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Researchers win NIH grants for Alzheimer's research on Amish resilience and rapid onset

Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have received two grant awards, in partnership with investigators from other institutions, from the National Institutes of Health to conduct major studies on Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of memory loss and other forms of dementia in older persons.

14 Dec 2017

Researchers discover rare genetic variant that offers protection against Alzheimer's disease

Research published Wednesday in Genome Medicine details a novel and promising approach in the effort to treat Alzheimer's disease.

30 Nov 2017

Leishmania genome study reveals the parasites adaptation to the environment

A new study, conducted by researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, have revealed that Leishmania adaptation is a consequence of reversible and frequent chromosomal amplifications.

23 Nov 2017

Leishmania adaptation to environmental changes results from frequent chromosomal amplifications

Leishmaniasis is an important human and veterinary disease caused by Leishmania parasites that affect 12 million people in over 98 endemic countries. The disease is now emerging in Europe due to climate change and massive population displacement.

23 Nov 2017

Gene variants appear to alter features of alcohol dose-response relationship

Although estimates vary, scientists believe that 50 to 64 percent of the risk of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is inherited. One way to identify this risk is through a person's subjective response to alcohol.

14 Nov 2017

‘Precision Medicine’ may not always be so precise when applied to diverse populations, study says

Precision Medicine in oncology, where genetic testing is used to determine the best drugs to treat cancer patients, is not always so precise when applied to some of the world's more diverse populations, according to a study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, and the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

27 Oct 2017

Study explores role of genes in depression vulnerability

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a study explored the role of genes in depression vulnerability. The financial crisis that has afflicted Greece since 2008 has adversely affected the physical and mental health of the population, with reports pointing to a rise in the prevalence of depression from 3.3% prior to the crisis to 12.3% in 2013.

24 Oct 2017

“Chemical surgery” on embryos to free them of a gene causing thalassemia

A team of Chinese researchers have for the first time “mended” defective embryos using chemical surgery to free them of a faulty gene that leads to beta thalassemia. Until now this defect was found to be incorrigible caused due to a single misspelling in the DNA code. Beta thalassemia is a dreaded blood disorder wherein the child is unable to make healthy blood needing blood transfusions on a regular basis. The study was published this week in the journal Protein and Cell.

2 Oct 2017

Pathway from ADI to AUD symptoms influenced by ethnicity and genetics

Studies have shown that an early age of drinking initiation (ADI) increases the chance of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD).

29 Aug 2017

Counteracting premature aging

Aging is the continuing process of such stress exposures, and with advancing age (normal aging), we must carry lots of senescent cells within our bodies. Senescent cells also often provide some ‘bad influences’ to surrounding healthy cells; such as chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis

14 Aug 2017

Malaria already widespread on Sardinia in the Roman period, research shows

Malaria was already widespread on Sardinia by the Roman period, long before the Middle Ages, as indicated by research at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine of the University of Zurich with the help of a Roman who died 2,000 years ago.

27 Jul 2017

People with genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's may have greater cognitive deficits with sleep-disordered breathing

People who carry a genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease appear to be at greater risk of diminished cognition from sleep-disordered breathing than those without the susceptibility, according to new research published online, ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

21 Jul 2017

Targeting risk factors throughout life stages could prevent 35% of dementia cases, study reveals

A study published in The Lancet, on July 20th 2017, reveals that 1 out of 3 dementia cases are preventable when risk factors are targeted beginning from childhood.

20 Jul 2017

Study explores factors, patterns that predict use of restrictive feeding for children

In the preschool years, children begin to learn from their environment about self-regulation--both in regards to food choices and how to deal with their emotions.

16 Jun 2017

Dietary practices get reflected in the genes of Europeans, study reveals

A recently published Cornell University study describes how shifts in the diets of Europeans after the introduction of farming 10,000 years ago led to genetic adaptations that favored the dietary trends of the time.

13 Jun 2017

LMU researchers show how genetic variant in people of African ancestry modulates immune cells

A genetic variant that is particularly prevalent in people of African ancestry confers protection against malaria. LMU researchers have now shown how it modulates the properties of white blood cells that play a major role in immune defenses and inflammation.

1 Jun 2017

OGT makes several advances in hybridization-based targeted sequencing

Oxford Gene Technology, The Molecular Genetics Company, has made several advances in hybridisation-based target enrichment protocols that now enable researchers to prepare samples for sequencing in just one day.

26 May 2017

Gene mutation may accelerate loss of memory and thinking skills in people with Alzheimer's risk

A gene mutation may accelerate the loss of memory and thinking skills in people who are at risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the May 3, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The gene mutation is called the BDNF Val66Met allele, or just the Met allele.

4 May 2017

Obesity amplifies effects of three risk alleles linked to NAFLD

An international study based at UT Southwestern Medical Center revealed a striking genetic-environmental interaction: Obesity significantly amplifies the effects of three gene variants that increase risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by different metabolic pathways.

26 Apr 2017

Transgenic fruit flies can shed light on genetic mutations that underlie kidney disease in humans

An off-the-shelf dietary supplement available for pennies per dose demonstrated the ability to reverse cellular damage linked to specific genetic mutations in transgenic fruit flies, an experimental model of genetic mutation-induced renal cell injury that features striking similarities to humans, a Children's National Health System research team reports April 20 in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

21 Apr 2017