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GEN Feb issue provides up-to-date coverage on the emerging field of epigenetics

Increasing numbers of research studies clearly demonstrate that genetics alone cannot explain the diversity of living organisms, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN).

4 Feb 2010

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

New evidence that genetics play a significant role in some premature births may help explain why a woman can do everything right and still give birth too soon.

4 Feb 2010

Study finds link between genes that regulate maternal inflammatory response, bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will show the use of haplotype tagging (hap-tag) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study the relationship between genetic predispositions, an environmental factor - bacterial vaginosis, and preterm birth.

4 Feb 2010

Anomalies causing motivational deficiencies may also cause ADHD

Until now, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to alterations in the brain affecting attention and cognitive processes. Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital for the first time have discovered anomalies in the brain's reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification. In children with ADHD, the degree of motivation when carrying out an activity is related to the immediacy with which the objectives of the activity are met. This would explain why their attention and hyperactivity levels differ depending on the tasks being carried out.

4 Feb 2010

New study may allow scientists to develop screening test for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A simple blood test could predict which patients with the lung-scarring disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are soon to get far worse, an indicator that could one day influence their treatment, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

4 Feb 2010

Scientists identify potential drug therapy target for malaria

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a protein made by the malaria parasite that is essential to its ability to take over human red blood cells.

4 Feb 2010

Sistemic to develop SistemRNA compound-centric drug discovery technology with closed series A funds

Fast growing Scottish biotech company Sistemic Ltd today announced that it had closed a series A funding round with lead investors ChimeraBio and the Scottish Enterprise Scottish Co-Investment Fund. The company will use the funding to further develop its proprietary SistemRNA compound-centric drug discovery technology. Using SistemRNA shortens the odds in drug discovery by enabling far more accurate prediction of potential drug indications, interactions and side effects.

4 Feb 2010

Type 1 diabetes: Regeneration exhibits potential as a possible cure

A hormone responsible for the body's stress response is also linked to the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF- funded researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The findings are the latest advances to underscore the potential for regeneration as a key component of a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.

4 Feb 2010

Study on the role of MCP-1 in obese patients with pancreatic cancer

The levels of an inflammatory chemokine were significantly elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer who were extremely obese, according to research conducted by scientists at the Jefferson Pancreatic, Biliary and Related Cancers Center. They presented their data at the 5th Annual Academic Surgical Congress, held in San Antonio.

4 Feb 2010

Blood cytokine levels may help in predicting arthritic rheumatism

Levels of inflammatory proteins, so-called cytokines, are elevated in the blood even before the onset of arthritic rheumatism. This means that such blood samples could be used to predict the development of the disease and thereby make it possible to prevent the pathological process, according to an article by Umeå researcher Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist and her associates in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

4 Feb 2010

Researchers uncover new mechanism to protect individuals from serious complications of obesity

Although obesity is a risk factor for diabetes and coronary heart disease worldwide, only some obese individuals go on to develop these metabolic complications, while others are relatively protected. Defining these protective factors could help scientists prevent disease in the wider population.

4 Feb 2010

PLX cell therapy may be an effective treatment for ischemic stroke disorder

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the results of a pre-clinical study in an animal model of ischemic stroke demonstrated that its PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cell therapy may be an effective treatment for this disorder.

4 Feb 2010

Anti-inflammatory plant derivative could play a role in cancer treatment, say MCG researchers

Medical College of Georgia researchers are seeking to refine cancer treatment with an anti-inflammatory plant derivative long used in Chinese medicine.

4 Feb 2010

Photocontrolled molecular switch regulates paralysis in animals

In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off "switch" that paralyzes animals when exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light. The animals stay paralyzed even when the light is turned off. When exposed to ordinary light, the animals become unparalyzed and wake up.

4 Feb 2010

Transplantation of pulmonary progenitor cells derived from hESCs promising for acute lung injury

Stem cell researchers exploring a new approach for the care of respiratory diseases report that an experimental treatment involving transplantable lung cells was associated with improved outcomes in tests on mice with acute lung injury. The lung cells were derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Findings by investigators at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are scheduled to appear in the March issue of Molecular Therapy.

4 Feb 2010

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery.

4 Feb 2010

HUCB-derived purified and expanded CD133+ cells may show promise in cellular cardiomyoplasty

Researchers at the Pontif-cia Universidade Cat-lica do Paran- and Instituto Carlos Chagas have evaluated the therapeutic potential of purified and expanded CD133+ cells human umbilical cord blood (HUCB)-derived in treating myocardial infarction by intramyocardially injecting them into a rat model. Patients who have high cardiovascular risks have fewer endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and their EPCs exhibit greater in vitro senescence.

4 Feb 2010

UTMB: Mother's exposure to BPA increases risks of asthma in her children

For years, scientists have warned of the possible negative health effects of bisphenol A, a chemical used to make everything from plastic water bottles and food packaging to sunglasses and CDs.

4 Feb 2010

Canadian Institutes of Health Research awards $2.3M for study on integrative biology of inflammatory diseases

A research team led by Dr. John D. Rioux, a researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professor in the faculty of medicine at the Université de Montréal, has been awarded a grant of more than $2.3 million to finance a major research project on the integrative biology of inflammatory diseases. From among the roughly 70 applications submitted, Dr. Rioux's team is one of six selected by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to receive the Emerging Team Grant - From Genes to Proteins, Cells, Tissues and Patients.

4 Feb 2010

Prolactin reduces the levels of BCL6 protein and prevents aggressive breast cancer

Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have found a mechanism by which a hormone responsible for milk production blocks an oncogene that makes breast cancer more aggressive.

4 Feb 2010

Medical Science News

GEN Feb issue provides up-to-date coverage on the emerging field of epigenetics

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

Study finds link between genes that regulate maternal inflammatory response, bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery

Anomalies causing motivational deficiencies may also cause ADHD

New study may allow scientists to develop screening test for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Scientists identify potential drug therapy target for malaria

Sistemic to develop SistemRNA compound-centric drug discovery technology with closed series A funds

Type 1 diabetes: Regeneration exhibits potential as a possible cure

Study on the role of MCP-1 in obese patients with pancreatic cancer

Blood cytokine levels may help in predicting arthritic rheumatism

Researchers uncover new mechanism to protect individuals from serious complications of obesity

PLX cell therapy may be an effective treatment for ischemic stroke disorder

Anti-inflammatory plant derivative could play a role in cancer treatment, say MCG researchers

Photocontrolled molecular switch regulates paralysis in animals

Transplantation of pulmonary progenitor cells derived from hESCs promising for acute lung injury

DNA variants in mother and fetus can increase risk of preterm labor

HUCB-derived purified and expanded CD133+ cells may show promise in cellular cardiomyoplasty

UTMB: Mother's exposure to BPA increases risks of asthma in her children

Canadian Institutes of Health Research awards $2.3M for study on integrative biology of inflammatory diseases

Prolactin reduces the levels of BCL6 protein and prevents aggressive breast cancer

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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