http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. In the largest ever genome-wide association study on myopia, 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, identified 20 new genetic associations for myopia, or nearsightedness. The company also replicated two known associations in the study, which was specific to individuals of European ancestry. The study included an analysis of genetic data and survey responses from more than 50,000 23andMe customers and demonstrates that the genetic basis of myopia is complex and affected by multiple genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-multiple-genetic-factors-impacting-nearsightedness.html Genetics Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:40:16 EST news282472806 Autism spectrum disorders affect nearly 1 in 88 children, with symptoms ranging from mild personality traits to severe intellectual disability and seizures. Understanding the altered genetic pathways is critical for diagnosis and treatment. New work to examine which genes are responsible for autism disorders will be presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (BPS), held Feb. 2-6, 2013, in Philadelphia, Pa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-autism-gene.html Genetics Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:46:00 EST news278959554 Researchers have identified specific genetic factors that are associated with heart failure in patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for blood cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-genetic-susceptibility-anthracycline-related-congestive-heart.html Medical research Sun, 09 Dec 2012 03:20:01 EST news274244222 Researchers using novel approaches and methodologies of identifying genes that contribute to the development of autism have found evidence that disturbances in several immune-system-related pathways contribute to development of autism spectrum disorders. The report published December 4 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE powerfully supports a role for the immune function in autism by integrating analysis of autism-associated DNA sequence variations with that of markers identified in studies of families affected by autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-combining-genome-analysis-approaches-immune.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:04:19 EST news274035831 (HealthDay)—For white middle-aged adults, there may be an association between variants in a gene associated with fat mass and obesity (FTO) and memory decline, according to research published online Nov. 7 in Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-fat-gene-variants-linked-middle.html Neuroscience Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:00:01 EST news271593336 (Medical Xpress)—In the battle against aging and age-related neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, a key factor has long appeared to be the toxicity of proteins which tend to aggregate. Recently, scientists at University of Groningen, The Netherlands identified the protein-coding gene TDO2 that encodes for tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase – the enzyme that degrades tryptophan and thereby reduces its levels – as a metabolic regulator of age-related protein toxicity and lifespan in the eukaryotic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The researchers also showed that the regulation of lifespan occurred through evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways. The study demonstrated that TDO2 depletion increases tryptophan levels, while feeding C. elegans with extra L-tryptophan also suppresses toxicity. The researchers conclude that their findings suggest that TDO2 regulates proteotoxicity through tryptophan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-enzymes-aging-tryptophan-metabolism-key.html Medical research Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:00:01 EST news268652991 Two different genetic mutations cooperate to induce adrenal cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-gene-mutations-adrenal-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:32:44 EST news266513523 Scientists have completed a comprehensive map of genetic mutations linked to an aggressive and lethal type of lung cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-genome-wide-scan-mutations-deadly-lung.html Genetics Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:34:11 EST news266078042 Johns Hopkins investigators are testing a way to use drugs that target a cholesterol pathway to enhance the cancer-killing potential of standard chemotherapy drugs. Their tests, in mouse models of pancreatic cancer, may yield new and more effective combinations of current and possibly new anti-cancer drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-chemo-boost-cholesterol-related-drug.html Cancer Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:44:11 EST news252665045 In medical research, finding a reliable and cost-effective animal model can greatly enhance success in identifying disease mechanisms and genetic pathways, potentially cutting years off drug testing regimes and development of new treatment strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-neurobiologists-animal-deadly-human-metabolic.html Neuroscience Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:50:03 EST news248362176 A jumping gene with the fairy tale name "Sleeping Beauty" has helped to unlock vital clues for researchers investigating the genetics of colorectal cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-genes-involved-colorectal-cancer.html Genetics Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:06:58 EST news239807204 Researchers are working to discover how genes interact with each other to lead to cancer progression. This research is expected to lead the way toward the discovery of new targeted therapies against breast cancer, according to a study presented at the Second AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research, held here Sept. 14-18, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-pathways-cancer-identification-therapies.html Cancer Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:10:42 EST news235314614 For patients with ovarian cancer and their physicians, resistance to chemotherapy is a serious concern. However, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have identified a molecular pathway that may play a key role in the evolution of chemotherapy resistance. They are hopeful that the discovery may lead to therapies that are tailored to individual patients with ovarian cancer; reversing resistance to chemotherapy and improving survival from the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-key-chemotherapy-resistance-ovarian-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:24:16 EST news235308222 Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and notoriously chemoresistant form of cancer. In a new paper, Ohanna et al. reveal that anti-melanoma drugs may, paradoxically, induce a senescence-associated secretory profile ("secretome") that can ultimately promote metastasis and contribute to melanoma relapse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-genetics-melanoma-chemoresistance.html Cancer Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:42:03 EST news226550507