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Friday, September 13, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Bacteria responsible for gum disease facilitates rheumatoid arthritis

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT

A research team has uncovered how the bacterium responsible for periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, worsens rheumatoid arthritis by leading to earlier onset, faster progression and greater severity of the disease, including increased bone and cartilage destruction.

Americans living longer, more healthy lives

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:33 PM PDT

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have found that the average 25-year-old American today can look forward to 2.4 more years of a healthy life than 20 years ago while a 65-year-old today has gained 1.7 years.

Genes linked to being right- or left-handed identified

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:32 PM PDT

A genetic study has identified a biological process that influences whether we are right-handed or left-handed. Scientists found correlations between handedness and a network of genes involved in establishing left-right asymmetry in developing embryos.

Teen driving and marijuana use: More one in four high school seniors drive after using alcohol or drugs, or ride with a driver who has

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 05:28 PM PDT

A new study finds that 28 percent of U.S. high school seniors have driven after using drugs or drinking alcohol in the past two weeks, or ridden in a vehicle with a driver who did. In particular, driving after smoking marijuana has increased over the past three years.

Contribution of local animal populations to human Salmonella infections overstated

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:34 AM PDT

A new study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, local domestic animals are unlikely to be the major source of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in humans.

Scientists pinpoint proteins vital to long-term memory

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:33 AM PDT

Scientists have found a group of proteins essential to the formation of long-term memories.

Radical new view of health: Stem cells are wired for cooperation, down to the DNA

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT

We often think of human cells as tiny computers that perform assigned tasks, where disease is a result of a malfunction. But researchers now offer a radical view of health — seeing it more as a cooperative state among cells, while they see disease as result of cells at war that fight with each other for domination.

Molecule that triggers septic shock identified

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a sensor pathway inside cells. These internal sensors are like motion detectors inside a house; they trigger an alarm that signals for help — a response from the immune system.

Molecular structure reveals how HIV infects cells

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT

A team scientists has determined the high-resolution atomic structure of a cell-surface receptor that most strains of HIV use to get into human immune cells. The researchers also showed where maraviroc, an HIV drug, attaches to cells and blocks HIV's entry.

Helper cells trigger potent responses to HIV

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:20 AM PDT

A major new finding that will significantly advance efforts to create the world's first antibody-based AIDS vaccine shows that certain helper T cells are important for triggering a strong antibody response against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Autism gene stunts neurons, but growth can be restored

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:19 AM PDT

A new study reports that mutation of a gene associated with some autism forms in humans can hinder the proper growth and connectivity of brain cells in mice. It also shows how that understanding allowed these cells to restore proper growth in the lab.

Alzheimer's patients show striking individual differences in molecular basis of disease

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:19 AM PDT

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be caused by the buildup of abnormal protein deposits in the brain, but little is known about the molecular structures of these beta-amyloid fibrils. A new study has revealed that distinct molecular structures may predominate in the brains of Alzheimer's patients with different clinical histories and degrees of brain damage. The findings pave the way for new patient-specific strategies to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Treat the fungus among us with nontoxic medicinal compound

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 10:18 AM PDT

A research team has found a breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for a common human fungal pathogen that lives in almost 80 percent of people. The team discovered a medicinal herb called Gymnema slyvestre is both nontoxic and blocks the virulence properties of a common fungus called Candida albicans.

Hate the sound of your voice? Not really

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:27 AM PDT

A new study finds people unknowingly find their own pre-recorded voice more attractive than others do.

Researchers hit virtual heads to make safer games

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 08:18 AM PDT

Two nearly identical softballs, both approved for league play, can have dramatically different effects when smacked into a player's head.

Brain atrophy linked with cognitive decline in diabetes

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:38 AM PDT

New research has shown that cognitive decline in people with type 2 diabetes is likely due to brain atrophy, or shrinkage, that resembles patterns seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Novel vaccine reduces shedding of genital herpes virus

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:37 AM PDT

Sexually transmitted infection researchers have potentially reached a milestone in vaccine treatment for genital herpes, according to a report.

Everyday sadists take pleasure in others' pain

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:37 AM PDT

Most of the time, we try to avoid inflicting pain on others -- when we do hurt someone, we typically experience guilt, remorse, or other feelings of distress. But for some, cruelty can be pleasurable, even exciting. According to new research, this kind of everyday sadism is real and more common than we might think.

Forcing cancer to digest itself

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:25 AM PDT

When tumour cells no longer degrade themselves, cancer may develop. Using black skin cancer as an example, researchers have now shown that a protein plays an important role in the process of degradation of tumour cells. By reactivating this degradation therapeutically, tumours can be virtually forced to digest themselves.

New heart catheter on a U. S. patient for first time

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT

Cardiovascular physicians have used the new IntellaTip MiFi™ XP catheter in a U.S. patient for the first time.

Codeine could increase users' sensitivity to pain

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT

Using large and frequent doses of the pain-killer codeine may actually produce heightened sensitivity to pain, without the same level of relief offered by morphine, according to new research.

Guppy fish proven to be cheap, effective tool in fight against Dengue fever

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT

Larvae-eating guppy fish can help combat the spread of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness giving rise to hundreds of thousands of severe cases including 20,000 deaths worldwide every year.

Testosterone deficiency not the only cause of changes with age in men

Posted: 11 Sep 2013 03:47 PM PDT

Just as the symptoms of menopause in women are attributed to a sharp drop in estrogen production, symptoms often seen in middle-aged men -- changes in body composition, energy, strength and sexual function -- are usually attributed to the less drastic decrease in testosterone production that typically occurs in the middle years. However, a new study finds that insufficient estrogen could be at least partially responsible for some of these symptoms.

Fat marker predicts cognitive decline in people with HIV

Posted: 11 Sep 2013 03:44 PM PDT

Scientists have found that levels of certain fats found in cerebral spinal fluid can predict which patients with HIV are more likely to become intellectually impaired.

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