ScienceDaily: Top Health News

---

• Nano-dissection identifies genes involved in kidney disease
• Researchers uncover keys to antibiotic resistance in MRSA
• New therapeutic agents that may benefit leukemia patients
• Antibiotics drastically overprescribed for sore throats, bronchitis
• Stem cells engineered to become targeted drug factories
• New role for the benefits of oxygen
• Research reveals the mechanism of the sodium-potassium pump
• Metabolic enzymes discovered with 'widespread roles' in opium poppy
• Sparing the body, breast cancer treatment via nipple injection
• Well-connected hemispheres of Einstein's brain may have sparked his brilliance
• Scientists discover molecules that show promise for new anti-flu medicines
• Is the human brain capable of identifying a fake smile?
• Lung structure shaped by fluid dynamics and transport
• Experts devise a way to cut radiation exposure in children needing repeat brain scans
• Silencing sudden death
• Neglect of 'science communication environment' puts vaccine acceptance at risk
• Reading literary fiction improves 'mind-reading' skills
• Power of precision medicine in successful treatment of patient with disabling OCD
• Five regular meals a day reduce obesity risk among adolescents
• Advanced technology for gene expression analysis can facilitate drug development

Nano-dissection identifies genes involved in kidney disease Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:48 PM PDT A new method developed by researchers called "in silico nano-dissection" uses computers rather than scalpels to separate and identify genes from specific cell types, enabling the systematic study of genes involved in diseases.

Researchers uncover keys to antibiotic resistance in MRSA Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:48 PM PDT Researchers have published research results this week that show how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) regulates the critical crosslinking of its cell wall in the face of beta-lactam antibiotics.

New therapeutic agents that may benefit leukemia patients Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:43 PM PDT An cancer researcher and his colleagues have discovered new therapeutic targets and drugs for certain types of leukemia or blood cancer.

Antibiotics drastically overprescribed for sore throats, bronchitis Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:52 AM PDT A vast majority of people who see their doctors for sore throats or acute bronchitis receive antibiotics, yet only a small percentage should, according to analyses of two major national surveys. Those illnesses usually are caused by viruses, and antibiotics -- which only treat bacterial infections -- do not help.

Stem cells engineered to become targeted drug factories Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:52 AM PDT A group researchers have found a way to use stem cells as drug delivery vehicles. The researchers inserted modified strands of messenger RNA into connective tissue stem cells -- called mesenchymal stem cells -- which stimulated the cells to produce adhesive surface proteins and secrete interleukin-10, an anti-inflammatory molecule.

New role for the benefits of oxygen Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:52 AM PDT During a heart attack when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of the heart is interrupted, and not quickly restored, heart muscle begins dying. Deprived of oxygen and other essential nutrients, cell death continues possibly leading to progressive loss of heart function and congestive heart failure. Rsearchers found that dying heart cells still contain enough oxygen for metabolism, and additional short-term spikes of oxygen keep the cells alive and active.

Research reveals the mechanism of the sodium-potassium pump Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:52 AM PDT Researchers have established the structure of a crucial enzyme -- the so-called sodium-potassium pump -- which forms part of every cell in the human body. The result may pave the way for a better understanding of neurological diseases.

Metabolic enzymes discovered with 'widespread roles' in opium poppy Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:52 AM PDT Scientists have discovered metabolic enzymes in the opium poppy that play "widespread roles" in enabling the plant to make painkilling morphine and codeine, and other important compounds.

Sparing the body, breast cancer treatment via nipple injection Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:47 AM PDT A new technique for breast cancer treatment and prevention has been proposed by researchers - injection of therapeutics via the nipple. The procedure, demonstrated on mice, offers direct access to the most common origin of breast cancer, the milk ducts, and could be used to offer cancer therapy that spares healthy regions of the body.

Well-connected hemispheres of Einstein's brain may have sparked his brilliance Posted: 04 Oct 2013 07:47 AM PDT The left and right hemispheres of Albert Einstein's brain were unusually well connected to each other and may have contributed to his brilliance.

Scientists discover molecules that show promise for new anti-flu medicines Posted: 04 Oct 2013 06:08 AM PDT A new way to attack flu viruses is taking shape in laboratories, where scientists have identified chemical agents that block the virus's ability to replicate itself in cell culture. These novel compounds show promise for a new class of antiviral medicines to fight much-feared pandemic influenza such as the looming "bird flu" threats caused by the H5N1 influenza A virus and the new H7N9 virus.

Is the human brain capable of identifying a fake smile? Posted: 04 Oct 2013 06:06 AM PDT Since Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, much has been said about what lies behind her smile. Now, researchers have discovered how far this attention-grabbing expression confuses our emotion recognition and makes us perceive a face as happy, even if it is not. Human beings deduce others´ state of mind from their facial expressions.

Lung structure shaped by fluid dynamics and transport Posted: 04 Oct 2013 06:03 AM PDT Physicists suggest how evolution has shaped our lungs through successive optimizations of physical parameters such as conservation of energy and speed of delivery. Our respiratory system consists of a bronchial tree designed to transport air through the lungs combined with an alveolar system designed to capture the oxygen. Both are subjected to different type of optimizations. Only tree-like structures, the paper shows, are able to efficiently feed organs above a small size, below which organs are solely fed by diffusion.

Experts devise a way to cut radiation exposure in children needing repeat brain scans Posted: 03 Oct 2013 12:49 PM PDT A team of pediatric neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists has developed a way to minimize dangerous radiation exposure in children with a condition that requires repeat CT scans of the brain. The experts say they reduced exposure without sacrificing the diagnostic accuracy of the images or compromising treatment decisions.

Silencing sudden death Posted: 03 Oct 2013 11:26 AM PDT Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a disease in which cardiac muscle thickens, weakening the heart -- can be prevented from developing for several months by reducing production of a mutant protein. This study has been performed on mice.

Neglect of 'science communication environment' puts vaccine acceptance at risk Posted: 03 Oct 2013 11:26 AM PDT Failure to use science of science communication contributed to public controversy over HPV vaccine and could provoke similar conflict over other childhood vaccines.

Reading literary fiction improves 'mind-reading' skills Posted: 03 Oct 2013 11:26 AM PDT Researchers have published a paper demonstrating that reading literary fiction enhances a set of skills and thought processes fundamental to complex social relationships -- and functional societies. These researchers performed five experiments to measure the effect of reading literary fiction on participants' Theory of Mind, the complex social skill of "mind-reading" to understand others' mental states.

Power of precision medicine in successful treatment of patient with disabling OCD Posted: 03 Oct 2013 06:57 AM PDT A multidisciplinary team led by a geneticist and psychiatrist have published a paper providing a glimpse of both the tremendous power and the current limitations of "precision medicine."

Five regular meals a day reduce obesity risk among adolescents Posted: 03 Oct 2013 06:54 AM PDT A regular eating pattern may protect adolescents from obesity, according to a population-based study with more than 4,000 participants. When eating five meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks - a day, even those with a genetic predisposition to obesity had no higher body mass index (BMI) than their controls. The collection of the data on the study population began prenatally, and the participants were followed up until the age of 16.

Advanced technology for gene expression analysis can facilitate drug development Posted: 03 Oct 2013 06:30 AM PDT When developing new drugs, monitoring cellular responses to candidate compounds is essential for assessing their efficacy and safety. Researchers report a new method to monitor and quantify the activity of gene promoters during the response to a drug, using the advanced gene expression analysis method CAGE followed by single-molecule sequencing. This research paves the way to a more precise analysis of cellular responses to drugs, at the level of individual promoters.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Health News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610