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Researchers in Europe, Australia, Asia, and America have now discovered ten new risk loci for the chronic inflammatory skin disease eczema. Among the new candidate genes for eczema, the researchers came upon genes that are important for the innate immune system and for the development and function of T-cells which play an important role in specific immune responses. This emphasizes the importance of the immune system in the onset and progression of eczema.

Novel, non-animal tools and scientific methodologies show high potential for the assessment of combined effects of chemicals on humans and the environment. They allow meaningful information on individual mixture components or whole mixtures to be derived, enabling a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of their effects, according to a report by JRC's EU Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM).

The largest genetic study of atopic dermatitis ever performed permitted a team of international researchers to identify ten previously unknown genetic variations that contribute to the development of the condition. The researchers also found evidence of genetic overlap between atopic dermatitis and other illnesses, including inflammatory bowel disease. The results was published in Nature Genetics online on Oct. 19.

A new study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology shows that over the past decades Bangladesh observed a successful health transition while chronic diseases shifted from the rich to affect in excess also poor households. Observations over more than two decades demonstrate that the situation is actually worsening as chronic diseases frequently drag more households below the poverty line. The challenges in health service delivery and financing are huge.

PHILADELPHIA - Girls from families with a history of breast cancer, or genetic mutations that increase the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis, seem to adjust just as well as other girls when it comes to general anxiety, depression and overall psychosocial adjustment, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. However, the study also found that girls from at-risk families tend to worry more about breast cancer, particularly when their mothers have the same worries.

An invasive bird species is carrying, and potentially spreading, a high prevalence of avian malaria throughout its range in eastern Australia, a Griffith University PhD candidate has uncovered.

Nicholas Clark found that up to 40% of Indian Mynas in the South East Queensland region can carry malaria parasites. While they can't infect humans, the parasites pose a significant threat to native wildlife.

Stanford scientists have discovered a surprising source for an organic molecule used as an indicator for life on early Earth.

Tetrahymanol is a fatty molecule, or lipid, found in the membranes enclosing eukaryotic cells, the class of cells that carry their genetic material in compartments called nuclei. Eukaryotes can be single-celled or multicellular; humans and plants are eukaryotes, as are plants.

At the molecular level, the difference between Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde lies in a metal, copper. In its physiological form, the prion protein (PrPC ) is 'good' and is involved in normal body processes. It can happen, however, that because of some as yet unknown mechanism, it changes form and turns into a threat for the health of humans and animals (it is responsible for neurodegenerative diseases such as spongiform encephalopathies).

OAK BROOK, Ill. - The main pumping chamber of the heart ages differently in men and women, according to a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study published online in the journal Radiology. Researchers said the findings may support different treatment approaches for men and women with heart disease.

The mass of the left ventricle--the chamber of the heart that pumps blood throughout the body--is a predictor of cardiovascular events. The ventricle walls may thicken from having to work harder to pump blood in the presence of high blood pressure or other conditions.

Fast facts:

• Men's and women's hearts don't grow old the same way.
• Aging hearts: Gender matters.
• Gender differences in heart aging may underlie sex differences observed in heart failure.
• Research points to need for gender-tailored treatments for age-related heart failure.

A federally funded analysis of MRI scans of the aging hearts of nearly 3,000 adults shows significant differences in the way male and female hearts change over time.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - The search for evidence to support the growing use of proton therapy for more cancers at Penn Medicine continues to uncover valuable findings. New data from clinical trials conducted at the Robert Proton Therapy Center demonstrate the technology's potential advantages over conventional radiation, including less side effects and survival in some cases, for several harder-to-treat tumors: pancreatic, late-stage, non-small cell lung and chordoma and chondrosarcoma, two rare cancers found in bone or soft tissue.

Honolulu, Hawaii (October 19, 2015) --New research in the area of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) further advances understanding of the safety and effectiveness of FMT for Clostridium difficile, suggests gut microbiota changes may play a role in predicting treatment failure, and explores whether donor stool can impact an FMT recipients weight, are among the highlights of the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 80th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held this week in Honolulu.

Honolulu, Hawaii (October 19, 2015)- Featured abstract authors and renowned experts in the field of gastroenterology offer clinical insight and real-world perspective in a series of video press briefings that highlight the key science presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 80th Annual Scientific Meeting in Honolulu.

SAN ANTONIO--It is well established that a rising serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is an indication of cancer progression in men diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). For these patients, adding 24 months of anti-androgen therapy (AAT) during and after salvage radiotherapy (RT) improves overall survival statistically compared with treating them with salvage RT alone, according to the long-term results of a clinical trial conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), now conducting research as NRG Oncology.

A new understanding of inflammatory bowel diseases has been prompted by the analysis of genetic and clinical data from more than 30,000 patients. This study reveals that genetic factors affect the location of the inflammation in the gut, with implications for diagnosis and treatment of patients.