Genome-wide Gene-Asbestos Exposure Interaction Association Study Identifies a Common Susceptibility Variant on 22q13.31 Associated with Lung Cancer Risk.

Background: Occupational asbestos exposure has been found to increase lung cancer risk in epidemiologic studies.

Methods: We conducted an asbestos exposure-gene interaction analyses among several Caucasian populations who were current or ex-smokers. The discovery phase included 833 Caucasian cases and 739 Caucasian controls, and used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with gene-asbestos interaction effects.

Evaluating narrow windows of maternal exposure to ozone and preterm birth in a large urban area in Southeast Texas.

The association between O3 exposure and preterm birth (PTB) remains unclear. We evaluated associations for three categories of PTB and O3 in Harris County, Texas, during narrow periods of gestation. We computed two sets of exposure metrics during every 4 weeks of pregnancy for 152,214 mothers who delivered singleton, live-born infants in 2005-2007, accounting first for temporal variability and then for temporal and spatial sources of variability in ambient O3 levels.

Maternal exposure to fine particulate pollution during narrow gestational periods and newborn health in Harris County, Texas.

It remains unclear when the fetus is most susceptible to the effects of particulate air pollution. We conducted a population-based study in a large urban area to evaluate associations between preterm birth (PTB) and fetal growth and exposures to fine particles (PM(2.5)) during narrow periods of gestation.

Use of the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay to detect gender differences and genetic instability in a lung cancer case-control study.

Background: Although tobacco exposure is the predominant risk factor for lung cancer, other environmental agents are established lung carcinogens. Measuring the genotoxic effect of environmental exposures remains equivocal, as increases in morbidity and mortality may be attributed to coexposures such as smoking.

Methods: We evaluated genetic instability and risk of lung cancer associated with exposure to environmental agents (e.

Self-reported prior lung diseases as risk factors for non-small cell lung cancer in Mexican Americans.

This study was conducted to assess the association between prior history of respiratory disease and lung cancer among Mexican Americans using data from a multi-racial/ethnic lung cancer case-control study. Cases (n = 204) were patients with previously untreated lung cancer. Healthy control participants (n = 325) were recruited from a large physician group practice.

Genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis for asbestos exposure in lung cancer susceptibility.

Asbestos exposure is a known risk factor for lung cancer. Although recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified some novel loci for lung cancer risk, few addressed genome-wide gene-environment interactions. To determine gene-asbestos interactions in lung cancer risk, we conducted genome-wide gene-environment interaction analyses at levels of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), genes and pathways, using our published Texas lung cancer GWAS dataset.

Perspective: publication ethics and the emerging scientific workforce: understanding "plagiarism" in a global context.

English has long been the dominant language of scientific publication, and it is rapidly approaching near-complete hegemony. The majority of the scientists publishing in English-language journals are not native English speakers, however. This imbalance has important implications for training concerning ethics and enforcement of publication standards, particularly with respect to plagiarism.

The advantage of imputation of missing income data to evaluate the association between income and self-reported health status (SRH) in a Mexican American cohort study.

Missing data often occur in cross-sectional surveys and longitudinal and experimental studies. The purpose of this study was to compare the prediction of self-rated health (SRH), a robust predictor of morbidity and mortality among diverse populations, before and after imputation of the missing variable "yearly household income." We reviewed data from 4,162 participants of Mexican origin recruited from July 1, 2002, through December 31, 2005, and who were enrolled in a population-based cohort study.

Assessing environmental and occupational risk factors for lung cancer in Mexican-Americans.

Background: We investigated environmental and occupational exposures and smoking history (while controlling for demographics) in a population of Mexican-American lung cancer cases and controls from the Houston metropolitan area.

Methods: Data were collected between 1991 and 2005 as part of an on-going multi-racial/ethnic, lung cancer case-control study. Cases included 212 Mexican-American lung cancer cases from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The feasibility of adapting a population-based asthma-specific job exposure matrix (JEM) to NHANES.

Background: To determine the feasibility of applying a job exposure matrix (JEM) for classifying exposures to 18 asthmagens in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2004.

Methods: We cross-referenced 490 National Center for Health Statistics job codes used to develop the 40 NHANES occupation groups with 506 JEM job titles and assessed homogeneity in asthmagen exposure across job codes within each occupation group.

Results: In total, 399 job codes corresponded to one JEM job title, 32 to more than one job title, and 59 were not in the JEM.

Prevalence of asthma by industry and occupation in the U.S. working population.

Background: Workers are potentially exposed to asthmagens daily. Our study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of asthma among working adults in the U.S.

Prevalence of asthma among adult females and males in the United States: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2004.

Background: The prevalence of asthma has increased over the last three decades with females exhibiting a higher prevalence of asthma than males. The objective of this study was to obtain gender-specific estimates of the prevalence of current and ever asthma and describe the relationships between risk factors and asthma by gender in US men and women ages 20 to 85.

Methods: Data for this study came from two cycles (2001-2002 and 2003-2004) of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and included 9,243 eligible adults: 4,589 females and 4,654 males.