Genetic News and Research

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First Edition: May 28, 2013

Today's headlines include stories about the strategies of some businesses -- small and large -- to blunt the health law's impact.

28 May 2013

More evidence of high oxidative stress levels found in Down syndrome neurons

Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects.

28 May 2013

New animal model provides insight into early stages of Parkinson's disease

At the present, no cure exists for Parkinson's disease, although symptomatic intervention, including treatment with dopamine agonists, can alleviate patients' motor impairment. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease; it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 patients are affected by Parkinson's disease in Germany alone.

28 May 2013

Neuroscientists identify key circuit elements that contribute to everyday decision in ACC

You are sitting on your couch flipping through TV channels trying to decide whether to stay put or get up for a snack. Such everyday decisions about whether to "stay" or to "go" are supported by a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is part of the prefrontal cortex.

27 May 2013

Researchers identify mutations in new genes that might be associated with ALS disease

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified mutations in several new genes that might be associated with the development of spontaneously occurring cases of the neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

27 May 2013

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don't receive health insurance from employers (David Lazarus, 5/23).

27 May 2013

New therapeutic targets for infantile myofibromatosis

Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis -a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue-may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

26 May 2013

Study could open up new possibilities for early diagnosis of motor disorders

The scientists report these findings in the current online edition of "The Lancet Neurology". This pan-European study could open up new possibilities of early diagnosis and smooth the way for treatments which tackle diseases before the patient's nervous system is irreparably damaged.

24 May 2013

Study finds differences in the brains of patients suffering from psychiatric diseases

Studying the networks of connections in the brains of people affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression has allowed Dr. Peter Williamson, from Western University, to gain a better understanding of the biological basis of these important diseases.

24 May 2013

New technique may help develop genetic thermometer to assess patients’ health

On May 22, JoVE will publish details of a technique to measure the health of human genetic material in relation to a patient-s age. The method is demonstrated by the laboratory of Dr. Gil Atzmon at New York-s Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

24 May 2013

Scientists develop new device to test the effects of drugs

Scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs.

24 May 2013

Highlights: Geography's role in elective surgeries in Calif.; Conn. Democrats eye shifting $400M in Medicaid money; HHS says Cedars-Sinai has $2.2M in billing errors

Geography plays a role in whether patients in California have elective operations such as joint replacement, weight loss surgery and gallbladder removal, according to a new study. The California HealthCare Foundation study showed wide variations in patient surgeries across the state (Gorman, 5/22).

24 May 2013

New nano-sized needle can help study the effects of medicines on cells

Nano-sized needles developed by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim can force medicine into cells, even when the cell membranes offer resistance. The needles will make it easier to study the effects of medicines on cells.

24 May 2013

Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer have similar genetic origins

Mayo Clinic researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings appear online today in the journal Cancer Research.

24 May 2013

Novel multiplex immunoassay approach to capture HIV antibodies

Detection of HIV antibodies is used to diagnose HIV infection and monitor trials of experimental HIV/AIDS vaccines. New, more sensitive detection systems being developed use microspheres to capture HIV antibodies and can measure even small amounts of multiple antibodies at one time.

24 May 2013

New approach to genetic engineering reduces time and effort needed to insert genes into bacteria

A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically reduces the time and effort needed to insert new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, scientists are reporting.

24 May 2013

Discarded neutrophils release stem cells from bone marrow into bloodstream

CNIC researchers have discovered that the daily clearance of neutrophils from the body stimulates the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, according to a report published today in the journal Cell.

24 May 2013

Researchers explore targeted therapies for prostate cancer

Are certain drugs more effective against some types of prostate cancers than others? Researchers know that not all therapies work for all patients – the next question is to figure out how to match the right treatments with the right patients.

24 May 2013

SonaCare Medical highlights need for image-guided technologies to better identify prostate cancer

The need to add tissue preserving therapies to the prostate cancer treatment continuum was highlighted prominently at the 108th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association, in San Diego.

24 May 2013

Common type of childhood asthma is not related to allergens and inflammation

Little is known about why asthma develops, how it constricts the airway or why response to treatments varies between patients. Now, a team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center has revealed the roots of a common type of childhood asthma, showing that it is very different from other asthma cases.

24 May 2013