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Men with high levels of CCP genes more likely to have fatal form of prostate cancer

A genetic pattern could predict how aggressive prostate cancer is before treatment, and whether the disease will come back in men who have already been treated, according to research published1 in the Lancet Oncology.

9 Feb 2011

Urocortin system plays central role in regulating stress responses

Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect soldiers after combat or ordinary people who have undergone harrowing experiences. Of course, feelings of anxiety are normal and even desirable - they are part of what helps us survive in a world of real threats. But no less crucial is the return to normal - the slowing of the heartbeat and relaxation of tension - after the threat has passed.

9 Feb 2011

Cancer cells emerge as ghosts from the past: Literally

Cancer is growing by the day worldwide and the cancer cells still manage to evade both the body’s defenses and medical intervention. Now an explanation to the phenomenon is provided by an Arizona State University scientist.

8 Feb 2011

Scientists use fruit flies to study how prenatal alcohol exposure causes FAS

Drinking excess alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to the damaging effects of alcohol on a developing baby's brain. Despite its harmful effects, pregnant mothers continue to drink alcohol - up to 3 in every 1000 babies are born with FAS, which causes intellectual disabilities, behavioural problems, growth defects and abnormal facial features.

8 Feb 2011

How cocoa in chocolate reduces risk of heart disease

In time for the chocolate-giving and chocolate-noshing fest on Valentine's Day, scientists are reporting discovery of how this treat boosts the body's production of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) - the "good" form of cholesterol that protects against heart disease.

8 Feb 2011

Cancer can give important clues about nature and history of life

Despite decades of research and billions of dollars, cancer remains a major killer, with an uncanny ability to evade both the body's defenses and medical intervention. Now an Arizona State University scientist believes he has an explanation.

8 Feb 2011

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

Munich research team provides promising alternative to DNA-based procedures

Defects in the genome are the cause of many diseases. Gene therapy - direct replacement of mutant genes by intact DNA copies - offers a means of correcting such defects. Now a research team based at the Medical Center of the University of Munich, and led by Privatdozent Dr. Carsten Rudolph, has taken a new approach that avoids DNA delivery.

8 Feb 2011

Immune system genes linked to personality traits, mental illness and suicidal behaviour

Genes linked to the immune system can affect healthy people's personality traits as well as the risk of developing mental illness and suicidal behaviour, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

8 Feb 2011

Obesity rates double worldwide

The latest research has shown that obesity is on the rise worldwide and has actually doubled since 1980. On the other hand people in the developed countries have also managed to reduce their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This comes from three new studies published online Feb. 3 in The Lancet.

7 Feb 2011

British Journal of Dermatology publishes data on DermTech's new genomic assay for melanoma

DermTech International, a biotechnology company dedicated to bringing genomic medicine to dermatologists, today announced that the discovery data on its new genomic assay for melanoma have been published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

7 Feb 2011

Genomic study identifies link between Native American ancestry, relapse in young leukemia patients

The first genome-wide study to demonstrate an inherited genetic basis for racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival linked Native American ancestry with an increased risk of relapse in young leukemia patients. The work was done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group.

6 Feb 2011

Wood smoke may create adverse health effects in humans

With millions of people warding off winter's chill with blazing fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, scientists are raising red flags about the potential health effects of the smoke released from burning wood. Their study, published in the American Chemical Society's journal, Chemical Research in Toxicology, found that the invisible particles inhaled into the lungs from wood smoke may have several adverse health effects.

6 Feb 2011

Researchers describe the complete genome of Daphnia

From an environmental perspective, Daphnia pulex -- the waterflea - is the best-studied organism on the planet. Scientists know how this species responds to pollution, predators, day and night, making it an important model for ecological and evolutionary research. Its genome, however, remained elusive, limiting understanding of how the environment and genes interact.

5 Feb 2011

Researchers find RIPs remain active, continue to produce new insertions in human genome

An ambitious hunt by Johns Hopkins scientists for actively "jumping genes" in humans has yielded compelling new evidence that the genome, anything but static, contains numerous pesky mobile elements that may help to explain why people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks.

5 Feb 2011

Researchers trace scent signals from nose to higher centers of mouse brain

Mice know fear. And they know to fear the scent of a predator. But how do their brains quickly figure out with a sniff that a cat is nearby?

5 Feb 2011

Lack of DOT1L enzyme could lead to some types of heart disease: Study

Everyone knows chocolate is critical to a happy Valentine's Day. Now scientists are one step closer to knowing what makes a heart happy the rest of the year.

5 Feb 2011

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost thrombin production

In our not-so-distant evolutionary past, stress often meant imminent danger, and the risk of blood loss, so part of our body's stress response is to stock-pile blood-clotting factors. Scientists in the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, a collaboration between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and the University of Heidelberg Medical Centre, have discovered how stressed cells boost the production of the key blood-clotting factor, thrombin.

4 Feb 2011

Lampreys may have dual immune defense system similar to that of humans

Biologists have discovered that primitive, predatory lampreys have structures within their gills that play the same role as the thymus, the organ where immune cells called T cells develop in mammals, birds and fish.

4 Feb 2011

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost production of key blood-clotting factor, thrombin

Scientists in a collaboration between EMBL Heidelberg and the University of Heidelberg Medical Centre have discovered how stressed cells boost the production of the key blood-clotting factor, thrombin. Their work, published today in Molecular Cell, shows how cancer cells may be taking advantage of this process, and opens new possibilities for fighting back against cancer and septicaemia.

4 Feb 2011

Genes News and Research

Men with high levels of CCP genes more likely to have fatal form of prostate cancer

Urocortin system plays central role in regulating stress responses

Cancer cells emerge as ghosts from the past: Literally

Scientists use fruit flies to study how prenatal alcohol exposure causes FAS

How cocoa in chocolate reduces risk of heart disease

Cancer can give important clues about nature and history of life

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Munich research team provides promising alternative to DNA-based procedures

Immune system genes linked to personality traits, mental illness and suicidal behaviour

Obesity rates double worldwide

British Journal of Dermatology publishes data on DermTech's new genomic assay for melanoma

Genomic study identifies link between Native American ancestry, relapse in young leukemia patients

Wood smoke may create adverse health effects in humans

Researchers describe the complete genome of Daphnia

Researchers find RIPs remain active, continue to produce new insertions in human genome

Researchers trace scent signals from nose to higher centers of mouse brain

Lack of DOT1L enzyme could lead to some types of heart disease: Study

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost thrombin production

Lampreys may have dual immune defense system similar to that of humans

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost production of key blood-clotting factor, thrombin

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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