ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Genetic editing shows promise in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Half of those diagnosed with PTSD also suffer from depression
• Candidate drug provides benefit in spinal muscular atrophy animal models
• Heart health matters to your brain
• Obese patients trust diet advice from overweight physicians more than normal weight physicians
• Seeing our errors keeps us on our toes
• New way to improve stem cells' cartilage formation
• Exposure to rocket attacks in Israel increases adolescent violence
• Cognitive ability differences among the elderly explained
• Biomarker could help scientists choose the right cell line when conducting stem cell experiments
• Scientists find potential new clues for identifying breast cancer risk
• Mental block: Professor discovers way to alter memory
• Anxious? Activate your anterior cingulate cortex with a little meditation
• Detecting disease with a smartphone accessory
• Never forget a face? Researchers find women have better memory recall than men
• Cheerful women are not associated with leadership qualities, but proud ones are, study finds
• Two biomarkers predict increased risk for 'silent' strokes
• Not really 'bath salts': Update on 'designer stimulants'
• Test to improve stem cell safety
• Weather conditions do not affect fibromyalgia pain or fatigue
• Innate immunity: When DNA is out of place
• Stopping the worm from turning
• Enhancer RNAs alter gene expression: New class of molecules may be key emerging 'enhancer therapy'
• Altered neural circuitry may lead to anorexia and bulimia
• Dogs, humans affected by OCD have similar brain abnormalities
• Surgery for obsessive compulsive disorder sufferers is safe and effective, study suggests
• Musculoskeletal conditions, injuries may be associated with statin use

Genetic editing shows promise in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT Using a novel genetic "editing" technique, biomedical engineers have been able to repair a defect responsible for one of the most common inherited disorders, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in cell samples from Duchenne patients.

Half of those diagnosed with PTSD also suffer from depression Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:35 PM PDT About one of every two people diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder also suffer symptoms of depression, according to new research.

Candidate drug provides benefit in spinal muscular atrophy animal models Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:35 PM PDT The drug RG3039 demonstrates that it can extend survival and improve function in two spinal muscular atrophy mouse models.

Heart health matters to your brain Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT People suffering from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at an increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study.

Obese patients trust diet advice from overweight physicians more than normal weight physicians Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT New study indicates overweight and obese patients trust weight-related counseling from overweight physicians more than normal weight physicians and patients seeing an obese primary care physician were more likely to perceive weight-related stigma.

Seeing our errors keeps us on our toes Posted: 04 Jun 2013 12:33 PM PDT If people are unable to perceive their own errors as they complete a routine, simple task, their skill will decline over time, researchers have found -- but not for the reasons scientists assumed. The researchers report that the human brain does not passively forget our good techniques, but chooses to put aside what it has learned.

New way to improve stem cells' cartilage formation Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:54 AM PDT Bioengineers are interested in finding innovative ways to grow new cartilage from a patient's own stem cells, and, thanks to a new study, such a treatment is a step closer to reality.

Exposure to rocket attacks in Israel increases adolescent violence Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:54 AM PDT A study followed 362 Israeli adolescents from the southwestern Negev from 2008 to 2011, and conducted annual assessments of exposure to rocket attacks, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as acts of violence.

Cognitive ability differences among the elderly explained Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:54 AM PDT A new study shows compelling evidence that associations between cognitive ability and cortical grey matter in old age can largely be accounted for by cognitive ability in childhood.

Biomarker could help scientists choose the right cell line when conducting stem cell experiments Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:54 AM PDT Stem cells that strongly express a gene called WNT3 are biased to develop into cells and tissues including pancreas, liver and bladder. This discovery suggests that other genes may serve as biomarkers for selecting stem cells with a preference for turning into different tissue types. Such markers would make it easier for stem cell scientists to choose the right cell line to start with when generating specific tissues for study.

Scientists find potential new clues for identifying breast cancer risk Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:54 AM PDT New research provides critical insights into how normal breast precursor cells may be genetically vulnerable to develop into cancer. Scientists discovered that a particular class of normal breast precursor cells have short chromosome ends (known as telomeres). As a result, these cells would be expected to be prone to acquiring mutations that lead to cancer if they managed to stay alive. These findings suggest new indicators for identifying women at higher risk for breast cancer.

Mental block: Professor discovers way to alter memory Posted: 04 Jun 2013 10:42 AM PDT A series of studies shows it is possible to manipulate an existing memory simply by suggesting new or different information. The key is timing and recall of that memory.

Anxious? Activate your anterior cingulate cortex with a little meditation Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:40 AM PDT Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists have now succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved.

Detecting disease with a smartphone accessory Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:39 AM PDT Engineers have created a new optical sensor that plugs in to a smartphone and, using disposable microfluidic chips, allows for inexpensive in-the-field diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma, a cancer linked to AIDS.

Never forget a face? Researchers find women have better memory recall than men Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:39 AM PDT New research suggests women can remember faces better than men, in part because they spend more time studying features without even knowing it. And, researchers say a technique can help improve anyone's memories.

Cheerful women are not associated with leadership qualities, but proud ones are, study finds Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:34 AM PDT Women are perceived as being more willing to lead if they show that they are proud of their personal performance. If, however, they give a cheerful impression, they are judged to have less willingness to leadership roles than men who display similar emotions. This is one of the initial findings of a long-term project in which economic researchers are investigating the selection and assessment of leaders.

Two biomarkers predict increased risk for 'silent' strokes Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:27 AM PDT Two biomarkers being investigated as predictors of heart and vascular disease appear to indicate risk for "silent" strokes and other causes of mild brain damage that present no symptoms, report researchers.

Not really 'bath salts': Update on 'designer stimulants' Posted: 04 Jun 2013 08:27 AM PDT The last few years have seen the emergence of a new drug problem in so-called "bath salts"—- actually "designer stimulants," packaged and sold in ways that skirt drug laws.

Test to improve stem cell safety Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:47 AM PDT Scientists have developed a test to identify unsafe stem cells. It is the first safety test specifically for human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Weather conditions do not affect fibromyalgia pain or fatigue Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:46 AM PDT Weather conditions including temperature, sunshine, and precipitation have no impact on fibromyalgia symptoms in female patients, study suggests. Results suggest, however, that individual patients may be sensitive to some changes in the weather.

Innate immunity: When DNA is out of place Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:46 AM PDT In animal cells, DNA molecules are normally restricted to the cell nucleus and the mitochondria. When DNA appears outside these organelles – in the so-called cytosol - it most probably originates from a bacterial pathogen or a DNA virus. This is why cytosolic DNA triggers a strong response by the innate immune system. However, various types of insult can also lead to the release into the cytosol of the cell's own DNA. In this case, the resulting immune response may precipitate an autoimmune disease.

Stopping the worm from turning Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:45 AM PDT Almost one in six people worldwide are infected by parasitic worms, while parasitic infections of livestock cause economic losses of billions of Euro per year. Resistance to the few drugs available to treat infections is increasing and there is an urgent need to identify additional strategies to control parasitic diseases. A new study describes a rational approach to identifying proteins that might be involved in the larval development of a particular worm that infects pigs.

Enhancer RNAs alter gene expression: New class of molecules may be key emerging 'enhancer therapy' Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:38 AM PDT In a pair of distinct but complementary papers, researchers illuminate the functional importance of a relatively new class of RNA molecules. The work suggests modulation of "enhancer-directed RNAs" or "eRNAs" could provide a new way to alter gene expression in living cells, perhaps affecting the development or pathology of many diseases.

Altered neural circuitry may lead to anorexia and bulimia Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:38 AM PDT New research suggests that the altered function of neural circuitry contributes to restricted eating in anorexia and overeating in bulimia. The research may offer a pathway to new and more effective treatments for these serious eating disorders.

Dogs, humans affected by OCD have similar brain abnormalities Posted: 04 Jun 2013 06:38 AM PDT Another piece of the puzzle to better understand and treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has fallen into place with the publication of new research that shows that the structural brain abnormalities of Doberman pinschers afflicted with canine compulsive disorder (CCD) are similar to those of humans with OCD. The research suggests that further study of anxiety disorders in dogs may help find new therapies for OCD and similar conditions in humans.

Surgery for obsessive compulsive disorder sufferers is safe and effective, study suggests Posted: 03 Jun 2013 04:31 PM PDT Around half of people with an extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder responded well to a type of psychosurgery that proved to be safe and effective, according to new research.

Musculoskeletal conditions, injuries may be associated with statin use Posted: 03 Jun 2013 01:41 PM PDT Using cholesterol-lowering statins may be associated with musculoskeletal conditions, arthropathies (joint diseases) and injuries, according to a new report.

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