Category Health/Medical

Pregnant woman and doctor (stock image). A new, simple and safe DNA blood test could spell the end of invasive amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Credit: © Dmitriy Melnikov / Fotolia

The new, simple and safe DNA blood test could spell the end of invasive amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. The research is the result of a collaboration between Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Plymouth University. The DNA test costs pence and is non-invasive – as opposed to the traditional amniocentesis test that is available on the NHS, involves a needle and carries a minor (1%) risk of miscarriage.

The test developed can be carried out on mothers at risk of X-linked genetic recessive diseases including haemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy and mothers at risk of haemolytic disease...

2 clock-like mutational processes have been found in human cells and the rates at which the two clocks tick in different human cell types have been determined. Image courtesy Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Courtesy/LANL

A theory that our cells have molecular clock processes ticking inside them, that damage DNA by generating mutations continuously throughout life, has just been proven.These clock-like mutational processes could ultimately be responsible for a large proportion of human cancer and aging. 2 clock-like mutational processes have been found in human cells and the rates at which the two clocks tick in different human cell types have been determined.

Every cell in the human body contains a copy of the human genome...

Chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans are two-sugar repeating polymers that display diverse sulfation patterns in vivo.

For the 1st time, chondroitin sulfate has been more successful than celecoxib in reducing the long-term progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to new research findings. Chondroitin sulfate, more commonly called chondroitin, has long been the subject of debate when it comes to its usefulness in treating OA. Canadian researchers recently explored how this treatment would affect how OA progresses as well as how it compared to celecoxib (Celebrex®).

“We felt the present study was necessary in order to establish – using the most recent imaging technology available, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) – whether chondroitin sulfate can truly and effectiv...

Diet has already impacted guidelines in Canada and Europe. The research, published today in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, was a secondary analysis of data collected for a 2011 study on the effect of the ‘portfolio diet’ on cholesterol. The portfolio diet lowered blood pressure by ~2%, when compared with another diet recommended to reduce hypertension.

The portfolio diet includes foods that are scientifically-proven to lower cholesterol including mixed nuts, soy protein, plant sterols (found in vegetable oils and leafy vegetables) and viscous fiber (found in oats, barley and eggplant). The comparison method, a dietary approach to stopping hypertension, or DASH diet, emphasizes fruit, vegetables and whole grains, reduced meat and dairy intake, and eliminating snack food.