Restless Legs Syndrome

Do you have restless leg syndrome? If so, you might be interested in the findings of scientists that have linked this to being biologically based and not an imaginary disorder. New studies published recently in two top medical journals are being called the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms. They have linked a common gene variation to nighttime leg twitching. It involved people in Iceland and the United States. A second study identified the gene variation and two others in Germans and Canadians. This discovery demonstrates the power of genetics not only for uncovering the biological causes of disease, but also for defining diseases such as RLS and establishing them as a medical condition.

New Breast Cancer Genes Discovered

Scientists have developed a new technique to identify genes that increase the chance of women developing breast cancer. The hope is that a single blood test will reveal a woman's risk of getting the disease. Researchers say the new technique speeds up gene identification and could mean finding all the genes associated with breast cancer. This development is hugely significant.Two years ago scientists found two genes responsible for breast cancer. Now that they know these search methods are effective, they think that many more breast cancer genes can be found. Wouldn't that be great?