Monthly Archives: September 2010

New method for DNA breakpoint detection

Many diseases, including some cancers, are associated with specific chromosomal trans-locations, and a technique reported in Genome Medicine provides a new way to detect these anomalies. The presence or absence of a translocation may have implications for diagnosis,  prognosis, and therapy. The BCR-ABL1 fusion gene is a marker of chronic myeloid leukaemia. Anindya Dutta and… Read more »

Medicine

Even low alcohol levels slow reactions in seniors

Recently reported research published in BMC Research Notes has quantified the effect of alcohol consumption on obstacle avoidance. The study demonstrates that even blood alcohol concentrations below accepted drink-driving limits – 0.08% in the UK but subject to some recent debate – significantly impact on the ability of senior individuals to avoid obstacles while walking…. Read more »

Medicine

EQUATOR: reporting your randomized trial

The EQUATOR Network seminar, ‘Reporting your randomized trial: CONSORT 2010 and other reporting guidelines’ provided an opportunity for those involved in randomized controlled trials – from planning to publishing – to learn more about the importance of transparent and accurate reporting. In addition, delegates were informed of the essential role of the EQUATOR Network, which… Read more »

Medicine

Novel data integration framework

Anduril is an open-source computational framework for the combined analysis of molecular and clinical information developed by Sampsa Hautaniemi and colleagues to allow integration of clinical information with large-scale molecular datasets such as transcriptomes, miRNA, single nucleotide polymorphisms, copy number variation and methylation data. In a recent article published in Genome Medicine they describe this… Read more »

Medicine

BMC Research Notes topical series on qRT-PCR normalization and optimization

By measuring the kinetics of the reaction in the early phases of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) allows the rapid detection and quantification of nucleic acids. As part of BioMed Central’s ongoing efforts to promote data standards and encourage the normalization and optimization of widely used technologies – as exemplified… Read more »

Medicine
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Trials journal setting standards in trial publication

The journal Trials was launched with the aim of improving the quality and reporting of randomized controlled trials. With the recent publication of the updated CONSORT guidelines, there has been a growing emphasis within the clinical trials community on complete and accurate reporting. Although there is still much work to be done, Trials has been… Read more »

Medicine

sMRI – the most powerful Alzheimer’s disease biomarker?

Apart from the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and deposition of amyloid plaques, other hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) include the loss of both neurones and synapses in the human brain. There is evidence to suggest that this neurodegeneration is closely associated with cognitive decline, which is why structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), which measures brain… Read more »

Medicine