BLM and SLX4 play opposing roles in recombination-dependent replication at human telomeres.

Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is a telomere lengthening pathway that predominates in aggressive tumors of mesenchymal origin; however, the underlying mechanism of telomere synthesis is not fully understood. Here, we show that the BLM-TOP3A-RMI (BTR) dissolvase complex is required for ALT-mediated telomere synthesis. We propose that recombination intermediates formed during strand invasion are processed by the BTR complex, initiating rapid and extensive POLD3-dependent telomere synthesis followed by dissolution, with no overall exchange of telomeric DNA.

Predicting phenotype from genotype: normal pigmentation.

Genetic information in forensic studies is largely limited to CODIS data and the ability to match samples and assign them to an individual. However, there are circumstances, in which a given DNA sample does not match anyone in the CODIS database, and no other information about the donor is available. In this study, we determined 75 SNPs in 24 genes (previously implicated in human or animal pigmentation studies) for the analysis of single- and multi-locus associations with hair, skin, and eye color in 789 individuals of various ethnic backgrounds.

Evaluation of a multiple ecological level child obesity prevention program: Switch what you Do, View, and Chew.

Background: Schools are the most frequent target for intervention programs aimed at preventing child obesity; however, the overall effectiveness of these programs has been limited. It has therefore been recommended that interventions target multiple ecological levels (community, family, school and individual) to have greater success in changing risk behaviors for obesity. This study examined the immediate and short-term, sustained effects of the Switch program, which targeted three behaviors (decreasing children's screen time, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and increasing physical activity) at three ecological levels (the family, school, and community).

SWITCH: rationale, design, and implementation of a community, school, and family-based intervention to modify behaviors related to childhood obesity.

Background: Although several previous projects have attempted to address the issue of child obesity through school-based interventions, the overall effectiveness of school-based programs on health-related outcomes in youth has been poor. Thus, it has been suggested that multi-level interventions that aim to influence healthy lifestyle behaviors at the community, school and family levels may prove more successful in the prevention of childhood obesity.

Methods/design: This paper describes the rationale, design, and implementation of a community-, school-, and family-based intervention aimed at modifying key behaviors (physical activity, screen time (Internet, television, video games), and nutrition) related to childhood obesity among third through fifth graders in two mid-western cities.