ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• US stroke deaths declining due to improved prevention, treatment
• Coffee or beer? The choice could affect your genome
• Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice
• How vision dims: Chemists crack code of cataract creation
• Gene found to be crucial for formation of certain brain circuitry
• New guidelines rule out same-day return to play for athletes with concussion
• Brain shape affects children's learning capacities
• Origin of Alzheimer's gene mutation discovered
• Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere'
• Researchers unravel role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive breast cancer
• Estrogen: Not just produced by ovaries
• Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking'
• Shining light on damage from daily sun exposure: Better sunscreens needed
• Could a vaccine help ward off MS?
• Stomach 'clock' tells us how much to eat
• Tune in, turn on, power up
• Inflammation linked to obesity in adults may be protective in young children
• Predicting ovarian cancer survival by counting tumor-attacking immune cells
• Structure of key pain-related protein unveiled
• Heart failure after heart attack is driven by immune cells made in spleen
• Carbon monoxide may help shrink tumors, amplify effectiveness of chemotherapy
• Swallowing a diagnostic pill
• Ultrathin 'diagnostic skin' allows continuous patient monitoring

US stroke deaths declining due to improved prevention, treatment Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST Better blood pressure control, stop-smoking programs and faster treatment are a few of the reasons for a dramatic decline in US stroke deaths in recent decades.

Coffee or beer? The choice could affect your genome Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST Coffee and beer are polar opposites in the beverage world -- coffee picks you up, and beer winds you down. Now researchers have discovered that the beverages may also have opposite effects on your genome. Working with a kind of yeast that shares many important genetic similarities with humans, the researchers found that caffeine shortens and alcohol lengthens telomeres -- the end points of chromosomal DNA, implicated in aging and cancer.

Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:19 AM PST Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviors, decreased social interactions, and impaired communication. Curiously, many with ASD also suffer from gastrointestinal issues, like abdominal cramps and constipation. Guided by this co-occurrence of brain and gut problems, researchers are investigating a bacterium that alleviates GI and behavioral symptoms in autistic-like mice, introducing a potentially transformative probiotic therapy for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

How vision dims: Chemists crack code of cataract creation Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST Groundbreaking new findings by chemists about how cataracts form could be used to help prevent the world's leading cause of blindness, which currently affects nearly 20 million people worldwide.

Gene found to be crucial for formation of certain brain circuitry Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:14 AM PST Using a powerful gene-hunting technique for the first time in mammalian brain cells, researchers report on a gene involved in building the circuitry that relays signals through the brain. The gene is a likely player in the aging process, the researchers say. Additionally, in demonstrating the usefulness of the new method, the discovery paves the way for faster progress toward identifying genes involved in complex mental illnesses such as autism and schizophrenia — as well as potential drugs for such conditions.

New guidelines rule out same-day return to play for athletes with concussion Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:21 AM PST Any athlete with concussion symptoms should not be allowed to return to play on the same day, according to the latest consensus statement on sports-related concussion.

Brain shape affects children's learning capacities Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:22 AM PST The anatomy of the brain affects cognitive control, an essential skill for learning and academic success. Scientists in this study showed that an asymmetry of the two brain hemispheres relative to a particular pattern of a cortical region could partly explain the performance of 5-year old children during a task designed to measure cognitive control. According to the research team, and depending on the characteristics of their brains, children may have different pedagogical requirements in terms of learning cognitive control.

Origin of Alzheimer's gene mutation discovered Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:22 PM PST The age and origin of the E280A gene mutation responsible for early-onset Alzheimer's in a Colombian family with an unusually high incidence of the disease has been traced to a single founder dating from the 16th century.

Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST A new study shows that a neurologist in an office thousands of miles away can deliver effective specialized care to people with Parkinson's disease. For individuals with the condition -- many of whom have never seen a specialist -- these "virtual house calls" could allow them to live independently while effectively manage the symptoms of the disease.

Researchers unravel role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive breast cancer Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST The retinoblastoma protein plays a critical role in suppressing the multi-step process of cell migration through the bloodstream, lymphovascular invasion and the metastasis of an aggressive type of breast cancer to the lung, researchers have found.

Estrogen: Not just produced by ovaries Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:14 PM PST A research team reports today that the brain can produce and release estrogen — a discovery that may lead to a better understanding of hormonal changes observed from before birth throughout the entire aging process.

Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A psychological study has found that skilled typists can't identify the positions of many of the keys on the QWERTY keyboard and probably didn't memorize them even when they first learned to type.

Shining light on damage from daily sun exposure: Better sunscreens needed Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A low level of daily exposure to a common component of sunlight can cause skin damage at the molecular level after just a few days, new research shows. The findings highlight the need for better sunscreens to protect against these damaging rays.

Could a vaccine help ward off MS? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis in other parts of the world may help prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who show the beginning signs of the disease, according to a new study published.

Stomach 'clock' tells us how much to eat Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST Researchers have discovered the first evidence that the nerves in the stomach act as a circadian clock, limiting food intake to specific times of the day.

Tune in, turn on, power up Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST Human beings don't come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue.

Inflammation linked to obesity in adults may be protective in young children Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:29 AM PST The first study of its kind reveals that the same pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect children prior to puberty.

Predicting ovarian cancer survival by counting tumor-attacking immune cells Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Scientists develop a new method for counting cancer-fighting cells in ovarian cancer patients.

Structure of key pain-related protein unveiled Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:20 AM PST In a technical tour de force, scientists have determined, at near-atomic resolution, the structure of a protein that plays a central role in the perception of pain and heat.

Heart failure after heart attack is driven by immune cells made in spleen Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST Damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack turns on immune cells in the spleen that accelerate heart failure.

Carbon monoxide may help shrink tumors, amplify effectiveness of chemotherapy Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:37 AM PST In recent years, research has suggested that carbon monoxide, the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems, can be used to treat certain inflammatory medical conditions. Now a study shows for the first time that carbon monoxide may also have a role to play in treating cancer.

Swallowing a diagnostic pill Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:38 AM PST A tiny capsule that can carry out a chemical analysis of the contents of one's stomach could identify the presence of so-called "occult" blood at very low levels. The data is automatically broadcast to an external monitoring device for detection of early stage stomach cancer by one's physician.

Ultrathin 'diagnostic skin' allows continuous patient monitoring Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:36 AM PST A multidisciplinary research team has developed an ultrathin membrane that can stick to skin and carry arrays of diagnostic sensors and stimulatory components. The "electronic skin" allows remote patient monitoring and may someday be used to deliver treatments.

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