Monthly Archives: July 2016

Human gut microbes have an impact on host serum metabolome and insulin sensitivity

Posted on July 31, 2016 by DWN

We continue to learn, more and more every week/month, how important the gut microbiome is, with regard to human health and fighting disease. Insulin resistance is a forerunner state of ischemic cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes (T2D). In the attached … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Human gut microbes have an impact on host serum metabolome and insulin sensitivity

Regular consumption of the artificial calorie-free sweetener sucralose causes animals to overeat

Posted on July 31, 2016 by DWN

There are anecdotal stories from friends and relatives about diet sweeteners causing weight gain (from overeating) and also mental depression. Now comes a recent study involving some data about overeating caused by sucralose. “Non-nutritive” sweeteners such as sucralose are consumed … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics, Gene Nomenclature | Comments Off on Regular consumption of the artificial calorie-free sweetener sucralose causes animals to overeat

New technique divides each hemisphere of the brain into 180 distinct cortical regions; of these, 97 have never been described before

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

This lay summary article on Medscape.com this past week precedes the appearance of the Nature journal article by several weeks. Medscape Medical News > Psychiatry New Brain Map Charts Fresh Territory Megan Brooks July 21, 2016 http://img.medscape.com/thumbnail_library/dt_160415_brain_child_800x600.jpg Brain Imaging ‘Growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on New technique divides each hemisphere of the brain into 180 distinct cortical regions; of these, 97 have never been described before

Imputing Phenotypes for Genome-wide Association Studies

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have been successful in detecting variants correlated with phenotypes of clinical interest––including environmental diseases––almost all of which represent multifactorial traits. The power to detect these variants, however, depends on the number of individuals whose phenotypes are … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Imputing Phenotypes for Genome-wide Association Studies

Humans, chimpanzees, and some of the other apes tend to seek out the state of drunkenness

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

Humans aren’t the only animals that can appreciate a stiff drink. Or three or five drinks. According to a new study,the slow loris and the aye-aye (two primates) seek out the most alcoholic nectar available––when presented with a choice. Slow … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Humans, chimpanzees, and some of the other apes tend to seek out the state of drunkenness

Associations between Recreational and Commuter Cycling, Changes in Cycling, and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

The aim of this study [attached] was to examine prospective associations between recreational and commuter cycling, changes in cycling habits, and risk of type-2 diabetes (T2D) in Danish adults from the Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study. At baseline (from … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Associations between Recreational and Commuter Cycling, Changes in Cycling, and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Detection and interpretation of shared genetic influences on 42 human traits (pleiotropy)

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

Genes that affect multiple, apparently unrelated, phenotypes (e.g. environmental diseases, multifactorial traits) are called pleiotropic genes, and the phenomenon is termed “pleiotropy.”  Authors in the attached main article analyze and identify hundreds of loci that are associated with multiple traits … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Detection and interpretation of shared genetic influences on 42 human traits (pleiotropy)

Copper delivery to the CNS by CuATSM effectively treats motor neuron disease in SOD^G93A mice co-expressing the Copper-Chaperone-for-SOD protein (CCS)

Posted on July 25, 2016 by DWN

Over-expression of a mutant copper, zinc (Cu,Zn)-superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the SODG93A mouse induces ALS and has become the most widely used laboratory animal model of neurodegeneration. However, no pharmaceutical agent in 20 years has extended lifespan by more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Copper delivery to the CNS by CuATSM effectively treats motor neuron disease in SOD^G93A mice co-expressing the Copper-Chaperone-for-SOD protein (CCS)

The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis: What role might the microbiome play in our current ASD epidemic in the Western world?

Posted on July 12, 2016 by DWN

As a pediatrician, I recall having seen one bona fide case of “autism” (as this clinical phenotype was defined at that time) in a 4-year-old boy, out of perhaps 10,000 patients with whom I had direct, or indirect, contact during … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis: What role might the microbiome play in our current ASD epidemic in the Western world?

Evolution of gene regulation: Tx factors, but not enhancers, found in Capsaspora, but both found in Nematostella

Posted on July 10, 2016 by DWN

The origin of all animals, from humans to sponges and comb jellies and socialists, can be traced back to a major event in evolutionary history: the transition to multi-cellularity. This transition was no doubt shaped by environmental changes––such as rising … Continue reading →

Posted in Center for Environmental Genetics | Comments Off on Evolution of gene regulation: Tx factors, but not enhancers, found in Capsaspora, but both found in Nematostella