ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Sunday, February 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Sunday, February 6, 2011

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How the body’s frontline defense mechanism determines if a substance is a microbe (February 5, 2011) -- Researchers have now described how the first line of defense of the human immune system distinguishes between microbes and the body's own structures. The basis of this recognition mechanism has been unclear since the key protein components were discovered over 30 years ago -- and has now finally been cracked. ... > full story

A loose grip provides better chemotherapy (February 5, 2011) -- Researchers have found that cancer patients may get a bigger bang and fewer side effects with a new take on a drug delivery system. By using noncovalent bonds to link light-activated anti-cancer drugs to coated gold nanoparticles, they were able to activate treatment in two hours instead of two days. The scientists expect the targeted delivery system will cut dosage by a factor of 10 or more. ... > full story

Benefits of outdoor exercise confirmed (February 5, 2011) -- A systematic review has analyzed existing studies and concluded that there are benefits to mental and physical well-being from taking exercise in the natural environment. ... > full story

HPV vaccine works for boys: Study shows first clear benefits (February 5, 2011) -- A 4,000-patient clinical trial that spanned 18 countries has shown the first published data that the HPV vaccine works in young men and boys. ... > full story

Blood-clotting protein linked to cancer and septicemia (February 5, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered how stressed cells boost the production of the key blood-clotting factor, thrombin. Their work shows how cancer cells may be taking advantage of this process, and opens new possibilities for fighting back against cancer and septicemia. ... > full story

Gas stations pollute their immediate surroundings, Spanish study finds (February 5, 2011) -- In Spain, it is relatively common to come across gas stations surrounded by houses, particularly in urban areas. Researchers have studied the effects of contamination at gas stations that is potentially harmful to health, which can be noted in buildings less than 100 meters from the service stations. ... > full story

Children's BMI found to rise the longer their mothers work (February 5, 2011) -- Using U.S national longitudinal data on 900 children in grades 3, 5 and 6, researchers have found that children's body mass index rose the more years their mothers worked over their children's lifetimes. Surprisingly, changes in children's physical activity, unsupervised time, and TV time didn't explain the link. The reasons for these findings are not entirely clear, though one possibility is that working parents may rely more on eating out or eating prepared foods. ... > full story

New induced stem cells may unmask cancer at earliest stage (February 4, 2011) -- By coaxing healthy and diseased human bone marrow to become embryonic-like stem cells, a team of scientists has laid the groundwork for observing the onset of the blood cancer leukemia in the laboratory dish. ... > full story

Mechanism involved in breast cancer's spread to bone discovered (February 4, 2011) -- In a discovery that may lead to a new treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bone, researchers have unraveled a mystery about how these tumors take root. ... > full story

Cross-species strategy might be a powerful tool for studying human disease (February 4, 2011) -- A new study takes advantage of genetic similarities between mammals and fruit flies by coupling a complex genetic screening technique in humans with functional validation of the results in flies. The new strategy has the potential to be an effective approach for unraveling genetically complex human disorders and providing valuable insights into human disease. ... > full story

Working more than 20 hours a week in high school found harmful (February 4, 2011) -- A new shows that among high school students, working more than 20 hours/week during the school year can lead to academic and behavior problems. The researchers used advanced statistical methods to reanalyze longitudinal data collected in the 1980s on 1,800 middle class teens in 10th and 11th grades. The researchers also found that things didn't get better when teens who were working more than 20 hours/week cut back their hours or stopped working altogether. ... > full story

Boosting body's immune response may hold key to HIV cure (February 4, 2011) -- Scientists have successfully cleared a HIV-like infection from mice by boosting the function of cells vital to the immune response. Researchers showed that a cell signaling hormone called interleukin-7 reinvigorates the immune response to chronic viral infection, allowing the host to completely clear virus. ... > full story