Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Annual screening ultrasound may benefit women who are at elevated risk for breast cancer

Results of a large-scale clinical trial presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) provide the first strong evidence of the benefit of annual screening ultrasound for women with dense breasts who are at elevated risk for breast cancer. In addition, the study confirmed that MRI is highly sensitive in depicting early breast cancer.

2 Dec 2009

Sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on longevity, says new study

Researchers in Japan have found that female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes. Their findings provide the first evidence that sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on lifespan in mammals.

1 Dec 2009

Control over male fertility and hope for low sperm count

A new research report published in the December 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal could one day give men similar type of control over their fertility that women have had since the 1960s. That's because scientists have found how and where androgenic hormones work in the testis to control normal sperm production and male fertility. This opens a promising avenue for the development of "the pill" for men. The discovery also offers hope to those who cannot have children because of low sperm counts.

1 Dec 2009

NRR to be available exclusively on OvidSP online search and discovery platform to all Ovid customers

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its presence in China's healthcare information market, Ovid, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health and a global leader in electronic scientific, medical, and academic information research solutions, is pleased to announce an agreement with Neural Regeneration Research (NRR), an English-language monthly journal dedicated to presenting peer-reviewed, evidence-based scholarly research in stem cells and regeneration.

1 Dec 2009

Low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk in high-risk women

Low-dose radiation from annual mammography screening may increase breast cancer risk in women with genetic or familial predisposition to breast cancer, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2009

Neurotoxic heavy metal can slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way to a new type of therapy.

1 Dec 2009

Clinical interventions may help cocaine abusers from using drugs and prevent relapse

When asked to inhibit their response to a "cocaine-cues" video, active cocaine abusers were, on average, able to suppress activity in brain regions linked to drug craving, according to a new study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The results, to be published in an upcoming issue of NeuroImage, suggest that clinical interventions designed to strengthen these inhibitory responses could help cocaine abusers stop using drugs and avoid relapse.

30 Nov 2009

Bantam miRNA linked to the circadian clock

How does our biological system know that it is supposed to operate on a 24-hour cycle? Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that a tiny molecule holds the clue to the mystery.

30 Nov 2009

ALS research collaboration receives philanthropic funding

Three prominent philanthropic organizations – The Angel Fund, The ALS Therapy Alliance and Project ALS -- dedicated to finding a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have financed a new collaboration between one of the world’s leading ALS researchers and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi).

30 Nov 2009

Royal Philips Electronics demonstrates its portfolio of dose radiation managing products

Royal Philips Electronics today announced its response to an industry need by showing its portfolio of products designed to manage dose radiation at this year's 95th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.

From Philips Healthcare 30 Nov 2009

Study on placebo effect

A short time ago, Swedish scientists published a paper suggesting the existence of a genetic disposition to respond to placebo, thus giving rise to debate in the media about a possible "placebo gene." In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[46]: 751-5), Matthias Breidert and Karl Hofbauer summarize the most recent data about placebos.

28 Nov 2009

Sexual selection to greatly enlarge the scope for adaptive speciation, finds new research

Darwin suggested that the action of natural selection can produce new species, but 150 years after the publication of his famous book, 'On the Origin of Species', debate still continues on the mechanisms of speciation.

27 Nov 2009

Whitehead researchers develop new type of genetic screen for human cells

Whitehead researchers have developed a new type of genetic screen for human cells to pinpoint specific genes and proteins used by pathogens, according to their paper in Science.

27 Nov 2009

Scientists offer first genetic proof of new and rational treatment for osteoporosis

The so-called RANK protein and the molecule that binds to it, the RANK ligand or RANKL, form a focus of the work of Josef Penninger, director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Vienna. In 1999 his group deleted the RANKL gene from mice and showed that the RANK/RANKL system was the "master regulator" governing bone loss (Kong et al. 1999 Nature 402, 304-309).

26 Nov 2009

Researchers find link between novel gene, phosducin and blood pressure response to stress

Does stress increase blood pressure? This simple question has been the focus of intense research for many years. New Stress-related gene Modulates High Blood Pressure in Mice & Men

26 Nov 2009

Cells protect themselves against viruses and bacteria with novel non-genetic mechanism

When cells are confronted with an invading virus or bacteria or exposed to an irritating chemical, they protect themselves by going off their DNA recipe and inserting the wrong amino acid into new proteins to defend them against damage, scientists have discovered.

26 Nov 2009

'Suicide gene E' reduces potent drug dosage in cancer patients

Researchers at the University of Granada have found a suicide gene, called 'gene E', which leads to the death of tumour cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and prevents their growth. The importance of this new gene is that its use to fight cancer can reduce the potent drugs that are currently used, so that could mean more effective treatment for cancer.

25 Nov 2009

Researchers uncover atomic-level action of ring-shaped protein motors

The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS).

25 Nov 2009

Health watch: When you eat just as vital to what you eat

When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their experiments in mice revealed that the daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver—the body's metabolic clearinghouse—is mostly controlled by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock as conventional wisdom had it.

25 Nov 2009

Study: GSTP gene protects against bowel cancer

CANCER RESEARCH UK scientists have shown that deleting a single gene can increase the average number of tumours in the bowel by 50-fold, according to research published in PNAS today.

25 Nov 2009

Gene News and Research

Latest Gene News and Research

Annual screening ultrasound may benefit women who are at elevated risk for breast cancer

Sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on longevity, says new study

Control over male fertility and hope for low sperm count

NRR to be available exclusively on OvidSP online search and discovery platform to all Ovid customers

Low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk in high-risk women

Neurotoxic heavy metal can slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

Clinical interventions may help cocaine abusers from using drugs and prevent relapse

Bantam miRNA linked to the circadian clock

ALS research collaboration receives philanthropic funding

Royal Philips Electronics demonstrates its portfolio of dose radiation managing products

Study on placebo effect

Sexual selection to greatly enlarge the scope for adaptive speciation, finds new research

Whitehead researchers develop new type of genetic screen for human cells

Scientists offer first genetic proof of new and rational treatment for osteoporosis

Researchers find link between novel gene, phosducin and blood pressure response to stress

Cells protect themselves against viruses and bacteria with novel non-genetic mechanism

'Suicide gene E' reduces potent drug dosage in cancer patients

Researchers uncover atomic-level action of ring-shaped protein motors

Health watch: When you eat just as vital to what you eat

Study: GSTP gene protects against bowel cancer

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Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer