Twins News and Research

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How do people become depressed? An interview with Anna Watters and Professor Lea Williams, University of Sydney

A clinical diagnosis of depression (i.e. major depressive disorder) is currently defined on the basis of reported symptoms.

19 Feb 2014

Heartier appetite linked to more rapid infant growth, weight gain

A heartier appetite is linked to more rapid infant growth and to genetic predisposition to obesity, according to two papers published in JAMA Pediatrics today (Monday).

18 Feb 2014

Sleep duration impacts on genetic risk of depressive symptoms

Both long and short sleep durations are associated with an increased heritability of depression, study findings show.

17 Feb 2014

Study points to molecular pathway to treat recurring, deadly malignancies

Analyzing the genomes of twin 3-year-old sisters – one healthy and one with aggressive leukemia – led an international team of researchers to identify a novel molecular target that could become a way to treat recurring and deadly malignancies.

9 Feb 2014

Study: Sensitivity to pain could be altered by person's lifestyle and environment

Researchers at King's College London have discovered that sensitivity to pain could be altered by a person's lifestyle and environment throughout their lifetime. The study is the first to find that pain sensitivity, previously thought to be relatively inflexible, can change as a result of genes being switched on or off by lifestyle and environmental factors - a process called epigenetics, which chemically alters the expression of genes.

5 Feb 2014

Research: Shy toddlers delay in speaking but not in understanding

Scientists have known that shy toddlers often have delayed speech, but a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder shows that the lag in using words does not mean that the children don't understand what's being said.

4 Feb 2014

Sub-optimal sleep may activate depressive genes, increase risk for major depression

A genetic study of adult twins and a community-based study of adolescents both report novel links between sleep duration and depression. The studies are published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.

31 Jan 2014

Researchers assess familial risks for MS using population registers, health care registries

Even though multiple sclerosis is largely caused by genetic factors, the risk of patients' relatives developing the disease is lower than previously assumed. This is the conclusion of a new population registry-based study, published in the scientific journal Brain.

22 Jan 2014

Development of physical aggression in toddlers strongly linked with genetic factors

The development of physical aggression in toddlers is strongly associated genetic factors and to a lesser degree with the environment, according to a new study led by Eric Lacourse of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital. Lacourse's worked with the parents of identical and non-identical twins to evaluate and compare their behaviour, environment and genetics.

20 Jan 2014

Study shows wide-ranging variation in patterns of X chromosome inactivation in female mice

Producing brightly speckled red and green snapshots of many different tissues, Johns Hopkins researchers have color-coded cells in female mice to display which of their two X chromosomes has been made inactive, or “silenced.”

10 Jan 2014

High aerobic fitness in late adolescence may reduce heart attack risk later in life

Researchers in Sweden have found an association between a person’s fitness as a teenager and their risk of heart attack in later life. In a study of nearly 750,000 men, they found that the more aerobically fit men were in late adolescence, the less likely they were to have a heart attack 30 or 40 years later.

9 Jan 2014

GRU combines with national Cooperative to improve treatment of reproductive health

Georgia Regents University has joined the national Cooperative Multicenter Reproductive Medicine Network designed to enable large clinical trials that improve the diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health issues such as male and female infertility.

2 Jan 2014

Autoimmune clue to narcolepsy

Researchers have identified immune cells in patients with narcolepsy that react against hypocretin, the lack of which causes the disorder.

20 Dec 2013

New research project to genetically discriminate "identical" monozygotic twins

Eurofins Scientific, a European leader in Genomics Services, Forensics and Paternity Testing, announces a milestone in genetic and forensic research.

10 Dec 2013

Eurofins successfully completes genetic and forensic research project on twins

Eurofins Scientific, one of the global leaders in Genomics Services, announces a research breakthrough in genetic discrimination between identical monozygotic twins.

10 Dec 2013

World AIDS Day: (RED) invites the world to join in fight against AIDS

World AIDS Day marks a time to celebrate how far we've come in the fight to end AIDS, as well as a time to shine a global spotlight on the monumental, historical opportunity now upon us to deliver the world's first AIDS Free Generation in over 30 years.

30 Nov 2013

Caregivers selected to receive the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards

Selflessness, determination, courage and hope. These are among the qualities that describe the eighteen caregivers from around the world who have been selected as recipients of the 2013 Shire BRAVE Awards, an international program that honors the bravery and devotion of non-professional carers.

27 Nov 2013

Researchers identify a group of 39 genes linked with alcoholism

There is good evidence from studies of families and twins that genetics plays an important role in the development of alcoholism. However, hundreds of genes likely are involved in this complex disorder, with each variant contributing only a very small effect. Thus, identifying individual risk genes is difficult.

21 Nov 2013

Habitual dietary intake of monozygotic twins associated with fecal microbiota composition

The establishment of microbial populations in the gastrointestinal-tract is a complex process, involving microbial and host interactions eventually resulting in a dense and stable population.

18 Nov 2013

Multiple pregnancies: A major public health concern worldwide

Multiple pregnancies are a major public health concern in the United States and the rest of the world due to the significantly higher health risks for both mothers and infants, as well as the impact on healthcare costs.

11 Nov 2013