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Cell-free DNA test could help identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection

Today, researchers presented findings at the 68th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting that DNA found circulating in the bloodstream—known as cell-free DNA—can be used to identify liver transplant patients with acute rejection with greater accuracy than conventional liver function tests.

1 Aug 2016

NxGEN and NX Prenatal collaborate to develop blood test for identifying women at risk of preterm birth

In a collaborative move to expand their women's health screening and testing portfolios, NxGEN MDx, LLC., and NX Prenatal Inc., announced a joint partnership to collaborate on the development and deployment of a blood test to assess pregnancy biomarkers of preterm birth risk.

30 Jul 2016

Scientists identify new group of molecules that could slow tumour growth in prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer patients have been offered hope after scientists at Newcastle University, UK, have identified a new group of molecules that could be targeted to slow tumour growth.

28 Jul 2016

Researchers find easy way to ensure baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C

Baby boomers, adults born between 1945 and 1965, are five times more likely to have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

27 Jul 2016

Adding DNA sequencing to newborn screenings may increase early diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

A study by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Brigham and Women's Hospital and the California Department of Public Health suggests that all babies with a known mutation for cystic fibrosis (CF) and second mutation called the 5T allele should receive additional screening in order to better predict the risk of developing CF later in life.

26 Jul 2016

Study identifies specific characteristics that predispose women to different hot flashes, night sweat patterns

Most women will get hot flashes or night sweats at some point in life. However, when these symptoms occur and how long they last can vary dramatically among women.

14 Jul 2016

Aelan's researchers develop novel epigenetic biomarker for diagnosis of AD

Aelan Cell Technologies today announced the development of a novel epigenetic biomarker. An early human clinical feasibility study has indicated that serological tests using the biomarker alongside other proprietary components developed by Aelan's researchers could potentially help physicians diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD).

12 Jul 2016

Study shows siblings of food allergic children do not experience food allergy symptoms

Families with a child who has food allergy often wonder if a younger sibling should be screened before introducing potentially allergenic foods.

12 Jul 2016

New diagnostic blood test may offer hope for transplant recipients through analysis of cfDNA

When cells die, whether through apoptosis or necrosis, the DNA and other molecules found in those cells don't just disappear. They wind up in the blood stream, where degraded bits and pieces can be extracted.

8 Jul 2016

Genetic test detects colon cancer-linked DNA in blood to predict disease recurrence risk

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and University of Melbourne report they have used a genetic test that spots bits of cancer-related DNA circulating in the blood to accurately predict the likelihood of the disease's return in some — but not all — of a small group of patients with early-stage colon cancer.

7 Jul 2016

Menopause symptoms: can a healthcare professional help? An interview with Dr Heather Currie

The survey showed that only 50% of women consulted a healthcare professional about their symptoms, despite the fact that many women said their symptoms were having a significant effect on their work life, social life, home life and sex life.

6 Jul 2016

Researchers develop computer model for speed analysis of TB's complex life-cycle

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a serious global health problem accounting for 1.3 million worldwide deaths annually.

1 Jul 2016

UTHealth researchers receive $11 million grant to study prion diseases

Led by Claudio Soto, Ph.D., researchers from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have been awarded $11 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study the pathogenesis, transmission and detection of prion diseases - such as chronic wasting disease in deer - that can potentially spread to humans.

30 Jun 2016

Primary care visits lead to more screenings and follow-up colonoscopies

People who visit their primary care physicians are more likely to get potentially life-saving colon cancer screenings and follow up on abnormal stool blood test results - even in health systems that heavily promote mail-in home stool blood tests that don't require a doctor visit, a study involving UT Southwestern population health researchers shows.

25 Jun 2016

Simple method may help predict type 2 diabetes risk in women with gestational diabetes

An international team of researchers has discovered a simple, accurate new way to predict which women with gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes after delivery.

23 Jun 2016

Researchers determine whether older adults were up-to-date with CRC screening

Who should consider colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and why? CRC is a common and costly disease, largely of the elderly, with nearly 25% of cases diagnosed among patients aged 75-84 years, but the guidelines for CRC screening of Americans aged 75 or older vary according to the source.

23 Jun 2016

Researchers play crucial role in crafting diagnostic criteria for functional GI disorders

With no laboratory test available to diagnose functional gastrointestinal disorders, proper diagnostic criteria are critical for clinicians to make an accurate determination of what ails their patients.

22 Jun 2016

New blood test could help predict severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that rising blood levels of a protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) are linked to the increasing severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of damaging high blood pressure in the lungs.

20 Jun 2016

Researchers seek to develop inexpensive electronic nose for breath analysis

Researchers at the Texas Analog Center of Excellence (TxACE) at UT Dallas are working to develop an affordable electronic nose that can be used in breath analysis for a wide range of health diagnosis.

17 Jun 2016

Simple blood test could help diagnose endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic, often painful disease affecting up to 10 percent of women of reproductive age in the U.S. How it develops is not well understood, and detecting it with certainty requires surgery.

16 Jun 2016