DNA differences which appear to affect the risk of giving birth early have been found by US scientists.
The US National Institutes of Health study found the variants in both babies and mothers, a US conference was told.
It is thought they may play a role in controlling immune responses which could theoretically trigger labour if they become too powerful.
Premature birth – which accounts for 7% of UK births – is one of the biggest threats to a baby’s future health. Read the rest of this entry »
Scientists have shown how a family of “limpet-like” proteins play a crucial role in repairing the DNA damage which can lead to cancer.
They hope the finding could pave the way for a new type of drug which could help kill cancer cells, and promote production of healthy replacements.
The proteins seem to have a remarkable ability to zero in on damaged areas.
The breakthrough, uncovered independently by two teams, appears in the journal Nature. Read the rest of this entry »
People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age than those who look more than their years, work shows.
Danish scientists say appearance alone can predict survival, after they studied 387 pairs of twins.
The researchers asked nurses, trainee teachers and peers to guess the age of the twins from mug shots.
Those rated younger-looking tended to outlive their older-looking sibling, the British Medical Journal reports. Read the rest of this entry »
Scientists have discovered what they believe is a genetic cause of severe obesity in children.
The team concluded that the loss of a key segment of DNA can be to blame.
It said the findings might improve diagnosis of severe obesity – which on occasion has been wrongly attributed to abusive overfeeding.
The study, of 300 children with severe obesity by the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, appears in Nature. Read the rest of this entry »
Tiny metal particles have been shown to cause changes to DNA across a cellular barrier – without having to cross it.
The nanometre and micrometre scale particles resulted in an increase of damage to DNA across the barrier via a never-before-seen cell signal process.
Reporting in Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers say the mechanism could be both a risk and an opportunity.
They say the preliminary result is relevant as more medical therapies rely on small-scale particles.
For instance, nanoparticle-based approaches are being considered for use to improve MRI images or direct the delivery of cancer drugs. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s difficult to test for, but new research suggests that zinc deficiencies are widespread across the world, with as many as 12 percent of the total U.S. population and an estimated 40 percent of elderly Americans affected by it.
A new study conducted at Oregon State University finds that even minor zinc deficiencies can cause DNA damage.
“Zinc deficiencies have been somewhat under the radar because we just don’t know that much about mechanisms that control its absorption, role or even how to test for it in people with any accuracy,” said Emily Ho, a researcher at OSU. Read the rest of this entry »
