ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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Eating berries may activate the brain's natural housekeeper for healthy aging (August 24, 2010) -- Scientists report the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way. Their study concludes that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain's natural "housekeeper" mechanism, which cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline. ... > full story
Dogs may not be' man’s best friend' during hay fever season (August 24, 2010) -- Ragweed allergy season can be even more miserable for those with dog, cat or dust mite allergies, according to new research. These year-round allergies appear to "pre-prime" the immune system so symptoms hit harder, according to a new study. ... > full story
Genetic variation linked to lupus in Asian men identified (August 24, 2010) -- Researchers have found that a variation in a gene on the sex chromosome X may enhance an immune response that leads to lupus in men. ... > full story
Organizations learn more from failure than success, study finds; Knowledge gained from failure lasts longer (August 24, 2010) -- While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail spectacularly often flourish more in the long run, according to a new study. ... > full story
Potential HIV drug keeps virus out of cells (August 24, 2010) -- Following up a pioneering 2007 proof-of-concept study, biochemists have developed a promising new anti-HIV drug candidate, PIE12-trimer, that prevents HIV from attacking human cells. ... > full story
Alcohol intake increases certain types of breast cancer, study finds (August 24, 2010) -- Alcohol increases the risk of lobular and hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but not necessarily invasive ductal carcinomas, according to a new study. ... > full story
Decade-long trial confirms benefts of steroid withdrawal for transplant patients (August 24, 2010) -- An analysis of 10 years of data from local kidney transplant patients shows that patients removed from a corticosteroid regimen shortly after surgery have better graft survival rates, better survival rates and fewer cardiovascular events than patients kept on the traditional regimen of long-term steroids. ... > full story
'Media detective' tool empowers children to skirt alcohol and tobacco marketing messages (August 24, 2010) -- Playing "media detective" allows children to understand the intentions of marketers and the goals of advertising while empowering them to resist messages that encourage alcohol or tobacco use. ... > full story
Diabetes can cause a sugar coating that smothers body's immune defences, researchers find (August 23, 2010) -- Researchers have found that unhealthy glucose levels in patients with diabetes can cause significantly more problems for the body than just the well-known symptoms of the disease. The raised glucose can also form what can be described as a sugar coating that can effectively smother the mechanisms our bodies use to detect and fight bacterial and fungal infections. ... > full story
Polyphenol antioxidants inhibit iron absorption (August 23, 2010) -- Health benefits from polyphenol antioxidants -- substances found in many fruits and vegetables -- may come at a cost to some people. Nutritional scientists found that eating certain polyphenols decreased the amount of iron the body absorbs, which can increase the risk of developing an iron deficiency. ... > full story
Function of proteins can enhance the progression of viruses and cancer cells (August 23, 2010) -- In a discovery that has implications for developing treatments against cancer and potentially deadly viruses, researchers have discovered the function of proteins that can enhance the progression of certain viruses and cancer cells. ... > full story
Drugging the undruggable: Advances toward next generation of disease fighters (August 23, 2010) -- After decades of dreaming the drug developer's impossible dream, scientists finally are reporting progress in making drugs that target the "untouchables" among the body's key players in health and disease. They are the hundreds of thousands of proteins that many scientists considered to be "undruggable," meaning that previous efforts to develop a drug against them had failed. ... > full story
'Hookups' can turn into meaningful relationships, study suggests (August 23, 2010) -- Relationships that start with a spark and not much else aren't necessarily doomed from the get-go, new research suggests. Couples who became sexually involved as friends or acquaintances and were open to a serious relationship ended up just as happy as those who dated and waited. ... > full story
Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method (August 23, 2010) -- Has the long-sought magic potion in society's "battle with the bulge" finally arrived? An appetite-control agent that requires no prescription, has no common side effects, and costs almost nothing? Scientists report results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The weight-loss elixir is ordinary water. ... > full story
Body clock drugs could ease psychiatric disorders and jet lag (August 23, 2010) -- Researchers have successfully used a drug to reset and restart the natural 24 hour body clock of mice in the lab. The ability to do this in a mammal opens up the possibility of dealing with a range of human difficulties including some psychiatric disorders, jet lag and the health impacts of shift work. ... > full story
Low bone mineral density common in children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease (August 23, 2010) -- New research from Sweden is the first in Scandinavia to study the occurrence of low bone mineral density in children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease. Half of the patients in the study showed signs of low bone mineral density. The results emphasise the importance of treating the underlying inflammatory bowel disease more effectively, and of measuring bone mineral density in this group of patients. ... > full story
Maslow Updated: Reworking of the famous psychological pyramid of needs puts parenting at the top (August 23, 2010) -- Caring for your children, feeding them, nurturing them, educating them and making sure they get off on the right foot in life -- all of the things that make parenting successful -- may actually be deep rooted psychological urges that we fulfill as part of being human. ... > full story
Cluster bomb for cancer care: Nano-vehicle delivers chemotherapy treatments on target (August 23, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a nano-sized vehicle that can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells while avoiding interaction with healthy cells. The vehicle is very similar to a 'cluster bomb' and can be used to treat many different types of tumors, including lung, blood, colon and brain cancers. ... > full story
New technology may prolong the life of implanted devices, from pacemakers to chemotherapy ports (August 23, 2010) -- By creating a unique system of blood vessels that is engineered to interact with the tissue surrounding an implanted device, the longevity and function of these devices may be better preserved, according to a new study. ... > full story
Do-gooders get voted off island first: People don't really like unselfish colleagues, psychologists find (August 23, 2010) -- Psychologists have found that unselfish workers who are the first to throw their hat in the ring are also among those that coworkers most want to, in effect, vote off the island. ... > full story
Rheumatoid arthritis signaling protein reverses Alzheimer's disease in mouse model (August 23, 2010) -- A new study looks at what effect innate immunity gone bad in rheumatoid arthritis may play in protecting against Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found a signaling protein for RA reversed Alzheimer's in a mouse model. ... > full story
Titanium coating with protein 'flower bouquet' nanoclusters strengthens implant attachment (August 23, 2010) -- Researchers have developed an improved coating technique that could strengthen the connection between titanium joint-replacement implants and a patients' own bone. Implants coated with "flower bouquet" clusters of an engineered protein made 50 percent more contact with the surrounding bone than implants coated with protein pairs or individual strands. The cluster-coated implants were fixed in place more than twice as securely as uncoated plugs. ... > full story
HIV virus hides in the brain, Swedish study finds (August 23, 2010) -- Studies of the spinal fluid of patients given anti-HIV drugs have resulted in new findings suggesting that the brain can act as a hiding place for the HIV virus. Around 10 percent of patients showed traces of the virus in their spinal fluid but not in their blood -- a larger proportion than previously realized, reveals new research from Sweden. ... > full story
Young people identify with an online community almost as strongly as with their own family (August 23, 2010) -- Teenage online community users feel part of their online community almost as much as they feel part of their own family. An international study of the users of a teenage online community reveals that users identify more strongly with the online community than with their neighborhood or offline hobby group. ... > full story
Ancient Chinese medicine may help chemotherapy patients (August 23, 2010) -- A centuries-old traditional Chinese medicine may reduce the intestinal side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients by stimulating gut cell division and reducing inflammation, a new study in mice suggests. ... > full story
New study finds new connection between yoga and mood (August 23, 2010) -- Researchers have found that yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety. The findings are the first to demonstrate an association between yoga postures, increased GABA levels and decreased anxiety. ... > full story
Worldwide shortage of isotopes for medical imaging could threaten quality of patient care (August 23, 2010) -- Twenty million medical scans and treatments are done each year that require radioactive isotopes and scientists today described a global shortage of these life-saving materials that could jeopardize patient care and drive-up health-care costs. ... > full story
Better way to grow stem cells developed (August 23, 2010) -- Chemical engineers, materials scientists and biologists have devised a synthetic surface that includes no foreign animal material and allows stem cells to stay alive and continue reproducing themselves for at least three months. It's also the first synthetic material that allows single cells to form colonies of identical cells, which is necessary to identify cells with desired traits and has been difficult to achieve with existing materials. ... > full story
Delaying fat digestion to curb appetite (August 23, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered an unexpected synergy that helps break down fat. The discovery provides a focus to find ways to slow down fat digestion, and ultimately to create food structures that induce satiety. ... > full story
Researchers advance understanding of enzyme that regulates DNA (August 23, 2010) -- Thanks to a single-molecule imaging technique, researchers have revealed the mechanisms of PcrA helicase, an important DNA-regulating enzyme. To prevent unwanted recombination of a damaged or degraded section of DNA, the enzyme binds at the point of the break, where the double- and single-stranded regions meet. Then, it uses its motor function to "reel in" the tail, like a fisherman pulling in a rope, knocking off recombination proteins along the way. ... > full story
Gene scan finds link across array of childhood brain disorders (August 23, 2010) -- Mutations in a single gene can cause several types of developmental brain abnormalities that experts have traditionally considered different disorders. Researchers have now found those mutations through whole exome sequencing -- a new gene scanning technology that cuts the cost and time of searching for rare mutations. ... > full story
Bottled tea beverages may contain fewer polyphenols than brewed tea (August 23, 2010) -- The first measurements of healthful antioxidant levels in commercial bottled tea beverages has concluded that health-conscious consumers may not be getting what they pay for: healthful doses of those antioxidants, or "poylphenols," that may ward off a range of diseases. ... > full story
Language as a window into sociability (August 23, 2010) -- People with Williams syndrome -- known for their indiscriminate friendliness and ease with strangers -- process spoken language differently from people with autism spectrum disorders -- characterized by social withdrawal and isolation -- researchers found. ... > full story
Novel 'antisense' therapies protect primates from lethal Ebola and Marburg viruses (August 23, 2010) -- New studies show that treatments targeting specific viral genes protected monkeys infected with deadly Ebola or Marburg viruses. Furthermore, the animals were protected even when therapeutics were administered one hour after exposure -- suggesting the approach holds promise for treating accidental infections in laboratory or hospital settings. ... > full story
Electrifying findings: New ways of boosting healthful antioxidant levels in potatoes (August 23, 2010) -- Scientists in Japan are busy zapping potatoes and, as a result, the fifth most popular food consumed around the world may one day become an even more healthful vegetable. ... > full story
Difficulty swallowing a sign of poor prognosis among hospitalized patients (August 23, 2010) -- Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is associated with longer hospital stays among patients with any diagnosis, is increasingly prevalent with older age and is an indicator of a poor prognosis, according to a new study. ... > full story
Street outreach workers an important tool for violence prevention and intervention (August 23, 2010) -- A new study describes how using street outreach workers is an effective strategy to reach and engage youth with the goal of violence prevention and intervention. Street outreach workers are typically members of the community who intervene to prevent conflict and retaliation. While violence prevention programs utilizing street outreach workers , including CeaseFire in Chicago and Safe Streets in Baltimore, this is the first peer-reviewed study on a program to be published. ... > full story
Protein made by breast cancer gene purified (August 23, 2010) -- A key step in understanding the origins of familial breast cancer has been made. Researchers have purified, for the first time, the protein produced by the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 and used it to study the oncogene's role in DNA repair. ... > full story
Molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of asthma illuminated (August 23, 2010) -- Scientists have taken a further step towards improving our understanding of how asthma develops. New findings show that the gene-regulating molecule "IRF4" plays a key role in the development of T helper 9 lymphocytes (Th9 cells), which can play a major part in the development of this chronic, inflammatory illness of the respiratory tract. ... > full story
Road signs and traffic signals on DNA: Physical model describes the distribution of nucleosome (August 23, 2010) -- The DNA in the cell nuclei of higher organisms is tightly coiled around protein complexes called nucleosomes, which repress gene expression. Researchers in Germany have now developed a model that explains how nucleosomes are distributed around sites that must remain accessible to transcribing polymerases. ... > full story
Use of decision-aid program increases safety for women experiencing abuse, researchers find (August 23, 2010) -- Intimate partner violence results in two million injuries among women in the US each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers are reducing these numbers with a new Web-based program that helps women experiencing abuse develop individualized safety plans and better assess the severity of their situations. ... > full story
'Rotten eggs' gas and inflammation in arthritic joints (August 22, 2010) -- Hydrogen sulfide is a gas more commonly associated with the smell of "rotten eggs" and blocked drains. However, it has now been shown to be present naturally in our bodies and reside in knee joint synovial fluid, the protective fluid found in the cavities of joints that reduces friction between the cartilage of joints during movement. Synovial fluid H2S may play a role in reducing inflammation in joints. ... > full story
Avian influenza virus may persist on feathers fallen from domestic ducks (August 22, 2010) -- Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) may persist on feathers fallen from the bodies of infected domestic ducks and contribute to environmental contamination. ... > full story
New compound may be effective against Chagas' disease (August 22, 2010) -- A new compound may offer an effective drug candidate against the deadly tropical infection, Chagas' disease say researchers from Brazil. ... > full story
Oxytocin: It’s a Mom and Pop Thing (August 22, 2010) -- The hormone oxytocin has come under intensive study in light of emerging evidence that its release contributes to the social bonding that occurs between lovers, friends, and colleagues. Oxytocin also plays an important role in birth and maternal behavior, but until now, research had never addressed the involvement of oxytocin in the transition to fatherhood. ... > full story
New understanding of the 'flight-or-fight' response (August 22, 2010) -- New research helps explain how the body's "flight-or-fight" response is mediated. The study may provide new answers to the question of how the heart pacemaker -- the sinoatrial node -- is regulated. ... > full story
Contrary to popular models, sugar is not burned by self-control tasks (August 22, 2010) -- Contradicting a popular model of self-control, a psychologist says the data from a 2007 study argues against the idea that glucose is the resource used to manage self control and that humans rely on this energy source for will power. ... > full story
New twist on drug screening to treat common childhood cancer (August 22, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new method of identifying drugs to treat children suffering from fatal cancers for which an effective treatment has not been found. Rather than developing a new drug from scratch, which is a complicated and time-consuming process, they tried a different approach: in the lab, they tested existing drugs on cancer stem cells from young patients with neuroblastoma, one of the common cancers of infants and children. ... > full story
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