To test, or not to test?

To test or not to test, that is the question.

Pharmacogenetic research indicates a relationship between a polymorphism in the gene encoding uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) and irinotecan inactivation, in that degradation of SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, correlates inversely with the number of TA repeats in the TATA element of the UGT1A1 promoter region. Individuals who are homozygous for the UGT1A1*28...

Untreatable genetic disorders: to test or not to test.

Carphology 254 Carphology A Fo Ben Cover image Parkinson’s disease. Fluorescent deconvolution micrograph of a section through a brain affected by Parkinson’s disease. Neuron (nerve cell) nuclei are blue. The protein alpha-synuclein is red. It is thought that it is the accumulation of this protein that causes the progressive degeneration of the neurons that leads to the symptoms of Parkinson’s d...

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: to test or not to test, that is the question.

In direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, laboratory-based genetic services are offered directly to the public without an independent healthcare professional being involved. The committee of the Southern African Society for Human Genetics (SASHG) appeals to the public and clinicians to be cautious when considering and interpreting such testing. It is important to stress that currently, the c...

To Test or Not to Test? Ending the Age-Old Debate for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

To test or not to test: do workplace drug testing programs discourage employee drug use?

Workplace drug testing programs are often met with intense criticism. Despite resistance among labor and consumer groups and a lack of rigorous empirical evidence regarding effectiveness, drug testing programs have remained popular with employers throughout the 1990s and into the current century. The present study analyzed nationally representative data on over 15,000 US households to determine...