Health News:350 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis ♦ Computer model could hold key to personalized epilepsy treatment ♦ Scientists learn how poxviruses defeat the body's host defense

Computer model could hold key to personalized epilepsy treatment A computer model that identifies the parts of a person's brain responsible for epileptic seizures could be used to design personalized surgical procedures.

Scientists learn how poxviruses defeat the body's host defense Research shows how smallpox, a feared bioterrorism agent, and other poxviruses overcome the defenses of their hosts. Implications of the findings extend to cancer therapy.

350 infants may have been exposed to tuberculosis in california hospital  The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose announced December 13 that 368 mothers or parents, 308 employees, and 350 infants were possibly exposed to tuberculosis at the hospital due to an employee who was suspected of having active tuberculosis. The employee was placed on leave in mid November,

Emotion processing in brain changes with tinnitus severity People with tinnitus who are less bothered by their symptoms use different brain regions when processing emotional information, new research indicates. Tinnitus, otherwise known as ringing in the ears, affects nearly one-third of adults over age 65.

Brain Research: Neuroscientists decipher brain's noisy code ♦ ob strain linked to increased sick leave due to mental disorders ♦ Non-invasive brain stimulation technique could transform learning

Neuroscientists decipher brain's noisy code By comparing and analyzing the signals of individual neurons in animals undergoing behavioral tests, neuroscientists have deciphered the code that the brain uses to make the most of its inherently 'noisy' neuronal circuits

Magnetic pulses to the brain deliver long-lasting relief for tinnitus patients In the largest US clinical trial of its kind researchers found that transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly improved tinnitus symptoms for more than half of study participants.

Non-invasive brain stimulation technique could transform learning Researchers have discovered a new technique to enhance brain excitability that could improve physical performance in healthy individuals such as athletes and musicians.

Job strain linked to increased sick leave due to mental disorders Workers with high job demands and job strain are at increased risk of sick leave due to mental disorders, reports a study. Risk was also increased for workers with job strain, defined as high job demands with low control; and "iso-strain," defined as high demands and low control plus low levels of social support at work.

Health Research: New malaria test could lead to global eradication ♦ Breakthrough in tinnitus research ♦ Starved T cells allow hepatitis B to silently infect liver

New insight into inflammatory bowel disease may lead to better treatments A newly discovered link between bacteria and immune cells sheds light on inflammatory bowel disease, an autoimmune condition that affects 1.6 million people in the United States. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of IBD, an autoimmune condition that are thought to develop from genetic and environmental factors

Starved T cells allow hepatitis B to silently infect liver Hepatitis B stimulates processes that deprive the body's immune cells of key nutrients that they need to function. The work helps to explain why the immune system cannot control hepatitis B virus infection once it becomes established in the liver.

Using CRISPR, biologists find a way to comprehensively identify anti-cancer drug targets Imagine having a complete catalog of the best drug targets to hit in a deadly form of cancer. Imagine having a master catalog of such targets for all major cancers. Scientists have now published a method of doing precisely this, using the revolutionary gene-editing technology called CRISPR.

New malaria test could lead to global eradication of the disease One of the biggest difficulties faced by worldwide programs aimed at eliminating malaria is that the tests they use are not sensitive enough to detect all people who have the disease and need treatment. A study shows that a new test known as capture and ligation probe-PCR (CLIP-PCR) could diagnose the malaria cases that would typically escape detection and lead to new infections.

Breakthrough in tinnitus research could lead to testable model A major breakthrough has been made that provides new insights into how tinnitus, might develop and be sustained. Tinnitus is largely a mystery, a phantom sound heard in the absence of actual sound. Tinnitus patients "hear" ringing, buzzing or hissing in their ears much like an amputee might "feel" pain in a missing limb. It is a symptom and exposure to loud noise may cause it, some cases have no apparent trigger.

Health Research: World's first GMO human embryos ♦ Exposure to air pollution may pose risk to brain structure, ♦ Tinnitus, that phantom ringing in the ears

Lot of smoke: Study examines cigarillo modification health claims Known by a variety of names, “hyping,” “champing” and “freaking” a cigarillo – a smaller, leaner type of cigar – is believed by many to significantly reduce the amount of cancer-causing properties associated with tobacco products. A new study examines such claims.

World's first GMO human embryos Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. The team attempted to modify the gene responsible for beta-thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder, using a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR/Cas9. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed.

Cirrhosis deaths drop 41 percent from 2002 to 2012 Dramatic improvements have been found in the care of patients with cirrhosis and liver failure. They continue to recommend improved treatment strategies for patients with cirrhosis

Long-term exposure to air pollution may pose risk to brain structure, cognitive functions Air pollution, even at moderate levels, has long been recognized as a factor in raising the risk of stroke. A new study suggests that long-term exposure can cause damage to brain structures and impair cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults

In search of tinnitus, that phantom ringing in the ears About one in five people experience tinnitus, the perception of a sound -- often described as ringing -- that isn't really there. Now, researchers have taken advantage of a rare opportunity to record directly from the brain of a person with tinnitus in order to find the brain networks responsible.