ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• An extra hour of TV beyond recommendations diminishes toddlers' kindergarten chances
• A complex story behind genes, environment, diabetes and obesity
• Dementia risk tied to blood sugar level, even with no diabetes
• Chocolate may help keep brain healthy
• Cognitive decline with age is normal, routine, but not inevitable
• Sudden cardiac arrest survival odds greater at fitness facilities
• Type 1 diabetes drug strikingly effective in clinical trial
• Scientists use genome sequencing to demonstrate herbal remedy causes upper urinary tract cancers
• UCSB study reveals that overthinking can be detrimental to human performance
• Making connections in the eye: Wiring diagram of retinal neurons is first step toward mapping the human brain
• Micro-machines for the human body: Researchers adapt microscopic technology for bionic body parts and other medical devices
• Children and magnets have a dangerous attraction, end up in the ER
• Scientists find key signal that guides brain development
• NIH, Lacks family reach understanding to share genomic data of HeLa cells
• Motional layers found in the brain: Neurobiologists discover elementary motion detectors in the fruit fly
• A 'rocking' receptor: Crucial brain-signaling molecule requires coordinated motion to turn on
• Why don’t we all get Alzheimer's disease?
• Breast cancer surgery linked to swollen arm syndrome
• New role for Tamoxifen in saving high-risk breast cancer patients
• This is your brain on Vivaldi and Beatles
• Diets of pregnant women contain harmful, hidden toxins
• Protein changes are discovered that control whether a gene functions are discovered
• Immune function restored in spinal injured mice
• Freezing sperm taken directly from testicles is effective option for infertile couples
• Psychologists say 'group narcissism' linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants
• Breastfeeding may protect against persistent stuttering
• Eating a big breakfast fights obesity and disease
• Scientists learn how soy foods protect against colon cancer

An extra hour of TV beyond recommendations diminishes toddlers' kindergarten chances Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:50 PM PDT Every hourly increase in daily television watching at 29 months of age is associated with diminished vocabulary and math skills, classroom engagement (which is largely determined by attention skills), victimization by classmates, and physical prowess at kindergarten.

A complex story behind genes, environment, diabetes and obesity Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:50 PM PDT While it is well known that there is a strong genetic basis to both diabetes and obesity, and that they are linked, researchers say that there are many rare genetic variants involved, which will pose a significant challenge in the quest to develop effective therapies. The study shows that many different defects in overweight or obesity genes are involved, most of which are very rare.

Dementia risk tied to blood sugar level, even with no diabetes Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Diabetes is a risk factor for dementia. But now a study has found that higher blood sugar levels are associated with higher dementia risk, even among people who do not have diabetes.

Chocolate may help keep brain healthy Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp, according to a new study.

Cognitive decline with age is normal, routine, but not inevitable Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:53 PM PDT Research on biochemical processes is making it clear that cognitive decline with age is a natural part of life, and scientists are tracking the problem down to highly specific components of the brain. Virtually everyone loses memory-making and cognitive abilities as they age. But of considerable interest is that it may not have to be that way.

Sudden cardiac arrest survival odds greater at fitness facilities Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:53 PM PDT People experiencing sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have a higher chance of survival than at other indoor locations, likely due to early CPR and access to an automated external defibrillator. The findings underscore the importance of having AEDs in places where people exert themselves and are at greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Type 1 diabetes drug strikingly effective in clinical trial Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:51 PM PDT An experimental drug designed to block the advance of type 1 diabetes in its earliest stages has proven strikingly effective over two years in about half of the patients who participated in the phase 2 clinical trial.

Scientists use genome sequencing to demonstrate herbal remedy causes upper urinary tract cancers Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:51 PM PDT Genomic sequencing experts have partnered with pharmacologists to reveal a striking mutational signature of upper urinary tract cancers caused by aristolochic acid, a plant compound contained in herbal remedies used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments such as arthritis, gout and inflammation.

UCSB study reveals that overthinking can be detrimental to human performance Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:45 AM PDT Trying to explain riding a bike is difficult because it is an implicit memory. The body knows what to do, but thinking about the process can often interfere. So why is it that under certain circumstances paying full attention and trying hard can actually impede performance? A new study reveals part of the answer.

Making connections in the eye: Wiring diagram of retinal neurons is first step toward mapping the human brain Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Using a combination of human and artificial intelligence, scientists have mapped all the wiring among 950 neurons within a tiny patch of the mouse retina.

Micro-machines for the human body: Researchers adapt microscopic technology for bionic body parts and other medical devices Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Tiny sensors and motors tell your smartphone screen to rotate and your camera to focus. But now researchers have found a way to print biocompatible components for these micro-machines, making them ideal for use in medical devices like bionic arms.

Children and magnets have a dangerous attraction, end up in the ER Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Cases involving children ingesting magnets quintupled between 2002 and 2011, with ingestion of multiple magnets generally resulting in more serious outcomes, including emergency surgery.

Scientists find key signal that guides brain development Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:40 AM PDT Scientists have decoded an important molecular signal that guides the development of a key region of the brain known as the neocortex. The largest and most recently evolved region of the brain, the neocortex is particularly well developed in humans and is responsible for sensory processing, long-term memory, reasoning, complex muscle actions, consciousness and other functions.

NIH, Lacks family reach understanding to share genomic data of HeLa cells Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:40 AM PDT The National Institutes of Health has reached an understanding with the family of the late Henrietta Lacks to allow biomedical researchers controlled access to the whole genome data of cells derived from her tumor, commonly known as HeLa cells. These cells have already been used extensively in scientific research and have helped make possible some of the most important medical advances of the past 60 years. These include the development of modern vaccines, cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization techniques, and many others. HeLa cells are the most widely used human cell lines in existence today. Access to the whole genome data of these cells will be a valuable reference tool for researchers using HeLa cells in their research.

Motional layers found in the brain: Neurobiologists discover elementary motion detectors in the fruit fly Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:35 AM PDT Recognizing movement and its direction is one of the first and most important processing steps in any visual system. By this way, nearby predators or prey can be detected and even one's own movements are controlled. More than fifty years ago, a mathematical model predicted how elementary motion detectors must be structured in the brain. However, which nerve cells perform this job and how they are actually connected remained a mystery.

A 'rocking' receptor: Crucial brain-signaling molecule requires coordinated motion to turn on Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT Full activation of a protein ensemble essential for communication between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord requires the rocking motion of some of the ensemble's segments. The ensemble is known to be defective in neurological disorders like epilepsy and Parkinson's so this insight has important implications.

Why don’t we all get Alzheimer's disease? Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT Scientists offer an explanation for why we all don't get Alzeimer's disease. Though one might think the brains of people who develop Alzheimer's disease possess building blocks of the disease absent in healthy brains, for most sufferers, this is not true.

Breast cancer surgery linked to swollen arm syndrome Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Breast cancer survivors who have extensive surgery are four times more likely to develop the debilitating disorder arm lymphoedema.

New role for Tamoxifen in saving high-risk breast cancer patients Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT New research has revealed women with a strong genetic predisposition to breast cancer who take the cancer prevention tablet Tamoxifen after their first tumor have a substantially reduced risk of developing a new breast cancer.

This is your brain on Vivaldi and Beatles Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:43 AM PDT Listening to music activates large networks in the brain, but different kinds of music are processed differently. A team of researchers has developed a new method for studying music processing in the brain during a realistic listening situation. Using a combination of brain imaging and computer modeling, they found areas in the auditory, motor, and limbic regions to be activated during free listening to music.

Diets of pregnant women contain harmful, hidden toxins Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:42 AM PDT Pregnant women regularly consume food and beverages containing toxins believed to pose potential risks to developing fetuses, suggesting that health care providers must do more to counsel their patients about the dangers of hidden toxins in the food supply.

Protein changes are discovered that control whether a gene functions are discovered Posted: 06 Aug 2013 05:35 PM PDT Changes to proteins called histones, which are associated with DNA, can control whether or not a gene is allowed to function. The changes may be important in maintaining the genes' "expression potential" so that future cells behave as their parent cells did. The discovery may have implications for the study of diseases such as cancer.

Immune function restored in spinal injured mice Posted: 06 Aug 2013 05:35 PM PDT Scientists have shown that is possible to restore immune function in spinal injured mice. People with spinal cord injury often are immune compromised, which makes them more susceptible to infections. Why these people become immune-suppressed is not known, but the study found that a disorder called autonomic dysreflexia can cause immune suppression.

Freezing sperm taken directly from testicles is effective option for infertile couples Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:59 PM PDT Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles in men with no sperm in their semen is as effective as fresh sperm taken by biopsy in helping couples conceive through in vitro fertilization, according to a recent study.

Psychologists say 'group narcissism' linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants Posted: 06 Aug 2013 10:29 AM PDT Psychologists trying to understand the polarizing debate on illegal immigration have published a new study that addresses why some Americans feel the way they do about undocumented Latino immigrants. They found that something called "group-level narcissism" -- a feeling of entitlement and superiority that goes beyond patriotism -- plays a role in fueling negative attitudes.

Breastfeeding may protect against persistent stuttering Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:10 AM PDT A study of 47 children who began stuttering at an early age found that those who were breastfed in infancy were more likely to recover from stuttering and return to fluent speech.

Eating a big breakfast fights obesity and disease Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:10 AM PDT Scientists have found that people who eat their largest daily meal at breakfast are far more likely to lose weight and waist line circumference than those who eat a large dinner. They also had significantly lower levels of insulin, glucose, and triglycerides throughout the day, translating into a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

Scientists learn how soy foods protect against colon cancer Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:08 AM PDT Scientists have evidence that lifelong exposure to genistein, a bioactive component in soy foods, protects against colon cancer by repressing a signal that leads to accelerated growth of cells, polyps, and eventually malignant tumors.

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