http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—A mutation in a protein called menin causes a hereditary cancer syndrome called MEN1 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1). Individuals with MEN1 are at a substantially increased risk of developing neuroendocrine tumors, including cancer of the pancreatic islet cells that secrete insulin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-link-inherited-endocrine-tumor-syndrome.html Cancer Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:01:04 EST news286012853 An international research team co-led by cancer prevention researcher Ulrike "Riki" Peters, Ph.D., M.P.H., and biostatistician Hsu Li, Ph.D., at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified variations in four genes that are linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Peters and colleagues from 40 institutes throughout the world published their findings online ahead of the April print issue of Gastroenterology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-variations-genes-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:07:59 EST news280591659 Adding the drug trastuzumab to chemotherapy prevents cancer recurrence and improves survival in a large number of women with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. But trastuzumab does not stop tumors from returning in about 25 percent of patients—and oncologists haven't been able to identify these women before treatment. This situation may soon change, according to a Mayo Clinic study being presented at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mayo-clinic-ids-genes-trastuzumab.html Cancer Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:40:01 EST news274155750 A complex genetic regulatory network mediates the regeneration of adult skeletal muscles. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn report that HEXIM1, a protein that regulates gene transcription, is important for skeletal muscle regeneration in mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-hex-muscle-regeneration.html Medical research Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:00:09 EST news268308115 How does one's experience of an event get translated into a memory that can be accessed months, even years later? A team led by University of Pennsylvania scientists has come closer to answering that question, identifying key molecules that help convert short-term memories into long-term ones. These proteins may offer a target for drugs that can enhance memory, alleviating some of the cognitive symptoms that characterize conditions including schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-key-molecules-involved-long-term-memories.html Medical research Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:09 EST news266491285 Acute myeloid leukemia, a common leukemia in adults, is characterized by aberrant proliferation of cancerous bone marrow cells. Activating mutations in a protein receptor known as FLT3 receptor are among the most prevalent mutations observed in acute myeloid leukemias. FLT3 mutants are thought to activate several signaling pathways that contribute to cancer development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-acute-myeloid-leukemia.html Cancer Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:00:01 EST news261655555 A pioneering report of genome-wide gene expression in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) finds genetic changes that help explain why one person has an ASD and another does not. The study, published by Cell Press on June 21 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, pinpoints ASD risk factors by comparing changes in gene expression with DNA mutation data in the same individuals. This innovative approach is likely to pave the way for future personalized medicine, not just for ASD but also for any disease with a genetic component. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-functional-links-autism-genes.html Genetics Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:20:04 EST news259497632 Sleep, or lack of it, can determine level of cognitive performance which is linked with accidents as well as increased risk of serious health problems. Links between cell energy levels, gene transcription and sleep rhythms may uncover answers to sleep disorders and the ill-effects of sleep deprivation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-energy-link-mechanisms.html Medical research Fri, 25 May 2012 08:59:27 EST news257155155 Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have identified a target for slowing the progression of multiple myeloma by using currently available drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-discovery-pursuit-effective-lymphoma-treatments.html Cancer Wed, 16 May 2012 12:21:53 EST news256389671 Another layer in breast cancer genetics has been peeled back. A team of researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) led by Richard G. Pestell, M.D., PhD., FACP, Director of the KCC and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, have shown in a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that the oncogene cyclin D1 may promote a genetic breakdown known as chromosomal instability (CIN). CIN is a known, yet poorly understood culprit in tumor progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-drugs-chromosomal-instability-breast-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:04 EST news247751850 Most research on glioblastoma development, a complicated tumor of the brain with a poor prognosis, has focused on the gene transcription level, but scientists suggest that post-transcriptional regulation could be equally or even more important. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-scientists-uncover-mechanism-glioblastoma.html Cancer Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:46:26 EST news246080765 (Medical Xpress) -- Scientists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) in collaboration with their colleagues from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering of the ETH Zurich, describe how the signaling molecule JNK directly modifies histones to alter gene transcription. As JNK acts in a signaling pathway that is impaired in every third form of cancer, the results published in Nature Genetics open up a new pathway for kinase regulated gene expression and potential therapeutic intervention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-chromatin.html Genetics Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:19:17 EST news244801142 A major international study has identified a novel gene mutation that appears to increase the risk of both inherited and sporadic cases of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. The identified mutation occurs in the gene encoding MITF, a transcription factor that induces the production of several important proteins in melanocytes, the cells in which melanoma originates. While previous research has suggested that MITF may act as a melanoma oncogene, the current study identifies a mechanism by which MITF mutation could increase melanoma risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-newly-gene-mutation-melanoma.html Cancer Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:00:19 EST news240409834 Cells develop and thrive by turning genes on and off as needed in a precise pattern, a process known as regulated gene transcription. In a paper published in the Nov. 9 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say this process is even more complex than previously thought, with regulated genes actually relocated to other, more conducive places in the cell nucleus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-non-coding-rna-relocates-genes.html Neuroscience Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:27:35 EST news240150423 Uterine leiomyomas, also called fibroids, cause a very significant burden to women's health. They are benign tumors that occur in 60% of women by the age of 45 years and cause symptoms such as abdominal pain and discomfort, and abnormal bleeding, in about half of the cases. Fibroids are also an important cause of infertility. These tumors are the most common medical reason for hysterectomy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-breakthrough-genetics-fibroids.html Medical research Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:01:02 EST news233499231 Garbage comes in all shapes and sizes. Cells, the body's functional units of life, also produce 'garbage' - debris and dysfunctional elements the body must get rid of. Failure to dispose of this garbage could trigger various neurodegenerative disorders in adult life, including Parkinson's disease, and rare genetic diseases in children. The latter diseases are called lysosomal storage disorders and include Fabry and Batten diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-scientists-link-master-gene-neurodegenerative.html Genetics Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:50:13 EST news228127789 Clinical researchers at VCU Massey Cancer Center have successfully completed a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a combination of the drugs Bortezomib and Alvocidib in patients with relapsed or refractory blood cancers, paving the way for a Phase II clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of the new therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-lab-clinic-therapy-blood-cancers.html Cancer Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:24:01 EST news226254213