ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Men who can't produce sperm face increased cancer risk
• Hong Kong skyscrapers appear to fall in real-world illusion
• Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection
• Student engagement more complex, changeable than thought
• Sleep deprivation in teens linked to poor dietary choices
• Study on fragile newborns challenges current practices
• Bigbrain: An ultra-high resolution 3-D roadmap of the human brain
• How a mutated protein outwits evolution and fuels leukemia
• Thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage
• Total amount of exercise important, not frequency, research shows
• Does your salad know what time it is? Managing vegetables' 'internal clocks' postharvest could have health benefits
• The link between circadian rhythms and aging: Gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock
• Chlamydia promotes gene mutations
• Herding cancer cells to their death
• Key player in the genesis of human intestinal immunity identified
• Key signaling pathway that makes young neurons connect
• Pluripotent stem cells made from pancreatic cancer cells are first human model of the cancer's progression
• Animal study shows promising path to prevent epilepsy
• 'Forrest Gump' mice show too much of a good thing, can be bad
• Potential drug compound attacks Parkinson's on two fronts
• 54% of pregnant women use insecticides that are harmful to the fetus, Spanish study shows
• Virus combination effective against deadly brain tumor
• New regulator discovered for information transfer in the brain
• Flu shot likely prevented 13 million illnesses, 110,000 hospitalizations from 2005-2011
• One in four stroke patients suffer PTSD
• Restoring appropriate movement to immune cells may save seriously burned patients
• Why are some college students more likely to 'hook up'?
• Genetic variants predicting aggressive prostate cancers identified
• Research shows moves to ban pay-to-delay deals are justified
• Key protein is linked to circadian clocks, helps regulate metabolism
• Twice weekly iron supplementation to pregnant women as effective as a daily regime

Men who can't produce sperm face increased cancer risk Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:40 PM PDT Men who are diagnosed as azoospermic -- infertile because of an absence of sperm in their ejaculate -- are more prone to developing cancer than the general population, urologists have found. And a diagnosis of azoospermia before age 30 carries an eight-fold cancer risk, the study says.

Hong Kong skyscrapers appear to fall in real-world illusion Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT No matter how we jump, roll, sit, or lie down, our brain manages to maintain a visual representation of the world that stays upright relative to the pull of gravity. But a new study of rider experiences on the Hong Kong Peak Tram, a popular tourist attraction, shows that specific features of the environment can dominate our perception of verticality, making skyscrapers appear to fall.

Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT Biomedical engineers and genome researchers have developed a proof-of-principle approach using light to detect infections before patients show symptoms.

Student engagement more complex, changeable than thought Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT A student who shows up on time for school and listens respectfully in class might appear fully engaged to outside observers, including teachers. But other measures of student engagement, including the student's emotional and cognitive involvement with the course material, may tell a different story -- one that could help teachers recognize students who are becoming less invested in their studies, according to a new study.

Sleep deprivation in teens linked to poor dietary choices Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:27 PM PDT Well-rested teenagers tend to make more healthful food choices than their sleep-deprived peers, according to a new study. The finding may be key to understanding the link between sleep and obesity.

Study on fragile newborns challenges current practices Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT One of the largest clinical trials done in infants with congenital heart diseases shows that the increasingly common practice of using the drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to reduce shunt-related blood flow issues is not effective in the dose studied.

Bigbrain: An ultra-high resolution 3-D roadmap of the human brain Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT A landmark three-dimensional digital reconstruction of a complete human brain, called the BigBrain, now for the first time shows the brain anatomy in microscopic detail -- at a spatial resolution of 20 microns, smaller than the size of one fine strand of hair -- exceeding that of existing reference brains presently in the public domain.

How a mutated protein outwits evolution and fuels leukemia Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:28 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the survival secret to a genetic mutation that stokes leukemia cells, solving an evolutionary riddle and paving the way to a highly targeted therapy for leukemia. A new article describe how a mutated protein, called Fbxw7, behaves differently when expressed in cancer cells versus healthy cells.

Thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT A new study has found for the first time that thirdhand smoke -- the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out -- causes significant genetic damage in human cells.

Total amount of exercise important, not frequency, research shows Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT Getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week is paramount for health but choosing how to schedule the exercise is not.

Does your salad know what time it is? Managing vegetables' 'internal clocks' postharvest could have health benefits Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT Biologists have found there may be potential health benefits to storing fresh produce under day-night cycles of light. In a new study researchers used lighting to alter the circadian rhythms of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes and blueberries. The scientists showed how manipulation of circadian rhythms caused cabbage to produce more phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

The link between circadian rhythms and aging: Gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:23 AM PDT Human sleeping and waking patterns are largely governed by an internal circadian clock that corresponds closely with the 24-hour cycle of light and darkness. This circadian clock also controls other body functions, such as metabolism and temperature regulation. A new study finds that a gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock.

Chlamydia promotes gene mutations Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:22 AM PDT Chlamydia trachomatis is a human pathogen that is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted disease worldwide with more than 90 million new cases of genital infections occurring each year. About 70 percent of women infected with Chlamydiaremain asymptomatic and these bacteria can establish chronic infections for months, or even years. Even when it causes no symptoms, Chlamydia can damage a woman's reproductive organs.

Herding cancer cells to their death Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have developed a therapeutic strategy that manipulates a mechanism driving cellular heterogeneity to treat advanced melanoma.

Key player in the genesis of human intestinal immunity identified Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Better treatments for people suffering from compromised intestinal immunity may emerge from a small-animal model of human intestinal immune development.

Key signaling pathway that makes young neurons connect Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Neuroscientists have filled in a significant gap in the scientific understanding of how neurons mature, pointing to a better understanding of some developmental brain disorders.

Pluripotent stem cells made from pancreatic cancer cells are first human model of the cancer's progression Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Pancreatic cancer carries a dismal prognosis. Researchers and clinicians don't have a non-invasive way to even detect early cells that portent later disease. Scientists have created a research cell line from a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer. This first-of-its-kind human-cell model of pancreatic cancer progression is the first example using induced pluripotent stem cells to model cancer progression directly from a solid tumor and to model pancreatic cancer from early to invasive stages.

Animal study shows promising path to prevent epilepsy Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:21 AM PDT Researchers have identified a receptor in the nervous system that may be key to preventing epilepsy following a prolonged period of seizures. Their findings from studies in mice provide a molecular target for developing drugs to prevent the onset of epilepsy, not just manage the disease's symptoms.

'Forrest Gump' mice show too much of a good thing, can be bad Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT A line of genetically modified mice that scientists call "Forrest Gump" because, like the movie character, they can run far but they aren't smart, is furthering the understanding of a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Scientists say the mice show what happens when too much of this neurotransmitter becomes available in the brain.

Potential drug compound attacks Parkinson's on two fronts Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:11 AM PDT Scientists have found a compound that could counter Parkinson's disease in two ways at once. Scientists now describe a "dual inhibitor" that attacks a pair of proteins closely associated with development of Parkinson's disease.

54% of pregnant women use insecticides that are harmful to the fetus, Spanish study shows Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:08 AM PDT Pregnancy and infancy are the periods of greatest vulnerability to the use of household insecticides. This is one of the findings of the first study of its kind to be carried out in Spain, which concludes that more than half of expectant mothers routinely use these chemical compounds. Spanish researchers have described the use of domestic pesticides during pregnancy and the first year of life in nearly 2,500 women and children.

Virus combination effective against deadly brain tumor Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:07 AM PDT A combination of the myxoma virus and the immune suppressant rapamycin can kill glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadliest malignant brain tumor, according to new research. Researchers says the combination has been shown to infect and kill both brain cancer stem cells and differentiated compartments of glioblastoma multiforme.

New regulator discovered for information transfer in the brain Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:14 AM PDT The protein mSYD1 has a key function in transmitting information between neurons.

Flu shot likely prevented 13 million illnesses, 110,000 hospitalizations from 2005-2011 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:51 PM PDT Approximately 13 million illnesses and over 110,00 hospitalizations may have been averted by the flu vaccine over the last 6 years in the US, according to new calculations.

One in four stroke patients suffer PTSD Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:49 PM PDT One in four people who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suffer from symptoms of PTSD within the 1st year post-event, and one in nine experience chronic PTSD more than a year later. The data suggest that each year nearly 300,000 stroke/TIA survivors will develop PTSD symptoms as a result of their health scare.

Restoring appropriate movement to immune cells may save seriously burned patients Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:47 PM PDT Patients who survive the immediate aftermath of major burns are at greatest risk from infections -- particularly the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis. A new device measures the movement of key immune cells and may help determine which patients are at greatest risk for infections, and a novel treatment that directly addresses the cause of those complications could prevent many associated deaths.

Why are some college students more likely to 'hook up'? Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:25 AM PDT A new study suggests there are certain factors and behaviors associated with sexual hookups, particularly among first-year college women.

Genetic variants predicting aggressive prostate cancers identified Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:20 AM PDT Researchers have developed a method for identifying aggressive prostate cancers that require immediate therapy. It relies on understanding the genetic interaction between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The goal is to better predict a prostate cancer's aggressiveness to avoid unnecessary radical treatment.

Research shows moves to ban pay-to-delay deals are justified Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:16 AM PDT Controversial deals that delay generic versions of drugs coming onto the market can lead to consumers paying significantly more for some treatments, according to new research.

Key protein is linked to circadian clocks, helps regulate metabolism Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:16 AM PDT Inside each of us is our own internal timing device. It drives everything from sleep cycles to metabolism, but the inner-workings of this so-called "circadian clock" are complex, its molecular processes having long eluded scientists. But now, researchers have discovered how one protein regulates fundamental circadian processes -- and how disrupting its normal function can throw this critical system out of sync.

Twice weekly iron supplementation to pregnant women as effective as a daily regime Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:16 AM PDT Daily supplementation of iron tablets to pregnant women does not provide any benefits in birth weight or improved infant growth compared to twice weekly supplementation, according to a new study.

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