Health News

Vitamin D levels during pregnancy linked to offspring muscle strength

Date: Jan-06-2014
New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that mothers who have a higher intake of vitamin D during pregnancy are more likely to have children with stronger muscles.Vitamin D is known to help regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream, as well as help cells to communicate.The body's main source of vitamin D comes from sunlight, but foods such as oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals and powdered milk are good sources of the vitamin.

Brain training works, but just for the practiced task, say Oregon researchers

Date: Jan-06-2014
Search for "brain training" on the Web. You'll find online exercises, games, software, even apps, all designed to prepare your brain to do better on any number of tasks. Do they work? University of Oregon psychologists say, yes, but "there's a catch."The catch, according to Elliot T. Berkman, a professor in the Department of Psychology and lead author on a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, is that training for a particular task does heighten performance, but that advantage doesn't necessarily carry over to a new challenge.

Overweight linked with reduced lung function in children with a history of early childhood wheezing

Date: Jan-06-2014
Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for reduced lung function in school-aged children with a history of early childhood wheezing, according to a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. The results also showed that the use of inhaled corticosteroids for asthma in childhood may result in reduced bone mineral density in early teenage years."In the light of these results, weight control is especially important for children who have suffered from bronchiolitis in early childhood.

Scientists explain age-related obesity: Brown fat fails

Date: Jan-06-2014
As most people resolve themselves to lose weight this New Year, here's why it seems to get easier and easier to pack on unwanted pounds: New research published in the January 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat is reduced. Brown fat is a "good" fat located in the backs of our necks that helps burn "bad" white fat around our bellies. Additionally, the researchers also discovered a possible metabolic on/off switch that could reactivate brown fat.

Study on pregnancy and alcohol fails to take psychological factors into account

Date: Jan-06-2014
"It is OK to drink a little bit of alcohol during pregnancy" or "a pregnant woman should not touch alcohol at all during her pregnancy". These statements represent the contradictory conclusions that large population studies on pregnancy and alcohol can reach. Psychologist Janni Niclasen has just defended her PhD thesis on the subject at the University of Copenhagen.

Study supports a causal role in narcolepsy for a common genetic variant

Date: Jan-06-2014
A new study conducted across Europe found an extraordinary association between narcolepsy and a specific gene variant related to the immune system.The modified genome-wide association study involved 1,261 people with narcolepsy, representing nearly 90 percent of European patients suffering from narcolepsy with cataplexy who have complete diagnostic work-up and DNA available. They were matched with 1,422 controls. High-resolution genotyping identified genetic variants including those in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, which contains genes related to immune system function.

Computer algorithm developed by TAU researchers identifies genes that could be transformed to stop the aging process

Date: Jan-06-2014
Restricting calorie consumption is one of the few proven ways to combat aging. Though the underlying mechanism is unknown, calorie restriction has been shown to prolong lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, monkeys, and, in some studies, humans.Now Keren Yizhak, a doctoral student in Prof. Eytan Ruppin's laboratory at Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science, and her colleagues have developed a computer algorithm that predicts which genes can be "turned off" to create the same anti-aging effect as calorie restriction.

Scripps Florida scientists uncover most detailed picture yet of muscular dystrophy defect then design targeted new drug candidates

Date: Jan-06-2014
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have revealed an atomic-level view of a genetic defect that causes a form of muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 2, and have used this information to design drug candidates with potential to counter those defects - and reverse the disease."This the first time the structure of the RNA defect that causes this disease has been determined," said TSRI Associate Professor Matthew Disney, who led the study.

Chinese herbal compound relieves inflammatory and neuropathic pain - UCI study also shows novel analgesic to be nonaddictive

Date: Jan-06-2014
A compound derived from a traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been found effective at alleviating pain, pointing the way to a new nonaddictive analgesic for acute inflammatory and nerve pain, according to UC Irvine pharmacology researchers.Working with Chinese scientists, Olivier Civelli and his UC Irvine colleagues isolated a compound called dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) from the roots of the Corydalis yanhusuo plant.

Jumping DNA in the brain may be a cause of schizophrenia

Date: Jan-06-2014
Stretches of DNA called retrotransposons, often dubbed "junk DNA", might play an important role in schizophrenia. In a study published today in the journal Neuron, a Japanese team revealed that LINE-1 retrotransposons are abnormally abundant in the schizophrenia brain, modify the expression of genes related to schizophrenia during brain development, and may be one of the causes of schizophrenia.Retrotransposons are short sequences of DNA that autonomously amplify and move around the genome.