The world of doggy bacteria is a fascinating one. It is often said that a healthy vaginal microbiome is key to successful breeding and healthy puppies. This is because the bacteria living in a dog's vagina can affect their fertility. In the past, scientists mostly looked at these bacteria using old-school methods. These methods only showed a small part of the pic...
Medicare has rules for covering gene tests. These rules are called National Coverage Determinations. They were first put in place in 2018 and then changed in 2020. These rules are for a type of genetic testing known as next-generation sequencing. This testing looks at many genes at once. It can help find out if someone has a higher chance of getting cancer. It can al...
Medical students are getting a taste of the future of healthcare. They're diving into Precision Medicine (PM), a fancy term for using lots of data to make better treatment plans. This isn't just about memorizing facts; it's about understanding how genes, lifestyle, and environment all play a part in fighting diseases like cancer. Imagine a clinic where medical stude...
Circular RNAs, or circRNAs, are unique RNA molecules that form a closed loop. They are found in every eukaryotic organism and are created through a special type of splicing called backsplicing. This process connects the ends of a linear RNA strand, resulting in a backsplice junction (BSJ) that's different from the DNA code. For a long time, circRNAs went unnoticed b...
Superbugs, or germs that are resistant to most medicines, are becoming a major threat, especially in hospitals. These places often see infections caused by these tough germs. That's where next-generation sequencing (NGS) comes into play. It's like a superhero tool that lets scientists understand these germs better. A recent meeting of experts in Geneva focused on how...
Scientists are now using a new technique called next-generation sequencing to look at many genes in cancer cells at once. This helps them figure out which treatments could work best. The method was tested in multiple places to make sure it's reliable and accurate. It's like having a detailed roadmap of the cancer's weaknesses, making it easier to choose the right med...
Blood and lymphatic vessel problems, like venous malformations (VMs), can happen when cells involved in blood vessel growth go awry. These issues often stem from problems with the Angiopoietin/TIE2-PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, with a common mutation being TIE2 L914F. Treating these problems by targeting this pathway could be beneficial, but it's better to focus t...