discovers Archives - Family Medicine News

Study discovers 40 new genetic variants associated with colorectal cancer risk

03.12.2018 Health Problems

The most comprehensive genome-wide association study, or GWAS, of colorectal cancer risk to date, published today in Nature Genetics, has discovered 40 new genetic variants and validated 55 previously identified variants that signal an increased risk of colon cancer. The study, led by a team of investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, also has identified the first rare protective […]

Research discovers new channel-gating mechanism

24.08.2018 Health Problems

Computational biophysicists are not used to making discoveries, says Jianhan Chen at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, so when he and colleagues cracked the secret of how cells regulate Big Potassium (BK) channels, they thought it must be a computational artifact. But after many simulations and tests, they convinced themselves that they have identified the BK gating mechanism that had […]

Health research discovers new link between hypoxia and blood clot risk

03.08.2018 Health Problems

Research led by Rinku Majumder, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biochemistry at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has found how hypoxia (a low concentration of oxygen) decreases Protein S, a natural anticoagulant, resulting in an increased risk for the development of potentially life-threatening blood clots (thrombosis). Although hypoxia has been associated with an increased risk for thrombosis, this research […]

Team discovers gene mutations linked to pancreatic cancer

20.06.2018 Health Problems

Six genes contain mutations that may be passed down in families, substantially increasing a person’s risk for pancreatic cancer. That’s according to Mayo Clinic research published in the June 19 edition of the JAMA. However, because researchers found these genetic mutations in patients with no family history of pancreatic cancer, they are recommending genetic testing for all pancreatic cancer patients […]

Study discovers new molecular mechanism likely involved in cancer metastasis

08.05.2018 Health Problems

Cancer is most devastating when it metastasizes—when tumor cells break away, travel through the bloodstream, and then attach elsewhere, only to grow another tumor. A significant amount of scientific research has focused on finding ways to prevent metastasis. For some time, scientists have understood that a particular biochemical pathway, known as the PDK1 pathway, is active in metastasizing cancer cells. […]