The Sister Study Cohort: Baseline Methods and Participant Characteristics.

Background: The Sister Study was designed to address gaps in the study of environment and breast cancer by taking advantage of more frequent breast cancer diagnoses among women with a sister history of breast cancer and the presumed enrichment of shared environmental and genetic exposures.

Objective: The Sister Study sought a large cohort of women never diagnosed with breast cancer but who had a sister (full or half) diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods: A multifaceted national effort employed novel strategies to recruit a diverse cohort, and collected biological and environmental samples and extensive data on potential breast cancer risk factors.

Changes in adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy medications in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.

Objectives: To characterize the determinants of changes in adherence to antiretroviral therapy and examine whether there are persistent lower adherers.

Design: A cohort study with repeated measurements.

Methods: Self-reported 100% adherence was defined as taking all doses and numbers of pills over a 4-day period as prescribed for current HIV medications.

CC chemokine receptor 5 genotype and susceptibility to transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in women.

The human gene for CC chemokine receptor 5, a coreceptor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), affects susceptibility to infection. Most studies of predominantly male cohorts found that individuals carrying a homozygous deleted form of the gene, Delta 32, were protected against transmission, but protection did not extend to Delta 32 heterozygotes. The role played by this mutation in HIV-1 transmission to women was studied in 2605 participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study.