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Friday, August 9, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Human epigenomic map extended

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT

New research describes the dynamics of DNA methylation across a wide range of human cell types. Chemically, these marks are the addition of a methyl group -- one carbon atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms -- anywhere a cytosine nucleotide sits next to a guanine nucleotide in the DNA sequence.

High lifetime costs for type 2 diabetes

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

A person with type 2 diabetes spends on average more than $85,000 treating the disease and its complications over their lifetime, according to a recent study.

Study shows MicroRNAs can trigger lymphomas

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

A small group of immune-regulating molecules, when overproduced even moderately, can trigger the blood cancers known as lymphomas, according to a new study.

Scientists visualize how cancer chromosome abnormalities form in living cells

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

For the first time, scientists have directly observed events that lead to the formation of a chromosome abnormality that is often found in cancer cells. The abnormality, called a translocation, occurs when part of a chromosome breaks off and becomes attached to another chromosome.

Investigational malaria vaccine found safe and protective

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT

An investigational malaria vaccine has been found to be safe, to generate an immune system response, and to offer protection against malaria infection in healthy adults, according to new results.

Robot treats brain clots with steerable needles

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Surgery to relieve the damaging pressure caused by hemorrhaging in the brain is a perfect job for a robot. That is the basic premise of a new image-guided surgical system under development.

Views you can use? How online ratings affect your judgment

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Positive comments create an illusory snowball effect, while negative responses get cancelled out.

Muscle health depends on sugar superstructure

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT

Scientists have pinpointed not just one, but three proteins that are required for constructing a key, early section of a critical sugar chain. Mutations affecting any one of these three proteins can cause congenital muscular dystrophies in humans.

Gene regulator is key to healthy retinal development and good vision in adulthood

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT

Scientists are developing a clearer picture of how visual systems develop in mammals. The findings offer important clues to the origin of retinal disorders later in life.

Our brains can (unconsciously) save us from temptation

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT

Inhibitory self control -- not picking up a cigarette, not having a second drink, not spending when we should be saving -- can operate without our awareness or intention.

Way to fight therapy resistant leukemia by blocking DNA repair

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT

New research suggests blocking part of a DNA repair complex that helps some types of leukemia resist treatment can increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and enhance survival. Scientists report that their experimental combination treatment strategy -- using a small molecular inhibitor along with chemotherapy -- was particularly effective at stopping a stubborn leukemia called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Study shows who survives Burkitt lymphoma

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT

Treatment advances have helped improve survival of Burkitt lymphoma, a highly aggressive cancer, but not among the elderly, patients at a late stage, or black people. A new study uses those findings to develop a risk score that will help doctors, patients, families and researchers better understand prognosis.

Cellphone use may not cause more car crashes

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT

A new study uses data from a major cellphone provider and accident reports to contradict previous findings that connected cellphone use to increased crash risk. The findings also raise doubts about the traditional cost-benefit analyses used by states that have, or are, implementing cellphone-driving bans as a way to promote safety.

Cesareans weaken gut microbiota and increase risk of allergies

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Children who came into the world by Cesarean section are more often affected by allergies than those born in the natural way. The reason for this may be that they have a less diverse gut microbiota, according to a new study.

Chemists' work will aid drug design to target cancer and inflammatory disease

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Chemists have produced detailed descriptions of the structure and molecular properties of human folate receptor proteins, a key development for designing new drugs that can target cancer and inflammatory diseases without serious side effects.

A powerful strategy for developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Scientists have reported the development of a strategy for efficiently developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs.

Scientists watch live brain cell circuits spark and fire

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Scientists used fruit flies to show for the first time that a new class of genetically engineered proteins can be used to watch nerve cell electrical activity in live brains. These proteins may be a promising new tool for mapping brain cell activity in multiple animals and for studying how neurological disorders disrupt normal nerve cell signaling.

Latino genomes point way to hidden DNA

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered the hiding place of 20 million base pairs of human genome sequence, finding a home for 10 percent of the DNA that is thought to be missing from the standard reference map of the human genome.

Genetic evidence shows recent population mixture in India

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT

Researchers have found that modern-day India is the result of recent population mixture among divergent demographic groups.

Capturing live tumor cells in the blood

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:36 AM PDT

Tumor cells circulating within a patient's bloodstream can carry cancer from a primary tumor site to distant sites of the body, spreading the disease. Now researchers have developed a new microfluidic chip that can quickly and efficiently segregate and capture live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a patient's blood, with potential applications for cancer screenings and treatment assessments.

Key piece of RNA-splicing machinery revealed: Little elongation complex

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:33 AM PDT

A little-studied factor known as the Little Elongation Complex (LEC) plays a critical and previously unknown role in the transcription of small nuclear RNAs (snRNA), according to a new study.

Kids born small should get moving

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Female mice who were growth restricted in the womb were born at a lower birth weight, but were less active and prone to obesity as adults, said researchers.

Neurocognitive testing more accurate than self-reporting when assessing concussion recovery in cheerleaders

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT

Concussions have become a major public health issue, with both short- and long-term side effects.  In sports, cheerleading has the highest rate of catastrophic injury, with some studies reporting approximately 6% of total injuries as concussions.  Return-to-play guidelines have relied on athletes' self-reports; however, this has led to concerns about the ability of athletes to truly recognize their own symptoms and recovery.  In a new study researchers evaluate the accuracy of neurocognitive testing compared with self-reported symptoms of concussions in cheerleaders. 

New tools to organize information-overload threatening neuroscience

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT

Before the digital age, neuroscientists got their information in the library like the rest of us. But the field's explosion has created nearly 2 million papers -- more data than any researcher can read and absorb in a lifetime.

Key protein that modulates organismal aging identified

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT

Scientists have identified a key factor that regulates the autophagy process, a kind of cleansing mechanism for cells in which waste material and cellular debris is gobbled up to protect cells from damage, and in turn, modulates aging.

Study suggests pattern in lung cancer pathology may predict cancer recurrence after surgery

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT

A new study by thoracic surgeons and pathologists shows that a specific pattern found in the tumor pathology of some lung cancer patients is a strong predictor of recurrence. Knowing that this feature exists in a tumor's pathology could be an important factor doctors use to guide cancer treatment decisions.

Rheumatoid arthritis heightens risk of dangerous leg and lung blood clots

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT

Rheumatoid arthritis significantly increases the risk of potentially fatal blood clots in the legs and lungs, reveals a large nationwide study.

Narrower range of helpful bacteria in guts of C-section infants

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT

The range of helpful bacteria in the guts of infants delivered by Cesarean section, during their first two years of life, is narrower than that of infants delivered vaginally, indicates a small study.

Angry opponents seem bigger to tied up men

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT

A physical handicap like being tied down makes men over-estimate an opponent's size and under-estimate their own, according to new research.

Belief in precognition increases sense of control over life

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT

People given scientific evidence supporting our ability to predict the future feel a greater sense of control over their lives, according to new research.

Study casts doubt on theory that retired NFL players suffer unique cognitive disorder

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:46 PM PDT

The media have widely reported that retired NFL players are at risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which causes aggression, depression, dementia and suicidality. But a study of retired NFL players finds no evidence to support this theory.

Heart pump with behind-the-ear power connector

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT

Researchers are studying the efficacy of powering heart pumps through a skull-based connector behind the ear. Typically, these devices are energized through an electrical cord connected at an abdominal site, where potentially deadly infections can develop.

Cell maturity pathway is deleted or weak in glioblastoma multiforme

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT

A program that pushes immature cells to grow up and fulfill their destiny as useful, dedicated cells is short-circuited in the most common and deadly form of brain tumor, scientists say.

Family members of children with cancer may also be at risk

Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, one of the first questions the parents ask is "Will my other children get cancer?" A new study suggests the answer to that question depends on whether a family history of cancer exists.

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