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Researchers pinpoint rare gene mutations that increase risk of heart attack early in life

A team of investigators from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and other leading biomedical research institutions has pinpointed rare mutations in a gene called APOA5 that increase a person's risk of having a heart attack early in life. These mutations disable the APOA5 gene and also raise the levels in the blood of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, a type of fat.

11 Dec 2014

UT Southwestern microbiologists identify key gut bacteria that promotes foodborne infections

UT Southwestern Medical Center microbiologists have identified key bacteria in the gut whose resources are hijacked to spread harmful foodborne E. coli infections and other intestinal illnesses.

11 Dec 2014

Research finding could lead to development of effective vaccines against microbial infections

The diverse functions of a special cell-recognition lipoprotein, LOX-1, weren't always fully understood. However, Baylor Research Institute investigators gained better insight into LOX-1's role in immune responses through a study recently published in Immunity. Investigators found that the lipoprotein promotes humoral responses, which could allow researchers to design effective vaccines against microbial infections, including influenza viruses and HIV.

11 Dec 2014

New therapeutic approach for women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer

Loyola researchers and collaborators have reported promising results from a novel therapeutic approach for women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.

11 Dec 2014

New study investigates Ebola protein

A new study by Robert Stahelin, an adjunct associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame and an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, as well as a member of Notre Dame's Eck Institute for Global Health, investigates how the most abundant protein that composes the Ebola virus, VP 40, mediates replication of a new viral particle.

11 Dec 2014

Male hormone testosterone may increase risk of colon cancer

Previous cancer research has revealed that women are less likely than men to suffer from non-sex specific cancers such as cancer of the colon, pancreas and stomach. Scientists theorized that perhaps this trend was due to a protecting effect created by female hormones, such as estrogen, that help prevent tumors from forming. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found evidence suggesting that the male hormone testosterone may actually be a contributing factor in the formation of colon cancer tumors.

11 Dec 2014

New technique allows rapid, large-scale studies of gene function

Using a gene-editing system originally developed to delete specific genes, MIT researchers have now shown that they can reliably turn on any gene of their choosing in living cells.

11 Dec 2014

Stem cells from healthy eye could one day be used to repair scarred cornea

Treating the potentially blinding haze of a scar on the cornea might be as straightforward as growing stem cells from a tiny biopsy of the patient's undamaged eye and then placing them on the injury site, according to mouse model experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

11 Dec 2014

CUMC researchers devise way to replace torn knee meniscus

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have devised a way to replace the knee's protective lining, called the meniscus, using a personalized 3D-printed implant, or scaffold, infused with human growth factors that prompt the body to regenerate the lining on its own.

11 Dec 2014

NYSCF, CMTA partner to advance research on genetic neuropathies

The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating cures through stem cell research, announced a collaboration today with the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, a patient-led disease foundation with the mission to advance research on genetic neuropathies that leads to the development of new therapies.

11 Dec 2014

STSI researchers launch study to examine root cause of sudden unexpected death

Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute have launched a clinical trial aimed at cracking one of the toughest mysteries in forensic science -- sudden unexplained death.

11 Dec 2014

Johns Hopkins study shows gene expression in autism brains

While many different combinations of genetic traits can cause autism, brains affected by autism share a pattern of ramped-up immune responses, an analysis of data from autopsied human brains reveals. The study, a collaborative effort between Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, included data from 72 autism and control brains.

11 Dec 2014

Alcohol consumption interferes with sleep homeostasis

Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that drinking alcohol to fall asleep interferes with sleep homeostasis, the body's sleep-regulating mechanism.

11 Dec 2014

New study reveals how COX-2 inhibitors can increase risk of heart attack in arthritis patients

A class of drug for treating arthritis - all but shelved over fears about side effects - may be given a new lease of life, following the discovery of a possible way to identify which patients should avoid using it.

11 Dec 2014

Enzymatic activity essential for vision may provide target for drug transport

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have uncovered the mechanism that enables the enzyme Lecithin: retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) to store vitamin A--a process that is indispensable for vision.

10 Dec 2014

Simple supplement could reduce heart disease in individuals born with low birth weight

A simple supplement could be a safe and cost-effective way of reducing heart disease in individuals born with a low birth weight, suggests research from the University of Cambridge. The study, carried out in rats, also raises the possibility of developing a blood test to indicate how much damage there is in the aortas of these individuals.

10 Dec 2014

Study brings researchers closer to understanding how brains work

Whether we're paying attention to something we see can be discerned by monitoring the firings of specific groups of brain cells. Now, new work from Johns Hopkins shows that the same holds true for the sense of touch. The study brings researchers closer to understanding how animals' thoughts and feelings affect their perception of external stimuli.

10 Dec 2014

Study: Long-term endurance training alters epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that long-term endurance training in a stable way alters the epigenetic pattern in the human skeletal muscle. The research team behind the study, which is being published in the journal Epigenetics, also found strong links between these altered epigenetic patterns and the activity in genes controlling improved metabolism and inflammation.

10 Dec 2014

Scientists develop new technique to get detailed images of mouse neurons

Scientists can now explore nerves in mice in much greater detail than ever before, thanks to an approach developed by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Monterotondo, Italy. The work, published online today in Nature Methods, enables researchers to easily use artificial tags, broadening the range of what they can study and vastly increasing image resolution.

10 Dec 2014

Variations in ERAP1 enzyme could lead to Ankylosing Spondylitis

Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered variations in an enzyme belonging to the immune system that leaves individuals susceptible to Ankylosing Spondylitis.

10 Dec 2014