November 4, 2008
Project seeks volunteers to make their DNA profiles public for researchers
People may be thinking about genetic testing again, after reading recent press reports about the Personal Genome Project.
Late last month, the first few volunteers saw some of their genetic information made public on the Internet.
This effort seeks 100,000 volunteers willing to have their DNA sequenced, databased, and stored online, along with identifying medical and personal information, in order to speed the development of medical genomics.
For a quick brush-up on the pros and cons of reading your own gene map, the search term
risks genetic testing
offers some balanced reflections.
In some cases, diagnosis by history and examination has already given way to genetic testing. For instance, it’s now time to think “genotype first” when you see a child with a developmental issue, said an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine a few weeks ago.
See what you can find by searching through the article categories with the search term “genetic testing”.
Evidence-based Articles
Scroll down first page of results for genetic testing to find a recent systematic review in JAMA about genetic testing for chronic adult diseases.
Practical Articles/News
This category holds a news article showing that an inconclusive genetic result can be as distressing as a positive one.
Patient Education
Scroll down here to find a Mayo Clinic blog for patients who may want to learn more about the topic on their own time.
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Cancer, Cardiovascular, Diabetes_Endocrine, Family Medicine, Gastrointestinal, Internal Medicine, Medical ethics, Nervous System, Psychiatry, Respiratory_Infectious | Tagged: genetic testing, Personal Genome Project | 
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Posted by smnewsletters
August 12, 2008
Calories—not sugar, carbs, or fat—cause type 2 diabetes in those at risk
What people eat controls what they weigh, and that (setting aside genes and exercise) seems to determine the risk of type 2 diabetes—not the types of macronutrients themselves. That’s the upshot of two new studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine, according to a review in the same issue.
It’s not the sugar in soft drinks or juices but the poundage they so easily add that predisposes to type 2 diabetes, according to a study of young African-American women in the July 28 issue of Archives.
It was probably weight loss per se, not the low-fat or high-fiber diet, that reduced glycemia among postmenopausal women in the other study.
Which is best for weight loss: low carbs, low fat, or the Mediterranean diet? Depends on the patient’s underlying risk profile. The latter may be best for people at risk of diabetes, according to another new report, this one in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Related searches
Mediterranean diet diabetes
obesity children juice
menopause metabolic syndrome testosterone
Research/Reviews
How much exercise do patients need to maintain weight loss? Find more new reports in this article category.
Patient Education
Look in this category for trustworthy information for patients about physical activity and diabetes.
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Adolescent, Cardiovascular, Diabetes_Endocrine, Family Medicine, Gastrointestinal, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Women | Tagged: calories, carbohydrates, Diabetes_Endocrine, fat, menopause, obesity, weight loss | 
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Posted by smnewsletters
June 7, 2007
A Cleveland Clinic team brewed a storm when their meta-analysis of 42 placebo-controlled studies involving rosiglitazone turned up a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction and an increase of “borderline significance” in cardiovascular deaths. An accompanying editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine questions whether the drug was approved and used too soon, on the basis of a mere secondary effect (lowering blood glucose). Another in the Lancet urges doctors to wait for further evidence before leaping to judgment.
Is this the letdown after a happy fantasy? Only six months ago, the results of the aptly named DREAM trial were prompting suggestions that the drug might prevent type 2 diabetes.
Refine your search with these clinically useful categories:
Practical Articles and News
In the news category, you can find the safety alert that the Food and Drug Administration swiftly issued in response to the new study.
Evidence-based Articles and Meta-analyses
Critics argue that the FDA approved the drug without sufficient evidence of benefit regarding primary outcomes such as mortality. What does evidence-based research show about the effects of rosiglitazone?
Clinical Trials for Patients
Learn what clinical trials now underway may provide new information about the use of this drug.
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Cardiovascular, Diabetes_Endocrine | Tagged: Cleveland Clinic, rosiglitazone | 
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Posted by Cranky Aged Mama
