Alcohol and a Polymorphism of the Monoamine Oxidase A Gene Predict Impulsive Violence
from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
The monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene is an outer membrane mitochondrial enzyme that breaks down monoamines such as serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine. A common polymorphism in MAOA results in high- or low-activity MAOA, and both genotypes have been linked to aggression and violence. A Finnish study has found that drinking and high-activity MAOA can predict the risk of impulsive violence, while aging may decrease this risk. More

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease: Problems and Solutions
from Medscape
The development of clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease has been instrumental in identifying and reducing variations in the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and iron replacement. Challenges to the effectiveness and safety of recommendations made in these guidelines were magnified when recent clinical trials showed no benefit or harm with respect to cardiovascular outcomes in subjects randomized to higher target hemoglobin levels. More

Behind a Face Transplant Breakthrough
from Time magazine
It can take just an instant to fall in love with a face; it can take a lifetime to forget one. Now it has taken a team of eight surgeons 22 hours to replace one. Sometime during the past two weeks, the clinic successfully performed the world's first near-total facial transplant, lifting a face nearly whole from a recently deceased donor and grafting it onto an anonymous woman who had suffered extreme disfigurement to more than 80 percent of her own face. More

Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER)
from Medscape
Statins are currently recommended for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients. JUPITER was designed to assess whether apparently healthy persons with levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that do not mandate statin treatment, as per current guidelines. More

Natural Immune Response to HIV Not Sufficient to Prevent Secondary Superinfection
from Infection Control Today
Researchers studying the phenomenon known as HIV superinfection have determined that the immune system's initial antibody response may not be sufficient to provide protection against later infection with a different HIV virus, a finding that may have significant implications for HIV vaccine development. They report their findings in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Virology. More

Genentech Petitions FDA to Regulate All Predictive LDTs, Provide Greater 'Clarity'
from The Pharmacogenomics Reporter
Genentech recently petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate all predictive laboratory-developed tests and take a more consistent approach to regulating in vitro diagnostics. The petition requests the FDA to expand its oversight of all predictive LDTs. The group claims the move will help protect the public’s health. More

Male Circumcision may Decrease Risk of HPV Infection and Cervical Cancer
from Science Daily
Two new studies suggest that male circumcision may assist in the prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly infection with the high-risk subtypes associated with cervical, penile, and other cancers. High-risk subtypes of HPV have been estimated to be present in 99.7 percent of cervical cancers worldwide. Evidence has shown that women with circumcised partners have a reduced risk for genital cancer. More

A Coat of Many Proteins May Be This Parasite’s Downfall
from The New York Times
Giardia infections can linger for months because the parasite plays a cunning defense against the body’s immune system. In its genomic wardrobe, it has 190 coats to choose from. As soon as the immune system has generated antibodies against one coat, giardia switches to another More