Citations

In September 2001, ethnoreligious rioting occurred in Jos, Nigeria. Using a multistage cluster sampling technique, 290 respondents were recruited in Jos 7 to 9 months after the riots. Data were collected regarding demographics, exposure to traumatic events, and psychological symptoms. Resting pulse and blood pressure were recorded. A total of 145 (52.5%) witnessed or were victims of personal attacks, 165 (59.6%) lost their possessions, 56 (20.7%) had their homes burned, 44 (16.2%) witnessed relatives' deaths, and 8 (2.9%) were robbed. A total of 252 (89.7%) of the respondents met reexperiencing criteria, 138 (49.1%) met avoidance criteria, and 236 (84.0%) met arousal criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A total of 116 (41%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 36% to 47%) met all three categories for PTSD. Only personal attacks (adjusted odds ratio = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.7 to 4.7) and a heart rate of 90 beats/min or more (adjusted odds ratio = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.4 to 5.8) were significantly related to PTSD in a multivariate model.

Abstract Background: Tyrosinemia type I (TYR 1) is a disorder causing early death if left untreated. Newborn screening (NBS) for this condition is problematic because determination of the diagnostic marker, succinylacetone (SUAC), requires a separate first-tier or only partially effective second-tier analysis based on tyrosine concentration. To overcome these problems, we developed a new assay that simultaneously determines acylcarnitines (AC), amino acids (AA), and SUAC in dried blood spots (DBS) by flow injection tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Methods: We extracted 3/16-inch DBS punches with 300 μL methanol containing AA and AC stable isotope-labeled internal standards. This extract was derivatized with butanol-HCl. In parallel, we extracted SUAC from the residual filter paper with 100 μL of a 15 mmol/L hydrazine solution containing the internal standard 13C5-SUAC. We combined the derivatized aliquots in acetonitrile for MS/MS analysis of AC and AA with additional SRM experiments for SUAC (m/z 155–137) and 13C5-SUAC (m/z 160–142). Analysis time was 1.2 min. Results: SUAC was increased in retrospectively analyzed NBS samples of 11 TYR 1 patients (length of storage, 52 months to 1 week; SUAC range, 13–81 μmol/L), with Tyr concentrations ranging from 65 to 293 μmol/L in the original NBS analysis. The mean concentration of SUAC in 13 521 control DBS was 1.25 μmol/L. Conclusion: The inclusion of SUAC analysis into routine analysis of AC and AA allows for rapid and cost-effective screening for TYR 1 with no tangible risk of false-negative results.

Abstract Studies suggest that underglycosylation of the cell membrane mucin MUC1 may be associated with epithelial ovarian cancer. We identified 26 genes involved in glycosylation and examined 93 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with a minor allele frequency of ≥0.05 in relation to incident ovarian cancer. Cases were ascertained at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (n = 396) or a 48-county region in North Carolina (Duke University; n = 534). Ovarian cancer–free controls (n = 1,037) were frequency matched to the cases on age, race, and residence. Subjects were interviewed to obtain data on risk factors and a sample of blood for DNA and genotyped using the Illumina GoldenGate assay. We excluded subjects and individual SNPs with genotype call rates of <90%. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, with adjustment for age and residence. We fitted dominant, log additive, and recessive genetic models. Among Caucasians, nine SNPs in eight genes were associated with risk at P < 0.05 under at least one genetic model before adjusting for multiple testing. A SNP in GALNT1 (rs17647532) was the only one that remained statistically significant after Bonferroni adjustment for multiple testing but was not statistically significant in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium among controls. Haplotype analyses revealed a global association of GALNT1 with risk (P = 0.038, under a recessive genetic model), which largely reflected a decreased risk of one haplotype (0.10 frequency; odds ratio, 0.07; P = 0.01) compared with the most common haplotype (0.39 frequency). These results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in the glycoslyation process may be novel risk factors for ovarian cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(2):397–404)

Abstract Background: Early adolescent weight may affect the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, and this association may be modified by a family history of breast or ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative, and/or estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor status of the disease. Methods: Relative weight at age 12 years (above, below, or average weight compared with peers) and family history were ascertained using a mailed questionnaire in 1986, in the Iowa Women's Health Study, a prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women. Incident breast cancer cases (including ER and PR status) were identified using the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Cancer Registry. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression, and were adjusted for breast cancer risk factors, including body mass index at age 18 years and body mass index at study baseline. Results: Through 2003, 2,503 cases of postmenopausal breast cancer were identified among 35,941 women in the analytic cohort. Compared with women with average weight at age 12 years, there was no association of below average weight with risk of breast cancer (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.92-1.13), whereas women with above average weight had a lower risk (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.98). There was no evidence of an interaction between weight at age 12 years and family history (P = 0.44). The inverse association of above average weight with risk of breast cancer was strongest for PR− tumors (RR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.43-0.89), intermediate for ER+ (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67-0.96) and ER− (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.50-1.19) tumors, and weakest for PR+ tumors (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.74-1.09). These associations were not modified by a family history (all P > 0.18). In a joint ER/PR analyses, the strongest inverse association with above average weight at age 12 years was seen for ER+/PR− (RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.29-0.85). Conclusion: Above average weight at age 12 years was inversely associated with risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, and was not modified by a family history of the disease. The inverse association was strongest for ER+/PR− tumors. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(2):374–8)

Abstract With the growing epidemic of obesity in an aging population, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly encountered in clinical practice. Given the acute cardiopulmonary stressors consequent to repetitive upper airway collapse, as well as evidence for cardiovascular homeostatic dysregulation in subjects with sleep apnea, there is ample biologic plausibility that OSA imparts increased cardiovascular risk, independent of comorbid disease. Indeed, observational studies have suggested strong associations with multiple disorders, such as systemic hypertension, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension. Further data in the form of longitudinal cohort studies and randomized controlled trials are accruing to add to the body of evidence. This review examines pathophysiologic mechanisms and explores current concepts regarding the impact of OSA and its treatment on selected clinical disease states.

PurposeTo review the principles of neural plasticity and make recommendations for research on the neural bases for rehabilitation of neurogenic speech disorders.MethodA working group in speech motor control and disorders developed this report, which examines the potential relevance of basic research on the brain mechanisms involved in neural plasticity and discusses possible similarities and differences for application to speech motor control disorders. The possible involvement of neural plasticity in changes in speech production in normalcy, development, aging, and neurological diseases and disorders was considered. This report focuses on the appropriate use of functional and structural neuroimaging and the design of feasibility studies aimed at understanding how brain mechanisms are altered by environmental manipulations such as training and stimulation and how these changes might enhance the future development of rehabilitative methods for persons with speech motor control disorders.ConclusionsIncreased collaboration with neuroscientists working in clinical research centers addressing human communication disorders might foster research in this area. It is hoped that this article will encourage future research on speech motor control disorders to address the principles of neural plasticity and their application for rehabilitation.

Abstract Purpose: MicroRNA (miRNA) is a new class of small, noncoding RNA. The purpose of this study was to determine if miRNAs are differentially expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Experimental Design: More than 200 precursor and mature miRNAs were profiled by real-time PCR in 43 and 28 pairs of HCC and adjacent benign liver, respectively, and in normal liver specimens. Results: Several miRNAs including miR-199a, miR-21, and miR-301 were differentially expressed in the tumor compared with adjacent benign liver. A large number of mature and precursor miRNAs were up-regulated in the adjacent benign liver specimens that were both cirrhotic and hepatitis-positive compared with the uninfected, noncirrhotic specimens (P < 0.01). Interestingly, all of the miRNAs in this comparison had increased expression and none were decreased. The expression of 95 randomly selected mRNAs was not significantly altered in the cirrhotic and hepatitis-positive specimens, suggesting a preferential increase in the transcription of miRNA. Comparing the miRNA expression in the HCC tumors with patient's survival time revealed two groups of patients; those with predominantly lower miRNA expression and poor survival and those with predominantly higher miRNA expression and good survival (P < 0.05). A set of 19 miRNAs significantly correlated with disease outcome. A number of biological processes including cell division, mitosis, and G1-S transition were predicted to be targets of the 19 miRNAs in this group. Conclusion: We show that a global increase in the transcription of miRNA genes occurs in cirrhotic and hepatitis-positive livers and that miRNA expression may prognosticate disease outcome in HCC.