Body

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have identified a new prognostic biomarker: the neuropeptide pro-NPY, which may help determine the risk of dying from prostate cancer. This particular type of protein is very specific to prostate cancer cells and could help identify whether newly diagnosed patients require radical prostatectomy surgery or if it is safe to delay surgery.

The research has been published in the journal, European Urology.

Prostate Cancer Cells

Children born into smaller families in the world's poorest nations will live an expected three years longer than those born into larger families, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

The findings, being presented at the International Conference on Family Planning in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, show that while family planning programs have sometimes been pitched as ways to moderate population growth and minimize pressure on resource-strapped nations, they have real health impacts on individuals.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Kids with uncorrected farsightedness lose ground on reading skills before they ever start first grade, a new study has found.

The research, led by Marjean Taylor Kulp of The Ohio State University, uncovers evidence that moderately farsighted preschoolers and kindergarten students perform worse in early literacy than children with normal vision.

And the difference may be enough to put them at risk for later reading problems, based on previous studies.

Québec City, Jan. 27, 2016 -- The humble earthworm may be a threat to plant diversity in natural ecosystems, says a study just published by researchers from Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke. Their work found an association between the presence of these European-introduced invertebrates and reductions in the abundance of certain tree and other plant species in the understory of sugar maple forests in southern Québec (Canada).

DALLAS - Jan. 26, 2016 - UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have deciphered how a small protein made by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS manipulates human genes to further its deadly agenda.

The findings, published in the online journal eLife, could aid in the search for new or improved treatments for patients with AIDS, or to the development of preventive strategies.

In collaboration with PacBio, scientists at San Diego Zoo Global and the University of Hawaii, Hilo have fully sequenced the genome of the 'Alalā, or Hawaiian crow and shared the results of this effort at the recent annual Plant and Animal Genomics XXIV Conference in San Diego. The 'Alalā was once reduced to a population of about 20 birds, and the sequencing of the species' genome will be important to track any genetic challenges that may occur due to the reduced genetic diversity now seen in the species.

Current approaches to reconstructing past climate by using tree-ring data need to be improved on so that they can better take uncertainty into account, new research led out of New Zealand's University of Otago suggests.

Tree growth rings are commonly used as climate proxies because they can be well-dated and the width of each ring is influenced by the climatic conditions of the year it grew in.

Using a new technology for repairing disease genes--the much-talked-about CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing--University of Iowa researchers working together with Columbia University Medical Center ophthalmologists have corrected a blindness-causing gene mutation in stem cells derived from a patient. The result offers hope that eye diseases might one day be treated by personalized, precision medicine in which patients' own cells are used to grow replacement tissue.

Although global microbial populations are orders of magnitude larger than nearly any other population in, on or around the planet, only a fraction has been identified thus far. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking to uncover the true extent of the planet's microbial diversity in order to learn more about the genes, enzymes and metabolic pathways that play key roles in regulating critical biogeochemical cycles. More thorough surveys could lead to new strategies for DOE researchers to advance their energy and environmental investigations.

Using painkillers in pregnancy may reduce fertility in subsequent generations, research suggests.

Tests in rats found that when a mother was given painkillers during pregnancy, her female offspring had fewer eggs, smaller ovaries and smaller litters of babies than those not exposed to the drugs.

Exposed male offspring were also found to be affected at birth - showing smaller numbers of cells that give rise to sperm in later life. However, their reproductive function recovered to normal levels by the time they reached adulthood.

NEW YORK, NY (January 27, 2016)--Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and University of Iowa scientists have used a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR, to repair a genetic mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited condition that causes the retina to degrade and leads to blindness in at least 1.5 million cases worldwide.

The study was published in Scientific Reports, and marks the first time researchers have replaced a defective gene associated with a sensory disease in stem cells that were derived from a patient's tissue.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (January 27, 2016)--Sedentary middle-aged Hispanic women in Latin America have significantly worse menopause symptoms than their active counterparts, shows a study of more than 6,000 women across Latin America, which was published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The analysis also linked sedentary lifestyle with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and obesity.

100,000+ people reached by Grand Challenges Canada's mental health program, 10,000+ treated

Pakistan 'Family Networks for Kids' project shifts tasks from health workers to relatives, neighbours; creates strong network of new recruits to care for youths with behavioral difficulties

Kenya's traditional healers, faith healers and community health workers refer 1,600 to clinics, 500 diagnoses result

No autism is alike. This is also true of most mental disorders. "We now understand that each gene mutation has a specific effect, which adds to other effects to draw a unique picture of the disease in each patient," said Dr. Sébastien Jacquemont, a geneticist who sees on a daily basis children who are referred to him for a potential genetic diagnosis of mental disorder such as autism. To understand this additive effect, a precise quantification of the effect each identified mutation has in these patients is necessary.

Treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory diseases may benefit by new findings from a study that identified potential therapeutic targets for a devastating disease striking some 2.3 million people worldwide.

Inflammation is an important part of body's response against infections and tissue damage, but unresolved inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases and promotes cancer development.