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 […]
Melhorn SJ, Mehta S, Kratz M, Tyagi V, Webb MF, Noonan CJ, Buchwald DS, Goldberg J, Maravilla KR, Grabowski TJ, Schur EA 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 […]
Dinescu D, Horn EE, Duncan G, Turkheimer E 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 […]
Watson NF, Horn E, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Turkheimer E 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 […]
Godfrey KM, Strachan E, Mostoufi S, Poeschla B, Succop A, Afari N 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 […]
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 […]
Twins share a special connection beyond that of ordinary siblings. Some people believe that this unique twin bond is endowed with extraordinary supernatural qualities. There are many stories that support this idea. For example, twins will report that one twin experienced a physical sensation of something that was happening to their twin, such as a […]
There are several possible explanations for this: Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome can cause one twin to be born larger than the other. Sometimes in a twin pregnancy the placenta does not grow large enough to provide enough oxygen and nutrients to both fetuses. Or one fetus may just have implanted in a location within the womb […]
Mirror image twins are a type of identical (monozygotic or MZ) twins. The term “mirror image” is used because the twins, when facing each other, appear as matching reflections. They have the same physical features but some are opposite. For example, if one twin is right-handed the other twin may be left-handed. Their hair whorls […]
Yes! Twins are defined as children produced in the same pregnancy. Usually they are delivered only a few minutes or hours apart. But they can have different birthdays. This most commonly happens when labor and delivery begins before midnight on one day and ends after the clock changes to the next day. If that day […]
There are several factors to consider in answering this question. Are the twins in the family a result of fertility treatments? These treatments include fertility drugs and assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization. The use of such fertility treatments has caused a skyrocketing in the number of fraternal (dizygotic or DZ) twin births […]
