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New technique traces ancestry of disease genes

A team of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion) in Haifa has developed a technique to detect the ancestry of disease genes in hybrid, or mixed, human populations.

9 Apr 2008

Pistachios good for the heart

More good news for pistachio fans! According to new data unveiled this week at the Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, snacking on pistachios has proved once again to have a positive impact on improving cardiovascular health by significantly reducing inflammation in the body, a prominent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor.

9 Apr 2008

Negligent, attentive mouse mothers show biological differences

In mice, child neglect is a product of both nature and nurture, according to a new study.

9 Apr 2008

Hepatitis B virus triggers cell 'suicide' in patients with chronic infection

Scientists from UCL (University College London) have identified a key difference between people who can fight the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) off successfully and those who fail to do so - that a group of cells important in controlling the disease are triggered to 'commit suicide' in patients who are chronically infected.

9 Apr 2008

Researchers battle against dangerous corn toxin

The spiraling use of corn for food and fuel is creating heightened concerns about contamination of this staple crop with deadly aflatoxin.

9 Apr 2008

Diabetes drug may hold potential as treatment for epilepsy, using same mechanism as ketogenic diet

Two years ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists reported they had suppressed epileptic seizures in rats by giving them a glycolytic-inhibitor, inhibiting the brain's ability to turn sugar into excess energy and blocking the expression of seizure-related genes.

9 Apr 2008

Discovery of a critical early player in the path that turns cells to fat

Given that obesity - defined as an excess amount of body fat relative to lean body mass - is a major health concern in the United States and an increasing problem in the developing world, such a fuller understanding of the molecular processes governing fat tissue formation could ultimately hold clinical importance, according to the researchers.

9 Apr 2008

Back pain problems may be more a matter of genetics than physical strain

What do you learn by looking at the spines of hundreds of Finnish twins?

9 Apr 2008

Angina drug ranolazine potentially useful against heart rhythm disorders

A recently approved angina drug may also represent a powerful new treatment for a rare hereditary syndrome that places teens at risk for sudden cardiac death, according to research presented on April 1st at the 57th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in Chicago.

9 Apr 2008

A diaphanous control during embryo formation

The research now published in the journal Development shows how Dia mutations in fruit flies embryos result in a serious of defects during morphogenesis (process by which cells differentiate into tissues and structures), including loss of adhesion, abnormal movements and even migration of cells from one tissue to another.

9 Apr 2008

Genetic factors associated with common fears

Genetic factors that are associated with fears appear to change as children and adolescents age, with some familial factors declining in importance over time while other genetic risk factors arise in adolescence and adulthood, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

8 Apr 2008

New regulatory circuit identified for aggressive, malignant brain tumor

Research using a newly developed algorithm has significantly advanced understanding of the molecular events associated with the most common primary brain tumor in adults, human glioblastoma (GBM).

8 Apr 2008

Genetic variants of USF1 are associated with the increased risk for cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide.

8 Apr 2008

Rare genetic variants have big impact on blood pressure

Yale University researchers report in the journal Nature Genetics that they have discovered that rare genetic variants can be associated with a dramatically lower risk of developing high blood pressure in the general population.

7 Apr 2008

Scientists visualize the machinery of mRNA splicing

Recent research at Yale provided a glimpse of the ancient mechanism that helped diversify our genomes; it illuminated a relationship between gene processing in humans and the most primitive organisms by creating the first crystal structure of a crucial self-splicing region of RNA.

7 Apr 2008

Roswell Park Cancer Institute awarded three-years funding for ovarian cancer vaccine

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund has awarded a $900,000 research grant to Kunle Odunsi, MD, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, and his colleagues at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) to collaborate on developing a promising vaccine to unleash the power of the immune system against cancer.

7 Apr 2008