Gene CYP2E1 enhance new drugs to treat alcoholism

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Jackson Rubem

I am among those people who drink little, because soon after a few sips begin to feel ill. For this reason, always wondered why this happened with me and not with my friends who were drinking, for hours and nothing felt.

alcoholism

Thousands of people need drugs to treat alcoholism

I came to think about making treatment for my body accept greater quantity of alcohol, but gave up when arose in my mind the reminder that my brother died because of alcohol.

Reading the article ‘Drunken’ gene discovered by scientists, my doubts were clarified. The answer lies in a gene. Researchers have discovered that 10-20% of the population has the version of the CYP2E1 gene that protects against alcoholism. Probably I am part of this group.

The gene CYP2E1 is the explanation for the fact that some people drinking and not feel anything, while others drink the same amount and are evil. Those who drink and do not feel anything, are likely to become addicted. Those who react strongly to alcohol, are less likely to become alcoholics, according to the study.

The discovery of this gene is major breakthroughs in the fight to combat addiction, because enhance new drugs to treat alcoholism.

The CYP2E1 gene provides coded instructions for making the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. People who have the version of the CYP2E1 gene metabolize alcohol more easily and soon begin to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than others.

Professor Kirk Wilhelmsen, the senior study author from the University of North Carolina, said: “We have found a gene that protects against alcoholism, and on top of that, has a very strong effect.

“But alcoholism is a very complex disease, and there are lots of complicated reasons why people drink. This may be just one of the reasons.”

There are several reasons why people drink. Among these social problems, used as an excuse. Another reason may be the combination of genes with the environment where they live, whereas alcohol dependence occurs in all families. That’s what the experts say.

One thing is clear: parents alcoholics quadruple the chances of their children becoming addicted to alcohol.

Some people free from alcohol addiction through charitable entities and drugs to treat alcoholism. But there are thousands of others that cannot. I hope by the day on which the alchoolism is an easily curable disease.

Photo credit: Don Fulano
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Scientists invent new technology to discover planets near bright stars

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Jackson Rubem

This is a fantastic discovery, in my opinion! The new technology will bring great results for astronomy.  From this day forwards, scientists will be able to discover planets in distant galaxies, even though they are so close to their star, as is the Earth.

Beta Pictoris B

scientists found Beta Pictoris B using new technology

The new technology, gained through a highly complex mathematical modeling, will allow other scientists to discover other lands like ours, in the Milky Way and in other universes. This possibility was unimaginable before.

I believe that soon thousands of new planets will be located. I imagine the day when astronomers discover a planet in our solar system, inhabited by people such as the Earth in which we live.

An international team of scientists discovered the first planet with the new optical technology. He is orbiting closer to its star than any other extrasolar planet found before. The news was published in astrophysical journal letters.

The new technology was installed at the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory, or VLT, which sits on top of Mount Paranal in Chile. Thanks to her, the international team of astronomers has confirmed the existence and orbital motion of a new planet called Beta Pictoris b. It has 70 to 10 times the mass of Jupiter around your main star.

Beta Pictoris is 63 light-years away from our planet.

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ONU conference discusses ways to reduce biodiversity loss

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Jackson Rubem

Over 190 countries have failed to achieve the global target of reducing biodiversity loss by 2010. I already had hoped that this would happen, because I realize that more increases the authorities’ ambition for the richness of their nations, even for this have to extinguish the nature.

They seem to forget that our life depends on nature: earth, water, biodiversity. World events related to climate change, however, let the authorities on high alert.

A global conference involving more than 190 countries get from (18) in Nagoya, Japan The authorities intend to find a possible plan B to brake species loss and destruction of the planet’s ecosystems. Until day 29, the city will host the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10).

The main objective of the conference is to set new deadline for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss. In 2002, undertook to reduce the pace of destruction of nature until this year, but failed. No country has fully complied with any of the 21 sub goals.

According to a report released last week by the nongovernmental organization WWF, the planet has lost 30% of biodiversity. In tropical countries, the percentage of loss reaches 60% of the original flora and fauna.

Everyone expects that the Biodiversity COP not repeat the failure of international negotiations on climate change, which in the last round in Copenhagen (Denmark) in December 2009. It seems incredible that no agreement had been signed.

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