http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. People have long taken for granted that glasses and contact lenses improve vision for nearsightedness, but the genetic factors behind the common condition have remained blurry. Now researchers at Duke Medicine are closer to clearing this up. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-gene-mutations-nearsightedness.html Genetics Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:13 EST news286710630 Researchers from Dartmouth's Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences (iQBS) and the Center for Genomic Medicine have helped to discover three unique genetic variations that influence body size and obesity in men and women of African ancestry. This study, a meta-analysis that examined 3.2 million genetic variants in over 30,000 people with African heritage for links to body-mass index or BMI—by professors Jason Moore, Christopher Amos and Scott Williams—was the largest ever done on this population to date. The study was published online in April 2013 by Nature Genetics, and will be printed in the journal's June 2013 issue. The large-scale genetic analysis demonstrated the utility of examining ancestrally diverse populations for clues as to why some groups seem more prone than others to physical problems such as obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-unique-genes-body-size-obesity.html Genetics Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:13:52 EST news285855224 (HealthDay)—Statin use is associated with a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), most strongly in Asian populations, according to a meta-analysis published in the February issue of Gastroenterology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-statin-linked-hepatocellular-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:40:01 EST news279891604 (HealthDay)—Risk factors for chronic disease seem to be common in Vietnam, and include high blood pressure, increasing overweight and obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-factors-chronic-disease-vietnam.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:20:01 EST news279175134 Scientists at Singapore Eye Research Institute and A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore have succeeded in identifying genes for central corneal thickness that may cause potentially blinding eye conditions. These eye conditions include glaucoma, as well as the progressive thinning of the cornea, which may eventually lead to a need for corneal transplantation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-singapore-scientists-genes-responsible-cornea.html Genetics Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:15:03 EST news277553695 The past decade has seen a steady torrent of data linking human genetic variants associated with disease risk, and yet many important gaps remain. For example, many of these studies have focused primarily on Caucasian populations in North America and Europe. The resulting data may be less relevant to other ethnic groups that may have accumulated distinct subsets of risk factors over the millennia since our ancestors first parted ways in Africa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-geneticists-uncover-trail-variants-kidney.html Genetics Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:02:12 EST news275302922 Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is cost-effective and saves lives by early detection. The ability to screen large numbers of individuals is especially important for states with tight health insurance budgets dealing with aging populations. However, in 2010 only 65 percent of US adults between ages 50 and 75 got the recommended screening. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the American Journal of Managed Care demonstrates a systematic approach to improve screening rates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-recipe-colorectal-cancer-screening.html Cancer Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:04:23 EST news264175448 (HealthDay) -- Skin cancer is more common among white people, but people with darker skin are also at risk, a dermatology expert cautions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-people-darker-skin-melanoma.html Cancer Thu, 26 Jul 2012 05:40:01 EST news262498521 In January, 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new guidelines on dosing of an HIV medication used to treat people infected with both HIV and tuberculosis (TB) because of a potential interaction between two of the main drugs used to treat each disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-ucsfsfgh-fda-hiv-tb-drug.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:09:20 EST news262282154 As the diabetes epidemic spreads worldwide, there is growing concern for Asian American populations, who are nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes. Compounding the problem, many of the standard ways to detect diabetes fail in people of Asian descent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-unique-physiology-key-diabetes-asian.html Diabetes Tue, 08 May 2012 14:54:10 EST news255707588 A family history of liver cancer is reported to increase risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), independent of hepatitis according to findings published in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The study also shows 70-fold elevated risk of HCC in those with liver cancer in the family and markers for hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-family-history-liver-cancer-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:30:01 EST news254483577