Selasa, 02 Agustus 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Tuesday, August 2, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Tuesday, August 2, 2011

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Colon cleansing has no benefit but many side effects including vomiting and death, doctors say (August 2, 2011) -- Colon cleansing -- it's been described as a natural way to enhance well-being, but doctors say there's no evidence to back that claim. In fact, their review of scientific literature demonstrates that colon cleansing can cause side effects ranging from cramping and to renal failure and death. ... > full story

Artificial nanoparticles influence heart rate and rhythm, study finds (August 2, 2011) -- Artificial nanoparticles are becoming increasingly pervasive in modern life. However, their influences on our health remain largely shrouded in mystery. Using a so-called Langendorff heart, a team of scientists in Germany has now for the first time shown that selected artificial nanoparticles have a direct effect on heart rate and heart rhythm. ... > full story

Mechanism of sculpting the plasma membrane of intestinal cells identified (August 2, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a previously unknown mechanism which modifies the structure of plasma membranes in intestinal epithelial cells. Unlike other proteins with a similar function, the new protein -- named 'Pinkbar' by the researchers - creates planar membrane sheets. Further research investigates the potential connection of this protein with various intestinal disorders. ... > full story

New research might help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (August 2, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a mechanism in the brain that explains for the first time why people make particularly strong, long-lasting memories of stressful events in their lives. ... > full story

High blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and obesity in middle age may shrink brain, damage thinking (August 2, 2011) -- A new study suggests smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight in middle age may cause brain shrinkage and lead to cognitive problems up to a decade later. ... > full story

Researchers use improved imaging technique and discover a better approach to diagnosing epilepsy (August 2, 2011) -- Using state-of-the-art, 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, researchers may have uncovered a better approach to diagnosing epilepsy. ... > full story

Childhood adversities and early-onset mental disorders associated with higher rates of chronic physical problems in adulthood (August 2, 2011) -- Children who experience psychosocial adversities and early-onset mental disorders appear to be at increased risk of developing chronic physical conditions later in life, according to a new study. ... > full story

In the battle to relieve back aches, researchers create bioengineered spinal disc implants (August 1, 2011) -- Engineers and doctors have created a biologically based spinal implant that could someday spell relief for these countless back and neck pain sufferers. ... > full story

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may help prevent recurrent strokes in younger people (August 1, 2011) -- New research indicates cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins may help prevent future strokes among young people who have already had a stroke. ... > full story

Why long-term antibiotic use increases infection with a mycobacterium (August 1, 2011) -- The clinical outcome is improved if patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis are treated long-term with the antibiotic azithromycin. However, azithromycin treatment in patients with cystic fibrosis as recently associated with increased infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria. Now, researchers have confirmed that long-term use of azithromycin by adults with cystic fibrosis is associated with infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria and identified an underlying mechanism. ... > full story

Majority of adolescents with prescriptions for pain, stimulant, sleeping and antianxiety medications take them appropriately, study finds (August 1, 2011) -- Adolescents who misuse controlled medications (e.g., pain, stimulant, sleeping and antianxiety medications) for which they have a legitimate prescription may be more likely to abuse other substances and to sell, give or trade their controlled medications to other individuals, according to a new study. ... > full story

Some exercise is better than none: More is better to reduce heart disease risk (August 1, 2011) -- Researchers found that 2.5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity per week can lower the overall risk of heart disease by 14 percent. This is the first review to quantify the amount of physical activity that is required to lower the risk of heart disease; others suggest only qualitative estimates. ... > full story

Indoor air cleaners ease asthma symptoms in children living with smokers, study suggests (August 1, 2011) -- Children who have asthma and live with smokers shows that indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower the rates of daytime asthma symptoms to those achieved with certain anti-inflammatory asthma drugs. Although the air cleaners improved the overall air quality in homes, they did not reduce air nicotine levels and did not counter all ill effects of secondhand smoke, the researchers warn. ... > full story

New brain imaging research reveals why autistic individuals confuse pronouns (August 1, 2011) -- A new brain imaging study provides an explanation as to why autistic individuals' use of the wrong pronoun is more than simply a word choice problem. Researchers found that errors in choosing a self-referring pronoun reflect a disordered neural representation of the self, a function processed by at least two brain areas -- one frontal and one posterior. ... > full story

New composite material may restore damaged soft tissue (August 1, 2011) -- Biomedical engineers have developed a new liquid material that in early experiments in rats and humans shows promise in restoring damaged soft tissue relatively safely and durably. The material, a composite of biological and synthetic molecules, is injected under the skin, then "set" using light to form a more solid structure, like using cold to set gelatin in a mold. The researchers say the product one day could be used to reconstruct soldier's faces marred by blast injuries. ... > full story

Novel analysis sheds new light on the mechanisms of brain development (August 1, 2011) -- Scientists have taken an important step in identifying how the brain organizes itself during development. The findings describe -- in more detail than ever before -- the consequences of the loss of a key molecule involved in establishing proper brain architecture during brain development. ... > full story

Cold electrons to aid better design of drugs and materials (August 1, 2011) -- A new source of very cold electrons will improve the quality and speed of nanoimaging for drug and materials development, to a trillionth of a second. ... > full story

Helping children learn to understand numbers: It's all in the way we speak to them (August 1, 2011) -- Most people know how to count, but the way we master this ability remains something of a puzzle. Now a formal model of the cognitive basis of counting has been developed. ... > full story

Nicotine can protect the brain from Parkinson's disease, research suggests (August 1, 2011) -- If you've ever wondered if nicotine offered society any benefit, a new study offers a surprising answer. Nicotine can protect the brain against Parkinson's disease, the research suggests, and the discovery of how nicotine does this may lead to entirely new types of treatments for the disease. ... > full story

In the pursuit of dangerous clumps: Customized surfaces help reveal the causes of diseases (August 1, 2011) -- When normal proteins form protein clumps in the body, then alarm bells start ringing. Such clumps, called "amyloids," are closely associated with Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes. If doctors knew how these proteins form clumps, then they might be able to treat such diseases more efficiently. Researchers in Germany and Denmark have now succeeded in taking a major step in that direction. ... > full story

Scientists reveal mechanism behind 'oncogene addiction' in acute leukemia (August 1, 2011) -- Scientists have laid bare the mechanism behind oncogene addiction, in mice suffering from a form of leukemia that mimics acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in humans. The team was able to target "addiction" pathways in the model mice, resulting in rapid and complete eradication of the cancer, which is usually fatal and resistant to conventional chemotherapy. ... > full story

Omega-3 reduces anxiety and inflammation in healthy students, study suggests (August 1, 2011) -- A new study gauging the impact of consuming more fish oil showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, surprisingly, in anxiety among a cohort of healthy young people. The findings suggest that if young participants can get such improvements from specific dietary supplements, then the elderly and people at high risk for certain diseases might benefit even more. ... > full story

Novel gene associated with asthma in African-Americans confirmed (August 1, 2011) -- A new US national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, and confirmed the significance of four gene associations reported by a European asthma genetics study. ... > full story

Evolution of human generosity (August 1, 2011) -- Imagine you're dining at a restaurant in a city you're visiting for the first -- and, most likely the last -- time. Chances are slim to none that you'll ever see your server again, so if you wanted to shave a few dollars off your tab by not leaving a tip, you could do so. And yet, if you're like most people, you will leave the tip anyway, and not give it another thought. ... > full story

Gum disease can increase the time it takes to become pregnant (August 1, 2011) -- Women who are trying to become pregnant should make sure they visit their dentist and brush their teeth regularly, after preliminary research revealed that gum disease potentially can lengthen the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant by an average of an extra two months. For the first time, fertility experts have shown that, from the time that a woman starts trying to conceive, poor oral health can have a significant effect on the time to pregnancy. ... > full story

Seventy percent of 8-month-olds consume too much salt, UK study shows (August 1, 2011) -- Seventy per cent of eight-month-old babies have a salt intake higher than the recommended UK maximum level, due to being fed salty and processed foods like yeast extract, gravy, baked beans and tinned spaghetti. High levels of salt can damage developing kidneys, give children a taste for salty foods and establish poor eating practices that continue into adulthood and can result in health problems later in life. ... > full story

Treating obesity via brain glucose sensing (August 1, 2011) -- The past two decades have witnessed an epidemic spread of obesity-related diseases in Western countries. Elucidating the biological mechanism that links overnutrition to obesity could prove crucial in reducing obesity levels. A new study finds that a defect in the brain's glucose-sensing process contributes to the development of obesity and related disease. Importantly, correction of this defect can normalize the whole-body energy balance and treat obesity. ... > full story

Engineering innovative hand-held lab-on-a-chip could streamline blood testing worldwide (August 1, 2011) -- Biomedical engineering professors have developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device that can perform complex laboratory assays, with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world. Successfully tested in Rwanda, the mChip diagnoses diseases like HIV and syphilis at patients' bedsides. ... > full story

Genome-wide study reveals three new susceptibility loci for adult asthma in Japanese population (August 1, 2011) -- Researchers have identified three new loci associated with susceptibility to adult asthma in the Japanese population. ... > full story

New discoveries on gene regulation in the evolution of the vertebrate brain (August 1, 2011) -- Alternative splicing of RNA transcripts is a process leading to differential gene expression and the production of different proteins, which is the key to cell differentiation and a foundation of many diseases. Researchers have now described the generation of a gene network regulated by the splicing factor NOVA1 during the development of the central nervous system in vertebrates. ... > full story

The role of relaxation in consumer behavior (August 1, 2011) -- A study finds that states of relaxation consistently increase the monetary valuations of products, actually inflating these valuations by about 10 percent. ... > full story

Increasing potency of HIV-battling proteins (August 1, 2011) -- When it comes to a small HIV-fighting protein, called cyanovirin-N, researchers have found that two are better than one. ... > full story

A cellular protein can reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells (August 1, 2011) -- Researchers have found new hope for cancer survival. Their findings show that maspin, a cellular protein, can reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells from 75 percent-40 percent when localized in the nucleus. These findings show the location of maspin within the cell significantly influences cancer cells' behavior, determining how aggressive the disease will be and how positive patient outcomes will be. ... > full story

Increased risk of Parkinson's disease in methamphetamine users, study finds (August 1, 2011) -- People who abused methamphetamine or other amphetamine-like stimulants are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who do not, according to a new study. ... > full story

Possible association between maternal exposure to magnetic fields and development of asthma in children (August 1, 2011) -- Children whose mothers had high exposure to magnetic fields (MF) during pregnancy appear to have an increased risk of developing asthma, according to a new study. ... > full story

Don't suffer in silence with toe pain (August 1, 2011) -- While deformities of the lesser toes (all toes other than the big toe) can be very painful, there are numerous surgical and nonsurgical treatments for these conditions that are usually quite effective. A new review shows that because lesser toe deformities are often treatable, and can be symptoms of other conditions, early assessment and treatment by an orthopedic surgeon is important. ... > full story

Debating the safety of cell phone use (August 1, 2011) -- The dangers of cell phones have led to preventive policies in France, Israel, Finland and India, and there are simple ways to minimize the health risks associated with exposure to the radiation energy they emit, according to researchers. ... > full story

Primary physicians may hold key to suicide prevention (August 1, 2011) -- Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. Every year millions of Americans think about taking their own lives. Sadly, each year tens of thousands die by suicide. While suicides can be a shock to family and friends, some warning signs exist. ... > full story

Systematic osteoporosis management urged after vertebral fracture augmentation (August 1, 2011) -- Scientists have issued a literature review of prospective controlled studies comparing the efficacy and safety of two minimally invasive techniques for vertebral augmentation after spine fracture: vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty. The review also lists important recommendations to facilitate the comparison of future studies and highlights research questions still unresolved. ... > full story

Caregivers and their relatives disagree about care given, received (August 1, 2011) -- Caregivers and their relatives who suffer from mild to moderate dementia often have different perceptions regarding the amount and quality of care given and received. A new study examined a major source of those differences -- caregivers do not understand the things that are important to their relatives with dementia. ... > full story

Researchers target, switch off serotonin-producing neurons in mice; New insights may be relevant to sudden infant death syndrome (July 31, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a toolkit that enables them to turn off targeted cell populations while leaving others unaffected. The group focused on serotonin-producing neurons, observing how mice behave in a normal environment when suddenly their serotonin neurons are turned down. ... > full story

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics: The more they resist, the more they divide (July 31, 2011) -- The number of multiresistant strains of bacteria in hospitals is increasing. Bacteria acquire resistance to antibiotics through mutations in their chromosomes and by incorporating new genes, either from the surrounding environment or from other bacteria. Now, researchers in Portugal have shown that, surprisingly, when both mechanisms of resistance are playing out in the bacterium E. coli, its ability to survive and reproduce is increased. ... > full story

Using a 'systems biology' approach to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer (July 31, 2011) -- Using a "systems biology" approach -- which focuses on understanding the complex relationships between biological systems -- to look under the hood of an aggressive form of breast cancer, researchers for the first time have identified a set of proteins in the blood that change in abundance long before the cancer is clinically detectable. ... > full story

Restoring happiness in people with depression (July 31, 2011) -- Practicing positive activities may serve as an effective, low-cost treatment for people suffering from depression, according to researchers. This new approach has the potential to benefit depressed individuals who don't respond to pharmacotherapy or are not able or willing to obtain treatment, and promises to yield rapid improvement of mood symptoms, holds little to no stigma, and carries no side effects. ... > full story

How bats stay on target despite the clutter (July 30, 2011) -- Neuroscientists have learned how bats can remain on target despite obstacles. The key lies in bats' neural response to echoes from their sonar pulses: Differences in delay as short as 3 microseconds between parts of an echo is enough to tell the bat the object may not be its target. The research could lead to more precise targeting by sonar-led vehicles. ... > full story

Mouse with 'off switch' in key brain cell population developed; Research may increase understanding of SIDS, depressive disorders (July 30, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals' serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation and mood. The switch controls only the serotonin-producing cells, and does not affect any other cells in the animal's brains or bodies. ... > full story

Fast ripples confirmed to be valuable biomarker of area responsible for seizure activity in children (July 30, 2011) -- New research focusing on high-frequency oscillations, termed ripples and fast ripples, recorded by intracranial electroencephalography, may provide an important marker for the localization of the brain region responsible for seizure activity. According to the study the resection of brain regions containing fast ripples, along with the visually-identified seizure-onset zone, may achieve a good seizure outcome in pediatric epilepsy. ... > full story

Dissecting dyslexia: Linking reading to voice recognition (July 30, 2011) -- When people recognize voices, part of what helps make voice recognition accurate is noticing how people pronounce words differently. But individuals with dyslexia don't experience this familiar language advantage, say researchers. ... > full story


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