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New research shows obesity is linked to our ability to digest carbohydrates

New research indicates that obesity in the general population may be genetically linked to how our bodies digest carbohydrates.

1 Apr 2014

New research implicates that RNA processing is central to ALS disease process

In work supported by The ALS Association, researchers have discovered a new ALS-causing gene and have linked its function to that of another prominent disease gene. The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

1 Apr 2014

Researchers identify two new genes associated with intellectual disability

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have discovered two new genes linked to intellectual disability, according to two research studies published concurrently this month in the journals Human Genetics and Human Molecular Genetics.

1 Apr 2014

Retinoic acid helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells

A derivative of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid, found abundantly in sweet potato and carrots, helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Oncology. The research could help explain why some clinical studies have been unable to see a benefit of vitamin A on cancer: the vitamin doesn't appear to change the course of full-blown cancer, only pre-cancerous cells, and only works at a very narrow dose.

31 Mar 2014

International scientists identify novel genetic defects that induce oesophageal cancer

A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore and National University Cancer Institute Singapore, and their collaborators from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, UCLA School of Medicine, demonstrated that a number of novel genetic defects are able to induce oesophageal cancer.

31 Mar 2014

Carb breakdown gene linked to obesity, researchers find

Researchers at King's College London and Imperial College London have discovered that people with fewer copies of a gene coding for a carb-digesting enzyme may be at higher risk of obesity. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, suggest that dietary advice may need to be more tailored to an individual's digestive system, based on whether they have the genetic predisposition and necessary enzymes to digest different foods.

31 Mar 2014

Einstein faculty members present recent research at AACR Annual Meeting

From uncovering the role nerve cells play in metastasis to identifying new cancer-causing genes, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University made notable advances in the understanding and potential treatment of cancer during the past year.

29 Mar 2014

Genetic variations influence risk for developing choline deficiency symptoms

What is now considered to be the "right" amount of the essential nutrient, choline, might actually be "wrong," depending on who you are. That's because scientists have found that the "right" amount of choline needed by an individual is influenced by a wide range of factors, including gender, life stage, race and ethnicity of the individual.

29 Mar 2014

Certain inherited DNA sequences may affect prognosis of bladder cancer patients

While patients diagnosed with bladder cancer usually face a favorable prognosis, many experience recurrence after treatment. Because frequent, painful screenings are needed to identify recurrences, the ablility to identify patients at high risk of recurrent cancer could help to improve quality of life for all bladder cancer patients.

29 Mar 2014

Research findings offer insight into helping cancer patients assess treatment risk

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are developing a new predictive tool that could help patients with breast cancer and certain lung cancers decide whether follow-up treatments are likely to help.

28 Mar 2014

Research findings help explain rare genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency syndrome

IRCM researchers led by Javier M. Di Noia, PhD, uncovered a new function of AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response. The discovery, recently published by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, helps explain a rare genetic disorder that causes an immunodeficiency syndrome.

28 Mar 2014

Scientists identify two markers that predict patient's resistance to radiation therapy for cancer

An international team of researchers, led by Beaumont Health System's Jan Akervall, M.D., Ph.D., looked at biomarkers to determine the effectiveness of radiation treatments for patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.

28 Mar 2014

Researchers provide new clues for adult vertebrate tissue regeneration

The reason why some animals can regenerate tissues after severe organ loss or amputation while others, such as humans, cannot renew some structures has always intrigued scientists. In a study now published in PLOS ONE, a research group from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ci-ncia (IGC, Portugal) led by Joaqu-n Rodr-guez Le-n provided new clues to solve this central question by investigating regeneration in an adult vertebrate model: the zebrafish.

27 Mar 2014

New findings reveal complexities of chemical spill in West Virginia's Elk River

In the more than two months since the Jan. 9 chemical spill into West Virginia's Elk River, new findings reveal the nature of the chemicals that were released into the water and then into the air in residents' houses.

27 Mar 2014

Tumor suppressor gene linked to stem cell function

Just as archeologists try to decipher ancient tablets to discern their meaning, UT Southwestern Medical Center cancer biologists are working to decode the purpose of an ancient gene considered one of the most important in cancer research.

27 Mar 2014

Research points strong reason to develop new class of antidepressant drug

Scientists have shown for the first time that a chemical in the brain called galanin is involved in the risk of developing depression.

From The University of Manchester 27 Mar 2014

Novel storage device transports vaccines to remote parts of the world

Getting life-saving vaccines to the most remote parts of the world is no easy feat. Biopharmaceuticals are highly sensitive to heat and cold and can perish if their temperature shifts a few degrees.

27 Mar 2014

Research pinpoints location of key genetic regulators in blood cells

Research published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology, presents an unprecedented look at five unique blood cells in the human body, pinpointing the location of key genetic regulators in these cells and providing a new tool that may help scientists to identify how blood cells form and shed light on the etiology of blood diseases.

27 Mar 2014

Autism begins during pregnancy, study reveals

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Allen Institute for Brain Science have published a study that gives clear and direct new evidence that autism begins during pregnancy.

27 Mar 2014

New era of lung cancer therapy close to dawning

A new era of lung cancer therapy is close to dawning, using drugs that can prevent tumour cells from evading the immune system, experts have said at the 4th European Lung Cancer Congress.

27 Mar 2014