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Protecting or boosting neurotrophins may slow progression of Huntington's disease

A drug that acts like a growth-promoting protein in the brain reduces degeneration and motor deficits associated with Huntington's disease in two mouse models of the disorder, according to a study appearing November 27 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that protecting or boosting neurotrophins - the molecules that support the survival and function of nerve cells - may slow the progression of Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

27 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Local political fallout from Obama insurance pledge; 'debunking' sob story; is single payer still a possibility?

Democratic state leaders have been some of ObamaCare's strongest advocates. To show his gratitude, President Obama is sticking them with political responsibility for the millions of insurance policies that are being cancelled because they don't comply with the law's minimum-benefits mandates. ... Renewing lapsed policies could weaken the state exchanges as healthy young people will want to keep their discontinued, lower-cost plans ... there are other political considerations. Namely, the criticism they'll face from both the right and left if they don't back the president's directive to allow policy renewals (Allysia Finley, 11/25).

27 Nov 2013

Customized palliative care can reduce health care costs, improve care for high-risk geriatric patients

For high-risk geriatric patients, improved palliative care that is matched to their changing needs at home can reduce emergency room visits, reduce health care costs, and improve overall care. Current gaps in policy and practice that block implementation of these beneficial customized care models are presented in the article "Research Priorities in Geriatric Palliative Care: Policy Initiatives," published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

27 Nov 2013

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study by Dr. Patricia Silveira and Prof. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Robert Levitan of the University of Toronto.

27 Nov 2013

Freiburg scientists discover substance that suppresses unchecked cell division in leukemia cells

Scientists of the University of Freiburg and the Freiburg University Medical Center from the collaborative research center Medical Epigenetics (SFB 992) have discovered a new active substance that inhibits cell division in leukemia cells and could play an important role in the fight against cancer.

27 Nov 2013

Women who test negative for family-specific BRCA2 mutations may have four times risk for breast cancer

Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general population, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Nov 2013

FDA orders halt to marketing for DNA test kit

The agency says the tests haven't been proven effective. The Food and Drug Administration has ordered the maker of a popular genetic-testing kit to halt sales of its heavily marketed product, saying the mail-order tests haven't been proven effective and could dangerously mislead people about their health.

27 Nov 2013

Scientists find link between social and economic status and ADHD in the UK

Scientists have found evidence of a link between social and economic status and childhood attention deficit disorder in the UK.

26 Nov 2013

UK researchers identify a gene that regulates alcohol consumption

UK researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon.

26 Nov 2013

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

It is a listening or hearing disorder, which is due to the brain’s defective analysis of sounds, so that individuals who are affected with this disorder cannot make sense of what they hear.

26 Nov 2013

Vitamin pills can do more harm than good

Vitamin supplements are a billion-dollar industry. We want to stay healthy and fit and help our bodies with this. But perhaps we are achieving precisely the opposite?

26 Nov 2013

Researcher receives $225,000 grant to study epigenetic changes associated with chemotherapy

Western University cancer researcher Shun-Cheng (Shawn) Li, PhD, has been awarded a China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

26 Nov 2013

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.

26 Nov 2013

Principal investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital elected as AAAS Fellows

Brian K. Kaspar, PhD, and Veronica J. Vieland, PhD, principal investigators in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

26 Nov 2013

Genetic variation linked to increased levels of triglycerides associated with heart disorders

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have found that a genetic variation that is linked to increased levels of triglycerides -- fats in the blood associated with disorders such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and stroke -- is far more common than previously believed and disproportionally affects people of African ancestry.

26 Nov 2013

Researchers repurpose genetic data, electronic medical records to perform large-scale PheWAS study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers and co-authors from four other U.S. institutions from the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network are repurposing genetic data and electronic medical records to perform the first large-scale phenome-wide association study (PheWAS), released today in Nature Biotechnology.

26 Nov 2013

Two separate studies yield key findings for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure for AML

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of heterogeneous diseases with considerable diversity in terms of genetic abnormalities. Mutations of CEBPA, a tumour suppressor, are found in about 10 per cent of human AML patients.

26 Nov 2013

Cleveland Clinic researchers elected as AAAS Fellows for excellent contributions to science

Cleveland Clinic researchers Richard A. Padgett, Ph.D., and Edward F. Plow, Ph.D., have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This year's AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 29, 2013.

26 Nov 2013

Dysregulation of epigenetic marks may play role in chronic kidney disease, shows study

The research of physician-scientist Katalin Susztak, MD, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, strives to understand the molecular roots and genetic predisposition of chronic kidney disease.

26 Nov 2013

Chicken eggs can provide better understanding of human birth defects

Clemson University researchers found that chicken eggs can provide a better understanding of human birth defects. Susan Chapman, associate professor in Clemson's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, received a South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence award that allowed researchers to identify two regions in the chicken genome that are associated with congenital deafness and spine deformities in humans.

26 Nov 2013

Genetic News and Research

Protecting or boosting neurotrophins may slow progression of Huntington's disease

Viewpoints: Local political fallout from Obama insurance pledge; 'debunking' sob story; is single payer still a possibility?

Customized palliative care can reduce health care costs, improve care for high-risk geriatric patients

Study links genetic predisposition to childhood obesity

Freiburg scientists discover substance that suppresses unchecked cell division in leukemia cells

Women who test negative for family-specific BRCA2 mutations may have four times risk for breast cancer

FDA orders halt to marketing for DNA test kit

Scientists find link between social and economic status and ADHD in the UK

UK researchers identify a gene that regulates alcohol consumption

Auditory processing disorder diagnosis: an interview with Dr Doris-Eva Bamiou, UCL Ear Institute

Vitamin pills can do more harm than good

Researcher receives $225,000 grant to study epigenetic changes associated with chemotherapy

Asparagine found in meat, eggs and dairy products is important for normal brain development

Principal investigators at Nationwide Children's Hospital elected as AAAS Fellows

Genetic variation linked to increased levels of triglycerides associated with heart disorders

Researchers repurpose genetic data, electronic medical records to perform large-scale PheWAS study

Two separate studies yield key findings for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure for AML

Cleveland Clinic researchers elected as AAAS Fellows for excellent contributions to science

Dysregulation of epigenetic marks may play role in chronic kidney disease, shows study

Chicken eggs can provide better understanding of human birth defects

Sequencing & Genomics: Elevating Science and Healthcare eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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