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Twins pilot study shows genes may make some people more attractive to mosquitoes

The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be down to our genes, according to a study carried out on twins. Research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found, for the first time, an underlying genetic component to how attractive we are to mosquitoes and this is likely to be caused by genetic control of our body odour.

24 Apr 2015

Smoking and genetics can increase women's likelihood of giving birth to twins

African American mothers who smoke and have a genetic profile that includes a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the TP53 gene have an increased likelihood of having twins, concluded a team of researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

21 Apr 2015

Researchers analyze false-positive results from new prenatal genetic screens

Prenatal blood screening for extra or missing chromosomes in the fetus might give false-positive results if the mother's genome contains more than the usual number of certain DNA segments.

6 Apr 2015

Envy Medical launches world-class patented Advanced Dermalinfusion Technology

Envy Medical, Inc. launches SilkPeel3, the next generation of its world class patented Advanced Dermalinfusion Technology. Unveiled originally in 2005, SilkPeel is celebrating its 10th birthday in style with fresh features, enhanced functionality and a sleek new design.

18 Mar 2015

New database on healthy immune system may help design future studies on autoimmune disorders

An extensive database identifying immune traits, such as how immune cell function is regulated at the genetic level in healthy people, is reported by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators in the journal Cell.

13 Mar 2015

BU study explores birth outcomes for women who receive fertility treatment

Birth outcomes for babies whose mothers used assisted reproductive technology (ART) are better in some cases, and worse in others, than for subfertile women who did not use ART, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by Boston University School of Public Health researchers.

12 Mar 2015

UIC researchers identify genetic variation that increases MS risk in women

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a genetic variation that in women significantly increases their risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

5 Mar 2015

Environmental conditions play significant role in determining growth, height

If you've ever wondered why you aren't a little taller, it turns out it's not all about genetics. In findings published in the Journal of Pediatrics (January 2015), an Israeli research team shows that the environment in which one lives from the womb to about age one largely determines an adult's height.

4 Mar 2015

Study explores association between back pain and depression

Genetic factors help to explain the commonly found association between low back pain and depression, suggests a large study of twins in the March issue of PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

26 Feb 2015

Southern Regional Education Board honors UTSA professor as Mentor of the Year

Edwin Barea-Rodriguez, professor and chair of the UTSA Department of Biology, was recently honored as the Mentor of the Year by the Southern Regional Education Board at a conference in Atlanta. More than 1,300 attended the conference, where the nation's largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars discussed issues facing new and aspiring faculty members.

10 Dec 2014

New study finds link between birth weights and academic performance in school

It's no secret that low-birth-weight babies face significantly greater risks for certain health problems early on, such as respiratory distress or infection. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Florida and Northwestern University shows that lower weights at birth also have an adverse effect on children's performance in school, which is likely due to the early health struggles small babies often face.

5 Dec 2014

Study: Heavier newborns do better in school

Birth weight makes a difference to a child's future academic performance, according to new Northwestern University research that found heavier newborns do better in elementary and middle school than infants with lower birth weights.

2 Dec 2014

Variants of ASIC1a gene appear to be associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort. Scientists have known from studying twins that genes contribute to the risk of panic disorder, but very little is known about which specific genes are involved.

2 Dec 2014

Different forms of ASIC1a gene associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort.

1 Dec 2014

Cognitive test battery developed to measure impact of spaceflight stressors on cognitive performance

Space is one of the most demanding and unforgiving environments. Human exploration of space requires astronauts to maintain consistently high levels of cognitive performance to ensure mission safety and success, and prevent potential errors and accidents. Despite the importance of cognitive performance for mission success, little is known about how cognition is affected by prolonged spaceflight, and what aspects of cognition are primarily affected.

27 Nov 2014

Preterm birth becomes world's number one killer of young children

For the first time in history, the complications of preterm birth outrank all other causes as the world's number one killer of young children.

17 Nov 2014

Findings pave way for personalized probiotic therapies for obesity-related diseases

Our genetic makeup influences whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our body, according to a Cornell-led study published today in the journal Cell.

7 Nov 2014

Scientists develop human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish

A team of scientists led by The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute successfully created a human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish. Studying a pair of identical (monozygotic) twins, one affected and one unaffected with Parkinson's disease, another unrelated Parkinson's patient, and four healthy control subjects, the scientists were able to observe key features of the disease in the laboratory, specifically differences in the patients' neurons' ability to produce dopamine, the molecule that is deficient in Parkinson's disease.

6 Nov 2014

People with lactose intolerance at lower risk of suffering from certain cancers

People with lactose intolerance are at lower risk of suffering from lung, breast and ovarian cancers, according to a new study by researchers at Lund University and Region Skåne in Sweden.

4 Nov 2014