ScienceDaily: Top Health News

---

• Novel genetic patterns may make us rethink biology and individuality
• Bacterial toxin sets the course for infection
• How body clock affects inflammation: Discovery could accelerate body's response to infection, autoimmune disorders
• Tobacco myths persist 50 years after US Surgeon General warned Americans of smoking dangers
• Small RNA molecule in blood could help diagnose pancreatic cancer
• New method predicts time from Alzheimer’s onset to nursing home, death
• Hope builds for drug that might shut down variety of cancers
• For obese teen girls, aerobic exercise may trump resistance training in health benefits
• Obesity may limit overall function two years after shoulder replacement surgery
• Researchers regrow hair, cartilage, bone, soft tissues: Enhancing cell metabolism was an unexpected key to tissue repair
• Muscle built in diseased mice: Human muscle cells created in a dish
• Social symptoms in autistic children may be caused by hyper-connected neurons
• Researchers discover new driver of breast cancer
• Scientists identify clue to regrowing nerve cells
• Clotting protein hardens aging hearts
• Getting to grips with seizure prediction
• Calcium, vitamin D improve bone density in patients taking antiepileptic drugs
• Hearing through sight: Brain plasticity and why cochlear implants work better for some people than others
• Special camera detects tumors
• Ants, like humans, can change their priorities
• Bio patch that can regrow bone
• Nanoparticles can overcome drug resistance in breast cancer cells
• Defining allergy fact from fiction
• Common genetic pathway could be conduit to pediatric tumor treatment
• 'Diabetic flies' can speed up disease-fighting research
• Collaborative efforts help mental health patients quit smoking
• Hormone levels in women using contraception affect nerve activity involved in vessel constriction
• Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism, development of diabetes
• Researchers help make pediatric eye cancer easier to detect
• Hospitals with neurology residency programs more likely to administer life-saving stroke drugs

Novel genetic patterns may make us rethink biology and individuality Posted: 07 Nov 2013 05:42 PM PST Scientists have made two novel discoveries: 1) a person can have several DNA mutations in parts of their body, with their original DNA in the rest -- resulting in several different genotypes in one individual -- and 2) some of the same genetic mutations occur in unrelated people. We think of each person's DNA as unique, but if a person can have more than one genotype, this may have broad implications.

Bacterial toxin sets the course for infection Posted: 07 Nov 2013 05:42 PM PST Every year gastro-intestinal diseases have lethal consequences for more than five million individuals. Scientists have now discovered what makes a specific strain of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis so dangerous: the bacteria produce a molecule called CNFy that facilitates the infection process for them. It changes the host cells in a manner that enables the injection apparatus of Yersinia, which injects toxins into the cells, to work more efficiently. This strengthens the gastrointestinal infection and leads to inflammation of the tissue.

How body clock affects inflammation: Discovery could accelerate body's response to infection, autoimmune disorders Posted: 07 Nov 2013 02:06 PM PST Researchers report that disrupting the light-dark cycle of mice increased their susceptibility to inflammatory disease, indicating that the production of a key immune cell is controlled by the body's circadian clock.

Tobacco myths persist 50 years after US Surgeon General warned Americans of smoking dangers Posted: 07 Nov 2013 11:24 AM PST Tobacco misconceptions prevail in the United States despite the dramatic drop in smoking rates since the release of the first Surgeon General's Report on smoking and health in January 1964. Cancer experts dispel common myths and share new educational resources to address this persistent challenge.

Small RNA molecule in blood could help diagnose pancreatic cancer Posted: 07 Nov 2013 11:24 AM PST A cancer researcher has demonstrated that a particular molecule is present in the blood of most pancreatic cancer patients, suggesting it could someday be a diagnostic marker for the disease.

New method predicts time from Alzheimer’s onset to nursing home, death Posted: 07 Nov 2013 11:24 AM PST A research team has clinically validated a new method for predicting time to nursing home residence or death for patients with Alzheimer's. The method uses data from a single patient visit, and is based on a complex model of Alzheimer's progression developed by consecutively following two sets of Alzheimer's patients for 10 years each.

Hope builds for drug that might shut down variety of cancers Posted: 07 Nov 2013 10:28 AM PST The most frequently mutated gene across all types of cancers is a gene called p53. Unfortunately it has been difficult to directly target this gene with drugs. Now a multi-institutional research team has identified a family of enzymes they say is crucial for the growth of cancers that have genetic aberrations in p53.

For obese teen girls, aerobic exercise may trump resistance training in health benefits Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:32 AM PST New findings suggest that for teen girls, aerobic exercise might be superior to resistance exercise for cutting health risks associated with obesity.

Obesity may limit overall function two years after shoulder replacement surgery Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:32 AM PST Patients with obesity undergo a disproportionately higher number of elective orthopaedic surgeries in the US. Obesity has been linked to higher costs, complications, infections and revisions in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries.

Researchers regrow hair, cartilage, bone, soft tissues: Enhancing cell metabolism was an unexpected key to tissue repair Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:31 AM PST Young animals are known to repair their tissues effortlessly, but can this capacity be recaptured in adults? A new study suggests that it can. By reactivating a dormant gene called Lin28a, which is active in embryonic stem cells, researchers were able to regrow hair and repair cartilage, bone, skin and other soft tissues in a mouse model.

Muscle built in diseased mice: Human muscle cells created in a dish Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:31 AM PST Skeletal muscle has proved to be very difficult to grow in patients with muscular dystrophy and other disorders that degrade and weaken muscle. Researchers now report boosting muscle mass and reversing disease in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, using a "cocktail" of three compounds identified through a new rapid culture system. Adding the same compounds to stem cells derived from patients' skin cells, they then successfully grew human muscle cells in a dish.

Social symptoms in autistic children may be caused by hyper-connected neurons Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:30 AM PST The brains of children with autism show more connections than the brains of typically developing children do. What's more, the brains of individuals with the most severe social symptoms are also the most hyper-connected. The findings reported in two independent studies are challenge the prevailing notion in the field that autistic brains are lacking in neural connections.

Researchers discover new driver of breast cancer Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:27 AM PST A team of researchers has found that as cholesterol is metabolized, a potent stimulant of breast cancer is created – one that fuels estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers, and that may also defeat a common treatment strategy for those cancers.

Scientists identify clue to regrowing nerve cells Posted: 07 Nov 2013 09:27 AM PST Researchers have identified a chain reaction that triggers the regrowth of some damaged nerve cell branches, a discovery that one day may help improve treatments for nerve injuries that can cause loss of sensation or paralysis.

Clotting protein hardens aging hearts Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:38 AM PST A researcher has found through studies of pigs' heart valves that age plays a critical role in the valves' progressive hardening, and the problem may be due to the infiltration of a protein known as von Willebrand factor. Tissues from pig valves are commonly used to make human heart-valve replacements.

Getting to grips with seizure prediction Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:37 AM PST A device that could predict when a person with epilepsy might next have a seizure is one step closer to reality thanks to the development of software by researchers in the USA.

Calcium, vitamin D improve bone density in patients taking antiepileptic drugs Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:35 AM PST A recent prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial reports that calcium and vitamin D supplementation improves bone density in a group of male veterans with epilepsy who were treated chronically with antiepileptic drugs. These results suggest that risedronate, a bisphosphonate, may help to prevent new vertebral fractures when taken with calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

Hearing through sight: Brain plasticity and why cochlear implants work better for some people than others Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:35 AM PST Cochlear implants allow adults who have become profoundly deaf to recover the ability to understand speech. However, recovery differs between individuals. Activating the visual regions of the brain has proved essential to the satisfactory recovery of hearing, according to a new study.

Special camera detects tumors Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:35 AM PST Cancer patients have the highest probability of recovering if tumors are completely removed. However, tiny clusters of cancer cells are often difficult for surgeons to recognize and remove. A camera makes hidden tumors visible during an operation.

Ants, like humans, can change their priorities Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:34 AM PST For the first time, researchers have discovered that at least in ants, animals can change their decision-making strategies based on experience. They can also use that experience to weigh different options.

Bio patch that can regrow bone Posted: 07 Nov 2013 07:34 AM PST Researchers have created an implantable bio patch that regrows bone in a living body, using existing cells. The team created a scaffold seeded with plasmids containing the genetic information for producing bone. The plasmids are absorbed by bone cells already in the body, spurring new growth. Potential applications extend to dentistry.

Nanoparticles can overcome drug resistance in breast cancer cells Posted: 07 Nov 2013 06:40 AM PST Nanoparticles filled with chemotherapeutic drugs can kill drug-resistant breast cancer cells, according to a study published.

Defining allergy fact from fiction Posted: 07 Nov 2013 06:38 AM PST From gluten allergy and hypoallergenic pets, to avoiding the flu shot because of an egg allergy, there are a lot of common myths and misconceptions about allergies. Many might be shocking due to a great deal of false information in the media and on the Internet. And some of the misconceptions can be damaging to your health.

Common genetic pathway could be conduit to pediatric tumor treatment Posted: 07 Nov 2013 06:38 AM PST Investigators have found a known genetic pathway to be active in many difficult-to-treat pediatric brain tumors called low-grade gliomas, potentially offering a new target for the treatment of these cancers.

'Diabetic flies' can speed up disease-fighting research Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST In a finding that has the potential to significantly speed up diabetes research, scientists have discovered that fruit flies respond to insulin at the cellular level much like humans do, making these common, easily bred insects good subjects for laboratory experiments in new treatments for diabetes.

Collaborative efforts help mental health patients quit smoking Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:18 PM PST To combat reliance on tobacco in mental health populations, experts agree that mental health services and government-sponsored tobacco control programs must work together to improve education and access to smoking cessation programs.

Hormone levels in women using contraception affect nerve activity involved in vessel constriction Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:22 PM PST Latest research provides new insight into mechanisms through which lower hormone levels may make the body more susceptible to damage caused by stress and the chronic elevation of the fight or flight response. A pattern consistent with these findings is observed in postmenopausal women.

Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism, development of diabetes Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:13 AM PST New research suggests that the development of diabetes Type 2 requires a failure of both the islet-cell system in the pancreas and a brain-centered system for regulating blood sugar levels. Boosting insulin levels alone will lower glucose levels, but only addresses half the problem. Restoring normal glucose regulation requires addressing failures of the brain-centered system as well. Approaches that target both systems could actually cause diabetes to go into remission.

Researchers help make pediatric eye cancer easier to detect Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:13 AM PST Can parents use digital cameras and smart phones to potentially screen their children for the most common form of pediatric eye cancer? Researchers believe so.

Hospitals with neurology residency programs more likely to administer life-saving stroke drugs Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:18 AM PST Stroke patients treated at hospitals with neurology residency programs are significantly more likely to get life-saving clot-busting drugs than those seen at other teaching or non-teaching hospitals, new research suggests.

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