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Genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases now available from Mass. Eye and Ear

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology today announced the availability of a comprehensive genetic diagnostic test for inherited eye diseases.

22 Nov 2013

Study may shed light on neural regrowth in mammals after spinal cord injury

Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve "highways" that link the brain to the spinal cord.

22 Nov 2013

Mouse study highlights importance of microorganisms in optimal cancer treatment outcomes

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22 Nov 2013

First molecular test developed to detect eosinophilic esophagitis

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic upper gastrointestinal disorder. The incidence of EoE has skyrocketed since it was first characterized two decades ago.

22 Nov 2013

Inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers fear behaviours

Using an approach combining in vivo recordings and optogenetic manipulations in mice, the researchers succeeded in showing that the inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers a chain reaction resulting in fear behaviour. Conversely, activation of these parvalbumin interneurons significantly reduces fear responses in rodents.

22 Nov 2013

New targeted treatments for autism may be possible

Finding major new clues to the origins of autism, a Yale-led team of researchers has pinpointed which cell types and regions of the developing human brain are affected by gene mutations linked to autism. They report their findings in the Nov. 21 issue of the journal Cell.

22 Nov 2013

Researchers study role of small non-coding RNAs expressed in the human male germline

Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, have studied the role of a peculiar class of small non-coding RNAs that are mainly expressed in the human male germline.

22 Nov 2013

Board of Visitors approves resolution to create Faculty of Health Sciences

At its quarterly meeting this week, Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors approved a resolution to create a Faculty of Health Sciences.

22 Nov 2013

Targeting single enzyme in the obese could help prevent and treat diabetes

A single overactive enzyme worsens the two core defects of diabetes—impaired insulin sensitivity and overproduction of glucose—suggesting that a drug targeting the enzyme could help correct both at once, according to mouse studies done by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. The findings were published today in the online edition of Cell Metabolism.

22 Nov 2013

Studies link hundreds of gene mutations in the brain to increased autism risk

Pity the poor autism researcher. Recent studies have linked hundreds of gene mutations scattered throughout the brain to increased autism risk. Where do you start?

22 Nov 2013

Sugar is not direct cause of tooth decay

The effects of sugar on teeth are widely talked about. How many times have you been told that if you eat sugar, you will damage your teeth and develop cavities?

22 Nov 2013

Frequent consumption of peanuts lowers risk of death

A major study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that men and women who ate an ounce of peanuts daily reduced their risk of death from all causes by up to 20%. Results also showed that peanut eaters were leaner. This gives people another great reason to get their daily handful of peanuts.

22 Nov 2013

Researchers to discuss effects of alcohol on immune system at AIRIG meeting

On Nov. 22, leading alcohol researchers from the United States and Europe will present the latest findings on how alcohol impairs the immune system.

22 Nov 2013

Brown fat stem cells may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders

Obesity and diabetes have become a global epidemic leading to severe cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Utah believe their recent identification of brown fat stem cells in adult humans may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.

22 Nov 2013

NYSCF partners with NIH to generate stem cell for treating rare diseases

In what is anticipated to be a major step forward for rare disease research, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Disease Program (UDP).

22 Nov 2013

Study reveals how obesity alters our relationship to food

Obesity may alter the way we taste at the most fundamental level: by changing how our tongues react to different foods.

22 Nov 2013

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

There is good evidence from studies of families and twins that genetics plays an important role in the development of alcoholism. However, hundreds of genes likely are involved in this complex disorder, with each variant contributing only a very small effect. Thus, identifying individual risk genes is difficult.

21 Nov 2013