http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Three myths about sleepwalking – sleepwalkers have no memory of their actions, sleepwalkers' behaviour is without motivation, and sleepwalking has no daytime impact – are dispelled in a recent study led by Antonio Zadra of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sacré-Coeur Hospital. Working from numerous studies over the last 15 years at the hospital's Centre for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal and a thorough analysis of the literature, Zadra and his colleagues have raised the veil on sleepwalking and clarified the diagnostic criteria for researchers and clinicians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sleepwalkers-theyve.html Neuroscience Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:45:56 EST news282455141 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a genetic factor that prevents blockages from forming in blood vessels, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for cardiovascular diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genetic-factor-key-blood-vessel.html Medical research Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:34:06 EST news272550839 Mice drink more alcohol during the dark cycle compared to daytime.  The discovery made by scientists from  Portland Alcohol Research Center and The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at University of Illinois, led by John C. Crabbe and described in a paper published recently in Addiction Genetics by Versita – ties in with the reports describing a restricted access ethanol consumption paradigm where mice drink until intoxicated. Termed 'Drinking in the Dark' – this pattern has been used as model of binge drinking in humans. The paper demonstrates that genetic factor contributes to the drinking pattern. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-tendency-binge-blood.html Addiction Thu, 08 Nov 2012 07:33:22 EST news271582372 Leuven scientists (VIB/KU Leuven) are using zebrafish as a model in their search for genes that play a role in the mechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As a result, they have identified a molecule that could be the target for a future ALS treatment. ALS is a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease for which there currently is no treatment. Their study has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-zebra-fish-therapies-amyotrophic-lateral.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:52:30 EST news265283534 Type 2 diabetes is popularly associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. However, just as there are obese people without type 2 diabetes, there are lean people with the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-jack-spratt-diabetes-gene.html Genetics Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:40:02 EST news257762388 Mayo Clinic and University of Oregon researchers have confirmed that a genetic factor called a repeating trinucleotide is a strong predictor of an individual's risk of developing the eye condition Fuchs' dystrophy. The findings were being presented today at the annual conference of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Orlando, Fla. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-genetic-predictor-fuchs-corneal-dystrophy.html Ophthalmology Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:25 EST news255611458 While exercise is accepted universally as the most beneficial prescription physicians can write for patients, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that generate its widespread health benefits. Researchers from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have shed light on this mystery by discovering that a genetic factor, Kruppel-like Factor 15 (KLF15), governs the body's ability to burn fat during exercise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-kruppel-like-factor-genetic-fat-metabolism.html Medical research Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:00:30 EST news253189306 A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart disease. They occur most frequently in the morning waking hours, followed by a smaller peak in the evening hours. While scientists have observed this tendency for many years, prior to this breakthrough, the molecular basis for these daily patterns was unknown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-links-circadian-rhythms-sudden-cardiac.html Cardiology Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:00:03 EST news249137337 A collaborative European study led by LMU researchers has shown that ABCC9, a known genetic factor in heart disease and diabetes, also influences the duration of sleep in humans. This function is evolutionarily conserved as knock-out of the gene reduces the duration of nocturnal sleep in fruit flies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-abcc9-genetic-factor.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:56:12 EST news241664092 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have discovered a genetic factor that can regulate obesity-induced inflammation that contributes to chronic health problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-genetic-factor-health-harming-inflammation-obese.html Genetics Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:19:10 EST news227189941 Sepsis is a major killer in hospital intensive care units. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found that manipulating a genetic factor that can launch or throttle the body's defenses can improve survival rates during bacterial infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-smarter-treatment-killer-infections.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 12 May 2011 12:24:25 EST news224421835