Space Season: ScienceDaily Health Headlines -- for Saturday, March 26, 2011

ScienceDaily Health Headlines

for Saturday, March 26, 2011

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Universal property of music discovered (March 25, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a universal property of scales. Until now it was assumed that the only thing scales throughout the world have in common is the octave. The many hundreds of scales, however, seem to possess a deeper commonality: if their tones are compared in a two- or three-dimensional way by means of a coordinate system, they form convex or star-convex structures. Convex structures are patterns without indentations or holes, such as a circle, square or oval. ... > full story

New colon cancer marker identified (March 25, 2011) -- A research team has identified an enzyme that could be used to diagnose colon cancer earlier. It is possible that this enzyme also could be a key to stopping the cancer. ... > full story

Promising clue to mechanism behind gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease (March 25, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a way that mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease. The study, published online this month in the journal Public Library of Science, shows that upon specific modification called phosphorylation, LRRK2 protein binds to a family of proteins called 14-3-3, which has a regulatory function inside cells. ... > full story

BrainGate neural interface system reaches 1,000-day performance milestone (March 25, 2011) -- An investigational implanted system being developed to translate brain signals toward control of assistive devices has allowed a woman with paralysis to accurately control a computer cursor at 2.7 years after implantation, providing a key demonstration that neural activity can be read out and converted into action for an unprecedented length of time. ... > full story

How well do you know your friends? (March 25, 2011) -- How does your best friend feel when people act needy? Or, about people being dishonest? What do they think when others seem uncomfortable in social situations? If you don't know -- your relationship may pay a price. ... > full story

A safer, more effective morphine may soon be possible (March 25, 2011) -- An orphan drug originally used for HIV treatment has been found to short-circuit the process that results in additional sensitivity and pain from opioid use. ... > full story

Research may lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders (March 25, 2011) -- Scientists are conducting research that may someday lead to new treatments for repair of the central nervous system. The group has identified and analyzed unique adult animal stem cells that can turn into neurons. The neurons they found appear to have many of the qualities desired for cells being used in development of therapies for slowly progressing, degenerative conditions like Parkinson's disease and for damage due to stroke or spinal cord injury. ... > full story

Higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms found in children with epilepsy (March 25, 2011) -- A newly published report reveals that children with epilepsy are more likely to have psychiatric symptoms, with gender a determining factor in their development. Findings showed that girls had more emotional problems, while boys had more hyperactivity/inattention problems and issues regarding peer relationships. ... > full story

Potential new non-insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes found (March 25, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a hormone pathway that potentially could lead to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes independent of insulin, long thought to be the sole regulator of carbohydrates in the liver. ... > full story

Cruise ship norovirus outbreak highlights how infections spread (March 25, 2011) -- Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States and is estimated to cause nearly 21 million cases annually. The results of an investigation of a 2009 outbreak on a cruise ship shed light on how the infections can spread and the steps both passengers and crew can take to prevent them. ... > full story

In vivo systems biology: Using computer models, systems biologists can predict complicated behavior of cells in living animals (March 25, 2011) -- Researchers report that they have created a new computational model that describes how intestinal cells in mice respond to a natural chemical called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). ... > full story

Pulling an all-nighter can bring on euphoria and risky behavior (March 25, 2011) -- A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research. ... > full story