Biology News Net - Health & Medicine

New cases of rare genetic disorder identified

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:59:23 -0500

Scientists at the University of Liverpool, working with international partners, have shown a rare genetic disease, that causes crippling osteoarthritis in the spine and major joints, is far more prevalent worldwide than previously thought.

Researchers find ovarian cancer risk related to inherited inflammation genes

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:37:28 -0500

In a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the Unites States and the United Kingdom, genes that are known to be involved in inflammation were found to be related to risk of ovarian cancer.

New procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes, restoring limb use in days or weeks

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:28:56 -0500

American scientists believe a new procedure to repair severed nerves could result in patients recovering in days or weeks, rather than months or years. The team used a cellular mechanism similar to that used by many invertebrates to repair damage to nerve axons. Their results are published today in the Journal of Neuroscience Research.

Researchers visualize the development of Parkinson's cells

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:54:13 -0500

In the US alone, at least 500,000 people suffer from Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to control his or her movement. New technology from the University of Bonn in Germany lets researchers observe the development of the brain cells responsible for the disease.

Defects in the packaging of DNA in malignant brain tumors

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:49:15 -0500

Glioblastomas grow extremely aggressively into healthy brain tissue and, moreover, are highly resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, they are regarded as the most malignant type of brain tumor. Currently available treatment methods are frequently not very effective against this type of cancer. Glioblastoma can affect people of all ages, but is less common in children than in adults.

Magic mushrooms' effects illuminated in brain imaging studies

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:21:56 -0500

Brain scans of people under the influence of the psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have given scientists the most detailed picture to date of how psychedelic drugs work. The findings of two studies being published in scientific journals this week identify areas of the brain where activity is suppressed by psilocybin and suggest that it helps people to experience memories more vividly.

Study: Quebec ban on fast-food ads reduced consumption of junk food

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:46:20 -0500

With mounting concerns over childhood obesity and its associated health risks in the U.S., would a ban on junk-food advertising aimed at children be more effective than the current voluntary, industry-led ban? According to published research from a University of Illinois economist, advertising bans do work, but an outright ban covering the entire U.S. media market would be the most effective policy tool for reducing fast-food consumption in children.

Arm in plaster changes brain in 16 days

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:17:35 -0500

What happens in the brain of right-handed people if their dominant hand is immobile for two weeks? This is the question addressed in the latest study led by Professor Lutz Jäncke and the Trauma Surgery Department at Zurich University Hospital. For the study, ten right-handed people with broken upper right arms were examined. Because of the plaster or sling, the test people's right hands were restricted to little or no movement for fourteen days. Therefore they used their left hands for daily activities such as eating, brushing their teeth or writing. The participants were given two MRI brain scans: one 48 hours after injury and a second 16 days after the arm was immobilized. Based on the scans, the neuropsychologists analyzed the test people's gray and white brain matter. They calculated the thickness of the cerebral cortex and the values of the corticospinal tract and measured the fine motor skills of the left, free-moving hand.

How many lives could a soda tax save?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:28:42 -0500

Every year, Americans drink 13.8 billion gallons of soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, sports drinks, and other sweetened beverages—a mass consumption of sugar that is fueling soaring obesity and diabetes rates in the United States.

Treatment of psoriasis gets new hope

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:28:35 -0500

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden are now launching a plan to effectively treat psoriasis.