Phylogenomic resolution of lampreys reveals the recent evolution of an ancient vertebrate lineage.

Jawless vertebrates once dominated Palaeozoic waters, but just two lineages have persisted to the present day: lampreys and hagfishes. Living lampreys are a relatively small clade, with just over 50 species described, but knowledge of their evolutionary relationships has always been based on either a few mitochondrial genes or a small number of taxa. Biogeographers have noted the disjunct antitropical distribution of living lamprey families.

Children and Restraints Study in Emergency Ambulance Transport-Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CARSEAT-CPR): An Observational Cohort Study of a Simulated Pediatric Cardiac Arrest.

Objectives: To compare the ability to perform basic life support (BLS) skills on children and infants in a moving ambulance whether or not they are properly secured to the stretcher.

Methods: Emergency Medicine Services provider ability to perform BLS skills was measured in moving ambulances on a closed course using an analog for child and infant cardiac arrest. Data were compared for child and infant manikins secured to the stretcher via different methods in simulated patient resuscitations performed by 24 participants.

Children and Restraints Study in Emergency Ambulance Transport: An Observational Study and Analysis of Current Pediatric Ambulance Transport Practices.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to identify the pediatric transport methods used by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel in our area and to highlight the need for federal standards to unify prehospital transport of children.

Methods: Children and Restraints Study in Emergency Ambulance Transport is a retrospective observational study of EMS arrivals to an academic pediatric emergency department for 1 year. Review of existing security footage from the ambulance entrance focused on the appropriateness of the selected restraints and the correctness of their application.

Molecular systematics of the North American chub genus Macrhybopsis (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).

The North American fish genus Macrhybopsis (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) as presently conceived comprises 12 species and occurs in much of interior eastern North America. Variation in the mitochondrial ND2 gene and the nuclear S7 intron 1 reveal conflicting gene-tree relationships for deeper nodes, which are assumed to represent past introgression and heterospecific mitochondrial fixation. The results support monophyly for the wide-ranging M.

Practice Patterns of Dentist Anesthesiologists in North America.

This study provides trends in the discipline of dental anesthesiology. A questionnaire-based survey was sent to 338 members of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists to evaluate practice patterns. One focus of the study was modality of sedation/anesthesia used for dentistry in North America.

Molecular systematics and historical biogeography of the Nocomis biguttatus species group (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): nuclear and mitochondrial introgression and a cryptic Ozark species.

The Nocomis biguttatus species group ranges widely across North America from the Red River in Oklahoma and Arkansas north to Minnesota and east-west from Wyoming to Ontario. The group includes three traditionally recognized allopatric species: the wide-ranging N. biguttatus and two geographically more restricted species, N.

Red blood cell transfusion: impact of an education program and a clinical guideline on transfusion practice.

Background: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion guidelines have been developed by professional societies. These guidelines recommend a restrictive RBC transfusion practice for most clinical populations. Despite the consistency of guidelines and limited evidence for RBC transfusion efficacy, there is variability in RBC transfusion practice.

The differential effect of NAT2 variant alleles permits refinement in phenotype inference and identifies a very slow acetylation genotype.

Indirect evidences suggest that acetylation phenotype categories are heterogeneous and that subcategories, related to specific NAT2 variant alleles might exist. We analyzed the in vivo acetylation phenotype and genotype in 504 north-American subjects of Caucasian origin. The analyses of the SNPs rs1801280 and rs1799930 allowed the discrimination of five categories with different acetylation status within the study population.

The certifying examination of the american board of surgery: the effect of improving communication and professional competency: twenty-year results.

Purpose: In 1985, a small research group identified variables affecting applicant success on the oral Certifying Examination (CE) of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). This led to the design of an oral examination course first taught in 1991. The success of and need for this program led to its continuation.

Functional genetic variants in the 3'-untranslated region of sulfotransferase isoform 1A1 (SULT1A1) and their effect on enzymatic activity.

Sulfotransferase isoform 1A1 (SULT1A1) is the most highly expressed hepatic sulfotransferase and is involved in the biotransformation of a wide variety of endo- and xenobiotics. A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the coding region of SULT1A1, several proximal promoter SNPs, and copy number variation (CNV) are associated with altered enzymatic activity, but these variants do not fully account for the observed variation of SULT1A1 activity in human populations. In order to identify additional SNPs modulating SULT1A1 activity, we examined the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of SULT1A1 in 97 liver samples.

Polymorphisms in inflammatory genes, plasma antioxidants, and prostate cancer risk.

Background: Presence of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus and chronic inflammation in prostate tumor suggests that inflammation plays a role in prostate cancer etiology. This study investigated whether variants in inflammatory genes act alone or interact with plasma antioxidants to influence prostate cancer risk in a population-based case-control study in Central Arkansas.

Methods: Cases (n = 193) were men, aged 40-80, diagnosed with prostate cancer in three major hospitals in 1998-2003, and controls (n = 197) were matched to cases by age, race, and county of residence.

Polymorphisms in hOGG1 and XRCC1 and risk of prostate cancer: effects modified by plasma antioxidants.

Objectives: To investigate whether polymorphisms in genes involved in the repair of oxidative DNA damage, modulate, and/or interact with antioxidants to influence prostate cancer risk in a population-based case-control study in Central Arkansas. Accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress plays a role in prostate carcinogenesis.

Methods: Cases (n = 193) included men aged 40-80 years, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 3 major hospitals in 1998-2003, and controls (n = 197) were matched to cases by age, race, and county of residence.

Physical activity, diet, and pancreatic cancer: a population-based, case-control study in Minnesota.

Although mounting evidence suggests that insulin resistance is involved in pancreatic carcinogenesis, few epidemiologic studies have comprehensively investigated the role of lifestyle factors influencing this metabolic disorder in the etiology of pancreatic cancer. We sought to examine this problem in a case-control study conducted in 1994-1998 in Minnesota. Cases (n = 186), aged 20 yr or older, were ascertained from all hospitals in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities and the Mayo Clinic; from the latter, only cases residing in the Upper Midwest of the United States were recruited.

Phenotypic CYP2A6 variation and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

Objective: Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) is an important metabolic enzyme capable of activating several procarcinogens, including dietary and tobacco-specific nitrosamines, which have been linked to pancreatic cancer. Positive associations between high CYP2A6 activity and lung and colorectal cancers have been reported. This is the first investigation of CYP2A6 activity and pancreatic cancer.

Association of demographic and treatment variables in long-term colon cancer survival.

The purpose of this study is to examine demographic and treatment variables because they relate to 5-year survival in colon cancer. The study design is analysis of 174 471 patients with colon and rectosigmoid cancer as reported to the American College of Surgeons National Cancer Data Base. Factors associated with a reduced risk of mortality included female gender (hazard ratio = 0.

The UGT2B17 gene deletion polymorphism and risk of prostate cancer. A case-control study in Caucasians.

Background: UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 2B17 is a phase II metabolizing enzyme that mediates the glucuronidation of C(19) steroids. A deletion polymorphism in the UGT2B17 gene is associated with a substantial reduction in glucuronidation activity in vitro.

Methods: We examined the association between the UGT2B17 deletion polymorphism and the risk of incident prostate cancer in a population-based study from central Arkansas that included 411 Caucasian cases and 397 Caucasian controls.

Plasma carotenoids and prostate cancer: a population-based case-control study in Arkansas.

Carotenoids possess antioxidant properties and thus may protect against prostate cancer. Epidemiological studies of dietary carotenoids and this malignancy were inconsistent, partially due to dietary assessment error. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relation between plasma concentrations of carotenoids and the risk of prostate cancer in a population-based case-control study in Arkansas.

Thiazolidinediones and the risk of lung, prostate, and colon cancer in patients with diabetes.

Purpose: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) mediates cell cycle arrest and adipocyte differentiation; has tumor suppressor activity in liposarcoma, lung, and prostate cancers; and suppresses colonic polyp formation in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)min/+ mice. To assess the influence of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which are PPAR ligands used to treat diabetes mellitus, a retrospective analysis of a database from 10 Veteran Affairs medical centers was conducted.

Patients And Methods: Data on male patients 40 years and older diagnosed to have diabetes mellitus between 1997 and 2003 were obtained from the Veterans Integrated Services Network 16 (VISN 16) data warehouse.

Systematics of the subgenus Oligocephalus (Teleostei: Percidae: Etheostoma) with complete subgeneric sampling of the genus Etheostoma.

The genus Etheostoma is the most diverse clade of freshwater fishes in North America. While studies have been performed with complete sampling of a single subgenus, none have included representatives of all remaining subgenera. The subgenus Oligocephalus is the largest, consisting of 25-27 species in four species groups, and its monophyly has never been clearly demonstrated.

The urinary metabolite profile of the dietary carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine is predictive of colon DNA adducts after a low-dose exposure in humans.

Epidemiologic evidence indicates that exposure to heterocyclic amines in the diet is an important risk factor for the development of colon cancer. Well-done cooked meats contain significant levels of heterocyclic amines, which have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. To better understand the mechanisms of heterocyclic amine bioactivation in humans, the most mass abundant heterocyclic amine, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), was used to assess the relationship between PhIP metabolism and DNA adduct formation.

Deletion polymorphism of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B17 and risk of prostate cancer in African American and Caucasian men.

Purpose: UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) are a family of enzymes that glucuronidate many endogenous chemicals, including androgens. This makes them more hydrophilic, alters biological activity, and facilitates their excretion. A deletion polymorphism in the UGT2B17 gene was recently described that was associated with a reduced rate of glucuronidation in vivo.

Discordance between N-acetyltransferase 2 phenotype and genotype in a population of Hmong subjects.

Polymorphisms of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) acetylation may influence drug toxicities and efficacy and are associated with a differential susceptibility to select cancers. Acetylation phenotype may have clinical implications. The purposes of this study were to determine the genetic basis of an apparent predominance of slow acetylation phenotype and to assess concordance with genotype in a population of Hmong residing in Minnesota.

Verified predominance of slow acetylator phenotype N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) in a Hmong population residing in Minnesota.

Southeast Asians known as the Hmong have a high prevalence of tuberculosis and select cancers. The slow acetylation (SA) phenotype for N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) has been associated with toxicity from the anti-tuberculosis drug, isoniazid and in increased risk of select cancers. Previous research indicates a 74.

Associations between catalase phenotype and genotype: modification by epidemiologic factors.

Catalase is an endogenous antioxidant enzyme that neutralizes hydrogen peroxide and is induced by oxidative challenge. A -262C --> T polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene (CAT) is associated with risk of several conditions related to oxidative stress. We sought to determine the functional effects of the CAT polymorphism on enzyme activity in erythrocytes and the potential modifying effects of demographic and lifestyle factors on genotype/phenotype relationships, using specimens and data from controls from breast and prostate cancer studies in Arkansas (n = 420).

Association of SULT2A1 allelic variants with plasma adrenal androgens and prostate cancer in African American men.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate which is present at micromolar levels in the plasma, can be desulfated to supply free DHEA for metabolism to androgens or estrogens in peripheral tissues. Human cytosolic sulfotransferase (SULT) 2A1 catalyzes DHEA sulfation in the adrenal cortex. Three SULT2A1 nonsynonymous coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identified only in African Americans (AA), are associated with decreased levels of activity and expression as compared to wild-type cDNA when expressed in COS cells.