Genes and lifestyle factors together play a role in stroke risk. However, even for people at high risk for stroke, adopting a healthy cardiovascular lifestyle may significantly lower the risk of stroke in their lifetime, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American… Continue reading A Healthy Lifestyle Can Reduce Stroke Risk
Tag: genetic
A New Weapon Against Antibiotic Resistance
Researchers at the University of Rochester’s Medical Center are developing a genetic tool to help doctors prescribe antibiotics to patients who actually need them – and that could help the rising problem of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance, caused by the overuse of antibiotics, is one of the world’s most crucial health threats. According to the… Continue reading A New Weapon Against Antibiotic Resistance
How You Can Help Alzheimer’s Research
From the experts at the National Institute on Aging, a list of studies that people can consider joining as part of an effort to learn more about Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia: Joining a registry or matching service can help advance research on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. You don’t have to have Alzheimer’s to… Continue reading How You Can Help Alzheimer’s Research
Progress in Research on A Puzzling Eye Disease
Named for Friedrich Best, who characterized the disease in 1905, Best disease, also known as vitelliform macular dystrophy, affects children and young adults and can cause severe declines in central vision as patients age. The disease is one in a group of conditions known as bestrophinopathies, all linked to mutations in the BEST1 gene. This… Continue reading Progress in Research on A Puzzling Eye Disease
The Latest on Pancreatic-Cancer Diagnosis
Pancreatic cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the United States, recently surpassing breast cancer, according to an article in the Mayo Clinic News Network. The article cites statistics that 53,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected by the end of 2016, and an estimated 42,000 deaths occur annually. “Although… Continue reading The Latest on Pancreatic-Cancer Diagnosis
What Electronic Health Records Can Tell Researchers
Researchers who studied eectronic medical records have been able to identify two genetic variations linked to age-related hearing impairment. The discovery, by researchers at UC San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Northern California, was published in PLOS Genetics. “This is one of the first studies that has found and replicated genes linked with age-related hearing impairment,”said … Continue reading What Electronic Health Records Can Tell Researchers
Hot Flashes May Have A Genetic Link
Are hot flashes, the universal symbol of menopause, linked to genetics? A team of UCLA-led researchers may have found a clue in a first-of-its kind study: gene variants that affect a receptor in the brain that regulates estrogen release and is present across all ethnicities. It appears that women who have these variants are more… Continue reading Hot Flashes May Have A Genetic Link
A New Genetic Clue to Bipolar Disorder
Researchers from Johns Hopkins have identified 84 potential inherited gene mutations that could contribute to the most severe forms of bipolar disorder. The study is one of the first of rare genetic variations in people with bipolar disorder, which affects about 5.6 million Americans. The work, published in JAMA Psychiatry, was led by Fernando Goes,… Continue reading A New Genetic Clue to Bipolar Disorder
Specialized Tests for Melanoma
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), melanoma rates in the United States have doubled over the past two decades. Luckily, though, this increase has been accompanied by the development of more effective tools for diagnosis and treatment, including genetic and molecular testing. In some cases, these tests can yield valuable information that helps… Continue reading Specialized Tests for Melanoma
A Genetic Flip-On Switch for Longevity
Newly discovered genetic switches that increase lifespan and boost fitness in worms are also linked to increased lifespan in mammals, offering hope that drugs to flip these switches could improve human metabolic function and increase longevity. These so-called epigenetic switches, discovered by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de… Continue reading A Genetic Flip-On Switch for Longevity
Targeting An Especially Deadly Cancer
Scientists are learning more about glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly deadly cancer with a typical survival time of 15 months. Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a key to how the tumor cells in glioblastoma multiforme proliferate so quickly —and ways to turn this engine of tumor growth into a target for cancer treatment. “This… Continue reading Targeting An Especially Deadly Cancer
Not Just Bone Density Anymore: Genetics, Aging and Osteoporosis
One of the defining moments of my work in aging research was learning how dramatically age affects the deterioration of the skeleton. This realization motivated me to perform research focused on understanding age effects on the skeleton. Thus I have spent my career studying the impact of low bone density and working to characterize the… Continue reading Not Just Bone Density Anymore: Genetics, Aging and Osteoporosis
Melanoma: What You Need to Know
Although skin cancer isn’t of as much concern to people as better known and more serious cancers such as those of the breast and colon, it can be very serious – especially in its most dangerous form, melanoma. Here, from the American Academy of Dermatology, is what you need to know about the illness that… Continue reading Melanoma: What You Need to Know
What Is Obesity? Metabolic Signatures Offer New Comprehensive View
As obesity has risen in the United States and all around the world, so too have many other obesity-related health conditions: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and maybe even Alzheimer’s disease. But how exactly do those extra pounds lead to such widespread trouble, and how might we go about developing better ways to prevent or… Continue reading What Is Obesity? Metabolic Signatures Offer New Comprehensive View
PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is already linked with a number of conditions, including depression, anger and substance abuse. And now, researchers say, it appears to be linked to accelerated aging as well. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, published the finding in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “This is the first study… Continue reading PTSD Linked To Accelerated Aging
“Renovating” Cells
Understanding the molecular signals that guide early cells in the embryo to develop into different types of organs provides insight into how tissues regenerate and repair themselves. By knowing the principles that underlie this transformation, researchers will be able to make new cells at will for transplantation and tissue repair in such situations as liver… Continue reading “Renovating” Cells
New Perspectives on Loneliness
Although loneliness is a familiar condition, scientists are only now beginning to look at its causes, consequences, and possible treatments. Researchers developed a special section in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, to bring together a summary of scientific research into loneliness. According to a release from… Continue reading New Perspectives on Loneliness
A Possible Treatment for Binge Drinking
Scientists have discovered profound changes in proteins that could lead to treatment for alcohol-related liver diseases. The researchers, from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, said the changes occur because of binge drinking. The National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse defines binge drinking as five drinks over a two-hour period for men, and… Continue reading A Possible Treatment for Binge Drinking