Screening methods for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes could be improved by measuring different biological signposts to those currently being tested, a new study led by researchers from King’s College London suggests. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study could allow doctors to better predict the development of...
Category: <span>Diagnostic</span>
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Scientists spot signs that predict worsening multiple sclerosis
(HealthDay)—Multiple sclerosis (MS) is more likely to progress to advanced disease among patients who suffer from fatigue and limited use of their legs, new research suggests. “Better understanding who is at high risk of getting worse may eventually allow us to tailor more specific treatments to these people,” said study author Dr. Bianca Weinstock-Guttman. She...
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Highly prevalent gene variants in minority populations cause kidney disease
Preclinical study is first proof-of-concept to pave way for development of new therapeutics Representative images of kidney tissue from APOL1-G1 and APOL1-G2 mice, showing severe scarring of the kidney filter. African Americans have a heightened risk of developing chronic and end-stage kidney disease. This association has been attributed to two common genetic variants — named...
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Prion Test For Rare, Fatal Brain Disease Helps Families Cope
Keith Negley for NPR By the time Kay Schwister got her diagnosis last summer, she couldn’t talk anymore. But she could still scowl, and scowl she did. After weeks of decline and no clue what was causing it, doctors had told Schwister — a 53-year-old vocational rehab counselor and mother of two from Chicago —...
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Researchers chart global genetic interaction networks in human cancer cells
Using genome-wide CRISPR screens, Wang et al. identified clusters of genes that act together to carry diverse sets of biological processes that support cell survival and proliferation Cancer is a heterogeneous disease, with myriad distinct subtypes that differ in their genetic roots. As a result, cancers rely on varied pathways for survival — and respond...
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Hand-grip test can indicate decline in physical function of Parkinson’s patients
A basic hand-grip test has proven to be a reliable tool to monitor the decline of patients with Parkinson’s diseases. UBC researchers Jenn Jakobi and Gareth Jones, both Health and Exercise Sciences professors at UBC’s Okanagan campus, recently completed a study that examined the methods used to monitor the progressive advancement of Parkinson’s disease (PD)—a degenerative...
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How are calluses and throat cancer related?
Many of us develop calluses at one point or another, but for some people calluses and corns can become severe and highly inconvenient. In some rare cases, extreme thickening of the skin is a symptom of a particular form of esophageal cancer. New research investigates the link between foot calluses and cancer of the esophagus...