Health News

In a single-cell organism a 'mistake' is actually a rewrite essential to life

Date: Oct-07-2013
A tiny but unexpected change to a segment of RNA in a single-cell organism looks a lot like a mistake, but is instead a change to the genetic information that is essential to the organism's survival. Scientists have discovered this RNA "edit" in Trypanosoma brucei, a parasite that causes sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in Latin America. Though the organism is a model system for this work, the finding could lead to a new drug target to fight the parasite if higher species don't share this genetic behavior. Some of the organism's genetic activity was already known...

Citrus fruits may prevent kidney cysts

Date: Oct-07-2013
Scientists have discovered that a component found in grapefruit and other citrus fruits may successfully block the development of kidney cysts, according to a study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Researchers from the Royal Holloway University, St. George's, the University of London and Kingston University London in the UK, say that the component, called naringenin, could be used to develop new drugs for the treatment of polycystic kidney disease. It is an inherited disorder that causes cysts to develop in the kidneys...

Vaccine acceptance put at risk by neglect of 'science communication environment'

Date: Oct-07-2013
The biggest threat to the contribution that childhood vaccines make to societal well-being doesn't come from deficits in public comprehension, distrust of science, or misinformation campaigns, but rather from the failure of governmental and other institutions to use evidence-based strategies to anticipate and avoid recurring threats to the science communication environment - the myriad everyday channels through which the public becomes apprised of decision-relevant science. This is the thesis of an article published in Science magazine by Dan M. Kahan, Elizabeth K...

A one-two punch against cancer: American Chemical Society podcast

Date: Oct-07-2013
The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series* describes the development and successful lab tests on the first potential drug to pack a lethal one-two punch against melanoma skin cancer cells. Based on a report by Nathan Luedtke, Ph.D., in the journal ACS Chemical Biology, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes** and from http://www.acs.org/globalchallenges.*** The drug has a dual activity...

Key function discovered in molecule that regulates sleep, metabolism and hunger

Date: Oct-07-2013
Why does hunger keep us awake and a full belly make us tired? Why do people with sleep disorders such as insomnia often binge eat late at night? What can sleep patterns tell us about obesity? Sleep, hunger and metabolism are closely related, but scientists are still struggling to understand how they interact. Now, Brandeis University researchers have discovered a function in a molecule in fruit flies that may provide insight into the complicated relationship between sleep and food...

Two 90-minute group sessions help prevent mental health issues in teens

Date: Oct-07-2013
The incidence of mental health issues amongst 509 British youth was reduced by 25 to 33% over the 24 months following two 90-minute group therapy sessions, according to a study led by Dr. Patricia Conrod of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre. "Almost one-in-four American 8 to 15 year olds has experienced a mental health disorder over the past year. We know that these disorders are associated with a plethora of negative consequences," Conrod said...

"Biobridge" constructed by stem cells, helps repair traumatic brain injury

Date: Oct-07-2013
University of South Florida researchers have suggested a new view of how stem cells may help repair the brain following trauma. In a series of preclinical experiments, they report that transplanted cells appear to build a "biobridge" that links an uninjured brain site where new neural stem cells are born with the damaged region of the brain. Their findings were recently reported online in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE...

For person recognition we look at bodies as well as faces

Date: Oct-07-2013
Every day we recognize friends, family, and co-workers from afar - even before we can distinctly see a face. New research reveals that when facial features are difficult to make out, we readily use information about someone's body to identify them - even when we don't know we're doing so. "Psychologists and computer scientists have concentrated almost exclusively on the role of the face in person recognition," explains lead researcher, Allyson Rice of the University of Texas at Dallas...

New method offers great potential for faster diagnoses

Date: Oct-07-2013
The more accurately we can diagnose a disease, the greater the chance that the patient will survive. That is why many researchers are working to improve the quality of the diagnostic process. Researchers at the Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen have discovered a method that will make the process faster, cheaper and more accurate. This is possible, because they are combining advanced tools used in physics for research in biology at nanoscale, two scientific disciplines usually very distant from each other. Many diseases can be diagnosed using so-called biomarkers...

Target discovered for new Rx class for inflammatory disorders

Date: Oct-07-2013
Research led by Charles Nichols, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, describes a powerful new anti-inflammatory mechanism that could lead to the development of new oral medications for atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disorders (IBS). The findings are published in PLOS ONE. One of the master inflammatory molecules in the body is Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Infections and certain diseases lead to the production of this molecule, which then stimulates an immune response...