Researchers at the Donnelly Centre in Toronto have found that dozens of genes, previously thought to have similar roles across different organisms, are in fact unique to humans and could help explain how our species came to exist.

Researchers at the Donnelly Centre in Toronto have found that dozens of genes, previously thought to have similar roles across different organisms, are in fact unique to humans and could help explain how our species came to exist.

These genes code for a class of proteins known as transcription factors, or TFs, which control gene activity. TFs recognize specific snippets of the DNA code called motifs, and use them as landing sites to bind the DNA and turn genes on or off.

Previous research had suggested that TFs which look similar across different organisms also bind similar motifs, even in species as diverse as fruit flies and humans. But a new study from Professor Timothy Hughes' lab, at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, shows that this is not always the case.

Writing in the journal Nature Genetics, the researchers describe a new computational method which allowed them to more accurately predict motif sequences each TF binds in many different species. The findings reveal that some sub-classes of TFs are much more functionally diverse than previously thought.

"Even between closely related species there's a non-negligible portion of TFs that are likely to bind new sequences," says Sam Lambert, former graduate student in Hughes' lab who did most of the work on the paper and has since moved to the University of Cambridge for a postdoctoral stint.

"This means they are likely to have novel functions by regulating different genes, which may be important for species differences," he says.

Even between chimps and humans, whose genomes are 99 per cent identical, there are dozens of TFs which recognize diverse motifs between the two species in a way that would affect expression of hundreds of different genes

Green Leafy Vegetables May Keep Liver Diseases At Bay

Green Leafy Vegetables May Keep Liver Diseases At Bay

According to a recent study, published in the journal PNAS, higher consumption of green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of developing liver diseases. About 25 percent of the global population suffers from liver steatosis or fatty liver, which is mostly caused by high alcohol consumption and excess body weight. Liver happens to be one of the most important organs of the human body. Not only does it help in secreting bile juice, which aids digestion of lipid fats in small intestine, but also helps in detoxifying chemicals from the body. In order to ensure its smooth functioning, it is imperative to make healthy food choice.

The researchers from Karolinska Institute conducted the study to access how greater intake of inorganic nitrate helps in reducing and preventing fat accumulation in the liver. Inorganic nitrate is present naturally in various types of vegetables.

Study Shows Intrathecal Bupivacaine Effective for Long-Term Cancer Pain Treatment

Study Shows Intrathecal Bupivacaine Effective for Long-Term Cancer Pain Treatment

Boston-Patients suffering from cancer pain refractory to systemic opioids may find relief in an unlikely source, according to a pilot study by Swedish researchers: intrathecal bupivacaine. They concluded that the therapy can be effectively used for long-term pain management in these individuals with little increase in dose and few of the side effects that often accompany opioid-related treatment.

“Treating cancer pain with morphine is often effective, but it’s not without its problems,” said Anders Wincent, MD, a senior consultant at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. “Previously we found there was no analgesic benefit to adding morphine to intrathecal bupivacaine in severe cancer-related pain [Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2017;55(6):525-532]. So in this study we wanted to see if we could address this pain only with intrathecal bupivacaine.”

Putting It to the Test

To help answer this question, Dr. Wincent and his co-investigator Karl-Fredrik Sjolund, MD, PhD, enrolled 30 adult patients (17 women; median age, 55 years) with cancer-related pain, who presented to the institution between November 2013 and June 2017, into the longitudinal case series; each was receiving systemic opioid therapy. All patients were started on an intrathecal bupivacaine infusion of 2 mg/mL; flow rates and subsequent bolus doses were titrated as necessary. The catheter tip was positioned cranially to the individual’s most painful dermatome; catheter tip position was verified with fluoroscopy. After subcutaneous tunneling, the catheter was attached to a subcutaneous port and connected to an external pump.

Before intrathecal bupivacaine therapy, the participants completed a pain-related questionnaire. Follow-up was performed by nurses via a structured telephone interview with the patients, their families or staff at a palliative care facility or hospital. Pain intensity at rest and during activity was measured using the numerical rating scale (NRS); other tools included the short form of the Brief Pain Inventory, the revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale and ECOG Performance Status.

Motor function was graded with the modified Bromage scale (0-3); daily systemic opioid data were extracted from electronic health records. Patient data were collected on the day before and day of catheter insertion; one day after catheter insertion; on days 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28; and once monthly thereafter.