Τρίτη 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Alzheimer's progression tracked prior to dementia

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 05:03 PM PDT

Important progress has been made on the challenge of identifying and tracking preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Scientists show that markers for preclinical disease can help predict the start of dementia.

Siberian hamsters show what helps make seasonal clocks tick

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 12:53 PM PDT

Many animals, including humans, have internal clocks and calendars to help them regulate behavior, physiological functions and biological processes. Although scientists have extensively studied the timekeeping mechanisms that inform daily functions (circadian rhythms), they know very little about the timekeeping mechanisms that inform seasonal functions.

Protecting specific area of the brain during radiation therapy substantially reduces memory loss

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 11:36 AM PDT

Protecting the stem cells that reside in and around the hippocampus -- a C-shaped area in the temporal lobe on both sides of the brain associated with the ability to form and store memories -- substantially reduces the rate of cancer patients' memory loss during whole-brain radiotherapy without a significant risk of recurrence in that area of the brain, a new study shows.

Researchers discover a new way that influenza can infect cells

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 11:35 AM PDT

Scientists have uncovered a new mechanism by which influenza can infect cells – a finding that ultimately may have implications for immunity against the flu.

Human brain tumor cells erased in mice

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 11:35 AM PDT

Working with mice, researchers have discovered that weeks of treatment with a repurposed FDA-approved drug halted the growth of -- and ultimately left no detectable trace of -- brain tumor cells taken from adult human patients.

Preoperative blood typing may not be needed for some pediatric surgeries

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 11:35 AM PDT

Certain pediatric surgeries carry such low risk of serious blood loss that clinicians can safely forgo expensive blood typing and blood stocking before such procedures, suggest the results of a small study.

Sibling bullying: What's the big deal?

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Sibling bullying is a type of violence that is prevalent in the lives of most children, but little is known about it. Researchers say the phenomenon has been overlooked.

Booster dose of new meningitis vaccine may be beneficial

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 09:40 AM PDT

A study of 4CMenB, a new vaccine to protect against meningitis B bacteria (which can cause potentially fatal bacterial meningitis in children), shows that waning immunity induced by infant vaccination can be overcome by a booster dose at 40 months of age.

First direct measurement of spinal cord myelin in multiple sclerosis

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 09:38 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a novel molecular probe detectable by PET imaging. The new molecular marker, MeDAS, offers the first non-invasive visualization of myelin integrity of the entire spinal cord at the same time.

Putting the spring back in broken hearts

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 08:42 AM PDT

For years, scientists have been trying to engineer cardiac tissue to patch up areas of the heart damaged by heart attacks. Now Tel Aviv University researchers have fabricated fibers shaped like springs that allow engineered cardiac tissue to pump more like the real thing. They say that, once tested in clinical trials, the use of these fibers will improve and prolong the lives of millions of people.

It takes a(n academic) village to determine an enzyme's function

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 08:41 AM PDT

Scientists have sequenced the genomes of nearly 6,900 organisms, but they know the functions of only about half of the protein-coding genes thus far discovered. Now a multidisciplinary effort involving 15 scientists from three institutions has begun chipping away at this mystery -- in a big way. Their work to identify the function of one bacterial protein and the biochemical pathway in which it operates will also help identify the functions of hundreds of other proteins.

How 'bad' cholesterol causes atherosclerosis in humans: Stem cells play a key role

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 08:41 AM PDT

Translational researchers are developing a richer understanding of atherosclerosis in humans, revealing a key role for stem cells that promote inflammation.

Explaination for increased asthma severity in children exposed to diesel exhaust from traffic

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 08:41 AM PDT

A new study shows that exposure to diesel exhaust particles from traffic pollution leads to increased asthma severity in children. Moreover, the study finds that this is due to increased blood levels of IL-17A, a protein associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases, in children with high diesel exposure.

Rising rates of severe and fatal sepsis during labor and delivery

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 08:41 AM PDT

Rates of severe sepsis and deaths from sepsis among US women hospitalized for delivery have risen sharply over the last decade.

Research uncovers gene's contribution to asthma susceptibility

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:20 AM PDT

New research has uncovered the role gene ORMDL3 plays in the disease asthma. ORMDL3, a gene recently linked to asthma susceptibility, has now been linked to the body's ability to recruit inflammatory cells during an airway allergic reaction.

Smartphones, tablets could provide universal access to medical monitoring

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:20 AM PDT

Do you have a smartphone in your pocket or purse? If so, you may be carrying the future of mobile medical monitoring technology, according to a new report.

How bacteria integrate autotransporters into their outer membrane

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:20 AM PDT

The bacterial outer envelope is densely packed with proteins that form small pores and facilitate the passage of nutrients, toxins and signaling molecules. Researchers now demonstrate how these transporter proteins are integrated into the outer membrane.

Walnuts in diet can improve endothelial functions for overweight adults

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:19 AM PDT

Medical researchers have found evidence suggestive that adding walnuts to one's diet can protect against diabetes and heart disease in at-risk individuals.

Sleep education helps families of children with autism

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 07:15 AM PDT

Parent sleep education is beneficial in improving sleep and aspects of daytime behavior and family functioning in children with autism spectrum disorders..

Patient heal thyself: Solution to treatment for chronic infections could lie in patient's blood

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:31 AM PDT

A recent discovery provides hope for a new personalized treatment strategy that could use a patient's own blood to treat infection. This could help treat millions of people living with chronic infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.

Smile! New nanotube surface promises dental implants that heal faster and fight infection

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:31 AM PDT

A surface of TiO2 nanotubes could reduce the failure rate for dental implants, both by encouraging bone growth around the implant and by serving as a drug-delivery system for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory substances.

Immune system fights infection with performance enhancement

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT

Researchers have found that even our immune system is subject to performance enhancement, with our bodies giving immune cells the boost they need to ensure the best team is selected to fight infections.

Hunger pains

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT

Binge-eating disorder, only recently designated as a diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association in its official diagnostic manual of mental conditions, is associated with lifelong impairments comparable to those of bulimia nervosa, a long-established eating disorder with more dramatic symptoms.

Clinical trial strives to provide optimal care during high-risk pregnancies

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT

Researchers are conducting a clinical trial to help determine the best timing of delivery in preterm pregnancies complicated by poor fetal growth. Preliminary results from the trial demonstrate better than expected health outcomes in this high-risk group of fetuses.

Functional disability high among newly diagnosed older breast cancer patients

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:30 AM PDT

Many older women with newly diagnosed breast cancer have difficulty accomplishing daily tasks, and African-Americans seem to be disproportionately affected. Those are the findings of a new study, whose results suggest that many breast cancer patients could benefit from receiving therapy to improve their physical function.

Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand are happiest countries in the world, according to new happiness index

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Spain is the 49th happiest country in the world, according to a new index of happiness based on migratory flows and not on subjective answers to surveys.  Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand occupy the first three places.

Most painful days of your life - school desks and chronic back pain

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Undersize school chairs, low desks and overweight backpacks are contributing to chronic back pain in adolescents, according to a study.

Mesothelioma: Two groundbreaking trials into treatments for asbestos-related cancer

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT

Two major trials are looking into treatments for a type of cancer which affects those exposed to asbestos.

Addiction: Can you ever really completely leave it behind?

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:27 AM PDT

It is often said that once people develop an addiction, they can never completely eliminate their attraction to the abused substance. New findings provide further support for this notion by suggesting that even long-term abstinence from cocaine does not result in a complete normalization of brain circuitry.

Landmark study provides key to improved survival in peritoneal dialysis patients

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:26 AM PDT

Some parts of memory still developing deep into childhood

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:23 AM PDT

A new study provides evidence that one important part of memory undergoes substantial development even after the age of seven.

Chronic aggressive behaviour in boys: Epigenetic sources?

Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:20 AM PDT

Chronic aggressive behaviour exhibited by some boys from disadvantaged families may be due to epigenetic changes during pregnancy and early childhood.

Targeting memory t-cells in type 1 diabetes

Posted: 22 Sep 2013 05:59 PM PDT

Encouraging results from the T1DAL study (Targeting effector memory T cells with alefacept in new onset type 1 diabetes) are published today. The T1DAL trial was designed to test whether alefacept would preserve pancreatic beta cell function in newly diagnosed patients. Secondary endpoints including insulin use and rate of hypoglycemic events were lower at 12 months in the alefacept treated group.

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