ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Medical researchers design variant of main painkiller receptor
• Stress test and brain scans pinpoint two distinct forms of Gulf War illness
• Medications to prevent clots not reaching some patients
• Sugar overload can damage heart
• Why are there so many youth baseball-throwing injuries?
• Memory-boosting chemical identified in mice: Cell biologists find molecule targets a key biological pathway
• New poll finds few Massachusetts residents worried about future terror attacks
• Scientists explode the myth about running injuries
• Testing method promising for spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis
• Metabolic molecule drives growth of aggressive brain cancer
• Depression in postmenopausal women may increase diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk
• Severe maternal complications less common during home births, study suggests
• Menopause may be an unintended outcome of men's preference for younger mates
• Geneticists solve mystery of EEC Syndrome's variable severity in children
• Using math to kill cancer cells
• High prevalence of NSAID prescription in those at risk of heart attack/death in primary care
• From the mouths of babes: Toddlers' speech is far more advanced than previously thought
• A turbocharger for nerve cells: Key mechanism boosts the signaling function of neurons in brain
• Smoking in the entrances to bars increases the presence of nicotine inside
• Developmental protein plays role in spread of cancer
• Could novel drug target autism and fetal alcohol disorder?
• Chronic drinking and exposure to particulate matter dramatically decreases lung function
• Finasteride, medication for male pattern hair loss, may also decrease drinking
• Tobacco laws for youth may reduce adult smoking

Medical researchers design variant of main painkiller receptor Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:04 PM PDT Scientists have developed a variant of the mu opioid receptor that has several advantages when it comes to experimentation. This variant can be grown in large quantities in bacteria and is also water-soluble, enabling experiments and applications that had previously been very challenging or impossible.

Stress test and brain scans pinpoint two distinct forms of Gulf War illness Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:04 PM PDT New research suggests that Gulf War illness may have two distinct forms depending on which brain regions have atrophied. In a study of Gulf War veterans, researchers say their findings help explain why clinicians have consistently encountered veterans with different symptoms and complaints.

Medications to prevent clots not reaching some patients Posted: 14 Jun 2013 08:03 PM PDT Researchers report that hospitalized patients do not receive more than one in 10 doses of doctor-ordered blood thinners prescribed to prevent potentially lethal or disabling blood clots, a decision they say may be fueled by misguided concern by patients and their caregivers.

Sugar overload can damage heart Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:51 PM PDT Too much sugar can set people down a pathway to heart failure, according to a new study.

Why are there so many youth baseball-throwing injuries? Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:51 PM PDT Surgeons and sports medicine specialists may have some answers as to why youth baseball pitching injuries continue to rise despite the implementation of nationally recommended pitching limits.

Memory-boosting chemical identified in mice: Cell biologists find molecule targets a key biological pathway Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:48 PM PDT Memory improved in mice injected with a small, drug-like molecule discovered by researchers studying how cells respond to biological stress.

New poll finds few Massachusetts residents worried about future terror attacks Posted: 14 Jun 2013 01:48 PM PDT Approaching the two-month anniversary of the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing, a new poll shows that only one-in-eight Massachusetts residents are very concerned about a terrorist attack where they live. The poll also indicated distinct party-line divisions regarding which government officials and agencies were to blame for failing to prevent the attack.

Scientists explode the myth about running injuries Posted: 14 Jun 2013 07:08 AM PDT Ordinary running shoes function perfectly well for new runners regardless of how they pronate, according to new research. Healthy newcomers to running who overpronate/underpronate do not actually suffer more running injuries than other runners if their first pair of running shoes do not have any special support.

Testing method promising for spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:28 AM PDT A medical test previously developed to measure a toxin found in tobacco smokers has been adapted to measure the same toxin in people suffering from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, offering a potential tool to reduce symptoms.

Metabolic molecule drives growth of aggressive brain cancer Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:28 AM PDT A new study has identified an abnormal metabolic pathway that drives cancer-cell growth in a particular subtype of glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain cancer. The finding could lead to new therapies for a subset of patients with glioblastoma.

Depression in postmenopausal women may increase diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:28 AM PDT Postmenopausal women who use antidepressant medication or suffer from depression might be more likely to have a higher body mass index, larger waist circumference and inflammation -- all associated with increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Severe maternal complications less common during home births, study suggests Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:28 AM PDT Women with low risk pregnancies who choose to give birth at home have a lower risk of severe complications than women who plan a hospital birth, finds a new study.

Menopause may be an unintended outcome of men's preference for younger mates Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:26 AM PDT After decades of laboring under other theories that never seemed to add up, biologists have concluded that menopause is actually an unintended outcome of natural selection generated by men's historical preference for younger mates.

Geneticists solve mystery of EEC Syndrome's variable severity in children Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:26 AM PDT By identifying a protein that acts as a genetic modifier, scientists have solved the mystery of why some infants are born with a grave syndrome consisting of cleft palate and major deformities of the skin and limbs, while other infants with the same predisposing genetic mutation bear little or no sign of the illness, called EEC.

Using math to kill cancer cells Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:26 AM PDT Scientists have outlined how advanced mathematical modelling can be used in the fight against cancer. The technique predicts how different treatments and genetic modifications might allow cancer-killing, oncolytic viruses to overcome the natural defences that cancer cells use to stave off viral infection.

High prevalence of NSAID prescription in those at risk of heart attack/death in primary care Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:26 AM PDT A new study demonstrates a high prevalence of NSAID prescriptions in patients at risk of ischaemic heart disease.

From the mouths of babes: Toddlers' speech is far more advanced than previously thought Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:25 AM PDT The sound of small children chattering away as they learn to talk has always been considered cute -- but not particularly sophisticated. However, new research has shown that toddlers' speech is far more advanced than previously understood.

A turbocharger for nerve cells: Key mechanism boosts the signaling function of neurons in brain Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:25 AM PDT Locating a car that's blowing its horn in heavy traffic, channel-hopping between football and a thriller on TV without losing the plot, and not forgetting the start of a sentence by the time we have read to the end -- we consider all of these to be normal everyday functions. They enable us to react to fast-changing circumstances and to carry out even complex activities correctly. For this to work, the neuron circuits in our brain have to be very flexible. Scientists have now discovered an important molecular mechanism that turns neurons into true masters of adaptation.

Smoking in the entrances to bars increases the presence of nicotine inside Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:22 AM PDT The protection provided by the smoking ban decreases when people can still smoke outside the venue. For the first time, a study has analyzed the effects of the modification to the Spanish tobacco control law, implemented in 2011 in hospitality venues in Spain. The findings show that smoking on terraces and in the entrances to bars and restaurants increases the concentration of nicotine and particulate matter, which affects clients and hospitality professionals alike.

Developmental protein plays role in spread of cancer Posted: 14 Jun 2013 05:17 AM PDT A protein used by embryo cells during early development, and recently found in many different types of cancer, apparently serves as a switch regulating the spread of cancer, known as metastasis, report researchers.

Could novel drug target autism and fetal alcohol disorder? Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:18 PM PDT A surprising new study reveals a common molecular vulnerability in autism and fetal alcohol disorder. Both have social impairment symptoms and originate during brain development. The study found male offspring of rat mothers given alcohol during pregnancy have social impairment and altered levels of autism-related genes found in humans. But the damage was reversed with a thyroid hormone given to the mothers during pregnancy.

Chronic drinking and exposure to particulate matter dramatically decreases lung function Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:18 PM PDT Alveolar macrophage (AM) function plays a critical role in protecting the lungs by removing particulates. Chronic drinking causes persistent oxidative stress in the lungs, leading to impaired AM function. A new rodent study shows that chronic drinking appears to intensify lung damage caused by particulate matter.

Finasteride, medication for male pattern hair loss, may also decrease drinking Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:18 PM PDT Finasteride is a synthetic drug for the treatment of male pattern hair loss and an enlarged prostate. Rodent research has shown that finasteride can reduce alcohol intake. A preliminary study of men with finasteride-related sexual side effects indicates that finasteride may decrease drinking.

Tobacco laws for youth may reduce adult smoking Posted: 13 Jun 2013 01:17 PM PDT States that want to reduce rates of adult smoking may consider implementing stringent tobacco restrictions on teens. Scientists discovered that states with more restrictive limits on teens purchasing tobacco also have lower adult smoking rates, especially among women.

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