Researchers have linked a rare genetic mutation found mostly in Black Americans and other people of African descent to an earlier onset of heart failure and a higher risk of hospitalization. The findings suggest that earlier screening for the mutation could lead to faster treatment and improved outcomes for heart failure in this vulnerable group,… Continue reading Heart Failure and African-Americans
Tag: gene
Gene Variant Could Lead to Missed Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis in African-Americans
Researchers have found a gene variant that occurs only in African Americans and could cause underdiagnosis of A1c blood testing for diabetes among a group known to have a higher risk for the illness. The discovery was part of a study that identified 60 gene variants – 42 for the first time – that can… Continue reading Gene Variant Could Lead to Missed Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis in African-Americans
Making Magic Happen: How Scientists are Editing DNA to Remove Potentially Fatal Genes
Scientists have achieved a landmark breakthrough by editing DNA in human embryos to rid them of a potentially fatal gene As reported in the journal Nature, the researchers from Oregon and Health Sciences University focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common genetic heart disease. By editing the DNA of embryos carrying that gene, the scientists said… Continue reading Making Magic Happen: How Scientists are Editing DNA to Remove Potentially Fatal Genes
The Longevity Gene that Isn’t Permanent
Variants of a gene thought to be linked to longevity appear to influence aging into the 90s, but do not appear to affect exceptional longevity, or aging over 100, a new study has found. The research challenges previous findings that indicated some variants of the gene, FOXO3, played a role in exceptional longevity, said Harold… Continue reading The Longevity Gene that Isn’t Permanent
The Ice Bucket Challenge: Did It Work?
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge, the social media videos that went viral during the summer of 2104? What began as a few videos circulated between some charity volunteers snowballed into an internet sensation. Its premise was simple: Make a video challenging friends, family and co-workers to donate money to fund ALS, a rare neurological disease,… Continue reading The Ice Bucket Challenge: Did It Work?
A New Way to Fight Free Radicals
University of Michigan researchers have taken a big step in figuring out how to fight deadly free radicals, which cause cell damage, aging, disease and death. The study outlines the discovery of a protein that acts as a powerful protectant against free radicals. Ironically, the protein is activated by excessive free radicals. Human mutations of… Continue reading A New Way to Fight Free Radicals
Broccoli Gets Even Better
Broccoli, an undisputed superfood, has just become more super. University of Illinois researchers have identified genes that control the accumulation of phenolic compounds in broccoli. Consumption of phenolic compounds, including certain flavonoids, is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, asthma, and several types of cancer. The findings were published… Continue reading Broccoli Gets Even Better
Genes May Determine Our Feelings
How people think and feel about their lives depends on multiple factors, including genes, researchers have found. In a paper published in Nature Genetics, a multi-institutional team, including a researcher from Baylor College of Medicine, reports that they have found genetic variants associated with our feelings of well-being, depression and neuroticism. This is one of… Continue reading Genes May Determine Our Feelings
A New Clue to Stuttering
Mice that vocalize in a repetitive, halting pattern similar to human stuttering may provide insight into a condition that has perplexed scientists for centuries, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The researchers created mice with a mutation in… Continue reading A New Clue to Stuttering
Researchers Lengthen Lifespan of Aging Cells
Researchers, working with yeast and worms, have found that they can extend the lifespan of aging cells. The study was published in the journal Genes & Development. The investigators were led by senior author Shelley Berger, PhD, a Daniel S. Och University Professor in the departments of Cell & Developmental Biology, Biology & Genetics at… Continue reading Researchers Lengthen Lifespan of Aging Cells
Discovered: The Eczema Gene
Scientists have discovered a gene that promotes itching – and that could represent a new target for treatment of skin disorders such as eczema. In a paper published June 11 in the journal Neuron, researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of California, Berkeley said they have identified a serotonin… Continue reading Discovered: The Eczema Gene
Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers: Moving Toward More Precise Prevention
By NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene and closely related BRCA2 gene account for about 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers and 15 percent of ovarian cancers [1]. For any given individual, the likelihood that one of these mutations is responsible goes up significantly in the presence… Continue reading Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers: Moving Toward More Precise Prevention
Progress Made Toward A New Kind of Anesthesia
Researchers say they are drawing closer to developing a new class of anesthetics. “While physician anesthesiologists have improved the safety of anesthesia over the years, there are still many risks associated with general anesthesia. And yet, no new anesthetics have been developed for more than 40 years,” said Roderic G. Eckenhoff, M.D., lead author of… Continue reading Progress Made Toward A New Kind of Anesthesia
Stopping Aging via Remote Control
An anti-aging process that involves remote control of cells? It sounds like science fiction, but it’s getting closer to reality thanks to biologists from UCLA. The scientists, working with fruit flies, remotely increased levels of a gene called AMPK. The gene, a crucial sensor of energy in cells, gets activated when cellular energy levels are… Continue reading Stopping Aging via Remote Control