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Research explores epigenetic effects that contribute to psychiatric disorders in offspring

Advanced paternal age has been associated with greater risk for psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. With an increase in paternal age, there is a greater frequency of certain types of mutations that contribute to these disorders in offspring.

9 Dec 2013

Growing cord blood stem cells in lab before transplant boosts survival, study finds

Donated umbilical cord blood contains stem cells that can save the lives of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers.

9 Dec 2013

UC Davis experts call for updated prostate cancer treatment guidelines

With a deluge of promising new drug treatments for advanced prostate cancer on the market, a new model of care is needed that emphasizes collaboration between urologists and medical oncologists, according to UC Davis prostate cancer experts.

9 Dec 2013

Novel multi-kinase inhibitor shows early promise in NSCLC

Researchers have reported promising early data on an investigational drug that targets two tyrosine kinase receptors that drive invasive growth and drug resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer.

9 Dec 2013

One in three premenopausal women has urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence affects nearly one in three premenopausal women, a study by Turkish researchers has found.

9 Dec 2013

LUTS likely to resolve without treatment

Lower urinary tract symptoms in men tend to follow a fluctuating course with marked variability in symptoms over time, a 5-year study has shown.

9 Dec 2013

Insomnia linked to increased GERD risk

Insomnia is associated with an increased risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease, findings from a cross-sectional study show.

9 Dec 2013

Early lung infection exacerbates asthma risk in preterm birth children

A Swedish study of children admitted to hospital within the first year of life for lung infection has found that the increased risk this poses for later development of asthma is exacerbated by low gestational age.

9 Dec 2013

Two-armed approach to vascular risk prediction

People with different blood pressures in their left and right arms have an increased risk for cardiovascular events, even if they do not have hypertension, shows a population-based analysis.

9 Dec 2013

New material effective in destroying drug-resistant fungi

Researchers at Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California’s IBM Research – Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

9 Dec 2013

Findings support health impact assessments of fine particles in Europe

Prolonged exposure to tiny particles of soot or dust found in traffic fumes and industrial emissions may be more deadly below current European Union air quality limits than previously thought, according to new research examining two decades of data from over 360 000 residents of large cities in 13 European countries.

9 Dec 2013

Children with epilepsy at higher risk for mood and behavior disorders

Children with epilepsy are at high risk for depression, anxiety, and behavioral functioning disorders. Mood and behavior are known to change or improve in children following epilepsy surgery, but research is inconsistent concerning the extent of the change.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers identify central switch by which HDL controls inflammatory response

High-density lipoprotein, known colloquially as "good cholesterol", protects against dangerous deposits in the arteries. An important function of HDL is its anti-inflammatory properties. An international research team at the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University Hospital of Bonn and the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn has identified a central switch by which HDL controls the inflammatory response. The results are presented in the current issue of "Nature Immunology".

9 Dec 2013

Malaria cases in the U.S. rising due to international travel, inadequate use of prevention methods

The number of malaria cases in the United States is rising, a trend that can be linked to the increasing amount of international travel and inadequate use of prevention methods.

9 Dec 2013

Researchers one step closer to development of drug-eluting contact lens for glaucoma treatment

For nearly half a century, contact lenses have been proposed as a means of ocular drug delivery that may someday replace eye drops, but achieving controlled drug release has been a significant challenge. Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are one step closer to an eye drop-free reality with the development of a drug-eluting contact lens designed for prolonged delivery of latanoprost, a common drug used for the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

9 Dec 2013

Findings hold great promise for potential use of ELABELA as therapeutic molecule for heart diseases

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology have identified a gene encoding a hormone that could potentially be used as a therapeutic molecule to treat heart diseases. The hormone - which they have chosen to name ELABELA - is only 32 amino-acids long, making it amongst the tiniest proteins made by the human body.

9 Dec 2013

NYSCF, PersonalGenomes.org partner to identify genetic contributions to disease development

Today, the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and PersonalGenomes.org announced a partnership to identify genetic and environmental contributions to trait and disease development. Cell lines generated by NYSCF will complement genomic data and medical histories contributed by participants in the Harvard Personal Genome Project, creating a unique and powerful resource to help researchers identify causes of disease.

9 Dec 2013

New form of gene therapy shows promising outcomes for "bubble boy" disease

Researchers reported promising outcomes data for the first group of boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID-X1), a fatal genetic immunodeficiency also known as "bubble boy" disease, who were treated as part of an international clinical study of a new form of gene therapy. The mechanism used to deliver the gene therapy is designed to prevent the serious complication of leukemia that arose a decade ago in a similar trial in Europe, when one-quarter of boys treated developed the blood cancer.

9 Dec 2013

UC Santa Barbara extends research contract with Army Research Laboratory

UC Santa Barbara's Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies has received an extension of its contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office, providing an additional $48 million over three years to support research that is inspired by biological systems. The continuation in ICB funding speaks to the success of a decade of fundamental research in the areas of biotechnology, chemistry, engineering, physics, materials science, computer science, neuroscience and medicine.

9 Dec 2013

Penn researchers identify protein that could clear Alzheimer's plaques

The body is structured to ensure that any invading organisms have a tough time reaching the brain, an organ obviously critical to survival. Known as the blood-brain barrier, cells that line the brain and spinal cord are tightly packed, making it difficult for anything besides very small molecules to cross from the bloodstream into the central nervous system. While beneficial, this blockade also stands in the way of delivering drugs intended to treat neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's.

9 Dec 2013