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Columbia researchers develop new blood test to measure the pace of biological aging

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health have developed a new blood test to measure the pace of biological aging. Based on an analysis of chemical tags on the DNA contained in white blood cells, called DNA methylation marks, the new test is named DunedinPACE, after the Dunedin Birth Cohort used to develop it.

19 Jan 2022

Exposure to phthalates may alter a hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy

Exposure to phthalates-; a group of chemicals found in everything from plastics to personal care products to electronics-; may disrupt an important hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study.

13 Jan 2022

Research team grows mini-stomach across varying stages of development

A group of researchers led from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) hinged on recent progress to culture “mini-organs” in a lab, called organoids.

From University College London 7 Dec 2021

Cellular enlargement drives a decline in function of stem cells, study suggests

MIT biologists have answered an important biological question: Why do cells control their size? Cells of the same type are strikingly uniform in size, while cell size differs between different cell types. This raises the question of whether cell size is important for cellular physiology.

15 Nov 2021

Study finds higher levels of air pollutants in regions near oil and gas wells

In a 14-year analysis of air quality across California, Stanford researchers observed higher levels of air pollutants within 2.5 miles of oil and gas wells, likely worsening negative health outcomes for nearby residents.

13 Oct 2021

Gene expression changes help understand the mechanism behind noise-induced hearing loss

A growing number of people are suffering from hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises from heavy machinery, concerts, or explosions. As a result, scientists have been working to understand the mechanism behind how the damage to hearing actually occurs.

30 Sep 2021

NIH to renew grants to continue building the ClinGen resource

In an effort to continue building the Clinical Genome Resource, the National Institutes of Health will be renewing three awards amounting to $73.2 million over five years.

From National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) 24 Sep 2021

Discovery may offer a promising new path for the study of multiple sclerosis

A surprising discovery may offer a promising new direction in the study of multiple sclerosis and other diseases of hypomyelination – when axons of neurons are not covered sufficiently in fatty sheaths (myelin), which disrupts communication between nerve cells.

23 Sep 2021

Study reveals the biology and treatment behind rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition

The absence of a protein that activates the body's antiviral defenses can cause a rare rheumatoid-like autoinflammatory condition that is treatable with an FDA-approved class of drugs known as TNF (tumor necrosis factor) inhibitors, a global research team led by Mount Sinai has found.

20 Aug 2021

Roots for obesity start in the first year of life, shows study

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil found that when health workers were trained to promote infant healthy feeding practices to pregnant women their children consumed less fats and carbohydrates at 3 years of age and had lower measures of body fat at the age of 6.

2 Jun 2021

New kind of biomolecule could play a vital role in the biology of all living things

Stanford researchers have discovered a new kind of biomolecule that could play a significant role in the biology of all living things.

18 May 2021

Tanzanian farmers improve children's diet by sustainable crop-growing methods

A project based in Tanzania found significant improvements in the diversity of children's diets and food security for households after farmers learned about sustainable crop-growing methods, gender equity, nutrition and climate change from peer mentors.

12 May 2021

Study shows beneficial effects of gene therapy can be observed even after several decades

A new study shows that the advantageous effects of gene therapy can be observed several decades after the body clears the transplanted blood stem cells.

From University College London 18 Mar 2021

Scientists provide a complete phenotypic landscape of SCN2A-related disorders

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) affiliated with the CHOP Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN) have compiled a complete genetic and clinical analysis of more than 400 individuals with SCN2A-related disorder, which has been linked to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, including epilepsy and autism.

18 Mar 2021

Psychoactive component of marijuana stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, study finds

In a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Children's Hospital Colorado have found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, further supporting the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine to abstain from marijuana use during pregnancy and while a mother is breastfeeding.

9 Mar 2021

Advanced explainable AI to solve regulatory instructions encoded in DNA

Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, in collaboration with colleagues at Stanford University and Technical University of Munich have developed advanced explainable artificial intelligence (AI) in a technical tour de force to decipher regulatory instructions encoded in DNA.

19 Feb 2021

Study finds the brain is changed by caffeine in utero

New research finds caffeine consumed during pregnancy can change important brain pathways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life.

10 Feb 2021

Longitudinal study identifies many genetic markers linked to bone mineral accrual

A multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has discovered several genetic markers associated with bone mineral accrual, which could ultimately help identify causes of eventual osteoporosis earlier in life through genetic testing.

7 Jan 2021

Maternal high sugar diet can impact developmental outcomes in infants

A diet high in sugar during adulthood is associated with weight gain, and has also been linked to risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease. New research shows that when consumed by moms during the breastfeeding period, a high sugar diet can also impact developmental outcomes during infancy.

7 Oct 2020

High folic acid levels during pregnancy affect brain development of mouse embryos

A UC Davis MIND Institute study of pregnant mice found that high amounts of folic acid during pregnancy harmed the brain development of embryos.

From The University of California, Davis 6 Oct 2020