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Weight-loss surgery improves metabolic health of mothers, but harms offspring later in life

Studies show that weight-loss surgery can boost fertility in women and reduce the risk of pregnancy complications that commonly occur in obese women, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. While weight loss surgery improves the metabolic health of mothers, new findings to be presented at Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender support that such surgery has negative consequences on children born after the procedure.

20 Nov 2015

WSU researchers establish categorical distinction between heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals

Washington State University researchers have established a categorical distinction between people who are heterosexual and those who are not. By analyzing the reported sexual behavior, identity and attraction of more than 33,000 American adults, they found that 3 percent of men and 2.7 percent of women are not heterosexual. They also found notable issues on several mental health fronts.

20 Nov 2015

MCG researchers explore how neurofibromatosis puts young patients at risk for cardiovascular disease

It's a fairly common genetic condition that can surface as a series of dark skin spots and result in a host of maladies from tumors to premature cardiovascular disease. Medical College of Georgia researchers hope their studies of how neurofibromatosis 1, or NF1, can dangerously thicken or thin blood vessel walls will one day help physicians better identify and treat these young patients at cardiovascular risk.

20 Nov 2015

New approach to regulate people's cholesterol levels

A discovery about how the body deals with the cholesterol contained within its dying cells has suggested an exciting new approach to control people's cholesterol levels - and thus their risk of developing heart disease.

19 Nov 2015

Last resort antibiotics may no longer work

E.coli has become resistant to the last line of antibiotics we have left and untreatable bugs may already be circulating in Britain, warn scientists.

19 Nov 2015

Role of genetic predisposition in pediatric cancer patients

The most detailed analysis yet of the role germline mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition play in the development of childhood cancer suggests that comprehensive genomic screening may be warranted on all pediatric cancer patients, not just those with a family history of cancer.

19 Nov 2015

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

A new CRISPR/Cas9 technology developed by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is precise enough to surgically edit DNA at nearly any genomic location, while avoiding potentially harmful off-target changes typically seen in standard CRISPR gene editing techniques.

19 Nov 2015

IMB scientists unravel complex regulatory mechanism involved in brain development

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Mainz have unraveled a complex regulatory mechanism that explains how a single gene can drive the formation of brain cells. The research, published in The EMBO Journal, is an important step towards a better understanding of how the brain develops. It also harbors potential for regenerative medicine.

19 Nov 2015

International task force aims to develop new approach to cancer prevention and treatment

Advancements in precision medicine have led to many new targeted cancer therapies for cancer patients. These treatments focus on using agents that target one or two genes that contribute to tumor development. The approach tends to be more effective against cancer cells and less toxic toward normal cells than standard chemotherapeutic regimens.

19 Nov 2015

Gamma interferon may have potential to prevent Ebola infection

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed more than 11,300 lives and starkly revealed the lack of effective options for treating or preventing the disease. Progress has been made on developing vaccines, but there is still a need for antiviral therapies to protect health care workers and local populations in the event of future outbreaks.

18 Nov 2015

Researchers identify a mechanism that may explain association between obesity and cancer

Researchers have identified a mechanism that allows cancer cells to respond and grow rapidly when levels of sugar in the blood rise. This may help to explain why people who develop conditions in which they have chronically high sugar levels in their blood, such as obesity, also have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.

18 Nov 2015

Bone protein can inhibit prostate cancer metastasis to bone

Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in collaboration with researchers from University of California campuses at Merced and Davis have found that a secreted protein predominantly expressed in bone inhibits prostate cancer metastasis to bone.

18 Nov 2015

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

A study led by the University of Utah School of Medicine provides new insights into how the subtle changes within cells, caused by disruptions in a gene called Kirrel3, could underlie some types of intellectual disability and autism.

18 Nov 2015

TSRI researchers have new weapons to combat HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have new weapons in the fight against HIV. Their new study, published November 17, 2015 as the cover article of the journal Immunity, describes four prototype antibodies that target a specific weak spot on the virus. Guided by these antibodies, the researchers then mimicked the molecular structure of a protein on HIV when designing their own potential HIV vaccine candidate.

18 Nov 2015

RNA-based drugs provide many advantages over CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

In just the past few years, researchers have found a way to use a naturally occurring bacterial system known as CRISPR/Cas9 to inactivate or correct specific genes in any organism. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing activity runs continuously, though, leading to risk of additional editing at unwanted sites. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Ludwig Cancer Research and Isis Pharmaceuticals demonstrate a commercially feasible way to use RNA to turn the CRISPR-Cas9 system on and off as desired -- permanently editing a gene, but only temporarily activating CRISPR-Cas9.

17 Nov 2015

Scientists show how absence of microbiota has remarkable effect against obesity

In the past few years, research on gut microbiota (that is, all microorganisms, mainly bacteria, inhabiting our gut) has started to unravel its tremendous role in our body, and how it symbiotically affects the functioning of our organs. In particular, microbiota has also an impact on the way calories are absorbed and how fat cells develop.

17 Nov 2015

Researchers identify molecular patterns that dominate gene expression in the human brain

The human brain may be the most complex piece of organized matter in the known universe, but Allen Institute researchers have begun to unravel the genetic code underlying its function. Research published this month in Nature Neuroscience identified a surprisingly small set of molecular patterns that dominate gene expression in the human brain and appear to be common to all individuals, providing key insights into the core of the genetic code that makes our brains distinctly human.

17 Nov 2015

Changes in cellular metabolites regulate earliest stages of embryonic stem cell development

Changes in cellular metabolites have been shown to regulate embryonic stem cell development at the earliest stages of life. Metabolites are simple compounds generated during life-sustaining chemical activities in cells.

17 Nov 2015

MedUni Vienna researchers discover genetic cause of a rare disease

Researchers at MedUni Vienna have discovered the genetic cause of a rare disease characterized by life-threatening "liver crises" in early childhood and subsequent manifestation of neurological symptoms, such as neuropathy and ataxia (a movement disorder), when they reach school age.

15 Nov 2015

Research identifies liver pathway that contributes to negative effects of high-fat, high-cholesterol junk food diet

It's no secret that a high-fat, high-cholesterol "junk food" diet has been linked to major health problems, including high blood cholesterol and the buildup of plaques in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis.

13 Nov 2015

Genes News and Research

Weight-loss surgery improves metabolic health of mothers, but harms offspring later in life

WSU researchers establish categorical distinction between heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals

MCG researchers explore how neurofibromatosis puts young patients at risk for cardiovascular disease

New approach to regulate people's cholesterol levels

Last resort antibiotics may no longer work

Role of genetic predisposition in pediatric cancer patients

New technique improves accuracy of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

IMB scientists unravel complex regulatory mechanism involved in brain development

International task force aims to develop new approach to cancer prevention and treatment

Gamma interferon may have potential to prevent Ebola infection

Researchers identify a mechanism that may explain association between obesity and cancer

Bone protein can inhibit prostate cancer metastasis to bone

Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

TSRI researchers have new weapons to combat HIV

RNA-based drugs provide many advantages over CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system

Scientists show how absence of microbiota has remarkable effect against obesity

Researchers identify molecular patterns that dominate gene expression in the human brain

Changes in cellular metabolites regulate earliest stages of embryonic stem cell development

MedUni Vienna researchers discover genetic cause of a rare disease

Research identifies liver pathway that contributes to negative effects of high-fat, high-cholesterol junk food diet

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