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Second annual conference to reduce genomic health disparities

Researchers in genomic health disparities from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the Stanford University School of Medicine have teamed up to hold the second annual "Why We Can't Wait: Conference to Eliminate Health Disparities in Genomic Medicine."

23 May 2013

Immune system attacks beneficial bacteria in several chronic human diseases

The human gut is loaded with commensal bacteria - "good" microbes that, among other functions, help the body digest food. The gastrointestinal tract contains literally trillions of such cells, and yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. However, in several chronic human diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the immune system attacks these normally beneficial bacteria, resulting in chronic inflammation and contributing to disease progression.

23 May 2013

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

Massachusetts is often held up as a window into America's health insurance future, because it embarked on what came to be called the Romneycare reform six years ago. Like the Affordable Care Act provisions going into effect nationwide next year, Romneycare aimed to increase the fraction of the population with health insurance by imposing mandates on employers and employees and by subsidizing health insurance plans for middle-class families without employer plans.

23 May 2013

NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Scientists have reversed behavioral and brain abnormalities in adult mice that resemble some features of schizophrenia by restoring normal expression to a suspect gene that is over-expressed in humans with the illness.

23 May 2013

Physicists demonstrate effect of cold atmospheric plasma, chemo therapy on brain tumour cells

For the first time, physicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), biologists and physicians demonstrated the synergistic effect of cold atmospheric plasma - a partly ionized gas - and chemo therapy on aggressive brain tumour cells.

23 May 2013

MUC5B gene variation improves survival in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Variation in the gene MUC5B among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was associated with improved survival, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the American Thoracic Society international conference.

22 May 2013

A1-PI treatment slows progression of emphysema in patients with AATD

Treatment with an Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1-PI), a naturally occurring protein that protects lung tissue from breakdown and protects the lung's elasticity, is effective in slowing the progression of emphysema in patients with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a life-threatening genetic disorder, according to a new study presented at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

22 May 2013

Genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis can be used to identify individuals at risk for lung disease

A paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and co-written by physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine finds that an important genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis can be used to identify individuals at risk for this deadly lung disease.

22 May 2013

Viewpoints: Slowing health costs; What causes genetic testing to be so expensive; Iowa governor offers Medicaid supports a 'glimmer of hope'

We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of healthcare. ... Is this decline the desperately needed bend in the healthcare cost curve or just the impact of the depressed economy? ... A slower growth of healthcare cost would mean less burden on the individual family, freeing that family to invest in and live a higher quality of life.

22 May 2013

Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College wins AWSM Award for Excellence

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is the winner of a prestigious award from a group of female scientists from The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research dedicated to celebrating outstanding women in science and medicine.

22 May 2013

New search tool to help doctors make right diagnosis for patients with rare diseases

If you hear the sound of galloping hooves behind you, your immediate reaction is, 'here comes a horse'. But in very rare cases it is actually a zebra approaching. Doctors are trained to think 'horse' or 'common disease' when they meet patients in their practices, and as they rarely or never meet a 'zebra', in the form of a rare disease, it often takes many years to reach the right diagnosis. A new search tool called FindZebra can dramatically reduce this time in many cases.

22 May 2013

Rice University computational study tracks regulatory mechanisms of E. coli cells

Environment is not the only factor in shaping regulatory patterns -- and it might not even be the primary factor, according to a new Rice University study that looks at how cells' protein networks relate to a bacteria's genome.

22 May 2013

Caltech biologists show that microRNA-146a protects stem cells during inflammation

When infections occur in the body, stem cells in the blood often jump into action by multiplying and differentiating into mature immune cells that can fight off illness. But repeated infections and inflammation can deplete these cell populations, potentially leading to the development of serious blood conditions such as cancer.

22 May 2013

Emory University researchers identify a protein that stimulates orphan receptors in the brain

Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases.

22 May 2013

Nearly 35% of Mexican young adults may have genetic predisposition for obesity, says U of I scientist

As many as 35 percent of Mexican young adults may have a genetic predisposition for obesity, said a University of Illinois scientist who conducted a study at the Universidad Aut-noma de San Luis Potosί.

22 May 2013

Genetic variation helps predict survival in some cases of pulmonary fibrosis, study finds

Research into genetic features of pulmonary fibrosis by physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine may lead to improved treatment of this deadly lung disease, according to a paper published online by JAMA.

22 May 2013

Nutritional supplement improves functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders

Widely available in pharmacies and health stores, phosphatidylserine is a natural food supplement produced from beef, oysters, and soy. Proven to improve cognition and slow memory loss, it's a popular treatment for older people experiencing memory impairment.

22 May 2013

Scientists bioengineer novel molecule to kill tumour cells

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University and Lund University, Sweden, have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumour cells.

21 May 2013

PGDx to identify novel kinase targets in collaboration with Blueprint Medicines

Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc., today announced that it will use its proprietary methodologies and expertise in genomic analysis of defined cancer subtypes to identify novel kinase targets in collaboration with Blueprint Medicines.

21 May 2013

Viewpoints: Sebelius' 'ethical line'; As tricky phase of health law approaches, concerns about exchanges opening on time

One of the biggest questions hanging over the health-care system is how many young Americans will sign up for coverage once the Affordable Care Act begins to phase in this October. If too few buy insurance on the markets that the government is creating, insurance companies would be stuck covering primarily the old and the sick. They would have to pay out more per customer.

21 May 2013

Genetic News and Research

Second annual conference to reduce genomic health disparities

Immune system attacks beneficial bacteria in several chronic human diseases

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

NIH-funded study raises hope for recovery of some adult patients with brain disorder

Physicists demonstrate effect of cold atmospheric plasma, chemo therapy on brain tumour cells

MUC5B gene variation improves survival in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A1-PI treatment slows progression of emphysema in patients with AATD

Genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis can be used to identify individuals at risk for lung disease

Viewpoints: Slowing health costs; What causes genetic testing to be so expensive; Iowa governor offers Medicaid supports a 'glimmer of hope'

Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College wins AWSM Award for Excellence

New search tool to help doctors make right diagnosis for patients with rare diseases

Rice University computational study tracks regulatory mechanisms of E. coli cells

Caltech biologists show that microRNA-146a protects stem cells during inflammation

Emory University researchers identify a protein that stimulates orphan receptors in the brain

Nearly 35% of Mexican young adults may have genetic predisposition for obesity, says U of I scientist

Genetic variation helps predict survival in some cases of pulmonary fibrosis, study finds

Nutritional supplement improves functioning of genes involved in degenerative brain disorders

Scientists bioengineer novel molecule to kill tumour cells

PGDx to identify novel kinase targets in collaboration with Blueprint Medicines

Viewpoints: Sebelius' 'ethical line'; As tricky phase of health law approaches, concerns about exchanges opening on time

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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