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Study may help identify unborn children at higher risk for birth defects

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a novel function performed by the breast cancer 1 protein (BRCA1), which regulates DNA repair. Well known for the role it plays in breast and ovarian cancer, this study revealed that the BRCA1 protein actually plays a much broader biological role, particularly in protecting the developing embryo from the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

1 Apr 2016

Purdue University-led researchers determine structure of Zika virus

A team led by Purdue University researchers is the first to determine the structure of the Zika virus, which reveals insights critical to the development of effective antiviral treatments and vaccines.

1 Apr 2016

Body temperature can have profound impact on diabetic patients

The World Health Organization estimates that of the 500 million people worldwide thought to have diabetes, 90% have type 2 diabetes and the number diagnosed with diabetes by 2020 will increase dramatically.

1 Apr 2016

Over a third of people in UK and US will be obese by 2025

A recent analysis of body mass index (BMI) around the world has revealed a startling increase in the prevalence of obesity. The number of obese people worldwide increased from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014.

1 Apr 2016

New UCLA study reveals how the brain combines sound and vision

A new UCLA psychology study provides insights into how the brain combines sound and vision. The research suggests that there is not one sole mechanism in the brain that governs how much our senses work together to process information.

1 Apr 2016

New technologies go far beyond traditional use of contact lenses for vision correction

Imagine contact lenses that can deliver medicines directly to the eye, slow progression of nearsightedness in children, or monitor glucose levels in patients with diabetes.

1 Apr 2016

Researchers apply robust parameter selection, verification techniques to dynamic HIV model

Physical and biological models often have hundreds of inputs, many of which may have a negligible effect on a model's response. Establishing parameters that can be fixed at nominal values without significantly affecting model outputs is often challenging; sometimes these parameters cannot be simply discerned by the outputs.

1 Apr 2016

Study links voluntary exercise during pregnancy to more physically active children

Baylor College of Medicine researchers have discovered that female mice that voluntarily exercise during pregnancy have offspring that are more physically active as adults. The research appears in The FASEB Journal.

1 Apr 2016

Aging reduces axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury

Older Americans are increasingly active, and this lifestyle shift has contributed to the rise in average age of a person experiencing a spinal cord injury. The changing demographic calls for a better understanding of how aging impacts recovery and repair after a spinal cord injury.

1 Apr 2016

Tumor suppressor p53 gene twice as likely to be defective in autistic children

A large study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found that a gene whose role is to suppress cellular damage from environmental stressors is nearly twice as likely to be defective in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and that the deficit is also present in their fathers.

1 Apr 2016

Symptom Tracking App for Concussions helps athletes, parents deal with head injuries

Thirteen-year-old Madeline Yunker fell hard during a soccer match three years ago, striking her head on the turf with enough force to cause a concussion.

1 Apr 2016

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in U.S. unchanged, finds new CDC report

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contributed to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that finds the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) largely unchanged from two years ago, at one in 68 children (or 1.46 percent).

1 Apr 2016

Experimental urine test identifies 92% of men with elevated PSA levels

An experimental urine test that detects genetic changes associated with prostate cancer identified 92 percent of men with elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels who had high-grade cancers, according to a study published today in JAMA Oncology online.

1 Apr 2016

Study points to possible new genetic risk factor for celiac disease

Researchers have identified a common variant in a non-coding RNA that may contribute to the intestinal inflammation that occurs in people with celiac disease. The findings point to a possible new risk factor for developing celiac disease in people with celiac disease risk genes.

1 Apr 2016

School Breakfast Program in NYC boosts student participation

Serving free breakfast in New York City's classrooms has boosted the number of students eating what some consider the most important meal of the day at school, according to research by New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy and the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

31 Mar 2016

Rheumatoid arthritis patients who stop smoking reduce their risk of earlier death

University of Manchester-led research has found new evidence to suggest that, not only is smoking associated with earlier deaths in those with rheumatoid arthritis, but also those who stop smoking dramatically reduce their risk of earlier death, as published in Arthritis Care and Research journal.

31 Mar 2016

Commonly used fungicides could cause gene expression changes in brain cells

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have found a class of commonly used fungicides that produce gene expression changes similar to those in people with autism and neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.

31 Mar 2016

DNA changes may affect a person's lifespan

Scientists have identified DNA changes that can cut a person's lifespan by up to three years.

31 Mar 2016

Remotely tracking patients' eye gaze could help identify children with ASD

A study to be published in the April 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that eye tracking can differentiate children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from children without ASD but with other developmental problems (non-ASD).

31 Mar 2016

Right side of the brain reorganizes itself after stroke to help recover speech-motor functions

New research suggests that looking at structures in the right side of the brain may help predict who will better recover from language problems after a stroke, according to a study published in Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

31 Mar 2016