ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Abuse, lack of parental warmth in childhood linked to multiple health risks in adulthood
• Biologists confirm role of sperm competition in formation of new species
• Hospital-grade lightweight blood flow imager on the cheap
• How viral infection disrupts neural development in offspring, increasing risk of autism
• Hidden genetic code for better designer genes
• Scientists identify brain circuitry that triggers overeating
• Bone hormone influences brain development and cognition
• Genetic map developed linking complex diseases
• Study links heavy texting, sleep problems in college freshmen
• Lithium in the brain
• Analgesic molecule discovered in its natural state in Africa
• Quitting smoking easier for social media users
• Malignant brain tumours can be transformed into benign forms
• Without a trace: Cells keep to one direction by erasing the path
• Experts confirm that fruit and vegetable consumption reduces risk of mortality
• Study unlocks origin of brown fat cells, important in weight maintenance
• Drivers who test positive for drugs have triple the risk of fatal car crash
• Restricting antibiotics could be key to fighting 'superbug'
• New mechanism for protein misfolding may link to ALS
• Study shines new light on consequences of preterm births
• Getting an expected award music to the brain's ears
• Cancer cells propagated from early prostate cancer
• Model developed for studying tissue pattern formation during embryonic development
• How the gut got its villi: Comparing species, researchers investigate a process they dub 'villification'

Abuse, lack of parental warmth in childhood linked to multiple health risks in adulthood Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:50 PM PDT A new study for the first time examines the effects of abuse and lack of parental affection across the body's entire regulatory system, and finds a strong biological link for how negative early life experiences affect physical health.

Biologists confirm role of sperm competition in formation of new species Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:50 PM PDT Female promiscuity -- something that occurs in a majority of species, including humans -- results in the ejaculates from two or more males overlapping within her reproductive tract. When this happens, sperm compete for fertilization of the female's eggs. In addition, the female has the opportunity to bias fertilization of her eggs in favor of one male's sperm over others.

Hospital-grade lightweight blood flow imager on the cheap Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:49 PM PDT Tracking blood flow in the laboratory is an important tool for studying ailments like migraines or strokes and designing new ways to address them. Now, using $90 worth of off-the-shelf commercial parts including a webcam and a laser pointer, researchers have duplicated the performance of expensive, scientific-grade LSCI instruments at a fraction of the cost.

How viral infection disrupts neural development in offspring, increasing risk of autism Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:47 PM PDT Activating a mother's immune system during her pregnancy disrupts the development of neural cells in the brain of her offspring and damages the cells' ability to transmit signals and communicate with one another, an animal study suggests. They said the finding suggests how maternal viral infection might increase the risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia.

Hidden genetic code for better designer genes Posted: 26 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT The relative abundance of rare "words," or codons, in bacterial genes helps control how much of the corresponding protein the bacteria produce. The results could help scientists engineer bacteria more precisely than ever before, and greatly increase the efficiency of microbial manufacturing.

Scientists identify brain circuitry that triggers overeating Posted: 26 Sep 2013 11:28 AM PDT Researchers have pinpointed the precise cellular connections responsible for triggering binge eating. The finding lends insight into a cause for obesity and could lead to treatments for anorexia, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder -- the most prevalent eating disorder in the U.S.

Bone hormone influences brain development and cognition Posted: 26 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT Researchers have found that the skeleton, acting through the bone-derived hormone osteocalcin, exerts a powerful influence on prenatal brain development and cognitive functions such as learning, memory, anxiety, and depression in adult mice. Findings from the mouse study could lead to new approaches to the prevention and treatment of neurologic disorders.

Genetic map developed linking complex diseases Posted: 26 Sep 2013 09:23 AM PDT Scientists have created one of the most expansive analyses to date of the genetic factors at play in complex diseases such as autism and heart disease by using diseases with known genetic causes to guide them. Identifying trends of co-occurrence among hundreds of diseases in 120 million patients, they created a unique genetic map that has the potential to help diagnose, identify risk factors for and someday develop therapies against complex diseases.

Study links heavy texting, sleep problems in college freshmen Posted: 26 Sep 2013 08:19 AM PDT A new study has found that texting was direct predictor of sleep problems in first-year college students.

Lithium in the brain Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT Experiments with neutrons show that the antidepressant lithium accumulates more strongly in white matter of the brain than in grey matter. This leads to the conclusion that it works differently from synthetic psychotropic drugs. Brain tissue samples were examined in one study with the aim of developing a better understanding of the effects this substance has on the human psyche.

Analgesic molecule discovered in its natural state in Africa Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT A team of researchers has discovered that an African medicinal plant produces large quantities of molecules with analgesic properties.

Quitting smoking easier for social media users Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Smoking is a major public health problem, killing approximately 443,000 people every year in the United States. Quitting smoking can have a profound effect on a person's health, but it is also one of the hardest addictions to kick. A recent paper reports that people who engage in health specific social networking sites found it easier to quit smoking.

Malignant brain tumours can be transformed into benign forms Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:26 AM PDT Cells of malignant brain tumours deceive our immune system so effectively that it starts working for them. But who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. Researchers show how to deceive brain tumours and change malignant gliomas into benign forms.

Without a trace: Cells keep to one direction by erasing the path Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:24 AM PDT Migrating cells, it seems, cover their tracks not for fear of being followed, but to keep moving forward. Scientists have now shown that cells in a zebrafish embryo determine which direction they move in by effectively erasing the path behind them. The findings could have implications not just for development but also for cancer and metastasis.

Experts confirm that fruit and vegetable consumption reduces risk of mortality Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:24 AM PDT A European study analyzes the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of mortality. As previous research has already suggested, this study concludes that fruit and vegetable consumption reduces all-cause mortality, and especially cardiovascular disease mortality.

Study unlocks origin of brown fat cells, important in weight maintenance Posted: 26 Sep 2013 07:22 AM PDT In ongoing research aimed at battling obesity, researchers have deciphered how new fat cells are formed in energy-storing fat pads.

Drivers who test positive for drugs have triple the risk of fatal car crash Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:56 PM PDT In a new study researchers assessed the association of driver drug use, as well as the combination of drugs and alcohol, with the risk of fatal crash. They found that drug use is associated with a significantly increased risk of fatal crash involvement, particularly when used in combination with alcohol. The study provides critical data for understanding the joint effect of alcohol and drugs on driving safety.

Restricting antibiotics could be key to fighting 'superbug' Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:56 PM PDT New ways are needed to fight the infection Clostridium difficile and better use of antibiotics could be key, according to the authors of ground-breaking research.

New mechanism for protein misfolding may link to ALS Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:54 PM PDT A recently identified link between a toxic amino acid found in blue-green algae and several motor neuron diseases could help researchers devise a therapy for the fatal conditions.

Study shines new light on consequences of preterm births Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:54 PM PDT Researchers confirm the strong link between preterm birth and the risk of infant and young adult death, autism and ADHD. But it also suggests that other threats that have been closely tied to the issue, such as severe mental illness, learning problems, suicide and economic woes, may instead be more closely related to other conditions that family members share.

Getting an expected award music to the brain's ears Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:52 PM PDT A new study suggests that the auditory cortex does more than just process sound. When study subjects were expecting a reward and received it, or weren't expecting a reward and were right, this area lit up on brain scans.

Cancer cells propagated from early prostate cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2013 03:52 PM PDT A team of cancer researchers has identified the existence of precursor cells in early prostate cancers. These cells are resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy, and may drive the subsequent emergence of recurrent or metastatic prostate cancer.

Model developed for studying tissue pattern formation during embryonic development Posted: 25 Sep 2013 12:21 PM PDT A team of scientists is working to develop a model for studying tissue -- specifically how it organizes into organs and layers during embryonic development. Their findings may have major implications for the study of tissue pattern formation and malformation.

How the gut got its villi: Comparing species, researchers investigate a process they dub 'villification' Posted: 24 Sep 2013 02:44 PM PDT The principles guiding the growth of intestinal structures called villi are surprisingly similar across chickens, frogs, mice, and snakes. The wrinkling of the inner gut, the researchers found, is intimately linked to the stages of muscle layer differentiation, which produce a series of different physical stresses.

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