http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—Particular gene variants of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and its receptor are associated with significantly reduced fertility in men, according to a study presented at the annual European Congress of Endocrinology, held from April 27 to May 1 in Copenhagen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-ece-gene-variants-linked-male.html Genetics Fri, 03 May 2013 14:20:01 EST news286807676 Among infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS; caused by in utero opioid exposure), variants in certain genes were associated with a shorter length of hospital stay and less need for treatment, preliminary findings that may provide insight into the mechanisms underlying NAS, according to a study in the May 1 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-effects-genetic-variants-infants-neonatal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:02:56 EST news286534964 As scientists probe and parse the genetic bases of what makes a human a human (or one human different from another), and vigorously push for greater use of whole genome sequencing, they find themselves increasingly threatened by the unthinkable: Too much data to make full sense of. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-methods-scientists-genome-wide-association.html Genetics Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:06:17 EST news286185970 The largest genetic search for "obesity genes" in people of African ancestry has led to the discovery of three new regions of the human genome that influence obesity in these populations and others. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-genetic-discovery-obesity-people-african.html Genetics Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:07:09 EST news285235598 More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study within the framework of the EU Network COGS. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers. Ultimately the researchers hope to be able to calculate the individual risk of cancer, to better understand how these cancers develop and to be able to generate new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-unique-reveals-genetic-common-cancers.html Cancer Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:07:33 EST news283604832 Researchers have used whole genome sequencing to reveal if drug-resistant bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans in two disease outbreaks that occurred on different farms in Denmark. The results, which are published today in EMBO Molecular Medicine, confirm animal-to-human transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a disease-causing bacterium that carries the recently described mecC gene. The mecC gene is responsible for resistance to the penicillin-like antibiotic methicillin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sequencing-tracks-animal-to-human-transmission-bacterial.html Genetics Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:20:26 EST news283425586 A genetic score based on PCa risk-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is an independent predictor of prostate biopsy outcomes, suggest the results of a new study conducted by a group from the Department of Urology Huashan Hospital, Fudan University in Shanghai, China. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-pca-markers-clinical-variables.html Cancer Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:36:31 EST news282818185 For the first time, scientists have discovered that five major psychiatric disorders—autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia—share several common genetic risk factors. In particular, variations in two genes involved in the balance of calcium in brain cells are implicated in several of these disorders and could be a target for new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-largest-reveals-major-psychiatric-disorders.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:30:01 EST news281206769 A new study, to be published in the Feb. 7, 2013 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, expands and deepens the biological and genetic links between cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature death among schizophrenia patients, who die from heart and blood vessel disorders at a rate double that of persons without the mental disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-links-schizophrenia-cardiovascular-disease.html Genetics Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:00:09 EST news278854042 Dartmouth scientists showed that more than half of all the SNPs associated with breast cancer risk are located in distant regions and bound by FOXA1, a protein required for estrogen receptor-α (ER) function according to a paper published in the journal Nature Genetics in November. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-snps-breast-cancer-affinity-factor.html Cancer Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:17:02 EST news278180216 Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have identified three new genetic "hotspots" linked to colorectal cancer. These variants, reported Dec. 23 in an Advanced Online Publication in Nature Genetics, provide new insight into the biology of colorectal cancer – and could represent new therapeutic targets for the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-genetic-links-colorectal-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:00:05 EST news275488698 The past decade has seen a steady torrent of data linking human genetic variants associated with disease risk, and yet many important gaps remain. For example, many of these studies have focused primarily on Caucasian populations in North America and Europe. The resulting data may be less relevant to other ethnic groups that may have accumulated distinct subsets of risk factors over the millennia since our ancestors first parted ways in Africa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-geneticists-uncover-trail-variants-kidney.html Genetics Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:02:12 EST news275302922 Focusing on fine features in order to see "the big picture" seems almost counterintuitive, but that is exactly what is happening in the field of genomics. Researchers are sequencing human genomes, cataloging the variation in people's genetic code – the As, Ts, Gs, and Cs of human DNA that serve as each individual's biological blueprint – to get a broader view of human health, a deeper knowledge of human genetic history, and a clearer understanding of why some people develop certain diseases while others do not. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genomes.html Genetics Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:48:59 EST news272270922 Findings from a study suggest that certain variations in vitamin D metabolism genes may modify the association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations with health outcomes such as hip fracture, heart attack, cancer, and death, according to a study appearing in the November 14 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genetic-variation-associations-vitamin-d.html Health Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:05 EST news272044257 A variation of a particular gene may link the behaviours typical of childhood attention hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short, and those associated with smoking, suggests research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-hyperactivity-common-genetic-factor.html Attention deficit disorders Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:52:02 EST news270798699 African-Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have and die from colorectal cancer. Changes in the DNA sequence of genes that affect how the body makes and destroys vitamin D modify the risk for colorectal cancer in African-Americans, according to data presented at the Fifth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities, held here Oct. 27-30, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-genes-involved-vitamin-d-destruction.html Cancer Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:20:01 EST news270724002 A variant in a gene involved with inflammation and the immune response is linked with a decreased risk of lung cancer. That is the finding of an analysis published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The results add to the growing body of literature implicating these processes in the development of lung cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-gene-variant-linked-lung-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:23:28 EST news268888706 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 (HealthDay) -- Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with aortic stenosis involving tricuspid aortic valves in older patients, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-snps-linked-aortic-stenosis-older.html Cardiology Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:50:01 EST news260801243 (HealthDay) -- Five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are significantly associated with osteoarthritis, including one near the nucleostemin-encoding gene, according to a study published online July 3 in The Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-susceptibility-loci-osteoarthritis.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:20:01 EST news260540553 Is there some secret that lets a human live past the age of 110? A research team collaborating with the University of Tokyo is betting it's in their genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-secret.html Genetics Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:20:01 EST news258719919 University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have developed a powerful visual analytical approach to explore genetic data, enabling scientists to identify novel patterns of information that could be crucial to human health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-powerful-method-genetic.html Genetics Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:19:36 EST news258722358 (HealthDay) -- A variant of the human insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) gene, which plays an important role in modulating tissue response to insulin, is significantly associated with glomerular filtration rate (GFR), according to a study published online May 22 in Diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-insulin-receptor-substrate-variant-linked.html Diabetes Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:00:03 EST news257744345 By focusing on the identification of common genetic variants, researchers have identified 57 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predict—with a high degree of certainty--the risk that siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will also develop the condition. The findings were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-common-genetic-variants-autism-high.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 17 May 2012 11:36:24 EST news256473369 Using its unique online research platform, 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company, has found five significant genetic associations for hypothyroidism in the largest known genome-wide association study of hypothyroidism conducted to date. The details of the study are now available online in the journal PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-23andme-significant-genetic-associations-hypothyroidism.html Genetics Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:21:01 EST news253185645 American women of African ancestry are more likely than European Americans to have estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer. There continues to be discussion about the role of low levels of vitamin D in the development of breast cancer for these women. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research has shown that specific genetic variations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and in CYP24A1 (responsible for deactivating vitamin D) are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk, particularly for ER negative breast cancer, for African American women. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-vitamin-d-racial-differences-breast.html Cancer Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:00:13 EST news252768619 In a study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues from 11 other institutions in the Unites States and the United Kingdom, genes that are known to be involved in inflammation were found to be related to risk of ovarian cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-ovarian-cancer-inherited-inflammation-genes.html Cancer Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:47:44 EST news247841232 Broad, population-based investigations known as genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are now a standard tool for helping scientists to pinpoint genetic variations that can contribute to disease risk or pathology. However, most of the studies performed to date have focused predominantly on populations of European ancestry, and therefore ignore or overlook risk markers that specifically predominate among other ethnic groups. A recent GWAS from a large team of scientists based in Korea and Japan, including Yukinori Okada of the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine in Yokohama, has addressed this inequity by specifically seeking out factors that might contribute to metabolic disease in East Asians (Fig. 1). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-large-scale-east-asian-individuals-reveals.html Genetics Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:02 EST news246879047 (Medical Xpress) -- An international team of researchers has identified three new genetic loci associated with an increased susceptibility to breast cancer. As described in their paper published in Nature Genetics, the three new loci will be added to the previous 22 that have been previously found and appear to be associated with mammary gland and bone growth and estrogen receptor signaling. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-genetic-links-breast-cancer.html Genetics Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:20:04 EST news246548659 Men are four times more likely to develop liver cancer compared to women, a difference attributed to the sex hormones androgen and estrogen. Although this gender difference has been known for a long time, the molecular mechanisms by which estrogens prevent -- and androgens promote -- liver cancer remain unclear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-gender-differences-liver-cancer-small.html Cancer Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:56:30 EST news246200182