ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Friday, April 22, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Friday, April 22, 2011

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Learning to tolerate our microbial self: Bacteria co-opt human immune cells for mutual benefit (April 22, 2011) -- The human gut is filled with 100 trillion symbiotic bacteria which we blissfully live with, although they have many features similar to infectious bacteria we react against. What decides whether we ignore -- or fight? In the case of a common "friendly" gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, researchers have discovered the surprising answer: The decision is not made by us, but by the bacteria, which co-opt cells of the immune system for our benefit ... and theirs. ... > full story

Study in roundworm chromosomes may offer new clues to tumor genome development (April 22, 2011) -- A "promiscuous DNA replication process" may be responsible for large-scale genome duplications in developing tumors, according to new research. These findings challenge the long-standing, currently accepted model. ... > full story

Bacteria interrupted: Disabling coordinated behavior and virulence gene expression (April 22, 2011) -- New research reveals a strategy for disrupting the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate the expression of virulence factors. The study may lead to the development of new antibacterial therapeutics. ... > full story

Acupuncture relieves hot flashes from prostate cancer treatment, study suggests (April 22, 2011) -- Acupuncture provides long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations and anxiety due to side effects of the hormone given to counteract testosterone, the hormone that induces prostate cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

Prenatal pesticide exposure tied to lower IQ in children, study finds (April 22, 2011) -- A new study has found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides -- widely used on food crops -- is related to lower intelligence scores in children. Every tenfold increase in measures of organophosphates detected during a mother's pregnancy corresponded to a 5.5 point drop in overall IQ scores in children at age 7, the researchers found. ... > full story

Salmonella utilize multiple modes of infection: New mechanism that helps with invading host cells discovered (April 22, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a new, hitherto unknown mechanism of Salmonella invasion into gut cells: In this entry mode, the bacteria exploit the muscle power of cells to be pulled into the host cell cytoplasm. Thus, the strategies Salmonella use to infect cells are more complex than previously thought. ... > full story

Use of topical corticosteroids in children with eczema does not have negative side effects, study finds (April 22, 2011) -- A new study reveals that routine, long-term use of topical corticosteroids for treating children with eczema does not cause any significant, negative side effects. ... > full story

Severe obesity not seen to increase risk of depression in teens (April 22, 2011) -- According to a new study, severely obese adolescents are no more likely to be depressed than normal weight peers. The study did find that white adolescents may be somewhat more vulnerable to psychological effects of obesity. ... > full story

Genes causing antimalarial drug resistance identified (April 21, 2011) -- Using a pair of powerful genome-search techniques, researchers have identified several genes that may be implicated in the malaria parasite's notorious ability to rapidly evade drug treatments. ... > full story

Kidney disease coupled with heart disease common problem in elderly (April 21, 2011) -- Chronic kidney disease is common and linked with heart disease in the very elderly, according to a new study. ... > full story

Early warning system for Alzheimer's disease (April 21, 2011) -- Scientists are developing a technique based on a new discovery which could pave the way towards detecting Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages -- and could help to develop urgently-needed treatments. The technique uses the ratio of detected fluorescence signals to indicate that clusters of peptide associated with the disease are beginning to gather and to have an impact on the brain. ... > full story

Meditation may help the brain 'turn down the volume' on distractions (April 21, 2011) -- The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm. This rhythm is thought to "turn down the volume" on distracting information, which suggests that a key value of meditation may be helping the brain deal with an often overstimulating world. ... > full story

Simple fungus reveals clue to immune system protection (April 21, 2011) -- A discovery about how a single-celled fungus survives in low-oxygen settings may someday help humans whose immune systems are compromised by organ transplants or AIDS. ... > full story

Are dietary supplements working against you? (April 21, 2011) -- Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you? ... > full story

RNA nanoparticles constructed to safely deliver long-lasting therapy to cells (April 21, 2011) -- Though RNA is viewed as a promising tool in nanotherapy, the difficulties of producing stable and long-lasting therapeutic RNA have posed challenges to research. A biomedical engineering professor has detailed the successful production of large RNA nanoparticles from smaller RNA segments. The nanoparticles had a half life of between five and 10 hours in animal models and targeted cancer cells in vivo to release therapeutics. ... > full story

Breastfeeding tied to stronger maternal response to baby's cry (April 21, 2011) -- A new study finds that mothers who feed their babies breast milk exclusively, as opposed to formula, are more likely to bond emotionally with their child during the first few months after delivery. The breastfeeding mothers surveyed for the study showed greater responses to their infant's cry in brain regions related to caregiving behavior and empathy than mothers who relied upon formula as the baby's main food source. This is the first paper to examine the underlying neurobiological mechanisms as a function of breastfeeding, and to connect brain activity with maternal behaviors among human mothers. ... > full story

Nature's elegant solution to repairing DNA in cancer, other conditions (April 21, 2011) -- A major discovery about an enzyme's structure has opened a window on understanding DNA repair. Scientists have determined the structure of a nuclease that will help scientists to understand several DNA repair pathways, a welcome development for cancer research. ... > full story

Antimalarial trees in East Africa threatened with extinction (April 21, 2011) -- Research released in anticipation of World Malaria Day finds that plants in East Africa with promising antimalarial qualities -- ones that have treated malaria symptoms in the region's communities for hundreds of years -- are at risk of extinction. Scientists fear that these natural remedial qualities, and thus their potential to become a widespread treatment for malaria, could be lost forever. ... > full story

Does video game violence harm teens? New study weighs the evidence (April 21, 2011) -- How much scientific evidence is there for and against the assertion that exposure to video game violence can harm teens? Three researchers have developed a novel method to consider that question: they analyzed the research output of experts who filed a brief in a US Supreme Court case involving violent video games and teens. ... > full story

Kids' 'screen time' linked to early markers for cardiovascular disease (April 21, 2011) -- Children who had the most hours of screen time, particularly in front of the television, had narrower arteries in the eyes -- a possible indicator for future heart disease risk, according to a new study. Children with the highest levels of physical activity had wider retinal arterioles. The magnitude of vessel narrowing for each hour of screen time was similar to a 10 millimeter of mercury rise in systolic blood pressure. ... > full story

MicroRNA mediates gene-diet interaction related to obesity, researchers find (April 21, 2011) -- Researchers observed that a genetic variant on the perilipin 4 (PLIN4) locus was associated with an increased risk of obesity yet, carriers with higher omega-3 fatty acid intakes tended to weigh less than carriers who consumed little or no omega-3 fatty acids. Furthermore, the researchers identified a microRNA which may help elucidate the mechanism behind the gene-diet interaction. ... > full story

Happiest places have highest suicide rates, new research finds (April 21, 2011) -- The happiest countries and happiest U.S. states tend to have the highest suicide rates, according to new research. The research confirmed a little known and seemingly puzzling fact: many happy countries have unusually high rates of suicide. ... > full story

New discovery may block amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease process (April 21, 2011) -- In the first animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists have found in fruit flies that blocking the abnormal movement of a protein made by a mutated gene called FUS also blocks the disease process. ... > full story

Cardiac muscle really knows how to relax: Potential cardio-protective mechanism in heart (April 21, 2011) -- New insight into the physiology of cardiac muscle may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies that exploit an inherent protective state of the heart. The research discovers a state of cardiac muscle that exhibits a low metabolic rate and may help to regulate energy use and promote efficiency in this hard-working and vital organ. ... > full story

Different views of God may influence academic cheating (April 21, 2011) -- Belief in God doesn't deter a person from cheating on a test, unless that God is seen as a mean, punishing one, researchers say. ... > full story

Protein and calories can help lessen effects of severe traumatic brain injury, report says (April 21, 2011) -- To help alleviate the effects of severe traumatic brain injury, the US Department of Defense should ensure that all military personnel with this type of injury receive adequate protein and calories immediately after the trauma and through the first two weeks of treatment, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. ... > full story

Functional MRI shows how mindfulness meditation changes decision-making process (April 21, 2011) -- Neuroimaging research shows that Buddhist meditators use different areas of the brain than other people when confronted with unfair choices, enabling them to make decisions rationally rather than emotionally. ... > full story

Low carbohydrate diet may reverse kidney failure in people with diabetes (April 21, 2011) -- Researchers have for the first time determined that the ketogenic diet, a specialized high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, may reverse impaired kidney function in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. ... > full story

Spring-cleaning the mind? Study shows a cluttered brain doesn't remember (April 21, 2011) -- Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks. The findings offer new insights into why aging is associated with a decline in memory and may lead to practical solutions. ... > full story

ACE inhibitors may increase risk of recurrence in breast cancer survivors, study suggests (April 21, 2011) -- ACE inhibitors, commonly used to control high blood pressure and heart failure in women, may be associated with an increased risk of recurrence in women who have had breast cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

Why are the Seychelles free of malaria? (April 21, 2011) -- Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit the malaria parasite by their bite are present almost throughout the world. Only five areas are exceptions: Antarctic and Iceland, where there are no mosquitoes at all, New-Caledonia, the Central Pacific islands, like French Polynesia, and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. New research suggests that the Seychelles have been spared because anopheles mosquitoes require the blood of terrestrial mammals which, apart from bats, are lacking. ... > full story

How can we measure infants' pain after an operation? (April 21, 2011) -- It turns out to be difficult to find out exactly how much a child who cannot yet speak suffers after a surgical operation. Researchers in Spain have validated the 'Llanto' scale, the first, and only, tool in Spanish which measures infant pain rapidly and simply. ... > full story

What's your gut type? Gut bacteria could help with diagnostics and influence treatments (April 21, 2011) -- Humans have three different gut types, scientists have found. The study also uncovers microbial genetic markers that are related to traits like age, gender and body-mass index. The findings could help diagnose and predict outcomes for diseases like colorectal cancer, and inform treatment. ... > full story

Genetic discovery offers new hope in fight against deadly pulmonary fibrosis (April 21, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a genetic variant that increases the risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis by 7 to 22 times. The discovery identifies a major risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis and points in an entirely new direction for research into the causes and potential treatments for this difficult and deadly disease. Nearly two-thirds of patients carry the genetic variation, which is associated with a gene that codes for a mucus-forming protein. ... > full story

Molecule that can increase blood flow in vascular disease identified (April 21, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that a molecule called Wnt1 can improve the function of endothelial progenitor cells, increasing the blood flow to organs that previously had been cut off from the circulation. ... > full story

Routine rotavirus vaccination in Brazil has reduced diarrhea deaths in children (April 21, 2011) -- Rotavirus vaccination in all areas of Brazil is associated with reduced diarrhea-related deaths and hospital admissions in children aged under five years, a new study reports. ... > full story

Drug development speeds up with more advanced microarray technology (April 21, 2011) -- RNA interference technology, which is used in cell biology, has revolutionized functional research of the gene products in the last ten years. Now researchers have developed a method which allows a single microchip to be used to screen the functions of tens of thousands of genes simultaneously by means of RNA interference. Traditional methods only allow a few hundred genes to be screened with each microplate. ... > full story

Electronic healthcare at the click of a mouse (April 21, 2011) -- Health literacy is a prerequisite for well being in the developed world with five out of five ailments being treatable by patients themselves given access to appropriate information. However, when symptoms appear, it is often difficult for a patient to make the right decision even given access to suitable health information and deciding whether their ailment is the one out of five that requires a health professional becomes a difficult task. ... > full story

Phase III trial finds no benefit from atrasentan added to chemo for advanced prostate cancer (April 21, 2011) -- The SWOG trial S0421 closed early based on interim finding that atrasentan added to docetaxel and prednisone did not confer additional survival benefit to patients with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. ... > full story

Air pollution exposure affects chances of developing premenopausal breast cancer, study finds (April 20, 2011) -- Exposure to air pollution early in life and when a woman gives birth to her first child may alter her DNA and may be associated with pre-menopausal breast cancer later in life, researchers have shown. ... > full story

How TRIM5 fights HIV: Scientists discover mechanism of protein that makes certain monkeys resistant (April 20, 2011) -- Thanks to a certain protein, rhesus monkeys are resistant to HIV. Known as TRIM5, the protein prevents the HI virus from multiplying once it has entered the cell. Researchers in Switzerland have now discovered the protein's mechanism. This also opens up new prospects for fighting HIV in humans. ... > full story

Breakthrough in malaria treatment in the run up to World Malaria Day (April 20, 2011) -- Ahead of World Malaria Day (25 April), researchers have discovered that drugs originally designed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells can also kill the parasite that causes malaria. They believe this discovery could open up a new strategy for combating this deadly disease, which infected around 225 million and killed nearly 800,000 people worldwide in 2009. ... > full story

Mining data from electronic records: Faster way to get genetic clues to disease (April 20, 2011) -- Recruiting thousands of patients to collect health data for genetic clues to disease is expensive and time consuming. But a study shows that process could be faster and cheaper by mining patient data that already exists in electronic medical records. Researchers were able to cull patient information in electronic medical records from routine doctors' visits at five national sites. This allowed researchers to accurately identify patients with five different diseases and reproduce previous genetic findings. ... > full story

Half of all children with autism wander and bolt from safe places, study shows (April 20, 2011) -- The Interactive Autism Network has revealed preliminary results of the first major survey on wandering and elopement among individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The wandering and elopement survey found that approximately half of parents of children with autism report that their child elopes, with the behavior peaking at age four. ... > full story

New 'chemical pathway' in the brain for stress: Breakthrough offers hope for targeted treatment of stress-related disorders (April 20, 2011) -- A team of neuroscientists has announced a breakthrough in the understanding of the 'brain chemistry' that triggers our response to highly stressful and traumatic events. The team has discovered a critical and previously unknown pathway in the brain that is linked to our response to stress. The advance offers new hope for targeted treatment, or even prevention, of stress-related psychiatric disorders. ... > full story

Childhood music lessons may provide lifelong boost in brain functioning (April 20, 2011) -- Those childhood music lessons could pay off decades later -- even for those who no longer play an instrument -- by keeping the mind sharper as people age, according to a preliminary study. ... > full story

Scientists prove new technology to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes (April 20, 2011) -- Scientists have taken an important step towards developing control measures for mosquitoes that transmit malaria. In a new study, researchers have demonstrated how some genetic changes can be introduced into large laboratory mosquito populations over the span of a few generations by just a small number of modified mosquitoes. ... > full story

Biological links found between childhood abuse and adolescent depression (April 20, 2011) -- New research reveals that a history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood substantially increases the risk of depression in adolescence by altering a person's neuroendocrine response to stress. ... > full story

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