Use of Worms Helps With Coding of the Human Alcoholism Gene

      In today's society, the use of alcohol to soothes ones nerves and calm them down is prevalent. Some people are actually susceptible to being dependent on alcohol. Alcoholics cannot set limits to their drinking. Geneticists and experts on addiction have a goal of being able to test whether or not a persons genetic makeup puts them at a risk for becoming alcohol dependent. Scientists have not been able to identify a single gene that makes people dependent on alcohol, but they do agree that it is a mixture of environmental factors and genetic makeup. This could explain why alcoholism runs in families. Research done at Virginia Commonwealth University has led to the discovery of a genetic variation in germs, that influenced alcohol tolerance. The study involved researchers giving worms ethanol and observing them when they were in a state of intoxication. Particularly, the scientists paid close attention to the worms' locomotion. Variations in locomotion were dependent the activity of or, lack of, the protein complex called 'switching defective/sucrose non-fermenting' or SWI/SNF. This complex is found in every animal. The results showed that this gene made worms more tolerant to the ethanol than other worms. The precise nature of how the protein influences alcohol dependence isn't clearly understood. But, one thing of significance to the SWI/SNF protein is that it influences how DNA is wrapped, which also can influence other genes. 

     In this day and age, understanding the effects and how to prevent alcohol dependence is important to many peoples well-being. Excessive drinking is common on college campuses and many young adults are loosing their lives over it. Understanding this gene and how it influences an individuals drinking habit could go a long way in saving someones life. Pharmacological treatments do exist today for this issue, but they are widely ineffective. This raises the significance of this research as a possible viable medicine could result from it.

Link1: http://www.insidescience.org/content/drunken-worms-could-help-decode-alcoholism-genetics/2741
Link2: http://www.pnas.org/content/112/10/3032.full.pdf

Are You Gluten-Free?

Celiac disease is characterized by a food allergy to products containing gluten, a main component in wheat. Individuals plagued with this disease often suffer from chronic vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Sounds horrible, right? To reduce this agony, suffers are forced to follow a strict diet regimen avoiding all foods containing even the scarcest amount of wheat. Interestingly enough, this past year doctors and researchers have announced that there is a new, non-celiac gluten sensitivity condition arising in individuals across the nation. Diagnostics, long-term side effects, and complete epidemiological statistics are still not entirely known. However, there have been more and more cases involving individuals eliminating wheat and gluten products from their diets and seeing major improvements including: weight loss, reduced fatigue, clearer skin, and decrease in pre-existing food allergies. Skeptically, all of the reported positive side-effects could just be results of increased exercise, different dietary changes, and several other environmental factors. Until further medical research can confirm these results to be valid and reliable, it is suggested to remain consuming gluten normally if it does not adversely give physical symptoms.

[A gluten-free diet] is not a healthier diet for those who don’t need it,” Dr. Guandalini, [medical director at the University of Chicago's Celiac Disease Center] said. These people “are following a fad, essentially.” He added, “And that’s my biased opinion.”

Historically, gluten was only introduced 10,000 years ago into normal diets, following the rise of agriculture and farming of wheat. This can evolutionary explain why some may develop a gluten sensitivity, considering that our most primitive ancestors were never exposed to the substance. Gluten's main proteins are glutenin and gliadin, and gliadin contains "repeating patterns of amino acids that the human digestive system cannot break down." Sufferers of Celiac disease have genetic mutations which causes intestinal villi to atrophy in the presence of these proteins.  Researchers and geneticists are analyzing gliadin antibody blood samples in individuals with this new, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and are trying their hardest to find answers. Unfortunately, blood tests are of little value as they only "indicate the presence of the fragments in the blood, which can occur for a variety of reasons and do not necessarily indicate a chronic illness." It's safe to say that permanently treating this arising condition, like many others, will still have to wait until further genetic sequencing and medical research are preformed.

[For more on this article and topic, check out the following links: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/& http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain?page=2 ]