A full understanding of the mechanisms involved in chronic pain could make a significant difference in the quality of life of chronic pain patients, as well as healthcare costs and productivity. Previous clinical studies have found associations between pain conditions and levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a general indicator of inflammation in the body. This […]
This study looked at the relationship between how much sleep a person gets and how it influences metabolism and measures of inflammation, both of which are related to obesity. Fifty five (55) MZ twin pairs were invited to participate in this study. A twin study was done because it is the ideal way to look at […]
Results of a previous pilot study about oral herpes in twins suggested that there are genetic factors in an infected person that strongly influence the reactivation (waking up) of the HSV-1 virus from a dormant (sleeping) state to cause cold sores. The purpose of this study was to understand how the genes of the host, […]
The goal of this study is to learn more about the regulation of appetite, in order to better understand how the central nervous system regulates appetite and food consumption. This study required both members of the twin pair to come to the University of Washington Medical Center together for one eight-hour visit. Blood samples were collected […]
A total of 99 female twin pairs (198 women) participated in this study to understand more about the causes and conditions associated with chronic widespread pain. This study examined perceptions of pain, factors related to sleep, hormones related to the body’s response to stress, and inflammatory markers that might affect sensitivity to pain. A twin […]
Scientists have recently discovered a number of hormones that control appetite and regulate weight. These hormones travel in the bloodstream and some of them change rapidly with every meal. They influence when we get hungry, how full we feel and probably even what foods taste good to us. The main purpose of this study was […]
Obesity increases the risk of many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. There is evidence that there may be a link between obesity and inflammation (irritation) in the body and the kinds of bacteria found in the gut. The goal of this study was to better understand how body weight in adults and the […]
There are big differences in how people respond to severe bacterial infection. The inflammatory response of white blood cells to harmful bacteria that invade the body may play an important role in determining how well a patient will be able to fight the infection. The purpose of this study was to better understand how genetic […]
This study explored the role of the built environment in supporting healthy lifestyles. The built environment is defined as human-made surroundings, such as buildings, streets, and transportation systems, which support or hinder human activity. Although this topic has gained increasing attention from many researchers over the last several years, the influence of the environment on behaviors […]
Oral herpes is a very common infection of the mouth area. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1). When they are first infected, some people have symptoms while others do not. After the first infection, the virus becomes dormant (goes to sleep) in nerve tissues in the face for life. Periodically the […]
Background: Neural responses to highly energetic food cues are robust and are suppressed by eating. It is not known if neural responsiveness to food cues is an inherited trait and possibly even one that mediates the genetic influences on body weight that have been previously observed. Objective: We investigated the inherited influence on brain responses to high-calorie […]
Objective: Individual measures of socioeconomic status (SES) suppress genetic variance in body mass index (BMI). Our objective was to examine the influence of both individual-level (i.e., educational attainment, household income) and macrolevel (i.e., neighborhood socioeconomic advantage) SES indicators on genetic contributions to BMI. Method: The study used education level data from 4,162 monozygotic (MZ) and 1,900 dizygotic […]
Study objectives: We used quantitative genetic models to assess whether area-level deprivation as indicated by the Singh Index predicts shorter sleep duration and modifies its underlying genetic and environmental contributions. Methods: Participants were 4,218 adult twin pairs (2,377 monozygotic and 1,841 dizygotic) from the University of Washington Twin Registry. Participants self-reported habitual sleep duration. The Singh Index […]
Objective: The relationship between sleep quality and pain has been studied in populations with chronic pain and in nonclinical populations using experimental paradigms. Little is known about the familial contributions to this relationship. This study examines self-reported sleep quality and pain in a nonclinical sample and to explore familial (i.e., shared genetic and common family environment) […]
This study is being conducted by Dr. Kari Nadeau, an allergist and immunologist at Stanford University, and Dr. Rebecca Bauer, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Nadeau’s laboratory. The purpose of this study is to better understand how exposure to tobacco smoke affects immunity and diseases of the immune system such as asthma. Researchers will assess […]
A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference may also vary by age. We analyzed zygosity differences in mean values and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) among male and female twins from infancy to […]
Study objectives: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number is an important component of mitochondrial function and varies with age, disease, and environmental factors. We aimed to determine whether mtDNA copy number varies with habitual differences in sleep duration within pairs of monozygotic twins. Setting: Academic clinical research center. Participants: 15 sleep duration discordant monozygotic twin pairs (30 twins, 80% […]
Objective: We recently reported sex-specific percent body fat (%BF) thresholds (males=23%, females=38%) above which, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) significantly increases. Using monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, we examined the influence of genetics on regional fat distribution measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, above and below these sex-specific thresholds for VAT accumulation. Methods: Fifty-eight twin pairs (44 MZ, […]
The Cohort Description of Collaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins to Study Macro-Environmental Variation in Genetic and Environmental Effects on Anthropometric Traits For over 100 years, the genetics of human anthropometric traits has attracted scientific interest. In particular, height and body mass index (BMI, calculated as kg/m2) have been under intensive genetic […]
Obesity is a substantial health problem in the United States, and is associated with many chronic diseases. Previous studies have linked poor dietary habits to obesity. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the association between body mass index (BMI) and fast-food consumption among 669 same-sex adult twin pairs residing in the Puget Sound region around […]
