A study of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) provides further evidence that calpain-10, the “diabetes gene,” is related to PCOS susceptibility. PCOS affects up to five percent of the female population, and those diagnosed with the disease have a 2- to 7-fold risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. The data suggest that one area of the gene, the SNP ins/del-19, may be related to both PCOS and type 2 diabetes.
Brain wave changes in adolescence are related to age, but not sexual maturation, occur earlier in girls than boys and may be associated with one of the brain’s major reorganization projects: synaptic pruning, a new study finds. During adolescence, the brain reorganizes and eliminates many synaptic connections, making the brain’s information processing more efficient and powerful while consuming less energy.
A key enzyme that cuts short our cellular lifespan in an effort to thwart cancer has now been linked to body mass.Until now, scientists believed that our relatively long lifespans controlled the expression of telomerase — an enzyme that can lengthen the lives of cells, but can also increase the rate of cancer.
Overweight black Americans are two to three times more likely than heavy white Americans to say they are of average weight — even after being diagnosed as overweight or obese by their doctors, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers.
Geology topics of interest include: Two New Zealand supervolcanoes that erupted only days or weeks apart; remarkably detailed K-T boundary evidence from the tropical Atlantic’s Demerara Rise supporting a single impact event; and human impact on continental erosion and sedimentation.
The December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine carries specific conclusions and recommendations on how the medical community can harness the power of molecular imaging and therapy to manage diseases and improve the quality of life for patients. “Shaping the Future: The 2006 SNM Molecular Imaging Summit” provides the first-ever look at molecular imaging’s potential — as seen by medical professionals, scientists, industry representatives, and funding and regulatory officials — in a special expanded section of the society’s flagship journal.
Screening children for risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease can help identify parents at risk for the condition, providing an opportunity for medical intervention in both children and their parents, according to research at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Researchers from Lehigh and Princeton Universities join with colleagues from Egypt and Portugal to take aim at osteoporosis and other bone disorders. Their goal is to tailor a biocompatible glass so it can serve as a scaffold that promotes the regrowth of damaged or diseased bone.
Researchers have shown that sliding forces applied to cartilage surfaces prompt cells in that tissue to produce molecules that lubricate and protect joints, an important step toward their goal of eventually growing joint tissue for transplantation.
The popular view is that DNA and genes control everything of importance in biology. The genome rules all of life, it is thought. Increasingly, however, scientists are realizing that among the diverse forms of RNA, a kind of mirror molecule derived from DNA, many interact with each other and with genes directly to manage the genome from behind the scenes.