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"...projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research..." - Sarah Palin
Observatory: Variations in Perception of Bitter Go Way Back
By HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times, August 18, 2009
Some people can’t perceive bitter tastes very well. Now a study from Spain shows that some Neanderthals were in the same boat.
Bitter taste perception in humans has been studied most thoroughly with a bitter-tasting chemical, PTC, that is related to compounds in Brussels sprouts and similar foods. About one-quarter of people don’t taste PTC.
A gene, TAS2R38, encodes proteins that are part of taste receptors on the tongue. There are several variants of the gene, a dominant “taster” type and a recessive “nontaster” type, which occur with about the same frequency. Only if a person inherits a recessive type from both parents would she be unable to taste PTC.
( Read More )
Patient Money: The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease
By LESLEY ALDERMAN, The New York Times, August 15, 2009
YOU would think that after Kelly Oram broke more than 10 bones and experienced chronic stomach problems for most of his life, someone (a nurse? a doctor?) might have wondered if something fundamental was wrong with his health. But it wasn’t until Mr. Oram was in his early 40s that a doctor who was treating him for a neck injury became suspicious and ordered tests, including a bone scan.
It turned out that Mr. Oram, a music teacher who lives in White Plains, had celiac disease, an underdiagnosed immune disorder set off by eating foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Celiac disease damages the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. Victims may suffer from mild to serious malnutrition and a host of health problems, including anemia, low bone density and infertility. Celiac affects one out of 100 people in the United States, but a majority of those don’t know they have the disease, said Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who has been studying the disease for two decades. The disease can be detected by a simple blood test, followed by an endoscopy to check for damage to the small intestine.
( Read More )
Mutation Tied to Need for Less Sleep Is Discovered
By TARA PARKER-POPE, The New York Times, August 14, 2009
Researchers have found a genetic mutation in two people who need far less sleep than average, a discovery that might open the door to understanding human sleep patterns and lead to treatments for insomnia and other sleep disorders.
The finding, published in the Friday issue of the journal Science, marks the first time scientists have identified a genetic mutation that relates to sleep duration in any animal or human.
Although the mutation has been identified in only two people, the power of the research stems from the fact that the shortened sleep effect was replicated in mouse and fruit-fly studies. As a result, the research now gives scientists a clearer sense of where to look for genetic traits linked to sleep patterns.
( Read More )
Observatory: Variations in Perception of Bitter Go Way Back
By HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times, August 18, 2009
Some people can’t perceive bitter tastes very well. Now a study from Spain shows that some Neanderthals were in the same boat.
Bitter taste perception in humans has been studied most thoroughly with a bitter-tasting chemical, PTC, that is related to compounds in Brussels sprouts and similar foods. About one-quarter of people don’t taste PTC.
A gene, TAS2R38, encodes proteins that are part of taste receptors on the tongue. There are several variants of the gene, a dominant “taster” type and a recessive “nontaster” type, which occur with about the same frequency. Only if a person inherits a recessive type from both parents would she be unable to taste PTC.
( Read More )Patient Money: The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease
By LESLEY ALDERMAN, The New York Times, August 15, 2009
YOU would think that after Kelly Oram broke more than 10 bones and experienced chronic stomach problems for most of his life, someone (a nurse? a doctor?) might have wondered if something fundamental was wrong with his health. But it wasn’t until Mr. Oram was in his early 40s that a doctor who was treating him for a neck injury became suspicious and ordered tests, including a bone scan.
It turned out that Mr. Oram, a music teacher who lives in White Plains, had celiac disease, an underdiagnosed immune disorder set off by eating foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Celiac disease damages the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. Victims may suffer from mild to serious malnutrition and a host of health problems, including anemia, low bone density and infertility. Celiac affects one out of 100 people in the United States, but a majority of those don’t know they have the disease, said Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who has been studying the disease for two decades. The disease can be detected by a simple blood test, followed by an endoscopy to check for damage to the small intestine.
( Read More )Mutation Tied to Need for Less Sleep Is Discovered
By TARA PARKER-POPE, The New York Times, August 14, 2009
Researchers have found a genetic mutation in two people who need far less sleep than average, a discovery that might open the door to understanding human sleep patterns and lead to treatments for insomnia and other sleep disorders.
The finding, published in the Friday issue of the journal Science, marks the first time scientists have identified a genetic mutation that relates to sleep duration in any animal or human.
Although the mutation has been identified in only two people, the power of the research stems from the fact that the shortened sleep effect was replicated in mouse and fruit-fly studies. As a result, the research now gives scientists a clearer sense of where to look for genetic traits linked to sleep patterns.
( Read More )
