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Genetic screening for iron blood disorder feasible in the workplace

Screening for a condition called haemochromatosis, where iron to builds up in the body, could help prevent organ damage and disease, suggests a study published online today by The Lancet.

26 Apr 2005

Gene may boost schizophrenia risk

Clues about how a suspect version of a gene may slightly increase risk for schizophrenia are emerging from a brain imaging study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The gene variant produced a telltale pattern of activity linked to production of a key brain messenger chemical.

21 Apr 2005

Inherited variations in mitochondrial DNA linked to renal and prostate cancer

More than 20 million men in the United States with a particular signature set of inherited characteristics and mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are at significantly increased risk for developing renal and prostate cancers, according to research at Emory University.

20 Apr 2005

New gene linked to familial cancer

Scientists have identified a new gene that appears to be linked to a small but significant percentage of familial cancer cases – as well as seemingly randomly occurring malignancies.

20 Apr 2005

Findings will stir new research in bacterial evolution

Bacteria acquired up to 90 percent of their genetic material from distantly related bacteria species, according to new research from The University of Arizona in Tucson.

7 Apr 2005

You need to do vigorous activity if you want to be lean

Adolescents who get daily vigorous physical activity tend to be leaner and fitter than their less active peers, researchers have shown.

7 Apr 2005

Selenium, vitamin E and the tomato nutrient lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer

Greater levels of selenium, vitamin E and the tomato nutrient lycopene have been shown to reduce prostate cancer in one out of every four Caucasian males - those who inherit a specific genetic variation that's particularly sensitive to oxidative stress.

15 Mar 2005

Genetic factors may play a significant role in the racial differences encountered in the epidemiology of breast cancer

A new review finds similarities between the clinical presentation and course of breast cancer in Africans and African-Americans, suggesting that genetic factors may play a significant role in the racial differences encountered in the epidemiology of breast cancer in America.

14 Mar 2005

Africa faces potential increases in breast cancer rates

9 Mar 2005

Inherited traits and tumor mutations affect response to treatment of leukemia

The outcome of chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) depends not only on the acquired genetic make-up of the leukemic cells, but on genes that children inherit from their parents. This study, from investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is published in the online edition of Blood.

3 Mar 2005

Novel mutation in the recently identified LRRK2 gene causes parkinsonism

Neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., leading a team of researchers in the United States and Europe, have discovered that a novel mutation in the recently identified LRRK2 gene causes parkinsonism in several North American and European families.

27 Feb 2005

Mother’s depression linked with an increased risk of antisocial behavior in children

Significantly higher levels of antisocial behavior were found in seven-year-old children whose mothers were depressed during the child’s first five years of life, according to an article in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Feb 2005

High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, may indicate an increased risk of stroke

Observational studies measuring homocysteine concentrations in healthy individuals have found that, on average, those with high levels of homocysteine in their blood are more likely to have a stroke. But other factors that increase homocysteine concentration and stroke risk— such as smoking and socioeconomic class—may be responsible for the relationship observed in these studies, confounding the result.

13 Jan 2005

Now significantly easier to search long stretches of DNA for genetic changes associated with disease

The researchers developed a method called direct genomic selection that accelerates the transition between family or population-based studies of disease inheritance patterns and identification of genetic variations that may contribute to disease.

6 Jan 2005

£2.5 million to support further research into gene therapy for cystic fibrosis

The funding commitment was made in the Genetics White Paper, 'Our Inheritance, Our Future: Realising the potential of genetics in the NHS' and will help to ensure that those with cystic fibrosis benefit as soon as possible from the latest advances in genetic knowledge and technologies.

4 Jan 2005

New way of viewing genetic variations

Human geneticists can now see which variations on the human genome are inherited together, thanks to a new way of viewing genetic variations in the latest release of the Ensembl genome browser [a joint project between EMBL's EBI and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute].

21 Dec 2004

Fathers' genes play an equal part in the spread of eczema

Doctors have known for many years that eczema - also known as atopic dermatitis - runs in families. In the past, it was thought that if a baby suffered from eczema, it was more likely to have come from the mother's side.

29 Nov 2004

Women now making up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV worldwide

A new report released today shows that the number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past two years, with the steepest increases in East Asia, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In East Asia, there was a 56% increase over the past two years, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 48%.

23 Nov 2004

Troponin genes offer new insights to familial heart failure

Mutations in the troponin protein complex may be useful for predicting the course of heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy and also for guiding treatment and research, according to a new study in the Nov. 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Nov 2004

New insight into how our body cells block the development of cancer

Scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cancer Cell Unit, at the University of Cambridge, have revealed a new insight into how our body cells block the development of cancer.

11 Nov 2004