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Pediatrics researchers identify major gene location responsible for EoE

Pediatrics researchers have identified the first major gene location responsible for a severe, often painful type of food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). In this disease, which may cause weight loss, vomiting, heartburn and swallowing difficulties, a patient may be unable to eat a wide variety of foods.

7 Mar 2010

Researchers discuss possibility of using food to prevent individual's genes from expressing disease

Personal health recommendations and diets tailored to better prevent diseases may be in our future, just by focusing on genetics.

6 Mar 2010

Scientists succeed in mapping entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors

In a significant leap forward in the understanding of how specific types of tissue are determined to develop in mammals, an international team of scientists has succeeded in mapping the entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors and their interactions. This global network, indicating which factors can combine to determine cell fate, will be published in the March 5 issue of the journal Cell.

6 Mar 2010

68th AAD Annual Meeting reveals science behind skin care

Research presented by P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (Miami Beach, FL, March 5-9) examines skin care science from multiple perspectives, offering insights into how ingredient formulations, care regimens and gene expressions impact skin condition.

6 Mar 2010

Gluten intolerance: Hereditary risk factors and link to virus infections

A research project in the Academy of Finland's Research Programme on Nutrition, Food and Health (ELVIRA) has brought new knowledge on the hereditary nature of gluten intolerance and identified genes that carry a higher risk of developing the condition. Research has shown that the genes in question are closely linked with the human immune system and the occurrence of inflammations, rather than being connected with the actual breakdown of gluten in the digestive tract.

5 Mar 2010

Life Technologies, TGen, US Oncology collaborate to sequence genomes of triple negative breast cancer patients

Life Technologies Corporation today announced that it is collaborating with the Translational Genomics Research Institute and US Oncology to sequence the genomes of 14 patients afflicted with triple negative breast cancer whose tumors have progressed despite multiple other therapies.

5 Mar 2010

Proper treatment can help control psoriasis in most cases

For the approximately 7.5 million Americans affected by psoriasis, the thick, red, scaly, itchy plaques it causes only scratch the surface when it comes to the overall implications of this disease. Now, ongoing research linking psoriasis to other serious medical conditions and the incredible toll it can take on a person's overall quality of life are shifting the way psoriasis is viewed - from a common skin disease to a complex systemic condition.

5 Mar 2010

Recipients for 2010 Scholar Awards announced

The American Society of Hematology announces the 2010 recipients of its Scholar Awards. The program is designed to support hematologists who have chosen a career in research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period required for completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator.

5 Mar 2010

Latest diagnostic tools play crucial role in aiding dermatologists to spot melanomas at earlier

According to estimates from the American Cancer Society, melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, was responsible for an estimated 8,650 deaths in the United States in 2009. Of growing concern among dermatologists is the fact that melanoma is now the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old.

5 Mar 2010

Study shows link between Vitamin D levels and basal cell carcinoma

A Henry Ford Hospital study has shown a link between Vitamin D levels and basal cell carcinoma, a finding that could lead researchers to better understand the development of the most common form of skin cancer.

5 Mar 2010

Study shows inhibiting critical genes may halt leukaemia cell growth

An international team of scientists studying acute forms of Leukaemia have identified a new drug target to inhibit the genes which are vital for the growth of diseased cells.

4 Mar 2010

Severe inflammatory diseases: Blocking "death messenger" might be a promising treatment

The signaling molecule CD95L, known as "death messenger," causes an inflammatory process in injured tissue after spinal cord injuries and prevents its healing. This discovery was published by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center. In mice, the researchers found out that if they switch off CD95L, the injured spinal cord heals and the animals regain better ability to move. Therefore, substances which block the death messenger might offer a new approach in the treatment of severe inflammatory diseases.

4 Mar 2010

Study: Bacteria, fungi and other microbes live in our gut are essential contributors to good health

The thousands of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that live in our gut are essential contributors to our good health. They break down toxins, manufacture some vitamins and essential amino acids, and form a barrier against invaders. A study published today in Nature shows that, at 3.3 million, microbial genes in our gut outnumber previous estimates for the whole of the human body.

4 Mar 2010

Gene therapy for LCA clears another hurdle: Study

Gene therapy for a severe inherited blindness, which produced dramatic improvements last year in 12 children and young adults who received the treatment in a clinical trial, has cleared another hurdle. The same research team that conducted the human trial now reports that a study in animals has shown that a second injection of genes into the opposite, previously untreated eye is safe and effective, with no signs of interference from unwanted immune reactions following the earlier injection.

4 Mar 2010

Increasing antibiotic resistance among soil microbes

A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are reporting disturbing evidence that soil microbes have become progressively more resistant to antibiotics over the last 60 years. Surprisingly, this trend continues despite apparent more stringent rules on use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, and improved sewage treatment technology that broadly improves water quality in surrounding environments. Their report appears in ACS' bi-weekly journal Environmental Science and Technology.

4 Mar 2010

Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prizes awarded to inventive students nationwide

A scientific "Renaissance man" whose work spans the fields of mathematics, linguistics, biotechnology and polymer physics, Erez Lieberman-Aiden, graduate student at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, has been named the winner of the prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. Lieberman-Aiden, one of four 2010 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize winners announced today, was selected for the breadth and depth of his innovations.

4 Mar 2010

Gene 'addiction' of leukaemia cells

An international team of scientists studying acute forms of Leukaemia have identified a new drug target to inhibit the genes which are vital for the growth of diseased cells. The research, reported in EMBO Molecular Medicine, reveals how leukaemia cells become 'addicted' to genes, which if targeted could prevent diseased cells from developing.

3 Mar 2010

Scientists uncover vital clue that could steer research into nervous system disorders

Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute have uncovered a vital clue into how the brain is wired, which could eventually steer research into nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease and cognitive disorders including autism.

3 Mar 2010

Sea squirts help in fight against Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 27 million people worldwide. It is the most common form of age-related dementia, possibly the most feared disease of old age. There is no cure, and the available drugs only help to relieve symptoms without slowing progression of the disease. One of the characteristic changes in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is the accumulation of plaques and tangles; currently, the best hope for curing or at least slowing the disease lies in developing drugs that target this buildup.

2 Mar 2010

Most strains of pandemic H1N1 flu virus resist Tamiflu, say scientists

If the behavior of the seasonal form of the H1N1 influenza virus is any indication, scientists say that chances are good that most strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus will become resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug stockpiled for use against it.

2 Mar 2010