Personalized Medicine – PossibleThreat Articles

Schizophrenia risk gene linked to cognitive deficits in mice

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Disorders and Syndromes, Gene Therapy, Genes, Memory, Mental Health, Mental Health Research, Personalized Medicine, Schizophrenia

Researchers have discovered in mice how one of the few genes definitively linked to schizophrenia, called SETD1A, likely confers risk for the illness. Mice genetically engineered to lack a functioning version of the enzyme-coding gene showed abnormalities in working memory, mimicking those commonly seen in patients. Restoring the gene's function corrected the working memory deficit and counteracting its deficiency also repaired neuronal circuit deficits in adult mice — suggesting clues for potential treatment strategies.

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Artificial pancreas system better controls blood glucose levels than current technology

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Blood Clots, Diabetes, Diseases and Conditions, Hormone Disorders, Hypertension, Immune System, Medical Topics, Personalized Medicine

A multicenter randomized clinical trial evaluating a new artificial pancreas system — which automatically monitors and regulates blood glucose levels — has found that the new system was more effective than existing treatments at controlling blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes.

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E-cigarette flavors decrease perception of harm among youth

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Forensics, Health Policy, Lung Cancer, Medical Topics, Mental Health Research, Personalized Medicine, Smoking, Teen Health

As more and more youth use electronic cigarettes, combined with research showing the health consequences of vaping — including nicotine addiction — researchers found that non-menthol flavors attract youth and adults to use e-cigarettes and that the use of flavored e-cigarettes contributes to multiple pathways linked to higher e-cigarette use among youth.

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Deleting a liver enzyme lowers the health risk of sweet treats (at least in mice)

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Cholesterol, Diabetes, Diet and Weight Loss, Diseases and Conditions, Hypertension, Liver Disease, Obesity, Personalized Medicine

Hepatic insulin resistance, caused by diets high in sugar and fat, can lead to type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that the Elovl6 gene plays a key role in hepatic insulin resistance. Deleting Elov6 in liver cells causes a rise in a specific ceramide lipid that protects mice from hepatic insulin resistance due to excessive dietary sugar. The findings could help efforts to find a targeted treatment for the condition.

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Researchers identify the sex of skeletons based on elbow features

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Anthropology, Archaeology, Erectile Dysfunction, Evolution, Forensics, Personalized Medicine, Sexual Health

In an effort to help identify skeletal remains of Thai descent, researchers have found that examining the distal humerus (elbow) bone is superior to previous techniques that were developed for identifying sex in a non-Asian population.

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Study looks at distribution of new cases of diabetes, density of specialists

October 23, 2019 0 Comments Diabetes, Diseases and Conditions, Health Policy, Hormone Disorders, Patient Education and Counseling, Personalized Medicine, Today's Healthcare, Wounds and Healing

Researchers analyzed national data on the prevalence of diabetes and the number of internal medicine specialists in each U.S. state. They found that cardiologists were the highest represented specialists and conclude that they are well positioned to be integral members of a patient's care team.

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Aggressive form of breast cancer influenced by dual action of genes and RNA

October 22, 2019 0 Comments Brain Tumor, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Colon Cancer, Leukemia, Lung Cancer, Personalized Medicine, Women's Health

Women with an aggressive, less-common type of breast cancer, known as triple-negative, versus a more common form of the disease, could be differentiated from each other by a panel of 17 small RNA molecules that are directly influenced by genetic alterations typically found in cancer cells.

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Single mutation dramatically changes structure and function of bacteria's transporter proteins

October 22, 2019 0 Comments Bacteria, Cell Biology, Genes, Genetics, HIV and AIDS, Molecular Biology, Personalized Medicine, Pharmacology

Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study. The study — conducted using E. coli bacteria — can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance.

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Transient and long-term disruption of gut microbes after antibiotics

October 22, 2019 0 Comments Bacteria, Bird Flu Research, Chronic Illness, Diseases and Conditions, Microbes and More, New Species, Personalized Medicine, Pharmacology

Antibiotic treatment is known to disrupt the community structure of intestinal microbes — the 500 to 1,000 bacterial species that have a mainly beneficial influence in humans. A study now has tracked this disruption at the level of a strain of microbes replacing another strain of the same species in 30 individuals — all of them young, healthy adults who would be expected to have stable microbial communities.

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Machine learning's next frontier: Epigenetic drug discovery

October 22, 2019 0 Comments Computer Programming, Computer Science, Computers and Internet, Epigenetics, Neural Interfaces, Personalized Medicine, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacology

Scientists have developed a machine-learning algorithm that gleans information from microscope images — allowing for high-throughput epigenetic drug screens that could unlock new treatments for cancer, heart disease, mental illness and more.

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