DNA

Coffee Cravings May Spring From Your DNA

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Genes appear to influence how much caffeine you need

Anybody up for a steaming cup of Joe? Turns out your DNA may hold the answer.

New research suggests that your genes influence how much coffee you drink.

Researchers analyzed genetic data from more than 1,200 people in Italy, who were asked how much coffee they drank each day.

Those with a gene variant called PDSS2 drank one cup less a day on average than those without the variation, the investigators found.

Research involving more than 1,700 people in the Netherlands yielded similar findings, according to the study authors.

The findings suggest that PDSS2 reduces cells’ ability to break down caffeine. That means it stays in the body longer.

The upshot: People with the gene variant don’t need as much coffee to get the same caffeine hit as those without it, the researchers said.

“The results of our study add to existing research suggesting that our drive to drink coffee may be embedded in our genes,” said study author Nicola Pirastu. He is a chancellor’s fellow at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

“We need to do larger studies to confirm the discovery and also to clarify the biological link between PDSS2 and coffee consumption,” Pirastu added in a university news release.

By Robert Preidt

Source: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_160628.html

Starvation effects pass on to next 3 generations

Starvation effects pass on to next 3 generations

Starvation may affect the health of at least the next three generations, says a study.

“Events like the Dutch famine of World War II have compelled scientists to take a fresh look at acquired inheritance,” said Oliver Hobert from the Columbia University Medical Centre in the US.

Starving women who gave birth during the famine had children who were unusually susceptible to obesity and other metabolic disorders, as were their grandchildren.

Starvation induces changes in the cell structure, specifically in the RNAs (Ribonucleic acid) and these changes are passed on for at least three generations, the findings showed.

The research team starved roundworms for six days and then examined their cells for molecular changes.

The starved roundworms were found to have a specific set of small RNAs which persisted for at least three generations, even though the worms were fed normal diet.

The researchers also found that these small RNAs target genes with roles in nutrition.

The study was published in the journal Cell.

Source: business standard

Sunscreen that protects DNA from UV rays

Sunscreen that protects DNA from UV rays

The experiment at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory focused on thymine, one of four DNA building blocks.

Ever heard of a molecular sunscreen? It is a defence mechanism that the molecular building blocks that make up DNA mount to prevent the damage by ultraviolet rays, reveals new research.

The DNA forming molecules absorb ultraviolet light so strongly that sunlight should deactivate them. But a “relaxation response” protects these molecules and the genetic information they encode from UV damage, the researchers said.

The experiment at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory focused on thymine, one of four DNA building blocks.

Researchers hit thymine with a short pulse of ultraviolet light and used a powerful X-ray laser to watch the molecule’s response.

A single chemical bond stretched and snapped back into place within 200 quadrillionths of a second, setting off a wave of vibrations that harmlessly dissipated the destructive UV energy.

Researchers had noticed years ago that thymine seemed resistant to damage from UV rays in sunlight, which cause sunburn and skin cancer.

Theorists proposed that thymine got rid of the UV energy by quickly shifting shape.

But they differed on the details, and previous experiments could not resolve what was happening.

“As soon as the thymine swallows the light, the energy is funnelled as quickly as possible into heat, rather than into making or breaking chemical bonds,” said lead researcher Markus Guehr from Stanford University in the US.

“It is like a system of balls connected by springs; when you elongate that one bond between two atoms and let it loose, the whole molecule starts to tremble,” he explained.

The findings appeared in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: Khaleej times

New device may put DNA testing in doctors’ hands

handheld-genetic-test

It can take days for doctors to determine if a patient infected with malaria carries a drug-resistant version of the disease. The same is true of tuberculosis.

But a new testing device could reduce that time lag to 15 minutes, potentially helping to ensure that patients are correctly treated right away, says the company developing this device.

United Kingdom company QuantuMDX now has a working prototype for a device intended to quickly test a sample of blood, sputum (saliva mixed with mucus) or even tumor cells for genetic markers that provide information to guide a doctor’s decisions on how to treat a patient.

“We want to put a full diagnostic test into the palms of health professionals’ hands,” said Elaine Warburton, chief executive officer of QuantuMDX and the companys cofounder.

The prototype is about the size of an iPad 5, or 6.6 by 9.4 inches (17 by 24 centimeters), but thicker. In about six months, Warburton said she anticipates the device will be reduced to about the size of an iPad mini, 5.3 by 7.9 in. (13 by 200 cm).

The device, currently known as Q-POC (pronounced Q-pock), is still a long way from being used in the clinic. The company still has work to do on the cartridges for use with the handheld prototype, and it needs to run clinical trials testing the device, followed by regulatory approval from bodies such as FDA, Warburton told LiveScience in an email.

Earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jonathan O’Halloran, inventor of the technology and the company’s cofounder, announced plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is expected to begin on Feb. 12 on the site Indigogo.com, to support further development of the Q-POC. The company is also interested in suggestions for a new name and design for the device, Warburton said.

If all goes well, QuantuMDX anticipates commercially launching the device and malaria test cartridge in Africa in 2015, she said.

Source: Fox news

Foods with Zinc can fight Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is an escalating issue in the United States, and there are no signs of this health ailment diminishing. According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million adults and children have diabetes in the U.S. That is 7.8% of the population according to the latest data formed from 2007, and 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Luckily, there are many natural remedies that may aid in suppressing the negative effects of diabetes. Many of these remedies may completely cure or prevent diabetes when used properly.

Research shows that zinc, an essential trace element responsible for more than 300 enzyme functions, can aid in normalizing the negative effects of diabetes mellitus. According to the study, zinc has been shown to mitigate the harmful effects of diabetes by improving glycemic control in type I and type II diabetes. Many of the enzyme systems in which zinc is a necessity for are involved with the metabolism of blood sugar, and therefore make zinc a natural catalyst for insulin secretion.

The pancreas is an endocrine gland responsible for producing hormones like glucagon, somatostatin, and–you guessed it–insulin. The beta cells that secrete insulin in your pancreas are also highly stored with zinc. Without the high concentrations of zinc, the beta cells suffer. Luckily, beta cells are equipped with their own special transporter called ‘zinc transporter 80, which makes it easy for the beta cells to store the zinc. However, it is known that any metamorphosis of the genes in the zinc transporter 8 causes type 2 diabetes. It is also now known that antibodies against the zinc transporter are present in type 1 diabetic patients, which means that these antibodies are associated with type 1 diabetes.

It is no wonder why zinc is as popular as it is for supplementation. In addition to mending the difficulties brought on by diabetes, zinc also serves to maintain a healthy immune system, controls hair loss, halts impotence, improves brain function, prevents loss of taste or smell, and much more. Although supplementation is a viable option to obtain the amount of zinc that you need, it is not the only option thanks to the abundant amount of foods rich in zinc that are available to the general public. To reap the many benefits of zinc, one could include any of the following foods into their diet:

Wheat Germ
Sesame Flour and Tahini
Low Fat Roast Beef
Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds
Dried Water Melon Seeds
Cocoa Powder and Chocolate
Peanuts
Almonds
Avocado
Bananas
Cashew
Cheese
Chickpeas (including hummus and falafel)
Crab, Dungeness
Cucumber
Fish
Kiwi Fruit
Lettuce
Lima Beans
Olives
Onion

Source: Information center

New method could help in early detection of colon cancer

Bettina Scholtka, said that tumour cells are released into stool from the surface of precancers and early-stage colon cancers

Scientists have found a new method to detect genetic variations that initiate colon cancer could be readily used for non-invasive colon cancer screening.

Bettina Scholtka, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Nutritional Toxicology at the University of Potsdam in Nuthetal, Germany, said that tumour cells are released into stool from the surface of precancers and early-stage colon cancers, but detecting a cancer-initiating genetic mutation among a large quantity of normal DNA from a patient’s stool is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Scholtka said that by combining for the first time locked nucleic acid-based, wild-type blocking polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting, we were able to achieve the desired sensitivity.

Scholtka and colleagues used 80 human colon tissue samples representing cancers and precancers to detect genetic variations using a combination of two techniques: The first technique — locked nucleic acid (LNA)-based, wild-type blocking (WTB) polymerase chain reaction — suppressed normal DNA present in large quantities in the sample; and the second technique — high-resolution melting (HRM) — enhanced the detection of genetic variations.

The researchers were able to detect APC variations in 41 of the 80 samples. They were also able to detect previously unknown variations in APC. In contrast, the routinely used technique called direct sequencing could detect variations only in 28 samples.

They then analyzed 22 stool samples from patients whose colon tissues had APC variations, and nine stool samples from patients whose colon tissues did not have APC variations, as controls. They were able to detect APC variations in 21 out of 22 samples.

The study has been published in Cancer Prevention Research.