Health News

How cancer prevention drives aging
For the first time, researchers have found how cellular senescence, the well-known mechanism for preventing cancer, can trigger aging and age-related disease by changing the local tissue environment. ANI

Scientists unveil genes vital to vital to adult heart function
In a study on fruit fly Drosophila, scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that genes involved in embryonic heart development are vital to adult heart function in both fruit flies and humans. ANI

Psychiatric disorders common among college-aged
A new study has revealed that psychiatric disorders appear to be common among 18- to 24-year-olds, with overall rates similar among those attending or not attending college. ANI

Health News for July 11, 2008

Protein that underpins prostate cancer cells to cause disease in bones unveiled
Researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, have gained fresh insights into the mechanisms by which prostate cancer cells spread to the bones. ANI

Genetic variations up youngsters risk of lifetime tobacco addiction
A team of researchers from the University of Utah and University of Wisconsin-Madison says that common genetic variations affecting nicotine receptors in the nervous system dramatically raise the likelihood of children struggling with lifelong nicotine addiction by age 17. ANI

Retina transplants benefit patients with retinal degeneration
Retina cell transplantation has shown promising outcomes in patients with retinal degeneration, say researchers. ANI

Study gives new insight into protein that keeps skin cancer in check
Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, have shed new light on the role of the signaling molecule Smad2 in skin cancer. ANI

Study shows link between thunderstorms, asthma attacks
A study conducted in the Southeastern United States has shown a link between thunderstorms and asthma attacks in the metro Atlanta area that could have a significant public health impact. ANI

Chocolate for breakfast actually helps you lose weight!
Heres some good news from all those chocolate lovers trying to lose weight - instead of shunning your favourite sweet, dig into it for breakfast. ANI

Purified stem cells offer new hope for people with muscular dystrophy
Experiments on mice conducted by Harvard University researchers have shown that it may be possible to restore healthy muscle and improve muscle function among those afflicted by muscular dystrophy by injecting purified stem cells isolated from adult skeletal muscle. ANI

Alcohol impacts cardiovascular risks in men and women differently
A Japanese study has revealed that the quantity of alcohol consumption may affect heart and stroke risk in men and women differently. ANI

Researchers find control switches for cancer, viral infection immune cells
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found the control switches for immune cells that fight cancer, viral infection. ANI

Why thrombosis increases disease risk for men more than women
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have shed light on why men are more at risk of diseases heart attack and stroke caused by the inappropriate formation of a blood clot (a process known as thrombosis) than women. ANI

Now, parenting programs at work to help parents talk to kids about sex!
No matter how cool parents are with their kids, they dread the idea of discussing sex. If you too are facing the same scenario, then heres something that offers help: parenting programmes in the workplace can significantly improve your ability to talk with kids about sexual health, suggests a new study. ANI

How flu-fighting cells know when theyre required in the lung
A new study by researchers at the Trudeau Institute has shed new light on how a previously-unknown messaging mechanism within the human immune system prompts specific influenza-fighting cells to the lung airways during an infection. ANI

Automated, wearable artificial kidneys will soon make dialysis-on-the-go possible
Patients will soon not have to undergo lengthy dialysis sessions, thanks to researchers from University of California, Los Angeles, who are developing automated, wearable artificial kidneys. ANI