ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• New insights into how immune system fights atherosclerosis
• Researchers discover genetic basis for eczema, new avenue to therapies
• A new type of nerve cell found in the brain
• Targeting taste receptors in the gut may help fight obesity
• Targeted therapy proves effective against brain tumors in preclinical studies
• New pathways that drive metastatic prostate cancer identified
• Bats may hold clues to long life and disease resistance
• Liver mitochondria improve, increase after chronic alcohol feeding in mice
• Young scientist helps identify cause of widespread eye disease
• Test to detect pre-menstrual syndrome
• Cholesterol boosts the memory of the immune system
• Rebuilding blood vessels through gene therapy
• Cancer diagnosis later in life poses significant risk to offspring, study suggests
• Microevolutionary analysis of Clostridium difficile genomes to investigate transmission
• Genetic differences may influence sensitivity to pain, according to new study
• To outsmart malarial drug resistance, research team develops new whole-plant strategy
• New MRI analysis useful in predicting stroke complications caused by clot-busters
• Protein kinase Akt identified as arbiter of cancer stem cell fate
• Towards treatment for aortic aneurysms in the abdomen
• Pair of proteins gets brain cells into shape
• Game-changing diagnostic and prognostic prostate cancer genetic tests developed
• Research offers new targets for stroke treatments
• Poison for cancer cells: New method identifies active agents in mixtures of hundreds of substances
• Cytomegalovirus: Scientists identify powerful infection strategy of widespread and potentially lethal virus
• Understanding the cellular patterns of development: Key mechanism in development involves 'paused' RNA polymerase
• Two novel treatments for retinitis pigmentosa move closer to clinical trials
• Preventing prostate cancer through androgen deprivation may have harmful effects
• Scientists discover new diagnostic markers for Kawasaki disease
• Diabetes, blood pressure link to colon cancer recurrence, survival, research shows

New insights into how immune system fights atherosclerosis Posted: 21 Dec 2012 10:13 AM PST A new study has found that an important branch of the immune system, in reaction to the development of atherosclerotic lesions, mounts a surprisingly robust anti-inflammatory T cell response that helps prevent the disease from progressing. The findings may help inform the design of anti-atherosclerosis vaccines and other therapies that can take advantage of this aspect of the immune system.

Researchers discover genetic basis for eczema, new avenue to therapies Posted: 21 Dec 2012 10:12 AM PST Researchers have discovered an underlying genetic cause of atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema most common in infancy that also affects millions of adults around the world with dry, itchy and inflamed skin lesions. The findings could lead to new therapies.

A new type of nerve cell found in the brain Posted: 21 Dec 2012 09:35 AM PST An international team of scientists has identified a previously unknown group of nerve cells in the brain. The nerve cells regulate cardiovascular functions such as heart rhythm and blood pressure. It is hoped that the discovery will be significant in the long term in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in humans.

Targeting taste receptors in the gut may help fight obesity Posted: 21 Dec 2012 09:34 AM PST Despite more than 25 years of research on antiobesity drugs, few medications have shown long-term success. Now researchers say that targeting taste sensors in the gut may be a promising new strategy.

Targeted therapy proves effective against brain tumors in preclinical studies Posted: 21 Dec 2012 09:33 AM PST Researchers have published the first evidence that inhibiting focal adhesion kinase with CFAK-Y15 can control the growth of glioblastoma tumors.

New pathways that drive metastatic prostate cancer identified Posted: 21 Dec 2012 09:33 AM PST Elevated levels of Cyclin D1b could function as a novel biomarker of lethal metastatic disease in prostate cancer patients.

Bats may hold clues to long life and disease resistance Posted: 21 Dec 2012 08:41 AM PST The genes of long-living and virus resistant bats may provide clues to the future treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer in people, researchers have found.

Liver mitochondria improve, increase after chronic alcohol feeding in mice Posted: 21 Dec 2012 08:41 AM PST Scientists have identified mitochondria plasticity as an important mechanism of how the mouse liver adapts to alcohol and other toxins. Liver mitochondria in mice increase in number and improve metabolism after chronic feeding of alcohol. The increase in oxygen used to metabolize the alcohol may increase cellular damage over time, as free radicals are normal byproducts of cellular respiration.

Young scientist helps identify cause of widespread eye disease Posted: 21 Dec 2012 05:17 AM PST Branch retinal vein occlusion -- blockage of the blood vessels that channel blood from the retina -- is a common eye disease. A type of blood clot in the eye, the disease causes reduced vision, and people with the disease also typically have an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and other serious conditions. A young scientist has made a significant contribution to finding the cause of the disease.

Test to detect pre-menstrual syndrome Posted: 21 Dec 2012 05:16 AM PST Even though there are many women who do not notice any special symptoms, there are some whose pre-menstrual disorders hamper their everyday lives: depressive mood, anxiety, excessive emotional sensitivity, fatigue, lack of concentration, headache, etc. Nevertheless, unified criteria for defining and diagnosing this disease have yet to be agreed on and so it is difficult to develop suitable interventions to treat women suffering from these symptoms, researchers say.

Cholesterol boosts the memory of the immune system Posted: 21 Dec 2012 05:16 AM PST The memory of the human immune system is critical for the development of vaccines. Only if the body recognizes a pathogen with which it has already come into contact in the case of a second infection, the immune system can combat it more effectively than it did the first time. Immunobiologists have succeeded in demonstrating how the memory of the immune system functions.

Rebuilding blood vessels through gene therapy Posted: 21 Dec 2012 05:14 AM PST Diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease, a group of patients too ill for or not responding to other treatment options decided to take part in a clinical trial testing angiogenic gene therapy to help rebuild their damaged blood vessels.

Cancer diagnosis later in life poses significant risk to offspring, study suggests Posted: 20 Dec 2012 04:57 PM PST Relatives of family members diagnosed with cancer are still at risk of the disease even if the diagnosis came at an older age, a new paper suggests.

Microevolutionary analysis of Clostridium difficile genomes to investigate transmission Posted: 20 Dec 2012 04:52 PM PST Over recent years, hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infections have been a significant problem in UK hospitals and globally. There have been concerns that infections may be due to transmission between symptomatic patients, either directly, or indirectly via hospital staff; these concerns were strengthened when enhanced infection control was introduced in England in 2007, and the incidence of C. difficile infection declined. A recent study took a genomics approach to assess the incidence of patient-to-patient transmission of C. difficile.

Genetic differences may influence sensitivity to pain, according to new study Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:18 PM PST A particular set of genes that interact with one another to regulate pain in humans has been identified. They found as well that differences in these genes may influence people's sensitivity to pain.

To outsmart malarial drug resistance, research team develops new whole-plant strategy Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:16 PM PST Malaria kills millions each year and gives medical researchers headaches because the mosquito-borne parasite that causes its deadliest form has developed resistance to every drug thrown at it. Now a molecular parasitologist reports a promising new low-cost therapy to outwit that resistance.

New MRI analysis useful in predicting stroke complications caused by clot-busters Posted: 20 Dec 2012 02:16 PM PST Researchers have developed a new way of looking at standard MRI scans that more accurately measures damage to the blood-brain barrier in stroke victims, a process they hope will lead to safer, more individualized treatment of blood clots in the brain and better outcomes.

Protein kinase Akt identified as arbiter of cancer stem cell fate Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST The protein kinase Akt is a key regulator of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, survival, and death. New research shows that Akt may be the key as to why cancer stem cells are so hard for the body to get rid of.

Towards treatment for aortic aneurysms in the abdomen Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST A researcher is looking closely at a molecule linked to aortic aneurysms in the abdomen, and her findings could lead to a treatment to reduce swelling of the aortic artery, which would be a life-saving treatment.

Pair of proteins gets brain cells into shape Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST Scientists have gained new insights into the early phase of the brain's development. Scientists have identified two proteins that control the formation of cell protuberances. The typical ramifications through which nerve cells receive and forward signals ultimately originate from these outgrowths.

Game-changing diagnostic and prognostic prostate cancer genetic tests developed Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:39 AM PST Researchers have developed potentially game-changing diagnostic and prognostic genetic tests shown to better predict prostate cancer survival outcomes and distinguish clinically-relevant cancers.

Research offers new targets for stroke treatments Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:37 AM PST New research identifies the mechanisms responsible for regenerating blood vessels in the brain. Looking for ways to improve outcomes for stroke patients, researchers used candesartan, a commonly prescribed medication for lowering blood pressure, to identify specific growth factors in the brain responsible for recovery after a stroke.

Poison for cancer cells: New method identifies active agents in mixtures of hundreds of substances Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:37 AM PST A highly effective poison kills the larvae of the garden chafer when the threadworm Heterorhabditis lays its eggs in it. Until now it was a mystery why the larvae die, while the threadworms survive the poison unharmed. Scientists have now succeeded in uncovering the secret.

Cytomegalovirus: Scientists identify powerful infection strategy of widespread and potentially lethal virus Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:35 AM PST Scientists have mapped the molecular mechanism by which a virus known as cytomegalovirus so successfully infects its hosts. This discovery paves the way for new research avenues aimed at fighting this and other seemingly benign viruses that can turn deadly.

Understanding the cellular patterns of development: Key mechanism in development involves 'paused' RNA polymerase Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:35 AM PST For a tiny embryo to grow into an entire fruit fly, mouse or human, the correct genes in each cell must turn on and off in precisely the right sequence. This intricate molecular dance produces the many parts of the whole creature, from muscles and skin to nerves and blood. So what are the underlying principles of how those genes are controlled and regulated?

Two novel treatments for retinitis pigmentosa move closer to clinical trials Posted: 20 Dec 2012 11:31 AM PST Two recent experimental treatments — one involving skin-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell grafts, the other gene therapy — have been shown to produce long-term improvement in visual function in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), according to the scientists who led the studies. At present, there is no cure for RP, the most common form of inherited blindness.

Preventing prostate cancer through androgen deprivation may have harmful effects Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:19 AM PST Mice deficient in PTEN in the prostate developed stable precancers. Androgen deprivation promoted progression to invasive prostate cancer. Patients with PTEN-deficient prostate precancers may not benefit from androgen deprivation chemoprevention therapy.

Scientists discover new diagnostic markers for Kawasaki disease Posted: 20 Dec 2012 07:18 AM PST Researchers have discovered proteins in human urine that offer new opportunities for the diagnosis, study and maybe even the treatment of Kawasaki disease. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of the human urine proteome, the entire set of proteins found in human urine, uncovered molecular markers that offer significant improvements for the diagnosis of the disease.

Diabetes, blood pressure link to colon cancer recurrence, survival, research shows Posted: 20 Dec 2012 05:04 AM PST A retrospective analysis of more than 36,000 patients with colon cancer showed that those with early stage disease and diabetes or high blood pressure -- two components of metabolic syndrome -- have a greater risk for cancer recurrence and of dying compared to patients without either condition. The results suggest such patients may need to be followed more closely and could potentially benefit from wider use of additional chemotherapy.

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