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Thanksgiving is an opportunity to share a meal with loved ones, but it is also a time when small mistakes in the kitchen can lead to foodborne illness. Dr. Ben Chapman, food safety specialist and assistant professor of food science at North Carolina State University, can offer suggestions to ensure your Thanksgiving meal is a safe one. Continue Reading »

When modern medicine finds a way to treat a medical condition, people often think that the problem is solved. But we also have to find ways to get that treatment into the hands of those who need it. For example, new research from North Carolina State University shows that much more needs to be done to help get existing treatment to hemophilia patients in the developing world, and that the current lack of treatment there is costing lives. Continue Reading »

Tiny, engineered nanomaterials can already be found in many consumer products, and have been hailed as having widespread future uses in areas ranging from medicine to industrial processes. However, little is known about what happens if these nanomaterials get into your body – where do they go? NC State researchers are working to answer that question under a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Continue Reading »

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a genetic “switch” in fruit flies that plays an important role in making flies more tolerant to alcohol.

This metabolic switch also has implications for the deadly liver disease cirrhosis in humans. A counterpart human gene contributes to a shift from metabolizing alcohol to the formation of fat in heavy drinkers. This shift can lead to fatty liver syndrome – a precursor to cirrhosis.

In the study, published in the October print issue of the journal Genetics, the research team measured the time it takes for flies to stagger due to alcohol intake while simultaneously identifying changes in the expression of all their genes. They used statistical methods to identify genes that work together to help the flies adapt to alcohol exposure. In looking at corresponding human genes, a counterpart gene called ME1 was associated with alcohol consumption in humans, as people with certain variations of the gene showed a tendency to drink stronger alcoholic beverages.

Dr. Robert Anholt, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Biology and Genetics at NC State and the senior author of the study, says the research has possible clinical implications.

“Our findings point to metabolic pathways associated with proclivity for alcohol consumption that may ultimately be implicated in excessive drinking,” he said. “Translational studies like this one, in which discoveries from model organisms can be applied to insights in human biology, can help us understand the balance between nature and nurture, why we behave the way we do, and – for better or worse – what makes us tick.”

Anholt conducted the study with Dr. Tatiana Morozova, a post-doctoral researcher in biology; Dr. Trudy Mackay, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished University Professor of Genetics; Dr. Eric Stone, an assistant professor of statistics; and graduate student Julien F. Ayroles. Researchers from Boston University’s School of Medicine also contributed to the study.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, a unit of the National Institutes of Health.

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Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Alcohol sensitivity in Drosophila: translational potential of systems genetics”

Authors: Tatiana V. Morozova, Julien F. Ayroles, Katherine W. Jordan, Laura H. Duncan, Mary Anna Carbone, Richard F. Lyman, Eric A. Stone, Robert R.H. Anholt, Trudy F.C. Mackay, North Carolina State University; Diddahally R. Govindaraju, R. Curtis Ellison, Boston University

Published: October 2009 in Genetics

Abstract: Identification of risk alleles for human behavioral disorders through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has been hampered by a daunting multiple testing problem. This problem can be circumvented for some phenotypes by combining genome-wide studies in model organisms with subsequent candidate gene association analyses in human populations. Here, we characterized genetic networks that underlie the response to ethanol exposure in Drosophila melanogaster by measuring ethanol knock-down time in 40 wild-derived inbred Drosophila lines. We associated phenotypic variation in ethanol responses with genome-wide variation in gene expression and identified modules of correlated transcripts associated with a first and second exposure to ethanol vapors as well as the induction of tolerance. We validated the computational networks and assessed their robustness by transposon-mediated disruption of focal genes within modules in a laboratory inbred strain, followed by measurements of transcript abundance of connected genes within the module. Many genes within the modules have human orthologues, which provides a stepping stone for the identification of candidate genes associated with alcohol drinking behavior in human populations. We demonstrated the potential of this translational approach by identifying seven intronic SNPs of the Malic Enzyme 1 (ME1) gene that are associated with cocktail drinking in 1,687 individuals of the Framingham Offspring cohort, implicating that variation in levels of cytoplasmic malic enzyme may contribute to variation in alcohol consumption.

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, leading to over 50,000 fatalities every year. But it can be prevented with early screening using a procedure called a colonoscopy. Now researchers from North Carolina State University, Mayo Clinic and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass) have created a tool to help colonoscopy facilities operate more efficiently, ultimately lowering costs and leading to shorter waiting times for patients. Continue Reading »

Cases of Influenza A (H1N1) are being diagnosed on a regular basis in North Carolina, particularly in the Triangle area, making H1N1 the dominant flu strain in the region. North Carolina State University officials have developed a plan to help educate the campus community about H1N1, and to encourage students to receive flu shots and take proper preventative steps during the upcoming fall flu season.

“The health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors at NC State is a top priority for the university,” says David Rainer, associate vice chancellor of environmental health and public safety. “We are closely monitoring cases of H1N1 on campus, and working with public health officials to comply with state and county regulations and best practices.”

Given that H1N1 is now regarded as the prevalent flu strain, NC State will not provide campuswide notification of isolated outbreaks and will only notify those immediately affected. In the case of broader outbreaks, the university will issue campuswide alerts.

Campus administrators are working with Wake County Emergency Medical Services to prepare for administering the flu vaccine, once it becomes available.

“Since H1N1 vaccine will not be available until mid October or later, daily prevention efforts by everyone will be key to maintaining a healthy campus,” says Dr. Mary Bengtson, medical director of NC State Student Health Services. “Flu is spread by a sick person – by a kiss, sharing drinks, cough or sneeze – or by a ‘sick’ thing – contaminated by a sick person’s cough, sneeze or touch. The best prevention efforts are to avoid sick people and clean hands frequently after touching things. Those who are ill should contact their medical provider if symptoms are more than mild, stay home, cover cough or sneeze, and clean hands frequently. When we have more information about H1N1 vaccine opportunities, we will make that announcement quickly to the campus community. In the meantime, we encourage students, faculty and staff to regularly check the Student Health Services site for updated information.”

Information relating to H1N1, tips on staying healthy during flu season, procedures for reporting H1N1 cases, flu shot updates, and other relevant information can be found on NC State’s Student Health Services Web site, http://www.ncsu.edu/student_health/index.html. Throughout the fall, NC State will also communicate H1N1-related updates to the campus community through a variety of channels such as the NC State Web site, Talley Student Center message boards and home football game announcements, among others.

In the event of a broader outbreak or emergency situation, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/emergency-information/index.php for updated information.

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