
Methylation pattern is a biomarker of aging. A biomarker can predict the disease trait but not cause the disease trait e.g. CRP and cardiovascular disease #BioMed
🧬🦠 Scientists are uncovering new insights into the #biology of #microbes and their interactions, highlighting how modern molecular tools can reveal previously hidden mechanisms.
#Microbes #Genomics #Biomed #LifeSciences #Microsky via @nature.com
Fluid intelligence (FI) is ability to reason, think abstractly, and solve new problems without relying on prior knowledge and is closely correlated with "IQ" and "g" and so by this estimate about 15% of FI is genetic and the remaining 85% is environmental #BioMed
One sidelight is that increased power & reduced ascertainment bias allowed more accurate within family GWAS of fluid intelligence which showed a direct heritability of a little less than 0.15 which is consistent with population heritabilities of around 0.2. #BioMed
Tour de force from Abdel, Hillary Martin and colleagues using imputation to increase power and reduce ascertainment bias of genetic analyses of fluid intelligence. As a result new common and rare "hits" are detected.
I am a fan of the guardian helmets because I'll take a 10% benefit here and a 10% benefit there. I am very much an #incrementalist because the #incremental benefits can add up. The guardian helmets also are a visible signal of the dangers of playing football #BioMed
Chris is certainly higher up on the scale than say Pablo and his CTE number is increasing as he ages.
What Chris didn't mention is that CTE is extremely rare (1% or less) among those who don't play contact sports and suffer head trauma which is context for the 50% number he states #BioMed
CTE is not a discrete trait i.e. you have it or you don't. It is a continuous trait like AD or hypertension. Hypertension is diagnosed based on a continuous number (your blood pressure) that is above a threshold. Likewise once we can measure CTE in the living it will be measured on a scale #BioMed
I also agree that CTE diagnostic in living (scan or blood test) should be a top priority and will be a game-changer.
I am more pessimistic about a treatment being able to reverse or cure CTE because it is a neurodegenerative disease. Slowing progression through treatment will be hard e.g. AD #BioMed
I agree with Chris on a lot of things but there is also #Disgreement
I very much agree with his policy recommendations of banning tackling in youth football as well as eliminating tackling in practice for the reasons he mentions #BioMed
This is very concerning to me #BioMed
Clever study using founder effect to identify novel genes associated with transdiagnostic serious mental illness #BioMed
Two excellent articles from Kevin Seifert and Stephen Holder @espn.com on acknowledging CTE risk caused by playing football www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/... www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/... #BioMed