| Addiction genes can be tracked
NEW DELHI: Chinese scientists have devised a novel technique to identify genes and other biological pathways associated with drug addiction.
Their work attains significance as it may pave the way for potential ways to treat drug abuse and disorders.
"We have found 396 addiction-related genes and identified five pathways that are common to addiction to four different substances: cocaine, opium, nicotine and alcohol," the China Daily quoted Wei Liping, the director of the centre for bioinformatics of the life science college under Peking University, as saying.
"The research provides a more complete picture of drug addiction, as genetic factors contribute to about 60 per cent of the vulnerability to drug addiction," she said.
She said that tracking common pathways gives the hope that the effectiveness of therapies that target such pathways may be boosted to treat a wide range of addictive disorders.
Genes behind drug addiction tracked
Chinese scientists have found a way to track genes and biological pathways linked to drug addiction, unraveling potential ways to treat drug abuse and disorders.
"We have found 396 addiction-related genes and identified five pathways that are common to addiction to four different substances: cocaine, opium, nicotine and alcohol," the director of the center for bioinformatics of the life science college under Peking University, Wei Liping, told China Daily yesterday.
"The research provides a more complete picture of drug addiction, as genetic factors contribute to about 60 percent of the vulnerability to drug addiction," she said.
Wei said identifying common pathways meant that treatment targeting these pathways may be more effective for a wide range of addictive disorders.
New Tech fan blog: 'Shake and Bake' cooking up great future with ...
JASON JONES: Louisiana Tech begins the new year at 3-9 and will look to start the WAC portion of its schedule with a win over the visiting Fresno State Bulldogs. Tech just completed an impressive 10-point win over McNeese State in which true freshman Dwayne Lathan broke out with 19 points, five rebounds, and two steals in 19 minutes. The Tech Bulldogs held the Cowboys to 38% shooting for the game including 28% in the first half. Fresno State arrives after a seven-point loss to Stanford that brings it to 7-6 overall and 1-5 on the road. The California Bulldogs are led by 5-10 guard Kevin Bell who was picked second team all WAC in the preseason and is averaging 17.5 points per game. Fellow guards Eddie Miller and Bryan Harvey also average in double figures while 6-9senior post Hector Hernandez leads the team with 6.9 rebounds to go with his 10.8 points per game.
The Final Cut
That's impossible to answer, mainly because nobody can agree on what ''pulling it off'' means. There are viewers who won't be satisfied unless Tony and his family somehow break free of Mob life; there are others who think that he has to die or, worse, that he has to lose whomever (or whatever) he loves most. I fall somewhere between the death-penalty group and the redemption camp. I believe that Tony's line from the pilot ''Things are trending downward'' describes the entire dramatic spiral of his life, and that the ending of The Sopranos has to fulfill that: What other conclusion can there be for a show that began with Tony's trip to a shrink but for him to come face-to-face with both the man and the monster that he is? It won't be a happy moment. Wherever Chase takes him, I hope it feels like a finish line.
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