ScienceDaily Health Headlines
for Saturday, August 28, 2010
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Baby's first full diaper can reveal mother's smoking (August 27, 2010) -- Meconium, the dark and tarry stools passed by a baby during the first few days after birth, can be used to determine how much the mother smoked, or if she was exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy. Researchers measured tobacco smoke metabolites in meconium samples from 337 babies, finding that they correlated well with reported smoke exposure and other markers of tobacco smoke exposure. ... > full story
Rectal cancer rates are rising in young individuals, analysis finds (August 27, 2010) -- A new analysis has found that while colon cancer rates have remained steady over the past several decades among people under the age of 40, rectal cancer rates are increasing in this population across races and in both sexes. ... > full story
Autism and schizophrenia: Family history may not always be a good indicator (August 27, 2010) -- Family history may not be a good predictor of the presence of mutations predisposing to autism or schizophrenia, a new study suggests. The findings show how new or de novo gene mutations -- alterations of the cell's DNA -- play a role in these devastating conditions. ... > full story
Moms who don't breastfeed more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, study finds (August 27, 2010) -- Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, a new study finds. Twenty-seven percent of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes and were almost twice as likely to develop the disease as women who had breastfed or never given birth. ... > full story
Grapefruit's bitter taste holds a sweet promise for diabetes therapy (August 27, 2010) -- A new study demonstrates the mechanism by which a single grapefruit compound controls fat and glucose metabolism, replacing multiple drugs. ... > full story
Vaccine has cut child cases of bacterial pneumonia, says study (August 27, 2010) -- The number of children admitted to English hospitals with bacterial pneumonia decreased by a fifth in the two years following the introduction of a vaccine to combat the disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Experimental treatments for cocaine addiction may prevent relapse (August 27, 2010) -- The drug disulfiram, used for years to deter recovering alcoholics from drinking, also can treat cocaine addiction. Disulfiram prevents rats from seeking cocaine after a break, a model for addicts tempted to relapse. Disulfiram appears to work by inhibiting the enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase, which is required for the production of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. A selective inhibitor of that enzyme, nepicastat, is also effective in the same model of cocaine relapse. ... > full story
Frog skin may provide 'kiss of death' for antibiotic-resistant germs (August 27, 2010) -- Kissing a frog won't turn it into a prince -- except in fairy-tales -- but frogs may be hopping toward a real-world transformation into princely allies in humanity's battle with antibiotic-resistant infections that threaten millions of people. Scientists reported that frog skin contains substances that could be the basis for a new genre of antibiotics. ... > full story
Neuron-damaging mechanism discovered in mouse model of inherited ALS (August 27, 2010) -- New research uncovers what may be a primary neuron-damaging insult that occurs in an inherited form of a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. The study describes a critical mechanistic link between a mutant protein and disease pathogenesis in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ... > full story
Smoking can increase depressive symptoms in teens, study finds (August 27, 2010) -- While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to "self-medicate" against the blues, scientists have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents. ... > full story
Secondhand smoke may provoke inflammatory response in lungs (August 27, 2010) -- Secondhand smoke is associated with a number of diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease and emphysema. It is an irritant to lung tissue and blood vessels, but the processes through which the body reacts to second-hand smoke is a mystery scientists are beginning to unravel. Researchers are now studying how second-hand smoke affects the lungs of rats. So far it appears that second-hand smoke triggers a complex inflammatory response. ... > full story
Artificial enzyme removes natural poison (August 27, 2010) -- For the first time ever, a completely artificial chemical enzyme has been successfully used to neutralize a toxin found naturally in fruits and vegetables. This is the first evidence that it's possible to design artificial enzymes for this class of task, and might result in a completely new way of designing drug-targets. ... > full story
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