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Genetic syndrome may underlie some Parkinson's cases

Rare deletions at chromosome 22q11.2 are present at an increased rate in patients with Parkinson's disease, researchers report in The Lancet Neurology.

25 Mar 2016

Rosacea linked to Parkinson's disease risk

Data from a nationwide study show that people with the skin condition rosacea are at an increased risk of later developing Parkinson's disease.

25 Mar 2016

IBM's World Community Grid supports TB eradication project

The University of Nottingham is launching a new study to address tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's most deadly diseases, supported by IBM's World Community Grid -- one of the most powerful and fastest virtual supercomputers on the planet.

25 Mar 2016

Neuroscientists decipher new pathway in stem cell differentiation

How do neurons become neurons? They all begin as stem cells, undifferentiated and with the potential to become any cell in the body.Until now, however, exactly how that happens has been somewhat of a scientific mystery. New research conducted by UC Santa Barbara neuroscientists has deciphered some of the earliest changes that occur before stems cells transform into neurons and other cell types.

25 Mar 2016

Speech-controlled nutrition-logging system may help lose weight

For people struggling with obesity, logging calorie counts and other nutritional information at every meal is a proven way to lose weight. The technique does require consistency and accuracy, however, and when it fails, it's usually because people don't have the time to find and record all the information they need.

25 Mar 2016

DNA sequence features predict genome-wide binding pattern of key protein involved in brain disorders

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California-Davis are combining in vivo experimentation with computation for highly accurate prediction of the genome-wide binding pattern of a key protein involved in brain disorders.

25 Mar 2016

Wnt secretion inhibitors may reduce renal fibrosis

Renal fibrosis or the scarring of kidneys, following an injury, reduces their function and can cause kidney disease to progressively worsen.

25 Mar 2016

Findings could help explain origin of type 2 diabetes in children of obese mothers

A new study led by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles reports that the presence of leptin - a hormone secreted by fat cells that is critical to maintaining energy balance in the body -- inhibits the prenatal development of neuronal connections between the brain and pancreas. The findings could help explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, particularly in children of obese mothers.

25 Mar 2016

Personalized medicine promises better treatment options for cystic fibrosis patients

For a highly variable disease like cystic fibrosis, personalized medicine promises treatments based on individual factors, down to the molecular level. This promise is especially alluring for the treatment of children with cystic fibrosis, who are at particular risk for complications that could affect them throughout their lives.

25 Mar 2016

Study gives insight into reasons behind hospital deaths in older people

Despite the rates of hospital deaths in England declining, nearly two-thirds of people aged 85 and over, and more than half of people aged 95 and over still die in hospital, new research has found.

25 Mar 2016

Self-repairing cancer cells: A new pathway for cancer treatment

With narrow bodies and no collarbones, mice are able to squeeze through holes as small as a quarter-inch in diameter. Cancer cells similarly are able to migrate through extremely tight quarters but with a major difference: The journey often comes at a price - the deformation and, in some cases, rupture of the outer lining of a cell's nucleus. While deformation and rupture can sometimes lead to cell death, the cell - about 90 percent of the time - also has the ability to repair itself.

25 Mar 2016

New research highlights potential for emergence of new form of Ebolavirus

New research at the University of Kent has highlighted the potential for the emergence of a new form of Ebolavirus. A team from the University's School of Biosciences examined the differences between Ebolaviruses that cause severe disease in humans and the Reston virus that does not.

25 Mar 2016

Study shows preterm born individuals at risk of lower health-related quality of life

Parents of very premature babies are more worried about their grown up children's lives than mothers and fathers whose babies were born full term.

25 Mar 2016

Incretin-based drugs do not increase risk of heart failure

Incretin-based drugs, a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used combinations of oral anti-diabetic drugs, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Mar 2016

Computational method helps assess patient-specific progression of osteoarthritis in knee joint

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease in which the articular cartilage protecting the joint starts to degenerate and wear off over time. The main risk factors of osteoarthritis are advanced age and overweight-induced significant stresses on the knee joint.

25 Mar 2016

Lack of UBE3A gene causes Angelman syndrome

The gene UBE3A plays a critical role in early neurological development. If UBE3A is overexpressed - or if the enzymatic function of UBE3A protein is hyperactive - autism ensues. A lack of functional UBE3A causes Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe developmental delay, motor deficits, absence of speech, and, in most cases, epilepsy.

25 Mar 2016

Common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes

New research by Dr. Sylvie Lesage, scientist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and associate research Professor at University of Montreal, just published in the prestigious international scientific journal Nature Genetics, has discovered that a common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes.

25 Mar 2016

Scientists unravel genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Mar 2016

Intake of high-protein diet during weight loss improves sleep quality in adults

Overweight and obese adults who are losing weight with a high-protein diet are more likely to sleep better, according to new research from Purdue University.

25 Mar 2016

Study uncovers role of small RNAs in fine-tuning egg development

All multicellular organisms that reproduce sexually rely on eggs to support early life. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research used the tiny roundworm C. elegans as a model to better understand how eggs enable embryonic development, using only the materials already present in them.

25 Mar 2016