Twin studies were first proposed over a century ago to separate the relative contributions of nature (genes) and nurture (the environment) in determining a trait/disease. Higher concordance (where both twin pairs are affected) rates between genetically identical (monozygotic, MZ) twins versus non identical (dizygotic, DZ) twins provides evidence for genetic factors determining a disease. In MS...
The Genetics of CCSVI
A recent study published in BMC Medical Genetics () has attempted to study genetic risk factors for CCSVI. The authors investigated copy number variations (CNVs, segments of DNA that differ between people in terms of number of copies) in the HLA region (the region that confers the biggest MS genetic risk) of 15 patients with CCSVI. The authors found that the number of CNVs correlated with the...
Following the sunshine vitamin
This BBC radio show is a great listen. It’s discusses the virtues of Vitamin D, particularly where Britain’s health is concerned. The presenter interviews many leading experts in vitamin D such as Prof. Reinhold Vieth (University of Toronto), Dr. Doug Brown (MS Society) plus many others. It’s a succinct story about the ins and outs of the vitamin and why our low levels of vitamin D are becoming a...