Category Archives: Genetics

Red or white wine? Genetics may determine what you like to drink – Genetic Literacy Project

While these preferences have been around for as long as wine has been in existence, very little is known about why these preferences occur and more specifically how they might be regulated in the human body. There have been some studies looking at overall alcohol consumption habits and genetics, though much of this has been focused on intake and not necessarily preference.

The study published [originally] in 8the European Journal of Human Genetics, aimed to perform a 8genome-wide study on various populations to determine if there are any possible genetic links toward wine preference, specifically toward the liking of white wine.

A total of 5 populations were studied, including three from various areas in Italy, one from the Netherlands, and one from Central Asia. A total of 3885 individuals were included in this study.

The results of this study suggest that having a preference for white wine may be in part controlled by the HLA-DOA gene, specifically the rs9276975 SNP region. Additionally, this genetic link to preference may be stronger in women than in men.

[Read the full study here.]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Wine Preference Linked to Genetics: Study Finds Liking White Wine is Associated With a Specific Gene

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Red or white wine? Genetics may determine what you like to drink - Genetic Literacy Project

First genetic location found for anorexia nervosa – Medical News Today

Eating disorders affect millions of people in the United States, and anorexia nervosa is considered to have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric conditions. For the first time, new research identifies a genetic location that helps to shed more light on the causes of this illness.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects both genders. However, the disorder is two and a half times more likely to occur among women, with almost 1 percent of U.S. women being affected.

Moreover, anorexia - along with other eating disorders - is reported to hit the transgender community relatively hard; around 16 percent of transgender college students reportedly have an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are a serious mental health issue caused by a variety of complex factors, from psychosocial to genetic and biological issues.

Anorexia can be a deadly disease. Of all mental health disorders, anorexia is linked with the highest mortality rate. Death can be a consequence of not receiving treatment, but 1 in 5 anorexia-related deaths are a result of suicide.

New research identifies, for the first time, a significant genetic location that underpins anorexia. Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine in Chapel Hill conducted a genome-wide study in an effort to identify the genetic basis for this psychiatric condition.

The new research was carried out by the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium Eating Disorders Working Group - an international group of researchers from institutions all over the globe - and the team was led by Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., founding director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders and a professor at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The research consisted of a genome-wide association study examining the DNA of 3,495 people with anorexia nervosa and 10,982 people without.

In genetics, the word "association" refers to a situation in which specific genetic variations - or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - are found more frequently in people with a certain disease.

Using standard association analysis, Bulik and team calculated the genetic correlations between anorexia nervosa and 159 psychiatric, education, and metabolic phenotypes. "Phenotypes" refer to the set of observable characteristics that are a result of the interaction between our genes and the environment.

Bulik defines genetic correlations as "the extent to which various traits and disorders are caused by the same genes."

Overall, the study looked at 10,641,224 SNPs.

The study revealed strong associations between anorexia and psychiatric as well as, surprisingly, metabolic conditions.

Bulik and colleagues uncovered a genetic locus on chromosome 12: rs4622308. This genetic area has previously been associated with type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorders, report the authors.

"Anorexia nervosa was significantly genetically correlated with neuroticism and schizophrenia, supporting the idea that anorexia is indeed a psychiatric illness. But, unexpectedly, we also found strong genetic correlations with various metabolic features including body composition [...] and insulin-glucose metabolism. This finding encourages us to look more deeply at how metabolic factors increase the risk for anorexia nervosa."

Cynthia Bulik

Additionally, the study found positive genetic associations between anorexia and educational achievement, as well as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol - that is, the "good" kind of cholesterol. They also revealed negative correlations with the phenotypes for body mass index (BMI), insulin, blood sugar, and lipids.

The authors note that the large scale of the study enabled them to come up with "the first genome-wide significant locus" for the disease.

"In the era of team science, we brought over 220 scientists and clinicians together to achieve this large sample size. Without this collaboration we would never have been able to discover that anorexia has both psychiatric and metabolic roots," notes co-author Gerome Breen, Ph.D., of King's College London in the United Kingdom.

Learn how deep brain stimulation may be an effective treatment for anorexia.

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First genetic location found for anorexia nervosa - Medical News Today

Breaking: Finnish report prompts petunia genetics investigation in the US – Greenhouse Management

The USDA is working with breeders to move forward after the discovery of potentially genetically engineered petunias.

Following the news that orange-colored petunia varieties in Europe had been found to be genetically engineered (GE), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched an investigation into potentially affected varieties imported, distributed and grown in the U.S. without appropriate authorization.

Petunia breeders have been in contact with the USDA, which circulated a document dated May 11, 2017, listing some of the potentially affected implicated varieties, and instructions for how to destroy the seed and plants. The following plants are listed:

Pegasus Orange Morn Pegasus Orange Pegasus Table Orange Potunia Plus Papaya Go!Tunia Orange Bonnie Orange known as Starlet Orange in North America African Sunset Sanguna Patio Salmon Sanguna Salmon Trilogy Red Trilogy Deep Purple Trilogy Formula Mix Trilogy Liberty Mix Ray Salmon Perfectunia Orange Perfectunia Mandarin Confetti Garden Tangerine Tango Confetti Garden Twist KwikKombo Color My Sunset KwikKombo Orange Twist

According to the document, USDA is currently conducting genetic tests on implicated varieties for which we have obtained samples. These tests will confirm whether these petunias are genetically engineered. As we obtain results from the genetic tests, we will provide updated lists of confirmed GE petunia varieties.

Evira, the Finnish Food Safety Authority, released a statement on April 27, 2017, regarding the discovery of genetically engineered orange petunias. Evira noted in the statement that while genetically engineered plants are not authorised for cultivation in the [European Union], The orange petunias do not cause any risk to people or the environment. Evira has decided to remove from sale seeds and planting stock of the ornamental plant petunia characterised by the orange colour of the flowers which has been produced by means of genetic engineering.

According to initial conversations with breeders who have been in discussions with the USDA, the implicated plants were not properly registered with the USDA as GE plants because no one seemed to know that they contained or were bred with GE plant material.

Since the news broke at the end of April in Europe, petunia breeders have been working to conduct their own tests to determine which plants are affected after it was discovered it was not just orange petunias that may have been bred with a genetically engineered plant.

We were completely shocked by the findings, says Mike Huggett, national sales manager for American Takii. American Takii's African Sunset was the orange petunia that prompted the investigation initially. We sent out the recall through our broker network and instructed the growers to stop sales [on African Sunset], and following that, we conducted some other trials internally, and confirmed Trilogy Red and Deep Purple had foreign DNA in them, so we initiated a recall on those as well.

American Takii only breeds using conventional means, Huggett says.

Takiis reaction was just to reclaim as much as we could because as far as the company is concerned, we dont do any genetically modified plant material, we dont practice in it, we dont want to, he says. Im not as much worried about the flowers as I am the perception about the vegetables. Thats when consumers get worried. Takii only does things the conventional way, even if it takes 10 to 15 years of work, you ultimately come out with something your customer can count on being non-GMO and the best breeding thats available on the market. The petunia loss hurts, but in the bigger scheme of things, I think its the perception of what the company is doing. You dont want to be associated with a GMO.

The silver linings for American Takii are that the GE plant is an ornamental, not an edible, and therefore not harmful to consumers, and their recently released Evening Scentsation petunia tested negative for the GE material, says Steve Wiley, COO and general manager.

"It's an ever-expanding list," Wiley said of the GE petunias implicated by the USDA. "Its one of those things where I think [the genetically engineered plant] sprang up during an age of innocence and perpetuated itself because no one even knew to look for it or fathomed that it was in the germplasm chain."

Huggett credits the USDA and the American Seed Trade Association for their quick work and helping us navigate through this.

You cant plan for this because it wasnt our intention, he says. We have to start picking up the pieces.

This is a developing story that we will continue to update as more information becomes available. The USDA did not immediately respond to calls and emails for comment and clarification.

Conner Howard, assistant editor of Garden Center magazine, and Chris Manning, assistant editor of Greenhouse Management magazine, contributed to this report.

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Breaking: Finnish report prompts petunia genetics investigation in the US - Greenhouse Management

Stock Concentration on Shares of Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU) – Lenox Ledger

Investorsmay be trackingfundamental and technical data for Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU). The company has a current Value Composite Score of 100. Using a scale from 0 to 100, a lower score would represent an undervalued company and a higher score would indicate an expensive or overvalued company. This ranking was developed by James OShaughnessy using six different valuation ratios including price to book value, price to sales, EBITDA to EV, price to cash flow, price to earnings, and shareholder yield.

Shifting the focus to some ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) numbers, Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU)s ROIC is -15.844075. The ROIC 5 year average is -8.915091 and the ROIC Quality ratio is -0.849448. ROIC is a profitability ratio that measures the return that an investment generates for those providing capital. ROIC helps show how efficient a company is at turning capital into profits. ROIC may be a good measure to view when examining whether or not a company is able to invest wisely. ROIC may also be an important metric for the value investor who is trying to determine the companys moat.

Traders may also be following some financial ratios for Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU). Currently, the firm has a Gross Margin (Marx) ratio of 0.191377. This number is based off of the research by University of Rochester professor Robert Novy-Marx. Marx believed that a high gross income ratio was a sign of a quality company. Looking further, Interleukin Genetics, Inc. has a Gross Margin score of 5. This score is based on the Gross Margin (Marx) metric using a scale from 1 to 100 where a 1 would be seen as positive, and a 100 would be regarded as negative. Investors may also be paying increased attention to the EV for Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU). The company currently has an EV or Enterprise Value of 19196. The EV helps show how the market assigns value to a company as a whole. EV is a modification of market cap, as it incorporates debt and cash for assessing a firms valuation. Watching a firms EV may be useful when comparing companies with different capital structures. EV can help investors gain a truer sense of whether a company is undervalued or not.Interested investors may be looking at the Magic Formula (MF Rank) on shares of Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU). Currently, the company has an MF Rank of 17026. Successful hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt developed the Magic Formula which was introduced in his book The Little Book That Beats the Market. Greenblatt was focused on a method for identifying bargains when purchasing company shares. This included spotting companies that earn more relative to the stock price, or companies with a high earnings yield. The Magic Formula may help spot good, healthy companies. The MF is calculated using earnings yield and ROIC ratios. In general, investors may be searching for stocks with the lowest combined MF Rank.

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Stock Concentration on Shares of Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (OTCPK:ILIU) - Lenox Ledger

BRIEF-CANCER GENETICS INC REPORTS Q1 LOSS PER SHARE $0.51 – Reuters

UPDATE 1-US Homeland Security: No announcement Friday on laptop ban expansion

WASHINGTON, May 12 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is speaking with European officials on Friday to discuss threats to aviation and a possible expansion of a ban on in-cabin electronics larger than cellphones, U.S. and European officials said Friday.

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BRIEF-CANCER GENETICS INC REPORTS Q1 LOSS PER SHARE $0.51 - Reuters

Genetics – Official Site

The Genetics Society of America (GSA), founded in 1931, is the professional membership organization for scientific researchers and educators in the field of genetics. Our members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level.

Online ISSN: 1943-2631

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Genetics - Official Site

Cancer Genetics, Inc. Announces 15% Revenue Increase in First … – EconoTimes

Cancer Genetics, Inc. Announces 15% Revenue Increase in First Quarter of 2017 over 2016 on Strong Organic Growth While Continuing on Path to Profitability

RUTHERFORD, N.J. and LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2017 -- Cancer Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CGIX), a leader in enabling precision medicine for oncology through molecular markers and diagnostics, announced today financial and operating results for the first quarterended March 31, 2017.

We are continuing to scale our revenue while making significant operational improvements as we execute on our vision to become the preeminent oncology diagnostics partner for biopharma companies, cancer centers and clinicians,said Panna Sharma, CEO and President of Cancer Genetics, Inc.We are growing market share in an industry undergoing a major transformation in its approach to oncology therapeutics development, clinical trials and patient monitoring. As the industry embraces precision medicine and individualized testing to drive higher standards of patient treatment and disease management, CGI is emerging as the diagnostic and testing partner of choice for biopharma companies, cancer centers and clinicians. Our team is actively working with 9 of the top 10 and 16 of the top 20 biopharma companies where we are providing critical molecular information and testing to help with clinical trials and in many cases developing innovative new tests and technologies to help improve patient diagnosis and monitoring.

The commitment we made to have the most comprehensive capabilities in oncology diagnostics continues with our launch into hereditary cancers with Focus::HERSite, further development into immuno-oncology through our Complete::IO panel, and the launch of our first liquid biopsy test, Liquid::Lung-cfDNA. Additionally, our partnerships to leverage artificial intelligence for clinical trial matching and drug development, is more evidence that we are building a leading and durable brand in precision oncology diagnostics. Our comprehensive, disease-focused oncology testing portfolio continues to grow, and covers 9 of the top 10 cancers, while we attract new clinical customers and deepen our relationships and projects with biopharma companies globally, continued Sharma.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE QUARTER

Our efforts to drive revenue growth while improving operating efficiencies continues to accelerate, commented Sharma. Total operating expenses were reduced another 14% sequentially when compared to Q4 2016, and our loss from operations declined 46% from compared to Q1 2016, moving us closer to profitability. While net loss on a GAAP basis increased year-over-year to due to certain accounting treatment, its important to note that $7.5 million of the loss is related to non-cash charges from the change in fair value of derivative instruments. Quarter to quarter, these non-cash charges related to changes in our stock price may fluctuate significantly and impact GAAP net income and earnings per share.

FIRST QUARTER AND RECENT BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

The company reported total revenue of $7.0 million for the first quarter, compared to $6.1 million in Q1 2016, an increase of 15% year-over-year, driven by organic growth across all market categories: biopharma, clinical and discovery.

Revenue from biopharma partners and customers increased 11% to $3.7 million in the first quarter, compared to $3.4 million during Q1 2016. Additionally, the company increased the number of clinical studies and trials it is supporting to 140, up 12% from Q4 2016.

Clinical services revenue increased 20% in the first quarter of 2017 over the same period in 2016, from $2.5 million to $3.0 million. The growth was driven by an increase in clinical test volumes from 10,327 in Q1 2016 to 12,310 in the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 19%.

Discovery services contributed an additional $293 thousand in revenue for the first quarter of 2017, a 12% increase over Q1 2016, driven by significant demand for discovery solutions by research institutions where next-generation sequencing is combined with novel bioinformatics analysis. Discovery services, mostly performed in India, provides genomic and bioinformatics support for global discovery and pre-clinical initiatives.

Sharma continued, Our first quarter was marked by several important achievements and milestones. Were very pleased with the CLIA approval of our high performance next-generation immuno-oncology assay, Complete::IO, which meets the need for our customers to better monitor and stratify patient populations during immuno-oncology and immune therapy clinical trials, with the simultaneous detection of up to 10 markers on each cell. We also continue to gain traction on our solid tumor liquid biopsy testing platform with Liquid::Lung-cfDNA, which increases our ability to attract new customers and better service existing clients. The market for liquid biopsy solid tumor testing is expected to reach $20 billion by 2020. We are well positioned to capture market share. Given these market dynamics, we are confident that we are on the path to profitability.

Technologies and trends such as artificial intelligence, big-data, and combining genomic and immune-marker testing to improve patient outcomes and accelerate the discovery of new therapeutics are all areas that CGI is continuing to integrate into our business model and into our global business infrastructure. We believe our growing reach into the oncology ecosystem coupled with the strengthening of our operating fundamentals makes CGI a leader in developing and delivering oncology diagnostics from bench to bedside, concluded Sharma.

ABOUT CANCER GENETICS

Cancer Genetics, Inc. is an emerging leader in enabling precision medicine for oncology through the use of molecular markers and information. CGI is developing a global footprint with locations in the US, India and China. We have established strong clinical research collaborations with major cancer centers such as Memorial Sloan Kettering, The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Keck School of Medicine at USC and the National Cancer Institute.

The Company offers a comprehensive range of laboratory services that provide critical genomic and biomarker information. Its state-of-the-art reference labs are CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited in the US and have licensure from several states including New York State.

For more information, please visit or follow us:

Internet:www.cancergenetics.com Twitter:@Cancer_Genetics Facebook:www.facebook.com/CancerGenetics

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements pertaining to future financial and/or operating results, future growth in revenues, margins, research, technology, clinical development and potential opportunities for Cancer Genetics, Inc. tests and services, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements.

Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, risks of cancellation of customer contracts or discontinuance of trials, risks that anticipated benefits from acquisitions will not be realized, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights and other risks discussed in the Cancer Genetics, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 along with other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Cancer Genetics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to disclosing financial results in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures that we believe are helpful in understanding and comparing our past financial performance and our future results. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the Company exclude the non- operating changes in the fair value of derivative instruments. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, and the financial results calculated in accordance with GAAP and reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about the Company's core operating results and thus are appropriate to enhance the overall understanding of the Company's past financial performance and its prospects for the future. The non-GAAP financial measures in this press release include Adjusted Net (Loss) and the related adjusted basic and diluted per share amounts.

Reconciliation from GAAP to Non-GAAP Results (in thousands, except per share amounts):

Human Life Could Be Extended Indefinitely, Study Suggests

Goosebumps, tears and tenderness: what it means to be moved

Are over-the-counter painkillers a waste of money?

Does an anomaly in the Earth's magnetic field portend a coming pole reversal?

Immunotherapy: Training the body to fight cancer

Do vegetarians live longer? Probably, but not because they're vegetarian

Could a contraceptive app be as good as the pill?

Some scientific explanations for alien abduction that aren't so out of this world

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Big Pharma Starts Using Cannabis For Making Drugs In Earnest

Do you need to worry if your baby has a flat head?

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Cancer Genetics, Inc. Announces 15% Revenue Increase in First ... - EconoTimes

Disentangling chloroplast genetics: Scientists isolate a critical gene … – Phys.Org

May 11, 2017 Japanese scientist have isolated and characterized a protein in chloroplasts that is essential for proper nucleoid segregation. Credit: Kyoto University

Proper DNA inheritance is essential for healthy cell growth and division. The same goes for the genetic material found in chloroplasts: the energy centers of all plant cells.

Chloroplast genomeslikely vestiges of ancestral bacteriaare organized into DNA-protein complexes called nucleoids. While significant work has been done to understand the dynamics of DNA in the nuclei of plant cells, little is known about the dynamics of chloroplast nucleoids.

Now Yusuke Kobayashi and Yoshiki Nishimura of Kyoto University, Osami Misumi of Yamaguchi University, and other collaborators have isolated and characterized a protein in chloroplasts that is essential for proper nucleoid segregation. Their findings were published recently in the journal Science.

"To understand the dynamics of chloroplast nucleoids, we focused on their behavior during chloroplast division in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii," explains Nishimura.

"We screened about 6,000 specimens with random mutations in their DNA and then isolated the ones with defective nucleoid segregation."

One of these mutants was found to have a defect in a gene the team calls moc1, for "Monokaryotic Chloroplast 1". The chloroplasts in this mutant possessed only a single nucleoid, and showed unequal segregation during chloroplast division. A homologous moc1 gene was then found in a land plant commonly used for research, Arabidopsis thaliana. When mutated, the researchers discovered that these organisms exhibit growth defects and abnormal nucleoid segregation.

After extensive analysis of this new gene, the team discovered that moc1 functions as a chloroplast-specific 'Holliday junction resolvase', which Nishimura continues, "is very important in untangling a DNA structure called Holliday junctions. These genes have never been found in chloroplasts, until now."

Continuing with their study, the researchers successfully visualized the activity of moc1 on Holliday junctions through the use of high-speed atomic force microscopy and DNA origami technology. They observed moc1 binding to the core of Holliday junctions and cutting them symmetrically.

The team's discovery improves understanding of the highly complex structures maintaining chloroplast DNA, whose proper functioning is essential for good cell health.

Explore further: A mutation giving leaves with white spots has been identified

More information: "Holliday junction resolvases mediate chloroplast nucleoid segregation" Science (2017). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aan0038

Journal reference: Science

Provided by: Kyoto University

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Disentangling chloroplast genetics: Scientists isolate a critical gene ... - Phys.Org

Genetics determine how much coffee you can drink before it goes wrong – New York Post

The other day a patient came to see me concerned that every time he drank coffee, his heart seemed to twitch. Is this cardiac twitch a sign of heart disease? he asked. A doctor himself, he pointed to a study done in Zurich that suggested that drinking the equivalent of two cups of coffee reduced the bodys ability to boost blood flow to the heart muscle in response to exercise and that this caffeine effect was stronger at high altitudes. That got me a bit worried myself. Like many of us, I fancy myself an amateur barista. So how much should we be having?

When it comes down to it, the main active ingredient in coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a plant alkaloid that occurs naturally in coffee, tea, guarana and kola nuts. Its considered the most widely used drug in the world. The good news is that caffeine improves lung function, helps glucose metabolism in the gut, aids athletic performance, and is used in medications for ailments like migraines. Many carbonated drinks also contain caffeine and when present, manufacturers automatically increase sugar content, as caffeine dulls sugar taste receptors. This increased sugar is what makes soda especially bad for you.

We metabolize caffeine at different speeds

It turns out that your cardiac twitch is related to your caffeine metabolism slow metabolizers of caffeine have a higher risk of heart attacks if they drink more than two cups of coffee per day; however, fast metabolizers have a reduced risk of a heart attack if they have at least a cup of coffee a day. I suggested that I run some genetic tests on my patient (and while I was at it, I thought Id test myself). Knowing your genetic type is important here, as when it comes to CYP1A2 and coffee, there are some interesting facts.

Those of us with the AA variant of the CYP1A2 gene are fast metabolizers, while those with the AC or CC subtypes of the gene are slow metabolizers. The risky ones are the GA or AA variants. My risk was not elevated, even if (in general) its best to limit caffeine to 300 to 400 milligrams each day. However, my patient had the GA variant, meaning that, if he drinks more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, his heart disease could end up being more than just a twitch.

The main varieties of coffee bean are Arabica or Robusta and the latter has twice the caffeine content. So how much caffeine does a cup of coffee have per cup? The results may surprise you:

Understanding your gene type and how much caffeine is in your favorite drink is important to make sure youre living your healthiest life especially if you love your coffee, as your genes may have other ideas for you.

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Genetics determine how much coffee you can drink before it goes wrong - New York Post

AgReliant Genetics Restructures Seed Brands – AgWeb

AgReliant Genetics is the third largest corn seed company.

Darrell Smith

TAGS: Marketing, Overseas

December 18, 2014

Starting in 2018, AgReliant Genetics will go from eight representative brands to fourtransitioning half of their brands into LG Seeds. AgReliant says this is part of a growth initiative. AgriGold brand in the U.S. and Pride Seeds in Canada will continue as they are today.

Seed brands going to merge into LG Seeds include: Golden Acres Genetics, Great Lakes Hybrids, Producers Hybrids and Wensman Seed. The company says it will combine the best practices of each brand while maintaining its current employees, facilities and existing relationships.

AgReliant is currently the third largest corn seed company in North Americathe company aims to support its current position while reaching for higher accolades.

The adoption of new technologies, the speed of innovation and farmers growing demand for instant access to information are shifting how we do business, says Mark Herrman, AgReliant Genetics president and CEO in a recent press release. For this reason, we are committed to a strategic long-range plan that will extend our continuous growth and position us to better serve farm businesses and seed dealers in this dynamic environment.

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AgReliant Genetics Restructures Seed Brands - AgWeb