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Unemployed men show signs of faster ageing in their DNA

Men who are unemployed for more than two years show signs of faster ageing in their DNA, a new study has found.

21 Nov 2013

Brown University biologists find way to measure effects of aging

Biologists at Brown University have found a way to measure the effects of aging by watching the ebb and flow of chromatin, a structure along strands of DNA that either silences or permits gene expression. In several newly published experiments they show that gene silencing via chromatin in fruit flies declines with age.

21 Nov 2013

Obese children could suffer step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years

In Mexico, overweight or obese children could suffer a step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years. According to the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), the life expectancy in Mexico is of 73 years for women and 76 years for men.

21 Nov 2013

Cedars-Sinai study presents new insights into mechanisms underlying the symptoms of autism

In what are believed to be the first studies of their kind, Cedars-Sinai researchers recording the real-time firing of individual nerve cells in the brain found that a specific type of neuron in a structure called the amygdala performed differently in people who suffer from autism spectrum disorder than in those who do not.

21 Nov 2013

Predicting a person's tall stature from DNA is feasible, shows new study

Predicting adult body height from genetic data is helpful in several areas such as pediatric endocrinology and forensic investigations. However, despite large international efforts to catalogue the genes that influence the stature of humans, knowledge on genetic determinants of adult body height is still incomplete. Now DNA-based prediction of taller-than-average body height is feasible, as reported by researchers from the Netherlands and Sweden in an article published in Springer's journal Human Genetics

21 Nov 2013

Childhood social functioning predicts schizophrenia risk

Poor social functioning in childhood predicts an increased risk for schizophrenia later in life, suggest researchers.

20 Nov 2013

DNA vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent and treat deadly MERS coronavirus

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that preclinical testing of a DNA synthetic vaccine for the virulent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) induced robust and durable immune responses, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to prevent and treat this deadly virus.

20 Nov 2013

Parkinson's Institute, Population Diagnostics discover new genes relevant to Parkinson's disease

The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center announced today that they, in partnership with Population Diagnostics, Inc., have discovered a number of new genes relevant to the cause of Parkinson's disease.

20 Nov 2013

DNA-damaging drug and MK2 inhibitor combination could be effective against cancer

About half of all cancer patients have a mutation in a gene called p53, which allows tumors to survive and continue growing even after chemotherapy severely damages their DNA.

20 Nov 2013

Rapid DNA biochip tests for screening disease-causing bacteria

Patients affected by a bacterial infection can usually be treated with an antibiotic. But sometimes a resistant bacterial strain is causing the infection. In a hospital setting, doctors ideally want to know if they are dealing with such bacteria and which drugs they should choose. But if the doctor runs a test it can take days to get a result. Now, a European project is paving the way for much more rapid tests using DNA biochips. The aim is to rapidly screen disease-causing bacteria using a microarray to spot which resistant genes are present in bacteria.

20 Nov 2013

Enhancing the NMDA glutamate receptor causes antidepressant-like effects

Thirteen years ago, an article in this journal first reported that the anesthetic medication, ketamine, showed evidence of producing rapid antidepressant effects in depressed patients who had not responded to prior treatments. Ketamine works by blocking one of the targets for the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor.

20 Nov 2013

NIAID awards $4.4M grant to study unknown gene function in bacteria that cause plague, brucellosis

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded the University of Chicago $4.4 million over five years to study genes of unknown function in bacteria that cause plague and brucellosis.

20 Nov 2013

Simple blood test may predict people at highest risk for developing heart problems

For years, doctors have been divided on how effective annual testing and screenings are for apparently healthy individuals. New research, however, shows that a simple blood test may predict who is at highest risk to develop heart problems - and how long these people may have to live.

20 Nov 2013

Many primary care pediatricians feel uncomfortable in providing care to patients with genetic disorders

Many primary care pediatricians say they feel uncomfortable providing health care to patients with genetic disorders. Also, many do not consistently discuss all risks and benefits of genetic tests with patients, according to research published today in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

20 Nov 2013

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has determined that a gene-based method for selecting patients' doses of the popular heart medication warfarin is no better than standardized dosing methods. The study was presented today at the 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Nov 2013

Researchers use computer modeling to investigate complex relationships between spread and evolution of HIV virus

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are investigating the complex relationships between the spread of the HIV virus in a population (epidemiology) and the actual, rapid evolution of the virus (phylogenetics) within each patient's body.

20 Nov 2013

Specific area of the brain linked to anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents, affecting up to 25 percent of the youth population. Anxiety causes distress and functional impairment and, if left untreated, can result in bad grades, problems at home and increased rates of psychiatric disorders in adulthood.

20 Nov 2013

Genetic News and Research

Unemployed men show signs of faster ageing in their DNA

Brown University biologists find way to measure effects of aging

Obese children could suffer step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years

Cedars-Sinai study presents new insights into mechanisms underlying the symptoms of autism

Predicting a person's tall stature from DNA is feasible, shows new study

Childhood social functioning predicts schizophrenia risk

DNA vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent and treat deadly MERS coronavirus

Parkinson's Institute, Population Diagnostics discover new genes relevant to Parkinson's disease

DNA-damaging drug and MK2 inhibitor combination could be effective against cancer

Rapid DNA biochip tests for screening disease-causing bacteria

Enhancing the NMDA glutamate receptor causes antidepressant-like effects

NIAID awards $4.4M grant to study unknown gene function in bacteria that cause plague, brucellosis

Simple blood test may predict people at highest risk for developing heart problems

Many primary care pediatricians feel uncomfortable in providing care to patients with genetic disorders

Gene-based method for selecting doses of warfarin no better than standardized dosing methods

Researchers use computer modeling to investigate complex relationships between spread and evolution of HIV virus

Specific area of the brain linked to anxiety disorders in children and adolescents

mTOR protein: A key mediator of antidepressant effects of ketamine

Study shows bacteria can passively integrate damaged DNA in their own genome

Stroke may be associated with smoking synthetic marijuana

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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