http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. While autism clearly runs in some families, few inherited genetic causes have been found. A major reason is that these causes are so varied that it's hard to find enough people with a given mutation to establish a clear pattern. Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have pinpointed several inherited mutations—among the first to be identified—through an unusual approach: using whole-exome sequencing to study large Middle Eastern families with autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-whole-exome-sequencing-inherited-mutations-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:00:01 EST news278160862 While your DNA is unique, it also tells the tale of your family line. It carries the genetic history of your ancestors down through the generations. Now, says a Tel Aviv University researcher, it's also possible to use it as a map to your family's past. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-gps-dna-genetics-reveal-geographic.html Genetics Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:10:01 EST news264330340 (Medical Xpress) -- Genetic mapping has led scientists to a better understanding of human disease and how to fight ailments like diabetes, mental illness and cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-stanford-dna-database-adding-latin.html Genetics Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:15:06 EST news261998088 (Medical Xpress) -- Research co-led by Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has revealed gene mutations that account for 15 per cent of all babies born with Walker-Warburg syndrome, a rare congenital muscular dystrophy. The syndrome, which is associated with muscle wasting, brain and eye abnormalities, is fatal and most babies do not live beyond two years. A key symptom is hydrocephalus - having an enlarged brain filled with excess fluid. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-rare-muscular-dystrophy-gene-mutations.html Genetics Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:20:01 EST news254475659 With a 95 percent genomic similarity to humans, mice have long been used to learn about the genetic causes of human disease. Once researchers can shine a light on the genetic factors that cause disease in mice, they can start to develop prevention and treatment options to protect the human population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-lab-mice-genetic-links-disease.html Genetics Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:25:38 EST news252843923