Joint associations of 61 genetic variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes with subclinical atherosclerosis in American Indians: a gene-family analysis.

Background: Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in all American populations, including American Indians. Genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may explain only a small portion of variability in disease, the joint effect of multiple variants in a pathway on disease susceptibility could be large.

Tacrolimus enhances the potency of posaconazole against Rhizopus oryzae in vitro and in an experimental model of mucormycosis.

Background: We hypothesized that tacrolimus, an inhibitor of the calcineurin pathway, would enhance the in vivo activity of posaconazole against Rhizopus oryzae, the Mucorales species most commonly associated with mucormycosis.

Methods: We examined patterns of growth inhibition and fungicidal activity of posaconazole and tacrolimus, alone and in combination, against R. oryzae in vitro, using multiple methods (ie, hyphal metabolic and fluorescent vital dye reduction assays and measurement of chitin concentrations), and in vivo, using 2 mucormycosis models: an invertebrate model (Drosophila) and a nonlethal murine model of cutaneous mucormycosis.

Assessment and improvement of radiation oncology trainee contouring ability utilizing consensus-based penalty metrics.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to develop and assess the feasibility of utilizing consensus-based penalty metrics for the purpose of critical structure and organ at risk (OAR) contouring quality assurance and improvement.

Methods: A Delphi study was conducted to obtain consensus on contouring penalty metrics to assess trainee-generated OAR contours. Voxel-based penalty metric equations were used to score regions of discordance between trainee and expert contour sets.

Categorizing segmentation quality using a quantitative quality assurance algorithm.

Introduction: Obtaining high levels of contouring consistency is a major limiting step in optimizing the radiotherapeutic ratio. We describe a novel quantitative methodology for the quality assurance (QA) of contour compliance referenced against a community set of contouring experts.

Methods: Two clinical tumour site scenarios (10 lung cases and one prostate case) were used with QA algorithm.

A nanomaterial-based breath test for short-term follow-up after lung tumor resection.

Unlabelled: In this case study, we demonstrate the feasibility of nanomaterial-based sensors for identifying the breath-print of early-stage lung cancer (LC) and for short-term follow-up after LC-resection. Breath samples were collected from a small patient cohort prior to and after lung resection. Gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry showed that five volatile organic compounds were significantly reduced after LC surgery.

Differences in risk factors for coronary heart disease among diabetic and nondiabetic individuals from a population with high rates of diabetes: the Strong Heart Study.

Context: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Objective: This study compares differences in risk factors for CHD in diabetic vs. nondiabetic Strong Heart Study participants.

Normal limits in relation to age, body size and gender of two-dimensional echocardiographic aortic root dimensions in persons ≥15 years of age.

Nomograms to predict normal aortic root diameter for body surface area (BSA) in broad ranges of age have been widely used but are limited by lack of consideration of gender effects, jumps in upper limits of aortic diameter among age strata, and data from older teenagers. Sinus of Valsalva diameter was measured by American Society of Echocardiography convention in normal-weight, nonhypertensive, nondiabetic subjects ≥15 years old without aortic valve disease from clinical or population-based samples. Analyses of covariance and linear regression with assessment of residuals identified determinants and developed predictive models for normal aortic root diameter.

Streptokinase fibrinolysis protocol: the advantages of a non-operative treatment for stage II pediatric empyema patients.

Background: Pediatric empyema necessitates prompt resolution and early hospital discharge with minimal morbidity. However, the most effective treatment approach is not yet established.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of an intrapleural streptokinase washing protocol as a non-operative treatment for stage II pediatric empyema as compared to operative decortications, by the number of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions, length of PICU stay, and hospitalization duration.

A gene-family analysis of 61 genetic variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in American Indians.

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Genetic variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) genes have been associated with smoking phenotypes and are likely to influence diabetes. Although each single variant may have only a minor effect, the joint contribution of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to the occurrence of disease may be larger.

The association of genetic variants of type 2 diabetes with kidney function.

Type 2 diabetes is highly prevalent and is the major cause of progressive chronic kidney disease in American Indians. Genome-wide association studies identified several loci associated with diabetes but their impact on susceptibility to diabetic complications is unknown. We studied the association of 18 type 2 diabetes genome-wide association single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; MDRD equation) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio in 6958 Strong Heart Study family and cohort participants.

Interleukin-6 receptor pathways in coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 82 studies.

Background: Persistent inflammation has been proposed to contribute to various stages in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) signalling propagates downstream inflammation cascades. To assess whether this pathway is causally relevant to coronary heart disease, we studied a functional genetic variant known to affect IL6R signalling.

A new role for aquaporin 7 in insulin secretion.

Unlabelled: BACGROUNS/AIMS: Several insulinotropic agents were recently reported to cause β-cell swelling. The possible participation of AQP7 to water transport was investigated in AQP7(+/+) or AQP7(-/-) mice.

Methods: Aquaporin expression, insulin secretion, cell swelling and electrical activity were investigated in pancreatic islets.

Markers of inflammation, metabolic risk factors, and incident heart failure in American Indians: the Strong Heart Study.

Inflammation may play a role in increased risk of heart failure (HF) that is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS), and diabetes. This study investigated associations between inflammatory markers, MS, and incident HF in a population with a high prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and MS. The cohort consisted of 3098 American Indians without prevalent cardiovascular disease who had C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen measured at the Strong Heart Study phase II examination.

Thoracic outlet syndrome caused by hydatid cyst of the first rib-rare but important.

Hydatid cysts are usually located in the liver and lungs. Skeletal echinococcosis is relatively rare and that of the rib is exceptional. Less than 50 cases of costal echinococcosis have been reported in the literature so far.

Vascular biomarkers in the prediction of clinical cardiovascular disease: the Strong Heart Study.

We compared the ability of separately measured intimal-medial thickness and atherosclerotic plaque to predict incident cardiovascular disease. American Indian men and women from the Strong Heart Study who were free of cardiovascular disease were evaluated with carotid ultrasound and cardiovascular disease risk factor assessment. End-diastolic intimal-medial thickness of the common carotid arteries was measured and averaged.

Association of genetic variants and incident coronary heart disease in multiethnic cohorts: the PAGE study.

Background: Genome-wide association studies identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD), but less is known of associations with incident CHD. The association of 13 published CHD SNPs was examined in 5 ancestry groups of 4 large US prospective cohorts.

Methods And Results: The analyses included incident coronary events over an average 9.

Genetic variants, immune function, and risk of pre-eclampsia among American Indians.

Problem: To determine the prevalence in an American Indian population of genetic variants with putative effects on immune function and determine if they are associated with pre-eclampsia (PE).

Method Of Study: In a study of 66 cases and 130 matched controls, six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with either previously demonstrated or postulated modulating effects on the immune system were genotyped. Allele frequencies and various genetic models were evaluated by conditional logistic regression in both univariate and multiply adjusted models.

Accuracy of effect size estimates from published psychological experiments involving multiple trials.

The reporting of exaggerated effect size estimates may occur either through researchers accepting statistically significant results when power is inadequate and/or from repeated measures approaches aggregating, averaging multiple items, or multiple trials. Monte-Carlo simulations with input of a small, medium, or large effect size were conducted on multiple items or trials that were either averaged or aggregated to create a single dependent measure. Alpha was set at the .

Acute myocardial infarction quality of care: the Strong Heart Study.

Objectives: Evaluate the quality of care provided patients with acute myocardial infarction and compare with similar national and regional data.

Design: Case series.

Setting: The Strong Heart Study has extensive population-based data related to cardiovascular events among American Indians living in three rural regions of the United States.

Obesity in adults is associated with reduced lung function in metabolic syndrome and diabetes: the Strong Heart Study.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to investigate whether reduced lung function is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and diabetes (DM) in American Indians (AIs) and to determine whether lower pulmonary function presents before the development of DM or MS.

Research Design And Methods: The Strong Heart Study (SHS) is a multicenter, prospective study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors among AI adults. The present analysis used lung function assessment by standard spirometry at the SHS second examination (1993-1995) in 2,396 adults free of overt lung disease or CVD, with or without DM or MS.

Genetic determinants of lipid traits in diverse populations from the population architecture using genomics and epidemiology (PAGE) study.

For the past five years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of common variants associated with human diseases and traits, including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels. Approximately 95 loci associated with lipid levels have been identified primarily among populations of European ancestry. The Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study was established in 2008 to characterize GWAS-identified variants in diverse population-based studies.

The glucokinase activator GKA50 causes an increase in cell volume and activation of volume-regulated anion channels in rat pancreatic β-cells.

Glucokinase plays a key role in the metabolism of glucose by pancreatic β-cells. In this study the effects of the glucokinase activator GKA50 on cell volume and electrical activity in rat β-cells were examined. One micro molar GKA50 caused an increase in β-cell volume in the presence of 4mM glucose.