BioClinics are delighted to announce the launch of 3 new drug and alcohol testing services to market. The new tests offer further choice and flexibility for sample collection, type and purpose of test. Scientific Director Dr Nichola McChrystal is excited at the prospect of being able to break into…
BioClinics are delighted to announce the launch of a new website for the Salford DNA Testing Clinic. The new ‘Micro-site’ has been designed to make it easy for prospective clients to book an appointment at the Salford Clinic or order a DNA self collection kit on-line.
Please visit the new website at www.dnatestingsalford.co.uk
BioClinics are delighted to announce the launch of DNA Self Collection Kits available to order on-line through it’s new website DNA Home.
The new website, launched in March, sees the further expansion of BioClinics into the DNA testing market in the UK.
Dr. Nichola McChrystal, Scientific Director at BioClinics:
“BioClinics recognise the need for Self Collection Kits because not everybody can or is willing to visit a DNA Clinic or Pharmacy. Unlike the ‘Do it yourself kits’ available on the high street, BioClinics representatives are on hand to guide clients through the sample collection process every step of the way. We view this as offering our clients further value when it comes to complete flexibility and accessibility for DNA sample collection options and testing”.
Regardless of the DNA test chosen, clients only have to pay £20 to purchase a Self Collection Kit. Once the samples have been taken, the balance of payment is returned with the completed kit.
Dr. McChrystal feels this also adds value to potential clients “In these times of austerity measures, DNA testing can be an expensive and stressful process. By making the Self Collection Kits available at just £20, we view this as an affordable option to most people. Then of course, there is no immediate need to return the test kit straight away, this allows clients the time to have the funds available when they wish to return the samples”.
The DNA Self Collection Kits are available as Peace of Mind DNA tests across a range of various DNA relationship analysis. For further information, or to order a Self Collection Kit, please visit www.dnaclinics.co.uk, www.bioclinics.co.uk or www.homednapaternitytest.co.uk
DNA Clinics Have been providing Legal DNA testing services for immigration purposes since 2005.
The DNA Clinics are unique. We offer an unrivalled sample collection service throughout the UK and Ireland giving clients incredible flexibility for DNA sample collection options, local expertise and ongoing support and advice.
Sample Collection options:
This unique network allows our professionals to work with solicitors in a one-to-one capacity, whilst clients are provided with local support throughout the DNA testing process.
We understand that the immigration process can be an anxious time for clients, our local approach instills confidence in the client that the DNA test is carried out by competent professionals using UK accredited laboratories.
DNA Clinics work with charitable groups including Refugee Action and Choices (Voluntary Return Programme). Working in partnership with such organisations means we can offer the very best in expertise, knowledge and experience.
We have an existing network of solicitors specialising in immigration cases who continue to use DNA Clinics. When asked why they return to use our services, almost all cited the local presence and flexibility in sample collection options.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Any, or all, of these conditions can occur at the same time in the same person. A build-up of fat occurs within liver cells in most people who regularly drink heavily. In itself, fatty liver is not usually serious and does not cause symptoms. Fatty liver will usually reverse if you stop drinking heavily. However, in some people the fatty liver progresses and develops into hepatitis. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The inflammation can range from mild to severe.
Fatty liver
Alcoholic hepatitis
Your liver and body can usually cope with drinking a small amount of alcohol. Indeed, drinking a small amount of alcohol (1-2 units per day) may help to prevent heart disease and stroke. In the UK, deaths due to alcohol-related diseases (particularly liver disease) have risen considerably over the last 20 years or so. This is because heavy drinking and binge drinking have become more common.
However, drinking over the recommended limits (detailed below) can be harmful. If you drink heavily you have an increased risk of developing:
There is growing evidence that people with serious mental illness, including depression and psychosis, are more likely to use cannabis or have used it for long periods of time in the past. Regular use of the drug has appeared to double the risk of developing a psychotic episode or long-term schizophrenia. However, does cannabis cause depression and schizophrenia or do people with these disorders use it as a medication?
Over the past few years, research has strongly suggested that there is a clear link between early cannabis use and later mental health problems in those with a genetic vulnerability - and that there is a particular issue with the use of cannabis by adolescents.
Depression
A study following 1600 Australian school-children, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that while children who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression, the opposite was not the case - children who already suffered from depression were not more likely than anyone else to use cannabis. However, adolescents who used cannabis daily were five times more likely to develop depression and anxiety in later life.
Schizophrenia
Three major studies followed large numbers of people over several years, and showed that those people who use cannabis have a higher than average risk of developing schizophrenia. If you start smoking it before the age of 15, you are 4 times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder by the time you are 26. They found no evidence of self-medication. It seemed that, the more cannabis someone used, the more likely they were to develop symptoms.
Why should teenagers be particularly vulnerable to the use of cannabis? No one knows for certain, but it may be something to do with brain development. The brain is still developing in the teenage years – up to the age of around 20, in fact. A massive process of ‘neural pruning’ is going on. This is rather like streamlining a tangled jumble of circuits so they can work more effectively. Any experience, or substance, that affects this process has the potential to produce long-term psychological effects.
Recent research in Europe, and in the UK, has suggested that people who have a family background of mental illness – and so probably have a genetic vulnerability anyway - are more likely to develop schizophrenia if they use cannabis as well.
6pm One Unit: It’s been a long day…
BRAIN: From the first sip, alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream and reaches the brain. Although you won’t be aware of it, there is an impairment of brain function, which deteriorates further the more you drink. Cognitive abilities that are acquired later in life, such as conduct and behaviour, are the first to go. Early on you will experience mild euphoria and loss of inhibition, as alcohol impairs regions of the brain controlling behaviour and emotion. Most vulnerable are the brain cells associated with memory, attention, sleep and coordination. Sheer lack of mass means that people who weigh less become intoxicated more quickly, and women will feel the effects faster than men. This is also because their bodies have lower levels of water.
HEART: Your pulse quickens after just one unit. Alcohol is a vasodilator - it makes the peripheral blood vessels relax to allow more blood to flow through the skin and tissues, which results in a drop in blood pressure. In order to maintain sufficient blood flow to the organs, the heart rate increases. Your breathing rate may also speed up.
8pm Five Units: Whose round is it then?
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: The Government advises men to drink no more than three to four units a day and women no more than two to three, so after two pints of normal-strength beer (four units) or a large glass of red wine (3.5 units) we have already exceeded our healthy guidelines. The alcohol is absorbed through the stomach and small intestine and if you are not used to it, even small amounts of alcohol can irritate the stomach lining. This volume of alcohol also begins to block absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.
SKIN: Alcohol increases bloodflow to the skin, making you feel warm and look flushed. It also dehydrates, increasing the appearance of fine lines. According to Dr Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist, even five units will lead to an unhealthy appearance for days.
11pm 10 Units: Sorry, what was your name again?
LUNGS: A small amount of alcohol speeds up the breathing rate. But at this level of intoxication, the stimulating effects of alcohol are replaced by an anaesthetic effect that acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. The heart rate lowers, as does blood pressure and respiration rates, possibly to risky levels - in extreme cases the effect could be fatal. During exhalation, the lungs excrete about 5 per cent of the alcohol you have consumed - it is this effect that forms the basis for the breathalyser test.
1am 15 Units: Let me tell you about my ex…
LIVER: Alcohol is metabolised in the liver and excessive alcohol use can lead to acute and chronic liver disease. As the liver breaks down alcohol, by-products such as acetaldehyde are formed, some of which are more toxic to the body than alcohol itself. It is these that can eventually attack the liver and cause cirrhosis. A heavy night of drinking upsets both the delicate balance of enzymes in the liver and fat metabolism. Over time, this can lead to the development of fatty globules that cause the organ to swell. It is generally accepted that drinking more than seven units (men) and five units (women) a day will raise the risk of liver cirrhosis.
3am 20 Units: Where am I? I need to lie down
HEART: More than 35 units a week, or a large number in one sitting, can cause ‘holiday heart syndrome’. This is atrial fibrillation - a rapid, irregular heartbeat that happens when the heart’s upper chambers contract too quickly. As a result, the heartbeat is less effective at pumping blood from the heart, and blood may pool and form clots. These can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Atrial fibrillation gives a person nearly a fivefold increased risk of stroke. The effect is temporary, provided heavy drinking is stopped.
BLOOD: By this stage, alcohol has been carried to all parts of the body, including the brain, where it dissolves into the water inside cells. The effect of alcohol on the body is similar to that of an anaesthetic - by this stage, inhibitions are lost and feelings of aggression will surge.
The morning after: Can you please just shut up…
BRAIN: Alcohol dehydrates virtually every part of the body, and is also a neurotoxin that causes brain cells to become damaged and swell. This causes the hangover and, combined with low blood-sugar levels, can leave you feeling awful. Cognitive abilities such as concentration, coordination and memory may be affected for several days.
DIGESTION: Generally, it takes as many hours as the number of drinks you have consumed to burn up all the alcohol. Feelings of nausea result from dehydration, which also causes your thumping headache.
KIDNEYS: Alcohol promotes the making of urine in excess of the volume you have drunk and this can cause dehydration unless extra fluid is taken. Alcohol causes no damage or harm to the kidneys in the short term, but your kidneys will be working hard.
One year on: Where did it all go wrong?
REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS: Heavy drinking causes a drop in testosterone levels in men, and causes testicular shrinkage and impotence. In females, menstrual cycles can be disrupted and fertility is affected. Studies have shown that women who drink up to five units of alcohol a week are twice as likely to conceive as those who drink 10 or more. It is thought it may affect the ability of the fertilised egg to implant.
BRAIN: Over time, alcohol can cause permanent damage to the connection between nerve cells. As it is a depressant, alcohol can trigger episodes of depression, anxiety and lethargy.
HEART: Small amounts of alcohol (no more than a unit a day) can protect the heart, but heavy drinking leads to chronic high blood pressure and other heart irregularities.
BLOOD: Alcohol kills the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, which can lead to anaemia.
CANCER: Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increase in the risk of most cancers. Last week, Cancer Research UK warned how growing alcohol use is causing a steep rise in mouth cancer cases.
PANCREAS: Just a few weeks of heavy drinking can result in painful inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis. It results in a swollen abdominal area and can cause nausea and vomiting.
More and more people and organisations are taking advantage of our unique Clinic, Pharmacy and Registered Nurse sample collection service.
Research shows that the majority of clients prefer to have samples taken in a Clinical environment and carried out by a competent health professional. Any questions or concerns can be dealt with at the point of sample collection and there is always a scientific advisor available for the more advanced technical questions.
So, we are finding that more and more people are opting for the face to face support service BioClinics offers, rather than the faceless Internet based service that our competitors offer.
It’s funny, at a time when the High Street is suffering at the hands of the .com’s, the reverse is true for the Bio Testing industry.
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the X chromosome). The sex chromosomes form one of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome spans about 58 million building blocks of DNA (base pairs) and represents almost 2 percent of the total DNA in cells. Each person normally has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome is present in males, who have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. Identifying genes on each chromosome is an active area of genetic research. Because researchers use different approaches to predict the number of genes on each chromosome, the estimated number of genes varies. The Y chromosome likely contains between 70 and 200 genes. Because only males have the Y chromosome, the genes on this chromosome tend to be involved in male sex determination and development. Sex is determined by the SRY gene, which is responsible for the development of a fetus into a male. Other genes on the Y chromosome are important for male fertility. Many genes are unique to the Y chromosome, but genes in areas known as pseudoautosomal regions are present on both sex chromosomes. As a result, men and women each have two functional copies of these genes. Many genes in the pseudoautosomal regions are essential for normal development. Genes on the Y chromosome are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.
