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New imaging technique allows simultaneous tracking of gene expression and movement

Flies expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in their retina cells or other tissues can be tracked by specially modified video cameras, creating a real time computer record of movement and gene expression.

15 Dec 2008

New insight into birth defect synpolydactyly

Birth defects characterized by malformation of the limbs are relatively common.

15 Dec 2008

Discovery of new genetic cause severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is an inherited disease sometimes known as 'Boy in the bubble syndrome', because the patient lacks one or more type of immune cell, making them very susceptible to infections.

15 Dec 2008

11 new genes linked to LDL, HDL cholesterols and triglycerides

A new study uncovers 11 gene variants associated with three blood lipids measured to determine cardiovascular disease risk: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides.

15 Dec 2008

Three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes have vitamin D deficiency

Three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes were found to have insufficient levels of vitamin D, according to a study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center - findings that suggest children with the disease may need vitamin D supplementation to prevent bone fragility later in life.

15 Dec 2008

Nearly one-fifth of all Californians under age 65 lack health insurance

Nearly one-fifth of all Californians under age 65 were without health insurance for all or some of 2007, according to a policy brief released today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

15 Dec 2008

Carbon nanotube-coated "smart textile" to detect blood and monitor health

A carbon nanotube-coated "smart yarn" that conducts electricity could be woven into soft fabrics that detect blood and monitor health, engineers at the University of Michigan have demonstrated.

15 Dec 2008

Narrow-band imaging comparable to white light colonoscopy in differentiating colorectal polyps

Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine compared narrow-band imaging (NBI) without high magnification to standard white light colonoscopy in differentiating colorectal polyps during real-time colonoscopy and found that NBI was not more accurate than white light colonoscopy.

15 Dec 2008

Interruptions in Medicaid coverage associated with a higher rate of hospitalization

Interruptions in Medicaid coverage are associated with a higher rate of hospitalization for conditions that can often be treated in an ambulatory care setting, including asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, according to a new study in today's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

15 Dec 2008

Hospitals using quality improvement program increase compliance to stroke treatment guidelines

Hospitals participating in a voluntary quality improvement program for stroke treatment increased adherence to national recommendations, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Dec 2008

Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada.

15 Dec 2008

Psoriasis sufferers more likely to have higher levels of leptin

Patients with the skin disease psoriasis appear more likely to have higher levels of leptin (a hormone produced by fat cells that may contribute to obesity and other metabolic abnormalities) than persons without psoriasis, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology.

15 Dec 2008

Increased blood pressure in older adults affects cognitive functioning

Adding another reason for people to watch their blood pressure, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that increased blood pressure in older adults is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors with already high blood pressure.

15 Dec 2008

Gene subnetworks provide new prognostic markers for breast cancer

The metastasis or spread of breast cancer to other tissues in the body can be predicted more accurately by examining subnetworks of gene expression patterns in a patient's tumor, than by conventional gene expression microarrays, according to a presentation at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco.

15 Dec 2008

How to build muscle mass with four and a half LIM domains 1

Mutations in FHL1 are present in several myopathies, including reducing-body myopathy (RBM), but until now, both the molecular mechanisms causing the disease, and the regular function of FHL1 in healthy tissue, remained unknown.

15 Dec 2008

3.6 million Americans living with active, undiagnosed psoriasis, unaware of associated risks

Armed with research concluding that psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions, Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues released an editorial consensus in the American Journal of Cardiology today¸ calling for psoriasis patients to be educated about and screened for cardiovascular risk factors.

15 Dec 2008

Lessons from Northwick Park drug-trial disaster

Scientists investigating the 2006 Northwick Park drug-trial disaster that left six healthy volunteers hospitalised say they have developed new pre-clinical tests that could have stopped the trial from ever going ahead.

From The University of Manchester 15 Dec 2008

Study looks at how parental age affects the mental functioning of offspring

Tel Aviv University researchers found in several consecutive studies that older dads are more likely to have boys with autism and lower IQs. Most recently, they found that the older a father's age, the greater the chance that his son will display poor social abilities as a teen.

15 Dec 2008

Fruits, vegetables and fiber may cut risk of breast cancer recurrence in women without hot flashes

A secondary analysis of a large, multicenter clinical trial has shown that a diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and fiber and somewhat lower in fat compared to standard federal dietary recommendations cuts the risk of recurrence in a subgroup of early-stage breast cancer survivors - women who didn't have hot flashes - by approximately 31 percent.

15 Dec 2008