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IU biologist to genetically modify variants of chlamydia

An Indiana University biologist has been awarded over $2.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to genetically modify variants of the human pathogen chlamydia in hopes of finding a vaccine for the most commonly reported bacterial infectious disease in the United States.

27 Mar 2012

Defects in schizophrenia-risk genes and environmental stress lead to abnormal brain development

Working with genetically engineered mice and the genomes of thousands of people with schizophrenia, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they now better understand how both nature and nurture can affect one's risks for schizophrenia and abnormal brain development in general.

27 Mar 2012

Gene fault linked to flu risk for hospitalization: Study finds

Researchers have found a genetic flaw that may explain why some people get more ill with flu than others. The study was reported in the journal Nature this Sunday, where researchers said the variant of the IFITM3 gene was much more common in people hospitalized for flu than in the general population. It controls a malformed protein, which makes cells more susceptible to viral infection. Experts said those with the flaw could be given the flu jab, like other at-risk groups.

26 Mar 2012

Study reveals mechanism by which AD may cause memory loss

Alzheimer's disease (AD) steals memory and ruins lives. Despite near-daily reports of promising new therapies, AD remains unchecked. Now a new study reveals the mechanism by which AD may cause memory loss, suggesting new therapies.

26 Mar 2012

Theracurmin shows positive impact on human diastolic functions

The research group led by Dr. Koji Hasegawa, Director of the Translational Research Division at the National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center and Dr. Tatsuya Morimoto, Professor at the Molecular Medicine School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, announced today based on the recent human clinical trials, that Theracurmin has continuously shown positive impact on human diastolic functions.

26 Mar 2012

Switch may release fuel and materials for rapid growth and formation of layers that later become organs

Shortly after a mouse embryo starts to form, some of its stem cells undergo a dramatic metabolic shift to enter the next stage of development, Seattle researchers report today. These stem cells start using and producing energy like cancer cells.

26 Mar 2012

Testosterone receptor may be a potential target for triple negative breast cancer

Could blocking a testosterone receptor lead to a new way to treat an aggressive form of breast cancer? That's a question researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) are exploring. Preliminary results of a Mayo Clinic - TGen collaborative study shows the testosterone receptor may be a potential target to attack in treating triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

26 Mar 2012

Mutational profiling could determine which AML patients will benefit from dose-intensive chemotherapy

An international group of researchers, including those from Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have published a paper in the March 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reviewing the results of a study that analyzed mutations in 18 genes of 398 patients who had acute myeloid leukemia.

26 Mar 2012

Study reveals central role played by DBIRD protein complex in gene transcription

In a study published this week in the journal Nature, researchers at the University of Liège's GIGA Unit, together with English and German teams, reveal the central role played by a protein complex, unknown up to now, in gene transcription.

26 Mar 2012

Researchers identify gene that influences how we respond to flu infection

A genetic finding could help explain why influenza becomes a life-threating disease to some people while it has only mild effects in others. New research led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has identified for the first time a human gene that influences how we respond to influenza infection.

26 Mar 2012

MicroRNAs linked to imminent threat of heart attack

Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute have, for the first time ever, made a connection between tiny genetic molecules called microRNAs and the imminent threat of a heart attack, according to a new study.

26 Mar 2012

Israel says no to skinny models

The Israeli Parliament has moved to ban skinny models from appearing in that nation's media. It has won approval in Tel Aviv on Monday, and to American experts on eating disorders, the measure is a clear step toward a key goal: promoting more realistic body images among girls and women.

25 Mar 2012

Male pattern baldness causes discovered

Most men start to go bald in middle age, with about 80% of men having some hair loss by the age of 70. Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss for men, the National Institute of Health said. Symptoms include a thinning of hair at the hairline, eventually creating a U-shaped or horseshoe pattern of hair on both sides of the head. The male sex hormone testosterone plays a key role, as do genetic factors. They cause the hair follicles to shrink, eventually becoming so small that they are invisible, leading to the appearance of baldness. While treatment is not necessary, side effects including psychological stress and loss of self-esteem due to change in appearance can be experienced.

25 Mar 2012

Testosterone may play a role in treatment of triple negative breast cancer

23 Mar 2012

Multiresistant bacteria withstand wastewater treatment processes

Large quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter the environment via municipal - and especially hospital - wastewater streams. Although wastewater treatment plants reduce the total number of bacteria, the most hazardous - multiresistant - strains appear to withstand or even to be promoted by treatment processes. This was demonstrated by Eawag researchers in a study carried out in Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.

23 Mar 2012

Genetic marker identifies tumors unable to repair DNA damage by platinum agents

Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their colleagues have found a genetic marker that predicts which aggressive "triple negative" breast cancers and certain ovarian cancers will likely respond to platinum-based chemotherapies.

23 Mar 2012

Obese children with PNPLA3 and GCKR genetic variants more susceptible to fatty liver disease

New research found the genetic variant Patatin-like phospholipase domain containing protein-3 (PNPLA3) acting in conjunction with the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) is associated with increased susceptibility to fatty liver disease in obese children.

23 Mar 2012

UC Riverside to study molecular basis of hormonal regulation of mosquito reproduction

Female mosquitoes require energy for their egg development, which they acquire from vertebrate blood. But by sucking on blood, they become vectors of numerous disease pathogens of human and domestic animals. If the mechanisms that govern their egg production are better understood, novel approaches to controlling the reproduction and population of mosquitoes can be devised.

23 Mar 2012

Scripps scientists generate synthetic memory trace

Scripps Research Institute scientists and their colleagues have successfully harnessed neurons in mouse brains, allowing them to at least partially control a specific memory. Though just an initial step, the researchers hope such work will eventually lead to better understanding of how memories form in the brain, and possibly even to ways to weaken harmful thoughts for those with conditions such as schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder.

23 Mar 2012

TAS2R38 and CD36 gene may play a role in fat perception

While high-fat foods are thought to be of universal appeal, there is actually a lot of variation in the extent to which people like and consume fat. A new study in the March issue of the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists, reported that two specific genes, may play a role in some people's ability to taste and enjoy dietary fat.

23 Mar 2012