London, Mar 4 : Scientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre have identified a gene that appears to play a critical role in severity of lung disease in people with cystic fibrosis.
After studying nearly 3,000 cystic fibrosis patients, the team found small genetic differences in a gene called IFRD1 linked to lung disease severity.
"This is a good example of researchers with different expertise coming together and using the knowledge gained from mapping the human genome to make discoveries that improve our understanding of cystic fibrosis," Nature magazine quoted Carl Langefeld, Ph. D., a study co-author and Wake Forest University School of Medicine researcher as saying.
Washington, March 4: Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have warned that older adults who have impaired glucose tolerance, but are not considered diabetic, may be at an increased risk of heart disease. 
Combined research by American and Irish researchers revealed that women suffering from deficiency of vitamin B12 in their blood before and after conception have higher risk of giving birth to baby suffering from neural tube defects, a class of birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord.
Recent report published in a Bulletin raised doubts regarding the effectiveness and long-term safety of Procter & Gamble's Intrinsa testosterone patches. These patches are meant for women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. This disorder leads to diminished or absent desire for sex. Intrinsa treats this problem by releasing a daily dose of testosterone into the blood stream from a patch worn on the lower abdomen.
Asthma is a chronic disease that, at its worst, can be fatal, and the rates are rising. According statistics, 5.4 million Britons, including 1.1 million children, have asthma. Recent study revealed that children spending more than two hours before television have double risk of asthma. 
