ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Study points to potential treatment for stroke
• Component of pizza seasoning herb oregano kills prostate cancer cells
• In protein folding, internal friction may play a more significant role than previously thought
• Molecular probes identify changes in fibronectin that may lead to disease
• 'Junk DNA' can sense viral infection: Promising tool in the battle between pathogen and host
• Blood transfusions still overused and may do more harm than good in some patients
• Chronic fatigue syndrome patients had reduced activity in brain’s 'reward center'
• Yeast cell reaction to Zoloft suggests alternative cause, drug target for depression
• Binge eating may lead to addiction-like behaviors
• Anti-depressants likely do more harm than good, study suggests
• Fewer complications, better outcomes with robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery
• Violence puts wear and tear on kids' DNA
• Molecule movements that make us think: Ion channel’s voltage sensor can change its form
• Prions in the brain eliminated by homing molecules
• Family life study reveals key events that can trigger eating disorders
• Leukemia cells have a remembrance of things past
• Anticonvulsant drug helps marijuana smokers kick the habit
• The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified
• How ancient viruses became genomic 'superspreaders'
• Discovery of missing links for Salmonella's weapon system
• Fluorescent biosensor reveals mechanism critical to immune system amplification

Study points to potential treatment for stroke Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:23 PM PDT Neuroscientists have demonstrated that a compound mimicking a key activity of a hefty, brain-based protein is capable of increasing the generation of new nerve cells, or neurons, in the brains of mice that have had strokes. The mice also exhibited a speedier recovery of their athletic ability.

Component of pizza seasoning herb oregano kills prostate cancer cells Posted: 24 Apr 2012 01:22 PM PDT Oregano, the common pizza and pasta seasoning herb, has long been known to possess a variety of beneficial health effects, but a new study indicates that an ingredient of this spice could potentially be used to treat prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

In protein folding, internal friction may play a more significant role than previously thought Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:23 AM PDT Researchers have reported a new understanding of a little-known process that happens in virtually every cell of our bodies.

Molecular probes identify changes in fibronectin that may lead to disease Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:22 AM PDT Researchers have identified molecular probes capable of selectively attaching to fibronectin fibers under different strain states, enabling the detection and examination of fibronectin strain events that have been linked to pathological conditions including cancer and fibrosis.

'Junk DNA' can sense viral infection: Promising tool in the battle between pathogen and host Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:22 AM PDT Non-coding RNA -- molecules that do not translate into proteins -- were once considered unimportant "junk DNA" by researchers. Now researchers have discovered that when infected with a virus, ncRNA gives off signals that indicate the presence of an infectious agent, providing researchers with a new avenue to fight off infections.

Blood transfusions still overused and may do more harm than good in some patients Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:21 AM PDT Citing the lack of clear guidelines for ordering blood transfusions during surgery, researchers say a new study confirms there is still wide variation in the use of transfusions and frequent use of transfused blood in patients who don't need it.

Chronic fatigue syndrome patients had reduced activity in brain’s 'reward center' Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:21 AM PDT New findings on chronic fatigue syndrome add to the evidence about the biology of this mysterious disease.

Yeast cell reaction to Zoloft suggests alternative cause, drug target for depression Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have observed a self-degradation response to the antidepressant Zoloft in yeast cells that could help provide new answers to lingering questions among scientists about how antidepressants work, as well as support the idea that depression is not solely linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Binge eating may lead to addiction-like behaviors Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:18 AM PDT A history of binge eating -- consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time -- may make an individual more likely to show other addiction-like behaviors, including substance abuse, according to researchers. In the short term, this finding may shed light on the factors that promote substance abuse, addiction, and relapse. In the long term, may help clinicians treat individuals suffering from this devastating disease.

Anti-depressants likely do more harm than good, study suggests Posted: 24 Apr 2012 09:04 AM PDT Commonly prescribed anti-depressants appear to be doing patients more harm than good, say researchers who have published a paper examining the impact of the medications on the entire body.

Fewer complications, better outcomes with robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:59 AM PDT Robot-assisted surgery is now both more common and far more successful than radical "open" surgery to treat prostate cancer in the United States, according to a new study.

Violence puts wear and tear on kids' DNA Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:59 AM PDT Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a new study has found.

Molecule movements that make us think: Ion channel’s voltage sensor can change its form Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:57 AM PDT Every thought, every movement, every heartbeat is controlled by lightning-quick electrical impulses in the brain, the muscles, and the heart. But too much electrical excitability in the membranes of the cells can cause things like epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia. A research group has now published new discoveries that can lead to new medicines for these diseases.

Prions in the brain eliminated by homing molecules Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:57 AM PDT Toxic prions in the brain can be detected with self-illuminating polymers. The originators, at Linköping University in Sweden, has now shown that the same molecules can also render the prions harmless, and potentially cure fatal nerve-destroying illnesses.

Family life study reveals key events that can trigger eating disorders Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:56 AM PDT Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to new research. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia.

Leukemia cells have a remembrance of things past Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:56 AM PDT Although people generally talk about "cancer", it is clear that the disease occurs in a bewildering variety of forms.  Even single groups of cancers, such as those of the white blood cells, may show widely differing properties.  How do the various cancers arise and what factors determine their progression?  Clues to these two issues, at least for leukemias, have now been provided.

Anticonvulsant drug helps marijuana smokers kick the habit Posted: 24 Apr 2012 06:56 AM PDT Scientists have found clinical evidence that the drug gabapentin, currently on the market to treat neuropathic pain and epilepsy, helps people to quit smoking marijuana (cannabis). Unlike traditional addiction treatments, gabapentin targets stress systems in the brain that are activated by drug withdrawal.

The fat stopper: Protein that regulates the creation of fat cells identified Posted: 23 Apr 2012 01:23 PM PDT A student may have found the key to keep fat cells from forming. He believes he has identified the trigger that turns a stem cell into a fat cell. Located on the surface of cells, the trigger, a protein called endoglin, regulates what type of cell an existing stem cell will become.

How ancient viruses became genomic 'superspreaders' Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:31 PM PDT Scientists have uncovered clues as to how our genomes became riddled with viruses. The study reveals important information about the so–called 'dark matter' of our genome.

Discovery of missing links for Salmonella's weapon system Posted: 23 Apr 2012 12:31 PM PDT Scientists have discovered multiple gene switches in Salmonella that offer new ways to curb human infection. The discovery of the mechanisms of gene regulation could lead to the development of antibiotics to reduce the levels of disease caused by Salmonella.

Fluorescent biosensor reveals mechanism critical to immune system amplification Posted: 23 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT Using a new fluorescent biosensor they developed, researchers have discovered how a key set of immune cells exchange information during their coordinated assault on invading pathogens. The immune cells, called dendritic cells, are harnessed by cancer vaccines and other therapeutics used to amplify the immune system. The finding marks the first time that scientists have visualized how antigens are transferred in the immune system between dendritic cells.

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