Study pinpoints cell type and brain region affected by gene mutations in autism
A team led by UC San Francisco scientists has identified the disruption of a single type of cell—in a particular brain region and at a particular time in brain development—as a significant factor in...
View ArticleResearchers identify genomic variant associated with sun sensitivity, freckles
Researchers have identified a genomic variant strongly associated with sensitivity to the sun, brown hair, blue eyes – and freckles. In the study of Icelanders the researchers uncovered an intricate...
View ArticleNew link between obesity and diabetes found
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...
View ArticleScientists identify gene that regulates body weight in humans and mice
Research has pointed to the importance of genetic factors in human obesity and has shown that heritability plays a role in 40% to 90% of cases. Now investigators reporting online November 21 in The...
View ArticleTargets of anticancer drugs have broader functions than what their name suggests
Drugs that inhibit the activity of enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDACs) are being widely developed for treating cancer and other diseases, with two already on the market. Researchers at the...
View ArticleStudy sheds light on nerve regeneration following 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,...
View ArticleNew study could enhance treatments for drug-resistant melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing more than 8,000 in the U.S. each year. Approximately 40 percent of advanced melanoma tumors are driven to grow by the presence of mutations in a...
View ArticleMultibeam femtosecond optical transfection for the ultimate brain interface
(Medical Xpress)—The robotic brain surgeon, featured in the 2013 movie "Enders Game" is no fictional brain-fixing machine. The open-source surgical platform, known as Raven II, has already starred in...
View ArticleNew technique improves accuracy, ease of cancer diagnosis
A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high...
View ArticleResearch reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity
Scientists have identified a potential way to improve future flu vaccines after discovering that seasonal flu typically escapes immunity from vaccines with as little as a single amino acid...
View ArticleStudy of fluke parasites identifies drug resistance mutations, raises hope...
An international group of scientists led by Tim Anderson Ph.D., at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Philip LoVerde Ph.D., at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has...
View ArticleDoes obesity reshape our sense of taste?
Obesity may alter the way we taste at the most fundamental level: by changing how our tongues react to different foods.
View ArticleGut microorganisms may determine cancer treatment outcome
An intact population of microorganisms that derive food and benefit from other organisms living in the intestine is required for optimal response to cancer therapy, according to a mouse study by...
View ArticleLowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar could halve...
Controlling blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood glucose may substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with being overweight or obese, according to a study from a...
View ArticleWhat not to do for migraines
(HealthDay)—Prescription pain medications should not be the first treatment for migraines. And doctors shouldn't routinely order brain scans for patients with these debilitating headaches, according to...
View ArticleDifferent gene expression in male and female brains may help explain sex...
UCL scientists have shown that there are widespread differences in how genes, the basic building blocks of the human body, are expressed in men and women's brains.
View ArticlePreschoolers exposure to television can stall their cognitive development
Television is a powerful agent of development for children, particularly those in preschool. But when could too much TV be detrimental to a young child's mind? A recent paper published in the Journal...
View ArticleTime flies when you are... looking at an unattractive face
The common expression 'time flies when you're having fun' suggests that people's perception of duration is moderated by the impact of their emotions and the activities they are performing; in other...
View ArticleWho learns from the carrot, and who from the stick?
To flexibly deal with our ever-changing world, we need to learn from both the negative and positive consequences of our behaviour. In other words, from punishment and reward. Hanneke den Ouden from the...
View ArticleDiscovery of novel gene solves mystery of scar formation
(Medical Xpress)—The study, in a South African-British-French collaboration which led to the discovery of the little-known novel gene called FAM111B, brings hope to millions of families across the...
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