Researchers at Mayo Clinic have combined results from a functional test measuring the effect of inherited variants in the BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer gene with clinical information from women who received genetic testing to determine the clinical importance of many BRCA2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS). The findings were…
ADHD Causes and Risk factors
ADHD (short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) encompasses a wide range of behavioural disorders characterized by lack of attention and concentration, hyperactivity and inability to control impulsivity. Causes of ADHD A parent of a recently diagnosed child may blame themselves or their parenting, but more often than not the cause…
Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are a common condition. The most common cause of this condition is thought to be genetic. Thus the condition often runs in the families. Stress factors tend to aggravate and precipitate the condition in some patients. Triggers of Anxiety The exact cause of anxiety disorders is unknown. However,…
Scientists Use CRISPR Gene Editing Inside a Person’s Body: Why That’s Significant
Scientists have successfully used the CRISPR gene-editing tool inside a person’s body, treating a rare genetic disease that causes blindness. Experts say the importance of this “in vivo” procedure is that it eliminates the CRISPR process of taking cells out of the body, altering them, and then reinserting them. Experts…
Study of bile acids links individual’s genetics and microbial gut community: Gene identified in mice affects both size of a bacterial population and bile acid levels in blood
In a new study published 29th August in PLOS Genetics, Federico Rey of the University of Wisconsin — Madison and colleagues identified genetic variants in mice that impact the levels of different bile acids as well as the size of a specific population of microbes in the gut. The complex…
Gut throws cells overboard when chemical insults build up
A team of Duke researchers has discovered that cells lining the gut of zebrafish — and probably humans too — have a remarkable defense mechanism when faced with certain kinds of toxins: they hit the eject button. “The gut has the challenging job of handling all the chemicals that we…
Human artificial chromosomes bypass centromere roadblocks
Human artificial chromosomes (HACs) could be useful tools for both understanding how mammalian chromosomes function and creating synthetic biological systems, but for the last 20 years, they have been limited by an inefficient artificial centromere. In the journal Cell on July 25th, researchers announce that they have made progress on…
Autism largely caused by genetics, not environment: Study
(HealthDay)—The largest study of its kind, involving more than 2 million people across five countries, finds that autism spectrum disorders are 80% reliant on inherited genes. That means that environmental causes are responsible for just 20% of the risk. The findings could open new doors to research into the genetic…
First events in stem cells becoming specialized cells needed for organ development
New research by cell biologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) provides significant new insight into the very first step stem cells go through to turn into the specialized cells that make up organs. The findings published online in Genes & Development implicate the ability of proteins to…
Diet rich in animal protein is associated with a greater risk of early death
A diet rich in animal protein and meat in particular is not good for the health, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland finds, providing further backing for earlier research evidence. Men who favoured animal protein over plant-based protein in their diet had a greater risk of death…
How viruses outsmart their host cells: Scientists decipher protein structure after more than fifty years of research
Viruses depend on host cells for replication, but how does a virus induce its host to transcribe its own genetic information alongside that of the virus, thus producing daughter viruses? For decades, researchers have been studying a type of bacteriophage known as ‘lambda’ to try and find an answer to…