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Research findings offer new insights into pathophysiology of PTSD

Researchers at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in New York and the United Kingdom, have identified genetic markers, derived from blood samples that are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The markers are associated with gene networks that regulate innate immune function and interferon signaling.

11 Mar 2015

Type 2 diabetes less common in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among 25,000 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic disorder characterized by high low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol levels) was significantly lower than among unaffected relatives, with the prevalence varying by the type of gene mutation, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

11 Mar 2015

Excess dietary sodium can adversely affect organs

You may think you're one of the lucky ones who can eat all the salty snacks and convenience foods you want and still register low numbers on the blood pressure cuff. But, new research suggests you may not be so lucky after all.

11 Mar 2015

Insomnia symptoms affect suicide risk among people who drink alcohol

Insomnia symptoms affect the risk of suicide among people who drink alcohol, according to a groundbreaking study led by the director of Mississippi State University's Sleep, Suicide and Aging Laboratory.

11 Mar 2015

Sanford-Burnham researchers discover control mechanism for glutamine uptake in breast cancer cells

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have discovered a mechanism that explains why some breast cancer tumors respond to specific chemotherapies and others do not. The findings highlight the level of glutamine, an essential nutrient for cancer development, as a determinant of breast cancer response to select anticancer therapies, and identify a marker associated with glutamine uptake, for potential prognosis and stratification of breast cancer therapy.

11 Mar 2015

LSDF announces new Matching grants to promote treatments for devastating medical conditions

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund today announced nearly $1 million in Matching grants to two Washington-based companies to promote translation of promising treatments for devastating medical conditions from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace.

11 Mar 2015

Cost of care for benign prostate hyperplasia measured for the first time

UCLA researchers have for the first time described cost across an entire care process for a common condition called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) using time-driven activity-based costing. They found a 400 percent discrepancy between the least and most expensive ways to treat the condition.

11 Mar 2015

In-car alarm could reduce crashes for young and old drivers

An in-car alarm that sounds when sensors on the vehicle detect an imminent crash could cut crash rates from 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 for drivers over the of 60 suffering tiredness on long journeys, according to a study published in the International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics.

11 Mar 2015

Scientists develop mathematical model to digitally map communication between heart cells

A team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins cardiologist and biomedical engineer Hiroshi Ashikaga, M.D., Ph.D., has developed a mathematical model to measure and digitally map the beat-sustaining electrical flow between heart cells.

11 Mar 2015

Female athletes at increased risk of ACL injuries

Female athletes endure two to eight times more anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injuries than their male counterparts. Genes are likely a major factor, according to Dr. William Landis, G. Stafford Whitby Chair in Polymer Science at The University of Akron, and Dr. Kerwyn Jones, Chair of Pediatric Orthopedics for Akron Children's Hospital.

11 Mar 2015

Obstructive sleep apnea increases risk of motor vehicle accidents

A new study finds that obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, and this risk is reduced when sleep apnea is treated effectively using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

11 Mar 2015

Simple low-cost intervention could help reduce HIV-related deaths in Africa

A new approach to care for patients with advanced HIV in Tanzania and Zambia, combining community support and screening for a type of meningitis, has reduced deaths by 28%.

11 Mar 2015

New evidence links autism risk genes to better cognitive function

Genes linked with a greater risk of developing autism may also be associated with higher intelligence, a study suggests.

11 Mar 2015

Berkeley Lab scientists uncover new clues about cancer risk from low-dose radiation

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have uncovered new clues about the risk of cancer from low-dose radiation, which in this research they define as equivalent to 100 millisieverts or roughly the dose received from ten full-body CT scans.

11 Mar 2015

New study identifies genetic factors for rosacea

Today marked the publication of the first ever genome-wide association study of rosacea, a common and incurable skin disorder. Led by Dr. Anne Lynn S. Chang of Stanford University's School of Medicine, and co-authored by 23andMe, the study is the first to identify genetic factors for this condition.

11 Mar 2015

High vitamin D levels in blood connected to increased risk of death

The level of vitamin D in our blood should neither be too high nor to low. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen are the first in the world to show that there is a connection between high levels of vitamin D and cardiovascular deaths.

11 Mar 2015

New method could lead to improved treatment for NPC patients

Researchers at the University of Birmingham believe that a new method of genetically engineering immune cells could lead to improved treatment of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

11 Mar 2015

Young immigrants to Canada at greater risk of developing IBD

The younger a person is when they immigrate to Canada, the higher their risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and its major subtypes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, according to a study by researchers at the University of Ottawa, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

11 Mar 2015

Study supports use of ThyraMIR, ThyGenX Thyroid Oncogene Panel to improve thyroid cancer diagnosis

PDI, Inc. subsidiary, Interpace Diagnostics, announced today new data supporting the use of combination platform testing with ThyraMIR, the first and only microRNA expression classifier, and ThyGenX Thyroid Oncogene Panel, a DNA and RNA mutational analysis, to improve thyroid cancer diagnosis.

11 Mar 2015

Researchers find that weight-loss strategies sorely lacking for individuals with neurological disabilities

A review of nutrition and weight-loss interventions for people with impaired mobility found strategies are sorely lacking for people with neurological disabilities, according to a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic.

10 Mar 2015