Accuracy of reported family history and effectiveness of medical record requests in genetic counseling for Alzheimer disease.

The University of British Columbia Hospital Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders (UBCH-CARD) invests significant effort to obtain medical records for the confirmation of patient-reported family histories of dementia. The effectiveness of requesting these records was assessed through a review of the 275 requests made by UBCH-CARD genetic counselors during the 24-month period of January 1, 2005-December 31, 2006. The results were categorized according to outcome.

Things we have learned from tilapia islet xenotransplantation.

An islet xenotransplantation model has been developed using tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as the donors. Studies using this model for the treatment of experimental type 1 diabetes in mice have produced promising results including the maintenance of long-term normoglycemia and mammalian-like glucose tolerance profiles in islet graft recipients. Islet encapsulation has also provided a promising method for the prevention of graft rejection, and strains of transgenic tilapia expressing a [desThrB30] human insulin molecule have been produced.