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Insane discovery: genetic switches

ANNE MCILROY

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 8:15 PM EST 15/03/08

One twin with identical DNA can be normal and the other schizophrenic ...Read the full article

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  1. Robert Boyd from Windsor, Canada writes: 'Insane discovery: genetic switches'
    WTF has this article got to say about 'insanity'.
    The numbskull who scribbles these taglines should go back to the Call Centre.
  2. El Christador from Vancouver, Canada writes: I have to agree with Mr. Boyd that the headline could have been better chosen. I would recommend a different choice of words.
  3. t tibbles from Calgary, Canada writes: That headline is in poor tasts.
  4. Tim Heslip from Vancouver, Canada writes: What this article doesn't talk about is the fact that our environment and also our behaviour influences epigenetic regulation. In other words, its possible that if we have a psychological condition, a disease, or if we suffer from abuse, our epigenetic state of our entire genome in potentially every cell of our body can change.
  5. p m from Canada writes: just wait until the government gets its hands on those dimming switches!!
  6. Eric Cheung from Ottawa, Canada writes: Not only is the title in such a poor taste, the content is also quite inadequate. For example: 'If DNA is the hardware of inheritance, the epigenetic operating system is the software, controlling the 30,000 genes that carry instructions for the proteins that make up our bodies and keep them working.' Since in the article these sentences are not in quotation marks, I am assuming this is not coming from the scientist that the reporter has interviewed, but is from the reporter herself. This is probably the case, because a scientist who is working in the field will not say something like that. While I understand the reporter is trying to use 'hardware' and 'software' to simplify the concept to the public, however, in this case, the comparison is inadequate. The epigenetic system is still the 'hardware', albeit a different one, as the epigenetic system. Just like everything else in the cell, epigenetics is still controlled by proteins and genes, the 'hardware' that the reporter is refering. In addition, I am not sure where the 'controlling the 30,000 genes' comes from. As far as I understand, not all the genes are regulated by epigenetics (if that is what the reporter meant), and more importantly no one has figured out exactly how many genes are regulated by epigenetics. There are other places that suffer from poor logic, e.g. when the reporter is saying that the new paper in epigenetics may explain the differences in twins in terms of psychiatric disorders. I am running out of space, but I woud like to ask: Is that paper a twin study with controlled environment? Have the reporter tried to read the paper herself? I would like to end by saying that this is not the first time I have seen a poor science and tech article in G&M, but this one is hitting a new low. Please hire someone in the field, or at least, get it read over by someone in the field.
  7. Eric Cheung from Ottawa, Canada writes: ugh..I have typed something wrong. This is the correct one:

    The epigenetic system is still the 'hardware', albeit a different one, because the epigenetic system just like everything else, is controlled by proteins and genes, the 'hardware' that the reporter is refering to.
  8. Steve V from Sydney, Canada writes: I really hope this story got posted without an editor approving that headline, its more than a tad insensitive.
  9. annick aubert from toronto, Canada writes: Why don't you go to the CAMH website at www.camh.net and read the article dated March 11 on the subject ?
  10. Kim Philby from Ottawa, Canada writes: Epigenetics - interesting stuff, but...it's old news. PBS covered this story some months ago (I think it was an episode of Nova).
  11. E C from Canada writes: The article on the CAMH website is much better than this.
    While the idea of epigenetics is not new, I think we should not belittle the effort that some of our bright Canadian scientists are trying to use epigenetics in mental illness. This study is certainly not old news (just published this month).
  12. CAMH et al and gullible sheep from Canada writes:
    Missing post (part 2):

    '...
    . . . see 15/03/08 at 8:15 PM
    . . .
    Since Dr. Young's psychiatric theories are as macabre as his practices

    (development of resiliency to emotional stress and neuronal protection thru use of psychotropic drugs) sound very much like projects worthy of Dr. Joseph Mengele of Auschwitz or Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron of Allan Memorial Institute, McGill U., Montreal,
    the first order of the day is to come up with similar practice serving noble cause.

    Here it is:
    brain tissue samples were obtained from US and not from Ontario Coroner's office so there is no immediate connection between death of a patient and desire of a doctor that treated him to examine brain tissues of his patient.

    We are no longer talking about or dealing with an old fashioned microscope and slides, we are taking high tech gene sequencing and the whole lot so there is no suspicion of anything untoward happening here.

    Instead of a research program leading to radical improvement of human race and transformation of the chosen into Übermenschen,
    we are talking about medical research serving urgent needs and discovering mechanism of onset of schizophrenia with noble goal of finding a cure and who could argue with that??
  13. Maria W. from Canada writes:
    hmm ... interesting. above 'CAMH et al and gullible sheep' : '... CAMH ... slicing and dicing brains of ... former patients ... 'Canadian Zyprexa Experiment' ... Dr. Lionel Trevor Young ... Zyprexa pump and dump procedure inducing suicide of his patients right after their release from CAMH ... subsequent requests for brain tissue samples of his victims made to the Ontario Coroner's ...' kinda related with this ??:

    ---------------

    Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
    Office of the Deputy Minster
    Emergency Planning and Management
    Toronto

    CU08-00221

    MAR 0 3 2008

    Mr.
    Mississauga ON

    Dear Mr. :

    Thank you for your letter of January 9, 2008, addressed to the Honourable Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, regarding the Canadian Zyprexa Experiment. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the minister and apologize for the delay.

    As the new Deputy Minister of Emergency Planning and Management, any issues dealing with Emergency Management Ontario, the Office of the Fire Marshal, and the Office of the Chief Coroner now fall within my purview.

    I am informed that you have contacted Dr. Barry McLellan, former Chief Coroner for Ontario and, more recently, Dr. Bonita Porter, the current Chief Coroner for Ontario. I further understand Dr. McLellan advised you that the information you forwarded earlier would be distributed to senior coroners in the Office of the Chief Coroner (OCC) for their information and consideration. Dr. Porter has confirmed for me that this has indeed been done, pursuant to the OCC's mandate to improve public safety and prevent deaths under similar circumstances.

    ... [ to complete in part 2 ] ...
  14. Maria W. from Canada writes:
    hmm ... interesting. above 'CAMH et al and gullible sheep' : '... CAMH ... slicing and dicing brains of ... former patients ... 'Canadian Zyprexa Experiment' ... Dr. Lionel Trevor Young ... Zyprexa pump and dump procedure inducing suicide of his patients right after their release from CAMH ... subsequent requests for brain tissue samples of his victims made to the Ontario Coroner's ...' kinda related with this ?? (part 2):

    ---------------

    Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
    Office of the Deputy Minster
    Emergency Planning and Management
    Toronto

    CU08-00221

    MAR 0 3 2008

    ... see 15/03/08 at 8:52 PM
    ...
    Any allegations of criminal behaviour are an issue for law enforcement and must be directed to the police service of jurisdiction. Upon reviewing your correspondence, I note that you have already contacted the Peel and Hamilton Regional Police Services as well as the Major Crime Unit 'V' Division of tie Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

    With respect to Dr. Porter's position as president of the Toronto Medico-Legal society, I am confident that Dr. Porter's involvement with that organization does not place her in a conflict of interest with her role as Chief Coroner for Ontario.

    I trust you will find this information helpful. Thank you for writing. Sincerely,

    Jay C. Hope
    Deputy Minster of Emergency Planning and Management

    cc: The Honourable Rick Bartolucci,
    Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services

    Dr. Bonita Porter
    Chief Coroner for Ontario

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