G protein beta3 polymorphism and triptan response in cluster headache.

Only about 70% of migraine and cluster headache (CH) patients report significant treatment responses to triptans, which are agonists at 5-HT(1B/D) receptors belonging to the family of G protein-coupled receptors. We analyzed whether a common polymorphism in the gene for the G protein beta3 subunit (GNB3 C825T) modulates responder rates to triptans among a cohort of 231 unrelated Caucasian CH patients. A total of 180 CH patients used triptans, of whom 71.

Expression of cartilage-related genes in bovine synovial tissue.

The synovium contains mesenchymal stem cells with chondrogenic potential. Although synovial and articular cartilage tissue develop from a common pool of mesenchymal cells, little is known about their genetic commonalities. In the present study, the mRNA levels for several cartilage-related proteins, namely, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), Sox9, aggrecan, and collagen types I, II, IX, X, and XI, were measured using the real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Development of a risk score for colorectal cancer in men.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a common and preventable disease for which screening rates remain unacceptably low.

Methods: We developed a risk scoring system for the development of colorectal cancer among participants in the Physician's Health Study, a prospective cohort of 21,581 US male physicians who were all free of cancer. Predictors of colorectal cancer were self-reported and identified from the baseline questionnaire.

Body mass index and mortality in men: evaluating the shape of the association.

Objective: Controversy regarding the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality continues to exist. Most of the previous studies have not comprehensively accounted for major sources of bias. We examined the association between BMI and all-cause mortality according to pre-existing disease and smoking status in a large prospective cohort.

Lipid levels and the risk of ischemic stroke in women.

Objective: To evaluate the association between total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol to HDL-C ratio, and non-HDL-C with the risk of ischemic stroke in a large cohort of apparently healthy women.

Methods: Prospective cohort study among 27,937 US women aged > or =45 years participating in the Women's Health Study who provided baseline blood samples. Stroke occurrence was self-reported and confirmed by medical record review.

The relative strength of C-reactive protein and lipid levels as determinants of ischemic stroke compared with coronary heart disease in women.

Objectives: We sought to determine the relative strength of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipid levels as markers for future ischemic stroke compared with coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.

Background: Although hs-CRP and lipid levels are established risk determinants for vascular disease, the relative strength of these biomarkers for ischemic stroke compared with CHD is uncertain.

Methods: Among 15,632 initially healthy women who were followed for a 10-year period, we compared hs-CRP, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoproteins A-I and B100, and lipid ratios as determinants of ischemic stroke compared with CHD.

Aspirin and decreased adult-onset asthma: randomized comparisons from the physicians' health study.

Rationale: In an observational cohort study, women who self-selected for frequent aspirin use developed less newly diagnosed asthma than women who did not take aspirin.

Objective: To explore whether low-dose aspirin decreased the risk of newly diagnosed asthma in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Methods: The Physicians' Health Study randomized 22,071 apparently healthy male physicians, aged 40-84 yr at baseline and tolerant of aspirin, over an 18-wk run-in period, to 325 mg aspirin or placebo on alternate days.

Characteristics and antecedents of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in an insured population.

Based on health insurance claims from a large U.S. health insurer, the authors identified 44 progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) cases from 2002 through 2004 and described their characteristics, including antecedent diagnoses and treatments as well as survival.

Blood pressure measures and risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke in men.

Objective: To evaluate which blood pressure measure is the best predictor of risk of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke.

Methods: The authors used a prospective cohort study among 11,466 men followed for incident stroke during a median of 19.4 years in the Physicians' Health Study.

Cluster headache: clinical presentation, lifestyle features, and medical treatment.

Background: Cluster headache (CH) is a rare but severe headache form with a distinct clinical presentation. Misdiagnoses and mismanagement among these patients are high.

Objective: To characterize clinical features and medical treatment in patients with CH.

Polymorphisms of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 gene, and prostaglandin-E receptor 2 gene, C-reactive protein concentrations and risk of atherothrombosis: a nested case-control approach.

Objective: Recent data have shown an association between polymorphisms of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 gene (PTGS2; alias COX-2), and prostaglandin-E receptor-2 gene (PTGER2) and risk of atherothrombotic disorders.

Methods: We evaluated two PTGS2 (rs20417, rs689470), and three PTGER2 (rs708494/uS5, rs708495/uS7, and chr14: 50 764 013/uS10) gene polymorphisms among 600 Caucasian male participants of the Physicians' Health Study with incident myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke and 600 age- and smoking-matched controls who remained free of all reported cardiovascular disease.

Results: Genotype distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control groups.

Electronic interactions in tertiary oligophenylureas.

The syntheses, structures, and spectroscopy of a series of oligomeric tertiary oligophenylureas possessing one to five phenyl rings are reported. A convergent synthetic method employing tertiary monoamine and diamine building blocks is employed. NMR and molecular modeling are indicative of folded structures for all of the oligophenylureas in which adjacent phenyl rings have a splayed face-to-face geometry.

Migraine and risk of cardiovascular disease in women.

Context: Migraine with aura has been associated with an adverse cardiovascular risk profile and prothrombotic factors that, along with migraine-specific physiology, may increase the risk of vascular events. Although migraine with aura has been associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke, an association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and, specifically, coronary events remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the association between migraine with and without aura and subsequent risk of overall and specific CVD.

Healthy lifestyle and the risk of stroke in women.

Background: Healthy lifestyle has been associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease. In contrast, little is known about its association with stroke risk.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study among 37 636 women 45 years or older participating in the Women's Health Study.

Colorectal cancer after start of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use.

Purpose: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, have been consistently shown to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in non-experimental studies, but little is known of the factors associated with starting and continuing regular NSAID use and their effect on the NSAID and CRC association.

Subjects And Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of 22,071 healthy male physicians aged 40 to 84 years without indications or contraindications to regular NSAID use at baseline. Annual questionnaires assessed quantity of NSAID use, occurrence of cancer, and risk factors for CRC.

Predictors of hazardous alcohol consumption among patients with cluster headache.

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of hazardous alcohol consumption in patients with cluster headache (CH). We investigated 246 German CH patients with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The average daily alcohol consumption was 6.

Prevalence of unexplained upper abdominal symptoms in patients with migraine.

Patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders frequently report migraine. We aimed to determine the prevalence of idiopathic upper abdominal symptoms in patients with migraine and compare it with a control population of healthy blood donors. We assessed abdominal symptoms using the Bowel Disease Questionnaire in a series of 488 consecutive blood donors without migraine and 99 patients with migraine.

Cluster headache is associated with the G1246A polymorphism in the hypocretin receptor 2 gene.

The G1246A polymorphism in the gene of the hypocretin receptor 2 (HCRTR2) has been linked to the risk for cluster headache (CH). The authors examined this association in a large sample of 226 patients with CH and 266 controls from Germany. The genotype and allele distribution varied significantly between patients and controls.

Results of multivariable logistic regression, propensity matching, propensity adjustment, and propensity-based weighting under conditions of nonuniform effect.

Observational studies often provide the only available information about treatment effects. Control of confounding, however, remains challenging. The authors compared five methods for evaluating the effect of tissue plasminogen activator on death among 6,269 ischemic stroke patients registered in a German stroke registry: multivariable logistic regression, propensity score-matched analysis, regression adjustment with the propensity score, and two propensity score-based weighted methods-one estimating the treatment effect in the entire study population (inverse-probability-of-treatment weights), another in the treated population (standardized-mortality-ratio weights).

A cell cycle arrest is necessary for bottle cell formation in the early Xenopus gastrula: integrating cell shape change, local mitotic control and mesodermal patterning.

During development cell proliferation and morphogenetic movements are tightly intermingled. Both processes depend on the same cytoskeletal elements. Therefore, precise regulation of local mitotic activity seems to be basic for proper embryogenesis.