September 18, 2009
Unlike the flu virus, which the body is generally able to fight off completely, infection with hepatitis C is often chronic. That means for most of the three to four million people worldwide who are newly infected each year the virus will persist in the body, where it greatly increases risk for chronic [...]
July 16, 2009
The exact causes of Crohn's disease remain a mystery, but scientists do know that genetic factors play an important part. More than 30 variations have been associated with increased risk for the disease, but changes in one gene, NOD2, have been found to be especially critical. Three different variants in [...]
June 26, 2009
Not surprisingly, there has been intense interest in the genetics of obesity in recent years. Obesity is a major health problem, resulting in tens of thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in healthcare costs each year in the United States, and it is known from twin and family studies that [...]
