http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Infections can trigger hematopoiesis at sites outside the bone marrow – in the liver, the spleen or the skin. LMU researchers now show that a specific type of immune cell facilitates such "extra medullary" formation of blood cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-herpes-infections-natural-killer-cells.html Medical research Thu, 16 May 2013 10:36:54 EST news287919394 Every year, thousands of babies are born with severely malformed hearts, disorders known collectively as congenital heart disease. Many of these defects can be repaired though surgery, but researchers don't understand what causes them or how to prevent them. New research shows that about 10 percent of these defects are caused by genetic mutations that are absent in the parents of affected children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-important-congenital-heart-disease.html Cardiology Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:08 EST news287574219 During fetal development of the mammalian brain, the cerebral cortex undergoes a marked expansion in surface area in some species, which is accommodated by folding of the tissue in species with most expanded neuron numbers and surface area. Researchers have now identified a key regulator of this crucial process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-brain.html Neuroscience Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:50:02 EST news286187686 Human osteosarcoma samples are hard to come by, making the disease difficult to study. However, K9 bone cancer is genetically indistinguishable from the human form of the disease, and over 10,000 canine patients develop the disease every year. Research from the University of Colorado Cancer Center and the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 used easily available K9 osteosarcoma samples to discover a novel protein that governs metastasis and chemoresistance in pediatric osteosarcoma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-k9-osteosarcoma-samples-drivers-metastasis.html Cancer Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:42:26 EST news284719337 Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains (PMDs), in which gene expression is turned off. This differs from most human tissues, in which 70 percent of the genome is highly methylated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-insights-genes.html Genetics Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:57:13 EST news283611427 (Medical Xpress)—A surprisingly high number of women have postpartum depressive symptoms, according to a new, large-scale study by a Northwestern Medicine® researcher. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-women-depression-childbirth.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:15:36 EST news282471252 Like any factory, the body burns oxygen to get energy for its various needs. As a result, detrimental byproducts are released and our cells try to clean up shop with antioxidants. But as we age, this process becomes a losing battle. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-link-aging-autism-oxidation.html Medical research Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:46:49 EST news281609200 According to a recent University of Eastern Finland (UEF) study, elevated cell sugar concentrations increase the production of hyaluronan which, in turn, promotes cancer growth. Regulating the production of hyaluronan may be a way to prevent the spreading of cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cell-sugar-affect-hyaluronan-production.html Cancer Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:30:01 EST news281182651 As blood stem cells age, changes in the epigenome—the system that regulates which genes are switched on and which are switched off throughout the body—alter these cells in ways that lead to reduced immune response, increased anemia and rising risk of certain leukemias, researchers have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-ills-aging-blood-short-circuited-stem.html Medical research Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:50:05 EST news280143511 In a study to be presented on February 15 at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in San Francisco, California, researchers from Tufts Medical Center will present findings showing the effects of maternal obesity on a fetus, specifically in the development of the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-abnormal-brain-fetuses-obese-women.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:20:01 EST news279801596 (Medical Xpress)—According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 3 of every 100 babies in the U.S. are born with a birth defect. Among boys, one of the most common defects is the displacement of the urethral opening in the penis, a condition called hypospadias. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-mouse-mutant-path-birth-defect.html Medical research Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:42:23 EST news277551737 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified proteins that allow muscle cells in mice to form from the fusion of the early stage cells that give rise to the muscle cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-uncovers-early-stages-muscle-formation.html Medical research Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:50:03 EST news276935407 Working with mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a particular protein helps nerve cells extend themselves along the spinal cord during mammalian development. Their results shed light on the subset of muscular dystrophies that result from mutations in the gene that holds the code for the protein, called dystroglycan, and also show how the nerve and muscle failings of the degenerative diseases are related. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-protein-paths-nerve-cells.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:55:31 EST news275151317 Epigenetics – how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks – appears to be a critical and overlooked factor contributing to the long-standing puzzle of why homosexuality occurs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-epigenetics-genetics-underlies-homosexuality.html Genetics Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:08:48 EST news274439290 Children who had in-utero exposure to ischemic-hypoxic conditions, situations during which the brain is deprived of oxygen, were significantly more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder later in life as compared to unexposed children, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the journal Pediatrics. The findings suggest that events in pregnancy may contribute to the occurrence of ADHD over and above well-known familial and genetic influences of the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-association-oxygen-deprivation-birth-adhd.html Attention deficit disorders Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:55:18 EST news274330506 Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have shed light on the activity of a protein pair found in cells that form the walls of blood vessels in the brain and retina, experiments that could lead to therapeutic control of the blood-brain barrier and of blood vessel growth in the eye. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-blood-vessel-proteins-blood-brain-barrier.html Medical research Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:00:26 EST news274005083 The 4D scans of 15 healthy fetuses, by Durham and Lancaster Universities, also suggest that yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors another index of a fetus' health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fetuses-womb.html Medical research Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:00:09 EST news272739492 A common herbicide used in the United States may be linked to an increased risk of a congenital abnormality of the nasal cavity known as choanal atresia, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and other Texas institutions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-exposure-herbicide-rare-disorder.html Pediatrics Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:24:38 EST news268057473 Standing for long periods during pregnancy may curb the growth of the developing fetus, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-periods-pregnancy-curb-fetal-growth.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:49:11 EST news260041738 UCLA geneticists have identified the mutation responsible for IMAGe* syndrome, a rare disorder that stunts infants' growth. The twist? The mutation occurs on the same gene that causes Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which makes cells grow too fast, leading to very large children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-gene-stunts-infants-growth-big.html Genetics Sun, 27 May 2012 13:01:57 EST news257319893 Remove your shoes at the door of your home to avoid tracking in pollutants. Decrease consumption of processed and canned foods. Avoid the use of plastics with recycling codes #3, #4 and #7. Don't use chemical tick and flea collars or dips for pets. Reproductive health care providers should share these tips and more scientific information with women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant, but that does not always happen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-reproductive-health-discuss-environmental-exposure.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:57:35 EST news250250238 Researchers have just shown that the molecule REST acts as an adapter in stem cells, and hope that future studies of REST will contribute to the development of new types of treatments for diseases such as cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-rest-crucial-brain.html Genetics Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:32:30 EST news249906737 Finnish scientists have found that a rare dyslexia-linked genetic variant of the ROBO1 gene decreases normal crossing of auditory pathways in the human brain. The weaker the expression of the gene is, the more abnormal is the midline crossing. The results link, for the first time, a dyslexia-susceptibility gene to a specific sensory function of the human brain. This collaborative study between Aalto University and University of Helsinki in Finland and the Karolinska Insitutet in Sweden was published in the Journal of Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-dyslexia-linked-genetic-variant-decreases-midline.html Neuroscience Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:53:34 EST news247316004 The "switching on" or expression of specific genes in the human genome is what makes each human tissue and each human being unique. A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, and the National Institute of Mental Health found that many gene expression changes that occur during fetal development are reversed immediately after birth. Reversals of fetal expression changes are also seen again much later in life during normal aging of the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-scientists-gene-brain-lifespan.html Genetics Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:18:00 EST news239026665 Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of focused fetal gene expression analysis of target genes found in amniotic fluid using Standardized NanoArray PCR (SNAP) technology. This analysis could be used to monitor fetal development, enabling clinicians to determine very early in pregnancy whether fetal organ systems are developing normally. The study appears in the September issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-genetic-analysis-amniotic-fluid-fetal.html Genetics Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:50:01 EST news231993381 Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have identified genes that may be important for preventing childhood leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the blood that occurs primarily in young children. It's frequently associated with mutations or chromosomal abnormalities that arise during embryonic or fetal development. Working with mice, researchers led by Rodney DeKoter identified two key genes that appear essential in the prevention of B cell ALL, the most common form of ALL in children. The study is published online in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-genes-vital-childhood-leukemia.html Genetics Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:38:00 EST news230218661 Exposure in the womb to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used in the food and medical industries, causes changes in female primates' uterus development, new research suggests. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-fetal-exposure-bpa-uterus-primates.html Health Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:53:17 EST news226666387 Overexposure to stress hormones in the womb can program the potential for adverse health effects in those children and the next generation, but effects vary depending on whether the mother or father transmits them, a new animal study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-fetal-disease-parental-gender.html Health Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:20:01 EST news226414098 To ensure normal fetal development and prevent disease, it is crucial that certain genes are on or off in the right time intervals. Researchers in Professor Kristian Helin's group at BRIC, University of Copenhagen, have now shown how the TET1 enzyme controls the activity of our genes. The results are just published in the journal Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-tet1-enzyme-fetal-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:36:20 EST news221924150 Tissue engineering makes biologists builders, but compared to their civil engineering counterparts, they don't know much about the properties of the materials and structures they use, namely living cells. To improve that knowledge, Brown University researchers have developed a simple and reliable system for measuring the power that cells employ to assemble into three-dimensional tissue. The research appears online the week of April 11 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-tissue-biomaterials.html Medical research Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:07:17 EST news221756827