Neuroscience

Understanding the role of microglia in Alzheimer's disease

Microglia are specialized immune cells in the brain. While they normally protect our brains, they can also contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. The exact mechanism behind this contribution is not ...

Genetics

The genomic architecture of inherited DNA variants

You have your mother's eyes and your father's smile, but genetics is much more than just what's on the surface. In a study that spans more than a decade, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have looked at generations ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Vole fever spreading further south in Sweden

Researchers have discovered that bank voles in Skåne, southern Sweden, carry a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. This finding was made more than 500 km south of the previously known range.

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Genetic disorder

A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes. While some diseases, such as cancer, are due in part to a genetic disorders, they can also be caused by environmental factors. Most disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions. Some types of recessive gene disorders confer an advantage in the heterozygous state in certain environments. A haploid cell has only one set of chromosomes. A diploid cell has two sets of chromosomes. In human, the somatic cells are diploid, and the gametes are haploid.

Genetic diseases are typically diagnosed and treated by geneticists. Genetic counselors assist the physicians and directly counsel patients.[citation needed]

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