BSN Stock Photo

[Best Syndication News] Researchers of an international research consortium have identified 13 new genetic variants related to blood glucose, insulin secretion, and insulin resistance. Out of the newly identified genes, five of variants increase the risk of a person developing type 2 diabetes. These findings were largely the results of two studies that were conducted by the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin Related Traits Consortium (MAGIC). The study was funded partly by the National Institutes of Health and the studies will in the January 17th, 2010 online edition of Nature Genetics.

The researchers analyzed around 2.5 million gene variants in the 21 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of around 46,186 individuals that were not diagnosed with diabetes, but had been tested for glucose and insulin regulation. The found that the most common variation was the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) which is a single base pair change in one part of the building blocks of DNA.

see video below

[Best Syndication News] A special documentary will air called 'The Mermaid Girl: The Last Six Months' on TLC channel this Sunday, December 13th, which will follow the last months of Shiloh Pepin, who was called a living mermaid because her legs are fused together from a birth defect. The show was to cover her reaching the milestone of turning 10 years old. Shortly after her birthday unfortunately she fell ill and died on October 23, 2009, at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

Pepin was born with a condition called Sirenomelia, which is also called Mermaid Syndrome. This is an extremely rare birth deformity where the legs are fused together which gives the appearance of the person having a mermaid tail.

See larger Image Below

(Best Syndication News) In an effort that would have made Thomas Edison envious, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) tested 16,000 chemicals to find one that would kill cancer stem cells. This is important because some conventional chemotherapy treatments are unable to kill cancer stem cells that reside in tumors.

Out of the 16,000 natural and commercial chemical compounds the researchers found 32 that worked. Out of those they found one “clear winner” that is readily available. That compound is salinomycin, an antibiotic that disturbs the cell potassium balance. .

According to research published in the August 13th 2009 issue of the journal Cell it is uncertain how it works or if it will ever be available as a treatment, but scientists will certainly use it as a tool for manipulating cancer stem cell numbers and for observing the effects on cancer's spread and progression.

Sperm - source: wik

(Best Syndication News) Scientists in the United Kingdom say they have created new sperm cells from embryonic stem cells (ESC). The research could lead to more than a solution for male infertility, but could also help explain why children with leukemia later become infertile and explanations to other genetic abnormalities (see video below).

In the July 8th 2009 academic journal Stem Cells and Development, Professor Karim Nayernia and colleagues at the Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) report that they have created human sperm in the laboratory. This will lead to a better understanding of “infertility in men” and the effect of toxins on reproduction.

Fanconi anemia - Source: RadsWiki

(Best Syndication News) Amazing research from the Salk Institute has demonstrated that human genetic diseases can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and stem cells. In the past this research has been conducted on mice, but now Salk colleagues and researchers around the world have cured diseased human cells.

Doctor Juan-Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Ph.D., professor in the Expression Laboratory and director of the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB), Spain says they have used induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, not embryonic stem cells, to cure Fanconi anemia (FA) in human cells. The doctor used the word “cure” to describe their findings.