http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Some diseases are caused by single gene mutations. Current techniques for identifying the disease-causing gene in a patient produce hundreds of potential gene candidates, making it difficult for scientists to pinpoint the single causative gene. Now, a team of researchers led by Rockefeller University scientists have created a map of gene "shortcuts" to simplify the hunt for disease-causing genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-shortcuts-human-genes.html Genetics Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:10:47 EST news282845412 A genetically reprogrammed Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cure metastatic diffusion of human cancer cells in the abdomen of laboratory mice, according to a new study published January 31 in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens. The paper reports on the collaborative research from scientists at the at the University of Bologna and specifically describes that the HSV converted into a therapeutic anticancer agent attacks breast and ovarian cancer metastases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-oncolytic-herpes-virus-inhibits-ovarian.html Cancer Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:00:04 EST news278872159 A new study could provide the link that scientists have been looking for to confirm that reactivation of a latent herpes virus is a cause of some heart problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-viral-reactivation-link-stress-heart.html Cardiology Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:09:03 EST news278089734 New research links loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-loneliness-chronic-stress-taxes-immune.html Psychology & Psychiatry Sat, 19 Jan 2013 15:00:01 EST news277736696 (Medical Xpress)—A new study in the US and Germany has added to our understanding of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and how it manipulates the cells it infects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-proteins-human-cytomegalovirus.html Medical research Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:01:51 EST news272883691 (Medical Xpress)—White blood cells have long reigned as the heroes of the immune system. When an infection strikes, the cells, produced in bone marrow, race through the blood to fight off the pathogen. But new research is emerging that individual organs can also play a role in immune system defense, essentially being their own hero. In a study examining a rare and deadly brain infection, scientists at The Rockefeller University have found that the brain cells of healthy people likely produce their own immune system molecules, demonstrating an "intrinsic immunity" that is crucial for stopping an infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-brain-intrinsic-mechanism-infection.html Medical research Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:45:04 EST news272533443 For the first time, researchers have landed on a potential diagnostic method to identify at least a subset of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a complex disorder with no known definitive cause or cure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-discovery-faster-diagnosis-chronic-fatigue.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:10:01 EST news272130099 New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-unexpected-bottleneck-herpes-simplex-virus.html Medical research Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:12:26 EST news271343524 A sugar-loving protein drives the growth of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) tumors, according to a study published on October 1st in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. Interfering with these sugary interactions inhibited growth of Kaposi sarcomas in mice, hinting at the potential for new treatment strategies in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-sugar-free-approach-kaposi-sarcoma.html Cancer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:00:04 EST news268308218 (HealthDay) -- The practice of "oral-genital suction" performed during some Orthodox Jewish circumcision ceremonies could leave the infant with a potentially fatal herpes virus infection, health officials warn. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-ritual-jewish-circumcisions-herpes-infection.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:31:08 EST news258305390 Herpes and other viruses that attack the nervous system may thrive by disrupting cell function in order to hijack a neuron's internal transportation network and spread to other cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-nervous-viruses-sabotage-cell-hijack.html Medical research Wed, 30 May 2012 13:12:53 EST news257602340 Antiviral drugs used to target the herpes virus could be effective at slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a new study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-antiviral-drugs-alzheimer.html Neuroscience Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:37:09 EST news238062999 Herpes infections on the lips, in the eyes or on the nose are painful, long-lasting and unpleasant. A new 3D herpes infection model brings hope: active ingredients and new treatments can be reliably tested with this model. Animal tests could soon be a thing of the past. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-goodbye-cold-sores.html Medical research Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:32:50 EST news226751446 Scientists have used a genetically re-engineered herpes virus that selectively hunts down and infects cancerous tumors and then delivers genetic material that prompts cancers to secrete a biomarker and reveal their presence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-scientists-genetically-virus-tumors-tattle.html Cancer Wed, 11 May 2011 17:28:58 EST news224353722