ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Effects of premature birth can reach into adulthood
• Using olive oil in your diet may prevent a stroke
• Drug significantly improves glycemic control in type 1 diabetics on insulin, study suggests
• A mother's determination, next-generation sequencing provide solutions for twins
• Scientists override errant form of genetic signaling for first time: Changing genetic 'red light' to green holds promise for treating disease
• A knockout resource for mouse genetics: Mouse gene knockout resource will empower mammalian gene studies for a generation
• Malaria vaccination strategy provides model for superior protection
• Non-invasive brain stimulation helps curb impulsivity
• Progress using iPS cells to reverse blindness
• Potential cause of severe sleep disorder discovered, implications for Parkinson's disease
• 'Glowing hands' in the waiting room improves kids' handwashing
• Using living cells as an 'invisibility cloak' to hide drugs
• When sugar damages kidneys: New hope for diabetes patients with kidney disease
• Life expectancy in most US counties falls behind world's healthiest nations
• Shorter sleep durations may increase genetic risks for obesity
• Sensory experience influences the shape of neurons

Effects of premature birth can reach into adulthood Posted: 15 Jun 2011 02:14 PM PDT In the longest running US study of premature infants who are now 23 years old, a professor has found that premature infants are less healthy, have more social and school struggles and face a greater risk of heart-health problems in adulthood.

Using olive oil in your diet may prevent a stroke Posted: 15 Jun 2011 01:17 PM PDT A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people.

Drug significantly improves glycemic control in type 1 diabetics on insulin, study suggests Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:26 AM PDT Results of a new study suggest that liraglutide, an injectable medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, also helps type 1 diabetics on insulin achieve optimal control of their blood glucose levels. If the findings are confirmed in a larger, prospective, randomized study now being planned, they could mean the first significant, new treatment for type 1 diabetes since insulin was discovered and made available in the 1920s.

A mother's determination, next-generation sequencing provide solutions for twins Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:26 AM PDT Researchers have described how the sequencing of a set of twin's whole genome along with that of their older brother and their parents zeroed in on the gene that caused the twin's genetic disorder, which enabled physicians to fine-tune their treatment.

Scientists override errant form of genetic signaling for first time: Changing genetic 'red light' to green holds promise for treating disease Posted: 15 Jun 2011 10:20 AM PDT Researchers found a new way to surpass a common mutation that is estimated to cause a third of genetic disorders. The mutation causes the body to create shortened, disabled proteins, which lead to disease like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and cancer. The newly discovered approach directs the body to create normal, full-length proteins and could aid the development of treatment strategies to change the course of these, and other debilitating genetic conditions.

A knockout resource for mouse genetics: Mouse gene knockout resource will empower mammalian gene studies for a generation Posted: 15 Jun 2011 10:20 AM PDT Researchers report that they have knocked out almost 40 percent of the genes in the mouse genome. The results are founded on a novel, efficient production line that targets each specific gene in turn. This developing resource will be essential in our understanding of the role of genes in all mammals -- including humans. The completed resource will power studies in models of human disease.

Malaria vaccination strategy provides model for superior protection Posted: 15 Jun 2011 09:37 AM PDT A new study uncovers a powerful strategy for eliciting an immune response that can combat the parasite during multiple stages of its complex life cycle and describes what may be the most effective next-generation vaccination approach for malaria.

Non-invasive brain stimulation helps curb impulsivity Posted: 15 Jun 2011 09:36 AM PDT Inhibitory control can be boosted with a mild form of brain stimulation, according to a new study. The study's findings indicate that non-invasive intervention can greatly improve patients' inhibitory control.

Progress using iPS cells to reverse blindness Posted: 15 Jun 2011 09:02 AM PDT Researchers have used cutting-edge stem cell technology to correct a genetic defect present in a rare blinding disorder, another step on a promising path that may one day lead to therapies to reverse blindness caused by common retinal diseases.

Potential cause of severe sleep disorder discovered, implications for Parkinson's disease Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:32 AM PDT Researchers have identified a potential cause for a severe sleep disorder that has been closely linked to Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

'Glowing hands' in the waiting room improves kids' handwashing Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:32 AM PDT Hand-hygiene in children was improved with the use of a glowing gel that, when black lit, illustrates bacteria on hands, even after washing.

Using living cells as an 'invisibility cloak' to hide drugs Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:30 AM PDT The quest for better ways of encapsulating medicine so that it can reach diseased parts of the body has led scientists to harness -- for the first time -- living human cells to produce natural capsules with channels for releasing drugs and diagnostic agents.

When sugar damages kidneys: New hope for diabetes patients with kidney disease Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:02 AM PDT Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common secondary diseases in modern society. Diabetes patients do not die as a direct result of the increase in blood sugar, but from the long-term complications of their disease, in which the increase in blood sugar causes damage to blood vessels and organs. Kidneys are particularly susceptible to damage, and this can lead to a loss in kidney function and the need to begin a dialysis treatment. Researchers have identified a signaling path that affects the progression of kidney disease in diabetes patients: mTOR is an important metabolic enzyme that controls similar functions in simple organisms, such as yeast and roundworms, as in humans. In tests on animals, the deliberate genetic interception of this signaling path was able to halt the progression of kidney disease.

Life expectancy in most US counties falls behind world's healthiest nations Posted: 15 Jun 2011 03:19 AM PDT While people in Japan, Canada, and other nations have enjoyed significant gains in life expectancy, most counties within the United States are falling behind, according to a new study. Researchers found that between 2000 and 2007 more than 80 percent of counties fell in standing against the average of the 10 nations with the best life expectancies in the world.

Shorter sleep durations may increase genetic risks for obesity Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:02 PM PDT A recent study found that the heritability of self-reported, habitual sleep duration was 32 percent, and shared environmental influences on sleep duration were negligible. Longer sleep duration was associated with decreased body mass index. Behavioral genetic modeling found that the heritability of self-reported BMI when sleep duration equaled seven hours was more than twice as large as the heritability of BMI when sleep duration equaled nine hours. The study involved 1,811 pairs of identical and fraternal twins.

Sensory experience influences the shape of neurons Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:56 AM PDT A new discovery is a significant advance in understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of the cerebral cortex.