June 2010

Studies of women’s attitudes to ‘social egg freezing’ find that young professionals put career ahead of motherhood, while older women are still waiting for Mr. Right

NB: this is the subject of a news briefing by Drs. Srilatha Gorthi and Julie Nekkebroeck at 11.45hrs (CEST) on Monday 28 June [Hall 10, Room A] Rome, Italy: Women of different ages differ in their reasons for wishing to undergo egg freezing, show two studies presented to the 26th annual meeting of the European […]

Researchers develop accurate way to predict the age when women will hit the menopause

Rome, Italy: Researchers have developed a way of accurately predicting when women will hit the menopause using a simple blood test. The average difference between the predicted age and the actual age that the women in their study reached the menopause was only a third of a year, and the maximum margin of error was […]

Simple injection could save the lives of thousands of accident victims worldwide

If recently injured patients with serious bleeding were to receive a cheap, widely available and easily administered drug to help their blood to clot, tens of thousands of lives could be saved every year, according to a paper* published on-line today (Tuesday) by The Lancet. Dr Ian Roberts, Professor of Epidemiology at the London School […]

Children born after assisted reproduction at greater risk of congenital malformations; doctors should be prepared to inform parents of these risks, scientists say

Gothenburg, Sweden: Couples considering undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment should be informed about the increased risk of congenital malformation posed by the use of ART, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Monday). Dr. Géraldine Viot, a clinical geneticist at the Maternité Port Royal hospital, Paris, France, will […]

Should the results of individual genetic studies be disclosed to participants? Study queries the right to information in every case

Gothenburg, Sweden: Individual results of genetic research studies should not be disclosed to participants without careful consideration, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday). Dr. Robin Hayeems, from the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, Canada, will say that she […]

Small genetic variant can predict response to hepatitis C treatment; may spare side effects to those in whom treatment would be ineffective

Gothenburg, Sweden: A small genetic change can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Sunday 13 June). Dr. Zoltan Kutalik, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University […]

Understanding genetic mixing through migration: a tool for clinicians as well as genealogists

Gothenburg, Sweden: Understanding the genetic ancestry of mixed populations, such as those found in North America, can not only help to detect their origins but also to understand the genetic basis of complex diseases, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday June 11). It is the […]

New gene makes the difference: genetic modifier in Usher Syndrome explains variability in symptoms and will lead to better diagnosis

Gothenburg, Sweden: Usher syndrome (USH), an inherited condition involving both hearing and vision loss, is not a simply recessively inherited disease, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday). Dr. Hanno Bolz, Associate Medical Director of the Bioscientia Centre for Human Genetics, Ingelheim, Germany, and active in […]

Sense of smell holds the key to diagnosis and treatment in early-stage Parkinson’s disease

Gothenburg, Sweden: A fast, simple and non invasive test of the ability to smell may be an important tool to screen people who are likely to develop Parkinson’s disease (PD), in which motor symptoms only become evident at a later stage of the disease, a German scientist will tell the annual conference of the European […]

Short people are more likely to develop heart disease than tall people

Short people are at greater risk of developing heart disease than tall people, according to the first systematic review and meta-analysis of all the available evidence, which is published online today (Wednesday 9 June) in the European Heart Journal [1]. The systematic review and meta-analysis, carried out by Finnish researchers, looked at evidence from 52 […]