Does Trauma Leave A Signature On Genes? The Idea Is Buzzy, But Evidence Is Circumstantial At Best.
The notion suggests that we genetically inherit some trace of our parents’ and even grandparents’ experiences, particularly their suffering, which in turn modifies our own day-to-day health — and perhaps our children’s, too. But critics contend that the biology implied by such studies simply is not plausible. In other public health news: CRISPR and gene-editing; cookie dough; global warming; genes in animals; diet; screen time for kids; and more.
The New York Times:
Can We Really Inherit Trauma?
In mid-October, researchers in California published a study of Civil War prisoners that came to a remarkable conclusion. Male children of abused war prisoners were about 10 percent more likely to die than their peers were in any given year after middle age, the study reported. The findings, the authors concluded, supported an “epigenetic explanation.” The idea is that trauma can leave a chemical mark on a person’s genes, which then is passed down to subsequent generations. The mark doesn’t directly damage the gene; there’s no mutation. Instead it alters the mechanism by which the gene is converted into functioning proteins, or expressed. The alteration isn’t genetic. It’s epigenetic. (Carey, 12/10)
Stat:
Ethical, Scientific Issues Plagued Paper From 'CRISPR Babies' Team
“CRISPR babies” scientist He Jiankui tried to publish a paper describing additional experiments that made heritable changes in the DNA of human embryos, much like those that led to the birth of the world’s first genome-edited humans. But the paper was rejected by an international journal after outside scientists raised concerns about both its ethics and its scientific validity, STAT has learned. The rejected paper did not report starting a pregnancy with the edited embryos. It is nevertheless one of a tiny handful of experiments editing normal human embryos: a Chinese lab did it in 2017, a U.S. lab followed a few months later, and another Chinese lab did it this summer. And it would make He’s one of only two labs in the world known to have edited human embryos to alter genes for more than one disease. (Begley, 12/10)
The Hill:
Ahead Of Holidays, CDC Issues Warning Against Eating Raw Cookie Dough
Ahead of the holiday season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging consumers not to eat raw cookie dough, cake mix or bread. "When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked," the CDC wrote in a message on its website. (Burke, 12/9)
The New York Times:
The Planet Has Seen Sudden Warming Before. It Wiped Out Almost Everything.
Some 252 million years ago, Earth almost died. In the oceans, 96 percent of all species became extinct. It’s harder to determine how many terrestrial species vanished, but the loss was comparable. This mass extinction, at the end of the Permian Period, was the worst in the planet’s history, and it happened over a few thousand years at most — the blink of a geological eye. (Zimmer, 12/7)
The New York Times:
The Genes That Make Parrots Into The Humans Of The Bird World
A macaw named Poncho starred in movies like “102 Dalmatians,” “Dr. Doolittle” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” before retiring in England. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Alex, an African grey parrot who lived to 31, knew colors, shapes and numbers, and communicated using basic expressions. He could do what toddlers only do after a certain stage of development — know when something is hidden from view. And they’re just two of the many parrots in the world who have surprised us with their intelligence, skills and longevity. (Klein, 12/7)
Stat:
NIH Apologizes For Turning Away Portrait Of Person With Rare Disease
The director of the National Institutes of Health apologized Saturday after a curator at the institute’s hospital objected to hanging one portrait in a scheduled exhibition depicting people with rare diseases, leading the organizers to cancel the show. Dr. Francis Collins called the founder and CEO of the group coordinating the exhibit, Patricia Weltin, on Saturday to apologize. The apology came after an outcry on social media and the publication of a critical opinion piece on STAT by the mother of a child with a rare disease. (Sheridan, 12/9)
WBUR:
More Salt, Fewer Whole Grains: USDA Eases School Lunch Nutrition Rules
The rule will give administrators more leeway in serving up white breads, biscuits, tortillas and white pastas by requiring that only half of the grains served in school meals each week be whole-grain rich. Currently schools are only allowed to serve whole grain-rich breads and pastas unless they get a waiver. (Aubrey, 12/07)
Bloomberg:
Screen Time Changes Structure Of Kids' Brains, `60 Minutes' Says
Smartphones, tablets and video games are physically changing the brains of adolescents, early results from an ongoing $300 million study funded by the National Institute of Health have shown, according to a report by “60 Minutes.” Scientists will follow more than 11,000 nine- to 10-year-olds for a decade to see how childhood experiences impact the brain and affect emotional development and mental health. The first bits of data suggest that the onslaught of tech screens has been transformative for young people -- and maybe not for the better. (Lee, 12/9)
Kaiser Health News:
Even When Not In Rome, Eat A Mediterranean Diet To Cut Heart Disease Risk
Once again, your mother was right. You really do need to eat your vegetables. And while you are at it, put down the bacon and pick up the olive oil, because new research supports the contention that switching to a Mediterranean diet could significantly decrease the risk of heart disease. According to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, people who followed this type of diet had 25 percent less risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the course of 12 years. (Bluth, 12/7)
KQED:
Doctor Detectives Take On Rare Diseases
Individual rare diseases are very uncommon, but taken together into a single category, they afflict one in 20 people. All across the country, teams of medical sleuths are cracking these mystery cases and providing hope for families including some right here in the Bay Area. (McClurg, 12/9)
Tampa Bay Times:
Aspirin Could Be A Weapon Against Ovarian Cancer, Moffitt Researcher Says
Now four new studies out of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa suggest that regular use of the common pain reliever could also be a weapon against ovarian cancer. The studies, published this year in four medical journals, analyzed data collected from several other large studies. (Griffin, 12/7)
PBS NewsHour:
Why Managing Chronic Health Conditions Begins At Home
The recognition that health care extends beyond the walls of hospitals and doctor’s offices is growing. In Greensboro, North Carolina, advocacy groups, sociologists and medical practitioners are taking a creative approach to uncovering the root causes of disease, with a particular focus on poor housing conditions that can lead to chronic illness. (Yang, 12/7)
The New York Times:
Seeking Clues To Longevity In Lonesome George’s Genes
When Lonesome George, the only survivor of the Pinta Island tortoises of the Galápagos, died in 2012, the news landed with a blow. Rationally, people had time to prepare for the reality that George would one day fade away, and with him, an entire lineage. He had lived for a century or more, a common life expectancy for giant tortoises, and all attempts to mate him during his last few decades were unsuccessful. (Yin, 12/8)
The Washington Post:
Right Bronchial Tree Cast: Man Coughs Up Clot In Shape Of His Lung Passage
The patient had come in with heart failure, and physicians at the University of California at San Francisco had an aggressive plan to help. Doctors there inserted a heart pump through his leg artery to flood his organs with blood. But there is a downside to the strategy — clots can form through its use. So doctors gave the unidentified man anticoagulants to thin his blood. But his airways began to seep. (Horton, 12/8)
Bloomberg:
Lawmakers Question U.S. Position On Antibiotic Use In Livestock
A delegation of U.S. government officials is poised to begin meetings in South Korea next week to hash out international guidelines for countering the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals. But the draft is already causing an uproar because it appears to be weaker than current U.S. policy, which allows such drugs to prevent or treat diseases in livestock but not for growth promotion. On Friday, four U.S. senators and one House member, all of them Democrats, raised concerns about the draft in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, whose employees are participating in the negotiations. (Martin, 12/7)
