“Cells in mucus from lungs of high-risk patients can predict tumor development” 
(March 15) EurekAlert! reports, “In a group of high-risk patients, a test that examined DNA from cells expelled in sputum for evidence of "silenced" genes correctly identified the majority of patients who were later diagnosed with lung cancer, say researchers in a study published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research.”
“New York Times Magazine Examines Legal, Moral, Ethical Issues Surrounding Prenatal Testing For Genetic Defects”
(March 15) Medical News Today reports, “The New York Times Magazine on Sunday examined the legal, moral and ethical issues surrounding pregnancy termination because of detected genetic defects.”
“Studying the gene-expression profiles of patients with colorectal cancer might help predict their response to chemotherapy”
(March 15) News Medical.net reports, “In a study published in the open access journal Genome Biology, researchers identified in the tumours of colorectal cancer patients almost 700 genes whose expression was different between patients who subsequently responded well to combined chemotherapy and patients who were resistant to the therapy.”
“Unraveling The Genetics of Schizophrenia”
(March 14) eMaxHealth reports, “Misunderstanding abounds with schizophrenia, beginning with its name.”
“Scientists launch big genetic database project”
(March 14) PlanetArk reports, “A major project to collect DNA samples and medical data from 500,000 people was launched on Wednesday to study how genes, lifestyle and environment affect the risk of disease.”
“Silent Struggle: A New Theory of Pregnancy”
(March 14) Reuters reports, “Pregnancy can be the most wonderful experience life has to offer. But it can also be dangerous.”
“Researchers Identify Gene Variations That May Determine Which Heart Failure Patients Are Likely to Benefit from Treatment With BiDil(R)”
(March 14) Reuters reports, “Today, NitroMed, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTMD) announced preliminary results from ongoing analyses of data collected during the African American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT), the clinical trial supporting effectiveness of BiDil(R) (isosorbide dinitrate/hydralazine hydrochloride), that may determine whether specific variations of genes important in cardiovascular diseases can act as genetic markers for heart failure patients who might best respond to treatment with BiDil.”
“Sanofi gene therapy reduces amputations: researchers”
(March 14) Reuters reports, “Injections of a Sanofi-Aventis experimental gene therapy treatment cut the risk of amputations in patients with severely decreased blood flow to the legs, according to results reported on Sunday from a mid-stage trial.”
“L'Oreal Award For Australian Geneticist”
(March 14) Medical News Today reports, “ANU/University of Melbourne evolutionary geneticist, Professor Jenny Graves, has received the Asia-Pacific laureate of the L'Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science 2006 awards, and a prize of US$100,000.”
“An Introduction to Genetics and Genetic Testing”
(March 13) KidsHealth.org reports, “What do you know about your family tree?”
“A map of recent positive selection in the human genome”
(March 13) News Medical.net reports, “By scanning the entire human genome in search of genetic variations that may signal recent evolution, University of Chicago researchers found more than 700 genetic variants that may be targets of recent natural positive selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution.”
“Create ‘genetic map’ to identify hereditary diseases, MoH urged; Three-day medical conference kicks off”
(March 13) Arab Times reports, “Kuwait Medi-cal Genetics Center (KMGC) Director, Sadiqa Al-Awadhi, said that mental disabilities and mental paralysis are the most common genetic diseases in Kuwait.”
“Genes 'responsible for cocaine addiction'”
(March 13) Netdoctor.co.uk reports, “Genes could be responsible for turning people into cocaine addicts, a new study has suggested.”
“Drug that switches on genes improves myelodysplastic syndrome treatment”
(March 13) EurekAlert! reports, “A potent member of a new class of drugs increases survival in some patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and may become the new standard of therapy for this group of pre-cancer disorders, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center who led a national study of the agent.”
“Publicly funded labs shouldn't be allowed to hoard flu data: U.S. researcher”
(March 12) CHealth reports, “A leading scientist in the field of genetic sequencing is calling on publicly funded U.S. researchers and research organizations to throw open their collections of H5N1 avian flu viruses to allow others to work toward lessening the pandemic threat the virus poses.”
“Understanding genes linked to cancer”
(March 10) myDNA reports, “Two researchers from the University of Navarra, Javier Novo and Jose Luis Vizmanos, have performed a bioinformatic study on the genes which have been implicated in the development of cancer.”
“Losing Gene Activity Can Be Good For Your Health”
(March 10) Medical News Today reports, “Some genes are quite simply bad for us, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute suggest today.”
“'Jumping Genes': New Target For Body's Innate Immune Protection System Against Viruses”
(March 9) Science Daily reports, “When HIV and other retroviruses invade a cell in the human body, a fierce battle ensues between the intruder and the cell's defense team: members of the APOBEC family, a handful of closely related antiviral proteins that try to disarm the invading virus by scrambling its genetic information.”
|