Τετάρτη 24 Οκτωβρίου 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


New paper examines shifting gears in the circadian clock of the heart

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT

A new study focuses on the circadian clock of the heart, and used cultured heart tissue. The results of the new study have implications for cardiovascular health, including daily changes in responses to stress and the effect of long-term rotational shift work.

Neuroscientists propose revolutionary DNA-based approach to map wiring of whole brain

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT

A team of neuroscientists has proposed a new and potentially revolutionary way of obtaining a neuronal connectivity map (the "connectome") of the whole brain of the mouse.

Precisely targeted electrical brain stimulation alters perception of faces, study finds

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT

Scientists have shown that mild electrical stimulation of two nerve clusters spaced a half-inch apart in a brain structure called the fusiform gyrus caused the subject's perception of faces to instantly become distorted while leaving his perception of other body parts and inanimate objects unchanged.

New vitamin-based treatment that could reduce muscle degeneration in muscular dystrophy

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT

Boosting the activity of a vitamin-sensitive cell adhesion pathway has the potential to counteract the muscle degeneration and reduced mobility caused by muscular dystrophies, according to a research team.

Men with certain cardiovascular risk factors may be at increased risk of peripheral artery disease

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT

Among nearly 45,000 men who were followed up for more than two decades, those with the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes had an associated greater risk of developing PAD.

Amish children are twice as physically active as non-Amish children are, study finds

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT

Old Order Amish children are much more physically active and three times less likely to be overweight than non-Amish children, which may provide them with some long-term protection against developing Type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

Blood chromosome differences are linked to pancreatic cancer

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:48 AM PDT

A new study shows that a blood marker is linked to pancreatic cancer. Researchers say the new study is the first time pancreatic cancer risk has been linked to differences in telomeres' length in blood cells.

Summer babies less likely to be CEOs

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 10:48 AM PDT

A person's date of birth can affect their climb up the corporate ladder, new research suggests.

Is declining medical imaging use driving up hospital stays and medical costs?

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT

A new report shows that the length of the average hospital stay in the United States has increased at the same time as use of medical imaging scans has declined. It is unclear if the trends are related, but potentially important, as hospital admissions are among the largest, and fastest growing, health care costs.

Perfect pitch: Knowing the note may be in your genes

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:40 AM PDT

People with perfect pitch seem to possess their own inner pitch pipe, allowing them to sing a specific note without first hearing a reference tone. This skill has long been associated with early and extensive musical training, but new research suggests that perfect pitch may have as much to do with genetics as it does with learning an instrument or studying voice.

Nanofibrillar cellulose film to ease performing medical tests

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:23 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded in developing a durable and affordable nanofibrillar cellulose film platform to support medical testing. New environmentally friendly, reliable nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) platforms are more diverse than plastic films. New film can be made, for instance, hydrophobic, hydrophilic and the electric charge can be changed. This will enhance the possibility of conducting thousands of different medical tests at home or in physicians' receptions instead of waiting for results from laboratories.

How patterns and timing of sunlight exposure contribute to skin cancers

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:23 AM PDT

Researchers have studied the patterns and timing of sunlight exposure and how each is related to two nonmelanoma skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Ootent growth factor for blood stem cells identified

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Researchers studying the interaction of blood stem cells and the niche where they reside have identified a protein that may be a long-sought growth factor for blood stem cells.

Brain chemicals: Using carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Scientists have examined the use of carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements, with an emphasis on the most recent findings and technological advances.

Effective treatment helps Danes with personality disorders

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT

A new study shows that modern psychoanalytic therapy has a good effect on patients with severe personality disorders. The treatment enables a number of patients to start working or start an education.

The fabric for weaving memory: To establish long-term memory, neurons have to synthesize new proteins

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:09 AM PDT

The details of memory formation are still largely unknown. It has, however, been established that the two kinds of memory -- long term and short term -- use different mechanisms. When short-term memory is formed, certain proteins in the nerve cells (neurons) of the brain are transiently modified. To establish long-term memory, the cells have to synthesize new protein molecules. This has been shown in experiments with animals. When drugs were used to block protein synthesis, the treated animals were not able to form long-term memory.

Diabetes drug could be effective in treating addiction, researchers find

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:09 AM PDT

Researchers are reporting that a drug currently used to treat type 2 diabetes could be just as effective in treating addiction to drugs, including cocaine. The findings could have far-reaching implications for patients worldwide who suffer from addiction.

Combination of Gulf oil and dispersant spell potential trouble for gut microbes

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:10 AM PDT

In a new study, researchers examined whether crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the dispersant used on it, or a combination of the two might affect the microbes of the human digestive tract. The researchers found that although high concentrations of oil combined with dispersant are detrimental to these helpful microbial communities, the low to undetectable concentrations typically found in Gulf shellfish had no discernible effect.

Next generation vaccines: Eliminating the use of needles

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:08 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a pioneering new method of oral vaccination which could help boost immunity to tuberculosis (TB) and influenza, as well as prevent C. difficile for which there is currently no vaccine.

Circuit diagram of the mouse brain: Scientists aim to analyse a whole mouse brain under the electron microscope

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT

What happens in the brain when we see, hear, think and remember? To be able to answer questions like this, neuroscientists need information about how the millions of neurons in the brain are connected to each other. Scientists have taken a crucial step towards obtaining a complete circuit diagram of the brain of the mouse, a key model organism for the neurosciences. Researchers have developed a method for preparing the whole mouse brain for a special microscopy process. With this, the resolution at which the brain tissue can be examined is so high that the fine extensions of almost every single neuron are visible.

Lung mucus gel scaffold prevents nanoparticles from getting through

Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT

Scientists have unraveled lung mucus's physical properties: They discovered that a rigid gel scaffold in lung mucus separates large, fluid-filled pores and prevents nanoparticle movement beyond individual pore boundaries. Their findings deepen our understanding of diseases of the respiratory system, notably infections, and support the development of new inhaled medications.

Antiviral therapy may halve risk of liver cancer after chronic hepatitis C infection, analysis indicates

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT

Treating chronic hepatitis C infection with antiviral drugs could halve the risk of developing the most common form of liver cancer, in some cases, a new analysis indicates.

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