How Breastfeeding Transfers Immunity To Babies (October 27, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a molecule that is key to mothers' ability to pass along immunity to intestinal infections to their babies through breast milk. ... > full story
Optimized Radiation For Prostate Cancer Therapy (October 27, 2008) -- The determination of the precise anatomical location of a tumor is the prerequisite for setting optimal parameters for radiation treatment of prostate cancer. This approach guarantees that the ionizing radiation only destroys tumorous cells and does not affect other organs in the vicinity of the prostate. In a cooperative study with Innsbruck Medical University and the East-Vienna Center of Social Medicine, two physicists of Vienna University of Technology (TU), evaluated the mean deviation of radiation parameters for prostate cancers and compared various sources of radiation. ... > full story
Even Mild Sleep Apnea Increases Cardiovascular Risk (October 27, 2008) -- People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study from the Oxford Center for Respiratory Medicine in the UK. ... > full story
Socioeconomic And Treatment Factors Affect Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients' Survival (October 27, 2008) -- Socioeconomic factors and the type of treatment received have an impact on a non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient's risk of dying. ... > full story
Physical And Interpersonal Warmth Linked (October 27, 2008) -- People appear to trust others more when they experience physical warmth, according to new research. Researchers say that simply handling a hot cup of coffee can change one's attitude toward a stranger. ... > full story
How Epilepsy Develops: New Relationship Between Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Inflammatory Signaling (October 27, 2008) -- The development of epilepsy in adult rats is linked to functional changes in the expression of alpha 1 containing GABA-A receptors. ... > full story
Evidence-based Drug Therapy In Acute Heart Attacks (October 27, 2008) -- Patients who received treatment from non-cardiologists and physicians with 29 or more years of experience had significantly lower use of evidence-based drug therapies compared with cardiologists and physicians with fewer than 14 years of experience, found a retrospective, population-based cohort study of heart attack patients. ... > full story
4 In 10 Parents Wrong On Whether Their Child Is Under Or Overweight (October 27, 2008) -- More than four in 10 parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range, according to University of Melbourne research. ... > full story
Green Tea May Delay Onset Of Type 1 Diabetes (October 26, 2008) -- A powerful antioxidant in green tea may prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. Researchers were testing EGCG, green tea's predominant antioxidant, in a laboratory mouse with type 1 diabetes and primary Sjogren's syndrome, which damages moisture-producing glands, causing dry mouth and eyes. ... > full story
Mechanism In Cells That Generate Malignant Brain Tumors May Offer Target For Gene Therapy (October 26, 2008) -- The researchers who first isolated cancer stem cells in adult brain tumors in 2004 have now identified a molecular mechanism that is involved in the development of these cells from which malignant brain tumors may originate. This could offer a target for scientists seeking treatments that would kill malignant brain tumors at their source and prevent them from recurring. ... > full story
Mapping A Clan Of Mobile Selfish Genes (October 26, 2008) -- Alu retrotransposons are gradually changing human DNA by making copies of themselves and "jumping" to new locations. Their activity appears to depend on being able to mimic parts of the cell's internal machinery. To identify the Alu retrotransposons that are still capable of moving around, researchers divided them into families and tested a representative of each family in the laboratory. ... > full story
Could Your Initials Influence Where You Choose To Work? (October 26, 2008) -- The "name-letter effect," is a phenomenon which shows that we have a preference for things that begin with the same letter as our first name. Belgian psychologists wanted to know if this effect is strong enough to affect where we work. The researchers found 12 percent more matches between employee initials and their company's name than was expected based on a probability estimate, indicating "name-letter effect" occurs between employee names and the company they work for. ... > full story
Human Brain Minimizes Energy Expenditure And Integrates Gravity Into The Action Plan (October 26, 2008) -- When reaching for an object, the brain prepares neural commands sent to the target muscles to minimize energy expenditure, according to a new study. ... > full story
Phony Friends? Rejected People Better Able To Spot Fake Smiles (October 26, 2008) -- All of us have "faked a smile" at some point. Now, a new study might make us think twice about sending out a phony grin. It has been shown that individuals who are experiencing rejection are better at picking up subtle social cues and according to a recent study published in Psychological Science, socially rejected people are particularly good at discerning fake smiles from real ones. ... > full story
Practice Makes Perfect In Lung Cancer Surgery, Study Finds (October 26, 2008) -- Patients operated on by surgeons who do not routinely remove cancer from the lungs may be at a higher risk for complications, according to new study. ... > full story
Making Flies Sick Reveals New Role For Growth Factors In Immunity (October 26, 2008) -- A salmonella infection is not a positive experience. However, by infecting the common laboratory fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with a Salmonella strain known for causing humans intestinal grief, researchers have shed light on some key cell regulatory processes -- with broad implications for understanding embryonic development, immune function and congenital diseases in humans. ... > full story
Why Some People Have A Better Head For Languages (October 26, 2008) -- Learning a second language is usually difficult and often when we speak it we cannot disguise our origin or accent. However, there are important differences between individuals with regard to the degree to which a second language is mastered, even for people who have lived in a bilingual environment since childhood. ... > full story
Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise In Patients With Bowel, Kidney And Prostate Cancer (October 26, 2008) -- Analysis of data from several phase I and II clinical trials of a new cancer vaccine has shown it is capable of eliciting an immune response in most patients with bowel, kidney and prostate cancer, and that it may provide clinical benefit. ... > full story
Post-cardiac Arrest Care Key To Survival (October 26, 2008) -- The urgent need for treatment doesn't end when a person regains a pulse after suffering sudden cardiac arrest — healthcare providers need to move quickly into post-cardiac arrest care to keep a person alive and ensure the best outcome. That's the conclusion of the American Heart Association science advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. ... > full story
Alternative Medicine And Heavy Metal Poisoning (October 26, 2008) -- Many Ayurvedic medicines can contain dangerous quantities of heavy metals, including lead, mercury, thallium and arsenic, according to clinical toxicology specialists in London writing in the International Journal of Environment and Health. ... > full story
Spirituality Protects Against Depression Better Than Church Attendance (October 26, 2008) -- Researchers have found that the different ways people worship a higher power can offer some insight into their risk for depression. ... > full story
Research Uncovers New Steps On Pathway To Enlarged Heart (October 25, 2008) -- Researchers have new insight into the mechanisms that underlie a pathological increase in the size of the heart. The research may lead to the development of new strategies for managing this extremely common cardiac ailment that often leads to heart failure. ... > full story
High-Dose Hormone Treatment Might Reduce Risk For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (October 25, 2008) -- Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that the answer to this question is complex. In an animal model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), high doses of a cortisol-related substance, corticosterone, prevented negative consequences of stress exposure, including increased startle response and behavioral freezing when exposed to reminders of the stress. However, low-dose corticosterone potentiated these responses. ... > full story
Why Binge Drinking Is Bad For Your Bones (October 25, 2008) -- Studies in recent years have demonstrated that binge drinking can decrease bone mass and bone strength, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Now a new study has found a possible mechanism: Alcohol disturbs genes necessary for maintaining healthy bones. The findings could help in the development of new drugs to minimize bone loss in alcohol abusers and in those who don't abuse alcohol but are at risk for osteoporosis. ... > full story
Potential Strategy To Eliminate Poisonous Protein From Alzheimer Brains Identified (October 25, 2008) -- Scientists discovered that the activity of a potent AB-degrading enzyme can be unleashed in mouse models of the disease by reducing its natural inhibitor cystatin C. ... > full story
Hepatitis C Treatment Is Cost-effective For The US Prison Population (October 25, 2008) -- Treating all US prisoners who have hepatitis C with the standard therapy of pegylated-interferon and ribavirin would be cost-effective, says a new study. ... > full story
U.S. Doctors Regularly Prescribe Real Drugs As Placebo Treatments, Study Claims (October 25, 2008) -- Many rheumatologists and general internal medicine physicians in the US say they regularly prescribe "placebo treatments" including active drugs such as sedatives and antibiotics, but rarely admit they are doing so to their patients, according to a new study. ... > full story
Study Shows How Antibiotic Sets Up Road Block To Kill Bacteria (October 25, 2008) -- Scientists have taken a critical step toward the development of new and more effective antibacterial drugs by identifying exactly how a specific antibiotic sets up a road block that halts bacterial growth. The antibiotic, myxopyronin, is a natural substance that is made by bacteria to fend off other bacteria. Scientists already knew that this antibiotic inhibited the actions of an enzyme called RNA polymerase, which sets gene expression in motion and is essential to the life of any cell. ... > full story
Physical Strength, Fighting Ability Revealed In Human Faces (October 25, 2008) -- For our ancestors, misjudging the physical strength of a would-be opponent might have resulted in painful -- and potentially deadly -- defeat. ... > full story
Laser Therapies For Hair Removal Appear To Be More Effective Than Combination Treatments, Study Suggests (October 25, 2008) -- Laser therapies commonly used for removal of unwanted hair appear to be safer and remove leg hair more effectively when used separately than when used as a combination treatment, according to a new report. ... > full story
UK Teen Suicide Rates On The Decline (October 25, 2008) -- Suicide rates in those aged 10-19 in the UK declined by 28 percent in the seven year period from 1997-2003, shows a study recently published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study showed that the decline was particularly marked in young males, where rates declined by 35 percent. ... > full story
Secret Of Death Protein's Activation Unlocked; May Lead To Drugs That Force Cancer Cells To Self-destruct (October 24, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a previously undetected trigger point on a naturally occurring "death protein" that helps the body get rid of unwanted or diseased cells. They say it may be possible to exploit the newly found trigger as a target for designer drugs that would treat cancer by forcing malignant cells to commit suicide. ... > full story
Gene Mutation In Worms Key To Alcohol Tolerance (October 24, 2008) -- Scientists have found that a genetic mutation in worms could further understanding of alcoholism in humans. ... > full story
Should Hepatitis C Patients Who Smoke Marijuana Be Eligible For Liver Transplants? (October 24, 2008) -- The pain is debilitating. The only option: smoking medical marijuana. That's the reality for many hepatitis C patients whose road to health includes a liver transplant. Although Canadian transplant centres are more willing than those in the United States, not everyone says yes to liver patients who smoke marijuana, and a University of Alberta researcher says that decision-making process is unacceptable. ... > full story
Promising New Obesity Drug May Have Huge Potential (October 24, 2008) -- According to trials, a new obesity drug, Tesofensine, which may be launched on the world market in a few years, can produce weight loss twice that of currently approved obesity drugs. ... > full story
Seeing Red -- In The Number 7 (October 24, 2008) -- Hypnosis can induce synaesthetic experiences -- where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another according to a new study in Psychological Science. ... > full story
Cancer Treatment: How Eating Fruit And Vegetables Can Improve Cancer Patients' Response To Chemotherapy (October 24, 2008) -- The leading cause of death in all cancer patients continues to be the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy, a form of treatment in which chemicals are used to kill cells. A new study shows that ingesting apigenin -- a naturally occurring dietary agent found in vegetables and fruit -- improves cancer cells' response to chemotherapy. Apigenin localizes tumor suppressor p53, a protein, in the cell nucleus -- a necessary step for killing the cell. ... > full story
Child Abuse Increases Risk For Later Sexually Coercive Behavior In Some Men (October 24, 2008) -- Researchers trying to identify factors that put men at risk for committing sexual coercion have found that being victims of both childhood physical and sexual abuse made them 4.5 times more likely to engage in sexually coercive behavior than men who were not abused. ... > full story
Chemists Devise Self-assembling 'Organic Wires' (October 24, 2008) -- Chemists have created water-soluble electronic materials that spontaneously assemble themselves into tiny "wires" that can be used in the human body. ... > full story
Gene Expression Pattern Predicts Response In Advanced Bowel Cancer (October 24, 2008) -- Research has shown for the first time that identifying patterns of gene expression can be used to predict response to treatment in patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. ... > full story
New Hope For Multiple Sclerosis Sufferers (October 24, 2008) -- A drug which was initially designed to treat a form of leukemia has also proven effective against combating the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis. ... > full story
Heart Failure Patients Have Higher Risk Of Fractures (October 24, 2008) -- Heart failure patients have four times the risk of fractures and 6.3 times the risk of hip fracture as other heart patients. Heart failure patients should be screened and treated for osteoporosis if necessary, researchers said. ... > full story
Genomic Changes Found In Brains Of People Who Commit Suicide (October 24, 2008) -- New light is being shed on the complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors as the result of growth in the field of epigenetics. ... > full story
Safer, More Effective TB Vaccine For HIV-positive People Developed (October 24, 2008) -- Scientists have engineered a new tuberculosis vaccine specifically designed for HIV-positive people that was shown to be safer and more potent than the current TB vaccine in pre-clinical trials. ... > full story
Sun-damaged Skin Responds Well To Laser Treatment (October 24, 2008) -- Researchers have found scientific evidence that the appearance of sun-damaged skin may be improved by treatment with a topical product that increases the skin's sensitivity to light, followed by laser therapy. ... > full story
Mouse Genes Guide Search For Human Anxiety Disorder Genes (October 24, 2008) -- We are all familiar with the question "Are you a man or a mouse?" What if the answer is "a little of both"? Because of the power of molecular genetics research in animals and the maturation of animal models, the path to identifying genes involved in particular types of behavior, such as fear, is much clearer in animals than in humans. There is new evidence that the genes implicated in these animal models may be directly applicable to humans. ... > full story
Naturally Produced 'Rotten Egg' Gas Helps Control Blood Pressure In Body, Researchers Find (October 24, 2008) -- Anyone with a nose knows the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide, a gas generated by bacteria living in the human colon. Now scientists have discovered that cells inside the blood vessels of mice -- as well as in people, no doubt -- naturally make the gassy stuff, and that it controls blood pressure. Researchers have discover that hydrogen sulfide is a major regulator of blood pressure. ... > full story
First Gene For Clubfoot Identified (October 24, 2008) -- Clubfoot, one of the most common birth defects, has long been thought to have a genetic component. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have found the first gene linked to clubfoot in humans. ... > full story
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