ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Hearing positive verbs can induce unconscious physical response
• Proteins that indicate which kidney tumors are most likely to spread identified
• Clinical trial tests if rice bran can reduce incidence of cancer
• Patients with severe back pain who quit smoking report less pain than patients who continue to smoke
• MECP2 duplication affects immune system as well as brain development
• Obesity reversed in mice by manipulating production of an enzyme
• Workings of the brain: After 100 years, understanding the electrical role of dendritic spines
• The birth of new cardiac cells: Where new heart cells come from
• Many maps of the brain
• A leap forward for red blood cell formation: Researchers have identified 75 genetic regions that influence red blood cell formation
• New genetic fingerprint lives in your gut
• Communications training, surgical checklist can reduce costly postoperative complications
• Plastics used in some medical devices break down in a previously unrecognized way
• Research identifies a way to block memories associated with PTSD or drug addiction
• ApoE is an ideal target for halting progression of Alzheimer's disease, scientists say
• Antibody therapy clears Alzheimer's plaques in mice, study shows
• Where 'where it's at' is at in the brain
• Women and men appear to benefit in different ways from AA participation
• Studying marrow, researchers accelerate blood stem cells
• See-through 'MitoFish' opens a new window on brain diseases
• New technique to deliver stem cell therapy may help damaged eyes regain their sight
• Tasty and gluten-free
• 'Very low' complication rates with regional anesthesia in children
• In U.S. first, surgeons implant brain 'pacemaker' for Alzheimer's disease
• Mild vitamin B12 deficiency associated with accelerated cognitive decline
• Less invasive surgery detects residual breast cancer in lymph nodes after chemotherapy
• Pokemon provides rare opening for study of face-recognition processes
• One in five children live in poverty in US: New report examines effect of poverty on children
• Breakthrough in augmented reality contact lens
• Extending duration of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment to 10 years reduced risk for late breast cancer recurrence, improved survival
• Higher doses of fulvestrant prolonged survival in patients with advanced breast cancer
• Evolution: Social exclusion leads to cooperation
• Bye bye Mediterranean diet, the poorest can't afford it anymore
• Smoking may worsen hangover after heavy drinking
• Breath test could possibly diagnose colorectal cancer
• Unexpected toughness marks cancer cells in the blood
• Super-resolution microscope shows how human T-cells make life or death decisions

Hearing positive verbs can induce unconscious physical response Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:00 PM PST Hearing a verb related to physical action automatically increases the force with which people grip objects, but has no effect on their physical reaction if the word is presented in the negative form, according to new research.

Proteins that indicate which kidney tumors are most likely to spread identified Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:24 AM PST Researchers have identified 29 proteins that are likely to be involved in the spread of kidney cancer. The discovery will help physicians recognize which tumors are going to behave more aggressively and provide those patients with more intensive treatment and closer followup.

Clinical trial tests if rice bran can reduce incidence of cancer Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:24 AM PST A recent review shows that rice bran offers promising cancer prevention properties. Meanwhile, an ongoing clinical trial is testing the effectiveness of rice bran in preventing the recurrence of colon cancer.

Patients with severe back pain who quit smoking report less pain than patients who continue to smoke Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:24 AM PST For years, research has shown a link between smoking and an increased risk for low back pain, intervertebral (spine) disc disease, and inferior patient outcomes following surgery. A new study also found that smokers suffering from spinal disorders and related back pain, reported greater discomfort than spinal disorder patients who stopped smoking during an eight-month treatment period.

MECP2 duplication affects immune system as well as brain development Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:24 AM PST Boys with Rett syndrome tend to get devastating infections such as pneumonias. Medical researchers have now identified the culprit in these infections.

Obesity reversed in mice by manipulating production of an enzyme Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:24 AM PST Approximately 68 percent of US adults are overweight or obese, according to the National Cancer Institute, which puts them at greater risk for developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a host of other chronic illnesses. Scientists have now successfully reversed obesity in mice by manipulating the production of an enzyme.

Workings of the brain: After 100 years, understanding the electrical role of dendritic spines Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:24 AM PST More than a century after they were discovered, researchers still remain in the dark about the precise role of a neuron's dendritic spines. Researchers have recently gained valuable insight into their electrical properties.

The birth of new cardiac cells: Where new heart cells come from Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:24 AM PST Recent research has shown that there are new cells that develop in the heart, but how these cardiac cells are born and how frequently they are generated remains unclear. Researchers have used a novel method to identify these new heart cells and describe their origins.

Many maps of the brain Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:22 AM PST Your brain has at least four different senses of location – and perhaps as many as 10. And each is different, according to new research.

A leap forward for red blood cell formation: Researchers have identified 75 genetic regions that influence red blood cell formation Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:22 AM PST New research is revealing how red blood cells are made and how the body regulates the amount of haemoglobin that is packaged in red blood cells at any time. Genomic analysis techniques have doubled the number of genetic regions that are likely to be involved in red blood cell formation and subsequent study using fruit flies has given insights into what these regions do.

New genetic fingerprint lives in your gut Posted: 05 Dec 2012 10:21 AM PST Our bodies contain far more microbial genes than human genes. And a new study suggests that just as human DNA varies from person to person, so too does the massive collection of microbial DNA in the intestine. The research is the first to catalog the genetic variation of microbes that live in the gut.

Communications training, surgical checklist can reduce costly postoperative complications Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST A new study reports that surgical site infections, blood clots, and urinary tract infections are all measurably reduced when surgical teams use two easily accessible, cost-effective tools.

Plastics used in some medical devices break down in a previously unrecognized way Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized way that degradation can occur in silicone-urethane plastics that are often considered for use in medical devices. Their study could have implications for device manufacturers considering use of these plastics in the design of some implantable devices, including cardiac defibrillation leads.

Research identifies a way to block memories associated with PTSD or drug addiction Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST New research could lead to better treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and drug addiction by effectively blocking memories. The research has identified a common mechanism in a region of the brain called the pre-limbic cortex, which can suppress the recall of memories linked to both aversive, traumatic experiences associated with PTSD and rewarding memories linked to drug addiction, without permanently altering memories.

ApoE is an ideal target for halting progression of Alzheimer's disease, scientists say Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST Despite researchers' best efforts, no drug exists that can slow, halt or reverse the onslaught of Alzheimer's disease. A progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer's has stolen the memories and livelihoods of millions -- leaving patients and their families struggling to cope with the disease's devastating consequences. But today, scientists propose a new research avenue that has the potential to change all that.

Antibody therapy clears Alzheimer's plaques in mice, study shows Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST Antibodies against amyloid beta protein deposits that are thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease have shown some success in preventing the buildup of deposits in animals, but they have not been effective at removing preexisting deposits. Now researchers show that a modified antibody was able to clear preexisting amyloid beta deposits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Where 'where it's at' is at in the brain Posted: 05 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST A new study in the journal Neuron suggests that the brain uses a different region than neuroscientists had thought to associate objects and locations in the space around an individual. Knowing where this fundamental process occurs could help treat disease and brain injury as well as inform basic understanding of how the brain supports memory and guides behavior.

Women and men appear to benefit in different ways from AA participation Posted: 05 Dec 2012 08:35 AM PST A new study finds differences in the ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous helps men and women maintain sobriety. Avoidance of companions who encourage drinking and social situations in which drinking is common had more powerful benefits for men, while increased confidence in the ability to avoid drinking while feeling sad, depressed or anxious appeared to be more important for women.

Studying marrow, researchers accelerate blood stem cells Posted: 05 Dec 2012 08:35 AM PST Scientists are testing a new approach to speed a patient's recovery of blood counts during a vulnerable period after a stem-cell transplant, according to a new study.

See-through 'MitoFish' opens a new window on brain diseases Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:30 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated a new model for investigating mechanisms at work in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, which also could prove useful in the search for effective drugs. They turned to the zebrafish, transparent in its embryonic stages, and developed a transgenic variety called the "MitoFish." This new model enables them to see – within individual neurons of living animals – how brain diseases disturb the transport of mitochondria, the power plants of the cell.

New technique to deliver stem cell therapy may help damaged eyes regain their sight Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:30 AM PST Engineers have developed a new technique for delivering stem cell therapy to the eye which they hope will help the natural repair of eyes damaged by accident or disease. This could help millions of people across the world retain – or even regain - their sight.

Tasty and gluten-free Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST Cereals are good for you, supplying the body with carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. Yet some people are intolerant to the gluten protein they contain. Now, researchers are developing new recipes for tasty, gluten-free pasta and pastries.

'Very low' complication rates with regional anesthesia in children Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST A review of more than 15,000 nerve block procedures performed in children at U.S. hospitals finds little or no risk of permanent complications or death, reports a new study

In U.S. first, surgeons implant brain 'pacemaker' for Alzheimer's disease Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST Researchers have surgically implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the first such operation in the United States. The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

Mild vitamin B12 deficiency associated with accelerated cognitive decline Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST A study conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University associates mild vitamin B-12 deficiency with accelerated cognitive decline in men and women, beginning in their mid-seventies. Whether such mild vitamin B-12 deficiency has any clinical consequences is the subject of debate.

Less invasive surgery detects residual breast cancer in lymph nodes after chemotherapy Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST A new study shows that a less invasive procedure known as sentinel lymph node surgery successfully identified whether cancer remained in lymph nodes in 91 percent of patients with node-positive breast cancer who received chemotherapy before their surgery.

Pokemon provides rare opening for study of face-recognition processes Posted: 05 Dec 2012 07:26 AM PST Neuroscientists used Pokemon cards and kids to test a theory of facial cognition that until now has been difficult to support.

One in five children live in poverty in US: New report examines effect of poverty on children Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST While most children are looking forward to getting gifts during the upcoming holiday season, it is worth noting that one in five children live in poverty. Poverty is a major risk factor for children's development and deep poverty is linked to a range of problems. A new report provides an overview of the research evidence on the development of children who live in poverty.

Breakthrough in augmented reality contact lens Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:09 AM PST Scientists have developed an innovative spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses. The first step toward fully pixilated contact lens displays, this achievement has potential wide-spread applications in medical and cosmetic domains.

Extending duration of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment to 10 years reduced risk for late breast cancer recurrence, improved survival Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:09 AM PST Ten years of adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen provided women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer greater protection against late recurrence and death from breast cancer compared with the current standard of five years of tamoxifen, according to a new study.

Higher doses of fulvestrant prolonged survival in patients with advanced breast cancer Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:09 AM PST Increasing the dose of fulvestrant from 250 mg to 500 mg improved median overall survival in women with locally advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, according to updated data.

Evolution: Social exclusion leads to cooperation Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:44 AM PST Social exclusion as a punishment strategy helps explain the evolution of cooperation, according to new research.

Bye bye Mediterranean diet, the poorest can't afford it anymore Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:43 AM PST The Mediterranean diet seems to creak under the burden of the economic crisis. The alarm was raised by a study on 13,000 subjects. The findings show that reduced economic resources are associated with less healthy diets and higher prevalence of obesity.

Smoking may worsen hangover after heavy drinking Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:43 AM PST People who like to smoke when they drink may be at greater risk of suffering a hangover the next morning, according to a study in the January 2013 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Breath test could possibly diagnose colorectal cancer Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:43 AM PST A new study has demonstrated for the first time that a simple breath analysis could be used for colorectal cancer screening.

Unexpected toughness marks cancer cells in the blood Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:53 AM PST A new study suggests that cancer cells are more resistant than normal cells to the powerful fluid forces found in the bloodstream. This resistance to fluid shear stress could provide a biomarker to improve detection and monitoring of circulating cancer cells in blood.

Super-resolution microscope shows how human T-cells make life or death decisions Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:25 AM PST Using a super-resolution fluorescent microscope, Australian medical scientists are a step closer to understanding why and how human immune cells decide to activate or not, thus enabling or preventing disease taking hold in the body.

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