http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. New research aimed to better identify the genetic factors that lead to breast cancer has uncovered a link between the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) and a higher incidence of breast cancer. According to the study conducted at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, people who possess a variant of the FTO gene have up to a 30 percent greater chance of developing breast cancer. Research to identify why the link exists is ongoing, but experts say the finding takes us one step closer to personalized medicine based on genetic risk which would allow for better monitoring and prevention of illness, as well as targeted treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-link-obesity-gene-breast-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 23 May 2011 11:36:52 EST news225369396 Some men of African descent may have a higher genetic risk of developing prostate cancer, according to research conducted at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-apparent-genetic-link-prostate-cancer.html Genetics Mon, 23 May 2011 09:51:35 EST news225363073 Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain. The results, published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may lead to the development of new treatments that target these receptors and help smokers increase their chances of success when they try to quit. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-smokers-genetic-background-impacts-brain.html Medical research Mon, 16 May 2011 18:27:01 EST news224789195 11 May 2011 - Two new research studies published in Biological Psychiatry point to progressive abnormalities in brain development that emerge as vulnerable individuals develop schizophrenia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-brain-track-vulnerable-individuals-schizophrenia.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 11 May 2011 10:31:25 EST news224328659 Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have uncovered a new link between genetic variations associated with alcoholism, impulsive behavior and a region of the brain involved in craving and anxiety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-scientists-explore-link-genetics-alcoholism.html Genetics Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:31:07 EST news221819451