September 2007
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We human beings are born to be unique. Although twins of similar features and sexes are hard to be differentiated, there is still one big difference if you look enough underneath all the layers of organs. The answer lies in the genetic markers in our DNA.
In this case, we can even reconstruct genetic profile of someone distant in your family tree or missing family member as gene inheritance happens in family like from grandparents to parents and so forth.
This identification method that is now being used for situations that, due to decomposition and the loss of medical records, have exhausted all other available identification methods.
For example, the World Trade Center 2001 destruction, Hurricane Katrina 2005 and South East Asia tsunami chaos 2004 which resulted in thousands of death which may need few days or weeks to retrieve the bodies and to be brought back to the morgue as weather, lack of humanitarian volunteers, badly affected location and also lack of technology could improve situation.
Forensic and postmortem protocols could check on features like dental, fingerprint, sex, hair color and others. In addition, with further implementation like DNA matching, it is necessary for identification of children who were lacking little antemortem dental or fingerprint data.
With standardized procedures, it would be likely for months to correctly match the corpse using genetic markers. In addition, roughly only 50 to 60% of the 3025 persons who died in 9-11 chaos were managed to be identify in 18 months.
Certain DNA markers that are shared among a deceased individual’s DNA profile and several survivors’ reference sample profiles indicate that a relative has been found and can now be identified. Of course the high cost of DNA testing and lack of morgue with the expertise in those destructive places may lead to slow identification.
In 2006, the DNA Shoah Project was set to achieve its goal to give the departed Holocausts victims the last respect they deserved and to create a DNA database that can serve as both a genetic family tree and a memorial to those who perished.
The hope was to match these remains with DNA samples gathered from Holocaust survivors and from descendants of the departed.
The project’s second aim: to unite those orphaned by the Holocaust with a close relative who survived. With a large database of living survivors, internal matches among them could also turn up.
DNA typing has often been portrayed in the media and the courtroom as a controversial technology but in a way, it certainly acts as a helping tool in identification tool in survivors or dead bodies. People say dead bodies don’t talk, but if you study deep to their bones, they tell stories untold.
Nevertheless, the basic premise of the argument is valid and has been incorporated into recommendations about how forensic DNA testing be conducted and interpreted.
Written by J.J. Yong on September 30th, 2007 with no comments.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered as a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology. This disease affects about 1% of the population worldwide, mostly middle-aged women.
It is strongly associated with the inherited tissue type Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen HLA-DR4 which suggests family history is a risk factor.
Characterized by chronic and painful inflammation of the synovium, particularly of small joints, it often leads to destruction of articular cartilage and juxtaarticular bone.
As a systemic disease, it also affects extra-articular tissues like skin, blood vessels and muscles. 60% of the patients are unable to work for 10 years after the condition.
In 2006, researchers at Osaka University Medical School found that if they block an enzyme, DNase II, which is normally used to help break down “waste” DNA (macrophages), that symptoms identical to rheumatoid arthritis occur as that waste DNA accumulates.
Immune system chemical messengers such as TNF-α produced, which make the immune system turn on the body and leads to chronic inflammation in the joint, causing arthritis. The genetic defect factor can be overcome by bone marrow transplant.
In 2007, Dr. Peter Gregersen and colleagues at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have led the discovery of two suspect genes responsible for increasing the risk for RA.
They are the gene variants, STAT4 that boosts the risk by as much as 60% and TRAF1-C5, which does the same but by a whopping 87%.
Zhen Yan, and colleagues of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, pinpointed that circulating fetal cells may account for why rheumatoid arthritis tends to improve or even disappear during pregnancy.
A large proportion of fetal cells in a pregnant woman’s bloodstream come from placental cells that have died off as the placenta grows.
The researchers speculated that snippets of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) from the fetal DNA might be picked up by antigen-presenting cells of the mother’s immune system, such as dendritic cells.
Lately, a team from Karolinska Institute, Stockholm found a consistent association between the disease and one region of genome on chromosome 9 which includes two genes called TRAF1 and C5.
The chromosome region in which these genes are located may be involved in the binding of a protein that modifies the transcription of genes.
The researchers also found that one of the alternative markers in this region is associated with more aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.
Finally, genetic research and engineering is likely to bring forth many new avenues of earlier diagnosis and accurate treatment in the near future. With the improve knowledge about the susceptible genes to RA, prevention or cure can happen more effectively.
Written by J.J. Yong on September 23rd, 2007 with no comments.
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In Malaysia, a body of young girl was identified by local forensic police units showed resemblance of an eight year old missing girl from Kuala Lumpur named Nurin based on DNA test.
Ironically, Nurin’s parents disclaimed the body of a young girl, who is Nurin though it showed high similarities among samples of DNA – which was taken from blood, fingernails , saliva & etc.
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Written by J.J. Yong on September 20th, 2007 with no comments.
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