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Study shows why certain genetically predisposed individuals do not develop heart disease

Life can change dramatically when someone learns they are genetically predisposed to a disease, such as a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, where a mutated gene can lead to elevated cholesterol and increased risk for a premature heart attack.

20 Aug 2020

Study sheds light on 500-year old mystery about the human heart

Researchers have investigated the function of a complex mesh of muscle fibres that line the inner surface of the heart. The study, published in the journal Nature, sheds light on questions asked by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago, and shows how the shape of these muscles impacts heart performance and heart failure.

19 Aug 2020

Childhood maltreatment associated with higher chance of multimorbidity in adult life

People who suffer one or more forms of maltreatment in childhood have a higher chance of multimorbidity in later life.

19 Aug 2020

Social connection found to be the strongest protective factor for depression

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified a set of modifiable factors from a field of over 100 that could represent valuable targets for preventing depression in adults.

14 Aug 2020

New research on COVID-19 and aging

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that genetic factors, chronic disease, and biological aging define the relationship between aging and the severity of COVID-19.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers investigate the health consequences of heavier smoking

Each cigarette smoked a day by heavier smokers increases the risk of contracting some diseases by more than 30 per cent, according to a new international study published today.

7 Aug 2020

Severe vitamin D deficiency in UK South Asian population can lead to health problems

20 percent of the middle-aged UK South Asian population may have a very severe vitamin D deficiency, a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition reports. Such deficiency can lead to health problems such as osteomalacia (softening of the bones) and other chronic diseases.

4 Aug 2020

Immune system's oldest branches may underpin COVID severity

One of the immune system's oldest branches, called complement, may be influencing the severity of COVID disease, according to a new study from researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

3 Aug 2020

Novel genetic measure could improve osteoporosis screening

An international team of scientists has developed a novel genetic measure that could dramatically improve how doctors assess the risk of sustaining a fracture due to osteoporosis or fragility.

21 Jul 2020

$Genetic markers can improve screening for osteoporotic fracture risk$

Genetic markers can improve screening for osteoporotic fracture risk

A new study shows that genetic pre-screening could reduce the number of screening tests needed to identify individuals at risk for osteoporotic fractures. Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, is an author on the report published this month in PLOS (Public Library of Science) Medicine.

20 Jul 2020

Repurposing public health systems can provide near-to-real-time data on SARS-CoV-2

Existing public health monitoring systems in the UK, could improve understanding of the risk factors associated with severe COVID-19.

7 Jul 2020

Obesity and BME status may place individuals at high-risk of contracting COVID-19

Obese people among black and minority ethnic communities (BME) are at around two times higher the risk of contracting COVID-19 than white Europeans, a study conducted by a team of Leicester researchers has found.

6 Jul 2020

PrecisionLife scientists identify 68 genes linked to severe COVID-19 risk

PrecisionLife’s unique AI platform has found 68 genes associated with risk of developing severe COVID-19 after analysis of the genomes of 929 patients from the UK Biobank who had a severe response to SARS-CoV-2.

26 Jun 2020

Study identifies world's first genetic and environmental risk factor for common childhood epilepsy

A new study of childhood epilepsy has identified the world's first environmental risk factor for the disease - maternal smoking in pregnancy, and discovered a new genetic association with the condition, pointing to potential new treatments for the disease.

24 Jun 2020

U.K. to roll out the largest genetic study on chronic fatigue syndrome

Fatigue is the feeling of constant tiredness or weakness, which can affect anyone. In worse cases, people develop a condition called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This condition is debilitating and lacks a universally accepted definition, cause, diagnosis, and even treatment.

24 Jun 2020

Study identifies new gene variants tied to type-2 diabetes

After examining the genes of more than 200,000 people all over the world who have type-2 diabetes, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Veterans Health Administration's Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center found hundreds of genetic variants never before linked to the disease.

23 Jun 2020

The underlying cause of ethnic differences in COVID-19 remains unexplained

Higher rates of severe COVID-19 infections in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations are not explained by socioeconomic or behavioral factors, cardiovascular disease risk, or by vitamin D status, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London.

21 Jun 2020

Genetic studies analyze genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analyze a genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals to see if any are associated with a trait or disease.

8 Jun 2020

New risk genes for problematic alcohol use discovered

Do you have what is known as problematic alcohol use? Then statistically you will also be particularly genetically predisposed to develop e.g. depression and insomnia. And to become dependent on drugs and tobacco. This is shown by a new international study in which researchers from iPSYCH are involved.

4 Jun 2020

Neanderthal gene in women boosts infertility

It is still unclear why some women go into labor for long periods, and some face a high risk of childbirth. Also, some women fall pregnant quickly, while others may take years before they conceive. The answer may be due to a gene inherited from the Neanderthals, an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago.

31 May 2020