TAKE A SECOND LOOK: A new study by genetics professor Neil Risch suggests that genes may play a larger role in the occurrence of cancer than previously thought. Risch re-analyzed data from a study in the New England Journal of Medicine of 45,000 sets of twins, examining how often the same cancers cropped up in identical twins compared with fraternal twins. The earlier study agreed with the prevailing hypothesis that most cancers result from environmental factors, but Risch found that simpler assumptions—such as a single gene causing a given cancer—fit the data better. He concluded that rare and early-onset cancers are most likely to run in families.
DRIVING WHILE TIRED: Starting the engine? Make sure you’re awake. Nelson B. Powell, co-director of Stanford’s Sleep Disorders Clinic, and researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine found that sleep-deprived drivers respond about as slowly to performance-course hazards as those with a blood-alcohol level of .089 percent, slightly above the legal limit in most states of .08 percent. “It’s crucial that people stay away from their cars while they’re tired,” Powell says.
BREATHING EASIER: A team of researchers at Stanford’s Center for Human Sleep Research have discovered a genetic marker for sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops repeatedly during sleep. Previous studies have suggested that sleep-disordered breathing may affect up to 10 percent of the U.S. population and is associated with increased risk for heart disease and Alzheimer’s. According to center director Emmanuel Mignot, the gene could explain a “significant portion” of the incidence. The study, published in the June 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to link apnea to a specific gene.
