A rare genetic disorder in which people are suddenly overcome with profound muscle weakness is caused by a hole in a membrane protein that allows sodium ions to leak across cell membranes, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle have found. The voltage sensor has two cavities (purple) that do not connect. Mutations...
Category: <span>Diagnostic</span>
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Screening may miss signs of autism, especially in girls: study
(HealthDay)—An important checklist used to screen for autism can miss subtle clues in some children, delaying their eventual diagnosis. Researchers found that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, or M-CHAT, can fail to detect developmental delays that are tell-tale signs of autism in 18-month-olds, according to findings published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics....
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Various clinical disturbances precede MS diagnosis
(HealthDay)—Various clinical symptoms precede the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) by several years, according to a study published online May 8 in the Annals of Neurology. Giulio Disanto, M.D., Ph.D., from the Neurocentre of Southern Switzerland in Lugano, and colleagues compared the occurrence of various symptoms in MS patients versus controls. Data from the U.K. Clinical...
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Topical Skin Lotion to Detect Variety of Disease Biomarkers
Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a new way of utilizing nanotechnology to detect important biomarkers within the skin using what looks like a simple lotion. Their NanoFlares, which are spherical, programmable nano-scale balls of nucleic acid, have gold cores. These NanoFlares are able to penetrate the skin and meet up with biochemicals...
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Larger waistlines are linked to higher risk of vitamin D deficiency
Higher levels of belly fat are associated with lower vitamin D levels in obese individuals, according to data presented in Barcelona at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2018. The study reports that vitamin D levels are lower in individuals with higher levels of belly fat, and suggests that individuals, particularly the overweight...
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Simplifying skin disease diagnosis with topical nanotechnology
In a new SLAS Technology auto-commentary, two authors of an article recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering (Abnormal Scar Identification with Spherical Nucleic Acid Technology) share more insight into their unique method for skin disease diagnosis using NanoFlare nanotechnology. In particular, the authors address point-of-care diagnosis and image acquisition, which are the primary bottlenecks in efficient disease diagnosis. IMAGE:...
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Type 2 diabetes ups risk of renal cancer in women, but not men
(HealthDay)—Type 2 diabetes is independently associated with a greater risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in women, but not in men, according to a study published online April 20 in Diabetes Care. Rebecca E. Graff, Sc.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues used data from 117,570 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1976 to 2014)...
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New biomarker identified for early diagnosis of lung cancer
CKAP4 is a potential new diagnostic marker that is detectable in patients with stage I disease and could change current practice in diagnosing lung cancer, reports The American Journal of Pathology Philadelphia, May 8, 2018 – High levels of cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) have been identified in the blood of patients with lung cancer. In...
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New tool predicts deadly form of rare cancer
Two patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) can appear to have identical diseases upon first diagnosis but can have radically different outcomes. MF in an unusual cancer of the T lymphocyte that begins in the skin rather than in the lymph nodes, with the first sign often being a rash. Most patients with MF, the most...
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Molecular ‘rabble-rouser’ fuels pancreatic cancer growth
A type of molecular ‘rabble-rouser’ that triggers pancreatic cancer to become aggressive and spread around the body has been identified by scientists. Aggressive pancreatic cancer cells. Credit: Imperial College London The team behind the early-stage research, led by Imperial College London and funded by Pancreatic Cancer UK, say the findings may open avenues for treatments that...