Effects of Pollution on Baby's Sex

 

A recent study may have found evidence that suggest pollution exposure of all things may influence the sex of a pregnant woman's child. The research team was able to link exposure of pollutants like iron, lead, mercury, carbon monoxide, aluminum and polychlorinated biphenyls in the air to altering the sex of an unborn child. Some water pollutants like chromium and arsenic were also discovered. While the pollutants aren't directly changing the sex of the child, they are adversely affecting survival rates of human embryos, and the nature of the pollutants actually favor harming one sex over the other. In other words unborn females may be resistant to some pollutants that kill off the males and vice versa. 

Additional Links:

https://www.edf.org/health/health-impacts-air-pollution

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2021/12/02/air-pollution-sex-ratio-birth-study/5881638459053/

UK Allows Development of Gene-Edited Crops to Fight Climate Change

Britain's government recently approved plants to allow researchers to use gene-editing techniques to develop crops that yield more, are more resistant to pests, and cut greenhouse emissions. This promising  type of biotechnology  is designed to quickly and precisely introduce new or altered genes to exchange poor plant characteristics, for more favorable ones. In countries across the globe gene edited crops have already been created like non-browning mushrooms, low-nicotine tobacco, as well as herbicide tolerant soybeans and corn. With the UK joining this field, even more amazing crops are expected to emerge in the coming years. 

Additional Links:

https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2021-09-29/uk-permits-development-of-gene-edited-crops-in-climate-fight

https://issues.org/regulating-gene-edited-crops/

Gene Therapy in Mice Shows Evidence of New Parkinson's Disease Treatment

Levodopa is a dopamine precursor used in the management of Parkinson's disease. The use of levodopa can alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson's, like slow movements and stiff rigid body parts. Unfortunately, as Parkinson's advances into the late stages, levodopa's effectiveness diminishes. Recently however, a Northwestern University team found that by using gene therapy to target the brain region in mice where the neurons are affected by Parkinson's, levodopa's effectiveness was increased. The gene therapy worked by restoring the neurons' ability to convert levodopa to dopamine, allowing more normal brain functions to take place. Unfortunately, animal research may not always be applicable to humans, and further testing needs to be done. A secondary discover of the research found that in mice, damage to the mitochondria in  dopamine-releasing neurons trigger the onset of Parkinson's disease. This discovery may allow doctors to identify signs and diagnose Parkinson's at earlier stages. As such therapy can be employed to slow the disease progression.

Additional Link:

https://asgct.org/research/news/april-2020/parkinsons-disease-awareness-month

Rare Gene Found Among Amish Populations Help Protect Against Heart Disease

 

Researchers have found a rare gene variant among Amish people that may provide protective effects against heart disease. In this study the researchers explain that among 7,000 Amish individuals studied, some contain a gene variant tied to reduction in LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen. This cholesterol is colloquially named "Bad cholesterol" as it collects in the walls of blood vessels and can lead to heart attacks and strokes if high concentrations are found in the bloodstream. Fibrinogen is a protein marker of inflammation, and can lead to heart disease in some cases. As such, lowered amounts of these two compounds would lead to less heart disease risk. 

The researchers analyzed about 6,900 members of an Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Of these individuals, 6% carried the gene variant called B4GALT1, which lowered LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen levels.  While 6% is exceedingly rare, the discovery of this gene may prove useful in development of heart disease treatments in the future. A lot of works still needs to be done, like the gene variant's mechanism of action, as well as if it has any negative effects. However, once these variables are determined, there may be hope of developing heart disease treatments using this information. 

Additional links:

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/life-after-a-heart-attack/lifestyle-changes-for-heart-attack-prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/ldl_hdl.htm

Cancer Causing Mutations in Individuals Over 60.

 

Recent research suggest that completely healthy seniors may be at risk of developing cancer due to cellular mutation. This study found that by age 60, 100 billion cells in a person's body have at least one cancer causing mutation. By performing a meta-analysis of previously public sequencing data on normal tissues, the researcher were able to categorize the mutations that occur in a senior citizens body. Despite the grim statistics, the vast majority of these mutations found, have no effect on the body, and most people will go their entire lives without a cancer diagnosis. As such, these findings should not elicit panic for older people, but should shed light on the fact that these mutations should be further studied.

Additional Links:

https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Oncogene

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/age-and-cancer

LentiGlobin Gene Therapy and the Cure for Sickle Cell Disease

Clinical Trial results published on December 12 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine show that a newly developed gene therapy coined "LentiGlobin" has been able to restore normal blood function in 35 sickle cell patients. Through this one-time procedure, these patients are now producing stable amounts of normal red blood cells containing healthy hemoglobin. Similarly, these patients have reported that they no longer suffer the sever pain attacks common with sickle cell disease. 

In this therapy, stem cells are removed from a person's bone marrow, exposed to a virus that inserts into these stem cells a healthy copy of the functioning hemoglobin gene. Simultaneously as these procedure is being done, the patient is treated with chemotherapy to kill off their bone marrow. The lab-repaired stem cells are then implanted and the patient can start producing healthy hemoglobin and thus healthy red blood cells. 

There are still some health concerns with this procedure however. One of the first patients ever treated with LentiGlobin developed leukemia five years after the procedure and died. While it is not concrete is LentiGlobin caused the leukemia, the safety of treated patients is always a top concern. As such for a while, this treatment will likely take much time to get approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, and when approved, will likely be very expensive.

Other links:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006497119311772

https://investor.bluebirdbio.com/news-releases/news-release-details/bluebird-bio-presents-new-data-lentiglobin-gene-therapy-sickle

Highly Inbred, French Bulldogs Face Higher Odds for 20 Health Issues

While adorable and very lovable, French Bulldogs bred today are facing increasing health risks due to lack of genetic variation that comes with inbreeding. Researchers reported on December 16, 2021 in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics, that French bulldogs have significantly higher odds than other dog breeds to be diagnosed with 20 canine disorders and illnesses. Unfortunately these higher odds are much higher than other dog breeds. For instance, French bulldogs are 42 times more likely to have narrowed nostrils, 30 times more likely to suffer from obstructed airways, 14 times more likely to have ear discharge, 11 times more likely to have skinfold dermatitis, 9 times more likely to have birthing difficulties due to their pelvis shape, 3 times more likely to have respiratory tract and spinal cord disorders, 2 times more likely to have brain disorders, and 2 times more likely to have reproductive disorders. It is of little debate that these bulldogs are incredibly cute, but the demand and popularity of the breed requires breeders to heavily inbreed, leading to many detrimental health effects for the French bulldogs.  

Other useful links:

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-20/highly-inbred-french-bulldogs-face-higher-odds-for-20-health-issues

https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/french-bulldog.html

Genetic Variant Discovered in Amish Protects from Heart Disease

 

The study of a gene variant found in the history of amish people shows that it can actually lower levels of fibrinogen and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol both of which increase risk of heart disease. The study showed that there is a correlation between the missense mutation in the enzyme coding gene B4GALTI and heart health. This was further confirmed in mice. By studying the genomes of the Old Order Amish, researchers can more easily spot variants that may have disappeared in larger populations over time. This is because the amish are a smaller population with less genetic diversity. The study was performed on a bigger scale with the variant and it showed similar results with reduction in components that lead to heart disease. While this may seem promising, there is still years worth of work left to determine if this variant leads to any other potential harmful effects. The reason behind why this occurs is unknown as well. Nonetheless, more research will be done to possibly turn this discovery into a new pharmaceutical target.