Engineering oilseeds to produce nutritional fatty acids.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that regular consumption of foods rich in omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids has multiple positive health benefits. The fats and oils from marine fish contain high contents of these beneficial fatty acids but increased consumer demand has also increased strain on the ability of the world's fisheries to meet demand from wild capture. Many consumers are choosing fish oil supplements or are eating foods that have been complemented with fish oils instead of consuming fish directly.

Application of Natural Language Processing to VA Electronic Health Records to Identify Phenotypic Characteristics for Clinical and Research Purposes.

Informatics tools to extract and analyze clinical information on patients have lagged behind data-mining developments in bioinformatics. While the analyses of an individual's partial or complete genotype is nearly a reality, the phenotypic characteristics that accompany the genotype are not well known and largely inaccessible in free-text patient health records. As the adoption of electronic medical records increases, there exists an urgent need to extract pertinent phenotypic information and make that available to clinicians and researchers.

National scientific facilities and their science impact on nonbiomedical research.

The "h index" proposed by Hirsch [Hirsch JE (2005) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:16569-16573] is a good indicator of the impact of a scientist's research and has the advantage of being objective. When evaluating departments, institutions, or laboratories, the importance of the h index can be further enhanced when it is properly calibrated for the size of the group. Particularly acute is the issue of federally funded facilities whose number of actively publishing scientists frequently dwarfs that of academic departments.

Relationship of processes and structures of care in general surgery to postoperative outcomes: a descriptive analysis.

Background: The systematic collection of quantitative data on structures and processes from surgical services participating in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has not been a focus to date. Efficient collection of useful measures of structures and processes may improve understanding of surgical outcomes and strategies for improving the quality of surgical care, as NSQIP continues to expand. The purpose of this article was to describe results of a quantitative survey designed to measure surgical care structures and processes within NSQIP sites.

Engineering oilseed plants for a sustainable, land-based source of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular and mental health benefits of including very long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely eicospentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosohexaenoic acid (DHA) in the human diet. Certain fish oils can be a rich source of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids although processed marine oils are generally undesirable as food ingredients because of the associated objectionable flavors and contaminants that are difficult and cost-prohibitive to remove. Oilseed plants rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as flax and walnut oils, contain only the 18-carbon omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, which is poorly converted by the human body to EPA and DHA.

Three philosophical approaches to the study of spirituality.

Since the turn of the century, there has been an expanded interest in the place that spirituality has in nursing practice, education, and research. The purpose of this article is to examine the study of spirituality from the perspective of 3 philosophical paradigms: empiricism, interpretivism, and poststructuralism. The strengths and weaknesses of the paradigms are identified through a review of an exemplar article for each.

Colorectal cancer surveillance behaviors among members of typical and attenuated FAP families.

Objectives: Although enhanced colorectal surveillance is recommended for members of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) families, little is known about individual-level adherence behavior. This study examined factors associated with recent use of colorectal cancer (CRC) surveillance among FAP patients and their at-risk relatives.

Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted a computer-assisted telephone survey among 150 members of 71 extended families with classic (FAP) or attenuated adenomatous polyposis (AFAP).

Smoking, alcohol and caffeine in relation to ovarian age during the reproductive years.

Background: We sought to determine whether smoking, alcohol and caffeine are related to four indicators of ovarian age: antral follicle count (AFC), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), inhibin B and estradiol.

Methods: Analyses drew on ultrasound scans and sera from 188 women, aged 22-49. We used least squares regression to estimate differences in AFC and hormone levels for women who smoke cigarettes or who drink alcohol or caffeine.

Genetic counseling communication with an African American BRCA1 kindred.

We studied communication in genetic counseling sessions conducted with an African American, Breast Cancer 1, Early Onset (BRCA1) kindred in the USA. The Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) was used to code and compare two sessions of 46 participants (26 females and 20 males) before and after they underwent genetic testing. Three certified genetic counselors and one medical geneticist conducted the sessions.

Uncertainty in BRCA1 cancer susceptibility testing.

This study investigated uncertainty in individuals undergoing genetic counseling/testing for breast/ovarian cancer susceptibility. Sixty-three individuals from a single kindred with a known BRCA1 mutation rated uncertainty about 12 items on a five-point Likert scale before and 1 month after genetic counseling/testing. Factor analysis identified a five-item total uncertainty scale that was sensitive to changes before and after testing.

Injection of oxotremorine in nucleus accumbens shell reduces cocaine but not food self-administration in rats.

Mesencephalic dopamine neurons form synapses with acetylcholine (ACh)-containing interneurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Although their involvement in drug reward has not been systematically investigated, these large aspiny interneurons may serve an important integrative function. We previously found that repeated activation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors enhanced cocaine intake in rats but the role of muscarinic receptors in drug reward is less clear.

Recommendations for the care of individuals with an inherited predisposition to Lynch syndrome: a systematic review.

Context: About 2% of all colorectal cancer occurs in the context of the autosomal dominantly inherited Lynch syndrome, which is due to mutations in mismatch repair genes. Potential risk-reducing interventions are recommended for individuals known to have these mutations.

Objectives: To review cancer risks and data on screening efficacy in the context of Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) and to provide recommendations for clinical management for affected families, based on available evidence and expert opinion.

Risk reduction behaviors and provider communication following genetic counseling and BRCA1 mutation testing in an African American kindred.

Little is known about the impact of cancer genetic counseling and testing on health behaviors in racial and ethnic subgroups. This prospective observational study examined use of risk reduction strategies following BRCA1 counseling and testing. Participants were female members of an African American kindred who received genetic education, counseling and testing (n = 40) and completed a 1-year follow-up interview.

Conjugated fatty acids accumulate to high levels in phospholipids of metabolically engineered soybean and Arabidopsis seeds.

Expression of Delta(12)-oleic acid desaturase-related fatty acid conjugases from Calendula officinalis, Momordica charantia, and Vernicia fordii in seeds of soybean (Glycine max) or an Arabidopsis thaliana fad3/fae1 mutant was accompanied by the accumulation of the conjugated fatty acids calendic acid or alpha-eleostearic acid to amounts as high as 20% of the total fatty acids. Conjugated fatty acids, which are synthesized from phosphatidylcholine (PC)-linked substrates, accumulated in PC and phosphatidylethanolamine, and relative amounts of these fatty acids were higher in PC than in triacylglycerol (TAG) in the transgenic seeds. The highest relative amounts of conjugated fatty acids were detected in PC from seeds of soybean and A.

Co-expression of the borage Delta 6 desaturase and the Arabidopsis Delta 15 desaturase results in high accumulation of stearidonic acid in the seeds of transgenic soybean.

Two relatively rare fatty acids, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (STA), have attracted much interest due to their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential. STA, in particular, has been considered a valuable alternative source for omega-3 fatty acids due to its enhanced conversion efficiency in animals to eicosapentaenoic acid when compared with the more widely consumed omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), present in most vegetable oils. Exploiting the wealth of information currently available on in planta oil biosynthesis and coupling this information with the tool of genetic engineering it is now feasible to deliberately perturb fatty acid pools to generate unique oils in commodity crops.

X-chromosome inactivation and ovarian age during the reproductive years.

Objective: To explore whether skewed X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is related to indicators of ovarian age.

Design: The XCI skewing percent and indicators of ovarian age were measured in women with recent pregnancy losses and women with recent livebirths. All analyses adjust for chronologic age and pregnancy outcome.

Rural-urban differences in colon cancer risk in blacks and whites: the North Carolina Colon Cancer Study.

Context: Geographic and racial variations in cancer incidence have been observed. Studies of colorectal carcinoma indicate a higher incidence and mortality rate for blacks than for whites in the United States.

Purpose: We evaluated the effect of rural versus urban residence on colon cancer risk and stage of disease at diagnosis in blacks and whites.

Acceptance of genetic testing for hereditary breast ovarian cancer among study enrollees from an African American kindred.

Clinical availability of genetic testing for cancer predisposition genes is generating a major challenge for U.S. health care systems to provide relevant genetic services to underserved populations.

Metabolic engineering in plants for human health and nutrition.

In many cases, multiple pathway enzymes need to be upregulated to produce a significant yield of a desired product. Technical advances in simultaneously manipulating multiple steps in plant metabolic pathways include the use of transcription factors, such as MYB12. By upregulating the genes of an entire pathway, these factors can greatly simplify multienzyme engineering.

The impact of receiving genetic test results on general and cancer-specific psychologic distress among members of an African-American kindred with a BRCA1 mutation.

Background: Numerous studies have examined short-term and long-term psychologic responses to genetic testing for breast/ovarian carcinoma susceptibility in clinic samples and among families who participated in genetic linkage studies. However, to the authors' knowledge, the vast majority of studies focused on non-Latino whites and women. In this prospective study, the authors investigated the psychologic impact of receiving carrier-specific BRCA1 test results as part of a genetic education/counseling intervention in female and male members of an African-American kindred with a BRCA1 mutation.

Predictors of antral follicle count during the reproductive years.

Background: We sought to identify indicators of antral follicle count which would be serviceable to clinicians seeking to estimate the number of ovarian follicles without relying on sonographic counts.

Methods: We examined the relations of chronological age and four potential indicators of ovarian age-ovarian volume, FSH, dimeric inhibin B and estradiol-to antral follicle count in 176 recently pregnant women. We identified the regression models which best predict low antral follicle count (< or =10 follicles).

Social ties and colorectal cancer screening among Blacks and Whites in North Carolina.

Few studies have examined the relationship between social networks and colorectal cancer screening in diverse populations. Prior research suggests that the type of social support as well as the amount or frequency of support available from one's social network may be associated with health outcomes. Therefore, the current study examined relationships between both structural (i.

Impact of functional support on health-related quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: It has been shown that social integration and the availability of social support influence quality of life. However, little is known about the relation between social support and mental and physical health in patients with colorectal cancer. In the current study, the authors examined the effects of social network size, as well as emotional and instrumental support, on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with colorectal cancer.

Psychosocial aspects of genetic counseling and testing.

Objectives: To highlight areas where persons who undergo BRCA1/2 mutation testing may benefit from psychosocial or behavioral support and intervention.

Data Sources: Published scientific literature, cal, and research experiences.

Conclusion: Key psychosocial areas that deserve attention by clinicians and researchers include: indeterminate or inconclusive test results, selection of risk management strategies in unaffected BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, and genetic testing in minority communities.