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New RNA-Seq technique used to profile anthrax genome

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have used a new approach, known as RNA-Seq, to profile the gene expression of the bacterium that causes anthrax, Bacillus anthracis.

22 Mar 2009

Discovery of genetic link to blood cancers

The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, has shown that susceptibility to a series of blood cancers, known as myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs), is linked to a particular area of the patient's DNA, which is prone to developing mutations.

22 Mar 2009

Long-term daily drinking is biggest risk factor in serious liver disease

Long-term daily drinking, rather than weekly binge drinking, is by far the biggest risk factor in serious liver disease, according to a new report from the University of Southampton.

22 Mar 2009

Research suggests those who have chronic pain may need to assess vitamin D status

Mayo Clinic research shows a correlation between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain

22 Mar 2009

How to increase the efficacy of local excision of rectal cancer

With the advancement of imaging techniques, the accuracy of preoperative rectal cancer staging has increased dramatically, and the preservation of physical function in rectal cancer patients has become a very important aim of research.

22 Mar 2009

Scientists discover 10 genes associated with a risk factor for sudden cardiac death

One minute, he's a strapping 40-year-old with an enviable cholesterol level, working out on his treadmill.

22 Mar 2009

Gulf War veterans display abnormal brain response to specific chemicals

A new study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers is the first to pinpoint damage inside the brains of veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome - a finding that links the illness to chemical exposures and may lead to diagnostic tests and treatments.

22 Mar 2009

Focus on treating malnutrition in cancer patients, researchers say

Cancer patients who are malnourished experience significantly greater levels of psychological distress than those who are more adequately nourished, according to new results reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology's Symposium on Cancer and Nutrition (Zurich, 20-21 March 2009).

22 Mar 2009

Cardiac arrhythmias are often accompanied by sleep-disordered breathing

Breathing during sleep is often impaired in patients with atrial fibrillation.

22 Mar 2009

Abnormal EKG can predict death in stroke patients

People who suffer an ischemic stroke and also have an abnormality in the heart's electrical cycle are at a higher risk of death within 90 days than people who do not have abnormal electrical activity at the time of emergency treatment, according to new research.

22 Mar 2009

Severe vomiting case due to chronic marijuana use

This obscure clinical manifestation of severe vomiting sickness due to chronic abuse of marijuana, recognized by Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, NE, was published on March 14, 2009 World Journal of Gastroenterology.

22 Mar 2009

When intestinal bacteria go surfing

The bacterium Escherichia coli is part of the healthy human intestinal flora. However, E. coli also has pathogenic relatives that trigger diarrhea illnesses: enterohemorrhagic E.coli bacteria.

20 Mar 2009

Metabolism and aging linked to circadian rhythm

All animals, including humans, have an internal 24-hour clock or circadian rhythm that creates a daily oscillation of body temperature, brain activity, hormone production and metabolism.

20 Mar 2009

The brain maintains language skills in spite of alcohol damage by drawing from other regions

Prior neuroimaging studies have shown alcoholism-related damage to the frontal lobes and cerebellum.

20 Mar 2009

New TB vaccine developed using a genetically modified adenovirus

McMaster University researchers are about to launch Canada's first tuberculosis (TB) vaccine clinical trial with a vaccine totally designed, manufactured and tested within McMaster.

20 Mar 2009

Symposium to look at genetic basis of exercise

'Adaptation to exercise' is a familiar phenomenon, even if the phrase is not: A sedentary person takes up jogging and can barely make it around the block.

20 Mar 2009

Researchers investigate new way to block reproduction of the hepatitis C virus

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers are investigating a new way to block reproduction of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) - targeting not the virus itself but the human genes the virus exploits in its life cycle.

20 Mar 2009

Study finds extensive patient sharing among hospitals; could impact spread of infectious diseases

Findings from the first in-depth study of patient sharing show that hospitals share large numbers of patients with other acute care facilities without knowing it.

20 Mar 2009

Study finds biological clue in brain tumor development

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have uncovered a vital new biological clue that could lead to more effective treatments for a children's brain tumour that currently kills more than 60 per cent of young sufferers.

20 Mar 2009

Scots and Irish at greater risk of drink-related death, study shows

Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales are twice as high among people born in Scotland or Ireland compared with the rest of the population, a study has shown.

20 Mar 2009