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The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is lower in people with obesity who have a genetic predisposition for high BMI than people with obesity influenced mainly by environmental factors such as lifestyle, researchers from Karolinska Institutet report in eClinicalMedicine.

KI has introduced a new application system from August 18, 2020, so if you want to utilize the resources of the Twin Registry, you must now use the web based system iLab.

Twin Research and Human Genetics has just published an overview article of the Swedish Twin Registry (STR). The registry has developed into an infrastructure of broad utility, aiming to provide a resource for epidemiological and molecular studies of twins.

Genes cannot be used to determine an individual’s sexual orientation. A study published in the journal Science found only five out of hundreds of thousands genetic variants occurred somewhat more often in people who had had same-sex partners. This suggests human sexuality is influenced by a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors, according to the researchers. The study is based on data from the UK Biobank, the U.S. company 23andMe and the Swedish Twin Registry at Karolinska Institutet.

In the autumn of 2017, the STR received 5-year supporting funding of 4.5 million kr per year from the Swedish Research Council for research infrastructures of national importance.

Researchers have been able to demonstrate the hereditary nature of certain forms of tinnitus. Bilateral tinnitus – that is, tinnitus in both ears – has been shown to depend on genetic factors, particularly in men. The twin study, which is published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet together with colleagues from GENYO in Granada, Spain, as part of the European research network TINNET.