ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Wedded bliss or blues? Scientists link DNA to marital satisfaction
• Delayed aging is better investment than cancer, heart disease
• Study shows how neurons enable us to know smells we like and dislike, whether to approach or retreat
• What makes triathletes so tough?
• Vaccination campaign doubles HBV mutations
• Dog's mood offers insight into owner's health
• 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic in cells
• Air pollution and psychological distress during pregnancy
• Air pollution increases heart attacks
• New drug candidate found for deadly fungal lung infections
• 6 new Sjögren's syndrome genes found by international team
• Neuroscientists identify class of cortical inhibitory neurons specializing in disinhibition
• Skin infection linked to exposure to aquariums is under-diagnosed
• Study points to new heart drug targets with a key role for triglycerides
• Universal gown, glove use by employees in ICU reduces MRSA 40 percent
• Biomarker, potential targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer discovered
• Program improves sun protection practices among children of melanoma survivors
• Unreliable commercial lab kits may be hindering fight against cancer
• Possible culprits in congenital heart defects identified
• A rapid, paper-based diagnostic test for tuberculosis
• Innovative approach could ultimately end deadly disease of sleeping sickness
• How depression blurs memories
• Boost your immune system, shake off stress by walking in the woods
• Old remedy shows promise as new chemo drug for bladder cancer
• Drowsy Drosophila shed light on sleep and hunger
• Blocking nerve cells could prevent symptoms of eczema
• Triple-negative breast cancer target for drug development identified
• Generating human induced pluripotent stem cell banks
• A metabolic means to preserving egg supply, fertility

Wedded bliss or blues? Scientists link DNA to marital satisfaction Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:24 PM PDT What makes some people more prone to wedded bliss or sorrow than others? Researchers have found a major clue in our DNA. A gene involved in the regulation of serotonin can predict how much our emotions affect our relationships, according to a new study that may be the first to link genetics, emotions, and marital satisfaction.

Delayed aging is better investment than cancer, heart disease Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:23 PM PDT Research to delay aging and the infirmities of old age would have better population health and economic returns than advances in individual fatal diseases such as cancer or heart disease, reveals a new study.

Study shows how neurons enable us to know smells we like and dislike, whether to approach or retreat Posted: 07 Oct 2013 12:17 PM PDT What underlying biological mechanisms account for our seemingly instant, almost unconscious ability to determine how attractive (or repulsive) a particular smell is? New research reveals a set of cells in the fruit fly brain that respond specifically to food odors. The degree to which these neurons respond when the fly is presented different food odors predicts "incredibly well how much the flies will 'like' a given odor."

What makes triathletes so tough? Posted: 07 Oct 2013 08:21 AM PDT Why do triathletes have such remarkable endurance and exceptional athletic abilities? Researchers have found they may feel less pain than casual exercisers -- and this finding may lead to new therapies for chronic pain in others.

Vaccination campaign doubles HBV mutations Posted: 07 Oct 2013 08:21 AM PDT A universal infant vaccination campaign in China has led the hepatitis B virus to more than double its rate of "breakout" mutations. These mutations may enable the virus to elude the vaccine, necessitating new vaccination strategies.

Dog's mood offers insight into owner's health Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:47 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated how remote-monitoring of a dog's behavior can be used to alert family and carers that an elderly relative is struggling to cope.

2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic in cells Posted: 07 Oct 2013 07:26 AM PDT The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells.

Air pollution and psychological distress during pregnancy Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:45 AM PDT Maternal psychological distress combined with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy have an adverse impact on children's behavioral development. The study shows that maternal demoralization, a measure of psychological distress that can affect a mother's ability to cope with stressful situations, was linked with several behavioral problems, including anxiety, depression, and attention problems. Effects of demoralization were greatest among children with higher levels of prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air pollution.

Air pollution increases heart attacks Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:42 AM PDT Air pollution increases heart attacks, according to research. Of particular note is that the study also found that older people (>65 years) and men were particularly susceptible to having arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation or acute coronary syndromes at increasing levels of air pollution.

New drug candidate found for deadly fungal lung infections Posted: 07 Oct 2013 06:37 AM PDT On a molecular level, you have more in common with shower curtain mold or the mushrooms on your pizza than you might think. Humans and fungi share similar proteins, a biological bond that makes curing fungal infections difficult and expensive. Now for the first time in 20 years, researchers have discovered a new compound that could be developed as an antifungal drug to treat histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis, two types of fungal infections that are naturally drug-resistant.

6 new Sjögren's syndrome genes found by international team Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:24 AM PDT Six new Sjögren's syndrome-related genes have been discovered by an international group of researchers in a genome-wide association study. Previously, only one Sjögren's gene was known.

Neuroscientists identify class of cortical inhibitory neurons specializing in disinhibition Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:24 AM PDT New research reveals that one class of inhibitory neurons -- called VIP interneurons -- specializes in inhibiting other inhibitory neurons in multiple regions of cortex, and does so under specific behavioral conditions. The new research finds that VIP interneurons, when activated, release principal cells from inhibition, thus boosting their responses. This provides an additional layer of control over cortical processing, much like a dimmer switch can fine-tune light levels.

Skin infection linked to exposure to aquariums is under-diagnosed Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT A skin infection linked to exposure to contaminated water in home aquariums is frequently under-diagnosed. Researchers say diagnosing and managing Mycobacterium marinum infection is difficult because skin lesions don't appear for two to four weeks after incubation, leading to delayed treatment and unnecessary and ineffective use of antifungal and antibacterial agents.

Study points to new heart drug targets with a key role for triglycerides Posted: 06 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT A global hunt for genes that influence heart disease risk has uncovered 157 changes in human DNA that alter the levels of cholesterol and other blood fats – a discovery that could lead to new medications.

Universal gown, glove use by employees in ICU reduces MRSA 40 percent Posted: 04 Oct 2013 05:14 PM PDT Health-care workers' use of disposable gowns and gloves upon entering all patient rooms on an ICU, versus only in rooms on standard isolation protocol, helped reduce patient acquisition of MRSA by approximately 40 percent. While the study did not show statistically significant results for preventing patient acquisition of VRE, use of gowns and gloves increased handwashing frequency among healthcare workers and did not result in any increase in adverse events for patients.

Biomarker, potential targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer discovered Posted: 04 Oct 2013 05:14 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a biomarker, known as phosphatidylserine, for pancreatic cancer that could be effectively targeted, creating a potential therapy for a condition that has a small survival rate.

Program improves sun protection practices among children of melanoma survivors Posted: 04 Oct 2013 12:42 PM PDT A new article outlines the results of a project investigating how directed programing affects behavior. This study is the first to evaluate impact of tailored information on a group at high risk for melanoma.

Unreliable commercial lab kits may be hindering fight against cancer Posted: 04 Oct 2013 09:49 AM PDT A new study shows for the first time that low quality commercial lab kits may be one factor hampering the progress of cancer diagnostics.

Possible culprits in congenital heart defects identified Posted: 03 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT Mitochondria are the power plants of cells, manufacturing fuel so a cell can perform its many tasks. These cellular power plants also are well known for their role in cell suicide. Now, researchers have shown that mitochondria remarkably also orchestrate events that determine a cell's future, at least in the embryonic mouse heart. The new study identifies new potential genetic culprits in the origins of some congenital heart defects.

A rapid, paper-based diagnostic test for tuberculosis Posted: 03 Oct 2013 11:22 AM PDT Researchers describe a simple, color-based diagnostic approach with the potential to detect target DNA sequences found in TB-causing mycobacteria – in just a fraction of the time required for established diagnostic tests.

Innovative approach could ultimately end deadly disease of sleeping sickness Posted: 03 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT A tag team of two bacteria, one of them genetically modified, has a good chance to reduce or even eliminate the deadly disease African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, researchers conclude in a recent mathematical modeling study.

How depression blurs memories Posted: 03 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT The more depressed someone feels, the harder it is for them to distinguish similar experiences they've had -- such as where they parked their car today.

Boost your immune system, shake off stress by walking in the woods Posted: 03 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT Work, home, even in the car, stress is a constant struggle for many people. But it's more than just exhausting and annoying. Unmanaged stress can lead to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Old remedy shows promise as new chemo drug for bladder cancer Posted: 03 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT An old home remedy called ipecac syrup, once stocked in medicine cabinets in case of accidental poisoning, is showing promise as a new chemotherapy drug for bladder cancer.

Drowsy Drosophila shed light on sleep and hunger Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Sleep, hunger and metabolism are closely related, but scientists are still struggling to understand how they interact. Now, researchers have discovered a key function in a molecule in fruit flies that may provide insight into the complicated relationship between sleep and food.

Blocking nerve cells could prevent symptoms of eczema Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Research is leading to a new picture of how the nervous system interacts with the immune system to cause the itch and inflammation of eczema, a chronic skin disease. The new findings could lead to new therapies for the condition, which afflicts 10 percent of the population at some point in their lives. In children, dry and itchy skin can progress to rashes, nasal allergies and asthma.

Triple-negative breast cancer target for drug development identified Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT Often deadly "triple-negative" breast cancers might be effectively treated in many cases with a drug that targets a previously unknown vulnerability in the tumors.

Generating human induced pluripotent stem cell banks Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT Establishing well-characterized panels of induced pluripotent stem cells lines that reflect the diversity of the human population and include samples from patients with a range of diseases will be key to tapping into the potential of iPSCs. Experts in the field have published several opinion pieces on emerging issues related to generating such iPSC banks, and they provide practical recommendations and creative solutions to address challenges associated with such large-scale efforts.

A metabolic means to preserving egg supply, fertility Posted: 03 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT The stresses that come with aging, chemotherapy treatments, and environmental exposures all threaten fertility. But what if there were a way to preserve women's limited egg supply? Researchers reporting on studies conducted in frog and mouse eggs in may have found a way. The findings come at an important time when many women are waiting longer and longer to have children.

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