Genetics of Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the Chinese Han Population

An earlier study of European Caucasian patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis demonstrated that a polymorphism in the microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) gene was associated with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis.

An earlier study of European Caucasian patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis demonstrated that a polymorphism in the microtubule-associated protein Tau (MAPT) gene was associated with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis.

To examine this in a different population, Daojun Hong and colleagues from Nanchang University further investigated the association of the MAPT gene with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Chinese Han population. Researchers detected two genetic variations in MAPT (105788 A > G in intron 9 and 123972 T > A in intron 11) in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients but not controls.

Preferable Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis Found in Allogenic Bone Marrow Stem Cells
An inflammatory autoimmune disease, Multiple sclerosis (MS) affecting more than one million people worldwide is caused by an immune reaction to myelin proteins, the proteins that help form the myelin insulating substance around nerves.

Moreover, the patients with a genetic variation were more prone to bulbar palsy and breathing difficulties than those with the wild-type genotype. Their study, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 33, 2013), suggests that the MAPT gene is a potential risk gene for sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Chinese Han population.

Source-Eurekalert

Halting Atherosclerosis by Targeting Micro RNA
At Emory and Georgia Tech, researchers have developed a potential treatment for atherosclerosis that targets a master controller of the process.

No Link Between Iron Levels and Atherosclerosis: UCLA Study
A new study conducted by researchers at UCLA has found no link between iron levels in the body and an increased risk of atherosclerosis.

TB Vaccine may be Useful in Preventing Multiple Sclerosis
A new study reveals that a vaccine used for treating tuberculosis is also effective in preventing multiple sclerosis.