MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'genes'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:51:56 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159439&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fo71YDxEQEUA%2F We just noticed that the Alliance for Aging Research offers an excellent list of references on Brain Health Research, organized in these 10 sections below. Enjoy! #1 Nourish Your Noggin: Eat a Brain Healthy Diet #2 Use It or Lose It: Stay Mentally Active #3 Work Out for Your Wits: Exercise and Keep Fit #4 Interact with Others: Stay Social #5 Rest for Restoration: Get Plenty of Sleep #6 Unwind for Your Mind: Manage Your Stress #7 Guard Your Gray Matter: Protect Your Head #8 Think Overall Health: Control Other Conditions #9 Give Your Brain a Break: Avoid Unhealthy Habits #10 Understand Your Risk: Consider Your Genes Related articles: The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains Debunking 10 Brain Myths (Source: SharpBrains) SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159439 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:52:32 +0100 5159439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096216&cid=t_101896_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FanQlu37J9YM%2F This year we created a literary competition "Unzip your Talent" where we invited readers to submit a limerick relating to Jeans for Genes day. I had no idea our readers would find this literary challenge so difficult...we will have to set the bar much lower next year! (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096216 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:32:54 +0100 5096216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086558&cid=t_101896_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FNoWxngWGoxw%2F In a closely watched case, a federal appeals court upheld the right of Myriad Genetics to patent two human genes that form the basis of a widely used genetic test for breast and ovarian cancers. The ruling reverses a lower court decision and gives Myraid the right to patent two so-called isolated human genes - BRCA1 and BRCA2 - that account for most inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancers. Many women with a familial history undergo genetic testing to determine if they have the mutations on their BRCA genes. The info helps decide on treatment or prevention, such as increased surveillance, preventive mastectomies or ovary removal. Women who test positive using Myriad’s gene test, which is called BRACAnalysis, have an 82 percent higher risk of breast cancer and a 44 percent higher... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086558 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:20:41 +0100 5086558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050596&cid=t_101896_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FPkUzTl3_7X4%2F Try your hand at the Jeans for Genes Double-helix tongue twister challenge. Use your literary skills to come up with a novel, witty, poignant or just plain ordinary limerick or tongue twister using theme of Jeans and Genes and be a WINNER (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050596 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:47:25 +0100 5050596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5027419&cid=t_101896_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FiaIZOsGCV0Y%2F Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Margaret McFall-Ngai, and Elio Schaecter On episode #11 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Margaret, Michael and Elio review the presence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase genes in chicken meat and in humans, and a beneficial effect of Helicobacter pylori colonization on the development of allergen-induced asthma. Click the arrow above to play, or right click to download TWiM #11 (47 MB, .mp3, 68 minutes). Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app. Links for this episode: Beta-lactamase genes in Enterobacteriaceae of humans and chickens (EID) Is drug resistance in humans coming from chickens? (Wired) Pew Commission on industrial... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5027419 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:40:00 +0100 5027419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934338&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Fbipolar-disorder-tips-for-reducing-relapse%2F For many mental illnesses relapse is part and parcel. Bipolar disorder is one of these. What’s especially unnerving for people is that relapse can seem random, as though you go to bed feeling one way and wake up another, feeling hints of mania or depression. Why relapse occurs is largely unknown. But we do know certain facts based on research findings, according to Joseph R. Calabrese, M.D., director of the Mood Disorders Program at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in this excellent article in bp Magazine on relapse: “Those who are diagnosed with bipolar II are more likely to relapse than those with bipolar I. Their episodes of depression, mania or hypomania are often shorter than the episodes experienced by those with bipolar I but tend to return more of... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934338 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:34:54 +0100 4934338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794515&cid=t_101896_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FLIHiM_lCaHk%2F Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Cliff Mintz, Michael Schmidt, and Elio Schaecter On episode #6 of the podcast This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Cliff, Michael and Elio review the use of bacteriophages to manage infections, and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteriophages from urban sewage and river water. Click the arrow above to play, or right click to download TWiM #6 (57 MB .mp3, 82 minutes). Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes,  Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app. Links for this episode: Potential bacteriophage applications (Microbe) Revived interest in bacteriophages (Current Biology) Pulmonary bacteriophage therapy for Pseudomonas infections (PLoS One) Bacteriophage therapy for chronic otitis (Clin Otola... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794515 Fri, 06 May 2011 15:08:52 +0100 4794515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4771073&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=38577&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbiosingularity.com%2F2011%2F04%2F22%2Fmicrorna-mediates-gene-diet-interaction-related-to-obesity%2F Eating more n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly known as omega-3 fatty acids, may help carriers of a genetic variant on the perilipin 4 (PLIN4) gene locus lose weight more efficiently. Led by Jose M. Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA, researchers genotyped seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), also [...] (Source: Biosingularity) Biosingularity blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4771073 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:52:35 +0100 4771073 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723754&cid=t_101896_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fsunday-news-round-up-not-intended-to-be-a-factual-statement-edition%2F Actually, the round-up is not a joke – but I have been cracking up at Stephen Colbert’s response (and the resulting tweets) to Republican John Kyl’s way, way off statement on the Senate floor that >90% of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion (it’s more like 3%), and his spokesperson’s response, when Kyl was called on the error, that it “was not intended to be a factual statement.” [more via Know Your Meme] At Our Bodies Our Blog, some discussion of “opiate babies” as the new “crack babies,” with all of the problematic media coverage and decentering of women’s stories and experiences that implies. Also, OBOS is looking for individuals who might want to be on the cover of the 40th anniversary edition of the book,... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723754 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:12:13 +0100 4723754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592393&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcavernous-angiomas-screening-of-a-family-over-three-generations%2F2011.03.15 Cavernous angiomas belong to a group of intracranial vascular malformations that are developmental malformations of the vascular bed. These congenital abnormal vascular connections frequently enlarge over time. The lesions can occur on a familial basis. Patients may be asymptomatic, although they often present with headaches, seizures, or small parenchymal hemorrhages. In most patients, cavernous angiomas are solitary and asymptomatic. In recent times, increasing MRI has detected several such asymptomatic cases and has prompted a study into the genetics and natural history of this condition. It is now known that cavernous angiomas have a genetic basis. Familial forms of cavernous angiomas are associated with a set of genes called CCM genes (cerebral cavernous angioma). This is a case repor... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592393 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:00:02 +0100 4592393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592623&cid=t_101896_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2FB3U_aR7LtY8%2Fdiabetes-genetics-how-is-diabetes-inherited.php An estimated 2.5 to 3 million Americans have type 1 diabetes. My father was one of them. Diagnosed around age 10, he spent most of his life injecting insulin into his arms, stomach and legs. Eventually, his eye sight and heart could no longer function properly, and he passed away when I was in high school.Around this time, I was introduced to the subject of genetics. I thought back to all those check-ups at the Joslin clinic (now Joslin Diabetes Center) and realized that genetics was the reason everyone watched me and my sister so closely. Genetics was the reason my family was so scared when I starting gaining too much weight in middle school and freaked out every time my foot fell asleep or I was thirsty. Genetics.The loss of my father and timely introduction to genetics drove my decision... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592623 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:05:07 +0100 4592623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554710&cid=t_101896_129_f&fid=27216&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifewithadhd.com%2Fadhd-research%2Fadhd-linked-to-the-genes.php A new study has found direct evidence linking Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to genetic makeup. The study was conducted by a team of British scientists who scanned gene maps of over 1,400 children. The researchers discovered the children with ADHD were more likely to have small pieces of their DNA missing or duplicated, according to a Sept. 30 Reuters article. The scientists came to this conclusion after comparing the abnormal samples to the DNA of 1,047 children in the study without ADHD. The DNA irregularities among ADHD children were most prevalent in the same region where schizophrenia and autism is believed to develop, solidifying the belief ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. ‘Too often, people dismiss ADHD as being (due) to bad parenting or poor diet,&#821... Life With ADHD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554710 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4554710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304880&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftwo-docs-whove-passed-they-mightve-been-social-media-giants%2F2011.01.02 This year I learned about the death of two physicians that were pretty important to me. The first was my pathology teacher, Dr. Guido Majno. In addition to being a tremendously kind and curious person, he and his wife wrote the best textbook I’ve ever read. The second death was that of my pediatrician growing up, Dr. Thomas Peebles. Funny, although he followed me from birth to high school, my family never knew about his incredible research background. We learned it in the many obituaries. It’s worth reflecting on their accomplishments and the manner in which they conducted their lives and practice — especially in this era, when doctors are encouraged to develop their social media presence and be proactive about online reviews. Would they have used these new tools? Would ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304880 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4304880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159284&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F12%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-november-12-2010%2F There’s something so soothing about a pet. (You pet owners know what I mean.) Maybe it’s their soft, furry coat or their comfort with being themselves that can be so settling. But I think it’s the feeling that no matter who you are, how much money you have or what you look like, they’ll love you unconditionally. It’s something I felt with my first dog who passed away earlier this year. And how I feel about my current love, a 5 year old mini lop rabbit. The world can be as chaotic as it can be. I could have papers piling up on my desk and emails crowding my inbox. But when I see him cleaning his floppy ears, those things don’t seem to matter. For a moment, I’m at peace. Why am I bringing up my furry friends? Aside from the fact that I adore talking ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159284 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:16:42 +0100 4159284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125281&cid=t_101896_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FDM-zpZVqQwk%2F In a surprising move, the US Justice Department late last week filed a brief indicating the federal government does not support issuing patents on human genes by arguing these are part of nature. The friend-of-the-court filing was made in a closely watched lawsuit over patents held by Myriad Genetics on two genes - BRCA1 and BRCA2 - that are linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation sued Myriad, the University of Utah Research Foundation and the US Patent & Trademark Office. They charged that Myriad’s refusal to license its patents broadly meant that women who fear they may be at risk of breast or ovarian cancers are prevented from having anyone but Myriad look at the genes in question. Ea... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125281 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:59:35 +0100 4125281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119048&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fcystic-fibrosis-and-gene-therapy-news.html BBC - Cystic Fibrosis Gene Cure CloserBBC - Parents Back Child Gene Therapy Trials (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119048 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:27:00 +0100 4119048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4055892&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F41lcxg-4-O4%2F TweetI’ve been meaning to write about all the good writing at Genomes Unzipped for a long long time, but never got around to it. Probably a good thing, cause today the project announced that all the bloggers on the site are literally unzipping their genomes. All the members have had themselves genotyped by 23andme and have had additional genetic tests done. They are making all the raw data and associated reports available to the public. You can get the 23andme data right away from an Amazon S3 bucket, and have even made a custom genome browser with the data available. Finally, for the pièce de résistance they have a nice RESTful API, e.g. and all the code will go up into a github repo (I wonder if this was the reason for some of the questions Jan and Luke had been asking me a whil... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4055892 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 10:30:03 +0100 4055892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3913121&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-song-about-ending-up-in-the-emergency-department%2F2010.08.28 Somebody at Apple likes Goldfrapp. They’ve used her latest album for this tutorial and the sublime Seventh Tree was pictured on the first Apple descriptions of the Remote app. It’s nice when a monolithic institution shows a little personality. Of course, my interest in Goldfrapp is mostly professional: Who else has sung as well about ending up in an emergency department? *This blog post was originally published at Blogborygmi* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3913121 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:00:00 +0100 3913121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802551&cid=t_101896_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F29%2Fresearchers-identify-missing-link-underlying-dna-repair-platinum-drug-resistance%2F Researchers have discovered an enzyme crucial to a type of DNA repair that also causes resistance to a class of cancer drugs most commonly used against ovarian cancer. Scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Life Sciences Institute of Zhejiang University in China report the discovery of the enzyme and [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802551 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:45:58 +0100 3802551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718398&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-highlights-from-the-new-media-academic-summit%2F2010.07.01 I recently spoke at the panel on transparency at Edelman’s New Media Academic Summit. Ben Boyd was the moderator and Ellen Miller from the Sunlight Foundation was my fellow panelist. Reviewing some of the #nmas10 tweets from the audience, I figured I should provide some links for the anecdotes I mentioned: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CEO Paul Levy’s blog is still the starting point when talking about transparency in medicine today. I had the chance to speak with him a few years ago. Ed Bennett has done an extraordinary job following hospital social media adoption and highlights effective new media policies as well. Hospitals are using twitter and billboards to broadcast emergency department waiting room times. This is not without risk, as billboards may not clarif... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718398 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3718398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687300&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FSzJ8NYXeI7E%2F Image via Wikipedia Data has been in the news again lately. It’s a data-centric world, and it seems we can’t quite enough. Whether it’s the Cornucopia of Corpora at The Infochimps or all the patent data that Google just unleashed, or the Guardian Open Platform or the 1000 genomes project (on Amazon S3). It’s pretty clear that data is sexy, and to some degree overhyped (it’s not quite as simple as Data –> WIN!!!), but I, and others, clearly believe that data is important, and more, easier access to data can only be a good thing. Data is a constant theme on bbgm, but there’s something I am beginning to realize more clearly. It’s not about the specific implementations or technology choices we make. Those are important, but data science is ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687300 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:12:44 +0100 3687300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648720&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FazZ8Ple_Ew4%2F Iddo Friedberg writes about a computational bridge to experiments … we need a good collaboration between those who do the computational work, and those who do the experimental work in identifying which are the most important books to look at, and what words in them we need to decipher first. The books that Iddo talks about are genomes and the words are genes. He is quite right. We might be living in a data-intensive world, and some might even argue for less data production, but I love the idea of targeted work and collaborations between computational and wet lab folks (I consider computation a form of experiment too). Most of my graduate work was a collaboration between me (computation), a molecular biologist and a biophysicist. One person developed the models (computation), then som... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648720 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:23:52 +0100 3648720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641325&cid=t_101896_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fjh8svxjHFBA%2F Nice to see you again. Another shiny day here on the Pharmalot corporate campus. As usual, we are hustling the short people off to the schoolhouse. And yes, to cope we are downing the mandatory cup of stimulation. How will you cope today? Perhaps getting started with the news of the world. Here, in fact, are a few items. Have a great day, everyone… Genzyme Nominates Former Amgen Exec To Its Board (Reuters) Glaxo May Slash Hundreds Of Jobs In Ireland (The Irish Examiner) Merck KGgA Reapplies With FDA For MS Pill (Reuters) Australia To Review Breast Cancer Gene Patent (The Age) Otsuka Pharma To Buy 1,300 iPads For Sales Reps (Bloomberg News) Cheap Gout Drug Can Help With Angina Pain (Reuters) MS Pill Risk-Sharing Plan Is A Costly Failure To NHS (PharmaTimes) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641325 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:50:44 +0100 3641325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742326&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=35077&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurophilosophy.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F07%2Fthe_neuroimmunological_basis_of_hair_pulling%2F New research shows that trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) occurs as a result of defects in the brain's immune system, and can be alleviated by bone marrow transplants. (Source: Neurophilosophy) Neurophilosophy blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742326 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:55:41 +0100 3742326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3625704&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2Fm4GpWq_1Q8M%2F Great post by Eric Drexler on science and engineering. Key quotes Scientific inquiry aims to find the single true cause for an observed effect. The more possible causes for an observed effect, the less scientific knowledge. and Engineering design aims to find a way to cause a desired effect, and a possible cause means a possible implementation. A more possible causes for an intended effect, the more engineering knowledge. and the kicker Confusing science with engineering is a grave conceptual error. It is also extraordinarily common. I see this much too often, not necessarily among the life science crowd (I don’t think most of us identify what we do as engineering), but definitely among some other fields, but also points to a key difference in mindset. If you getting things to work, ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3625704 Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:09:48 +0100 3625704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595815&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F1qV5akSyZ9U%2F Sequencing vendors sell more instruments to individual labs than to big centers (or at least that’s what the word on the street is). I’ve always found that a little inefficient in the era of next-gen sequencing. Most labs will never be able to use instruments efficiently enough (the costs could drop to a level where that becomes a moot point, but that’s not the case right now). That’s why I like the idea of genome sequencing services. Dan Koboldt lists his reasons for the interest in services, but for me efficiency is the primary reason. I am also a fan of genomes being produced by high-throughput facilities and individual labs using that as a jump off point for biological discovery, mixing publicly available data (and there is a lot of that these days) with their s... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595815 Tue, 25 May 2010 14:30:35 +0100 3595815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3564134&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FcDRwrV9yldU%2F I wonder if life science search engines study user patterns. Daniel Tunkelang has a great summary of Peter Morville’s talk at the Enterprise Search Summit. One of the core messages of the talk was that should we take the behavior patterns of information seekers and use them to inform design patterns for search user interfaces. One of the other ones was on faceted search. I actually think our search behavior is still evolving. When we go to a site like Pubmed, we search for an author, but where do we go from there? What kinds of facets are available? This gets even more interesting with richer interfaces like NextBio (which I still maintain is highly underrated). Both PubMed and NextBio could write papers on how people interact with search and search results. Here are some guesses on ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3564134 Fri, 14 May 2010 03:55:00 +0100 3564134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549307&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-decision-tree-for-personalized-medicine%2F2010.05.10 What’s amazing is that despite the vocal movement to empower patients, no one has put together a well-referenced, readable book to help patients understand how they should use personalized medicine to influence their health — until now. Enter The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine (Rodale 2010), something of a blueprint of patient liberation written by Thomas Goetz, executive editor of Wired magazine. It offers constructive narrative not only about the importance of the decisions we make but how to apply the concept of an old-fashioned decision tree in making those decisions. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549307 Mon, 10 May 2010 14:00:09 +0100 3549307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3545439&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhich-diet-fits-your-genes%2F2010.05.08 Why do some diets work better than others? Why can your best friend lose 10 pounds with a low-carb diet and your weight just hovers? Why can some people eat just about everything and still stay skinny? It’s all in the genes.  Mindy Dopler Nelson, Ph.D., of Stanford University reported the results of her study at the American Heart Associate Conference. She found that a single nuceotide polymorphism caused women to loose five times as much weight on the Atkins diet compared with women who didn’t have the gene. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3545439 Sat, 08 May 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3545439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538090&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-you-own-your-genome%2F2010.05.06 As the costs of sequencing our DNA shrink and the roles of digital media in our lives expand, we will need to understand who (or what) controls the ownership, access and use of our genomic information. From state regulation to Google to Facebook, who controls the acquisition, transmission and replication of our genomic information and material will become an important battle in the 21st century. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Phil Baumann* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538090 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:00:11 +0100 3538090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3505071&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F-qLG_UxCPrY%2F I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something is amiss. On the other hand, something tells me that we are closer to an idea of a world with tools and components that can be assembled together by smart people in various ways. You could use something like GenePattern or Galaxy as a framework to embed these tools, or use Pipeline Pilot or Taverna. To build good science data platforms, we need to leverage abstractions. What is key is making sure that every layer of abstraction can successfully read and write from the one below and with other entities in the same layer. You have the algorithm developers, the platforms, the APIs and eventually the applications and analysis tools. You need a rich ecosystem of algorithm developers, data scientists (aka bioinformaticians) and software deve... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3505071 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:52 +0100 3505071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3502928&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FjqaFjwIK1Z0%2F At the Sage Congress, one of my favorite talks was one that Atul Butte gave on using publicly-available data. I have long thought that actually performing microarray gene expression experiments would go away, since there will be sufficient compendia and public data available that can be used for doing all kinds of useful science. Atul’s talk drove that point home with some authority. His premise was that there is a lot of public data out there and while it may not always be perfect, smart people can use this data to do a lot of interest things, such as identifying data-driven candidate genes. In other words, use the data to find candidates and then drill down into the science. His other example was work by Joel Dudley (who happens to be sitting next to me as I type this), creating a ... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3502928 Sat, 24 Apr 2010 19:19:39 +0100 3502928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3456849&cid=t_101896_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fno-one-owns-the-breast-cancer-gene-anymore%2F About 10 years ago, a cousin of mine introduced me to the Human Genome Project. He was very excited about the science and process of identifying all the human genes and their sequences. The potential for scientific and medical breakthroughs was staggering. As I got interested in the research and began to follow the project, I was appalled by the business interests involved. Specific business groups began the process of patenting some of the genetic components and findings. It would be like you owning your home and property only to find that someone else owned and had the rights to all the earth on your lot. Although companies argued that by being able to profit from their findings they could continue research and development, it is pretty obvious that individuals and stock holders would b... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3456849 Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:23:55 +0100 3456849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420754&cid=t_101896_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FaaOWXNbIdu0%2F A federal judge struck down patents held by Myriad Genetics on two genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, essentially challenging the idea that anyone can hold patents on human genes. The opinion (see here) is almost certain to be appealed, but may still have significant implications for the biopharma industry. “This marks the first time a court has found patents on genes unlawful and calls into question the validity of patents now held on approximately 2,000 human genes,” according to the Public Patent Foundation, one of several parties that filed the lawsuit. In explaining his ruling, US District Judge Robert Sweet said he invalidated the patents because DNA’s existence in an isolated form doesn’t alter the fundamental quality of DNA as it... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420754 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:13:48 +0100 3420754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3387000&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FbkcTTVT2m5U%2F Image via Wikipedia In my day job, I get to see a lot of innovative geo-related software and services, and the O’Reilly Radar does a great job of tracking innovations in this space. SimpleGeo, WeoGeo, ESRI, Loki, Cloudmade, Quantum GIS, GeoCommons, etc are just some examples of companies/organizations/open source projects doing very interesting things around geospatial data of all kinds. There are a number of good open source efforts around geo-data and visualization, and I am almost certain I am missing a ton. These toolkits allow people to do interesting things. So where am I going with this? Somehow there seems to be a lack of similar interesting things with scientific data. Admittedly that is a gross generalization, but outside of things like Rich Apodaca’s many project... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3387000 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 06:50:25 +0100 3387000 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366374&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FkyQmogUNWwo%2F I haven’t written about Personal Genomics in a long time. Quite honestly with all the time spent tracking the technology side of things, the consumer facing bit has been deprioritized. Of course, when you have folks like Daniel MacArthur around, you don’t really need to do that much. In a great, acerbic, post, Daniel throws down the hammer on an Op-Ed piece on personal genomics. It astonishes me that we live in a world where a top line publication can write something like this. If someone opposes personal genomics with rational, well grounded arguments it’s one thing. When someone bases an op-ed on personal opinion, a lack of understanding, and uses inaccurate statements, they deserve to be called out. (Source: business|bytes|genes|molecules) business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366374 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:34:38 +0100 3366374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363772&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F2zc50UROtzQ%2F Dan Koboldt has a great post on the state of sequencing in 2010 (can we drop “next-gen” now?), and beyond I guess. It’s certainly getting crowded out there, and it did look like that the major players were essentially fighting for the same space and share of the market, but based on what Dan says, that seems to be changing. I should add that I am not in the trenches, and my interests lie on the data management, analysis and infrastructure side of things, so can’t comment on individual technologies per se. It’s interesting to see how various players seem to be positioning themselves, although where folks end up and who survives will depend on all kinds of factors. The scientific market is fickle and quite honestly, the factors that define success are not alway... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363772 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:19:29 +0100 3363772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248663&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FTvnl_7QU6hU%2F I’ve written about the distributed self and science data platforms. A lot of the former was around the notion of pubsub, and pushing data to various places. Now imagine a scenario where you are using data from a variety of scientific repositories and you’ve built applications that use APIs to collect data. What if your data sources would update you everytime there was a change, so that your systems could automatically fetch any updates and rebuild anything that needed to be rebuilt, do any pre-computing that needed to be done. The model that Anil Dash talked about in his classic Push-Button Web post is relevant here as well. We have the tools to do this today. Real time, asynchronous messaging is part of distributed computing, and the variety of data repositories out there sho... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248663 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:05:03 +0100 3248663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3167196&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F13%2Fwriting-beyond-blue-keeping-my-end-of-the-bargain%2F Last week saw the publication date for my book, Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes, which means it is now in bookstores (theoretically anyway). So I wanted to reflect on why I wrote it … I’m a tad over hearing about how depression and other mood disorders are yuppie diseases for folks with the time and resources to ruminate and obsess. I could do without all the advice on how to transform my thoughts into happy campers, even as I try every mindfulness strategy and cognitive-behavioral trick in the book. And I’d like to, one day, be able to tell family and friends the truth when they ask the predicable question, “How are you?” We need to understand something important. Depression kills. It killed my godmother &#8212... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3167196 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:22:39 +0100 3167196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3159921&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FLp4UEEDekfA%2F Many complementary solutions are available for the identifier mapping problem. This creates an opportunity for bioinformatics tool developers. Tools can be made to flexibly support multiple mapping services or mapping services could be combined to get broader coverage. This approach requires an interface layer between tools and mapping services. This is the background behind a paper on BridgeDB by Iersel, et al. BridgeDB is an ID mapping framework that provides a standardized interface which can be used to connect bioinformatics tools to different identifier mapping services. Without pushing it myself, I can only comment on intent, and this is exactly the kind of idea that some of us have been encouraging bioinformatics types to develop and use. One of the most important aspects of buildi... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3159921 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:19:09 +0100 3159921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157623&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FYk77IaRONdw%2F In a recent editorial (sub might be required) talking about next-gen sequencing and cloud computing, Nature Biotech makes an all to familiar error. It remains unclear, however, whether the cost of routinely renting time on the cloud would be cost effective in the long term, particularly if a user intends to analyze billions of base pairs of genome sequence on a regular basis. What’s more, if the wide uptake of sequence analysis on clouds depends on the availability of user-friendly, debugged software, bioinformaticians might not be willing to spend the time to familiarize themselves with hadoop, the open source program needed to process large data sets on a cloud—especially when their jobs focus on developing algorithms for their own local computer clusters. The context for that... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157623 Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:09:35 +0100 3157623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149113&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F07%2Fintroducing-therese-borchards-new-book-beyond-blue%2F Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past year, you probably noticed that one of our regular contributors here has been Therese Borchard. However, she blogs more often and more regularly on her beliefnet.com blog, Beyond Blue. It was actually her wonderfully witty and touching writing there that led me to invite her to blog more regularly here. Therese is a rare find, combining a love of prose with a wealth of personal experiences with depression and other concerns to make for always engaging reading. So it’s no wonder she was able to bundle up that wisdom and publish her first book, Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes. If you’ve enjoyed Therese’s posts either here or on her regular blog at beliefnet.com, then yo... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149113 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:08:24 +0100 3149113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153651&cid=t_101896_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FE1RH8NejFNs%2F Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol. (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153651 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:12:26 +0100 3153651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3137615&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2Fxn-oIgxas00%2F APIs; an area that we life science folks are not very good at. I once heard Mark Shuttleworth talk about building stuff that people can use to build more stuff (paraphrasing heavily). In other words we need to think about application and data platforms and for modern bioinformatics that is pretty much what we should strive to be doing. If one looks at the type of programming that needs to be done in the life sciences, you have applications that solve specific problems; alignments, assembly, etc, and ideally these should be applications that can be brought together without the developer having to worry about data formats, or at least handle those with minimal fuss. There are those who specialize in information retrieval, digging deep into data, slicing and dicing data sets. In a perfect wor... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3137615 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:32:11 +0100 3137615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126747&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FK2eBlK77BAc%2F Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat have an updated MapReduce paper (doi) in the Communications of the ACM. The paper is a pretty strong rebuttal to some claims by Mike Stonebraker and others on the value of the MapReduce model. I am going to let you read the paper (as well as the original papers). What I wanted to talk about were some of the key aspects of the MapReduce model and how this way of thinking is relevant to the life sciences. The first point that Dean and Ghemawat talk about is heterogenous systems. The way I see it, the entire field of bioinformatics is full of heterogenous systems. Even data we generate in internal systems needs to be combined with data from other systems. In fact, I am pretty sure that as we improve delivery models and APIs for life science data resources, we wil... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126747 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:15:08 +0100 3126747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3119012&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FP6_I6JdxNo4%2F I am hardly a practitioner anymore, so take the following with that caveat firmly in your mind. I first heard about the Burrows-Wheeler transform from slides presented by Mike Schatz. That particular method underlies BWA, which from the looks of it is one top notch aligner. What I found interesting about BWA was not the quality or breadth of alignment capabilities, but that it did one thing well. The other day I wrote about loosely coupled tools. It’s not always ideal to have a tool that does one thing well, but in many cases it makes a lot of sense. In this particular case, being able to combing BWA with an existing set of tools (SAMTools) does not take away any power, but makes the core functionality more effective, or so it seems. I wonder how the world of APIs and loosely coupled... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3119012 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:12:12 +0100 3119012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3119028&cid=t_101896_136_f&fid=36070&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnetwork.nature.com%2Fpeople%2Fbasanta%2Fblog%2F2009%2F12%2F21%2Fis-the-dna-in-our-cells-always-the-same This challenges one of my fundamental assumptions in biology: that of all somatic cells sharing the same genome. In an article entitled BAK1 Gene Variation and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms the authors show that the BAK1 gene, associated with apoptosis, exists in multiple variants in our bodies. Specifically the authors found differences between the gene found in the blood cells and other tissues. The authors also hypothesise that multiple variants of genes may exist within nondiseased tissues. Until now the assumption was that only tumour cells had a different DNA than the other eukaryotic cells in our organism. These results represent a challenge for a multitude of genetic studies based on the assumption that the genetics of blood cells (which are comparatively easy to obtain for those stu... Cancerevo: Evolution and cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3119028 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:46:05 +0100 3119028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048323&cid=t_101896_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FhkxDd2r-wBE%2Fgenes-exercise-memory-and.html This study might also help explain why my mother has declined more slowly than might have been anticipated. I write often about how exercise and socialization transforms my mother into a completely different person. It clearly effects her cognitive function in a very positive way -- a phenomena that is instantaneous in her case. Subscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading Room--via Email Purpose The primary purpose of this pilot study is to determine whether African Americans (AA) with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be enrolled and retained in a 6-month aerobic exercise-training study. Detailed Description Although anticholinesterase therapies have greatly improved symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, they have not been demonstrated to significantly slow disease progression. Ex... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048323 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:28:52 +0100 3048323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044942&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FGc26tCGnckQ%2F But as things stand, change is the only constant. Bioinformatics is very much in flux, as the life sciences are quickly becoming a data science. In the future, small research projects will not only rely on high-throughput sequencing, but on bringing multiple systems-wide data sets to bear. Researchers will not be able to hire or train a developer as an afterthought. IT infrastructure is an absolute necessity at the inception of the project. The question is, where does it make most sense to manage IT resources, locally or remotely? The answer to that question will depend on an institution’s existing infrastructure. Large IT departments with a mature data center might be able to handle the capacity. But for small groups it make more sense to outsource the IT infrastructure to a growing, sc... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044942 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:29:16 +0100 3044942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954796&cid=t_101896_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Ffny5naJ4Guc%2F A federal district court ruled today that patients and scientists can challenge patents on human genes in court. And the move allows a lawsuit challenging patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer to move forward, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), which filed the suit. In a statement, the groups say the filed their suit because the patents are “illegal and restrict both scientific research and patients’ access to medical care.” They also charge that patents on human genes violate the First Amendment and patent law because genes are “products of nature.” “We hope this challenge is the beginning of the end to patents on genes, which limit scientific research, lea... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954796 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:21:19 +0100 2954796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2948434&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2FZo9T9TK0Nc4%2F Chris Anderson once infamously wrote The data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete, an opinion that I do not share. Eric Drexler on the other hand comes at this new age of data driven science with the right mindset. In a post on data explosion and the scientific method, Eric writes Tradition demands that science always be hypothesis-driven: First, try to guess the truth, and only afterward collect experimental data to test whether the guess predicts the results. Indeed, this has been termed “The Scientific Method”. The new data-driven approach suggests that we collect data first, then see what it tells us. This becomes practical when experimental methods can amass enormous amounts of data, enough data to test more hypotheses than any mortal scientist could conceivably imagine. T... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2948434 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:50:35 +0100 2948434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2902827&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=38950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shockmd.com%2F2009%2F10%2F18%2Fthe-origin-of-genes%2F The human genome contains some 25,000 genes. Where did they come from? How are new genes formed? Before continuing with the Origins Series and The Origin of Cognition, I wanted to take a step back… Related posts:How to create and manage a quality medical blog? Don’t worry just read the Medical Web 2.0 Guidance... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD) Dr Shock MD PhD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2902827 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:13:57 +0100 2902827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898903&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7987 Interesting video (via Digg) from the Malaysian Medical Resources Video: The Origin of Genes (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898903 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2898903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876252&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FrjGAhr4M6Hk%2F Over 90% of deaths from breast cancer are caused by metastasis, when the cancer has returned and spread to other parts of the body, including the chest wall, lymph nodes, bones, lungs, liver or brain. But Breastcancer.org says that metastatic breast cancer is more treatable compared to a cancer that starts in the bones or liver so that’s good news. Well, researchers from The Wistar Institute has uncovered another good news – they identified the gene that can suppress the spread of tumor cells in the body! The gene, KLF17, is called a “metastasis-suppressor gene” which prevents the spread of cancer cells from the breast to the lungs (as in the study) when it is turned on, and promotes metastasis when it is knocked down, damaged or absent. The protein from KLF17 attaches itself t... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876252 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:10:35 +0100 2876252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871924&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F9MLSjyfo_A4%2F It all started when I read about the mystery of the “Unknown Child” who drowned in the Titanic. In 1912, a small child, wearing a petticoat, frock, socks and leather shoes, was found among the wreckage of the Titanic and buried in Nova Scotia. The boy became known as The Unknown Child, and a symbol for all 53 children who died. Nothing was left in the grave of the child except three little teeth, and clues that lead to two possible identities: 13-month old Eino Panula of Finland, and 19-month old Sidney Goodwin of England. So the U.S. U.S. Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab turned to someone who was great at finding people – DNA Detective Colleen Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is a nuclear physicist who gave up her day job to become a forensic genealogist, one finds people – dead or a... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871924 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:57:41 +0100 2871924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2851969&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FPiFMx9Tdeck%2F Countries all over the world are taking serious steps to stop the swine flu pandemic. China began its mass vaccination last week. And by October 5, the United States will distribute the first wave of swine flu vaccines, good for 6 million to million people. But the swiftness of government health agencies and the World Health Organization to address this issue is evidence about how rapid the H1N1 influenza virus has spread. It bears repeating that we need to take precautions in protecting ourselves and our families against the H1N1. What symptoms do you look for in swine flu? The symptoms of swine flu are similar to regular season flu, so report to your doctor if you have any symptoms. You will not know just from the symptoms what kind of flu you have. I know it can seem very confusing wit... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851969 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:54:05 +0100 2851969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842704&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FPiFMx9Tdeck%2F Countries all over the world are taking serious steps to stop the swine flu pandemic. China began its mass vaccination last week. And by October 5, the United States will distribute the first wave of swine flu vaccines, good for 6 million to million people. But the swiftness of government health agencies and the World Health Organization to address this issue is evidence about how rapid the H1N1 influenza virus has spread. It bears repeating that we need to take precautions in protecting ourselves and our families against the H1N1. What symptoms do you look for in swine flu? The symptoms of swine flu are similar to regular season flu, so report to your doctor if you have any symptoms. You will not know just from the symptoms what kind of flu you have. I know it can seem very confusing w... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842704 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:54:05 +0100 2842704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842707&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fla_qzM5FL_A%2F Two middle-age women, Sue and Sheila,  are born as identical twins, but one of them is aging faster by 10 years. Two identical twin brothers are so alike their hair went grey at the same time, but one of them cannot tolerate pain as much as the other. And there is a six-year old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia but her sister is completely healthy. Identical twins are monozygotic – they come from the same single egg that split early in development, and therefore share the same exact DNA, so we expect them to look alike, have the same personality and experience life the same way. But scientists say that each individual is still very much unique from the other. Why? It’s a process called epigenetic  – when non-genetic factors cause the gene to behave or be expresse... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842707 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:59:24 +0100 2842707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834387&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fi_yQInvwMsY%2F This latest FDA approval would bring relief to more than 7.5 million Americans who suffer from a chronic skin disorder called PSORIASIS, which look like red, thick, scaly patches on the skin. Psoriatic patches, which are usually itchy and painful, are inflamed areas where excessive layers of cells had built up on the skin. And now, after extensive and extended testing, the FDA has approved ustekinumab (Stelara) for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. (See amazing before-and-after photos!) Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease, which means a faulty immune system mistakenly attacks the skin and joints, treating the body like an invader and releasing chemicals that otherwise fight infections and foreign substances. As bad as it already looks, psoriasis affects more than the skin. The dis... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834387 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:56:00 +0100 2834387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820551&cid=t_101896_136_f&fid=35294&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.psa-rising.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2Fresearchers-link-multiple-new-snps-with-risk-of-prostate-cancer%2F Scientists have identified seven new genetic variants that appear to be linked with increase risk of prostate cancer. Among these are four new “single-letter” genetic variants on one particular chromosome, called 8q24. This chromosomal region has previously been associated with breast, colon, and bladder cancer. The discoveries identifying the four new genetic [...] (Source: psa-rising.com/blog) psa-rising.com/blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820551 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:33:15 +0100 2820551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796676&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fv7uoq2gT82E%2F First it was “Dirty Dancing” then it was “Ghost”, and Patrick Swayze danced his way into every girl’s heart (including mine) who wished to find the same sensible and sensual man that Swayze portrayed in his films. So it’s with such a loss that tonight, Swayze’s publicist announced that the actor had died. After battling a deadly form of pancreatic cancer for almost two years, Patrick Swayze died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, and my condolence goes out to his family. Actor Patrick Swayze, 57, dies of pancreatic cancer. Image: Bauer-Griffin When the news first broke in March 2008 that Swayze has cancer, he was given a prognosis of anywhere from two to five years, and he even told ABC’s Barbara Walters, “I want to last until they find a cure, which means I’d bett... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796676 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:02:06 +0100 2796676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786214&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F2V6bqFDotXo%2F I know this sounds like hype, but forget Slim-Fast, Alli and all the other weight-loss strategies you’ve tried before. Just remember one name from now on – FATOSTATIN. I can almost see how a novel discovery can lead into the first weight-loss drug that not only makes you lose weight, but actually stops your body from making fat! Scientists have recently discovered that fatostatin can block the activity of a transcription factor known as SREBP, which regulates what genes are expressed in the pathways to making fat. Blocking SREBP means that there is no synthesis of fat and cholesterol genes at all. Fatostatin was found to lower the activity of 63 genes, including 34 directly associated with fatty acid or cholesterol synthesis. In other words, fatostatin can block the machines in our b... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786214 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:30:00 +0100 2786214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774896&cid=t_101896_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FVycZnty8bG8%2Fvia-alzheimersread-908.html Here are a few stories that I thought might be of interest to you. The links to these articles appeared on my Twitter feed @ALZHEIMERSread or on my Google shared feed. The Desperate Search for the Wandering Alzheimer's Man--Judge Lombard Go here to watch the video. Cancer drug may help Alzheimer's patients U.S. researchers suggest a cancer drug may help restore memory deficits in Alzheimer's patients. The Columbia University Medical Center study, published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, finds a cancer drug from a family of compounds -- HDAC inhibitors -- improved memory performance. To continue reading go here. Scientists Discover 3 More Genes With Links to Alzheimer's Disease Two European research teams have identified three genes that affect a person's risk of developing Alzhe... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774896 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:24:58 +0100 2774896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2766213&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F2BEtNQ7gafI%2F Through the wonders of genetics, we might have a wonder drug that let us eat anything we want -without ever gaining a single pound! We can eat fatty and sugary food and we won’t even need to exercise to lose all those calories.   I’m not sure that’s such a good idea but that drug may exist in the near future, with the recent discovery of the so-called “obeso-genes”. The key lies in a gene called IKKE that acts as a master switch that control obesity, by producing a protein kinase that turns other proteins on or off. When a body is fed a high fat diet, the IKKE kinase slows down metabolism and burns less calories, and weight increases. When the gene IKKE (and thus the kinases) are deleted, metabolism speeds up and the body burns more calories. Knock-off mice that didn’t c... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2766213 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:16:24 +0100 2766213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2725170&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FmAHdOFzlaMI%2F Antibiotics are normally used to treat the wide variety of bacterial infections, however they are ineffective against viruses (like the flu and colds) and fungal infections. And while genetic diseases can be treated with therapy and proper management, the gene will always be defective. AND, antibiotics are not known or normally used to treat genetic defects. Well, this antibiotic may be the exception. Israeli scientists have modified a potent antibiotic that may allow it to treat cystic fibrosis and other genetic diseases caused by “stop mutations”. The anti-bacterial antibiotic gentamicin is one of the highly toxic antibiotics called aminoglycosides that  doctors only use when less powerful drugs prove ineffective. but gentamicin is extremely toxic and lethal when taken long te... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2725170 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:14:00 +0100 2725170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2716151&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fu5LFLPo9kmU%2F 45 breaks and fractures , 16 screws and 2 plates in lower right leg , 3 screws in right knee , 2 screws in left knee , 4 pins and 2 screws in right wrist , 2 screws and a load of wire in left elbow that’s about it. Ouch. That sounds like major ‘machinery’ repair to me. When bones break into several pieces, usually the only repair would be screws, pins and plates. But that could all be a thing of the past with this medical breakthrough – Scientists created a synthetic glue for repairing broken bones using the genes of a marine worm! The sandcastle worm is a marine animal that builds its home from sand and broken shells by gluing the pieces together using a glue-like substance that it secretes. Scientists were able to clone the genes of the natural adhesive and manufacture syn... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2716151 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2716151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712293&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FTKuPFIt7yqo%2F I read about Jessa Perrin’s story and was struck with how her world was turned upside down by a rare disease. Jessa Perrin was backpacking in Israel when she suddenly became ill. Her skin turned yellow and her liver, kidneys and lungs failed within a day of being admitted to the hospital. She wasn’t even diagnosed with anything yet, but she needed liver transplant fast, or else she was not going to last a week. The doctors finally diagnosed Jessa with Wilson’s Disease, a rare, recessive genetic disorder that shuts down the body’s ability to get rid of copper. Jessa inherited two abnormal copies of the ATP7B gene, one from each of her parents (who were carriers). Because it’s a recessive trait the carrying parents do not have any symptoms and have no known family history of the... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712293 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:05:07 +0100 2712293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703924&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FD7nRDUVbFfA%2F Every blogger will wish he has this gene! Scientists discovered a rare genetic mutation that allows certain people to sleep on less hours without any adverse effect. In one family, a mother and daughter with this rare mutation needed only six hours of sleep each night while the rest of the family needed the typical 7-8 hours. Gene for Short Sleeper Found. Image: sxc Published in Science, researchers from the University of California- San Francisco isolated the gene as DEC2, involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms, the body’s clock. The scientists then bred mice and fruit flies that carried the mutation and found the mutant mice slept less and needed less time to recover from sleep deprivation. According to health experts, a typical adult needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep each... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703924 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:55:00 +0100 2703924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653941&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FuEqydlj8BvI%2F Pain is a good thing. The sensation helps us know that bumping our heads on the table edge hurts. Pain tells us when something is wrong in our body, and warns us to do something about it. And in most people, pain comes with tears. Whereas most of us would cry in pain when hurt, children like Avigail Eshet do not feel the pain, or shed a tear. Avigail suffers from a rare genetic disorder that numbs her sense of pain and reaction to temperature. Avigail is in danger of hurting herself from accidents and she would not even feel it. And when the 8-year old girl gets upset or stressed, she produces excess adrenalin that drives her blood pressure and heart rate through the roof. She also suffers from frequent lung infections and pneumonia and has trouble swallowing her food. I wouldn’t even ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653941 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:59:48 +0100 2653941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2637903&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F07%2Fpersonality-psychology%2F I have been reading an excellent book on personality research called Personality: What makes you the way you are by Daniel Nettle.  It is written for the non expert and is easy to read and full of interesting observations.  In the UK the psychology of personality has not been very influential on clinical practice.  Most Clinical Psychologists do not assess personality, particularly in children and young people.  In addition the study of personality has not featured on many university courses and certainly was not part of my undergraduate degree.  However, recently I have began to take an interest in this area of psychology because it makes a lot of sense clinically.  The children and young people I see have clear personality traits which fit with the current research.  Having read ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2637903 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:55:23 +0100 2637903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2626206&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FvDrTKYxOMAI%2F What do you know when life hits you with a curve ball? Chicago Cub pitcher Ryan Dempster knows how to throw one in the field. And in real life, he is fighting hard as life hits his family with a curve ball. Dempster’s newborn daughter Riley has been diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome, a genetic disorder with very little resource around it. DiGeorge Syndrome is a congenital disorder caused by deletions in large portions of chromosome 22, resulting in the loss of several genes. The most common characteristic is an absent or nonfunctional thymus. The thymus is involved in producing mature immune cells, so persons with DGS are vulnerable to infections. However, the literatures also mention at least 45 genes are in this region, and as many as 186 symptoms associated with it, so there is also... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2626206 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:08:00 +0100 2626206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2614008&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F26P7O1fRDg0%2F I know this sounds off-topic for a human-health blog, but bear with me in this: Dog researchers have discovered a gene event that may have implications for understanding human dwarfism. Published early in Science, scientists found that those cute-looking short-legged dog pedigrees that include Bassett Hounds and Dachshunds are products of a single mutational event in the dog evolution. Somewhere in evolution when dogs separated from the wolves, a mutation caused certain dogs to have short legs, and that mutation was preserved through time to create the modern-day short-leg breeds like the dachshund, corgi, Pekingese and basset hound. In these dogs, scientists found an extra copy of a gene that codes for a growth-promoting protein called fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4). The extra gene ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2614008 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:28:50 +0100 2614008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2594577&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FIg_XnGRy50A%2F A new gene that could help predict who gets Alzheimer’s and what age has been discovered by Duke University scientists, and it sits close to a gene well-known to increase the risk of the disease. The ApoE4 gene is a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD4). People who inherit the ApoE4 gene from one parent are three times more likely to develop AD, and those who carry two copies are ten times more likely to get the disease. The other allele called ApoE3 has not been implicated in developing Alzheimer’s. However,  Dr. Allen Roses, who led the group from Duke, reported that there is another gene called TOMM40 that can predict how soon a person may get Alzheimer’s if he carries the ApoE3 genotype. Apparently, Alzheimer’s can develop by an average of seven years early... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2594577 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:08:00 +0100 2594577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517367&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FNjW4Ac0gbc4%2F I’m so excited about July’s episodes on NOVA ScienceNOW! The series has a great line-up of genetic and other science segments that can hold anyone’s interest. And it’s perfect if you want your kids to get some brain-juice flowing through the summer. So beginning June 30 and every Tuesday night at 9pm ET/PT, NOVA at PBS will feature “Super-Science Tuesdays” with new stories from genetics (!!), technology, science and medicine. Check out a couple of these episodes - June 30 (Tuesday) Episode 1. Remember the anthrax scare after 9-11 that took months to solve? Well now scientists are using genetic “fingerprinting” to trace the source of the strain, and other microbes responsible for epidemics or poisonings. And then, there’s a secret “diamond farm” that engineers arti... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517367 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:23:10 +0100 2517367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510887&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fdna-replication-song.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510887 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:50:00 +0100 2510887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473707&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FibE8_UNvc7g%2F (Editor's Note: interviewing Richard Nisbett, author of the excellent recent book Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count, was in my To Do list. I then found that fellow blogger David DiSalvo was faster than I was and did a great job, so here we bring you David's interview and take). While the debate over intelligence rages on many fronts, the battle over the importance of heredity rages loudest. It’s easy to see why. If the camp that argues intelligence is 75 to 85 percent genetically determined is correct, then we’re faced with some tough questions about the role of education. If intelligence is improved very little by schools, and if the IQ of the majority of the population will remain relatively unchanged no matter how well schools perform, then should school... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473707 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:27:06 +0100 2473707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464336&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F7wR7eBIeH5k%2F Remember that 2001 film “Unbreakable” starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson? The film is about a man (Jackson) who became a successful, wealthy comic-book dealer despite having osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or Brittle Bone Disease. Features of Brittle Bone Disease. Image: Newscom Art imitates life and, in this real-life example, teenage girl Brittney Woodland has her own successful story to tell, despite the challenges of having Brittle Bone.  Woodland has graduated from high school and her local paper Seattle Times carried her story. Brittle Bone is a genetic disorder of the connective tissues, where bones are so fragile and tend to fracture from any physical trauma or weight-bearing movements. The disorder include other symptoms like a blue sclera, short stature, hearing loss ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464336 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:17:13 +0100 2464336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452989&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FakXnbRXNA3g%2F Last year, a company predicted that a H1N1 flu epidemic would occur within 6 to 12 months. A year later, that warning has come to pass, as the world records over 17,000 cases of H1N1 influenza in 64 countries, by June 1. And the U.S. has become the country worst-hit by the swine flu epidemic, with over 10,000 confirmed cases appearing in all of the 50 states. Mexico reported about 5,000 cases, which is only half of what the U.S. has! (See this list for total H1N1 cases worldwide) But after a month of near-panic, the fear has all but subsided. And yet, the WHO kept the pandemic alert at Level 5 since it was first raised a month ago, indicating that a pandemic is still imminent. And now the race for a H1N1 vaccine is accelerating, especially since fall (in the U.S.) is only 4 months away. ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452989 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:11:23 +0100 2452989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442309&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FSoUrxWeLP3k%2F It’s said that in our generation,  little girls have become ‘little women’ at a much earlier age than their moms.  Maybe it’s Barbie, and the other imagery that little girls are exposed to.  But studies also found a trend of earlier puberty in girls in the last few decades, that may be related to an obesity epidemic. One study showed that being overweight as a child and shorter height may contribute to an earlier puberty in girls, starting as early as age nine. And another study found that a mother’s age of menarche may predict her children’s early growth and risk of obesity. It’s also known that age of menarche, or the first menstrual period is hereditary. New evidence now points to an association between the timing of puberty and both height a... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442309 Sat, 23 May 2009 21:20:01 +0100 2442309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442310&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fzy4jy2NE4Io%2F Otherwise known as the Victorian Ape Woman, “Bearded Lady” Julia Pastrana was a circus act in 19th century Europe. Hers was an extremely rare genetic syndrome that baffled and fascinated the public since she was first exhibited by her husband. Pastrana has a genetic syndrome known as hypertrichosis terminalis where straight coarse hair covered her entire face and body, and her teeth and gums were irregular. "Bearded Lady" Julia Pastrana has rare genetic condition. Image: Public Domain New research released Thursday uncovered the exact genetic mutation responsible for  conditions similar to Pastrana’s. Published in the May 12st issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the study looked into three large Chinese Han families with autosomal-dominant congenital generali... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442310 Fri, 22 May 2009 03:41:00 +0100 2442310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424061&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D7006 Companies that have acquired patents for genes have specific rights to their use, which may include diagnostic tests based on those genes, as well as future mutations that are discovered.read more | digg story Should patenting normal/wild type genes should even be allowed? from the Malaysian Medical Resources How Human Genes Become Patented (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424061 Tue, 19 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2424061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415540&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F05%2Fhow-to-make-your-child-more-intelligent%2F There is an interesting article in the Sunday Times this week entitled ‘how to make your child more intelligent’.  It seems to be based in part on a new book by Richard Nisbett entitled ‘Intelligence and How to Get it: Why Schools and Cultures Count.  Whilst the article makes a number of important points the overall tone feels a bit like the old nature/ nurture debate, which I thought was over years ago. The article starts by stating that ‘Over recent years most experts have concluded that intelligence is largely genetic in origin, and that nurture does relatively little to raise an individual’s potential’.  I am not sure which experts they are referring to here as anyone who knows anything about the genes and IQ literature knows this not to be true.   The relation... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415540 Mon, 18 May 2009 22:00:42 +0100 2415540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415639&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F_lK0-s4kndM%2F People outside the United Kingdom may not be familiar with Chris Woodhead, but he was the Chief Inspector of Schools in the UK who reported in 195 that some 15,000 UK teachers were incompetent and should be replaced. Five years after, Woodhead resigned from his position after he had several altercations with the then Secretary of Education. Almost ten years later, Woodhead is stirring up new controversies in The Guardian interview and in his book “The Desolations of Learning”. Do genes dictate success in school? Woodland says that children have differing abilities that the current British school system do not take into account when putting children together in classes. So what happens? Smarter children do worse after 4-5 years because these children succumb to the peer pressure to be ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415639 Sat, 16 May 2009 12:51:00 +0100 2415639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415640&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F4OJJeJEmteM%2F The Oncotype DX test is an important diagnostic tool to help women with breast cancer determine how likely she will benefit from adding chemotherapy to her treatment. The test also measures how likely her cancer will return in the future. Well, new research found that Oncotype DX Test may also help predict the return of colon cancer, and affect the treatment course of a patient. A patient with low “odds of recurrence” may not need chemotherapy, and can stick to surgery alone. Oncotype DX Test for colon cancer is similar to the ones that is used in breast cancer, but the colon-cancer test is not as strong in predicting recurrence than breast cancer, but the test is useful nonetheless. Genome Health, the makers of Oncotype DX test, will likely commercialize the genetic test for colon ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415640 Sat, 16 May 2009 03:27:00 +0100 2415640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2408457&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006201.html We live in the age of genes. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Genes trump environment as the primary reason that some adolescents are more likely than others to be victimized by crime,... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2408457 Fri, 15 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2408457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405068&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E5%2FIpdIUOX5DlM%2F20090513patent_BRCA_Complaint.pdf In an earlier related post on biobanking, we asked our readers if they thought whether or not one's DNA should be private or publicly banked; the response was overwhelmingly in favor of privacy. Similarly, the notion of property rights in application to genes and genetic information presents serious challenges, as the Council for Responsible Genetics has long argued; their Genetic Bill of Rights includes a section that states "All people have the right to a world in which living organisms cannot be patented, including human beings, animals, plants, microorganisms and all their parts."Now this issue is going before the courts: A group of patients, genetic researchers, and professional associations have filed a lawsuit against Myriad and the US Patent Office for patenting the genes known as... Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405068 Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:12 +0100 2405068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405841&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F2vem5X-Covs%2F We know type 1 diabetes is as much affected by genes as it is by lifestyle and environment. But a huge international study found that there could be as many as 41 genetic loci that affect the risk of type 1 diabetes! Research on Type 1 Diabetes. Image: Newscom Touted as the largest genetic study into type 1 diabetes, and published in Nature Genetics online this week, the study combined results from two previous studies and found 41 genomic locations were significantly associated with diabetes. The DNA of more than 10,000 people with diabetes from all over the world were studied, including more than 2,300 families with at least two diabetic kids. Another 11,000 people without diabetes were also studied. Of the 41 genes located, the study also found that 18 chromosomal regions that were asso... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405841 Wed, 13 May 2009 23:49:00 +0100 2405841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2390176&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fdk7Y9bg3raU%2F Complex disorders like autism are very tricky to study when finding the genes responsible for them. There are many factors that can cause autism and genes was thought to play only a small role. So far, the genes that were found linked to autism explained only a small fraction of the phenotypes, and environment was the big chunk. The symptoms and signs that people with autism showed were also quite varied that it was hard to know if there was anything genetically common among them. On top of that, disorders that were classed as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ranged from very severe to much milder forms and everything in between. Well, recently, scientists became very excited because a common genetic link was found among people with autism! To be exact 65% of people with autism showed a com... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2390176 Mon, 04 May 2009 15:38:00 +0100 2390176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2376536&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FqB5wL0J3SXQ%2F The new swine flu virus that broke out in Mexico is unique and potentially dangerous in one way. It is a virus that has a combination of gene segments from human, bird and swine viruses, and can potentially become infectious in humans that have no immunity to the new strain. Influenza viruses can change its make-up in one of two ways: Antigenic drift is a series of mutations that cause the virus to gradually evolve over time. Antigenic shift is an abrupt change in the surface antigen proteins that suddenly creates a new subtype of the virus. In the history of influenza outbreaks, antigenic shift is the cause behind pandemics in 1918 (Spanish Flu), 1957 (Asian Flu) and 1968 (Hongkong Flu) because the populations have not developed antibody protection against the virus. What’s especially u... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2376536 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:07:02 +0100 2376536 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365323&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FrgTtU-dDDJs%2F Often, finding the gene(s) that cause a disease is like the proverbial needle in a haystack. And in very rare cases, it’s Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare childhood lung cancer where cysts and/or solid tumors grow in the lungs of children anytime from birth to about 7-8 years of age. Malignant cancer cells. Image: Newscom Only about 50% of patients with PPB are successfully cured of the cancer, and the prognosis becomes better with early diagnosis. One fourth of children with PPB have other types of cancers in their bodies (personal history) or in other family members, so there is a clear genetic factor involved. A recent study found very interesting results that could help scientists understand how cancers develop. Results from a molecular study found that that a master controll... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365323 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:10:00 +0100 2365323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353998&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FuasOYsIqjDo%2F It may be unconventional to post a promo trailer on a genetics site, but I’ve been waiting for this film since I first heard of it. “My Sister’s Keeper” is the story of two young sisters whose lives would be intertwined beyond their control. Kate is the older sister – beautiful, graceful and living with a rare genetic disease called acute promyelocytic leukemia. Anna is three years younger – genetically engineered and conceived to be a genetic match for Kate. Whatever Kate’s body needs – cord blood, blood, bone marrow, kidney – Anna is the donor. How many times can you save your sister’s life? Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva star in “My Sister’s Keeper”. Image: Bauer Griffin “Genetically engineered to be a donor” sounds so unethical and f... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353998 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:33:42 +0100 2353998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349267&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fwg_sMacSDno%2F HA! Don’t laugh, but this study found genetic evidence that our neighbors across the pond have a unique sense of humor, and apparently it’s the negative kind. Twins share a humor gene A survey of 4,000 twins suggested that British humor, those that are filled with sarcasm and self-deprecation, is linked to genes in British men and women, but not shared by Americans! The “positive” kind of humor, like telling jokes and looking on the bright side, is shared by both sides of the Atlantic. But the negative kind, like biting sarcasm and teasing, are genetically linked only in Britain. The researchers admit that developing a taste for either kind of humor is an interplay between genes and the environment but it’s interesting to note the difference between the two nationalities. But her... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349267 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:15:00 +0100 2349267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349268&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F2Pi6qFaeMZY%2F Depending on the source, stroke is considered as either the third-leading or second-leading cause of death worldwide. Neither one is a comforting thought, isn’t it? Image credit: Newscom What factors can increase one’s risk for stroke? Blood pressure, smoking, obesity, cholesterol, diet, physical inactivity and alcohol are responsible for two-thirds of stroke risk. Genetic factors also play an important role, but scientists have not found any common genetic markers associated with an increased risk for stroke. Until now. A large study found single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on chromosome 12p13 that individually increased the risk of stroke by as much 30 percent. The markers were located very near the gene NINJ2, which encodes a protein that is involved in nerve injury. The study is... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349268 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:32:00 +0100 2349268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323426&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FLmqN9HEpWLc%2F Some men have more success than others in producing children, genetically speaking, that is. Large European family, circa 1950s. New findings have identified a gene that endows some men more reproductive prowess than their neighbor, according to an article by The Scientist. And the secret is a switch in amino acids within one gene – from an amino acid called methionine to valine. Carole Ober of the University of Chicago, presented her findings at the Sackler Colloquium on Evolution in Health and Medicine in Washington, DC and she found that “men who carried two copies of the valine allele were 2.6 times more likely to conceive than men with two copies of the methionine allele at the same locus”. Man, that’s double the advantage! The gene in the spotlight? CFTR, or cystic fibrosis t... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323426 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:04:00 +0100 2323426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323427&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FCeWJw8pe0Ag%2F A person with myopia can see closer objects better than distant objects (which appear blurred). A person with “high” myopia is so extremely nearsighted that only objects that are very near can be seen clearly, rendering the person as blind. Whereas a person with “mild” myopia may see object farther away as blurry but the person’s eyesight can still function. A blurred vision. Like most research in genetics, finding the genes for myopia has not been straightforward or easy. That’s because myopia has been defined, measured and classified in many different ways, in different studies. There’s high versus mild myopia or school versus adult myopia. How myopia is measured also differs from one group of scientists to another. And then there are the known and unknown environmental fa... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323427 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:56:00 +0100 2323427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323428&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FsUBmhdE1fiY%2F When I tell people I used to research about the genetics of myopia (or nearsightedness),  one of the questions they ask is whether they’ll pass it to their children. And I tell them there are other factors, “interactions” we call them, between our genes and our environment that determine if certain genes will express and/or be passed to our children. Genes and Environment play roles in diseases. Image: Newscom For example, mutations in the brca1 gene are highly associated with very high risks of breast cancer. A brca1 (breast cancer 1; on chromosome 7) is one of the genes in the body that suppresses tumors, by repairing damaged DNA. A mutation or defect in the gene produces a protein that can not repair DNA in other genes. A person with brca1 mutations has up to 80% risk... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323428 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:00:17 +0100 2323428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2323429&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FOQfeCwSPfVw%2F Has your mom ever told you not to watch TV too closely? Have you been told as a child that reading too much (or cross-stitching too much) will hurt your eyes? That’s not too far out an idea, at all. Severe myopia or nearsightnedness. Image: Flickr Myopia or nearsightedness is a condition where one has trouble seeing objects that are farther away. Symptoms, usually developing in early childhood and teen years include squinting when trying to concentrate on an object far away, or holding an object very close to the face (to read, or to see it clearer). The person may want to sit very near the TV or computer close, and prefer to sit in the front of the class. But does this mean that close-work and intensive reading cause eye problems? Studies have shown that myopia is more common in some po... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2323429 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:29:35 +0100 2323429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2320429&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F03%2Fhow-do-genes-work%2F The world of genetics is moving so fast it is hard to keep up.  Luckily one of my favorite writers on the subject Robert Plomin (together with Oliver Davies) has written an update on the genetics of child psychology and psychiatry in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.  There is a lot of information in the article regarding the latest genetic findings but the issue that stuck me most was about how our understanding about how genes work is changing.  My understanding of genes was the classic model described succinctly by Plomin and Oliver as “a gene is a sequence of DNA that is transcibed into messenger RNA which is then translated into amino acid sequences, the building block of protein”.  The proteins then build to form brain structure, neurotran... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2320429 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:26:15 +0100 2320429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210645&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F3kJAqzYdZVw%2F It doesn’t come as a surprise that childhood abuse has long term effects that show itself way into adulthood. Adults with a history of childhood abuse are known to have higher risks of psychological problems and difficulty responding to stress. But a recent study found that abuse in early childhood can permanently change how certain genes in the brain work, so much, that the risk of suicide is increased. A Canadian study led by Michael Meaney examined the gene for glucocorticoid receptor – which controls a brain’s response to stress – in 12 suicide victims with a history of abuse, and another 12 who did not suffer abuse as children. The researchers found that those who have been abused as children produced chemical changes in the brain which reduced the gene’s activity, and in ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210645 Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:51:05 +0100 2210645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2207928&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F02%2Fgenes-and-environment-the-case-of-multiple-sclerosis%2F My early career involved working with patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and undertaking research into how people cope with this.  This experience left a lasting impression as MS is a horrible disease to live with. It is neuro-degenerative disorder resulting in progressive loss of function leading to both both physical and neuropsychological disability. There are different forms with some slow moving and some with very rapid deterioration.  MS results in the destruction of the myeline in the brain.  Myelin is the substance that coats and insulates brain cell in a similar way to the way that plastic coating insulates electric wiring.  When the myelin is destroyed the brain short circuits.  Whilst most people associate MS with older adults there is an early onset version aff... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2207928 Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:57:12 +0100 2207928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2177558&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FYg5ZDdpEYRE%2F Autism researchers have long believed that there is more than one gene involved in autism, and that these genes are interacting with one another to create the spectrum associated with the disorder. For the first time, scientists at MIT found that mice carrying mutations in two candidate genes for autism have more severe symptoms than those with only one mutation. The two genes studied were PTEN and serotonin transporter. In female mice, mutations in PTEN impaired sociability while those who also had mutations in the serotonin gene had worse symptoms. "We found that two genetic risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) act cooperatively in mice to influence brain size and social behavior, both of which are altered in ASDs," said Damon T. Page, a Picower Institute postdoc... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2177558 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:38:14 +0100 2177558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2207929&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F02%2Fparenting-how-important-is-it%2F This report was about how unhappy children are today because of selfish parents.  In the column Daniel makes some simple points which I often think about myself when seeing children.  The key issue is the extent to which parents influence children’s behaviour and personality.  The points he makes are 1- children and parents share the same genes and therefore are likely to be somewhat alike to start with.  2- children who are difficult are going to influence the way their parents react to them.  It is easy to be an authoritative parent with a child who is easy to manage- the traffic is not all one way.  I happen to believe that parents do have an affect on their children but there are so many other issues affecting development as well.  The issues about genetics that Daniel r... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2207929 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:15:23 +0100 2207929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2147605&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FnqZEs6b_tto%2F Red hair is among the rarest of hair colors, with only 1% of the population having that natural hair. I personally think red hair makes heads turn. Check out these natural red-heads: Julianne Moore, Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Ferguson, Marcia Cross and of course, Prince Harry (and great grannie Queen Elizabeth I). Auburn, ginger, bright orange, carrot-top:  they are all the same red hair, and most would be sharing the same gene. Some variants of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene are strongly associated with red hair. The gene codes for a receptor that is expressed on pigment cells in the skin (melanocytes). This receptor responds to a hormone that stimutats the production of the dark pigment eumelanin. So, if you have a variant of the MC1R gene that turns off the receptor, the pigm... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2147605 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:09:00 +0100 2147605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2129416&cid=t_101896_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Faccording-to-geneticists-sister-and-i-are-better-off-dead%2F It all sounds so great. The medical community has deemed that we can prevent women from getting cancer. No, it’s not a vaccine, its selective birth. They are suggesting to women that they can have their embryo tested, while in the womb, and destroyed if he or she tests positive for the breast cancer gene defect BRCA I and BRCA II. I guess what comes next is women who have the gene will be mandated to be tested so as not to allow a baby to be born with the predisposition to breast cancer. It won’t stop there. What about people with MS, or people with autism? This is the road to selective birth; perhaps leading to the creation of better humans. Does this mean that Sister and I are now undesirable humans? Basically, those of us who carry the breast cancer gene defect should never have bee... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2129416 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:44:27 +0100 2129416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2104561&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FSMZZ6S9jaPA%2F The spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases ranges from depression, sleep disorders, alcoholism, narcolepsy, to Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons and cerebral palsy, and there is little similarity in symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Now, a rare brain disorder known as Perry Syndrome may hold the key to a common mechanism underlying the disintegration of the nervous system. To be published in the February issue of Nature Genetics, a study found that people with Perry syndrome carry mutations in a molecular “cargo” inside brain cells. The mutation is in the subunit of the dynactin complex (DCTN1; p150glued), and results in a failure of the “cell’s interior transportation grid”, a factor that could be common among the diverse kinds of neurodegenerative diseases. ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2104561 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:00:02 +0100 2104561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2101007&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FoUb1MJW-Qqk%2F A gene responsible for spreading breast cancer and making tumors resistant to chemotherapy has been identified by scientists from Princeton University. The “metastasis gene” called Metadherin, or MTDH is turned on in 40% of breast cancer tumors. It is also found in 20% of prostate cancer patients studied. The gene helps spread cancer by making the tumor cells stick to blood vessels that bring them to distant areas of the body. MTDH also makes the tumors more resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Discovering this gene helps scientist “hit two birds in one stone”, says senior author Dr. Yibin Kang to Newsday. “If you come up with a therapy that inhibits the gene, it could make the tumor more susceptible to chemotherapy and at the same time reduce the chance for a t... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2101007 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:29:32 +0100 2101007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2097936&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FiwQPMH6okcI%2F There is no doubt that obesity is primarily caused by poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle. But a meta-analysis of several obesity studies found that six new obesity genes are expressed in the brain. Scientists from the international GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Parameters) consortium analyzed data from 15 genome-wide association studies and identified six new candidate genes that were related to regulation of body weight. Several of these new genes are highly expressed or known to act in the brain, emphasizing the role of the central nervous system in predisposition to obesity. UPDATE: Endurance Geek made me rethink my title with obesity being “all in the mind”. Instead of changing the post title (or maybe I should? I DID) I thought I would add to my p... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2097936 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:53:04 +0100 2097936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2087225&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=35743&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegenesherpa.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fdid-you-hear-sanjay-general.html Yes it is true. Pres-Elect. Obama has asked Dr Sanjay Gupta, Neurosurgeon to be Surgeon General. Before joining CNN in 2001, Gupta was a neurosurgery fellow at the University of Tennessee's Semmes-Murphy Clinic and the University of Michigan Medical Center. Gupta has some experience in politics and policy. During the Clinton administration, he was a White House Fellow and special adviser to first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. So the questions. First, what does the Surgeon General do?According to the Surgeon General's SiteThe Surgeon General serves as America's chief health educator by providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury. The acting Surgeon General is Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H.... Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2087225 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:35:00 +0100 2087225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2077288&cid=t_101896_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fgenes-control-your-personality.html GENES DICTATE YOUR PERSONALITY Genes influence how we act and interact in unpredictable ways. Your genes cause half of your behavioral traits. Scientists are trying to nail down the genes that give you your unique personality. How can your social behavior be linked at a genomic level? Genes do not directly dictate your behavior. Brain development, and behavior depend on what you inherited and also how your environment has influenced you. You produce, receive, and interpret social signals that all influence how you act. How do your genes respond to social stimuli? Social stimuli lead you to change your behavior. This alters the pathways of your brain's gene expression. Thousands of genes are involved at once in different brain regions. There are shifts in your neurogenic state rather than a... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2077288 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:06:00 +0100 2077288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2061070&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FYm9YlU9_soE%2F “Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities”—-these are noted in one of the DSM-IV criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. A study published in the December 10th Neuron has found that reducing the activity of the gene FKBP12 in the brains of mice affected their synapses, and increased obsessive behavior and “fearful memory.” As noted in today’s Science Daily: The protein FKBP12 regulates several important cell signaling pathways, and decreasing its activity enhances long-term potentiation in the hippocampus, said Dr. Susan Hamilton, chair of molecular physiology and biophysics at [Baylow College of Medicine] and a senior author of the report. (Long-term potentiation means the enhancement of the synapse or commu... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2061070 Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:11 +0100 2061070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2021541&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FuckVP16APj8%2F A new genetic syndrome was discovered in a group of families in Quebec with a common ancestor. The syndrome was named MEDNIK to describe the resulting phenotypes - mental retardation, enteropathy, deafness, peripheral neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratodermia. The scientists found a new splice mutation in the AP1S1 gene, which encodes a subunit of a complex (AP) responsible for selecting which proteins move within the cell. A zebrafish knockdown model was used to study the loss of the gene’s function further. Injecting the affected larvae with a human normal AP1S1 mRNA restored some phenotypes. The study is published in PLOS Genetics. Tags: AP complex, Mednik, mutation, novel mutation, protein, quebecShare This (Source: Genetics and Health) Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2021541 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:59:52 +0100 2021541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985327&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fhormones-and-cell-membranes.html Apart from the dramatic music not a bad animation. (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985327 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:19:00 +0100 1985327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1980894&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FpxrKw9GTpSk%2F MARBLES stands for Markers of Autism Risk in Babies—Learning Early Signs. The study investigates “biological and environmental triggers that children are exposed to prenatally and post-partum”: Some 100 women who have a biological autistic child and who are pregnant, or who are planning on becoming pregnant, are participating in MARBLES, which began in 2006. Researchers from the UC Davis-M.I.N.D. Institute are collecting blood, urine, hair, saliva, and breast milk (if the mother is breast feeding), as well as dust from participants’ houses, and mothers are interviewed and medical records examined. It’s noted that MARBLES is “unique” because follows mothers before, during, and after their pregnancies, allowing us to obtain information about the pre-... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1980894 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:22:48 +0100 1980894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975187&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FsiXO_hNplww%2F For all of man’s scientific prowess and evolutionary advancement, we are the helpless victims of this sneaky little villain. Cold viruses have very few genes, so they have one purpose and one alone - to make our lives miserable! So we hack, snort, sneeze and feel awful until this prokaryote decides it has enough of us. There is no cure. We can treat the symptoms, sure, but we’re not fighting the virus. We’re simply "letting it run its course" and that really sucks, right? Here is man, the mighty Goliath, and this puny David of a virus swings at us and down we go, crying for our mommies. The latest research found that it’s not the rhinovirus that causes the cold symptoms. Rather our immune response goes into "overdrive" because this viral infect... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975187 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:59:53 +0100 1975187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969482&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fprotein-structure_18.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969482 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1969482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969483&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fcell-membrane.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969483 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:10:00 +0100 1969483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969484&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fendocytosis.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969484 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:08:00 +0100 1969484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969486&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Ffacilitated-diffusion.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969486 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:07:00 +0100 1969486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1969485&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Factive-transport.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1969485 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:07:00 +0100 1969485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1960801&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FFIUJ-Ba6pWs%2F A new theory has emerged about the genetic basis of mental disorders, and it has to do with our parental genes fighting for dominance. The theory outlines that genes from the father’s sperm are in an evolutionary tug-of-war with genes from the mother’s egg. Whichever becomes dominant tips brain development that direction. An excerpt from the NY Times - A strong bias toward the father pushes a developing brain along the autistic spectrum, toward a fascination with objects, patterns, mechanical systems, at the expense of social development. A bias toward the mother moves the growing brain along what the researchers call the psychotic spectrum, toward hypersensitivity to mood, their own and others’. This, according to the theory, increases a child’s risk of developin... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960801 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:16:49 +0100 1960801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1960802&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fz9LgNDTJLzM%2F It’s not too often in genetics that we hear about finding evidence that a gene lowers the risk of disease. This latest news must have been greeted with cautionary hope at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting in Philadelphia. According to the Scientist, a large-effect allele that provides protection against autism was found on chromosome 5 near the semaphorin 5A (SEMA5A) gene, which is involved in guiding neural axons during development. The same group also found two genes not previously linked to autism, one at the tip of chromosome 20’s short arm, and one at the end of chromosome 6’s long arm. The researchers from Johns Hopkins University used the "the cleanest best set of SNP markers you can imagine" so presumably these results are accurate. Of cour... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960802 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:37:43 +0100 1960802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947753&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=36905&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjemmasbiologyblog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fprotein-structure.html (Source: Jemma's Biology Blog) Jemma's Biology Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947753 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:41:00 +0100 1947753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1943413&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-lyjpR51Ujg%2F Linking autism to rates of rainfall could be said to be a quite extensive attempt to find an environmental cause of autism, and one that is clearly external and not genetic. Since the study was reported earlier this week, it’s been getting a lot of press. Two genetic studies were also recently noted this week: Ars Technica looks closely at one study on language genes. Another study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine looks at parents’ concerns about their own risk and their children’s risks for genetic disease. With the development of genetic testing and, too, of direct-to-consumer genetic tests, parents can find out a lot more about their genetic profile and quite readily. Is there a tendency to shy away from genetic theories of autism because ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1943413 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:23:36 +0100 1943413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939076&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35028&url=http%3A%2F%2Flurena.vox.com%2Flibrary%2Fpost%2Fscientist-meets-small-children-and-doesnt-stop-talking-and-listening-all-day.html%3F_c%3Dfeed-rss This past Monday, one day before fantastic things happened in the voting booths of America (I had already submitted my absentee ballot), I spent a day at a local primary school. Names and locations for the school will not be mentioned, as I am uns... Read and post comments | Send to a friend (Source: Systems Biology & Bioinformatics) Systems Biology & Bioinformatics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939076 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:50:28 +0100 1939076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939211&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FAJN9SIKTRLc%2F A gene linked to susceptibility to autism, CNTNAP2, has also been connected to specific language impairment, the most common childhood language disorder, as reported yesterday in Reuters. The study, A Functional Genetic Link between Distinct Developmental Language Disorders, is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Specific language impairment involves difficulties with language and, in particular, the repetition of nonsense words. Researchers analyzed CNTNAP2 function in 184 families with common language impairments; children with certain forms of the gene had certain difficulties with language, such as the repetition of nonsense words. It was found that FOXP2, which is mutated in people with a rare speech and language disorder, “directly regulates expression” of C... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939211 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:58:01 +0100 1939211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939181&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FwnOW4GD6YfQ%2F Early-onset type 1 diabetes may have less to do with certain genes causing inborn genetic errors, and more to do with normal genes behaving differently for those with the disease. To find out how certain twins get diabetes while the other does not, Stanford University scientists studied two types of mice models: Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with the gene variants that closely resembles a predisposing gene complex in humans (MHC), and another group of non-diabetic mice without the predisposing genes. The group found that clusters of genes were consistently expressed in the NOD mice in specific tissues at certain times. What is even more interesting is the gene expression "signatures" occurred before certain signs of diabetes were noticed, such as hyperglycemia. So if these pre-... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939181 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:00:35 +0100 1939181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914702&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Frptv0Wy-Agc%2F An interesting article on the suicidal brain came out of Biological Psychiatry this week - A gene for neurotransmitter reception is shut down in the suicidal brain. Scientists found chemical changes relating to regulation of cell development were happening in the brains of people with major depressive disorder who committed suicide. The gene controlling neurotransmitter reception plays a role in regulating behavior. It’s very interesting. Without proper regulation of behavior, then I assume the behavior would be erratic and contribute to suicidal tendencies. This is another example of epigenetics at work. Without even changing the DNA structure, environment can cause heritable changes in gene function. In this case, depression triggers the brain   via medical news today Tags:... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914702 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:44:47 +0100 1914702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1889028&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fr8fMfElnjtQ%2F It’s the Sunday edition of Genetics and Health so let’s sum up some of the genetic research and news that came up this week. A grand rounds lecture "Molecular Genetics of Colorectal Cancer" by Vincent Yang presents an overview on the role of genes in colorectal carcinoma, and shares initial findings on a cell cycle modulator gene. The NY Times article, "Man Who Helped Set the Stage for Nobel-Winning Work Has Left Science" profiles Dr. Douglas C. Prasher, the scientist who provided the essential piece of evidence that helped the work of Nobel Price Chemistry winners Roger Y. Tsien and Martin Chalfie. You’ll be surprised to find out Dr. Prasher’s latest employment. A "pleasure" gene is behind an obese person’s insatiable desire t... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889028 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:22:05 +0100 1889028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892348&cid=t_101896_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F425646928%2F In yesterday's interview with Michael Posner, he says: - "There is a growing number of studies that show the importance of interaction between our genes and each of our environments. Epigenetics is going to help us understand that question better, but let me share a very interesting piece of research from my lab where we found an unusual interaction between genetics and parenting." - "Good parenting, as measured by different research-based scales, has been shown to build good effortful control which, as we saw earlier, is so important. Now, what we found is that some specific genes reduced, even eliminated, the influence of the quality of parenting. In other words, some children's development really depends on how their parents bring them up, whereas others do not - or do to... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892348 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:57:03 +0100 1892348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1886447&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FBwq1xI1iz5k%2F Researchers from the Seaver and NY Autism Center of Excellence at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new method to detect copy number variants associated with autism spectrum disorders and have also found new chromosomal duplications that can be linked to autism.The study is published in the October 16th BMC Medical Genomics. 279 child with ASDs were screened for micro-duplications and -deletions in regions of the genome that have been connected to other cognitive conditions. The researchers detected several previously known duplications associated with autism, but also some that had not previously been recognized. The approach that psychiatry researcher Joseph Buxbaum and his colleagues used is multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, or MLPA which, it&#... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886447 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:43:20 +0100 1886447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879924&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FwYAcF8axAd4%2F Anecdotally, you may have heard of people with autism who are gifted or talented in the arts, music or math. Now researchers have actually found evidence that autism is associated with intellectual skills. The finding has emerged from a study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students, which found the condition was up to seven times more common among mathematicians than students in other disciplines. It was also five times more common in the siblings of mathematicians. No gene has actually been associated, and that’s the next step, but the incidence among family members may suggest some genetic component. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the autism research centre at Cambridge and lead scientist of the study remarked to the Times Online that the responsible genes co... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879924 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:08:58 +0100 1879924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879827&cid=t_101896_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F10%2F15%2Fanother-hopeful-mental-illness-gene-article%2F Yesterday, for no particular reason, The Boston Globe published one of those stories we see at least once or twice every year — we are on the verge of unraveling the genetics of mental illness. Sadly, the article provides no more detail as to why we’re on the verge yet again, a verge we’ve been on for the past, I don’t know, 20 years? Most genetics research into mental illness shows a very, very complex picture that indicts hundreds of mutations and variations on dozens of genes. And, carrying on the misinformation and stigma of mental illness, the article is written by Carey Goldberg from a purely biological point of view, completely ignoring the psychological and social causes of mental disorders: The potential payoffs are great, Scolnick and other researcher... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879827 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:06:02 +0100 1879827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1873107&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FR4jlPirM3Kc%2F Currently, there’s no prenatal genetic test for autism. Long ago (as in “around the time I first started writing this blog”) I referred to such testing as “fighting word“: While some would welcome the notion of knowing that a child-to-be would have a disability, others have been quick to point out the possibility of people choosing to abort a fetus if a disability were detected. In the October 13th Babble, an online web community for a “new generation of parents,” Karen Dempsey writes about Choosing (a) Life: They said our baby would have Down’s; we said we understood. We had no idea. Having conceived her second child after a year of infertility treatments, Dempsey was concerned that the “risks of amniocentesis outweighed the chances it... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1873107 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:46:53 +0100 1873107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1873096&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FtQxVqesiHTY%2F The gene for male-pattern baldness (androgen receptor) has traditionally been linked to the X chromosome which means mom passes it on to her sons. Now, two new independent studies published yesterday at the Nature Genetics identified association between hair loss and chromosome 20. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for male-pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, identified a new association at chromosome 20p11.22, between the PAX1 and FOXA2 genes, and confirmed a previous association with the gene encoding the androgen receptor in the X. Tim Spector and colleagues found that 1 in 7 men carry both the chromosome X and chromosome 20 variants, and that these men have a 7-fold risk of having pattern baldness. Another independent GWAS found overwhelming evidence for five SNPs on chr... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1873096 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:39:48 +0100 1873096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382489&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=38577&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbiosingularity.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F12%2Fcan-genetic-information-be-controlled-by-light%2F DNA, the molecule that acts as the carrier of genetic information in all forms of life, is highly resistant against alteration by ultraviolet light, but understanding the mechanism for its photostability presents some puzzling problems. A key aspect is the interaction between the four chemical bases that make up the DNA molecule. Researchers at Kiel [...] (Source: Biosingularity) Biosingularity blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382489 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:15:18 +0100 2382489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1865523&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FAGrw2Ka_zVs%2F A new study found that premature ejaculation is not purely psychological. Genetics has a lot to do with it. Scientists from Utrecht University in the Netherlands studied 89 Dutch men who had "primary premature ejaculation", which means they suffered from it from their first sexual contact. They were compared with 92 men who had no such history. In men with premature ejaculation, the serotonin was deficient in the area of the brain that controls ejaculation. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls body temperature, sleep, sexual activity, appetite and emotions such as anger, aggression and mood. A common polymorphism (5HTTLPR) within the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene has been shown to influence the amount and activity of serotonin, so the authors postul... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865523 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:07:03 +0100 1865523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1856101&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F5mGA0vcrwps%2F Or so suggests this study, so I write this with raised eyebrows. Scientists have identified a common genetic variation that appears to weaken a man’s ability to emotionally attach to one partner. Findings from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that men with relationship and communication problems carry a variation in the gene that codes for vasopressin 1a receptor subtype, a hormone involved in brain signaling and said to influence monogamy in animals. Allele 334 of the vasopressin gene was associated with lower scores on partner bonding and greater odds of marital conflict. Among men either with no copies or just one copy of the 334 allele, 15 to 16 percent reported a marital crisis in the past year. However, when men had two copies of the 334 allele, the odds of marital crisis d... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856101 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:15:36 +0100 1856101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852671&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F1Qj4HTBMNi0%2F A study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students has found that autism is up to seven times more common among mathematicians than among students in other disciplines, and that it was also five times more common in the siblings of mathematicians, according to the October 5th Times. The genes that are thought to cause autism may also give mathematical, musical and other skills to those without autism. The study was led by Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre, who is quoted as saying: “It seems clear that genes play a significant role in the causes of autism and that those genes are also linked to certain intellectual skills.” Seven of the students in the Cambridge study were found to have autism, while only one in a control group of 414 had autism. Baron-Coh... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852671 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:01:41 +0100 1852671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1829056&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F09%2Flead-into-gold-ipscs-pass-another.html IPSCs were first created in humans only about 10 1/2 months ago. Yet, hurdles to their full use in regenerative medicine fall at a rate not seen with ESCR or, for sure, therapeutic cloning. And now another one. From the story: Scientists are reporting today that they have overcome a major obstacle to using a promising alternative to embryonic stem cells, bolstering the prospects for bypassing the political and ethical tempest that has embroiled hopes for a new generation of medical treatments.The researchers said they found a safe way to coax adult cells to regress into an embryonic state, alleviating what had been the most worrisome uncertainty about developing the cells into potential cures. "We have removed a major roadblock for translating this into a clinical setting," said Konrad Hoc... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1829056 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:58:00 +0100 1829056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382504&cid=t_101896_107_f&fid=38577&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbiosingularity.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F22%2Fnewly-discovered-molecule-promises-better-treatments-for-heart-attacks-heart-surgery%2F Scientists have discovered a compound that could lead to new treatments for heart attacks as well as methods to protect hearts during open heart surgery and other situations in which blood flow to the heart is interrupted. In the process, the researchers uncovered cellular mechanisms that help explain how alcohol can protect against heart attack damage. [...] (Source: Biosingularity) Biosingularity blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382504 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:24:03 +0100 2382504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888103&cid=t_101896_132_f&fid=35024&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBlindscientist%2F%7E3%2F54WtDFdcC_c%2F Just got a very interesting spam message: “Ex-hairdresser finds baldness cure among indians (native americans)”. I bet he is a molecular biologist now and found some genes related to baldness. It’s only downhill from here (Source: Blind.Scientist) Blind.Scientist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888103 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:18:37 +0100 1888103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1809782&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4504 Male, HLA A12, 24, B13, 33, DR 52 seeks HLA Class I & II disparate Female for long term relationship. Must also be HLA B 27 and HLA B 1502 negative. Sounds crazy? Well, Wired reports that there is indeed a potential market for those Looking For Love with the right Alleles Swiss startup company GenePartner is offering to evaluate singles and couples according to the potential union of their HLA genes, which help regulate immune response. People may naturally be attracted to mates with HLA profiles different from their own, ostensibly guaranteeing the hybrid vigor of their offspring’s immune systems — and also providing a spark that will last through good times and bad. “Proper age, similar life goals and ideas, education levels — all of these things have to fit... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809782 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1809782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791727&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=35743&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthegenesherpa.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fdemocratization-or-capitalization-take.html An old post.......interesting that I seemed to be right on track....In reading through my RSS feeder over a year ago now I stumbled across an interesting video at Testing Hiatus. It comes from the website Master Plan the Movie. This is especially timely given the new shiny 399 USD SNP scan.....which BTW is still more expensive than Coriell's Free Scan!Before you watch this YouTube video I first would like you to take a gander at an excerpt from "The Google Story"Sergey Brin and Larry Page have ambitious long-term plans for Google's expansion into the fields of biology and genetics through the fusion of science, medicine, and technology. . . .One of the most exciting Google projects involves biological and genetic research that could foster important medical and scientific breakthroughs. Th... Gene Sherpas: Personalized Medicine and You blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791727 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:48:00 +0100 1791727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782712&cid=t_101896_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-U8-z3qll9s%2F This study, the authors said, adds 1q21.1 as a chromosomal locus to the growing list of structural variants that might eventually be included in genetic screening panels for people with developmental delays or neuropsychiatric diagnoses. “Clinical diagnosis in patients with these lesions may be most readily achieved on the basis of genotype rather than phenotype,” as the study’s authors conclude. The study both shows the “importance of rare structural variants in human disease” and also reveals some of the challenges, namely: First, large samples of patients and controls are required to show that a specific variant is pathogenic. Although there have been several reports of patients with 1q21.1 deletions in studies of specific diseases, our study shows that rec... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782712 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:13:31 +0100 1782712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1768940&cid=t_101896_131_f&fid=34976&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftalk.dnadirect.com%2F2008%2F09%2F05%2Fwarfarin-response-testing-medicare-calls-for-feedback-on-reimbursement%2F Guest post from Trisha Brown, MS, CGC, DNA Direct’s VP of Clinical Affairs: FDA announced last year that the agency would update the label for the blood thinner warfarin to note that patients’ genetic makeup could strongly influence their response to the drug. Too high a dose of warfarin, and patients may experience uncontrolled [...] (Source: DNA Direct Talk) DNA Direct Talk blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1768940 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:29:10 +0100 1768940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1696203&cid=t_101896_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4042 Only if your insurance company doesn’t get hold of the data. The DG was reported to espouse gene screening: “Early warning systems” like molecular screening will allow people to better manage their health. Molecular screening is an examination of a person’s genetic makeup to establish his or her genetic predisposition to certain diseases like cancer, hypertension, chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, however, said that neither molecular technology nor biotechnology promised immortality. “Healthy people are the greatest asset of any nation and molecular screening promises better management of health risk,” he said Perhaps we should also look into legislation in the are... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1696203 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1696203