news archive genetic news - July 2, 2009

July 2, 2009

your information resource in human molecular genetics

-	HAART to Heart 'HIV-infected' patients with normal blood pressure, who are on certain anti-virus drugs, are more likely to have a high level of arterial stiffness that is similar to otherwise healthy patients with high blood pressure.
-	Biomarker for Diabetes The metabolic hormone adiponectin could serve as a predictive biomarker for type 2 diabetes.
-	Inside The Brain of an Elite Athlete Recent research into the differences in neural and cognitive processing between skilled sportspeople and novices is reviewed.
-	Mystery Solved For Immunoglobulin D Role A study reports that immunoglobulin D helps combat upper respiratory infections.
-	Uncovering Allergy Bias A gene that helps explain why some individuals are more likely to develop allergies is reported.
-	Genetic Variants Associated With Kidney Stones Common genetic variants are associated with an increased risk of kidney stone disease.
-	Stopping the Pumps in Chemotherapy-Resistant Tumors A novel type of artificial drug delivery system that blocks cancer cells' ability to expel chemotherapy and thereby acquire drug resistance is published.
-	How Cells Get A LIF to Pluripotency A rare insight into how pluripotency is maintained in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells is published.
-	'Ethical' Stem Cells Under The Spotlight Most, if not all, cell types in the body can be reprogrammed to become stem-cell-like.
-	Heart Progenitors Yield Diverse Cell Types A newly identified set of human cardiovascular progenitor cells can give rise to the three major cell types found in the heart.
-	Genetic Variants Associated With Schizophrenia Three papers provide new insights into genetic variation and schizophrenia risk.
-	Cancer Protein May Prove Useful Biomarker A new cancer-causing gene with biomarker potential is revealed.
-	Thalidomide Birth Defects Not a Patterning Problem Thalidomide-induced limb abnormalities may reflect a 'precursor' rather than a 'patterning' problem.
-	Evolution of a Malaria Resistance Gene in Wild Primates A genetic variation has been linked to the emergence of malaria resistance in wild baboons.
-	Protein Links Fasting and Stress A single protein can 'sense' fasting signals and a potentially damaging form of cellular stress.
-	Jogging Your Memory A common immunosuppressive drug can enhance immune responses to experimental vaccines in mice and monkeys.