein known as HDAC6 impairs transport processes within the nerve cells. The scientists observed only mild symptoms of the disease in mice if the enzyme was not produced. They propose to block its activity in a targeted fashion to treat the disease.

How signal molecules for formation of various cell types are controlled Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST The regulation of important signal molecules that are critical for the formation of various cell types can be influenced by a chemically produced variant of indirubin, a natural material used in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers were also able to demonstrate for the first time that these signal molecules in the cell -- regulatory SMAD proteins -- are not only controlled through regulation of their activation but also through the available quantity of signal molecules in the non-activated state.

C. diff researchers reveal potential target to fight infections Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST Researchers have discovered how a common diarrhea-causing bacterium sends the body's natural defenses into overdrive, actually intensifying illness while fighting infection.

Breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST A significant breakthrough in the understanding of embryonic stem cells has been made. New research describes the process whereby genes that are 'on' in embryonic stem cells are switched 'off'. This process is essential in order to convert embryonic stem cells into different cell types such as neurons, blood or heart cells and therefore represents an important breakthrough in the area of regenerative medicine.

Repeated knocks to the head leads to newly recognized brain disease Posted: 30 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST Take a look inside the brains of many soldiers, football players, and boxers, and you'll find shrinking structures and massive, spreading pathology. Scientists now realize the pattern looks different from any known neurodegenerative disease. A fledgling scientific field has sprung up around these findings and is hurrying to identify, study, and prevent this newly described disease.

Prenatal intervention reduces learning deficit in mice Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:52 AM PST Mice with a condition that serves as a laboratory model for Down syndrome perform better on memory and learning tasks as adults if they were treated before birth with neuroprotective peptides, according to researchers.

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:52 AM PST Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV.

Hospital cleaning protocol ineffective against multidrug-resistant A. Baumannii Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:50 AM PST Current hospital cleaning protocol may be inadequate to rid patient rooms of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii.

Pathway to bypass DNA lesions in replication process is experimentally shown Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:50 AM PST DNA lesions are really common —- about one million individual molecular lesions per cell per day -— because its long strands usually have one missing base or are damaged. These lesions can stall the DNA replication process, what can lead to the cell death. To avoid it, there are several pathways to bypass lesions in order to continue with the process of DNA replication. One of these processes has been entirely reproduced in vitro using some techniques of manipulation of single-molecules.

As cigarette taxes go up, heavy smoking goes down Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:47 AM PST When cigarette taxes rise, hard-core smokers are more likely than lighter smokers to cut back, according to new research.

Could mistletoe give the kiss of death to cancer? Posted: 30 Nov 2012 06:47 AM PST Mistletoe has become an important symbol of Christmas, but it also has the potential to play a vital role as an alternative therapy for sufferers of colon cancer.

Obese children more vulnerable to food advertising Posted: 29 Nov 2012 08:26 PM PST Rates of childhood obesity have tripled in the past 30 years, and food marketing has been implicated as one factor contributing to this trend. Every year, companies spend more than $10 billion in the US marketing their food and beverages to children; 98% of the food products advertised to children on television are high in fat, sugar, or sodium. Researchers have now used neuroimaging to study the effects of food logos on obese and healthy weight children.

Genome-scale study ID's hundreds of drug targets for Huntington's Posted: 29 Nov 2012 02:37 PM PST Scientists seeking to develop treatments for Huntington's disease just got a roadmap that could dramatically speed their discovery process. Researchers have used RNAi technology to identify hundreds of "druggable" molecular targets linked to the toxicity associated with HD. The gene RRAS, involved in cell motility and neuronal development, was among the diverse range of modifiers identified. RRAS was revealed as a potent modulator of HD toxicity in multiple HD models.

Gene involved in lung tumor growth identified Posted: 29 Nov 2012 01:21 PM PST Lung cancer researchers have identified a gene that plays a role in the growth and spread of non-small cell lung cancer tumors, opening the door for potential new treatment options.

Working couples face greater odds of intimate partner violence Posted: 29 Nov 2012 12:20 PM PST Intimate partner violence is two times more likely to occur in two income households, compared to those where only one partner works, a recent study found.

Jigsaw a critical piece of the Notch puzzle Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:33 AM PST The Notch signaling pathway helps determine cell fate determination, differentiation and proliferative ability of numerous cells. How it accomplishes these tasks has been a puzzle, but researchers have identified a key piece -- a specific domain within the Notch receptor that is critical for determining the specific ligand to which the receptor binds.

Molecular root of 'exhausted' t cells in chronic viral infection Posted: 29 Nov 2012 11:31 AM PST In the case of such pathogens as hepatitis C, HIV, and malaria, the body and the pathogen essentially fight to a prolonged stalemate, neither able to gain an advantage. Over time, however, the cells become "exhausted" and the immune system can collapse, giving the pathogen the edge. A new study is showing how that happens, suggesting a novel approach that might shift the balance of power in chronic infections.

New genetic test detects early breast cancer and identifies future risk Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:05 AM PST Breast cancer detection has improved, but more work remains to ensure accurate diagnosis, and to assess future risk. Researchers are developing a test of gene action that predicts cancer risk at first diagnosis, and into the future. This research discusses how genetic switches, which are turned on and off in regular cellular development, can be analyzed in minute detail to determine the presence, or risk, of breast cancer growth.

Enzyme inhibition protects against Huntington's disease damage in two animal models Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:05 AM PST Treatment with a novel agent that inhibits the activity of SIRT2, an enzyme that regulates many important cellular functions, reduced neurological damage, slowed the loss of motor function and extended survival in two animal models of Huntington's disease.

Alcoholic fly larvae need fix for learning Posted: 29 Nov 2012 10:04 AM PST Fly larvae fed on alcohol-spiked food for a period of days grow dependent on those spirits for learning. The findings show how overuse of alcohol can produce lasting changes in the brain, even after alcohol abuse stops.

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