If you’d like to have your blog featured in this weekly series, please leave a comment below.
This week’s featured blog is Myomancy written by Chris Tregenza who first realized he was dyslexic upon attending a summer school for dyslexic children when he was about ten or eleven years old. Myomancy is a treasure trove of information on dyslexia, autism, and ADD/ADHD. Most interestingly, Chris is able to use his personal experience to distinguish what is helpful and useful.
In a recent post on dyslexia as a gift, he wrote:
I’ve never felt dyslexia was a gift. School was hell and …read more

Knowing your family history can help you figure out your risk of certain diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. For example, women with a mother, sister, or daughter who have had breast cancer have twice the risk of breast cancer themselves.
Family history is a good proxy for genetic information, but there are now more than 1,200 types of genetic tests available that will examine your DNA directly. (International Herald Tribune, July 30, 2005) Genetic counselors help you take maximum advantage of genetic testing with a minimum of stress.
The National Society of Genetic …read more

Earlier this week, I gave DIY instructions for how to preserve your own DNA as well as those of family members (and, I suppose, whoever else you can grab). Orchid Cellmark has a morbid, but novel idea of preserving the DNA of loved ones who’ve died. (Orchid Cellmark Press Release, June 20, 2005)
A record of an individual’s DNA can provide a number of safeguards to families — as a possible protection against future estate or lineage issues, as a way to trace family genealogy and identify ancestry, and so families may be able to track more detailed information about …read more

It’s been a week of networking at the Genetics and Public Health Blog. First, the mention at Forbes.com Best of the Web, then Grand Rounds, and now Tangled Bank.
Hosted this time at evolgen, “Submissions to this issue of the Tangled Bank come from the physical sciences, biological sciences, biomedical sciences, and other related fields.” You’ll find my post on infectious disease genetics along with other stimulating science and medicine blog posts – most of which are way over my head.
There sure are a lot of them smart folks out there!

Gene therapy is the hope of the future, but scientists still haven’t overcome the obstacles encountered while delivering DNA into the nuclei of living cells actively doing their job in the human body. Thus far, it has been a challenge trying to get foreign genes to continue functioning for the same amount of time and at the same level as native genes.
One summer at the NIH, my project was to find a way to transfect (deliver DNA into) malaria parasites. Our chosen method was to electrocute the parasites with a high voltage current and hope they’d open up …read more

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the oldest, largest, and (most would say) best school of public health in the world. (It is also my alma mater.) After 15 years, Dr. Al Sommer will be stepping down as dean of the school. The Baltimore Sun asked him about his views on public health. Here’s an excerpt.
What are the most important developments in public health today?
So there is this major thread, that long after we thought infectious diseases were conquered by vaccines and antibiotics, there has been the emergence of these new and potentially …read more

Police in the UK are testing an anti-burglary device manufactured by RedWeb Security that sprays burglars with a red dye mixed with DNA. When activated, an automated sentry sprays the burglar and leaves an indelible stain which manufacturers claim can’t be removed for several days. The stain is a unique “signature” that links the burglar with the crime scene. The same company makes Guarda, a personal safety alarm utilizing the same type of DNA-laced spray.
~Telegraph, July 24, 2005

Roaming around the blogosphere, I’ve been (perhaps naively) surprised to find that there are conservative/right wing and liberal/left wing opinions on highly controversial genetics topics such as race. The conservative side accuses the liberal side of ignoring genetic differences between racial groups, much to the detriment of minority health. The liberal side, of course, relies on the statistic that genetic differences between groups are less than the differences between individuals. Whichever side you’re on, one thing is clear – the quality and effectiveness of health care varies depending on your race. (RedNova, July 22, 2005)
A recent …read more

The University at Albany School of Public Health is hosting a genetics and public health conference, Integrating Genetics into Public Health and Health Care. Conference participants focused on several issues concerning the needs of the public with regards to genetics. (Times Union, July 21, 2005)

There are not enough trained genetic counselors, especially counselors who are ethnic minorities. In the U.S., there are only 1,811 certified genetic counselors, just one for every 163,000 Americans. Judith Benkendorf, a project manager with the American College of Medical Genetics, says that most genetic counselors are white.
Doctors do not consider …read more

On days like last week when I was sick with a bad sinus cold, the exhaustion made me wonder how chronically ill people manage to make it through the day. Sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, not only experience low energy levels that sometimes make it impossible to even get out of bed, they have had to endure the disbelief and unhelpful attitudes of healthcare providers. Recent studies of gene expression in white blood cells may provide a clue as to the causes and mechanisms of CFS. (Times Online, July 21, 2005)
Viruses, …read more