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Risk-free Down Syndrome test available soon
Smooth penis, bigger brain
Brain scan predicts who stays on the wagon
Good news for future parents: within two years a new improved blood test will be available, which can tell you whether your unborn child has Down syndrome. The test is supposed to be easy to use, cheap and risk-free. Currently, Down syndrome can only be detected using two fairly invasive procedures: ‘amniocentesis’ and ‘chorionic villus sampling. ’ Both tests are up to 80 percent accurate, and carry a one to two percent risk of miscarriage. Because of this, only ten percent of all pregnant women opts for either of them. A recent study, published in Nature Medicine, brings out a risk free alternative. Researcher Dr. Phillipos Patsalis, chief executive medical director of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, took blood samples from pregnant women and mothers of Down syndrome and healthy babies. In each case, the test quickly pinpointed the chromosomal variation, identifying fourteen Down syndrome cases and 26 normal fetuses. With the new test Down syndrome can be identified in the 11th week of pregnancy; early enough to end the pregnancy if the parents choose to do so. According to Patsalis, the test could become standard practice if larger clinical trials confirm the results, “The cost is much lower than the invasive procedures. We estimate this can be introduced to clinical practice in a couple of years.”
Having a smooth penis should not be taken for granted, new research suggests. If it hadn’t been for evolution, men would still have penises studded with small, hard spines. And, as if this weren’t enough, a significantly smaller brain. Scientists from Stanford University have found an molecular mechanism that explains the difference between the human genome and those of primates. By looking at what has been deleted from the human genome rather than what is present, researchers discovered 510 pieces of DNA that are still present in the genomes of primates, but not (anymore) in humans. One of these pieces is responsible for the spines on a monkey’s penis. Other parts which were only found in the primates’ genome, result in them having smaller brains and, in some cases, whiskers. The scientists have been widely praised for their unusual, but very effective approach. “It is a small but fascinating part of a bigger picture about the evolution of human-specific traits,” said Gill Bejerano, a developmental biologist at Stanford who led the work along with colleague David Kingsley. “We add a molecular perspective to a discussion that has been going on for several decades at least.”
Smokers who’d like to quit should not be buying expensive nicotine patches or gum, but get themselves a brain scan instead. According to a study recently published in Nature Neuroscience, brain scans showing neural reactions to pro-health messages can predict if you’ll keep that resolution to quit smoking. During the research, the participants’ brain activity was measured whilst having them listen to personal messages put together based on individual interviews, such as ‘your sister will help you quit smoking’ or ‘you are afraid you’ll start smoking again once you get angry or upset.’ After the experiment, the participants had to quit smoking. Four months later, they were checked up on. As in turned out, the ones who had shown the most brain activity while hearing the messages, were more likely to stay on the wagon. According to leading author Hannah Faye Chua, the results can bring us one step closer to the ability to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in order to select the messages that are most likely to affect behaviour change. “If you can imagine that people who create fast food or who sell cigarettes are doing this in an effort to convey a stronger message, we really need to better understand the ways our health messages can be more effective.”