2023-06-25 07:40:00
New research suggests that Neanderthal genes may be one of the causes of Dupuytren’s disorder, otherwise nicknamed “ Viking disease“, in which the fingers are frozen in a flexed position. Dupuytren’s disease is a crippling disorder of the hand named following a French surgeon in which the fingers, typically the fingers, wearing a ring and little finger, permanently locked in a bent position. This condition is very common in the Nordic countries where Vikings settled, hence the nickname Viking disease. Treatment is mainly surgical, but recurrence is very common. Although smoking, alcoholism, diabetes, and antiepileptic drugs may increase the incidence of Viking’s disease, the exact cause remains unknown. The rarity of the disease in Africans prompted Dr. Hugo Zeberg, an evolutionary geneticist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, wondered if the genes involved in the disease came from Neanderthals, since Africans have very few Neanderthal ancestors. The study combined data from three major biobanks in the US, UK and Finland that included 7,871 cases and 645,880 controls in people of predominantly European descent. They found 61 genetic variants that were associated with a higher risk of Dupuytren’s disease. Next, they compared these gene variants with previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes. They unexpectedly discovered that, of these 61 variants, three were of Neanderthal origin, of which two were strongly associated with the disease. The Neanderthal gene associated with the disease, called EPDR1, is located on chromosome 7. Zeberg added that previously only COVID-19 was the only disease found to have a genetic link. This is such an exciting study that sheds light on the genetic basis of Dupuytren’s disease,” said Serena Tucci, anthropologist and evolutionary geneticist at Yale University. It also adds that this is the first study to link the disease to DNA left over from our close relatives. People of non-African ancestry have regarding 2% of Neanderthal DNA in them. their genome. So statistically, you would randomly assume that Neanderthal DNA accounts for regarding 2% of the genetic risk of the disease. However, Zeberg found that the number was up to 8.4%, much more than the initial statistic. The new study has huge implications for future radiation therapy, Zeberg said. In the next steps, Zeberg hopes to do more clinically oriented studies of the disease. The search for other diseases tied to the leftover DNA of Denisovans, the Eastern European cousins of Neanderthals, is also included in the study.
hlj;Invite readers to watch the video: Startled to discover a 2,500-year-old mummy whose heart is still pounding. Source; Kienthucnet.
New research suggests that Neanderthal genes may be one of the causes of Dupuytren’s disorder, otherwise nicknamed “ Viking disease“, in which the fingers are frozen in a flexed position.
Dupuytren’s disease is a crippling hand disorder named following a French surgeon in which the fingers, typically the ring and little fingers, are permanently locked in a curved position.
This condition is very common in the Nordic countries where Vikings settled, hence the nickname Viking disease. The main treatment is surgery, but recurrence is very common. Although smoking, alcoholism, diabetes, and antiepileptic drugs may increase the incidence of Viking disease, the exact cause has not been determined.
The rarity of the disease in Africans has led Dr Hugo Zeberg, an evolutionary geneticist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, to wonder if the genes involved in the disease came from Neanderthals. because Africans have very few Neanderthal ancestors.
The researchers combined data from three major biobanks in the US, UK and Finland covering 7,871 cases and 645,880 controls in people of predominantly European descent. They found 61 genetic variants that were associated with a higher risk of Dupuytren’s disease.
Next, they compared these gene variants with previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes. They unexpectedly discovered that, of these 61 variants, three were of Neanderthal origin, of which two were strongly associated with the disease. The Neanderthal gene involved in the disease, called EPDR1, is located on chromosome 7.
Previously, only COVID-19 was the only disease found to have such a strong genetic link to Neanderthals, Zeberg added.
“This is an exciting study that sheds light on the genetic basis of Dupuytren’s disease,” said Serena Tucci, anthropologist and evolutionary geneticist at Yale University, adding that it is the first study to link the disease to DNA left over from our close relatives.
People with origins outside Africa have regarding 2% of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. So statistically, you would randomly assume that Neanderthal DNA accounts for regarding 2% of the genetic risk of the disease. However, Zeberg found that this number was up to 8.4%, much more than the initial statistics.
The new study has huge implications for future radiation therapy, Zeberg said. In the next steps, Zeberg hopes to do more clinically oriented studies of the disease. The search for other diseases tied to the leftover DNA of Denisovans, the Eastern European cousins of Neanderthals, is also included in the study.
hlj;
Invite readers to watch the video: Startled to discover a 2,500-year-old mummy whose heart is still pounding. Source; Kienthucnet.
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