MONDAY, June 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) — There’s potential good news for a sizable minority of people battling advanced colon cancer. Doctors in Britain say that an immunotherapy drug, given before surgery, can help many more patients with a specific genetic profile stay cancer-free long term. The finding pertains toContinue Reading
MONDAY, June 3, 2024 — Mutations in a single newly identified gene are responsible for developmental disorders affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, a new study claims. The gene – RNU4-2 – can cause a collection of developmental symptoms that had not previously been tied to a distinct geneticContinue Reading
TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — People who carry two copies of the gene mutation most strongly implicated in Alzheimer’s disease are almost certain to develop brain changes related to the degenerative disorder, a new study says. A single mutated APOE4 gene has been found to pose the strongestContinue Reading
TUESDAY, April 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Doctors argue that genetics aren’t destiny when it comes to a person’s health, and a study appears to support that notion. A healthy lifestyle can offset the effects of life-shortening genes by more than 60%, researchers found. People at high genetic risk ofContinue Reading
MONDAY, April 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have conclusively identified the genetic cause of a rare, progressive movement disorder. A rare extra-long version of a gene appears to cause nerve cells to become poisoned by toxic proteins in people with spinocerebellar ataxia 4 (SCA4), researchers report. SCA4 causes muscleContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — New Jersey native Lisa Pisano was staring down the end of her days. The 54-year-old had heart failure and end-stage kidney disease, but several chronic medical conditions excluded her as a candidate for heart and kidney transplants. “All I want is the opportunityContinue Reading
THURSDAY, April 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Two newly discovered genetic variations can have a powerful effect on a person’s risk for obesity, a new report says. Variants in the gene BSN, also known as Bassoon, can increase risk of obesity as much as sixfold, researchers report April 4 inContinue Reading
FRIDAY, March 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A genetic mutation that boosts cell function could protect people against Alzheimer’s disease, even if they carry another gene mutation known to boost dementia risk. The newly discovered mutation appears to protect people who carry the APOE4 gene, which increases risk of Alzheimer’s,Continue Reading
THURSDAY, March 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Folks with genetically-driven stress are more likely to suffer heart attacks after nerve-wracking events or times of unrest, a new study shows. People with above-average genetic scores linked to neuroticism and stress were 34% more likely to experience a heart attack following stressfulContinue Reading
THURSDAY, March 21, 2024 (HealthDay news) — For the first time ever, doctors have transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a human suffering from advanced kidney failure. Such pig kidneys, altered to lower the risk of rejection and disease, have been successfully placed into monkeys and brain-dead human donorContinue Reading
THURSDAY, March 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) — It only appears to work until age 74, but a new study has identified a gene variant that protects men from from severe illness and death when COVID lands them in the hospital. The protective gene appears to help tamp down inflammation, researchersContinue Reading
FRIDAY, March 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Folks worried about becoming flabby in middle age should check out what their parents looked like when they were that age, a new study says. People are six times more likely to become obese in middle age if both their parents were chubbyContinue Reading
THURSDAY, March 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Nearly a quarter of Labrador retrievers are more likely to be obese due to a genetic “double-whammy,” a new study finds. This gene mutation causes Labradors to both feel hungry all the time and also burn fewer calories, British researchers report. The mutationContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Rare gene-driven defects such as Down syndrome have occurred among human beings for many thousands of years, a new analysis of ancient DNA has revealed. Not only did the birth defects exist, but these infants were often buried with care by their community.Continue Reading