Nucleotide News and Research

RSS

Study reveals how one type of DNA damage may lead to several human diseases

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers.

26 Nov 2014

Study identifies new gene for progressive form of epilepsy

A study led by researchers at University of Helsinki, Finland and Universities of Melbourne and South Australia has identified a new gene for a progressive form of epilepsy. The findings of this international collaborative effort have been published today, 17 November 2014, in Nature Genetics.

18 Nov 2014

Single mutation in beta-catenin gene can lead to infertility

Scientists from the RIKEN BioResource Center in Tsukuba, Japan, have discovered that a single mutation in the beta-catenin gene, which codes a protein known to be deeply involved in a number of developmental and homeostatic processes, can lead to infertility not through a disruption of the production of egg or sperm cells, but rather by leading to abnormalities in the morphology of the sexual organs, making natural reproduction impossible.

7 Nov 2014

Obesity genes promote all-round increases in postnatal growth

Genetic variants that increase susceptibility to obesity are associated with increased gains in lean mass, as well as fat mass, during early childhood, meta-analysis findings indicate.

30 Oct 2014

Research could pave way for more effective drugs to treat inflammation

Six Case Western Reserve scientists are part of an international team that has discovered two compounds that show promise in decreasing inflammation associated with diseases such as ulcerative colitis, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

25 Oct 2014

Longer looks: Obamacare in the midterm campaign; watching Ebola mutate; lessons on dying

According to Kantar Media, a firm that tracks political advertising, health care is the main subject of campaign ads, especially Republican ones. Obamacare is unpopular-;over half of Americans disapprove of it. Republicans talk about it constantly on the campaign trail, though not as intemperately as they did during their own party's primaries. Democrats scarcely mention it (10/18).

24 Oct 2014

Researchers identify genetic variant in Latina women that protects against breast cancer

An international research collaboration led by UC San Francisco researchers has identified a genetic variant common in Latina women that protects against breast cancer.

20 Oct 2014

Cell transplantation treatment may benefit people with spinal cord injury

Two studies recently published in Cell Transplantation reveal that cell transplantation may be an effective treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI), a major cause of disability and paralysis with no current restorative therapies.

16 Oct 2014

$Researchers reveal gene variants that delay fracture healing$

Researchers reveal gene variants that delay fracture healing

Slow-healing or non-healing bone fractures in otherwise healthy people may be caused by gene variants that are common in the population, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

15 Oct 2014

New model predicts replication rate in genome-wide studies based on SNP characteristics

To reduce false positives when identifying genetic variations associated with human disease through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), Dartmouth researchers have identified nine traits that are not dependent on P values to predict single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) reproducibility as reported in Human Genetics on October 2, 2014.

9 Oct 2014

COMPAC-50 enables simultaneous electrophoresis of up to 50 COMET Assay slides

Developed in collaboration with the Oxidative Stress Group at the University of Leicester (Leicester, UK), the unique design of the COMPAC-50 enables simultaneous electrophoresis of up to 50 COMET Assay slides saving considerable lab space and reducing slide handling time by up to two-thirds when compared to previous standard methods. This would equate to a significant time-saving of up to 90% when handling 50 COMET Assay slides.

From Cleaver Scientific Ltd 3 Oct 2014

Researchers identify biomarker that can predict GS7 prostate cancer patients

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a biomarker living next door to the KLK3 gene that can predict which GS7 prostate cancer patients will have a more aggressive form of cancer.

3 Oct 2014

Genetic susceptibility to psychosocial stress can increase risk of cardiovascular disease

A new genetic finding from Duke Medicine suggests that some people who are prone to hostility, anxiety and depression might also be hard-wired to gain weight when exposed to chronic stress, leading to diabetes and heart disease.

1 Oct 2014

‘Missing’ schizophrenia heritability found

Researchers have matched up single nucleotide polymorphism sets with clinical syndromes to show that previously identified genetic variants can account for nearly all cases of schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2014

New approach to diagnose tuberculosis

Researchers working in the UK and The Gambia, have developed a new approach to the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) that relies on direct sequencing of DNA extracted from sputum (a technique called metagenomics) to detect and characterize the bacteria that cause TB without the need for time-consuming culture of bacteria in the laboratory.

23 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on longstanding question about role of mitochondria in motor neuron diseases

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine sheds light on a longstanding question about the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases and resulted in a new mouse model to study such illnesses.

22 Sep 2014

Scientists find 23 new genetic variants that increase risk for prostate cancer

In an analysis of genetic information among more than 87,000 men, a global team of scientists says it has found 23 new genetic variants - common differences in the genetic code -- that increase a man's risk for prostate cancer. The so-called "meta-analysis," believed to be the largest of its kind, has revealed once hidden mutations among men in a broad array of ethnic groups comprising men of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry.

18 Sep 2014

Catecholamine polymorphism influences opioid use

The catechol-O-methyltransferase rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism could affect postoperative opioid consumption, study findings show.

17 Sep 2014

New research shows schizophrenia comprises 8 genetically distinct disorders

New research shows that schizophrenia isn't a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms. The finding could be a first step toward improved diagnosis and treatment for the debilitating psychiatric illness.

16 Sep 2014

Genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely driving force behind human skin cancers

A genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely the driving force behind millions of human skin cancers, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

8 Sep 2014