Around 7 in every 1000 morbidly obese people are missing a section of their DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that contains around 30 genes, say the results of an EU-funded project published in the journal Nature. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London (ICL) in the UK and 10 other European research centres, suggest that the missing DNA may have a dramatic effect on the weight of the affected people.
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European Physician Adoption of Advanced Mobile Activities is Increasing
As mobile devices become more advanced, European physicians are turning to them for a number of uses in their professional practice, according to a recent study by Manhattan Research. About half of online European physicians check email on their mobile devices while nearly four in ten search on a mobile web browser.
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Research team corrects mistake on protein linked with cancer
A previously held belief about the behaviour of a human protein that is linked to the formation of cancer is being challenged. The study in question, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, will lead to new research into ways to prevent the protein from 'turning on' genes that are involved in the process of abnormal cell production.
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European Physicians Want Information about Company's Patient Education Sites
About three-quarters of online European physicians want sales representatives to let them know about their company's patient education websites so they can recommend them to their patients, according to the Taking the Pulse® Europe v9.0 study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. The study looks at the online activities and behaviors of physicians in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
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New Genetic Markers Discovered for Diabetes Traits
The work of an international team of scientists has helped unravel the biological blueprint of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Funded in part by the EU, the two major parallel studies were conducted by researchers representing more than 100 institutes and using genetic data from over 100,000 individuals. The discovery of common genetic variants associated with T2D risk and blood glucose levels is published in two corresponding reports in Nature Genetics.
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Online Video a Viable Way to Reach European Physicians in 2010
Nearly half of online physicians in Western Europe watch online video for professional purposes, according to the latest Taking the Pulse® Europe v9.0 study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. Online video adoption has grown steadily over the past three years, jumping from only 28% of online European physicians using for professional purposes in 2006 to 46% in 2009. Online physicians in Western Europe are even more likely to use online video as part of their clinical research than SMS/text messaging, blogs, or chatrooms/message boards.
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Study uncovers costs of drug resistance for bacteria
Developing resistance to certain antibiotics may come at a price for the bacteria, new Swedish research suggests. Sara Thulin Hedberg of Örebro University studies the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, one of the main causes of meningitis. She found that bacteria that are resistant to the drug rifampicin do not reproduce as fast as non-resistant bacteria and are not as good as infecting people. She hopes that her findings, which form part of her doctoral dissertation, will lead to the development of new, more effective antibiotics.
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