ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• The eyes have it: How organic mercury can interfere with vision
• Aerobic fitness boosts learning, memory in 9-10-year-old children
• Who's got guts? Young infants expect animals to have insides
• AIDS vaccine candidate appears to completely clear virus from the body in monkeys
• Test could identify which prostate cancers require treatment
• New hope for women suffering from recurrent miscarriage
• Crucial pathway discovered to fight gut infection
• Embryonic stem cells produced in living adult organisms
• Faulty stem cell regulation may contribute to cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome
• Pumping draws arsenic toward a big-city aquifer
• Unusual mechanism of DNA synthesis could explain genetic mutations
• New antibiotic shows promise for treating MRSA pneumonia
• Ophthalmology: Automated method to detect glaucoma in its early stages
• Radiotherapy in girls and the risk of breast cancer later in life
• Obesity combined with exposure to cigarette smoke may pose new health concerns
• 'Merlin' is a matchmaker, not a magician
• T-rays offer potential for earlier diagnosis of melanoma
• Stress may lead to false confessions
• Versatile microRNAs choke off cancer blood supply, suppress metastasis
• How Schizophrenia affects the brain
• Mosquito bites deliver potential new malaria vaccine
• How chromosome ends influence cellular aging
• Tiny diamonds to boost treatment of chemoresistant leukemia
• Breakthrough discerns normal memory loss from disease
• Improving the lives of allergy sufferers
• Mesothelioma: A targeted approach to asbestos-related cancer
• Alzheimer's: Newly identified protein pathology impairs RNA splicing
• Shingles symptoms may be caused by neuronal short circuit
• DNA repair could lead to improved cancer treatments
• Immune system kills healthy cells
• Heart disease patients with positive attitudes likely to exercise, live longer
• Combination therapy for severe alcoholic hepatitis does not result in improved survival
• Paired risk factors in preeclampsia
• Five percent of US children, teens classified as 'severely obese'

The eyes have it: How organic mercury can interfere with vision Posted: 11 Sep 2013 03:48 PM PDT Methylmercury compounds specifically target the central nervous system, and among the many effects of their exposure are visual disturbances, which were previously thought to be solely due to methylmercury-induced damage to the brain visual cortex. However, after combining powerful synchrotron X-rays and methylmercury-poisoned zebrafish larvae, scientists have found that methylmercury may also directly affect vision by accumulating in the retinal photoreceptors, i.e., the cells that respond to light in our eyes.

Aerobic fitness boosts learning, memory in 9-10-year-old children Posted: 11 Sep 2013 03:47 PM PDT Physical fitness can boost learning and memory in children, particularly when initial learning on a task is more challenging.

Who's got guts? Young infants expect animals to have insides Posted: 11 Sep 2013 01:10 PM PDT A team of researchers has shown that 8-month-old infants expect objects they identify as animals to have insides.

AIDS vaccine candidate appears to completely clear virus from the body in monkeys Posted: 11 Sep 2013 11:17 AM PDT An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans.

Test could identify which prostate cancers require treatment Posted: 11 Sep 2013 11:17 AM PDT The level of expression of three genes associated with aging can be used to predict whether seemingly low-risk prostate cancer will remain slow-growing, according to researchers. Use of this three-gene biomarker, in conjunction with existing cancer-staging tests, could help physicians better determine which men with early prostate cancer can be safely followed with "active surveillance" and spared the risks of prostate removal or other invasive treatment.

New hope for women suffering from recurrent miscarriage Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:20 AM PDT A team of researchers has published new data that could prove vital for advances in care for women who suffer from recurrent miscarriage.

Crucial pathway discovered to fight gut infection Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:20 AM PDT An international team of researchers has found a crucial pathway for defending the human gut against infection.

Embryonic stem cells produced in living adult organisms Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:19 AM PDT Scientists have produced embryonic stem cells within a living adult mammal. Researchers have also discovered that these embryonic stem cells, obtained directly from the inside of the organism, have a broader capacity for differentiation than those obtained via in vitro culture. Specifically, they have the characteristics of totipotent cells: a primitive state never before obtained in a laboratory.

Faulty stem cell regulation may contribute to cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:19 AM PDT The learning and physical disabilities that affect people with Down syndrome may be due at least in part to defective stem cell regulation throughout the body, according to researchers.

Pumping draws arsenic toward a big-city aquifer Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:19 AM PDT Naturally occurring arsenic pollutes wells across the world, especially in south and southeast Asia, where an estimated 100 million people are exposed to dangerous levels. Now, scientists working in Vietnam have shown that massive pumping of groundwater from a clean aquifer is slowly but surely drawing the poison into the water fro a nearby polluted one. The study, done near Hanoi, confirms suspicions that booming water usage could eventually threaten millions more people across Asia.

Unusual mechanism of DNA synthesis could explain genetic mutations Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:17 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the details of how cells repair breaks in both strands of DNA, a potentially devastating kind of DNA damage.

New antibiotic shows promise for treating MRSA pneumonia Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:17 AM PDT A drug approved just two years ago for treating bacterial infections may hold promise for treating the potentially fatal MRSA pneumonia, according to a new study. Researchers found that patients treated with the antibiotic ceftaroline fosamil, or CPT-F, had a lower mortality rate after 28 days than the mortality rate seen in patients treated with vancomycin, the most common drug therapy for MRSA pneumonia.

Ophthalmology: Automated method to detect glaucoma in its early stages Posted: 11 Sep 2013 09:53 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel automated technology that screens for glaucoma more accurately and quickly than existing methods.

Radiotherapy in girls and the risk of breast cancer later in life Posted: 11 Sep 2013 09:50 AM PDT Rsearchers have helped determine why exposing young women and girls under the age of 20 to ionizing radiation can substantially raise the risk of their developing breast cancer later in life.

Obesity combined with exposure to cigarette smoke may pose new health concerns Posted: 11 Sep 2013 09:07 AM PDT Millions of people who are obese and smoke tobacco may face additional health problems — including their responses to common prescription medicines — that extend beyond the well-known links with cancer, heart attacks and stroke, according to a new. The risks may extend to non-smokers who inhale smoke from cigarettes smouldering nearby.

'Merlin' is a matchmaker, not a magician Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:47 AM PDT Researchers have figured out the specific job of a protein long implicated in tumors of the nervous system. Reporting on a new study, they detail what they call the "matchmaking" activities of a fruit fly protein called Merlin, whose human counterpart, NF2, is a tumor suppressor protein known to cause neurofibromatosis type II when mutated.

T-rays offer potential for earlier diagnosis of melanoma Posted: 11 Sep 2013 08:46 AM PDT The technology that peeks underneath clothing at airport security screening check points has great potential for looking underneath human skin to diagnose cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, scientists say.

Stress may lead to false confessions Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:33 AM PDT Imagine if you were wrongly accused of a crime. Would you be stressed? Researchers have found the innocent are often less stressed than the guilty. And that could put them at greater risk to admit to a crime they didn't commit.

Versatile microRNAs choke off cancer blood supply, suppress metastasis Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:33 AM PDT A family of microRNAs blocks cancer progression and metastasis by stifling a tumor's ability to weave new blood vessels to support itself, researchers have reported.

How Schizophrenia affects the brain Posted: 11 Sep 2013 07:33 AM PDT A study has been published using brain scans to document the effects of schizophrenia on brain tissue. The findings may help doctors better understand the origin of the illness and the best ways to treat it.

Mosquito bites deliver potential new malaria vaccine Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT There is hope for new live-attenuated malaria vaccine according to a new study. This work has genetically engineered malaria parasites that are stunted through precise gene deletions, and these could be used as a vaccine that protects against malaria infection.

How chromosome ends influence cellular aging Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:29 AM PDT By studying processes that occur at the ends of chromosomes, a team researchers has unravelled an important mechanism towards a better understanding of cellular aging.

Tiny diamonds to boost treatment of chemoresistant leukemia Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:29 AM PDT By binding multiple molecules of a common leukemia drug with nanodiamonds, scientists have managed to boost the delivery of the drug to leukemic cells and retain the drug within the cells to combat the cancer.

Breakthrough discerns normal memory loss from disease Posted: 11 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT Researchers have developed a reliable method to distinguish memory declines associated with healthy aging from the more-serious memory disorders years before obvious symptoms emerge. The method also allows research to accurately predict who is more likely to develop cognitive impairment without expensive tests or invasive procedures.

Improving the lives of allergy sufferers Posted: 10 Sep 2013 05:53 PM PDT Allergen immunotherapy improves the quality of life of people who are allergic to grass pollen and house dust mites, reveals a new study. With less time taken off work, the therapy yields economic as well as patient benefits.

Mesothelioma: A targeted approach to asbestos-related cancer Posted: 10 Sep 2013 05:53 PM PDT A new targeted therapy for asbestos-related tumors has shown promise in an animal model. The results raise hopes of a new therapy for this currently incurable cancer. Malignant mesothelioma (MMs) is a rare form of cancer, most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. It tends to be diagnosed decades after exposure occurs, so is rarely caught early. Current treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy, have limited efficacy and unpleasant side effects.

Alzheimer's: Newly identified protein pathology impairs RNA splicing Posted: 10 Sep 2013 02:14 PM PDT Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized type of pathology in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. These tangle-like structures appear at early stages of Alzheimer's and are not found in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. The appearance of these tangles, which sequester proteins involved in RNA splicing, is linked to widespread changes in Alzheimer's brains compared to healthy brains.

Shingles symptoms may be caused by neuronal short circuit Posted: 10 Sep 2013 02:14 PM PDT The pain and itching associated with shingles and herpes may be due to the virus causing a "short circuit" in the nerve cells that reach the skin.

DNA repair could lead to improved cancer treatments Posted: 10 Sep 2013 02:14 PM PDT Medical researchers made a basic science discovery that advances the understanding of how DNA repairs itself. When DNA becomes too damaged it ultimately leads to cancer.

Immune system kills healthy cells Posted: 10 Sep 2013 02:14 PM PDT Medical scientists have made a key discovery about how the immune system kills healthy cells while attacking infections. This finding could one day lead to better solutions for cancer and anti-viral treatments.

Heart disease patients with positive attitudes likely to exercise, live longer Posted: 10 Sep 2013 01:54 PM PDT Heart disease patients with positive attitudes are more likely to exercise and live longer, says a new study. Patients may have better health outcomes when doctors' treatments are aimed at increasing positive attitude and promoting regular exercise.

Combination therapy for severe alcoholic hepatitis does not result in improved survival Posted: 10 Sep 2013 01:50 PM PDT Four weeks of treatment with a combination of the drug pentoxifylline and the corticosteroid prednisolone did not improve 6-month survival compared with prednisolone alone in 270 patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, according to a new study.

Paired risk factors in preeclampsia Posted: 10 Sep 2013 11:23 AM PDT Preeclampsia is a life-threatening complication of pregnancy. A study of how two immune system-related factors -- one genetic and one sexual -- combine to affect risk could yield strategies for planning pregnancies with improved awareness and management of the odds for being affected by that complication.

Five percent of US children, teens classified as 'severely obese' Posted: 09 Sep 2013 01:27 PM PDT About five percent of American children and teens are severely obese -- putting them at high risk for premature heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Severe obesity is a newly defined class of risk, and effective treatment options for these children are limited.

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