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Two genes linked to worst cases of esophageal cancer

University of Rochester Medical Center researchers have pinpointed two genes that are amplified in the worst cases of esophageal cancer, providing data to support a new investigational treatment that targets those same genes.

19 May 2011

MDC researchers comprehensively quantify gene expression for the first time

How do genes control us? This fundamental question of life still remains elusive despite decades of research. Genes are blueprints for proteins, but it is the proteins that actually carry out vital functions in the body for maintaining life. Diseases such as cancer are not only characterized by altered genes, but also by disturbed protein production.

19 May 2011

New breast cancer biomarker may help identify women's response to tamoxifen

Cancer researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and an international team of collaborators have discovered a biomarker in breast cancer that may help identify which women will respond to anti-estrogen therapy.

19 May 2011

Study suggests link between obesity, psoriasis and heart disease risk in children

Children who are overweight or obese have a significantly higher prevalence of psoriasis, and teens with psoriasis, regardless of their body weight, have higher cholesterol levels, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the Journal of Pediatrics.

19 May 2011

Children exposed to maternal smoking in utero have increased DNA methylation in AXL gene

Children whose mothers or grandmothers smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk of asthma in childhood, but the underlying causes of this are not well understood. Now a new study indicates changes in a process called DNA methylation that occurs before birth may be a root cause.

19 May 2011

Goat milk has nutritional characteristics beneficial to human health

Researchers at the University of Granada have found that goat milk has nutritional characteristics beneficial to health. They have determined that goat milk has many nutrients that make it similar to human milk.

19 May 2011

JAMA: Number of ERs decline just as emergency visits rise

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the number of emergency departments has been declining for the past two decades.

19 May 2011

Yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue for women with breast cancer

For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

19 May 2011

Berkeley Lab scientists contribute to remarkable advance in nuclear magnetic resonance

Nuclear magnetic resonance, a scientific technique associated with outsized, very low temperature, superconducting magnets, is one of the principal tools in the chemist's arsenal, used to study everything from alcohols to proteins to such frontiers as quantum computing.

19 May 2011

Global health partnership announces first-, second-line AIDS drugs price reductions in developing world

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNITAID, and the U.K.'s Department for International Development "said on Tuesday they had secured price reductions on key AIDS drugs for HIV-positive patients in poorer countries," Reuters reports.

19 May 2011

A new gene expression analysis technique on a single molecule sequencer

A new gene expression technique adapted for single molecule sequencing has enabled researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) to accurately and quantitatively measure gene expression levels using only 100 nanograms of total RNA. The technique, which pairs RIKEN's Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) protocol with the Helicos(R) Genetic Analysis System developed by Helicos BioSciences Corporation, opens the door to the detailed analysis of gene expression networks and rare cell populations. In recent years, next-generation DNA sequencers have produced an increasingly detailed picture of how genes are expressed at the molecular level. The transcriptional output of these genes - the RNA copies produced from DNA - has revealed a richness of complexity in transcript structure and function, providing insights into the molecular-level properties of cancers and other diseases.

19 May 2011

Estradiol may exacerbate tumor growth in breast cancer

A recently discovered enzyme drives the production of a potent form of estrogen in human breast cancer tissue, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found.

19 May 2011

Inspector General: Push for EMRs overlooks security issues

The Office of the Inspector General found "a lack of general [information technology] security controls during prior audits at Medicare contractors, State Medicaid agencies, and hospitals."

19 May 2011

Common gene fault triggers a ripple of molecular signals leading to more aggressive cervical cancer

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered that a common gene fault in cervical cancer cells triggers a ripple of molecular signals - which makes the disease more aggressive, according to research published in The Journal of Pathology.

19 May 2011

Mayo Clinic develops new screening procedure for Lynch syndrome detection

Mayo Clinic has developed a screening procedure that could dramatically increase testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary genetic disorder that raises cancer risk, particularly for colorectal cancer.

19 May 2011

'Gatekeeper' protein plays a key role in skin-cancer prevention

New research from North Carolina State University shows that a "gatekeeper" protein plays an important role in skin-cancer prevention in humans and lab mice.

19 May 2011

Mpex, Synteract partner for cystic fibrosis fundraising event

Synteract, Inc., a full-service, global contract research organization, and Mpex Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to combat the growing issue of antibiotic resistance, have partnered for the second annual Great Strides fundraiser to benefit cystic fibrosis.

19 May 2011

State roundup: Med schools in Texas face budget crunch

Patients would have access to detailed histories of Illinois doctors — including whether the physician has been fired, convicted of a crime or made a medical malpractice payment in the past five years — under legislation headed to the governor's desk.

19 May 2011

Vitamin D plays a key role in protection against childhood asthma

Vitamin D, which is primarily absorbed from the sun, plays a role in protection against childhood asthma. Now, a new study led by Valencian researchers has shown that children who live in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places.

19 May 2011

Serpin-2 molecule may be a perfect target for preventing mosquito's immunity

Mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to current pesticides. That's troubling to Kansas State University biologist Kristin Michel, as it means malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases will continue spreading. A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health may change all that.

18 May 2011