ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Brain scans can predict weight gain and sexual activity, research shows
• Long-term exposure to air pollution increases risk of hospitalization for lung, heart disease
• It doesn’t mean you’re crazy –- talking to yourself has cognitive benefits, study finds
• Violence in men caused by unequal wealth and competition, study suggests
• Positive feelings may help protect cardiovascular health
• Lead dust is linked to violence, study suggests
• Parkinson's protein causes disease spread in animal model
• Study of half siblings provides genetic clues to autism
• New genetically engineered mice aid understanding of incurable neuromuscular disease
• Sunlight plus lime juice makes drinking water safer
• Knee injuries in women linked to motion, nervous system differences
• Brain cancer vaccine proves effective, study suggests
• Feelings of immaturity accompany alcohol misuse into adulthood
• Study hints at why gums suffer with age
• Silicone breast implant failures significantly higher than previously thought
• Helicopter transport improves trauma patient survival compared to ground transport
• Excessive weight gain during pregnancy a predictor for above-average birth weight
• Babies flick 'anti-risk switch' in women but not men
• Depression may lead mothers to wake babies
• Liquorice root found to contain anti-diabetic substance
• Lack of sleep is linked to obesity, new evidence shows
• Preschoolers' reading skills benefit from one modest change by teachers

Brain scans can predict weight gain and sexual activity, research shows Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:19 PM PDT At a time when obesity has become epidemic in American society, scientists have found that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans may be able to predict weight gain. In a new study, the researchers demonstrated a connection between fMRI brain responses to appetite-driven cues and future behavior.

Long-term exposure to air pollution increases risk of hospitalization for lung, heart disease Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:18 PM PDT Older adults may be at increased risk of being hospitalized for lung and heart disease, stroke, and diabetes following long-term exposure to fine-particle air pollution, according to a new study. It is the first study to look at the link between long-term effects of exposure to fine particles in the air and rates of hospital admissions.

It doesn’t mean you’re crazy –- talking to yourself has cognitive benefits, study finds Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:16 PM PDT Most people talk to themselves at least every few days, and many report talking to themselves on an hourly basis. What purpose is served by this seemingly irrational behavior? Previous research has suggested that such self-directed speech in children can help guide their behavior. For example, children often talk themselves step-by-step through tying their shoelaces, as if reminding themselves to focus on the job in hand. Can talking to oneself also help adults?

Violence in men caused by unequal wealth and competition, study suggests Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:16 PM PDT Violence in men can be explained by traditional theories of sexual selection. A new review points to a range of evidence that suggests that high rates of physical aggression and assaults in men are rooted in inter-male competition.

Positive feelings may help protect cardiovascular health Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT Over the last few decades numerous studies have shown negative states, such as depression, anger, anxiety, and hostility, to be detrimental to cardiovascular health. Less is known about how positive psychological characteristics are related to heart health. In the first and largest systematic review on this topic to date, researchers found that positive psychological well-being appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events.

Lead dust is linked to violence, study suggests Posted: 17 Apr 2012 01:27 PM PDT Childhood exposure to lead dust has been linked to lasting physical and behavioral effects, and now lead dust from vehicles using leaded gasoline has been linked to instances of aggravated assault two decades after exposure, according to researchers.

Parkinson's protein causes disease spread in animal model Posted: 17 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT Researchers have shown that brain tissue from a Parkinson's disease mouse model, as well as synthetically produced disease protein fibrils, injected into young, symptom-free PD mice led to spreading of PD pathology.

Study of half siblings provides genetic clues to autism Posted: 17 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT New research in half siblings adds to evidence that even though autism is far more common in males, mothers and fathers appear to be transmitting genetic risk equally.

New genetically engineered mice aid understanding of incurable neuromuscular disease Posted: 17 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT Scientists have created a genetically modified mouse that mimics key features of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited neuromuscular disease affecting approximately 150,000 people in the United States.

Sunlight plus lime juice makes drinking water safer Posted: 17 Apr 2012 09:56 AM PDT Adding lime juice to water that is treated with a solar disinfection method removed detectable levels of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli significantly faster than solar disinfection alone.

Knee injuries in women linked to motion, nervous system differences Posted: 17 Apr 2012 09:56 AM PDT Women are more prone to knee injuries than men, and the findings of a new study suggest one cause may be that males and females differ in the way they transmit the nerve impulses that control muscle force. Men control nerve impulses similar to individuals trained for explosive muscle usage -- like those of a sprinter -- while the nerve impulses of women are more similar to those of an endurance-trained athlete, like a distance runner.

Brain cancer vaccine proves effective, study suggests Posted: 17 Apr 2012 08:34 AM PDT A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme —- which kills thousands of Americans every year.

Feelings of immaturity accompany alcohol misuse into adulthood Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:26 AM PDT Tipping back one too many cocktails during an individual's early 20s doesn't correlate to a personal sense of immaturity; however if this habit doesn't stop as they reach age 30, young adults can feel psychologically underdeveloped, according to a new study. Helping young adults acknowledge their mental impulse to "sober up" as they mature can improve substance abuse intervention programs.

Study hints at why gums suffer with age Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:24 AM PDT A study reveals that gum deterioration, which often occurs with increasing age, is associated with a drop in the level of a protein called Del-1.

Silicone breast implant failures significantly higher than previously thought Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:24 AM PDT New research suggests that the failure rate of silicone breast implants manufactured by Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) could be as high as 33.8 percent.

Helicopter transport improves trauma patient survival compared to ground transport Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:20 AM PDT A new study concludes a helicopter flight to a top-level trauma center boosts the chance of survival over ground transport.

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy a predictor for above-average birth weight Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:19 AM PDT One out of every two women of reproductive age is overweight or obese. Overweight or obese women are more likely to give birth to above average weight babies, new research shows.

Babies flick 'anti-risk switch' in women but not men Posted: 17 Apr 2012 07:19 AM PDT Unlike women, men don't curb certain risk-taking behaviors when a baby is present, a new psychology study suggests.

Depression may lead mothers to wake babies Posted: 17 Apr 2012 05:05 AM PDT Depressed mothers are more likely to needlessly wake up their infants at night than mothers who are not depressed, according to Penn State researchers.

Liquorice root found to contain anti-diabetic substance Posted: 17 Apr 2012 05:04 AM PDT It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root. Chosen as the "Medicinal plant 2012," the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times. Researchers have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect.

Lack of sleep is linked to obesity, new evidence shows Posted: 17 Apr 2012 05:03 AM PDT Can lack of sleep make you fat? A new paper which reviews the evidence from sleep restriction studies reveals that inadequate sleep is linked to obesity. The research explores how lack of sleep can impact appetite regulation, impair glucose metabolism and increase blood pressure.

Preschoolers' reading skills benefit from one modest change by teachers Posted: 17 Apr 2012 05:01 AM PDT A small change in how teachers and parents read aloud to preschoolers may provide a big boost to their reading skills later on, a new study found.

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