Research News

Scientists have identified a biological clock that provides vital clues about how long a person is likely to live. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with scientists in Australia and the US, studied chemical changes to DNA that take place over a lifetime. When researchers compared individuals' actual ages with their predicted biological clock age, a pattern emerged.

Smoking can cause loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells, which may put male smokers at a greater risk of cancer, a new study has found. Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden found an association between smoking and loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells. Loss of the Y chromosome was more common in heavy smokers compared to moderate smokers, the study found. Since only men have the Y chromosome, these results might explain why smoking is a greater risk factor for cancer among men and, in the broader perspective, also why men in general have a shorter life expectancy, researchers said.

A new strategy that focuses on targeting "hot zones" - areas where the risk of HIV infection is much higher than the national average - can help stop the spread of the virus in Africa, scientists say. Globally, more than 34 million people are infected with HIV; in sub-Saharan Africa alone, 3 million new infections occur annually. In an attempt to stop the spread of HIV, governments in the region are considering providing antiretroviral drugs to people who do not have the virus but are at risk for becoming infected, researchers said. Such drugs are known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

Toxic mushrooms may hold secrets to tackling deadly diseases such as cancer, according to a new research. A team of Michigan State University scientists has discovered an enzyme that is the key to the lethal potency of poisonous mushrooms.

Researchers have identified a network of genes that appear to work together in determining alcohol dependence. By comparing patterns of genetic code from the brain tissue of alcoholics and nonalcoholics, researchers discovered a particular set of genes co-expressed together in the individuals who had consumed the most alcohol.

Human ancestors began evolving the ability to digest alcohol about 10 million years ago, researchers say. The study found that a single genetic mutation 10 million years ago endowed human ancestors with an enhanced ability to break down ethanol.

Vitamin D supplements can reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups by over 40 per cent in patients with a vitamin D deficiency, according to a new research. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London conducted a randomised trial on 240 patients with COPD in and around London. Half of the patients (122) received vitamin D supplements and the other half (118) received an equivalent placebo.

The rapid evolution of HIV, which has allowed the virus to develop resistance to patients' immunity, is at the same time slowing the virus's ability to cause AIDS, according to a new research. The study also suggested that people infected by HIV are likely to progress to AIDS more slowly because of widespread access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

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Researchers have found that the colonisation of the gut by certain types of bacteria may lead to immune responses later in life that are linked to autoimmune disease. Researchers in mice studies found that increases in the levels of segmented filamentous bacteria can trigger changes in the lymphoid tissue of the mouse gut that result in the production of antibodies that attack components of the cell nucleus.

Researchers are developing a new drug that may prevent the onset of diabetes and reverse the symptoms of the disease.