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katastrofa
Posts: 7440
Joined: August 16th, 2007, 5:36 am
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Re: is medicine a science ?

January 12th, 2017, 6:35 pm

The ability to digest lactose depends on the secretion of lactase in the small intestines which is something virtually all mammals including humans do as infants.  But in most mammals and humans, other regulatory genes turn-off lactase expression in early childhood.  In the absence of lactase, gut bacteria do digest the lactose but the byproduct is a lot of gas and a surge in bacterial populations which causes discomfort and other symptoms when lactose-intolerant people eat foods with that sugar.

In the past 10,000 years, some human populations that switched from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to pastoral ones have evolved a genetic variant in which lactase continues to be secreted into adulthood.  The percentage of the population that can handle lactose varies widely (being high in northern Europe, Tuareg, Ukrainians, Mongolians, etc. and being low in most Africans, most MiddleEasterners, almost all Asians, Indians, and Native Americans).
I was thinking about epigenetic factors, which lead to silencing of the respective genes (i.e. lack of lactose in your diet somehow leads to the DNA methylation which silences the genes encoding lactase).
The genetic variant responsible for the lactase persistence is believed to be a relatively young mutation rather than an atavism, but they keep changing their mind about everything...
 
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Traden4Alpha
Posts: 3300
Joined: September 20th, 2002, 8:30 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

January 12th, 2017, 7:11 pm

Yes, epigenetic factors probably do play some role in each individual's tolerance to lactose (Lamark was actually right!) yet there do seem to be some specific genetic variants in some populations. Like many phenotypic traits in humans, there's a spectrum and the heritability is never quite 100%.
 
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katastrofa
Posts: 7440
Joined: August 16th, 2007, 5:36 am
Location: Alpha Centauri

Re: is medicine a science ?

January 12th, 2017, 7:39 pm

Yes, epigenetic factors probably do play some role in each individual's tolerance to lactose (Lamark was actually right!) yet there do seem to be some specific genetic variants in some populations.  Like many phenotypic traits in humans, there's a spectrum and the heritability is never quite 100%.
It's a common misconception that the lamarckian inheritance has something to do with epigenetics, but nevermind.
The actual mutation giving the lactose persistence is A version of the SNP in MCM6 gene. I have it but e.g. my "oriental" great-grandma (I won't give any details, because AnalyticalVega would stab me) didn't.
 
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ppauper
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Joined: November 15th, 2001, 1:29 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

April 9th, 2017, 5:17 am

there was an old joke that if you ask 3 different economists a question, you get 4 different answers (the punchline was that Lord Keynes always had 2)

It seems that it's true of medicine also
Second Opinion From Doctor Nets Different Diagnosis 88% Of Time, Study Finds
 
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Traden4Alpha
Posts: 3300
Joined: September 20th, 2002, 8:30 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

April 9th, 2017, 10:39 am

there was an old joke that if you ask 3 different economists a question, you get 4 different answers (the punchline was that Lord Keynes always had 2)

It seems that it's true of medicine also
Second Opinion From Doctor Nets Different Diagnosis 88% Of Time, Study Finds
Medicine is definitely one area were AI is going to save a lot of lives and costs.
 
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Collector
Posts: 2572
Joined: August 21st, 2001, 12:37 pm
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Re: is medicine a science ?

April 29th, 2017, 5:45 pm

medicine had minimal progress in extending life expectancy (if adjusting for child morality). Finally there is hope for immortality medicine, the secrets are given by immortalitymedicine.tv
 
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ppauper
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Joined: November 15th, 2001, 1:29 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

April 30th, 2017, 12:40 pm

 
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ppauper
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Joined: November 15th, 2001, 1:29 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

May 6th, 2017, 8:24 pm

Living Medical studies are almost always bogus
How many times have you encountered a study — on, say, weight loss — that trumpeted one fad, only to see another study discrediting it a week later?
when larry king had a show on CNN, he used to regularly host an argument amongst  3 or 4 physicians who vehemently disagreed on some issue. Fatkins (Dr Atkins of the Atkins Diet) was a regular
 
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ppauper
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Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 6:09 am

 
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ppauper
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Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 10:12 am

 
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Cuchulainn
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Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 10:23 am

But you know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
 
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outrun
Posts: 4573
Joined: January 1st, 1970, 12:00 am

Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 10:27 am

Not eating french fries is not going to solve it. The article actually tried to inform people about this "correlation vs causation" fallacy, which is something you don't see much in popular news articles, I think it's good in that respect.!
Eating lots of french fries is a good classifier variable for lifestyle.
I'm hungry now!
 
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ppauper
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Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 10:32 am

But you know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
mayonnnaise?
 
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Cuchulainn
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Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 10:50 am

But you know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
mayonnnaise?
I seen them do it, man, they ... drown them in that ....
 
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ppauper
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Posts: 11729
Joined: November 15th, 2001, 1:29 pm

Re: is medicine a science ?

June 14th, 2017, 11:30 am

But you know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
mayonnnaise?
I seen them do it, man, they ... drown them in that ....
do you do it also?