Health News

Potential New Clues For Identifying Breast Cancer Risk

Date: Jun-06-2013
New research provides critical insights into how normal breast precursor cells may be genetically vulnerable to develop into cancer. The research is published in the inaugural issue of Stem Cell Reports, an open-access journal from the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) published by Cell Press. Scientists discovered that a particular class of normal breast precursor cells have extremely short chromosome ends (known as telomeres). As a result, these cells would be expected to be prone to acquiring mutations that lead to cancer if they managed to stay alive...

Iron May Have A Protective Effect Against Parkinson's Disease

Date: Jun-06-2013
Increased iron levels may be causally associated with a decreased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, says a new paper published this week in PLOS Medicine. Irene Pichler from EURAC in Italy and a group of international colleagues investigated whether there was any evidence of an association between serum iron levels and the risk of Parkinson's disease. While the causes of Parkinson's disease are currently unknown, a combination of genetic and environmental factors are said to be attributed to the disease...

Test Developed To Identify Unsafe Stem Cells

Date: Jun-06-2013
The breakthrough is a significant step in improving the quality of iPS cells and identifying unwanted cells that can form tumours. The test also determines how stable iPS cells are when grown in the lab. Dr Andrew Laslett and his team have spent the last five years working on the project. The research has focused on comparing different types of iPS cells with human embryonic stem cells. iPS cells are now the most commonly used pluripotent stem cell type for research. "The test we have developed allows us to easily identify unsafe iPS cells...

Abnormal Brain Networks Found In Fragile X Syndrome

Date: Jun-06-2013
The genetic malady known as Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited autism and intellectual disability. Brain scientists know the gene defect that causes the syndrome and understand the damage it does in misshaping the brain's synapses - the connections between neurons. But how this abnormal shaping of synapses translates into abnormal behavior is unclear. Now, researchers at UCLA believe they know. Using a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome (FXS), they recorded the activity of networks of neurons in a living mouse brain while the animal was awake and asleep...

New Class Of Molecules May Be Key To Emerging 'Enhancer Therapy'

Date: Jun-06-2013
In a pair of distinct but complementary papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues illuminate the functional importance of a relatively new class of RNA molecules. The work, published online this week in the journal Nature, suggests modulation of "enhancer-directed RNAs" or "eRNAs" could provide a new way to alter gene expression in living cells, perhaps affecting the development or pathology of many diseases. Enhancers are sequences in the genome that act to boost or "enhance" the activity or expression of nearby genes...

Why Women Have Better Memory Recall Than Men

Date: Jun-06-2013
New research from McMaster University suggests women can remember faces better than men, in part because they spend more time studying features without even knowing it, and a technique researchers say can help improve anyone's memories. The findings help to answer long-standing questions about why some people can remember faces easily while others quickly forget someone they've just met...

When DNA Turns Up In The Wrong Place In Mammalian Cells

Date: Jun-06-2013
In animal cells, DNA molecules are normally restricted to the cell nucleus and the mitochondria. When DNA appears outside these organelles - in the so-called cytosol - it most probably originates from a bacterial pathogen or a DNA virus. This is why cytosolic DNA triggers a strong response by the innate immune system. However, various types of insult can also lead to the release into the cytosol of the cell's own DNA. In this case, the resulting immune response may precipitate an autoimmune disease. The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against invasive pathogens...

Parasitic Worms Rapidly Becoming Resistant To All The Weapons At Our Disposal

Date: Jun-06-2013
Almost one in six people worldwide are infected by parasitic worms, while parasitic infections of livestock cause economic losses of billions of Euro per year. Resistance to the few drugs available to treat infections is increasing and there is an urgent need to identify additional strategies to control parasitic diseases. A new study by Martina Ondrovics and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna describes a rational approach to identifying proteins that might be involved in the larval development of a particular worm that infects pigs...

Helicopter Operated By Pure Mind Control

Date: Jun-06-2013
Controlling the movements of a helicopter just with your mind sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but scientists at the University of Minnesota have made it a reality. They have learnt to use their thoughts to steer a model helicopter around a gym, making it dip, rise, turn, and even fly through a ring. The scientists have published their study in the Journal of Neural Engineering. The development of brain computer interfacing (BCI) is to provide the user with the ability to communicate with the world outside and manipulate objects through thought modulation...

STI Diagnoses Rose 5% In 2012 In The UK

Date: Jun-06-2013
Last year, the number of new sexually transmitted infections increased by 5 percent, according to new data published by Public Health England (PHE). In 2011, there were 428,255 diagnosed cases of sexually transmitted infections compared to 448,422 in 2012. Health officials have issued a warning saying that the increased prevalence of STIs means that there are too many people who are still unaware of the risks involved with unsafe sex - in particular men who have sex with men (MSM)...