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New screening procedure determines animal, plant, and microbial substances in foodstuffs

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers uncover DNA rearrangement process for sex determination in Tetrahymena

It's been more than 50 years since scientists discovered that the single-celled organism Tetrahymena thermophila has seven sexes. But in all that time, they've never known how each cell's sex, or "mating type," is determined.

28 Mar 2013

Researcher discovers genetic variations that are linked to breast cancer

Working with an international consortium conducting research on breast, ovarian and prostate cancer among 200,000 people, Professor Jacques Simard, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Oncogenetics at Laval University, was actively involved in the discovery of DNA "spelling mistakes" linked to breast cancer.

28 Mar 2013

Bladder cancer risk linked to genetic alterations

A new analysis has found that genetic alterations in a particular cellular pathway are linked with bladder cancer risk, recurrence, disease progression, and patient survival. Published early online in CANCER, a peer- reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings could help improve bladder cancer screening and treatment.

26 Mar 2013

Study uncovers new relationship between nuclear architecture, gene activity

Every time a cell divides it makes a carbon copy of crucial ingredients, including the histone proteins that are responsible for spooling yards of DNA into tight little coils.

25 Mar 2013

Genetic counseling, BRCA testing can reduce cancer incidence in black women, researchers say

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues in Canada have published study results focused on black women younger than 50, a population disproportionately afflicted with and dying from early-onset breast cancer compared to their white counterparts.

22 Mar 2013

Research provides better understanding of microbiological factors of periodontitis

Microbes from the human mouth are telling Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists something about periodontitis and more after they cracked the genetic code of bacteria linked to the condition.

19 Mar 2013

New molecular sensor technique for cancer therapy detects lactate levels in individual cells

Cancer cells break down sugars and produce the metabolic acid lactate at a much higher rate than normal cells. This phenomenon provides a telltale sign that cancer is present, via diagnostics such as PET scans, and possibly offers an avenue for novel cancer therapies.

16 Mar 2013

New hunt for intrinsic mechanism linked to schizophrenia

Since the 1960s, psychiatrists have been hunting for substances made by the body that might accumulate in abnormally high levels to produce the symptoms associated with schizophrenia. In particular, there was a search for chemicals that might be related to the hallucinogens phencyclidine (PCP) or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which could explain the emergence of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.

15 Mar 2013

Researchers uncover clear genetic link between fat and bone mass

When it comes to body shape, diet and exercise can only take us so far. Our body shape and geometry are largely determined by genetic factors. Genetics also have an impact on our body composition - including soft fat tissue and hard bone tissue - and can lead to excess fat or osteoporosis.

12 Mar 2013

Cancer scientists publish commentary describing path forward for research, prevention

Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday published a commentary "authored by Harold Varmus, Nobel prize-winning director of the National Cancer Institute in the U.S., and by Harpal Kumar, CEO of Cancer Research U.K., on behalf of leading cancer research institutions from Australia to Argentina and Taiwan to Turkey," in which they describe a plan for addressing cancer in developed and developing countries, Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley reports in her "Global Health Blog."

8 Mar 2013

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

Viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns, infecting some cells but missing others. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why. The scientists showed that natural immune defenses that resist viral infection are turned on in some brain cells but switched off in others.

8 Mar 2013

UNMC provides important genetic tool for scientists to better utilize library of mutant staph bacteria

Through the creation of a library of more than 2,000 mutant strains of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has provided an important tool for scientists around the world seeking answers for how to better deal with staph infections.

8 Mar 2013

Scientists produce new instruction manual for human genome

Scientists have produced an instruction manual for the human genome that provides a framework to better understand the relationship between an individual's genetic make-up and their lifestyle.

From The University of Manchester 4 Mar 2013

Investigators identify seven new genetic regions associated with AMD

An international group of investigators has identified seven new genetic regions associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of blindness in older individuals. The findings, reported online March 3 in Nature Genetics, could point to new biological pathways and therapeutic targets for AMD.

4 Mar 2013

Shortage of TDP-43 protein causes muscle wasting and stunted nerve cells

A shortage of a protein called TDP-43 caused muscle wasting and stunted nerve cells. This finding supports the idea that malfunction of this protein plays a decisive role in ALS and FTD. The study is published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA" (PNAS).

3 Mar 2013

MID1 complex binds with messenger RNA and controls synthesis of defective Huntingtin

Huntington's disease, also known as Huntington's chorea, is a hereditary brain disease causing movement disorders and dementia. In Germany, there are about 8,000 patients affected by Huntington's disease, with several hundred new cases arising every year. The disease usually manifests between the ages of 35 and 50.

27 Feb 2013

Genetic variation in CD33 influences how AML patients' leukemic cell responds to GO

Researchers from the College of Pharmacy and Medical School working within the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, have partnered to identify genetic variations that may help signal which acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients will benefit or not benefit from one of the newest antileukemic agents.

26 Feb 2013

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer's disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene -- long associated with development of Alzheimer's -- but has uncovered an association with a second gene, called BCHE.

21 Feb 2013

Insights into HIV-1 virion makeup could improve gene therapy

A discovery about how the HIV-1 virion packages genomic RNA may help researchers to improve the efficacy of gene therapy.

18 Feb 2013

Genetic Information News and Research

New screening procedure determines animal, plant, and microbial substances in foodstuffs

Researchers uncover DNA rearrangement process for sex determination in Tetrahymena

Researcher discovers genetic variations that are linked to breast cancer

Bladder cancer risk linked to genetic alterations

Study uncovers new relationship between nuclear architecture, gene activity

Genetic counseling, BRCA testing can reduce cancer incidence in black women, researchers say

Research provides better understanding of microbiological factors of periodontitis

New molecular sensor technique for cancer therapy detects lactate levels in individual cells

New hunt for intrinsic mechanism linked to schizophrenia

Researchers uncover clear genetic link between fat and bone mass

Cancer scientists publish commentary describing path forward for research, prevention

Study helps explain why viruses often spread through the brain in patchwork patterns

UNMC provides important genetic tool for scientists to better utilize library of mutant staph bacteria

Scientists produce new instruction manual for human genome

Investigators identify seven new genetic regions associated with AMD

Shortage of TDP-43 protein causes muscle wasting and stunted nerve cells

MID1 complex binds with messenger RNA and controls synthesis of defective Huntingtin

Genetic variation in CD33 influences how AML patients' leukemic cell responds to GO

BCHE gene variant predicts extent of plaque deposits in Alzheimer's

Insights into HIV-1 virion makeup could improve gene therapy

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