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Genes linked to autism spectrum disorder may play role in eye movements

Researchers studying zebrafish have found that genes linked to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental brain abnormalities may be playing a role in people who cannot control their eye movements.

4 Nov 2019

New guide for genomic diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia published

In Spain, a workgroup of more than 400 researchers, the Spanish Group of Myelodysplastic Syndromes, meets twice a year to present projects and undertake collaborations that improve their work in the fight against Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia, two types of blood cancers.

4 Nov 2019

Genetic mutation of APOE gene may provide protection against Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers has identified that a genetic mutation of the APOE gene, the major susceptibility gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, may provide protection against the devastating neurological illness.

4 Nov 2019

Some deadly skin cancers may originate in hair follicles

Some deadly skin cancers may originate in the pigment-making stem cells in hair follicles rather than in skin.

4 Nov 2019

Some skin cancers may originate in hair follicles

Some of the most deadly skin cancers may start in stem cells that lend color to hair, and originate in hair follicles rather than in skin layers, a new study finds.

4 Nov 2019

New, open-source database improves genomics research collaboration

Sharing datasets that reveal the function of genomic variants in health and disease has become easier, with the launch of a new, open-source database developed by Australian and North American researchers.

3 Nov 2019

Measles wipes out other immune memories

Thanks to misinformation and anti-vaccination campaigns in some pockets, United States and several nations of Europe have seen a massive outbreak of vaccine preventable measles infection over the recent years.

3 Nov 2019

Chemotherapy can cause drug-resistant mutations in pediatric ALL patients who relapse

Chemotherapy has helped make the most common childhood cancer one of the most curable, but researchers have evidence that the treatment may also prime some patients for relapse.

2 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019

Discovery of human cell signaling systems using bioinformatics

There are many and various receptors on the surface of each human cell, which bind to specific molecules called ligands, to set off signals that modulate cell activity accordingly. These pathways are exploited by therapeutic drugs. In fact, one in three drugs makes use of receptors belonging to a single very large family – the GPCR (G protein receptor coupled receptor) family.

1 Nov 2019

Good news, bad news: lower antibiotic use, more antibiotic resistance in UK

Public Health England (PHE) is cheering about a significant fall in the number of antibiotic prescriptions in England over the five years between 2014 and 2019, when it has dropped by 17%. However, with more and more bacterial infections showing antibiotic resistance every single year, there is no room for complacency.

31 Oct 2019

Discovery of first blue light emitting South American insect

A rainforest reserve, bordering the mighty Atlantic, in the Sao Paulo state of Brazil, is now in the news because scientists saw a flash of blue while they were gathering mushrooms. Indeed, this privately-owned Reserva Betary park can boast the honor of being host to the newly discovered species of fungus gnat, named Neoceroplatus betaryiensis, the larva of which is the first bioluminescent creature found in the Neotropics that emits blue light.

31 Oct 2019

Scientists visualize complex cellular machine to yield new insights in cancer

Cellular machines that control chromosome structure, such as the RSC complex, are mutated in about one-fifth of all human cancers.

31 Oct 2019

Risky strategy allows malaria parasite to quickly respond to unpredictable changes

The parasite that causes malaria expresses genes that code for the proteins it will need in later life stages, using two separate schemes to prevent these proteins from actually being made until they are needed, according to new research.

31 Oct 2019

OHSU receives $2.1 million to develop new vaccine additives for tropical viruses

Sometimes vaccines need a little help to protect people against infectious diseases.

31 Oct 2019

Mechanisms preserving cell identity are based on status of proteins housing DNA

The inheritance, not only of DNA, but of changes to proteins that package it, maintains the identity of cells as they multiply, a new study finds.

31 Oct 2019

Study identifies a kinase as potential target to treat heart failure

An unexplored kinase in heart muscle cells may be a good target to treat heart failure, a disease that is only incrementally delayed by existing therapies.

31 Oct 2019

Researchers identify genes linked to most severe symptoms of multiple sclerosis

In a bid to determine factors linked to the most debilitating forms of multiple sclerosis, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have identified three so-called "complement system" genes that appear to play a role in MS-caused vision loss.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 31 Oct 2019

Novel method for aggressive breast cancer detection

A new study in rats published in the journal Cell Reports shows that the pattern of RNA molecules produced within certain immune cells called macrophages, found within breast cancers (tumor-associated macrophages, TAMs), can tell whether the tumor is cancerous or not and indicate the type of outcome. The same pattern is present in humans as in mice. This makes it directly useful in predicting the nature of a breast tumor and its outcome.

30 Oct 2019

MSU research team wins NIH grant to explore new way to study the gut's immune system

One day, instead of requiring a painful needle injection, vaccinating against a host of formerly fatal diseases could be as simple as swallowing a pill. But getting to that point means first gaining a better understanding of how the immune system works in the complex human gut, according to Montana State University researcher Diane Bimczok.

30 Oct 2019