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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


New drug reverses memory deficits and slows Alzheimer's in mice

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:24 PM PDT

A drug known as J147 reverses memory deficits and slows Alzheimer's disease in aged mice following short-term treatment. The findings may pave the way to a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in humans.

Tumor-activated protein promotes cancer spread

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:23 PM PDT

Researchers report that cancers physically alter cells in the lymphatic system – a network of vessels that transports and stores immune cells throughout the body – to promote the spread of disease, a process called metastasis.

Leap in leukemia treatment

Posted: 13 May 2013 02:43 PM PDT

Doctors have found a combination of drugs to potentially treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) more effectively. The research helps address a basic problem of treating CLL.

Salt levels in food still dangerously high

Posted: 13 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT

The dangerously high salt levels in processed food and fast food remain unchanged, despite numerous calls from health agencies for the food industry to voluntarily reduce sodium. Excess sodium in the diet is a major cause of high blood pressure and prematurely kills up to 150,000 people in the US each year. The government must regulate sodium, the study says.

Individual and small-chain restaurant meals exceed recommended daily calorie needs

Posted: 13 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT

Researchers analyzed meals from independent and small-chain restaurants, which account for approximately 50% of the nation's restaurant locations. They found that the average single meal contained two to three times the estimated calorie needs of an individual adult at a single meal and 66% of typical daily calorie requirements.

Master regulator that drives majority of lymphoma discovered

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:28 PM PDT

A soon-to-be-tested class of drug inhibitors were predicted to help a limited number of patients with B-cell lymphomas with mutations affecting the EZH2 protein. However medical researchers now report that these agents may, in fact, help a much broader cross section of lymphoma patients.

Brain frontal lobes not sole center of human intelligence, comparative research suggests

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:28 PM PDT

Human intelligence cannot be explained by the size of the brain's frontal lobes, say researchers. Research into the comparative size of the frontal lobes in humans and other species has determined that they are not -- as previously thought -- disproportionately enlarged relative to other areas of the brain, according to the most accurate and conclusive study of this area of the brain. It concludes that the size of our frontal lobes cannot solely account for humans' superior cognitive abilities.

Receptor proteins could hold clues to antibiotic resistance in MRSA

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:27 PM PDT

Scientists have identified four new proteins that act as  receptors for an essential signalling molecule in bacteria such as MRSA.

N. C. coal plant emissions might play role in state suicide numbers

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:24 PM PDT

New research finds that suicide, while strongly associated with psychiatric conditions, also correlates with environmental pollution.

Fish oil doesn't seem to help age-related macular degeneration

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:24 PM PDT

A large-scale study of age-related macular degeneration suggests fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids do not alter the progression of age-related macular degeneration, and that lutein and zeaxanthin may be safer than beta-carotene in reducing risk of disease progression.

Out of sync: Body clocks altered at cell level in depression

Posted: 13 May 2013 12:23 PM PDT

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.

Grammar errors? The brain detects them even when you are unaware

Posted: 13 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT

Your brain often works on autopilot when it comes to grammar. That theory has been around for years, but neuroscientists have now captured elusive hard evidence that people indeed detect and process grammatical errors with no awareness of doing so.

Possible new acute leukemia marker, treatment target identified

Posted: 13 May 2013 10:15 AM PDT

A study has identified microRNA-155 as a new independent prognostic marker and treatment target in patients with acute myeloid leukemia that has normal-looking chromosomes under the microscope (that is, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia). The findings suggest that this molecule is important in leukemia development and should be targeted by a drug that will inhibit it.

When deciding how to bet, less detailed information may be better

Posted: 13 May 2013 09:33 AM PDT

People are worse at predicting whether a sports team will win, lose, or tie when they bet on the final score than when they bet on the overall outcome, according to a new study.

Reversing paralysis with a restorative gel

Posted: 13 May 2013 09:33 AM PDT

Scientists have invented a method for repairing damaged peripheral nerves using a biodegradable implant along with a newly-developed gel that increases nerve growth and healing, ultimately restoring function to a torn or damaged nerve. The therapy is only a few years away from clinical use, say the researchers.

Routine screening for depression not recommended for adults with no apparent symptoms of depression

Posted: 13 May 2013 09:33 AM PDT

For adults with no apparent symptoms of depression, routine screening is not recommended in primary care settings because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression, according to new evidence-based guidelines.

Heart disease: Healthy lifestyle offsets work-related stress, study suggests

Posted: 13 May 2013 09:33 AM PDT

People with job stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than people who have job stress but lead healthy lifestyles, found a new study.

Global warming trends contribute to spread of West Nile virus to new regions in Europe

Posted: 13 May 2013 08:52 AM PDT

Global warming trends have a significant influence on the spread of West Nile Virus to new regions in Europe and neighboring countries, where the disease wasn't present before, according to a new study. The study found that rising temperatures have a more considerable contribution than humidity, to the spread of the disease, while the effect of rain was inconclusive.

Serotonin mediates exercise-induced generation of new neurons

Posted: 13 May 2013 08:09 AM PDT

Mice that exercise in running wheels exhibit increased neurogenesis in the brain. Crucial to this process is serotonin signaling. Surprisingly, mice lacking brain serotonin due to a genetic mutation exhibited normal baseline neurogenesis. However, in these serotonin-deficient mice, activity-induced proliferation was impaired, and wheel running did not induce increased generation of new neurons.

Bird flu in live poultry markets are the source of viruses causing human infections

Posted: 13 May 2013 08:09 AM PDT

On 31 March 2013, the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission announced human cases of novel H7N9 influenza virus infections. Scientists have now investigated the origins of this novel H7N9 influenza virus.

World first clinical trial supports use of Kava to treat anxiety

Posted: 13 May 2013 06:57 AM PDT

A world-first completed clinical study by an Australian team has found Kava, a medicinal South Pacific plant, significantly reduced the symptoms of people suffering anxiety.

Poultry drug increases levels of toxic arsenic in chicken meat

Posted: 13 May 2013 06:50 AM PDT

Chickens likely raised with arsenic-based drugs result in chicken meat that has higher levels of inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen, according to a new study.

Breakthrough in the understanding of how pancreatic cancer cells ingest nutrients points to new drug target

Posted: 13 May 2013 06:50 AM PDT

In a landmark cancer study, researchers have unraveled a longstanding mystery about how pancreatic tumor cells feed themselves, opening up new therapeutic possibilities for a notoriously lethal disease with few treatment options. Pancreatic cancer kills nearly 38,000 Americans annually, making it a leading cause of cancer death. The life expectancy for most people diagnosed with it is less than a year.

To suppress or to explore? Emotional strategy may influence anxiety

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:33 AM PDT

When trouble approaches, what do you do? Run for the hills? Pretend it isn't there? Hide? Or do you focus on the promise of rain in those looming dark clouds? New research suggests that the way you regulate your emotions, in bad times and in good, can influence whether -- or how much -- you suffer from anxiety.

How multitasking can improve judgments

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:30 AM PDT

Multitasking does not always result in poor judgments. In fact, multitasking can improve performance -- provided that the task at hand can be best resolved by using a simpler, less demanding strategy, according to new research.

Agent orange exposure linked to life-threatening prostate cancer

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:30 AM PDT

A new analysis has found a link between exposure to Agent Orange and lethal forms of prostate cancer among US Veterans. The findings suggest that Agent Orange exposure history should be incorporated into prostate screening decisions for Veterans.

Early formula use helps some mothers breastfeed longer

Posted: 13 May 2013 05:28 AM PDT

Recent public health efforts have focused extensively on reducing the amount of formula babies are given in the hospital after birth. But in the first randomized trial of its kind, researchers have found that giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding.

Mutation causing wrong-way plumbing explains one type of blue-baby syndrome

Posted: 12 May 2013 11:06 AM PDT

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, one type of "blue baby" syndrome, is a potentially deadly congenital disorder that occurs when pulmonary veins don't connect normally to the left atrium of the heart. TAPVC babies are born cyanotic from lack of oxygen. Semaphorin 3d guides the development of endothelial cells and is crucial for normal development of pulmonary veins. Mutations in Sema3d cause embryonic blood vessels to hook up in the wrong way.

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