ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Diverse bacteria on fresh fruits, vegetables vary with produce type, farming practices
• Memories of near death experiences: More real than reality?
• Cancer biologists find DNA-damaging toxins in common plant-based foods
• Pinning down the pain: Schwann cell protein plays major role in neuropathic pain
• Certain breast cancers have a trait that could be attacked by new therapies
• Genetics might determine which smokers get hooked
• Microscale medical sensors inserted under skin powered wirelessly by external handheld receiver
• Do intellectual property rights on existing technologies hinder subsequent innovation?
• Just 'weight' until menopause: How estrogen deficiency affects women's fat absorption
• New way to lose weight? Changing microbes in guts of mice resulted in rapid weight loss
• Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, study finds
• 'Fountain of youth' telomerase: Scientists successfully map enzyme that has rejuvenating effect on cells
• Link between faster 'biological' aging and risk of developing age-related diseases
• Genetic 'spelling mistakes' that increase risk of common cancers determined
• New insights into how genes turn on and off
• Scientists discover driving force behind prostate cancer
• Neurodegenerative diseases: Transmission routes of spreading protein particles
• Telling tales can be a good thing: Personal stories help children develop emotional skills
• Fewer children mean longer life?
• Scientists discover how drug prevents aging and cancer progression
• Better-educated parents feed children fewer fats and less sugar
• New DNA test identifies ingredients in foods
• Death in young children linked to their mother's poor health
• Vitamin D insufficiency linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes
• Details of gene pathways suggest fine-tuning drugs for child brain tumors
• Study finds strong genetic component to childhood obesity
• Small molecule disrupts cancer-causing protein

Diverse bacteria on fresh fruits, vegetables vary with produce type, farming practices Posted: 27 Mar 2013 04:05 PM PDT Fresh fruit and vegetables carry an abundance of bacteria on their surfaces, not all of which cause disease. In the first study to assess the variety of these non-pathogenic bacteria, scientists report that these surface bacteria vary depending on the type of produce and cultivation practices.

Memories of near death experiences: More real than reality? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 04:03 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that the physiological mechanisms triggered during near death experiences (NDE) lead to a more vivid perception not only of imagined events in the history of an individual but also of real events which have taken place in their lives. These surprising results – obtained using an original method -- now require further investigation.

Cancer biologists find DNA-damaging toxins in common plant-based foods Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells. They found that liquid smoke flavoring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known, cancer-linked gene called p53.

Pinning down the pain: Schwann cell protein plays major role in neuropathic pain Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT Scientists say a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in regulating the recovery of peripheral nerves after injury. The discovery has implications for improving the treatment of neuropathic pain, a complex and largely mysterious form of chronic pain that afflicts over 100 million Americans.

Certain breast cancers have a trait that could be attacked by new therapies Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT The odds of developing breast cancer increase for women taking hormone replacement therapy to avoid the effects of menopause. New research may lead to treatments for breast cancers associated with taking these synthetic hormones. Scientists found that hormone-therapy-related breast cancer cells have a physical feature that could be attacked by therapies.

Genetics might determine which smokers get hooked Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may accelerate a teen's progression to becoming a lifelong heavy smoker.

Microscale medical sensors inserted under skin powered wirelessly by external handheld receiver Posted: 27 Mar 2013 01:24 PM PDT Implantable electronic devices potentially offer a rapid and accurate way for doctors to monitor patients with particular medical conditions. Yet powering such devices remains a fundamental challenge: batteries are bulky and eventually need recharging or replacing. Scientists are now developing an alternative approach that eliminates the need for a battery. Their miniature devices are based on wireless power-transfer technology.

Do intellectual property rights on existing technologies hinder subsequent innovation? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT A recent study suggests that some types of intellectual property rights discourage subsequent scientific research.

Just 'weight' until menopause: How estrogen deficiency affects women's fat absorption Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT Women tend to carry excess fat in their hips and thighs, while men tend to carry it on their stomachs. But after menopause, things start to change: many women's fat storage patterns start to resemble those of men. This indicates that there's a link between estrogen and body fat storage. This connection is well documented, but the underlying mechanisms remained poorly understood until now.

New way to lose weight? Changing microbes in guts of mice resulted in rapid weight loss Posted: 27 Mar 2013 11:41 AM PDT New research has found that the gut microbes of mice underwent drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. The transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss.

Stressful life events may increase stillbirth risk, study finds Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:37 AM PDT Pregnant women who experienced financial, emotional, or other personal stress in the year before their delivery had an increased chance of having a stillbirth, say researchers.

'Fountain of youth' telomerase: Scientists successfully map enzyme that has rejuvenating effect on cells Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Scientists have for the first time mapped telomerase, an enzyme which has a kind of rejuvenating effect on normal cell aging. The findings are a step forward in the fight against cancer.

Link between faster 'biological' aging and risk of developing age-related diseases Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:33 AM PDT Scientists have found new evidence that links faster "biological" aging to the risk of developing several age-related diseases -- including heart disease, multiple sclerosis and various cancers.

Genetic 'spelling mistakes' that increase risk of common cancers determined Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers.

New insights into how genes turn on and off Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:25 AM PDT Researchers have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains, in which gene expression is turned off.

Scientists discover driving force behind prostate cancer Posted: 27 Mar 2013 10:24 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the driving force behind the development of prostate cancer. Their research reveals the existence of a cancer inducing DNA re-alignment in stem cells taken from human prostate cancers.

Neurodegenerative diseases: Transmission routes of spreading protein particles Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:41 AM PDT A new study on cell cultures gives insights into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Telling tales can be a good thing: Personal stories help children develop emotional skills Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT A new study finds mothers tell better, more emotional stories about past experiences which help children develop their emotional skills. The act of talking is not an area where ability is usually considered along gender lines. However, a new study has found subtle differences between the sexes in their story-relating ability and specifically the act of reminiscing.

Fewer children mean longer life? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT New research into aging processes, based on modern genetic techniques, confirms theoretical expectations about the correlation between reproduction and lifespan. Studies of birds reveal that those that have offspring later in life and have fewer broods live longer. And the decisive factor is telomeres, shows new research.

Scientists discover how drug prevents aging and cancer progression Posted: 27 Mar 2013 06:36 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers.

Better-educated parents feed children fewer fats and less sugar Posted: 27 Mar 2013 06:27 AM PDT Almost 15,000 children aged between two and nine years old took part in the study. The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.

New DNA test identifies ingredients in foods Posted: 27 Mar 2013 06:27 AM PDT Almost all foodstuffs contain the genetic material of those animal and plant species that were used in their preparation. Scientists have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs. For this, the researchers have adapted the latest techniques of DNA sequencing, which are otherwise currently employed in human genetics to unravel the genetic information of thousands of patients.

Death in young children linked to their mother's poor health Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:41 PM PDT In poorer countries, young children are more likely to die in the months before their mother's death, when she is seriously ill, and also in the period after her death, according to a study by international researchers.

Vitamin D insufficiency linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes Posted: 26 Mar 2013 04:41 PM PDT There is a link between vitamin D insufficiency and adverse health outcomes such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia in mothers-to-be and low birth weight in newborns, suggests a new article.

Details of gene pathways suggest fine-tuning drugs for child brain tumors Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:32 AM PDT Pediatric researchers, investigating the biology of brain tumors in children, are finding that crucial differences in how the same gene is mutated may call for different treatments.

Study finds strong genetic component to childhood obesity Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:22 AM PDT Childhood body weight is strongly influenced by genes, scientists say. This study underlines the importance of genetic effects in childhood obesity, supporting the current thinking that children of obese parents are most at risk of becoming obese.

Small molecule disrupts cancer-causing protein Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:19 AM PDT Researchers have developed a small molecule that inhibits STAT3, a protein that causes cancer. This development could impact the treatment of several tumor types, including breast, lung, prostate and others that depend on STAT3 for survival.

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