ScienceDaily: Top Health News

---

• We're all living longer, but longevity increases not benefiting everybody
• In decision-making, it might be worth trusting your gut
• Flesh-eating fungus responsible for five deaths in wake of massive tornado
• Research explores how children reason, think about others
• Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid use may impact visuospatial memory
• Drug to treat opioid addiction places children at risk for accidental exposure
• What mechanism generates our fingers and toes? Genetic studies confirm a mathematical model
• New findings on killer bacteria’s defence
• Medical errors in hospitals: Doing the right thing when things go wrong
• New targets for drugs to defeat aggressive brain tumor
• Schizophrenia linked to social inequality
• Antidepressant could do double duty as diabetes drug, study shows
• Countering brain chemical could prevent suicides, research suggests
• Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease
• Changes in the gut bacteria protect against stroke, research finds
• The end of a dogma: Bipolar cells generate action potentials
• Intense mind wandering could account for 'substantial proportion' of road crashes
• Dogs can accurately sniff out 'superbug' infections
• Despite hype, costly prostate cancer treatment offers little relief from side effects, study finds

We're all living longer, but longevity increases not benefiting everybody Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:15 PM PST Global lifespans have risen dramatically in the past 40 years, but the increased life expectancy is not benefiting everybody equally. In particular, adult males from low- and middle-income countries are losing ground.

In decision-making, it might be worth trusting your gut Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:12 PM PST Turns out the trope is true: You should trust your gut -- as long as you're an expert. So says a new study.

Flesh-eating fungus responsible for five deaths in wake of massive tornado Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:09 PM PST A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed five people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new studies.

Research explores how children reason, think about others Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST Two new studies explore the development of reasoning and perspective-taking in children.

Long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid use may impact visuospatial memory Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST The long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids may severely impact the user's ability to accurately recall the shapes and spatial relationships of objects, according to a recent study.

Drug to treat opioid addiction places children at risk for accidental exposure Posted: 14 Dec 2012 09:40 AM PST As the prescribed use of buprenorphine has dramatically increased in recent years, accidental exposure of children to the drug has risen sharply, placing them at risk for serious injury, and in extremely rare cases even death.

What mechanism generates our fingers and toes? Genetic studies confirm a mathematical model Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST Researchers have identified the mechanism responsible for generating our fingers and toes, and revealed the importance of gene regulation in the transition of fins to limbs during evolution.

New findings on killer bacteria’s defence Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST Research from Sweden casts new light on the interaction between the immune system and streptococcus bacteria, which cause both mild tonsillitis and serious infections such as sepsis and necrotising fasciitis. The way in which antibodies attach to the bacteria is linked to how serious the disease is.

Medical errors in hospitals: Doing the right thing when things go wrong Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:26 AM PST The Univ. of Michigan Health System doesn't claim to be perfect. But its response to medical errors is a model that other hospitals can and should copy, according to a new study.

New targets for drugs to defeat aggressive brain tumor Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:27 AM PST Researchers have identified over 125 genetic components in a chemotherapy-resistant, brain tumor-derived cell line, which could offer new hope for drug treatment to destroy the cancer cells. The potential drug targets were identified after testing more than 5,000 genes derived from glioblastoma multiforme.

Schizophrenia linked to social inequality Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:27 AM PST Higher rates of schizophrenia in urban areas can be attributed to increased deprivation, increased population density and an increase in inequality within a neighborhood, new research reveals.

Antidepressant could do double duty as diabetes drug, study shows Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:16 AM PST Researchers have discovered that the commonly used antidepressant drug paroxetine could also become a therapy for the vascular complications of diabetes.

Countering brain chemical could prevent suicides, research suggests Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:16 AM PST Researchers have found the first proof that a chemical in the brain called glutamate is linked to suicidal behavior, offering new hope for efforts to prevent people from taking their own lives.

Carriers of gene variant appear less likely to develop heart disease Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:13 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new gene mechanism that appears to regulate triglyceride levels. This pathway may protect carriers of a gene variant against cardiovascular disease.

Changes in the gut bacteria protect against stroke, research finds Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST Researchers in Sweden demonstrate that an altered gut microbiota in humans is associated with symptomatic atherosclerosis and stroke.

The end of a dogma: Bipolar cells generate action potentials Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:58 AM PST To make information transmission to the brain reliable, the retina first has to "digitize" the image. Until now, it was widely believed that this step takes place in the retinal ganglion cells, the output neurons of the retina. Scientists have now been able to show that already bipolar cells can generate "digital" signals. At least three types of mouse BC showed clear evidence of fast and stereotypic action potentials, so called "spikes". These results show that the retina is by no means as well understood as is commonly believed.

Intense mind wandering could account for 'substantial proportion' of road crashes Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST People whose minds wander whilst driving, especially when intense, are significantly more likely to be responsible for a crash and are threatening safety on the roads, a new study warns.

Dogs can accurately sniff out 'superbug' infections Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Dogs can sniff out Clostridium difficile (the infective agent that is responsible for many of the dreaded "hospital acquired infections") in stool samples and even in the air surrounding patients in hospital with a very high degree of accuracy, a new study finds.

Despite hype, costly prostate cancer treatment offers little relief from side effects, study finds Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST Prostate cancer patients receiving the costly treatment known as proton radiotherapy experienced minimal relief from side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, compared to patients undergoing a standard radiation treatment called intensity modulated radiotherapy, researchers report.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Health News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610