Παρασκευή 29 Ιουνίου 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


What you eat can prevent arsenic overload

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 09:54 PM PDT

New research has demonstrated that people who ate more dietary vitamin B12 and animal protein had lower levels of arsenic (measured by deposition in toenails). Total dietary fat, animal fat, vegetable fat and saturated fat were also all associated with lower levels of arsenic, while omega 3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil, were associated with increased arsenic.

Insights into primate diversity: Lessons from the rhesus macaque

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 09:54 PM PDT

The rhesus macaque has three times as much genetic variation as humans. However despite much of this extra variation within genes, protein function is not affected. Consequently damaging variations are at similar levels in macaques and humans -- indicating a strong selection pressure to maintain gene function regardless of mutation rate or population size.

Both innate and adaptive immune responses are critical to the control of influenza

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 09:54 PM PDT

Both innate and adaptive immune responses play an important role in controlling influenza virus infection, according to a new study.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy effective in combatting anxiety disorders, study suggests

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:30 PM PDT

Whether it is a phobia like a fear of flying, public speaking or spiders, or a diagnosis such as obsessive compulsive disorder, new research finds patients suffering from anxiety disorders showed the most improvement when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with a "transdiagnostic" approach -- a model that allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety disorders.

New insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT

Expectant mothers who dealt with the strain of a hurricane or major tropical storm passing nearby during their pregnancy had children who were at elevated risk for abnormal health conditions at birth, according to a new study that offers new insights into the effects of stress on pregnancy.

How flu can cause severe infections

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 03:17 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body's response to infection. Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection.

Why does a diet high in DHA improve memory?

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 02:45 PM PDT

We've all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper?

Good news for aging eyes: Debilitating eyesight problems on the decline for older Americans

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:46 PM PDT

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said.

Turning skin cells into brain cells: Huntington's disease in a dish

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:44 PM PDT

Scientists have generated stem cells from skin cells from a person with a severe, early-onset form of Huntington's disease, and turned them into neurons that degenerate just like those affected by the fatal inherited disorder.

With mind-reading speller, free-for-all conversations that are silent and still

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:44 PM PDT

Researchers have come up with a device that may enable people who are completely unable to speak or move at all to nevertheless manage unscripted back-and-forth conversation. The key to such silent and still communication is the first real-time, brain-scanning speller.

Lymph node roundabout: Researchers probe origin of optimized antibodies against infections

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:44 PM PDT

An organism's ability to make new antibodies is of central importance in the fight against pathogens. In case of severe infections, the speed with which an immune response proceeds could mean the difference between life and death. Scientists have now found out how the division of B cells contributes to a fast immune defense.

Seeking solace: Celebrity deaths often have pronounced effects on their audiences

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 01:42 PM PDT

According to a cognitive psychologist, the common responses to celebrity deaths demonstrate important realities about how people build relationships with the media they consume.

Photosynthesis re-wired: Chemists use nanowires to power photosynthesis-like process

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:57 AM PDT

Chemists have developed a process that closely resembles photosynthesis and proved capable of synthesizing compounds found in the pain-killers ibuprofen and naproxen.

Flu immunity is affected by how many viruses actually cause the infection

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:57 AM PDT

Both the number of viruses in initial flu infection, and the virus type, affects the patient's outcome. Mice infected by high concentrations developed immunity, and generated immune cells in the lungs to fight other strains. Mice with low concentrations developed weaker immunity, did not generate cells in the lungs, and delayed immunity toward other strains. This could help develop novel strategies to fight flu infections.

Tasers don't cause cardiac complications, study suggests

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 11:57 AM PDT

Medical researchers reviewed 1,201 cases of real-life Taser uses by law enforcement agencies but found none in which the devices could be linked to cardiac complications, even when the Taser probes landed on the upper chest area and may have delivered a shock across the heart.

New approach to reverse multiple sclerosis in mice models

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:14 AM PDT

Researchers have successfully used smaller, folded DNA molecules to stimulate regeneration and repair of nerve coatings in mice that mimic multiple sclerosis.

Success of fertility treatment may approach natural birth rate

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:14 AM PDT

A groundbreaking study of nearly 250,000 US women reveals live birth rates approaching natural fertility can be achieved using assisted reproductive technology, where eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries, combined with sperm and then returned to the woman's body.

Dietary fiber alters gut bacteria, supports gastrointestinal health

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:13 AM PDT

Dietary fiber promotes a shift in the gut toward different types of beneficial bacteria, a new study shows.

After child dies, mom's risk of early death skyrockets

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:12 AM PDT

In the first two years following the death of a child, there is a 133 percent increase in the risk of the mother dying, a new study shows.

Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb fetal growth: But working up to 36 weeks has no adverse effect, study suggests

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:12 AM PDT

Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb the growth of the developing fetus, suggests new research.

Treating diabetes early, intensively is best strategy, new study suggests

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:10 AM PDT

Intensive early treatment of type 2 diabetes slows down progression of the disease by preserving the body's insulin-producing capacity, a UT Southwestern study has shown.

Kicking or punching during sleep may be caused by smoking, head injury and pesticide use

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 10:05 AM PDT

Smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep, according to a new study.

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