Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-related disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic exposure and chronic disease.

Long-term exposure to environmental arsenic has been associated with many chronic diseases, including several cancers, and diabetes. Urinary studies have implicated arsenic speciation as an important risk factor, however, such associations have not been replicated using toenail samples: a relatively new biosample for estimating long-term internal dose-exposure to arsenic. Despite having several advantages over conventional biosamples such as ease of collection and storage, standard methods for arsenic speciation analysis in toenails have not yet been established.

The Long-Term Pelvic Floor Health Outcomes of Women After Childbirth: The Influence of Labour in the First Pregnancy.

Objective: To estimate the influence of labour and pregnancy factors on long-term pelvic floor health outcomes.

Methods: This population-based cohort study was conducted using linkage between the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal Database, the Medical Services Insurance Database, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information's Discharge Abstract Database from 1988 to 2006; this allowed for the evaluation of patient utilization of care providers for pelvic floor disorders and captured conservative and surgical interventions. We compared rates of urinary and anal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and fistula disorders in women undergoing Caesarean section (CS) without labour and women undergoing labour with any method of delivery.

Factors affecting the age at diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in Nova Scotia, Canada.

While early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is essential for ensuring timely access to early intervention services, there is limited existing literature investigating factors that delay this diagnosis. This population-based cohort study explored the age at which children in Nova Scotia, Canada, are diagnosed with ASDs and the factors associated with this age. Children diagnosed with an ASD between January 1992 and December 2005 were identified from a cohort of live births in the province between 1990 and 2002.

Far from ideal: weight perception, weight control, and associated risky behaviour of adolescent girls in Nova Scotia.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of weight-related concerns, unhealthy weight-control behaviour, and associated risky behaviour among adolescent girls, and to ascertain whether these girls had discussed a healthy weight with their physicians.

Design: Anonymous, self-report, cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Four high schools in rural Nova Scotia.

Improved prediction of early-onset coronary artery disease using APOE epsilon4, BChE-K, PPARgamma2 Pro12 and ENOS T-786C in a polygenic model.

Objectives: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is often polygenic due to multiple mutations that contribute small effects to susceptibility. Since most prior studies only evaluated the contribution of single candidate genes, we therefore looked at a combination of genes in predicting early-onset CAD [apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) K, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma2 (PPARgamma2) Pro12Ala and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ENOS) T-786C].

Design And Methods: We examined the frequencies, individually and in combination, of all four alleles among patients with early-onset CAD (n = 150; <50 years), late-onset CAD (n = 150; >65 years) and healthy controls (n = 150, age range 47-93 years).