Ancient Chinese Salad Plant Transformed Into New Cancer-killing Compound (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers have updated a traditional Chinese medicine to create a compound that is more than 1,200 times more specific in killing certain kinds of cancer cells than currently available drugs, heralding the possibility of a more effective chemotherapy drug with minimal side effects. ... > full story
Herbal Menopause Therapy A Good Fit For Breast Cancer Patients? (October 15, 2008) -- When it comes to understanding the effectiveness and safety of using herbal therapies with other drugs, much is unknown. Now, a researcher will study how black cohosh -- an herbal supplement often used to relieve hot flashes in menopausal women -- interacts with tamoxifen, a common drug used to treat breast cancer. ... > full story
Filling In The Blanks: Consumers Want Complete Information To Make Choices (October 15, 2008) -- A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines the way consumers behave when information about a purchase is incomplete. The study suggests that there are ways for marketers to reduce the number of customers who leave empty handed. ... > full story
Critical Genetic Link Found Between Human Taste Differences And Nicotine Dependence (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers report that two interacting genes related to bitter taste sensitivity, TAS2R16 and TAS2R38, play an important role in a person's development of nicotine dependence and smoking behavior. The researchers found that people with higher taste sensitivity aren't as likely to become dependent on nicotine as people with decreased taste sensitivity. ... > full story
Insight On Common Heart Rhythm Disorder (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease. While the newly discovered gene variant is rare, the study provides insight into cellular mechanisms that regulate sinus node function and identifies an unanticipated new pathway for developing future therapies to regulate more common forms of sinus node disease. ... > full story
Early-stage Gene Transcription Creates Access To DNA (October 15, 2008) -- An international team of researchers, probing how a yeast cell senses its cellular environment and makes decisions about whether or not to express a gene, finds the process of transcribing non-coding RNAs is required for the eventual production of the protein-encoding RNA. The transient synthesis of these non-coding RNAs serves to unfurl the tightly wound DNA, essentially loosening the structure to allow for gene expression. ... > full story
Landmark Study Links Sleep, Memory Problems In Elderly African-Americans (October 15, 2008) -- A landmark study shows that African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems -- raising the possibility that identifying and treating sleep difficulties in the elderly may help preserve their cognitive functioning. The study is the first to examine the link between sleep and cognitive functioning in older African-Americans. ... > full story
Discovery May Lead To Treatment For Neurodegenerative Diseases (October 14, 2008) -- Over the past several decades, many laboratories have studied the communication between nerve cells and muscle fibers that are crucial to form and maintain neuromuscular synapses. Now, researchers have found that a protein named Lrp4 is the missing link that allows communication between two crucial molecules -- one derived from the nerve and the other from muscle -- that enables the formation of the synapse. ... > full story
New Therapeutic Treatment Approach Improves Survival In Esophageal Cancer Patients (October 14, 2008) -- A new study has found that a new therapeutic treatment, when delivered endoscopically and used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, improved survival rates in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Cancer of the esophagus often has a poor survival rate. ... > full story
Time Of Day Influences Yield For Pharmacologically Stimulated Stem Cell Mobilization (October 14, 2008) -- A new study uncovers a previously unrecognized, species-specific impact of circadian rhythms on the production of mobilized stem cells. The research suggests that when it comes to collecting human stem cells for clinical transplantation, picking the right time of day to harvest cells may result in a greater yield. ... > full story
How Are Children Choosing Their Food Portions? (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers are trying to pinpoint the factors that affect how much food a child eats, to stave off unhealthy relationships with food later in life. ... > full story
Why Sufferers From Alzheimer's Disease Might Have Lower Blood Pressure (October 14, 2008) -- A new study proposes that some people suffering from Alzheimer's disease experience a reduction in their high blood pressure because of cognitive decline. ... > full story
New Risk Factor For Prostate Cancer (October 14, 2008) -- The greater the levels of a protein called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), the greater the risk of prostate cancer, a new study has found. ... > full story
Genome Of A Monkey-human Malaria Parasite (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers have decoded the genome of a malaria parasite that infects humans and monkeys. Human infection with P. knowlesi was first reported just over 40 years ago. It is the fifth and emerging human malaria parasite: recent surveys that many P. knowlesi infections have been misdiagnosed, underestimating its prevalence. The genome sequence reveals a dramatic example of 'molecular mimicry' that is likely to be crucial for survival and propagation of the parasite in the body. ... > full story
When Seeing IS Believing (October 14, 2008) -- New research published in the journal Science explains why individuals seek to find and impose order on an unruly world through superstition, rituals and conspiratorial explanations by linking a loss of control to individual perceptions. ... > full story
Scientists Trigger Cancer-like Response From Embryonic Stem Cells (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells' behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior. ... > full story
Noxious Gas Stove Emissions Worsen Asthma Symptoms In Young Children (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists report that high levels of a noxious gas from stoves can be added to the list of indoor pollutants that aggravate asthma symptoms of inner-city children, especially preschoolers. ... > full story
Computers That Understand How You Feel (October 14, 2008) -- A navigation system able to provide emergency services with the quickest route while at the same time taking stress into account; this is an example of a new type of dialogue system just developed. The dialogue system recognizes the user's emotions and is able to react to them. ... > full story
Soothing Music Reduces Stress, Anxiety And Depression During Pregnancy (October 14, 2008) -- Music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women, according to research just published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing. ... > full story
Men Who Never Smoke Live Longer, Better Lives Than Heavy Smokers (October 14, 2008) -- Health-related quality of life appears to deteriorate as the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, even in individuals who subsequently quit smoking, according to new research. ... > full story
Pectin Power: Why Fruits And Vegetables May Protect Against Cancer's Spread (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists from the UK's Institute of Food Research have found a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers. They have shown that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3, a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression. ... > full story
Caffeine Consumption Not Associated With Breast Cancer Risk In Most Women, Study Suggests (October 14, 2008) -- Caffeine consumption does not appear to be associated with overall breast cancer risk, according to a new report. However, there is a possibility of increased risk for women with benign breast disease or for tumors that are hormone-receptor negative or larger than 2 centimeters. ... > full story
Longtime Visual Puzzler Explained In New Way (October 14, 2008) -- Neuroscientists have suggested an entirely new way to explain a puzzling visual phenomenon called the flash-lag effect. ... > full story
Personal Music Players: Scientists Warn Of Health Risks From Exposure To Noise (October 14, 2008) -- Listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period can lead to permanent hearing damage, according to an opinion of the European Union Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks released this week. ... > full story
Toward An Effective Treatment For Spinal Muscular Atrophy (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists are reporting a key advance toward developing the first effective drug treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that involves motor neuron loss and occurs in 1 out of every 6,000 births. SMA is the leading cause of hereditary infant death in the United States. ... > full story
Nanoscopic Screening Process To Speed Drug Discovery (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers are using nanotechnology to search for new cancer-fighting drugs through a process that could be up to 10,000 times faster than current methods. ... > full story
Bacteria That Can Cause Bone Infections Related To Tuberculosis Pathogen (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered that a bone infection is caused by a newly described species of bacteria that is related to the tuberculosis pathogen. The discovery may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of similar infections, according to an article in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. ... > full story
Drinking Alcohol Associated With Smaller Brain Volume (October 14, 2008) -- The more alcohol an individual drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume. Brain volume decreases with age at an estimated rate of 1.9 percent per decade, accompanied by an increase in white matter lesions, according to background information in the article. ... > full story
Common Variant Increase Risk Of Most Common Form Of Skin Cancer By 170% (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists report the discovery of common versions of two single-letter variations in the human genome (SNPs) that confer risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer among people of European ancestry. Unlike the four sets of SNPs previously found by deCODE to confer risk of BCC and cutaneous melanoma, those reported today are not linked to fair pigmentation traits that also make certain people prone to freckling and sunburn. ... > full story
Vision Loss More Common In People With Diabetes (October 14, 2008) -- Visual impairment appears to be more common in people with diabetes than in those without the disease, according to a new report. ... > full story
Signs Of Heart Disease Are Attributed To Stress More Frequently In Women Than Men (October 14, 2008) -- Coronary heart disease symptoms presented in the context of a stressful life event were identified as psychogenic in origin when presented by women and organic in origin when presented by men. The study could help explain why there is often a delay in the assessment of women with heart disease. ... > full story
Embryonic Heart Exhibits Impressive Regenerative Capacity (October 14, 2008) -- A new study demonstrates that the embryonic mouse heart has an astounding capacity to regenerate, a phenomenon previously observed only in non-mammalian species. The research describes the previously unrecognized potential of the embryonic heart to replace diseased tissue through compensatory proliferation of healthy cells. ... > full story
Unraveling The Complexity Of Human Disease (October 14, 2008) -- The mysteries of the human genome are slowly being revealed -- but the more we uncover the more complicated the picture becomes. This was one key message to emerge from the European Science Foundation's 3rd Functional Genomics Conference. Functional genomics describes the way in which genes and their products, proteins, interact together in complex networks in living cells. If these interactions are abnormal, diseases can result. ... > full story
Five Basic Things To Know About Stem Cell Research (October 14, 2008) -- In just a few weeks, voters will have an important decision to make when casting their ballots. Not just who they want to be president, or to represent them in Congress, but what they want the state to do about stem cells. And the way they vote on a ballot measure called Proposal 2 will determine the fate of a Michigan law that currently restricts research using embryonic stem cells. ... > full story
New Guidelines Double Amount Of Recommended Vitamin D For Young (October 14, 2008) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. The new clinical report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents," recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. ... > full story
Why Starving Cells Prolong Life (October 14, 2008) -- Cellular damage due to stress is an important factor in aging processes. It is, thus, amazing that starving, which is a stress factor per se, decelerates ageing processes and extends the lifespan of organisms. It has long been known that proteins from the sirtuin family contribute to this mechanism. ... > full story
Circumcision Not Associated With Reduced Risk Of HIV For Men Who Have Sex With Men (October 14, 2008) -- An analysis of previous research indicates there is a lack of sufficient evidence that circumcision reduces the risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection or other sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men, according to a new article. ... > full story
Pregnancy Does Not Affect Cognitive Functions, Despite Mothers' Fears: Australian Study (October 14, 2008) -- Pregnancy and motherhood may make us all go a little gooey, but it's not turning mums' brains into mush, according to mental health researchers in Australia. ... > full story
First Evidence That Common Pollutant May Reduce Iodine Levels In Breast Milk (October 13, 2008) -- Researchers in Texas are reporting the first evidence from human studies that perchlorate, a common pollutant increasingly found in food and water, may interfere with an infant's availability of iodine in breast milk. Iodine deficiency in infants can cause mental retardation and other health problems, the scientists note. The study also provides further evidence that iodine intake in U.S. mothers is low and that perchlorate may play a key role. ... > full story
Wheezing And Asthma In Young Children (October 13, 2008) -- The diagnosis of asthma in a young child may well be more challenging to pediatricians than previously appreciated, according to a review of research and clinical experience literature. ... > full story
Sound Is An Integral Part Of Products, Industrial Designer Says (October 13, 2008) -- Does coffee taste better when your coffee machine produces a particular sound? According to one industrial designer, the sound a product makes is an integral part of that product. ... > full story
Just A Numbers Game? Making Sense Of Health Statistics (October 13, 2008) -- Health statistics fill today's information environment, but even most doctors, who must make daily decisions and recommendations based on numerical data, lack the basic statistical literacy they require to make such decisions effectively. A major new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest shows that statistical illiteracy is a significant problem having widespread negative impact on healthcare and society. ... > full story
Response To Immune Protein Determines Pathology Of Multiple Sclerosis (October 13, 2008) -- New research may help reveal why different parts of the brain can come under attack in patients with multiple sclerosis. According to a new study in mice with an MS-like disease, the brain's response to a protein produced by invading T cells dictates whether it's the spinal cord or cerebellum that comes under fire. ... > full story
New Properties Of Skin Stem Cells (October 13, 2008) -- New research reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells – discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in Nature Genetics, show amongst other things, that hair follicle stem cells can divide actively and transport themselves through the skin tissue. ... > full story
Reason For Body's Response To Borrelia Discovered (October 13, 2008) -- Inside a cell it is so crowded that a certain protein from borrelia winds up being crunched. From having been like an oblong rugby football, it gets bent and then collapses into a lump. At this point a previously hidden part appears, known to trigger the formation of antibodies. This explains how Borrelia can be diagnosed, a process that was previously unknown. ... > full story
One Hour Of Moderate Daily Exercise Insufficient To Curb Childhood Obesity, Experts Argue (October 13, 2008) -- One hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. ... > full story
Potential Non-invasive Optical Detection Of Pancreatic Cancer (October 13, 2008) -- Researchers are investigating whether tissue optical spectroscopy can be employed for early cancer detection in the pancreas during minimally-invasive endoscopic diagnostic procedures. ... > full story
Vitamin D A Key Player In Overall Health Of Several Body Organs, Says Biochemist (October 13, 2008) -- Vitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases, is now recognized as a major player in contributing to overall human health, emphasizes UC Riverside's Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D. He lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus. According to Norman, vitamin D deficiency can impact all 36 organs. ... > full story
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