ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• New light shed on how blood clots form
• Dietary changes appear to affect levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease
• Type 2 diabetes associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular problems, but metabolic syndrome is not
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy: Pacemaker implantation for heart failure does not benefit nearly half of the patients, analysis finds
• Brain scan identifies patterns of plaques and tangles in adults with Down syndrome
• More genetic diseases linked to potentially fixable gene-splicing problems
• Brain state affects memory recall
• Dengue virus circulating between monkeys and mosquitoes could emerge to cause human outbreaks
• Undernourishment in pregnant, lactating females found key to next generation's disease
• Brain structure adapts to environmental change
• Promising new target for stifling the growth and spread of cancer
• Genetic factor controls health-harming inflammation in obese: Trigger holds promise for treating diabetes, other chronic illnesses
• Sniffing out a new source of stem cells
• New clues about aging: Genetic splicing mechanism triggers both premature aging syndrome and normal cellular aging
• Glowing 'Cornell Dots': Potential cancer diagnostic tool set for human trials
• One in five heart-attack deaths could be prevented with new drug, findings show
• Cooling the brain during sleep may be a natural and effective treatment for insomnia
• Teen brain data may predict pop song success, study finds
• Routine screening for autism not needed, researchers say
• Early exposure to pets does not increase children's risk of allergies, study finds; Evidence suggests it may actually reduce likelihood
• We are all mutants: First direct whole-genome measure of human mutation predicts 60 new mutations in each of us
• Family genetic research reveals the speed of human mutation

New light shed on how blood clots form Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:21 PM PDT Scientists have discovered new elements of the blood clot-formation process. The findings could lead to better drugs for preventing heart attacks and other clot-related conditions.

Dietary changes appear to affect levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT Following a low-saturated fat and low-glycemic index diet appears to modulate the risk of developing dementia that proceeds to Alzheimer's disease (AD), although making a switch to this dietary pattern may not protect those already experiencing cognitive difficulty, according to a new study.

Type 2 diabetes associated with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular problems, but metabolic syndrome is not Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT Among patients who have had an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke or cardiovascular events, but metabolic syndrome was not, according to a new study.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy: Pacemaker implantation for heart failure does not benefit nearly half of the patients, analysis finds Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT A new meta-analysis study shows that three-lead cardiac pacemakers implanted in those with heart failure fail to help up to 40 percent of patients with such devices.

Brain scan identifies patterns of plaques and tangles in adults with Down syndrome Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers used a unique brain scan to assess the levels of plaques and tangles -- the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease -- in adults with Down syndrome. The finding may offer an additional clinical tool to help diagnose dementia in adults with Down syndrome. Adults with this disorder develop Alzheimer's-like plaque and tangle deposits early, often before the age of 40.

More genetic diseases linked to potentially fixable gene-splicing problems Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:20 PM PDT Many more hereditary diseases than previously thought may be caused, at least in part, by errors in pre-mRNA splicing, according to a new computer analysis. That could be good news because research suggests it may be possible to fix bad splicing.

Brain state affects memory recall Posted: 13 Jun 2011 12:17 PM PDT Lost your keys? Your brain might be in a better state to recall where you put them at some times than at others, according to new research.

Dengue virus circulating between monkeys and mosquitoes could emerge to cause human outbreaks Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:22 AM PDT Sylvatic dengue continues to flourish in Southeast Asia and West Africa, cycling between non-human primates and the mosquitoes that feed on them. Since the 1970s, the virus has received little scientific attention -- a situation that badly needs to be remedied, according to experts.

Undernourishment in pregnant, lactating females found key to next generation's disease Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:22 AM PDT A study in primates establishes the critical role that undernourishment in mothers-to-be and lactating females has in creating Type 2 diabetes in offspring.

Brain structure adapts to environmental change Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:25 AM PDT Researchers have found that under stressful conditions, neural stem cells in the adult hippocampus can produce not only neurons, but also new stem cells. The brain stockpiles the neural stem cells, which later may produce neurons when conditions become favorable. This response to environmental conditions represents a novel form of brain plasticity. Knowledge of how neural stem cells produce neurons could lead to potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Promising new target for stifling the growth and spread of cancer Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:25 AM PDT Cancer and chronic inflammation are partners in peril, with the latter increasing the likelihood that malignant tumors will develop, grow and spread. Researchers say they've identified a tumor inflammation trigger that is common to most, if not all, cancers. And using existing inhibitory drugs, the scientists were able to dramatically decrease primary tumor growth in animal studies and, more importantly, halt tumor progression and metastasis.

Genetic factor controls health-harming inflammation in obese: Trigger holds promise for treating diabetes, other chronic illnesses Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:25 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a genetic factor that can regulate obesity-induced inflammation that contributes to chronic health problems.

Sniffing out a new source of stem cells Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:19 AM PDT New research in mice suggests that adult stem cells from immune system tissue in the smell-sensing region of the human nose (human olfactory ecto--mesenchymal stem cells [OE-MSCs]) could provide a source of cells to treat brain disorders in which nerve cells are lost or irreparably damaged.

New clues about aging: Genetic splicing mechanism triggers both premature aging syndrome and normal cellular aging Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new pathway that sets the clock for programmed aging in normal cells. The study provides insights about the interaction between a toxic protein called progerin and telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes like aglets, the plastic tips that bind the ends of shoelaces.

Glowing 'Cornell Dots': Potential cancer diagnostic tool set for human trials Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:19 AM PDT The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first clinical trial in humans of a new technology: Cornell Dots, brightly glowing nanoparticles that can light up cancer cells in PET-optical imaging.

One in five heart-attack deaths could be prevented with new drug, findings show Posted: 13 Jun 2011 07:38 AM PDT New findings from the UK show that one in five deaths in the year following a heart attack could be prevented if a new drug, ticagrelor, was used instead of the standard treatment, clopidogrel.

Cooling the brain during sleep may be a natural and effective treatment for insomnia Posted: 13 Jun 2011 06:35 AM PDT Participants received all-night frontal cerebral thermal transfer by wearing a soft plastic cap on their head. The cap contained tubes that were filled with circulating water. The time that it took 12 subjects with primary insomnia to fall asleep (13 minutes) and the percentage of time in bed that they slept (89 percent) during treatment at the maximal cooling intensity were similar to 12 healthy controls (16 minutes and 89 percent).

Teen brain data may predict pop song success, study finds Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:44 PM PDT A new study suggests that the brain activity of teens, recorded while they are listening to new songs, may help predict the popularity of the songs. The researchers scientifically demonstrated that you can, to some extent, use neuroimaging in a group of people to predict cultural popularity.

Routine screening for autism not needed, researchers say Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:44 PM PDT In a new study, researchers say there is "not enough sound evidence to support the implementation of a routine population-based screening program for autism." Contrary to the researchers' findings, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that screening for autism be incorporated into routine practice, such as a child's regular physician check-up, regardless of whether a concern has been raised by the parents.

Early exposure to pets does not increase children's risk of allergies, study finds; Evidence suggests it may actually reduce likelihood Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:44 PM PDT A new study reveals that keeping a dog or cat in the home does not increase children's risk of becoming allergic to the pets.

We are all mutants: First direct whole-genome measure of human mutation predicts 60 new mutations in each of us Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:27 PM PDT How many new mutations does a child have and did most of them come from mum or dad? The first answer is that each of us typically receives 60 new mutations from our parents. Remarkably, the number of mutations passed on from a parent to a child varies between parents by as much as tenfold. These striking answers come from the first-ever direct measure of new mutations using whole human genomes.

Family genetic research reveals the speed of human mutation Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:27 PM PDT A team of researchers has discovered that, on average, thirty mutations are transmitted from each parent to their child, revising previous estimations and revolutionizing the timescale we use to calculate the number of generations separating us from other species.