Health News

Inflated praise is actually harmful for children with low self-esteem

Date: Jan-03-2014
When children have low self-esteem, many adults try to build them up with supportive words of encouragement. A recent study confirms this by finding that adults tend to give kids with low confidence more inflated praise. But the study also finds that these children may actually shy away from new challenges in the wake of such excessive applause.Findings of the study, which will be published in the journal Psychological Science, were conducted at Ohio State University by lead author Eddie Brummelman, a visiting scholar from Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

Good night's sleep good for brain health

Date: Jan-03-2014
A good night's sleep may be essential to brain health, say Swedish researchers who found depriving healthy young men of a night's sleep increased blood concentrations of brain molecules to levels seen in brain damage.The researchers, from Uppsala University, report the findings of their small trial, which was funded mostly by the Swedish Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden) and Novo Nordisk Foundation, in the latest online issue of the journal SLEEP.

Scientists discover how some bacteria avoid antibiotics

Date: Jan-03-2014
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have reached a breakthrough in understanding how "persistent bacteria" withstand treatment with antibiotics.They report their work, which could pave the way for new ways to control such bacteria, in the journal Nature Communications.Unlike drug-resistant bacteria that have evolved their ability to resist antibiotics through mutation, persistent bacteria do not resist the drugs but simply lie dormant or inactive while exposed to them.

PLGA tubes are superior to autologous nerve graft for repaired sciatic nerve

Date: Jan-03-2014
The viscoelasticity of natural and artificial biomaterials can be suitable for human physiological function by matching stress relaxation and creep properties. Dr. Chengdong Piao and colleagues from Second Hospital, Jilin University in China prepared sciatic nerve injury models by creating a 10 mm defect in sciatic nerve specimens harvested from fresh corpses, and defects were repaired by anastomosis with nerve autografts and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) tubes.

Hyperhomocysteinemia patients with dyslipidemia are more likely to have stroke

Date: Jan-03-2014
Hyperhomocysteinemia and abnormal blood lipids are independent risk factors for stroke. However, whether both factors exert a synergistic effect in the onset of stroke remains unclear. As reported in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 31, 2013), a study by Dr. Xiaoyong Sai and colleagues from Chinese PLA General Hospital is a retrospective analysis of inpatients across a 5 year period from the Chinese PLA General Hospital, based on a matched pairs case control design.

Fetal umbilical vein for reconstruction of middle cerebral artery

Date: Jan-03-2014
Umbilical vein has been substituted for artery in vascular transplantation, but it remains unclear whether the stress relaxation and creep between these vessels are consistent. A recent study reported in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 32, 2013) showed that the stress decrease at 7 200 seconds was similar between the middle cerebral artery and fetal umbilical vein specimens, regardless of initial stress of 18.7 kPa or 22.5 kPa. However, the strain increase at 7 200 seconds of fetal umbilical veins was larger than that of middle cerebral arteries.

Epigenetics enigma resolved

Date: Jan-03-2014
Scientists have obtained the first detailed molecular structure of a member of the Tet family of enzymes.The finding is important for the field of epigenetics because Tet enzymes chemically modify DNA, changing signposts that tell the cell's machinery "this gene is shut off" into other signs that say "ready for a change."Tet enzymes' roles have come to light only in the last five years; they are needed for stem cells to maintain their multipotent state, and are involved in early embryonic and brain development and in cancer.

Researchers complete a milestone in defining the genetic basis of rheumatoid arthritis

Date: Jan-03-2014
An international group of investigators has discovered new genes, pathways and cell types that are involved in inherited susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The findings are published online in Nature.Scientists performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis in more than 100,000 people of European and Asian descent. They discovered 42 new sites of genetic variation involved in risk for RA.

International team completes systematic, genomic study of cervical cancer

Date: Jan-03-2014
Researchers from the Boston area, Mexico, and Norway have completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations. The study identified recurrent genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments have been approved for other forms of cancer. The findings also shed light on the role human papillomavirus (HPV) plays in the development of cervical cancer.

New genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes revealed

Date: Jan-03-2014
Cambridge and Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; Mexico City, Mexico. Wed. December 25, 2013 - An international team of researchers in Mexico and the United States has uncovered a new genetic clue that contributes to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly the elevated risk among Mexican and other Latin American populations.