“Mutant Gene May Help Cause Abnormal Heartbeat”
(June 22) HeartInfo.org reports, “A genetic flaw may help trigger atrial fibrillation, the dangerous abnormal heartbeat whose cause has long remained a mystery.”
“PTPN22 gene associated with both susceptibility and disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis”
(June 22) EurekAlert! reports, “New research, announced today at the 7th EULAR annual congress, reveals the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase N22 (PTPN22) gene is associated not only with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease susceptibility, but also with disease progression, according to researchers from Norway and the Netherlands.”
“Brazilian researchers connect gene mutation to blood conditions”
(June 21) English People’s Daily Online reports, “Researchers from Brazilian University of Campinas (Unicamps) said in a report published on Tuesday that they had discovered for the first time a new mutation on the GATA-1 gene that codifies the GATA-1 and GATA-1S proteins.”
“German scientists uncover gene for learning disability”
(June 21) English People’s Daily Online reports, “German researchers have successfully located the gene responsible for the learning disability dyslexia, which could open the way for treatment of the disease, local reports said Tuesday.”
“Testing embryos for genetic defects”
(June 21) Cape Times reports, “Over the past couple of decades genetic testing has gone through a period of dramatic development from an era when it was a truly experimental technique to one where it is almost routine for couples at risk of passing on inherited defects in their DNA.”
“Two year wait for breast cancer test results drives women to consider radical surgery”
(June 20) News-Medical.Net reports, “Women in the UK being put under added stress because they are experiencing delays of two years or more for test results to see if they carry a gene associated with an increased likelihood of breast cancer.”
“Study finds new genetic variant linked with breast cancer”
(June 20) English.eastday.com reports, “A variant of a gene may have a role in triggering breast cancer in some women, according to a new study published on Monday.”
“Cells Use Mix-and-match Approach To Tailor Regulation Of Genes”
(June 20) Medical News Today reports, “Scientists eager to help develop a new generation of pharmaceuticals are studying cellular proteins called transcription factors, which bind to upstream sequences of genes to turn the expression of those genes on or off.”
“Common Genetic Prostate Cancer Variant Is Identified”
(June 20) Medical News Today reports, “Prostate cancer (CaP) is a presumed result of both genetic and environmental events. It is known that a positive family history and African-American ancestry will increase the risk of developing CaP 2-4 fold.”
“Study looks for genetic predictors of hypertension” (last
accessed 2/2008)
(June 19) Medical College of Georgia reports, “Whether genes responsible for a rare disorder that dramatically elevates blood pressure holds clues for identifying many people at risk for hypertension is the focus of a new study.”
“After genetic testing, 11 cousins give up stomachs to avoid cancer” (last
accessed 2/2008)
(June 18) USAToday reports, “Mike Slabaugh doesn't have a stomach. Neither do his 10 cousins.”
“Rare disease's gene may illuminate major disorders”
(June 18) EurekAlert! reports, “Oregon Health & Science University researchers have identified the gene behind a group of rare, progressive childhood disorders caused by an abnormal buildup of iron in the brain.”
“Study: Genes, brain chemistry may determine anorexia”
(June 16) Physorg.com reports, “Luanne Sanders remembers her first diet, when she was 14 years old, because the results were so dramatic.”
“The biology of mental illness”
(June 16) Baltimoresun.com reports, “One percent of all Americans - some 2.4 million people - have schizophrenia. An estimated 5.7 million have bipolar disorder. And 2.2 million adults have obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
“Activation Of MicroRNA Inhibits Cancer Gene In Human Cancer Cells”
(June 15) Medical News Today reports, “Scientists report that tumor cells display a dramatic reduction of cancer-causing genes when a newly discovered method is used to activate the expression of protective microRNAs in the cancer cell genome.”
“When it comes to gene transcription, random pauses aren’t quite so random, study finds”
(June 15) EurekAlert! reports, “Of the thousands of proteins produced in our cells, few are as important as the enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP), which has the unique ability to faithfully copy genetic information from DNA.”
“Genes and behavior: Liberation or destiny?”
(June 15) International Herald Tribune reports, “Jason Dallas used to think of his daredevil streak - a love of back-country skiing, mountain bikes, and fast vehicles - as "a personality thing."