Risk Factors

Lethal Combinations

Add a bad choice to a bad gene, and you have double trouble

By: Denny Watkins

SOURCE: MEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE

Genetics researchers are focusing on so-called probabilistic gene mutations, which increase your chances of developing a disease when combined with a specific environmental condition. The research is still in its infancy, but eventually, scientists say, you'll be able to undergo a series of genetic tests that will reveal the diseases you have the most risk factors for. Here are a few recently discovered fatal combinations.

Condition: Colon Cancer

Mutant Gene: Serpina1, which, when working properly, protects the body from its own immune system; the mutant version causes a protein deficiency

Plus This Risk Factor: Smoking

Increases Your Risk By . . . 2,000 percent

Prevalence of Mutation: 1 in 2,500 people; more common in Caucasians

Genetic Test Available? Yes

Condition: Heart Disease

Mutant Gene: LDLRAP1, which normally regulates levels of cholesterol but, when flawed, lets it balloon to 350 or more

Plus This Risk Factor: Eating a high-fat diet

Increases Your Risk By . . . 1,000 percent

Prevalence of Mutation: 1 in 500 people

Genetic Test Available? Yes

Condition: Stroke

Mutant Gene: F5, which helps blood coagulate. When the gene is mutated, blood becomes abnormally sticky and more likely to clot.

Plus This Risk Factor: Being overweight or smoking

Increases Your Risk By . . . 3 to 8 percent

Prevalence of Mutation: 5 percent of the population

Genetic Test Available? Yes

Bond of Brothers

Health history of your siblings may reveal your risk factors

Edited by: Erin Hobday

When you scan your family tree for disease, check who's on the branch beside you, too. Because siblings share both genetics and childhood lifestyle factors, their health histories can reveal common at-risk areas that can't be uncovered based on their parents' pasts alone, says Robin Bennett, M.S., C.G.C., a genetic counselor at the University of Washington medical center. Find out what your brother or sister has battled so you can begin taking evasive action.

The Condition And Your Relative Risk

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

If a sibling has COPD -- persistent airway obstruction -- your chances of following suit are five times greater.

Colon cancer

When colon cancer pops up in a sibling, your odds of producing a polyp double.

Type-2 diabetes

Your risk of developing type-2 diabetes goes up by 30 percent if one of your siblings has the disease.

Glaucoma

A brother or sister with glaucoma makes you 10 times more vulnerable to this blinding eye condition.

Heart disease

If a sibling has heart disease before age 55, plaque is twice as likely to take hold inside your arteries.

Hemochromatosis

A faulty gene on chromosome six causes this iron-overload disorder. Having a sibling with it boosts your own risk by 25 percent.

Prostate cancer

A brother with prostate cancer makes you three times more likely to develop a growth in your gland.

Varicoceles

Having a brother with varicoceles -- varicose veins in the scrotum -- raises your risk by 70 percent.

Cracking Open the Apple iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G disassembled

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Apple's iPhone 3G arrived on Friday with a bevy of new enterprise-ready features, including Exchange support, business-grade security, and third-party applications powered by an SDK. As with the first iPhone, we waited in line, bought our phone, signed an AT&T contract, and promptly began to crack open the case. Come along as we disassemble the Apple iPhone 3G.

Also, we always disassembled our gadgets with the intent to reassemble them. The iPhone 3G was no exception. It worked when we put it back together.

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