Researchers have found 32 gene variations that probably contribute to Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder.
The new research significantly increases the number of genetic segments that are associated with Crohn’s disease, which is the most common inflammatory bowel disease. There are likely to be many more still undiscovered genes that are involved in the development [...]
Researchers have developed a virus which is used to kill cancer cells in patients with advanced end stage cancers. The treatments which are experimental offer an alternative for patients who have exhausted other options and can’t take any more chemotherapy or radiation. The virus approach to killing cancer cells has the advantage of leaving normal [...]
Here is an interesting story showing that the development of autism has a strong genetic component. A number of parents who used the same sperm donor had children who developed autism. The sperm donor was an individual with high intelligence and other desirable characteristics according to the sperm bank information.
The first child described is [...]
A different class of anticancer medication that works by turning off cancer genes appears to effectively halt the progress of prostate cancer development in experimental animals. The new class of anticancer drugs are called histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. The new medication prevented mice with a precancerous lesion from getting an advanced prostate cancer.
While receiving the [...]
Bisphenol A, or BPA a chemical found in numerous plastics that contain our foods and make up some water bottles and baby bottles has been linked to the development of obesity.
Bisphenol A, or BPA exposure during the development of a fetus in the womb and exposure while in infancy is associated with obesity later in [...]
Scientists from the University of Washington have located gene abnormalities that could explain how schizophrenia develops in some patients. Researchers identified gene deletions and extra (duplicated) segments of DNA which are more frequent in people with the schizophrenia. It was discovered that abnormalities occur in genes related to the [...]
The list of health problems associated with Bishenol A (a common plastic molecule to which virtually all Americans are exposed) continues to grow:
Bisphenol A has been known to be estrogenic since the mid-1930s. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic as well as dental sealants and a resin coating for food cans [...]
Loss of a small part of chromosome number 16, (16p11.2), is linked with autism researchers report (University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Chicago Medical Center, and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute)
Researchers think that the 16p11.2 microdeletions may be a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders and may cause mild autism in some [...]
University of Chicago researchers have found that many of the gene variations which enabled humans to tolerate cold climates affect the susceptibility to metabolic syndrome (a cluster of related abnormalities including obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, and diabetes).
Over100 years ago, scientists noted that humans inhabiting colder regions were stockier and had relatively shorter arms and legs. More recently, [...]
A gene identified as CHI3L1 raises susceptibility to asthma, bronchial sensitivity and deteriorating lung function, acccording to researchers at the University of Chicago (reported in the New England Journal of Medicine). A gene variant for this gene causes elevated blood levels of a protein YKL-40, which is a marker for asthma. Another version of the gene lowers YKL-40 levels and [...]
