Blood test for Down's syndrome 'gives better results'

Testing pregnant women's blood for disorders in unborn children promises dramatic advances in medicine, researchers have said.

A US team writing in the New England Journal of Medicine say Down's syndrome can be reliably tested for in the mother's blood.

Defying MOH Advice, 3,000 with Genetic Illnesses to Marry

Some 3,000 Saudis diagnosed with genetic diseases have rejected advice from the Health Ministry and decided to marry, a health official has said.

These Saudis were among 7,500 people declared incompatible last year because they had illnesses they could pass on to their children, said Mohammad Al-Suwaidi, director general of the ministry’s genetic diseases department.

Fat map: largest genetic blueprint of obesity revealed

Scientists have uncovered more than 90 new gene regions that could help explain why some people are more likely to put on weight than others.

The team scoured DNA libraries of more than 300,000 people, constructing the largest-ever genetic map of obesity.

Woman 'cured by lucky DNA mutation'

A woman with a rare disease has been spontaneously cured in an event so improbable doctors say it is the medical equivalent of a lottery win.

The woman in her 50s, who is not being named, was plagued by warts and infections as part of "WHIM syndrome" - caused by a defective immune system.

Appetite stimulator ghrelin may also influence sex drive

The appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin may also impact the intensity of sexual desire. This is the outcome of a Swedish study in mice that was presented in "Addiction Biology".

Since ghrelin is integrated into the brain's reward system and the sex drive is also linked to the reward system, researchers at the University of Gothenburg tested whether or not there is an association between the hormone and sexual desire.

Genetics of Malaria Drug Resistance Revealed

The genetics underpinning resistance to a frontline malaria drug, artemisinin, have been revealed, scientists say.

In South East Asia, malaria parasites have developed tolerance to the treatment, and there are fears that this will spread.

Scientists Produce Egg, Sperm From Stem Cells

British researchers say they've gotten embryonic stem cells to turn into precursors to reproductive cells

Researchers say they have used human embryonic stem cells to create cells that develop into eggs and sperm.

First stem-cell therapy approved for medical use in Europe

The NHS could start prescribing stem-cell therapies within the near future after the European Medicines Agency gave the go ahead for the first treatment

The first stem-cell therapy has been approved by European regulators in a major step forward for advanced medicine in Britain.

Scientists find why male smokers may run even higher health risks

Male smokers are three times more likely than non-smoking men to lose their Y chromosomes, according to research which may explain why men develop and die from many cancers at disproportionate rates compared to women.

Autism screening closer as 100 genes linked to disorder are identified

A 10 year study examining the DNA of thousands of children with autism has found 100 gene mutations which are responsible for the disorder

Screening for autism could be a step closer after more than 100 gene mutations which could cause the disorder were identified by scientists.