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Research points to new target for treating periodontitis

T cells help fight off infection, but they can go overboard. A new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the National Institutes of Health shows that a subset of T cells contributes to the problematic inflammation and bone loss that is associated with periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease.

17 Oct 2018

Researchers discover why heart contractions are weaker in individuals with HCM

When a young athlete suddenly dies of a heart attack, chances are high that they suffer from familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Itis the most common genetic heart disease in the US and affects an estimated 1 in 500 people around the world.

17 Oct 2018

New blood test for pediatric brain tumor patients offers safer approach than surgical biopsies

A new blood test for children with brain tumors offers a safer approach than surgical biopsies and may allow doctors to measure the effectiveness of treatment even before changes are identified on scans, according to research led by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and Children’s National Health System.

16 Oct 2018

Antimicrobial signaling molecule has lower activity against hepatitis C virus in most humans

An antimicrobial signaling molecule called IFNλ4 has lower activity against the hepatitis C virus in the vast majority of humans compared with chimpanzees and African hunter-gatherer Pygmies, according to a study published October 11 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by John McLauchlan’s research team at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in the UK, and colleagues.

12 Oct 2018

Study suggests new approach to treat life-threatening blood disorder in children

Pediatric researchers studying the life-threatening blood disorder Fanconi anemia have devised a method to block the abnormal biological signals that drive the disease.

12 Oct 2018

New transgenic mouse model sheds light on biological causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that presents clinically with abnormal movement and tremors at rest.

12 Oct 2018

Network of doctors identify the cause of 31 new conditions

A network of hundreds of doctors has uncovered the biological characteristics of 31 previously unknown diseases and provided diagnoses for many unsolved cases.

11 Oct 2018

New AUC published for lumbar puncture and spinal fluid analysis in Alzheimer's diagnosis

In preparation for more tools that detect and measure the biology associated with Alzheimer's and other dementias earlier and with more accuracy, an Alzheimer's Association-led Workgroup has published appropriate use criteria for lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and spinal fluid analysis in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

10 Oct 2018

Discovery of gene mutation could offer benefit for people suffering from diabetes, heart disease, obesity

Researchers say they have discovered a gene mutation that slows the metabolism of sugar in the gut, giving people who have the mutation a distinct advantage over those who do not.

10 Oct 2018

Brown researchers uncover new clues about ALS progression

Brown University researchers have uncovered new clues about the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a surprisingly common disease that causes the death of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles such as those involved in walking, talking, chewing or breathing.

10 Oct 2018

Scientists identify new biomarker for Alzheimer's disease of sporadic origin

The objective of the research, undertaken in the laboratories of the IBPM, is to develop a model for studying Alzheimer's disease of sporadic origin, in other words, not due to a hereditary genetic mutation.

10 Oct 2018

Personal Genome Diagnostics’ pan-cancer assay being used in new clinical trial

Personal Genome Diagnostics, Inc., a leader in cancer genomics and pioneer in liquid biopsy, today reported that its non-invasive, pan-cancer plasma assay is being used in an important new clinical trial, Nivolumab, Ipilimumab in Patients With Hyper Mutated Cancers Detected in Blood, led by the Cancer Research Institute and Canadian Cancer Trials Group.

9 Oct 2018

Study links poor manganese uptake to scoliosis

Some cases of severe scoliosis may arise as a result of the body being unable to fully utilize manganese, a dietary mineral used for bone and cartilage growth.

9 Oct 2018

Genetic link to erectile dysfunction discovered

According to a new study there may be a genetic link to erectile dysfunction. This is the first time that such as connection has been made and this could mean that newer avenues of treatment could be explored for erectile dysfunction, explain the researchers.

8 Oct 2018

Study suggests novel approach to treating adults with autism spectrum disorder

A team of scientists at Florida Atlantic University has uncovered a brain-signaling pathway that can be pharmacologically manipulated in genetically engineered mice to reverse an autism-related pathway.

8 Oct 2018

New genome editing tool used to heal genetic disease

Parents of newborns may be familiar with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria: in Switzerland, all newborn babies are screened for this genetic disease.

8 Oct 2018

Beyond BRCA: Epigenetic Silencing in Breast Cancer

An interview with Professor William Newman, discussing his recent discovery in the field of breast cancer research, and the options that this will provide for women who have a family history of breast cancer but test negative for BRCA1/2 mutations.

8 Oct 2018

Researchers use CRISPR-Cas9 to prevent congenital disease in utero

Researchers have successfully used prenatal gene editing (CRISPR-Cas9) to prevent a fatal metabolic disorder in an animal model.

8 Oct 2018

Immunotherapy effective for individuals with inherited form of skin cancer

Individuals with an inherited form of skin cancer often have a poor prognosis. The type of immunotherapy that was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is, however, particularly effective in this patient group, research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows. The study is published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

8 Oct 2018

New blood test may detect early-stage lung cancer when surgical intervention is not possible

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma is often fatal because most cases are not diagnosed until they are so advanced that surgical intervention is no longer possible. To improve outcomes researchers are developing a blood test to detect lung cancer earlier in the disease.

8 Oct 2018