A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
‘Lean gene’ may hide heart and diabetes risk
A “LEAN GENE” that keeps you looking slim may mask danger signs of heart disease and diabetes.
Scientists warned that some people who appear trim and fit may unknowingly be at risk of life-threatening conditions.
The gene reduces levels of fat under the skin, but not the more harmful form of hidden “visceral” tissue that surrounds organs. Known as IRS1, it is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Prof Douglas Kiel, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, said: “We’ve uncovered a truly fascinating genetic story and, when we found the effect of this gene, we were very intrigued by the unexpected finding.
"People, particularly men, with a specific form of the gene are both more likely to have lower per cent body fat, but also to develop heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In simple terms, it is not only overweight individuals who can be predisposed for these metabolic diseases." The research is reported in the journal Nature Genetics.
Prof Kiel’s team made the discovery after scouring the genetic codes of more than 75,000 people searching for genes that determine body fat levels.
They found strong evidence that the IRS1 gene was linked with having less visible body fat.
But further study revealed that those born with the “lean gene” were not as lucky as they first appeared. Possessing the gene also led to unhealthy levels of cholesterol and blood glucose.
People with the gene are less able to store fat safely under the skin. Instead, fat was likely to build up in a more harmful “visceral” form around internal organs.
Increase in the number of work-related fatalities
THE NUMBER of work-related deaths recorded last year increased with the agriculture sector again accounting for the majority of fatalities.
According to the Health and Safety Authority’s annual report for 2010, there were 48 workplace fatalities recorded compared with a record low of 43 in 2009. Of the 48 fatalities, six involved non-workers. Of the worker fatalities, 22 deaths involved self-employed people.
As many as 60 per cent of all fatal incidents recorded last year occurred in the farming, forestry and fishing sector, which collectively accounted for 29 deaths.
There were six fatalities in the construction sector, the lowest number recorded in the sector since the authority’s records began in 1989.
Falls from a height were the most common cause of workplace deaths last year, the majority of which occurred in farming and construction where roof repair and maintenance were taking place. Manual handling related injuries continue to account for about one-third of non-fatal injuries reported, with slips, trips and falls being the next most common.
Munster registered the highest number of workplace fatalities last year with 18 fatalities in total, seven of which occurred in Cork.
During the year, there were 27 prosecutions for health and safety breaches with penalties including two suspended sentences and €571,900 in fines imposed. Overall, the authority carried out 16,714 inspections last year. About 9 per cent of these resulted in enforcement action. CHARLIE TAYLOR
Saliva can be used to determine age
AMERICAN RESEARCHERS said they can now use saliva samples to predict a person's age, a discovery that could open the door to personalised medicine. Using a process called methylation, scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles were able to determine a person's age to within five years. Dr Eric Vilain and his team, whose findings appear in the Public Library of Science Onejournal online, made the discovery while studying 34 pairs of identical male twins with different sexual orientations.