Taiwanese researchers, working in collaboration with an international team, have identified eight genes that could predict the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.
Through meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies — an approach that scans complete sets of DNA or genomes in different individuals for genetic variations associated with a particular disease — of more than 50,000 people and three stages of case selection, the Asia Genetic Epidemiology Network — a consortium of researchers from Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, China and the US — was able to identify casual genes for Type 2 diabetes for East Asians, the researchers said.
The Taiwanese research team was led by professors Chen Yuan-tsong (陳垣崇) and Wu Jer-yuarn (鄔哲源), from Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences, professor Chuang Lee-ming (莊立民) of National Taiwan University Hospital and professor Tsai Fuu-jen (蔡輔仁) of China Medical University Hospital.
Wu said the consortium was formed to find gene expressions for the disease that are unique to Asians, because most studies of Type 2 diabetes have focused on gene studies in Caucasians.
Wu said that the team contributed to the study by offering an analysis of the genetic data of 2,000 Taiwanese.
“There were about 360 million people with diabetes worldwide last year and it is estimated that number will rise to about 500 million in 2030,” Chuang said. “The prevalence of Taiwanese with diabetes has increased from about 4 percent in 1997 to about 6.5 percent over the past decade.”
Chuang said Type 1 diabetes, which often occurs in children, has been identified as being mainly caused by certain genes, whereas Type 2 diabetes, which more often occurs in adults, is affected by genes and environmental factors.
Wu said the eight genes identified by the research offer clues for the establishment of a model that could predict a higher occurrence rate of Type 2 diabetes, but added that more research has to be done to prove the actual casual relations between the genes and the disease.
Additional reporting by CNA
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS