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Tips for prevention and early detection of skin cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 82,770 Americans will be diagnosed this year with skin cancer, including melanoma. When left untreated, melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive form of skin cancer, accounting for more than 9,000 of the 12,000-plus skin cancer deaths each year.

2 May 2013

Researchers identify genetic mutation linked to a typical form of migraine

A research team led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California, San Francisco has identified a genetic mutation that is strongly associated with a typical form of migraine.

2 May 2013

Hypothalamus controls aging throughout the body, scientists report

While the search continues for the Fountain of Youth, researchers may have found the body's "fountain of aging": the brain region known as the hypothalamus.

2 May 2013

Wistar researchers find surprising role for RNA-editing protein in gene silencing

RNA, once considered a bit player in the grand scheme by which genes encode protein, is increasingly seen to have a major role in human genetics.

2 May 2013

Details about genomic landscapes of AML and endometrial cancer revealed

Two studies from The Cancer Genome Atlas program reveal details about the genomic landscapes of acute myeloid leukemia and endometrial cancer.

2 May 2013

PTSD study: Individuals with childhood abuse history have distinct changes in gene activity patterns

Abuse during childhood is different. A study of adult civilians with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) has shown that individuals with a history of childhood abuse have distinct, profound changes in gene activity patterns, compared to adults with PTSD but without a history of child abuse.

2 May 2013

PET/CT may enhance detection of inflammatory bowel diseases in the future

Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be detected and monitored more effectively in the future with positron emission tomography/computed tomography, according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

2 May 2013

New hope for patients with myotonic dystrophy

There's hope for patients with myotonic dystrophy. A new small molecule developed by researchers at the University of Illinois has been shown to break up the protein-RNA clusters that cause the disease in living human cells, an important first step toward developing a pharmaceutical treatment for the as-yet untreatable disease.

2 May 2013

Study suggests that biology plays role in eating disorders

Female rats are much more likely to binge eat than male rats, according to new research that provides some of the strongest evidence yet that biology plays a role in eating disorders.

2 May 2013

Scientists pursue new therapies as H7N9 flu spreads in China

An experimental drug has shown promise in treating influenza, preventing lung injury and death from the virus in preclinical studies, according to University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers publishing in the journal Nature on May 1.

2 May 2013

New methods to evaluate how astrocytes contribute to brain function

A study in The Journal of General Physiology presents new methods to evaluate how astrocytes contribute to brain function, paving the way for future exploration of these important brain cells at unprecedented levels of detail.

30 Apr 2013

Study examines link between serum vitamin D3, risk of contracting pneumonia

A University of Eastern Finland study showed that low serum vitamin D levels are a risk factor for pneumonia. The risk of contracting pneumonia was more than 2.5 times greater in subjects with the lowest vitamin D levels than in subjects with high vitamin D levels.

30 Apr 2013

Molecular pathway that helps form new arteries after heart attacks uncovered

Scientific collaborators from Yale School of Medicine and University College London have uncovered the molecular pathway by which new arteries may form after heart attacks, strokes and other acute illnesses bypassing arteries that are blocked.

30 Apr 2013

Scientists discover novel drug molecule that reduces swelling, inflammation in arthritic joints

A gas associated with the smell of rotten eggs has proven to effectively reduce joint swelling, in research which could lead to advances in the treatment of arthritis.

30 Apr 2013

UCLA study shows individuals with BDD have global bad wiring in their brains

Body dysmorphic disorder is a disabling but often misunderstood psychiatric condition in which people perceive themselves to be disfigured and ugly, even though they look normal to others. New research at UCLA shows that these individuals have abnormalities in the underlying connections in their brains.

30 Apr 2013

UAB study suggests Mediterranean diet may be linked to preserving memory, thinking abilities

A University of Alabama at Birmingham study suggests that the Mediterranean diet, which urges consuming foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, chicken and salad dressing, and avoiding saturated fats, meat and dairy foods, may be linked to preserving memory and thinking abilities.

30 Apr 2013

Researchers find that VEGF may not have any prognostic value for advanced prostate cancer

The well-studied protein VEGF does not appear to have any prognostic or predictive value for men with locally advanced prostate cancer, researchers from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and other institutions found in a retrospective study published online April 25 in the journal BMC Radiation Oncology.

30 Apr 2013

Researchers identify gene variations linked to male and female infertility

Identification of genetic variations in the genes coding for the hormone FSH may provide new treatments for male and female infertility, according to work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen.

30 Apr 2013

New study sheds light on DEAD-box proteins

Proteins, the workhorses of the body, can have more than one function, but they often need to be very specific in their action or they create cellular havoc, possibly leading to disease.

30 Apr 2013

Neurons in the nose could be the key to early diagnosis of schizophrenia, says researcher

A debilitating mental illness, schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose. Because physiological evidence confirming the disease can only be gathered from the brain during an autopsy, mental health professionals have had to rely on a battery of psychological evaluations to diagnose their patients.

30 Apr 2013