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Excess coffee is not good for cardiovascular health, shows study

Long black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health.

25 Feb 2021

Genetic testing technology wrongly detects the presence of very rare genetic variants

A technology that is widely used by commercial genetic testing companies is "extremely unreliable" in detecting very rare variants, meaning results suggesting individuals carry rare disease-causing genetic variants are usually wrong, according to new research published in the BMJ.

15 Feb 2021

New genetic analysis reveals biological causes of muscle weakness in older people

A new largescale genetic analysis has found biological mechanisms that contribute to making people more susceptible to muscle weakness in later life, finding that diseases such as osteoarthritis and diabetes may play a large role in susceptibility.

11 Feb 2021

New study reveals that daytime naps are partly regulated by genes

How often a person takes daytime naps, if at all, is partly regulated by their genes, according to new research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in Nature Communications.

11 Feb 2021

Polygenic risk scores from multi-population data could improve IBD predictions

Using genetic data from nearly 30,000 people, Mount Sinai researchers have built risk scores from a combination of datasets representing distinct ancestral populations that improve prediction of risk for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The study was published in Gastroenterology on December 24.

24 Dec 2020

Genetic analysis reveals novel traits associated with COVID-19 severity

Researchers in the United States have conducted genetic correlation studies revealing novel traits associated with the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Dec 2020

Scientists show a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people

This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health.

15 Dec 2020

Study connects specific foods to later-in-life cognitive acuity

The foods we eat may have a direct impact on our cognitive acuity in our later years. This is the key finding of an Iowa State University research study spotlighted in an article published in the November 2020 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

10 Dec 2020

Research sheds light on the mystery cause of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

New research could shed light on the mystery cause of a lung disease that is a major killer, and potentially unlock new treatments.

8 Dec 2020

Smoking may increase some people's risk of testing positive for COVID-19

Researchers in the United States have conducted a detailed analysis examining whether smoking increases or decreases the risk of testing positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

3 Dec 2020

Host genetic "super-variants" may increase COVID-19 death risk

Researchers at Yale University have identified genetic variants among people of white British ancestry that may increase the risk of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – the illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

11 Nov 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis may increase risk of dying from COVID-19

Researchers in New Zealand and Australia have conducted a study showing that people with rheumatoid arthritis may be at an increased risk of death if they develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after becoming infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

11 Nov 2020

Study uncovers mechanisms behind premature menopause's link to cardiovascular disease

Menopause that occurs before a woman is 40 years old accelerates aging and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

10 Nov 2020

Research explores links between Alzheimer's and Parkinson′s to COVID-19

In a recent medRxiv* preprint paper, Dr. L. Miguel Martins and colleagues from the University of Cambridge investigate the links between neurodegeneration and COVID-19.

9 Nov 2020

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths skew towards older males of non-European ancestry

A team of researchers recently investigated the genetic determinants of COVID-19 risk and severity in humans.

6 Nov 2020

Cognitive disorders associated with risk for developing severe COVID-19

Dementia and other cognitive disorders now appear to be risk factors for developing severe COVID-19, according to research from the University of Georgia. The findings highlight the need for special care for populations with these preexisting conditions during the pandemic.

28 Oct 2020

Statins may lower cancer risk through a pathway unrelated to cholesterol

Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may reduce cancer risk in humans through a pathway unrelated to cholesterol, says a study published today in eLife.

13 Oct 2020

Researchers receive NIH grant to investigate link between loneliness and Alzheimer's risk

Two researchers from The Neuro, with collaborators from the StoP-AD Centre at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, will lead a research program centered on an emerging field of neuroscience thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Aging in the USA.

7 Oct 2020

Using GWAS and trans-ancestry comparison to accurately predict risk for coronary artery disease

An international group led by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences have used a combination of genome-wide association analysis--or GWAS--and a trans-ancestry comparison of different GWAS studies, to come up with a more accurate predictor of coronary artery disease based on genetic factors.

6 Oct 2020

Genetic risk scoring of lipoprotein(a) can predict risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Elevated levels of a little-known lipoprotein in the blood that may put people at high risk of cardiovascular disease can be as accurately detected by genetic testing as by conventional laboratory measurement, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found.