Monthly Archives: April 2013

Colorado in 2010 began requiring DNA testing of all felons and for a small list of criminal misdemeanors, a move that began providing matches to unsolved sexual assaults, robberies, burglaries and other crimes within months.

Now, Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, is proposing the state go further by requiring DNA testing for all criminal misdemeanor convictions. We strongly support this idea and believe it could help catch rapists, burglars and even murderers going forward.

We especially support the idea now that House Bill 1251 has been considerably narrowed from its original version, which would have required DNA testing for all misdemeanor convictions, including a long list of minor violations hardly predictive of additional criminal behavior.

First, consider the results that have occurred since Colorado began requiring DNA testing for felony arrests and for six misdemeanor offenses. According to the Denver District Attorney's office, from December 2010 to March 2013, just in Denver, there were 187 DNA hits on samples taken upon arrest, and of those, 29 have been matched to sexual assaults and four to murders.

One of those cases included the March 21 charging of Eddie Simon on suspicion of kidnapping and raping a 20-year-old woman in 2001. Simon had been arrested earlier this year on felony drug charges and his DNA was taken at that time, leading to the potential break in the cold case.

But it's clear that expanding the DNA testing to serious misdemeanors will catch dangerous criminals as well. In New York, which in 2006 expanded the testing to certain misdemeanors such as shoplifting, assault and trespassing, DNA samples of people convicted of petty larceny were linked to some 48 murders and 220 sexual assaults, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

Some critics of Pabon's bill say it would create an indiscriminate dragnet that would invade the privacy of many people convicted of extremely low-level offenses. Yet we think Pabon has largely addressed this concern by first limiting the bill only to Class 1 misdemeanors and then further winnowing that list to only certain Class 1 misdemeanors.

This list includes more serious offenses such as third-degree assault, various sexual assault offenses, forgery, indecent exposure, wiretapping, possession of an illegal weapon and various other crimes that could indicate future criminal behavior.

No doubt, some critics will point to certain other offenses included on this narrowed list, such as videotaping a movie inside a theater, and say they shouldn't necessitate a DNA sample. But we think these cases will be relatively rare, and the far greater number of more serious offenses justifies taking the DNA.

The bill should be passed into law.

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DNA samples will help solve crimes

Washington, April 16 (ANI): UC San Francisco scientists have revealed that specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases.

Their discovery in mice is likely to further fuel a recent scramble by researchers to identify roles for long-neglected bits of DNA within the genomes of mice and humans alike.

While researchers have been busy exploring the roles of proteins encoded by the genes identified in various genome projects, most DNA is not in genes. This so-called junk DNA has largely been pushed aside and neglected in the wake of genomic gene discoveries, the UCSF scientists said.

In their own research, the UCSF team studies molecules called long noncoding RNA (lncRNA, often pronounced as "link" RNA), which are made from DNA templates in the same way as RNA from genes.

"The function of these mysterious RNA molecules in the brain is only beginning to be discovered," said Daniel Lim, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurological surgery, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, and the senior author of the study.

Alexander Ramos, a student enrolled in the MD/PhD program at UCSF and first author of the study, conducted extensive computational analysis to establish guilt by association, linking lncRNAs within cells to the activation of genes.

Ramos looked specifically at patterns associated with particular developmental pathways or with the progression of certain diseases. He found an association between a set of 88 long noncoding RNAs and Huntington's disease, a deadly neurodegenerative disorder. He also found weaker associations between specific groups of long noncoding RNAs and Alzheimer's disease, convulsive seizures, major depressive disorder and various cancers.

Unlike messenger RNA, which is transcribed from the DNA in genes and guides the production of proteins, lncRNA molecules do not carry the blueprints for proteins. Because of this fact, they were long thought to not influence a cell's fate or actions.

Nonetheless, lncRNAs also are transcribed from DNA in the same way as messenger RNA, and they, too, consist of unique sequences of nucleic acid building blocks.

Evidence indicates that lncRNAs can tether structural proteins to the DNA-containing chromosomes, and in so doing indirectly affect gene activation and cellular physiology without altering the genetic code. In other words, within the cell, lncRNA molecules act "epigenetically" - beyond genes - not through changes in DNA.

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Junk DNA may be behind devastating neurological diseases

* Horse DNA found in 1 in 8 beef products tested in France

* Results show 4.6 pct of tests positive across the EU

* Britain finds illegal drug residues in horsemeat

* EU experts say levels seen unlikely to pose health risk

By Charlie Dunmore

BRUSSELS, April 16 (Reuters) - France found more cases of illegal horsemeat in beef products than any other European Union country, results of official DNA tests ordered in the wake of the scandal showed, with more than 1 in every 8 samples testing positive.

Announcing the results on Tuesday, the European Commission said that for the EU as a whole, just less than 5 percent of all beef products tested had come back positive for horse DNA.

But the figures showed that of 353 tests carried out in France, 47 tested positive for horse DNA, giving a rate of more than 13 percent.

"In terms of image it's not good. It risks delaying our attempt to regain consumer confidence to get out of the crisis, because it is not over yet," Jean-Rene Buisson, chairman of the French food industry group ANIA, told Reuters.

Buisson said it would be important to know how much horsemeat was detected in each positive sample, as tiny traces could be the result of accidental contamination at processing plants rather than deliberate substitution. The Commission did not provide that information.

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UPDATE 3-France tops EU DNA tests for horsemeat in beef

Apr. 15, 2013 Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found.

Their discovery in mice is likely to further fuel a recent scramble by researchers to identify roles for long-neglected bits of DNA within the genomes of mice and humans alike.

While researchers have been busy exploring the roles of proteins encoded by the genes identified in various genome projects, most DNA is not in genes. This so-called junk DNA has largely been pushed aside and neglected in the wake of genomic gene discoveries, the UCSF scientists said.

In their own research, the UCSF team studies molecules called long noncoding RNA (lncRNA, often pronounced as "link" RNA), which are made from DNA templates in the same way as RNA from genes.

"The function of these mysterious RNA molecules in the brain is only beginning to be discovered," said Daniel Lim, assistant professor of neurological surgery, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, and the senior author of the study, published online April 11 in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Alexander Ramos, a student enrolled in the MD/PhD program at UCSF and first author of the study, conducted extensive computational analysis to establish guilt by association, linking lncRNAs within cells to the activation of genes.

Ramos looked specifically at patterns associated with particular developmental pathways or with the progression of certain diseases. He found an association between a set of 88 long noncoding RNAs and Huntington's disease, a deadly neurodegenerative disorder. He also found weaker associations between specific groups of long noncoding RNAs and Alzheimer's disease, convulsive seizures, major depressive disorder and various cancers.

"Alex was the team member who developed this new research direction, did most of the experiments, and connected results to the lab's ongoing work," Lim said. The study was mostly funded through Lim's grant - a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award, a competitive award for innovative projects that have the potential for unusually high impact.

Unlike messenger RNA, which is transcribed from the DNA in genes and guides the production of proteins, lncRNA molecules do not carry the blueprints for proteins. Because of this fact, they were long thought to not influence a cell's fate or actions.

Nonetheless, lncRNAs also are transcribed from DNA in the same way as messenger RNA, and they, too, consist of unique sequences of nucleic acid building blocks.

Continue reading here:
Brain development is guided by junk DNA that isn't really junk

Just in time for swimsuit season, federal researchers are touting a faster, more accurate water-quality test to keep beaches open and people healthy. But its expensive

By Brian Bienkowski and Environmental Health News

Just in time for swimsuit season, federal researchers are touting a faster, more accurate water-quality test to keep beaches open and people healthy. Image: Flickr/David Dufresne

Just in time for swimsuit season, federal researchers are touting a faster, more accurate water-quality test to keep beaches open and people healthy.

But its expensive, and most of the nations cash-strapped cities and counties can afford it.

Local officials traditionally check for bacteria in ocean and lake water with tests that take about 24 hours to complete. Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is recommending testing at the molecular level tagging DNA and counting bacteria which provides results within hours.

Water quality can change significantly in 24 hours. This way were identifying threats to human health almost immediately,said Meredith Nevers, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who is studying theEPAs new DNA test.

An estimated 3.5 million people get sick every year after a trip to the beach because of E. coli or other pathogens from sewage overflows, spills and polluted runoff, according to the EPA. Exposure can cause gastrointestinal illness, skin rashes and infections.

About 43 percent of beaches along the East and West coasts and the Great Lakes had at least one water-quality advisory in 2011, according to EPA data.

Counties and cities test beaches routinely often weekly but depending on the location and season. Beaches also are tested after spills to determine when they can be reopened.

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DNA Tests Offer Quicker Results for Beach Bacteria

By The Associated Press Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Additional DNA testing in a 24-year-old Wyoming rape case shows a match to the man who was the victim's fiance at the time, rather than the man who is in prison serving a life sentence for the crime.

A state district judge in Cheyenne will hold a hearing Tuesday to consider 63-year-old Andrew J. Johnson's request to receive a new trial based on DNA evidence. Johnson has maintained his innocence while serving a life sentence for the 1989 rape in Cheyenne.

In February, a judge granted Johnson's request for the first DNA testing in his case. Last month, initial results ruled out Johnson as the source of male DNA found in samples taken from the victim.

Relatives hope Johnson will get a new trial and possibly be released on bond.

"I cannot wait to finally see him walk free," his stepdaughter, Angela Johnson, 28, of Denver, said Monday.

The rape happened after Johnson and the victim spent an evening together visiting bars in Cheyenne. Johnson told police he walked back to his home after the victim drove home to hers without him. The victim told police Johnson later broke in to her apartment and raped her in the dark, according to court documents.

Now, additional testing shows a match between DNA taken from the victim's ex-fiance and DNA in a sample taken from the victim after the attack.

Laramie County District Attorney Scott Homar requested the additional testing after receiving the initial results. The victim had told police that only one man attacked her and that she didn't have sexual intercourse with anybody else the night she was raped.

Homar said the DNA match with the victim's ex-fiance wasn't surprising.

Read the rest here:
DNA matches victim's fiance in old Wyo. rape case

16 April 2013 Last updated at 10:46 ET

Horse DNA has been found in up to 5% of beef products randomly tested across the EU, according to results from the European Commission.

Inspectors also found the banned anti-inflammatory horse drug phenylbutazone, or "bute", in 0.5% of horsemeat tested.

The EU said it was "a matter of food fraud and not of food safety".

The three-month programme of checks was agreed by the 27 EU member states in February after horsemeat had been found in a batch of Findus frozen lasagne.

"Restoring the trust and confidence of European consumers and trading partners in our food chain following this fraudulent labelling scandal is now of vital importance for the European economy," said EU Commissioner for Health and Consumers Tonio Borg.

He said the Commission would "propose to strengthen the controls along the food chain in line with lessons learned."

Of the 4,144 tests carried out across the EU for the presence of horsemeat DNA, 193 were positive (4.66%).

There were 3,115 tests for bute, of which 16 were positive (0.51%).

In addition, member states reported another 7,951 tests for horse DNA performed by food business operators; of these 110 were positive (1.38%).

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Horse DNA in 5% of EU tested beef

By Charlie Dunmore

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France found more cases of illegal horsemeat in beef products than any other European Union country, results of official DNA tests ordered in the wake of the scandal showed, with more than 1 in every 8 samples testing positive.

Announcing the results on Tuesday, the European Commission said that for the EU as a whole, just less than 5 percent of all beef products tested had come back positive for horse DNA.

But the figures showed that of 353 tests carried out in France, 47 tested positive for horse DNA, giving a rate of more than 13 percent.

"In terms of image it's not good. It risks delaying our attempt to regain consumer confidence to get out of the crisis, because it is not over yet," Jean-Rene Buisson, chairman of the French food industry group ANIA, told Reuters.

Buisson said it would be important to know how much horsemeat was detected in each positive sample, as tiny traces could be the result of accidental contamination at processing plants rather than deliberate substitution. The Commission did not provide that information.

Europe's horsemeat scandal has damaged confidence in parts of the continent's food industry, hitting sales of processed ready-meals and boosting demand for organic produce.

The program of EU-funded DNA tests was approved by member governments in February in a bid to gauge the extent of the problem and restore consumer confidence in the bloc's food safety controls.

The results revealed a mixed picture across the EU. Greece had the second-highest level of positive results with 288 tests yielding 36 positive results, a rate of 12.5 percent. About 1 in every 10 tests also returned positive in Latvia, Denmark and Estonia.

By contrast, Germany found horse DNA in just 3.3 percent of samples, and in the Netherlands the rate was less than 1 percent.

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France tops EU DNA tests for horsemeat in beef