'Orphan' Genes Play An Important Role In Evolution (November 18, 2008) -- Every group of animals possesses a small proportion of genes which are extremely variable among closely related species or even unique. Such genes are referred to as "novel," "orphan" or "taxonomically restricted." Their function and origin are often obscure. What are these genes needed for? A new paper, published in this week's issue of the online open access journal, PLoS Biology, explores this question in the freshwater polyp Hydra, which belongs to the same branch of the evolutionary tree as jelly fish. ... > full story
Immune System And Intestinal Bacteria: The Key To Balanced Cohabitation (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have just discovered a key mechanism that maintains the essential balance between bacteria living in our intestine and the immune system controlling them. Their research, published in the journal Nature, paves the way for new forms of treatment for infectious diseases of the intestine, such as dysentery, or chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease. ... > full story
Protein Can Nurture Or Devastate Brain Cells, Depending On Its 'Friends,' Researchers Find (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have uncovered new insights into the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage. ... > full story
Only Half Of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Achieve And Maintain Response To Interferon Treatment, Study Shows (November 18, 2008) -- Regular magnetic resonance imaging evaluations show that only about half of patients with multiple sclerosis achieve and sustain a response to treatment with interferon beta over three years, according to a new study in the Archives of Neurology. ... > full story
Survey Highlights Support For Nanotech In Health Fields But Disapproval Elsewhere (November 18, 2008) -- A landmark national survey on the use of nanotechnology for "human enhancement" shows widespread public support for applications of the new technology related to improving human health. However, the survey also shows broad disapproval for nanotech human enhancement research in areas without health benefits. ... > full story
Nicotine: A Receptor From The Past Helping To Develop Drugs Of The Future (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have just determined the structure of a bacterial protein similar to the human nicotine receptor, and have published this result in the journal Nature. This is an important step for the molecular modeling of substances able to interact with this receptor and which could help treatment of nicotine addiction. ... > full story
A New Way To Remove Unwanted Heparin From Blood (November 18, 2008) -- Scientists in Poland are reporting development of a potential new way to quickly remove the anticoagulant heparin from patients' blood in order to avoid unwanted side effects that can happen with the current use of that blood thinner. ... > full story
Is It A Mini-stroke? Three Clinical Features Identified To Avoid Misdiagnosis Of Transient Ischemic Attacks (November 18, 2008) -- Researchers have identified three bedside clinical features that can help more accurately distinguish transient ischemic attacks from disorders that might mimic their symptoms. ... > full story
More Than Half Of US Chronically Ill Adults Skip Needed Care Due To Costs (November 18, 2008) -- Compared to patients in seven other countries, chronically ill adults in the United States are far more likely to forgo care because of costs; they also experience the highest rates of medical errors, coordination problems, and high out-of-pocket costs, according to a new study from the Commonwealth Fund. US patients are significantly more likely to call for fundamental change in their country's health-care system; one-third say the system needs to be rebuilt completely. ... > full story
Potential Sexual Partner? Brains Of Ovulating Women Respond Strongly To Male Masculine Faces (November 17, 2008) -- Scientists have long known that women's preferences for masculine men change throughout their menstrual cycles. A new study is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner. Researchers identified regions that responded more strongly to masculine faces and demonstrated that differences between masculinized and feminized faces appeared strongest when the women were closer to ovulating. ... > full story
Novel Regulatory Step During HIV Replication (November 17, 2008) -- A previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy, according to researchers. ... > full story
Music As Noise: When The Fortissimo Causes One's Ears To Ring (November 17, 2008) -- "Music is always noise-related - and often not appreciated", the German poet and humorist Wilhelm Busch once mocked. Even though the subject involving beauty is a matter of taste, the sarcastic saying contains some bitter truth: Orchestra musicians jeopardize their ears with their own music. ... > full story
Age, Race Are Among Factors That Influence Carotid-surgery Success (November 17, 2008) -- Advanced age and race are among the factors that can affect whether a patient dies or suffers a stroke after carotid-artery surgery, a multicenter study has found. ... > full story
Personality Shapes Perception Of Romance, But Doesn't Tell The Whole Story (November 17, 2008) -- Researchers have found that measuring the quality of romantic relationships is more complex than earlier studies suggest. While personality has been found to be predictive of perceived relationship satisfaction and success, other measures of relationship quality may offer additional insight into how a romantic relationship is functioning. ... > full story
Tiny Sacs Released By Brain Tumor Cells Carry Information That May Guide Treatment (November 17, 2008) -- Microvesicles - tiny membrane-covered sacs - released from glioblastoma cells contain molecules that may provide data that can guide treatment of the deadly brain tumor. Researchers have found tumor-associated RNA and proteins in membrane microvesicles called exosomes in blood samples from glioblastoma patients. Detailed analysis of exosome contents identified factors that could facilitate a tumor's growth through delivery of genetic information or proteins, or signify its vulnerability to particular medications. ... > full story
Exercise Improves Quality Of Life For Heart Failure Patients (November 17, 2008) -- Heart failure patients who regularly exercise fare better and feel better about their lives than do similar patients who do not work out on a regular basis, say researchers. ... > full story
Chemical From Medicinal Plants May Be Used To Fight HIV (November 17, 2008) -- Immune cells lose the ability to divide as they age because a part of their chromosomes known as a telomere becomes progressively shorter with cell division. As a result, its disease fighting ability is compromised. A new study finds that a chemical from the Astragalus root, frequently used used in Chinese herbal therapy, can prevent or slow this progressive telomere shortening, which could make it a key weapon in the fight against HIV. ... > full story
'Cascading Effect' Of Childhood Experiences May Explain Serious Teen Violence (November 17, 2008) -- Adverse experiences early in life can lead to minor childhood behavior problems, which can grow into serious acts of teen violence, according to new research. Children who had social and academic problems in elementary school often had parents who withdrew from supervision and monitoring during middle school. Children then made friends with deviant peers, and ultimately were more likely to engage violent acts. ... > full story
Stem Cells With Potential To Regenerate Injured Liver Tissue Identified (November 17, 2008) -- A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that cells expressing the marker can differentiate into both liver cells and cells that line the bile duct. ... > full story
No Protective Effect On Cancer From Long-term Vitamin E Or Vitamin C Supplementation, Trial Shows (November 17, 2008) -- Data from a large-scale prevention trial has shown no protective effect from vitamin E on prostate cancer or vitamin C supplementation on total cancer. ... > full story
T Cell-based HIV Vaccine Candidate Demonstrates Positive Results (November 17, 2008) -- New findings show that a T cell-based strategy remains a viable course to follow in the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. ... > full story
Families, Friends, Schools And Neighborhoods Contribute To Adolescent Alcohol Misuse (November 17, 2008) -- A new longitudinal study examined how the four social environments of families, peers, schools, and neighborhoods have positive and negative effects on teen alcohol misuse. The study used periodic interviews with 6,544 teens ages 11-17 across three years, as well as parental information and census data. Characteristics in all four social environments played a role in whether teens misused alcohol. The findings underscore the important role that families play in teens' use of alcohol. ... > full story
Men Who Take Aspirin Have Significantly Lower PSA Levels (November 17, 2008) -- The use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is significantly associated with lower PSA levels, especially among men with prostate cancer, say researchers at Vanderbilt University. ... > full story
Potential New Biomarker Of Age-related Macular Degeneration Found (November 17, 2008) -- In its advanced stages, AMD destroys the detailed, central vision we need to read, drive, recognize faces, and enjoy daily life, and is a major cause of vision loss in the U.S. Ophthalmic researchers are making rapid progress in understanding how genetics, immune system factors, nutrition choices, and other variables interact to produce or prevent AMD. ... > full story
Tackling A Hard-to-treat Childhood Cancer By Targeting Epigenetic Changes (November 17, 2008) -- A very difficult-to-treat child leukemia turns out to be launched by a small but potent epigenetic change that could potentially be reversed relatively easily with drugs: modification of the histones that help package DNA. Blocking this modification could potentially prevent a variety of cancer-promoting genes from being turned on, say researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. ... > full story
People Who Develop Kidney Stones Are At Increased Risk For Chronic Kidney Disease (November 17, 2008) -- Kidney stones may damage the kidneys and lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a new article. In extreme cases, individuals with CKD caused by kidney stones may even need dialysis or kidney transplants. ... > full story
Traffic Pollution Worsens Symptoms In Asthmatic Children (November 17, 2008) -- Traffic pollution, especially in cities, adversely affects respiratory health in children with asthma. In this vulnerable group, worsening of respiratory symptoms requiring recurrent additional treatment. ... > full story
Female Embryonic Sexual Development Driven By Universal Factor (November 17, 2008) -- A gene essential to the growth and development of most organ systems in the body also is vital to female, but not male, embryonic sexual development, scientists report. ... > full story
'Super' Aged Brains Reveal First Secrets Of Sharp Memory In Old Age (November 17, 2008) -- Researchers have wondered if the brains of the elderly with still laser sharp memory were different than everyone else's. So, they took a novel approach and investigated what goes right in an aging brain that stays nimble. Scientists examined the brains of deceased people called "super aged" because they had high performance on memory tests when they were over 80. They found their brains had many fewer fiber-like tangles than the brains of elderly, non-demented individuals. ... > full story
Visualizing Asthma-causing Immune Cells At Work (November 17, 2008) -- Immune cells known as eosinophils have a central role in causing asthma. Researchers have now developed new approaches to noninvasively visualize in real-time eosinophil responses in the lungs and airways of mice with a disease that mimics asthma. It is hoped that these approaches might be exploited to improve our ability to diagnose asthma and assess the efficacy of treatments for the disease. ... > full story
Patients With Anxiety Disorders Think They Have More Physiological Problems Than They Really Have, According To Study (November 17, 2008) -- New research shows that patients with serious anxiety disorders (panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder) think they suffer more physiological (palpitations, sweating, irregular breathing, shaking of the hands and muscular tension, etc.) than they really have. In other words, although many patients with anxiety disorders have orally reported very intense physiological symptoms in surveys and questionaires, they are hyporeactive when real measures of such symptoms are taken through physiological tests. ... > full story
'Femtomolar Optical Tweezers' May Enable Sensitive Blood Tests (November 17, 2008) -- Cutting-edge "tweezers" are so sensitive that they can feel the tell-tale tug of tiny concentrations of pathogens in blood samples, yet don't ever need to be sterilized--or even held--as they are ephemeral and weightless. ... > full story
Cancer Treatment May Result In Bone Loss, Study Finds (November 17, 2008) -- A new cross-Canada study has found that breast and prostate cancer treatment can foster bone loss. Scientists explain how loss of bone mass might affect 46,000 people diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer each year and place them at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures. ... > full story
Early Development Of Antibodies To Cockroach And Mouse Proteins Associated With Greater Risk For Asthma And Allergies In Preschool Children (November 17, 2008) -- A new study shows that developing antibodies to cockroach and mouse proteins is associated with a greater risk for wheeze, hay fever, and eczema in preschool urban children as young as three years of age. The study is the first to focus on the links between antibody responses to cockroach and mouse proteins and respiratory and allergic symptoms in such a young age group. ... > full story
Radical Changes Needed To Increase Number Of Sperm Donors In The UK, Fertility Experts Urge (November 17, 2008) -- A radical overhaul of sperm donation services is needed to address the critical shortage of sperm donors in the UK, say two fertility experts. ... > full story
Using Adult, Embryonic Stem Cells For Tissue Regeneration: New Advances (November 17, 2008) -- A major issue in the development of regenerative medicine is the cell sources used to rebuild damaged tissues. In a review of the issue published in Developmental Dynamics, researchers state that inducing regeneration in humans from the body's own tissues by chemical means is feasible, though many questions must be answered before the process can reach clinical status. ... > full story
Telemedicine: Researchers Broadcast Live Surgery Using Internet2 (November 17, 2008) -- Imagine a scenario where doctors from different hospitals can collaborate on a surgery without having to actually be in the operating room. What if doctors in remote locations could receive immediate expert support from top specialists in hospitals around the world? Rochester Institute of Technology is collaborating with a team led by the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine that recently tested technology, which allows for the transmission of high quality, real time video to multiple locations. ... > full story
Damage To Optic Nerve In Glaucoma Patients May Indicate Significant Carotid Artery Narrowing (November 17, 2008) -- Glaucoma is often associated with elevated pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure, or IOP) which can damage the optic nerve, leading to vision loss and even blindness. Medication and/or surgery allow patients to control their IOP, thus preventing the development of vision loss. ... > full story
Vision Screening Law For Older Floridians Associated With Lower Fatality Rates In Car Crashes (November 17, 2008) -- A vision screening law targeting Florida drivers age 80 and older appears to be associated with lower death rates from motor vehicle collisions in this age group, despite little evidence of an association between vision and car crashes, according to a new article. ... > full story
Key Contributor To Alzheimer's Disease Process Identified (November 16, 2008) -- A professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology led new research identifying a specific function of a fragment of ribonucleic acid, once thought to be no more than a byproduct, in regulating inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story
No Clear Answer On Why HIV Vaccine Candidates Did Not Lower Risk Of Acquiring HIV (November 16, 2008) -- In the comprehensive analyses of immune responses to the vaccine, researchers analyzed study participants' blood samples to try to assess why the vaccine did not prevent infection and why some study participants who received the vaccine were more likely than others to develop HIV infection. The vaccine was effective at producing an immune response: 77 percent of those vaccinated who later developed HIV infection while in the study had generated HIV-specific T-cells prior to infection. ... > full story
Does Anxiety Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease? (November 16, 2008) -- Psychological stress and anxiety have been shown to produce an activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Resulting hypercoagulability is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and could therefore contribute to an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in anxiety patients. ... > full story
Low Risk For Heart Attack? Could An Ultrasound Hold The Answer? (November 16, 2008) -- By adding the results of an imaging technique to the traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease, doctors found they were able to improve prediction of heart attacks in people previously considered low risk. ... > full story
New Biomarker For Heart Failure Identified (November 16, 2008) -- Blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, can independently predict an individual's risk of heart failure, according to research results from the Health ABC (Aging and Body Composition) study, which followed 3000 elderly people in the Pittsburgh and Memphis areas over seven years starting in 1998. ... > full story
Brisk Walk Could Help Chocoholics Stop Snacking (November 16, 2008) -- A walk of just fifteen minutes can reduce chocolate cravings. The benefits of exercise in helping people manage dependencies on nicotine and other drugs have previously been recognized. Now, for the first time, newly-published research shows that the same may be true for food cravings. ... > full story
New Theory May Lead To Effective Heart Failure Treatments (November 16, 2008) -- A family of proteins called matrix metalloprotienase may play a crucial role in why the supporting tissue surrounding the heart, called the myocardium, goes through significant and deleterious effects in heart failure patients. ... > full story
Dual Treatment For Stroke Leads To Improved Recovery Rates, Reduced Mortality (November 16, 2008) -- It appears that stroke patients who receive both intravenous thrombolysis, a minimally invasive treatment that dissolves abnormal blood clots, and endovascular interventions, such as drugs and implanting medical devices, are much more likely to recover and have lower chances of dying, according to new research. ... > full story
Doctors' Questions About End-of-life Legalities May Result In Patient Pain (November 16, 2008) -- When treatment options dwindle or are exhausted, terminally ill-patients often opt for pain management and comfort over life-extending therapies. However, researchers report that a lack of thorough understanding about the laws governing end-of-life care may be leaving many medical providers with an ethical dilemma and causing some terminally-ill patients considerable, unnecessary pain. ... > full story
Copyright 1995-2008 © ScienceDaily LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
