Health & Medicine - Jun 16, 2010 9:36 - 5 Comments

Protein plays active role in rare kidney disease

U. LEEDS (UK)—The discovery of the mechanisms of a protein known to play an active part in an extremely rare inherited kidney disorder called Dent’s disease may provide a new focus for future therapies. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 14, 2010 13:12 - 0 Comments

Are heat-loving bacteria the key to biofuels?

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—A bacteria that lives in hot springs in Japan might help solve an age-old evolutionary mystery—and break a bottleneck in producing a fuel of the future. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 11, 2010 13:57 - 0 Comments

Clock gene knows when it’s time to eat, sleep

NYU (US)—Biologists have isolated genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict, paving the way to new insights into how the brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 11, 2010 11:02 - 0 Comments

Step closer to untying autism’s genetic knot

YALE (US)—Deciphering the functions of multiple rare genes may be at the core of understanding the factors that cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to a new study. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 9, 2010 14:26 - 0 Comments

Seizure drug may reverse genetic liver disease

U. PITTSBURGH (US)—The most common genetic cause for which children undergo liver transplantation might be reversed or prevented with a medication that has long been used to treat seizures, a new study finds. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 8, 2010 11:30 - 0 Comments

Genome tools susceptible to slip-ups

U. WASHINGTON (US)—Lining up the genomes of different species is common practice—but the tools scientists use have serious quality control issues, according to a new study. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 3, 2010 15:07 - 0 Comments

Using fish to delve deep into genetic disorders

DUKE (US)—By using zebrafish to analyze 125 mutations occurring on 14 different genes, researchers have been able to learn more about an inherited syndrome called Bardet-Biedl syndrome. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 2, 2010 14:23 - 0 Comments

Genes let transplant recipients skip the drugs

EMORY (US)—To prevent rejection, kidney transplant recipients need to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives. A handful of people, out of the thousands who have undergone transplantation, have been able to stop taking these drugs without losing their kidneys. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 2, 2010 13:48 - 0 Comments

Found gene linked to severe birth defects

U. LEEDS (UK)—Scientists have identified the genetic cause of an inherited condition that leads to severe fetal abnormalities in the brain, eyes, and kidneys. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 28, 2010 13:36 - 3 Comments

When good cholesterol goes bad

U. ROCHESTER (US)—HDL cholesterol, long thought of as “good” cholesterol actually places certain patients at high risk for recurrent coronary events, including chest pain, heart attack, and death. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 28, 2010 12:05 - 2 Comments

Built-in bypass bolstered by key molecule

UNC-CHAPEL HILL(US)—An abundance of tiny specialized blood vessels, called collaterals, can reduce damage caused by a blocked artery—such as stroke, heart attack, or leg injury—by enlarging to create a natural bypass. Research shows that this ability is related to levels of nitric oxide, a key signaling molecule. (more…)

Science & Technology - May 24, 2010 11:38 - 0 Comments

Genes regulate overeating in flies

CALTECH (US)—Biologists have identified two genes that appear to regulate meal sizes and frequency in fruit flies. Both genes have mammalian counterparts that seem to play a similar role in food intake. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 24, 2010 11:03 - 1 Comment

Calorie restriction: longer life, fewer memories?

PRINCETON (US)—Decreasing calorie intake and tweaking the activity of the hormone insulin are two methods long known to increase lifespan in a wide range of organisms. Now, biologists have uncovered evidence that these mechanisms also have an impact on learning and memory. (more…)

Science & Technology - May 19, 2010 10:07 - 1 Comment

How one incredible shrinking shark evolved

U. COLORADO (US)—The ancestor of all hammerhead sharks probably appeared abruptly in Earth’s oceans about 20 million years ago and was as big as some contemporary hammerheads, a new study suggests. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 11, 2010 12:52 - 0 Comments

Brain may use clot-buster to fend off stroke

EMORY (US)—New research on the properties of the clot-busting stroke drug tPA suggests that it can act as a neuroprotectant and may form the keystone of an adaptive response to a reduction in blood flow. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 4, 2010 19:02 - 0 Comments

Rattlesnakes sound warning on biodiversity

CORNELL (US)—Roads fragmenting natural habitats have had a significant effect over the past 80 years on the genetic structure of timber rattlesnakes in New York, according to new research. (more…)

Health & Medicine - May 3, 2010 5:05 - 0 Comments

Polarity gene key to breast tumor growth

MCGILL (CAN)—New research helps explain why breast-milk cells lose their structure, causing them to clump up in strange ways and sometimes become cancer tumors. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Apr 29, 2010 22:16 - 0 Comments

Chromosome caps no match for UV

YALE (US)—The molecular caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect humans against cancer and premature cellular aging show a surprising inability to protect themselves against ultraviolet radiation, according to a new study. (more…)

Posts Tagged ‘genetics’