ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• New optogenetic tool for controlling neuronal signalling by blue light
• Drug shows promise for effectively treating metabolic syndrome
• Benefits of two drugs in treating type 1 diabetes compared
• 'Switch' in Alzheimer's and stroke patient brains prevents generation and survival of neurons
• Urgent need for Alzheimer's drug development identified: 99.6 percent of drug attempts fail
• Protein's structural shift offers clues to tumor suppression and other key cell functions
• Using computers to model the human brain
• WHO targets elimination of TB in over 30 countries
• One third of adults with dyslexia report they were physically abused during their childhood
• Is it moral to laugh when innocent people die? Psychological 'sacrificial dilemma' experiments may have outlived their usefulness
• Rapid surgical innovation puts patients at risk for medical errors

New optogenetic tool for controlling neuronal signalling by blue light Posted: 05 Jul 2014 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new technology in the field of optogenetics that can remotely control specific receptors by light. They have named this new technology "OptoTrk" and it has succeeded with neuronal differentiation inducement.

Drug shows promise for effectively treating metabolic syndrome Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:24 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that an enzyme involved in intracellular signaling plays a crucial role in developing metabolic syndrome, a finding that has a spinoff company developing a drug to potentially treat the condition.

Benefits of two drugs in treating type 1 diabetes compared Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:21 AM PDT Participants between the ages of 11 and 36 received either the two drugs or a placebo while continuing their insulin injections. The group receiving the drugs did not experience an improvement in insulin production, but some study participants whose GLP-1 and gastrin levels increased may have better preserved beta cell levels.

'Switch' in Alzheimer's and stroke patient brains prevents generation and survival of neurons Posted: 03 Jul 2014 09:52 AM PDT A new study finds a modification to the transcriptional protein MEF2 that inhibits the growth of new brain cells and survival of existing cells. The findings show promise for therapeutic intervention for a variety of neurodegenerative disorders.

Urgent need for Alzheimer's drug development identified: 99.6 percent of drug attempts fail Posted: 03 Jul 2014 07:26 AM PDT Researchers have conducted the first-ever analysis of clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, revealing an urgent need to increase the number of agents entering the AD drug development pipeline and progressing successfully towards new therapy treatments.

Protein's structural shift offers clues to tumor suppression and other key cell functions Posted: 03 Jul 2014 07:25 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how one segment of an important regulatory protein changes shape so it can fulfill multiple roles in the life of cells, including tumor suppression. These findings could aid cancer drug development. The research focused on the protein nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1), which plays a critical part not only in tumor suppression but in cell division, protein production and other cell processes. Until now, however, how NPM1 fulfilled its varied responsibilities was unknown.

Using computers to model the human brain Posted: 03 Jul 2014 06:16 AM PDT The human brain is the most complex computer in existence.  Understanding how it works has been a scientific endeavor for centuries.  However, technology has only recently advanced to the point where we can really understand brain function down to the molecular level.  By combining the newest advances in computer programming with biochemistry, scientists are helping to create the tools that will advance our understanding of the brain.

WHO targets elimination of TB in over 30 countries Posted: 03 Jul 2014 06:16 AM PDT The World Health Organization, together with the European Respiratory Society, presented a new framework to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in countries with low levels of the disease. Today there are more than 33 countries and territories where there are fewer than 100 TB cases per million population.

One third of adults with dyslexia report they were physically abused during their childhood Posted: 03 Jul 2014 06:12 AM PDT Adults who have dyslexia are much more likely to report they were physically abused before they turned 18 than their peers without dyslexia, according to a new study. Thirty-five per cent of adults with dyslexia report they were physically abused before they turned 18. In contrast, seven per cent of those without dyslexia reported that they had experienced childhood physical abuse.

Is it moral to laugh when innocent people die? Psychological 'sacrificial dilemma' experiments may have outlived their usefulness Posted: 02 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT A runaway trolley is out of control. Ahead of it on the tracks are five people tied up and unable to move. You are too far away to untie the people, but if you act quickly, you could push a very large man in front of the trolley and stop its progress. Do you do nothing and let five people die, or kill the large stranger? For the past few decades, many psychologists and other behavioral scientists have used this scenario, known as the trolley problem, to shed light on how people make moral decisions in their everyday lives. A new study finds decades-old psychological "sacrificial dilemma" experiments may have outlived their usefulness.

Rapid surgical innovation puts patients at risk for medical errors Posted: 02 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT Researchers have found that the risk of patient harm increased two-fold in 2006 -- the peak year that teaching hospitals nationwide embraced the pursuit of minimally invasive robotic surgery for prostate cancer.

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