tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217769342011-12-14T18:38:09.109-08:00What you could know, should know and what others already know about you.Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.comBlogger651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-35187613305149147192007-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:002007-12-13T09:38:51.188-08:00

From physorg.com:Being able to sequence a human genome for $1,000 or less (which is the price most insurance companies are willing to pay) could open a new era in personal medicine, making it possible to precisely diagnose the cause of many diseases and tailor drugs and treatment procedures to the genetic make-up of an individual.“Despite the tremendous interest in using nanopores for sequencing

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-87653603912943475882007-10-06T08:35:00.000-07:002007-10-06T08:35:22.853-07:00

Quote:Two gene variations appear frequently in depressed patients who contemplate killing themselves during treatment with a common antidepressant medication, a new study finds.In the study, reports of suicidal thoughts occurred from 2 to 15 times as often in antidepressant-treated patients with the key gene variations as in patients without them, say psychiatrist Gonzalo Laje of the National

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-49152549669263010952007-09-21T10:34:00.000-07:002007-09-21T10:34:38.392-07:00

In an article published in the upcoming issue of Science, University of Alberta researcher Tim Caulfield and co-authors highlight the need to proceed with caution when it comes to personal genomics projects that represent research milestones but are also fraught with ethical, social and clinical implications.Scientists predict that within five years DNA sequencing technologies will be affordable

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-90682056799489711572007-09-21T10:22:00.000-07:002007-09-21T10:24:36.960-07:00

quote:A group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can help trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background. The team’s findings will be published in the September 2007 edition of the journal PLoS Genetics.Unlike previous computer programs of its kind

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-51199602430297307412007-09-05T11:37:00.000-07:002007-09-05T11:37:00.391-07:00

Quote:The findings, published in the September 2 advance online edition of Nature Genetics, stem from a large-scale effort led by scientists at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Children’s Hospital Boston, the University of Oxford and Peninsula Medical School, Exeter.By analyzing DNA from nearly 35,000 people, the researchers zeroed in on a difference in the HMGA2 gene — a ‘C’ written in

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-31303618577246934722007-08-28T17:04:00.000-07:002007-08-28T17:04:00.697-07:00

Excerpt from conclusion:Whatever the outcome of the privacy debate it seems clear that genomics will, in time, transform the insurance market every bit as much as it transforms the practice of medicine. The coming deluge of genetic information will force society to discuss openly the trade-offs, such as how to ration care, that have long been made in the shadows. It may even force the insurance

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-7689512714695651332007-08-13T10:55:00.000-07:002007-08-13T10:55:42.329-07:00

The researchers investigated the genomic factors underlying alcohol and tobacco use in a cohort of 120 families ...The researchers used a dense map (three haplotypes per cM; r2>0.4), generated by merging 58000 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and 437 microsatellite markers, to identify sex-specific and non-specific linked and associated areas.Summary of ResultsThe researchers reported the

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-76992836052974378742007-06-26T13:42:00.000-07:002007-06-26T13:42:16.894-07:00

Personal Genetics web site and information service startup. Founded by wife of google founder. Google is also an investor.From the web page:23andMe is a privately held company developing new ways to help you make sense of your own genetic informationEven though your body contains trillions of copies of your genome, you've likely never read any of it. Our goal is to connect you to the 23 paired

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-63104489208292660182007-06-08T14:39:00.000-07:002007-06-08T14:39:06.816-07:00

quote:ETC Group Will Challenge Patents on "Synthia" - Original Syn Organism Created in Laboratory...the J. Craig Venter Institute is applying for a patent on a new biological bombshell - the world's first-ever human-made species. The novel bacterium is made entirely with synthetic DNA in the laboratory."Synthia may not be as cuddly as a cloned lamb, but we believe this is a much bigger deal,"

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-88855442109788030162007-06-05T12:56:00.000-07:002007-06-05T12:56:14.885-07:00

Quote:Genetic variations may help explain why some men with depression develop suicidal thoughts and behaviors after they begin taking antidepressant medications, while most do not, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.Although most patients with depression respond favorably to antidepressant medications, a very small

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-46548926893206405492007-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:002007-03-06T09:50:52.019-08:00

quote:Now it is possible to develop similar tests that reveal a person's potential to become dependent on nicotine or marijuana or have antisocial personality disorder, University of Iowa researchers report online March 6 in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.Such tests would not dictate who would become substance dependent or have behavioral problems, as genes do not function in isolation

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-17860154046411141632007-02-27T14:54:00.000-08:002007-02-27T14:54:13.104-08:00

A law that would protect people in the US from being denied jobs or insurance because of their genetic make-up looks set to be passed after 12 years of debate. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), introduced into Congress on 16 January, is sweeping through committees in the House of Representatives and is tipped to

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1154302928305109602006-07-30T16:42:00.000-07:002006-07-30T16:42:08.406-07:00

An investigation by the Government Accountability Office concludes the results produced by such tests are medically unproven, ambiguous or both, USA Today says.The GAO report came as the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging kicked off a hearing Thursday into genetic tests marketed on the Internet and elsewhere.Panel Chairman Sen. Gordon Smith, R.-Ore., says consumers should visit their doctors

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1152810641267456542006-07-13T10:10:00.000-07:002006-07-13T10:11:24.663-07:00

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver have identified a common genetic variation that could help determine whether a person with heart failure would benefit from beta-blockers, a class of drugs used to treat chronic heart failure."For the first time, we have a genetic test that will help guide us to

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1145201284233127542006-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:002006-04-16T08:28:05.540-07:00

The first common genetic variant that substantially increases a person’s risk of obesity has been identified, researchers claim.The team identified a small genetic change in a region of DNA near a gene known as INSIG2 as being linked to obesity. DNA code is made up of four bases, or "letters". A single change in this particular region, from a G to a C, makes a person more prone to obesity,

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1144892017663034712006-04-12T18:33:00.000-07:002006-04-12T18:33:37.700-07:00

The health ministry had outlawed "egg donation and supply for commercial purposes," the Xinhua news agency reported. n a circular the ministry had also restricted the use of one donor's sperm to impregnate a maximum of five women and banned the supply of sperm to unauthorized institutions, it said.As of March 31, 64 institutions were authorized to offer fertility treatment for childless couples,

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1144852237452340822006-04-12T07:30:00.000-07:002006-04-12T07:30:53.966-07:00

By AMY HARMONPublished: April 12, 2006Genetic tests, once obscure tools for scientists, have begun to influence everyday lives in many ways. The tests are reshaping people's sense of themselves — where they came from, why they behave as they do, what disease might be coming their way.Given the tests' speculative nature, it seems unlikely that colleges, governments and other institutions will

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1144705182835044382006-04-10T14:39:00.000-07:002006-04-10T14:39:43.450-07:00

Andrew DonoghueZDNet UKSearch giant Google has been accused of being the "biggest threat to genetic privacy" for its alleged plan to create a searchable database of genetic information.alleged that Google's collaboration with genomic research institute J. Craig Venter, to create a searchable online database of all the genes on the planet, is a clear example of biopiracy.Biopiracy refers to the "

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1144351084317034702006-04-06T12:18:00.000-07:002006-04-06T12:18:04.603-07:00

Dutch police launched a national database on Thursday to store physical and DNA information on people who are listed as missing. The DNA profiles will be collected from close relatives of the missing person. The information will be used when unidentified bodies are found. Old missing-persons cases will also be included in the database. Currently, 1,200 people are listed as missing in the

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142982738671333962006-03-21T15:12:00.000-08:002006-03-21T15:12:18.673-08:00

Despite a negative (normal) genetic test for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, about 12 percent of breast cancer patients from high-risk families carried previously undetected cancer-associated mutations, according to a study in the March 22/29 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on women's health.Inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 predispose to high risks of breast and ovarian cancer.

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142982421134274712006-03-21T15:07:00.000-08:002006-03-21T15:08:36.800-08:00

Scientists at the London School of Economics, UK and Simon Fraser University, Canada have described the first hypothesis grounded in evolutionary genomics explaining the development of autism.In an article to be published in a forthcoming issue of Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Dr Christopher Badcock and Professor Bernard Crespi explore the 'imprinted brain hypothesis' to explain the cause and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142982193922372362006-03-21T15:03:00.000-08:002006-03-21T15:03:13.923-08:00

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers researchers have identified a gene – and the molecular function of its protein product – that provides an important clue to further understanding obesity and may point the way to new drugs to control fat metabolism.The scientists found that the human protein known as lipin is a key fat-regulating enzyme. “Lipin activity may be an important pharmaceutical

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142981958098913392006-03-21T14:59:00.000-08:002006-03-21T15:00:16.950-08:00

A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found. Brain scans revealed that people with this version — especially males — tended to have relatively smaller emotion-related brain

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142804478695884502006-03-19T13:41:00.000-08:002006-03-19T13:41:18.706-08:00

Opinion piece by Harlan Levy, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, is a lawyer and the author of "And the Blood Cried Out."Fifteen years ago, as a Manhattan homicide prosecutor, I was an aggressive proponent of taking DNA from convicted murderers, rapists and other violent felons so we could catch them when they committed crimes again.I still firmly believe in the power of DNA to

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142803843784954252006-03-19T13:30:00.000-08:002006-03-19T13:30:43.786-08:00

Vulnerability to both alcohol and nicotine abuse may be influenced by the same genetic factor, according to a recent study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).In the study, two genetically distinct kinds of rat – one an innately heavy-drinking strain bred to prefer alcohol (“P” rats), the other strain bred to

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142803616783334012006-03-19T13:26:00.000-08:002006-03-19T13:26:57.273-08:00

AT THE age of 4, Doreen Flynn's first daughter, Jordan, was diagnosed with Fanconi anaemia, a rare genetic blood disorder that leaves people underweight and with a 700-fold greater chance of developing cancer. It is unlikely that Jordan will live past her early twenties.Flynn and her husband wanted to have more children, partly because a bone-marrow transplant from a healthy sibling would be

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142802346526518972006-03-19T13:05:00.000-08:002006-03-19T13:05:46.526-08:00

BETHESDA, Md., Wed., Mar. 15, 2006 - The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced its latest round of sequencing targets, with an emphasis on enhancing the understanding of how human genes function and how genomic differences between individuals influence the risk of health and disease.The National Advisory Council for Human

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142801951133950862006-03-19T12:59:00.000-08:002006-03-19T12:59:11.203-08:00

Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain's mood-regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent,

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142786919026514972006-03-19T08:48:00.000-08:002006-03-19T08:48:39.573-08:00

University of Michigan scientists have found a common genetic variation in an immune system gene that makes people much more likely to develop psoriasis – a disfiguring inflammatory skin disease.Named PSORS1 (SORE-ESS-1), for psoriasis susceptibility 1, the gene is the first genetic determinant of psoriasis to be definitively identified in a large clinical study. Its discovery could lead to new,

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142448060597595092006-03-15T10:41:00.000-08:002006-03-15T10:41:00.630-08:00

Problem gambling runs in families according to a University of Iowa study published online Feb. 24 in the journal Psychiatry Research. The study also found an excess of alcoholism, drug disorders and antisocial personality disorder in families with pathological gamblers."Something is being passed along in these families that increases the persons' likelihood of engaging in impulsive and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1142276309546207492006-03-13T10:58:00.000-08:002006-03-13T10:58:31.093-08:00

Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Nature Genetics this week that they have identified a gene whose function protects the body against kidney stones.The research identifies a transporter, encoded by the gene, as a potential target for drugs to boost oxalate secretion in the gut and help prevent kidney stones, said Peter Aronson, M.D., professor of internal medicine and physiology and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141924864040591532006-03-09T09:21:00.000-08:002006-03-09T09:21:04.106-08:00

Individuals who have a genetic variation associated with slower caffeine metabolism appear to have an increased risk of non-fatal heart attack associated with higher amounts of coffee intake, according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA.Caffeine is metabolized primarily by the enzyme cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) in the liver. Variations of the gene for this enzyme can slow or quicken

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141875732790530272006-03-08T19:42:00.000-08:002006-03-08T19:42:12.790-08:00

March 8, 2006 -- March 8th, International Women's Day, a coalition of pro-choice and pro-life women, concerned at the growing exploitation of women in biotechnology will launch a new campaign against the harvesting and marketing of human eggs. The campaign. "Hands off our ovaries!" will highlight the short and long-term risks involved in egg harvesting and its significance for the health and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141875137588836562006-03-08T19:32:00.000-08:002006-03-08T19:32:17.613-08:00

Ikonisys grabs $10M in venture funding to bring its prenatal diagnostic products to market.Medical tech company Ikonisys said Wednesday it raised $10 million in a fourth round of venture funding to push its prenatal diagnostic products through the federal approval process and to market.The financing will be used to complete the development of a test that will allow noninvasive prenatal detection

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141747110041888452006-03-07T07:58:00.000-08:002006-03-07T07:58:30.043-08:00

(AP) CAMDEN, NJ A few blocks from family court and state child welfare offices in this downtrodden city, a coffee shop is serving up more than lattes and muffins: DNA tests are also on the menu.It’s an unusual combination, to be sure, but one that City Coffee owner and uber-entrepreneur Ronald Ford says makes sense.Behind the coffee bar, Ford’s employees swab the mouths of clients and the people

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141746652207771112006-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:002006-03-07T07:50:52.246-08:00

By scanning the entire human genome in search of genetic variations that may signal recent evolution, University of Chicago researchers found more than 700 genetic variants that may be targets of recent natural positive selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution.Published online March 7, 2006, in the Public Library of Science-Biology in a paper, titled "A Map of Recent Positive

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141666721531462862006-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:002006-03-06T09:38:49.853-08:00

It has long been known that smoking offers some protection against developing Parkinson's disease and now a Queensland University of Technology PhD researcher has found out part of the reason why.Yifu Deng of QUT's School of Public Health studied the interplay between genetics, smoking and the development of Parkinson's disease with 400 people who had Parkinson's disease and 400 people without

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141587724803006352006-03-05T11:42:00.000-08:002006-03-05T11:42:04.876-08:00

A new study, led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, pinpoints the role that two genes – Factor H and Factor B – play in the development of nearly three out of four cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a devastating eye disease that affects more than 10 million people in the United States.Findings indicate that 74 percent of AMD patients carry certain variants in one

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141487614625387412006-03-04T07:53:00.000-08:002006-03-04T07:54:21.706-08:00

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Scientists told a Vatican conference Tuesday that screening embryos for disease before implanting them in in-vitro fertilization posed grave ethical problems that could ultimately result in parents choosing the type of children they want.The warning, however, was rejected as unfounded by outside scientists.The Vatican conference, which ended Tuesday, focused on the ethics

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141435098529181932006-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:002006-03-03T17:18:18.573-08:00

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A Baton Rouge hospital, hoping to get to the bottom of an office prank, is ordering 25 employees to undergo DNA testing or be terminated.Leaders at Woman's Hospital say a man who works in Building Operations returned from several weeks off to find that someone had placed urine in his toolbox.After hearing of the incident, hospital administrators sent a memo to 25

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141239412032272212006-03-01T10:56:00.000-08:002006-03-01T10:56:52.076-08:00

About 4,000 men working and living in South Croydon are being asked to voluntarily give their DNA as part of the hunt for a teenage model's killer.Det Ch Insp Stuart Cundy, who is leading the murder investigation, said the DNA profiles would not be put onto the national database and would only be used to eliminate men from the inquiry.He said: "What I'm appealing for is men from the South Croydon

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1141236088076006722006-03-01T10:01:00.000-08:002006-03-01T10:01:33.070-08:00

Some people are more than twice as likely to become depressed as others, given similar circumstances, according to landmark research from Brain Sciences University of New South Wales (UNSW).There are three different genetic types in the population. * 21 percent of people have the genotype that predisposes them to depression * 26 percent of people have the genotype with resilience to

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140715744859779952006-02-23T09:29:00.000-08:002006-02-23T09:29:04.873-08:00

by Gloria MeyerRecent research on the genetics of smoking has focused on genes that are thought to be related to nicotine metabolism, personality traits, and regulation of emotions. According to a genetic study just published in "Nicotine and Tobacco Research," genes responsible for taste also may yield important information about who smokes and why they smoke.Researchers from UW-Madison and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140715442890179412006-02-23T09:24:00.000-08:002006-02-23T09:24:02.970-08:00

Researchers led by University of Virginia Health System pathologist Robin Felder, Ph.D., have demonstrated that looking for several variations of genes that control blood pressure can predict the risk for high blood pressure caused by high levels of salt.When a subject had three or more variations in these genes, the new genetic test correctly predicted risk for salt-induced high blood pressure

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140551672320147962006-02-21T11:54:00.000-08:002006-02-21T11:54:32.366-08:00

By comparing the DNA of 150 pairs of men who share British surnames, researchers have shown that about a quarter of pairs are linked genetically.A simple correspondence between name and Y chromosome could in principle connect all men sharing a surname into one large family tree. However, in reality the link may be weak for a number of reasons--for example, the existence of multiple independent

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140459048098879102006-02-20T10:10:00.000-08:002006-02-20T10:10:49.226-08:00

Individuals with either of two genetic variations that lead to high serum levels of the cytokine leptin and to overexpression of leptin in fatty tissue, are more at risk of developing breast cancer than others. individuals with a specific genetic variation (polymorphism) in the gene LEP that encodes for leptin, or a polymorphism in the gene LEPR, encoding for its receptor, have an increased risk

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140106675992522442006-02-16T08:17:00.000-08:002006-02-16T08:17:56.566-08:00

Gene databases:GeneEntrez Gene is a searchable database of genes, from RefSeq genomes, and defined by sequence Molecule Pages: A comprehensive signaling databaseThe Molecule Pages is a database of keys facts about proteins involved in cellular signaling. It currently covers over 3,700 proteins.OMIM, Online Mendelian Inheritance in ManThis database is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140049496905677752006-02-15T16:24:00.000-08:002006-02-15T16:25:53.350-08:00

Researchers in the United States and France announced a surprising discovery: a single genetic variation is responsible for 18 to 37 percent of Parkinson's disease cases in Ashkenazi Jews and North African Arabs.The discovery of the gene variation, which researchers think originated in a single person in the Middle East approximately 2,000 years ago, is important in understanding the causes of

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1140047876039017422006-02-15T15:57:00.000-08:002006-02-15T15:57:56.130-08:00

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced the creation of two new, closely related initiatives to speed up research on the causes of common diseases such as asthma, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease.The Genes and Environment Initiative (GEI), a research effort at NIH to combine a type of genetic analysis and environmental technology development to understand the causes

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139859806876976932006-02-13T11:43:00.000-08:002006-02-13T11:43:28.693-08:00

Most people would not choose the sex of their child if given the option, according to a new nationwide survey. The study is the first to examine the demand and preferences for sex selection among the U.S. general population."We found that only 8 percent of people would use pre-implantation sex selection for non-medical reasons," said Dr. Tarun Jain, assistant professor of reproductive

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139795384422532212006-02-12T17:49:00.000-08:002006-02-12T17:53:05.460-08:00

When otherwise normal DNA adopts an unusual shape called Z-DNA, it can lead to the kind of genetic instability associated with cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.Interestingly, these sequences prone to forming Z-DNA are often found in genetic “hot spots,” areas of DNA known to be prone to the genetic

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139512644163162612006-02-09T11:17:00.000-08:002006-02-09T11:18:34.656-08:00

By Tony FitzpatrickA new, more robust analysis of recently derived human gene trees by Alan R. Templeton, Ph.D, of Washington University in St Louis, shows three distinct major waves of human migration out of Africa instead of just two, and statistically refutes — strongly — the 'Out of Africa' replacement theory.That theory holds that populations of Homo sapiens left Africa 100,000 years ago and

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139511932402505022006-02-09T11:05:00.000-08:002006-02-09T11:05:32.406-08:00

Nutrigenomics experts worldwide have aligned, and they are calling for teamwork. José Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University joined more than eighty other leading researchers in the fields of nutrition and genetics to co-author a report outlining their strategy for maximizing the impact of

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139511448188601852006-02-09T10:57:00.000-08:002006-02-09T10:57:28.246-08:00

Two obese people follow the same low-calorie diet and do not exercise, but one loses much more weight than the other. Genetic factors may explain this phenomenon, according to Jose Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139245677593698792006-02-06T09:07:00.000-08:002006-02-06T09:07:57.690-08:00

Good article in NYT by Jennifer Alserver with basics about tracing your ancestry using DNA analysis:The DNA tests have limitations, showing only small slices of genetic history.Here is why: a popular test, the Y-DNA, analyzes the Y chromosome that is passed virtually unchanged for generations from father to son. The test, which can be taken only by men, examines just one branch of a family tree:

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139020463272165332006-02-03T18:34:00.000-08:002006-02-03T18:34:23.390-08:00

The Tokyo High Court refused Wednesday to recognize a girl conceived using sperm taken from a man before he died of illness as his, upholding a lower court decision.The way the girl came to be born "significantly deviates" from natural reproduction and there is no common social recognition accepting reproduction assisted by in vitro medical technology, Presiding Judge Kimio Miyazaki said in

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139016134494265142006-02-03T17:22:00.000-08:002006-02-03T17:23:51.856-08:00

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Minnesota have discovered a gene mutation in the descendants of Abraham Lincoln’s grandparents that suggests the Civil War president himself might have also suffered from a disease that destroys nerve cells in the cerebellum-- the part of the brain that controls movement. A report on this discovery will appear in the February print issue of

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1139014399795560522006-02-03T16:53:00.000-08:002006-02-03T17:09:03.766-08:00

About five percent of deaths from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) in African Americans can be traced to defects in one gene a research team based at the University of Chicago reports in the February 2006, issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.A specific mutation, called Y1103, in a gene called SCN5A is associated with a dramatic, 24-fold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138819397274710902006-02-01T10:43:00.000-08:002006-02-01T10:50:08.213-08:00

January 26, 2006 — (BRONX, NY) — Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and its Manhattan hospital affiliate, Beth Israel Medical Center, have found that a specific mutation in a single gene is a major cause of Parkinson’s disease among Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews. The report will appear in the January 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.“

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138818761513988062006-02-01T10:32:00.000-08:002006-02-01T10:35:02.986-08:00

Sequence differences in less than 0.2% of the 3-billion-base human genome play a vital role in a bewildering variety of human disease. Today, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Cambridge University's Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, together with international colleagues report in PLoS Genetics their detailed maps of differences implicated in disease as well as

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138817350311954052006-02-01T10:09:00.000-08:002006-02-01T10:15:16.576-08:00

In a study to be published in the February issue of "The Journal of Urology," researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have determined that inheritance of "mitochondrial haplogroup U" is associated with increased risk of prostate and renal cancers.John Petros, MD, associate professor of Urology at Emory, led the study with colleagues from Emory and the Mercer University School of

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138816253748030212006-02-01T09:50:00.000-08:002006-02-01T09:54:03.190-08:00

A risk gene for bipolar disorder has been shown for the first time by a team including researchers from University of New South Wales and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.The research found those who have a particular form of this gene are twice as likely to develop the condition.Bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic-depressive illness, affects two in every 100 people, with mood

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138814802712298602006-02-01T09:26:00.000-08:002006-02-01T09:28:07.786-08:00

In a study published in the American journal, Public Library of Science Genetics, Psychology Prof. Richard P. Ebstein and his research associates have shown, through DNA examination, that dancers show consistent differences in two key genes from the general population. Ebstein is the head of the Hebrew University Psychology Department's Scheinfeld Center for Human Genetics in the Social

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138811493714275952006-02-01T08:31:00.000-08:002006-02-01T08:48:59.440-08:00

"Most people don’t realize that genes make up a very small percentage of the human DNA code," said Joseph M. Miano, Ph.D., senior author of a Genome Research journal paper and associate professor within the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Genes are relatively straightforward compared to what lies ahead. We believe that the real genetic gymnastics,

Prospectorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08789791369325078777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21776934.post-1138745615555412982006-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:002006-01-31T14:48:39.790-08:00

First post for personal genomics

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