Single Letter In Human Genome Points To Risk For High Cholesterol (January 3, 2009) -- Write out every letter in the human genome, one A, C, T or G per millimeter, and the text would be 1,800 miles long, roughly the distance from New York to Colorado. Now, in the search for genes that affect how humans synthesize, process and break down cholesterol, scientists have found a single letter among this expanse of code that is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, one of the leading health concerns that has come to dominate the 21st century. ... > full story
Scientists Pull Protein's Tail To Curtail Cancer (January 3, 2009) -- When researchers look inside human cancer cells for the whereabouts of an important tumor-suppressor, they often catch the protein playing hooky, lolling around in cellular broth instead of muscling its way out to the cells' membranes and foiling cancer growth. ... > full story
Hope For Treating Kidney Cancer (January 3, 2009) -- Kidney cancer is typically without symptoms until it has spread to other organs, when it is also the most difficult to treat. ... > full story
Physical Disability Brings Marital Happiness (January 3, 2009) -- A new study finds that the onset of physical disability boosts marital happiness more often than not. ... > full story
Impaired Energy Metabolism Linked With Initiation Of Plaques In Alzheimer's Brain (January 3, 2009) -- Scientists have identified an initiating molecular mechanism in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study provides new information about generation of damaging amyloid beta (A-beta) plaques within the AD brain and underscores the importance of developing new preventative and disease-modifying therapies for AD, especially those aimed at interrupting pathological A-beta-production. ... > full story
Novel Pathway Involved In Therapy-resistant Cancers Discovered (January 3, 2009) -- Scientists have begun to unpick the complex mechanisms underpinning the development of drug resistant cancers. They have identified a novel target that may help to combat the growing problem of therapy resistant cancers and pave the way for innovative therapeutic approaches. ... > full story
Trying To Eat Less Becomes More Important To Fend Off Middle-Age Weight Gain (January 3, 2009) -- Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less -- a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain. ... > full story
Common Oral Osteoporosis Drugs Linked To Serious Jaw Necrosis (January 2, 2009) -- Clinical data links oral bisphosphonates to increased jaw necrosis. The study is among the first to acknowledge that even short-term use of common oral osteoporosis drugs may leave the jaw vulnerable to devastating necrosis. Fosomax is the most widely prescribed oral bisphosphonate. ... > full story
Nothing To Sneeze At: Real-time Pollen Forecasts (January 2, 2009) -- Researchers in Germany are reporting an advance toward development of technology that could make life easier for millions of people allergic to plant pollen. It could underpin the first automated, real-time systems for identifying specific kinds of allergy-inducing plant pollen circulating in the air. ... > full story
Obesity Increases Lymphedema Risk For Breast Cancer Survivors (January 2, 2009) -- Throughout the world, 10 million breast cancer survivors have a lifetime risk for developing lymphedema, a chronic condition that involves swelling of the limbs and impacts physical and psychosocial health. In a new study, researchers found that the risk of developing lymphedema is 40 percent to 60 percent higher in women with body mass index classified as overweight or obese compared to normal weight women. The researchers recommend increased health education for breast cancer survivors. ... > full story
Structure Of New Botulism Nerve Toxin Subtype Revealed (January 2, 2009) -- Scientists have determined the structure of a third subtype of botulinum neurotoxin -- a deadly toxin that causes the disease botulism, and is also used in cosmetic and therapeutic applications. The structure reveals a unique arrangement of the active components that may help explain why subtype E is faster-acting than others -- and may have implications for improving vaccines and/or therapeutic agents. ... > full story
Toxicity Mechanism Identified For Parkinson's Disease (January 2, 2009) -- Alpha-synuclein is the main component of Lewy bodies, the clumps of aggregated proteins that form in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients. The alpha-synuclein gene is mutated or triplicated in some cases of inherited Parkinson's. A process called chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) plays an important role in recycling of specific proteins in brain cells. Alpha-synuclein disrupts a key survival circuit in brain cells by interfering with CMA and the recycling of the protein MEF2D. ... > full story
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