DHEA-S levels and cardiovascular disease mortality in postmenopausal women: results from the National Institutes of Health--National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE).

Context: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a major circulating sex steroid prohormone, declines with age. Low levels have been associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and all-cause mortality, although these results have not been consistently replicated, particularly in women.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the association of circulating DHEA-S levels, CVD, and mortality risk among postmenopausal women with suspected myocardial ischemia.

Comprehensive evaluation of ESR2 variation and ovarian cancer risk.

Studies indicate that estrogen receptor beta, encoded by the ESR2 gene on chromosome 14q, may play a role in ovarian carcinogenesis. Using the genetic structure data generated by the Breast and Prostate Cohort Consortium (BPC3), we have comprehensively characterized the role of haplotype diversity in ESR2 and risk of ovarian cancer. Five haplotypes with a frequency of > or =5% were observed in White subjects and five haplotype tagging SNPs (htSNP) were selected to capture the locus diversity with a minimum R(h)(2) of 0.

Haplotypes of the estrogen receptor beta gene and breast cancer risk.

Exposure to exogenous (oral contraceptives, postmenopausal hormone therapy) and endogenous (number of ovulatory cycles, adiposity) steroid hormones is associated with breast cancer risk. Breast cancer risk associated with these exposures could hypothetically be modified by genes in the steroid hormone synthesis, metabolism and signaling pathways. Estrogen receptors are the first step along the path of signaling cell growth and development upon stimulation with estrogens.

Sequence variants of estrogen receptor beta and risk of prostate cancer in the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium.

Background: Estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) may play a role in modulating prostate carcinogenesis through the regulation of genes related to cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Methods: We conducted nested case-control studies in the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3) that pooled 8,323 prostate cancer cases and 9,412 controls from seven cohorts. Whites were the predominant ethnic group.

Association between serum beta-carotene levels and decline of cognitive function in high-functioning older persons with or without apolipoprotein E 4 alleles: MacArthur studies of successful aging.

Background: Growing evidence from animal studies suggests an interaction between antioxidants and apolipoprotein E (APOE) alleles on cognitive functioning. We used data from a 7-year cohort study of high-functioning older persons to explore whether the associations between serum beta-carotene level and subsequent decline of cognitive function differed by APOE 4 genotype.

Methods: Baseline information on sociodemographic characteristics, serum beta-carotene level, inflammation markers, APOE genotype, and cognitive functioning measured by a 9-item Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) was obtained in 455 survivors.

Education and APOE-e4 in longitudinal cognitive decline: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging.

Longitudinal data from the MacArthur Study of Successful Aging were used to test for interactions between education and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype with respect to time trends in cognitive performance. Interactions between education, APOE-e4 status, and time were found for overall cognitive function, and for subscales measuring memory and naming: The presence of the e4 allele was associated with steeper declines in cognition for those with a greater than eighth-grade education. For those with an eighth-grade education or less, time trends did not differ by APOE genotype.

Genetic variation in angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and breast cancer risk: the multiethnic cohort.

The A-240T and I/D polymorphisms in the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene are markers of circulating ACE levels and have been associated with numerous cardiovascular disease outcomes. More recently, the low-activity A and I alleles at these polymorphic sites have been inversely related with breast cancer risk. We assessed the relationship between the A-240T and I/D ACE variants and breast cancer risk in a case-control analysis (n = 1263 cases with invasive breast cancer and 2269 controls) among African-American, Japanese, Latina, and white women in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

The relationship between twenty missense ATM variants and breast cancer risk: the Multiethnic Cohort.

Deficiencies in tasks of detecting and repairing DNA damage lead to mutations and chromosomal abnormalities, a hallmark of cancer. The gene mutated in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), ATM, is a proximal component in performing such tasks. Studies of A-T families have suggested an increased risk of breast cancer among obligate female heterozygous carriers of ATM mutations.

Treatment of hypertension in African Americans and Latinos: the effect of JNC VI on urban prescribing practices.

In 1997, national recommendations for the treatment of hypertension were made in the form of the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI). African American hypertensives are considered a special population with a higher prevalence of hypertension, and therefore, unique treatment needs. The study objective was to review medication use among an African American and Latino urban population in relation to the JNC recommendations.

Manual measurement of QT dispersion in patients with acute myocardial infarction and nondiagnostic electrocardiograms.

Objective: To determine whether manually measured QT dispersion (QTD) may be a useful diagnostic adjunct for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in emergency department patients with chest pain (CP) and nondiagnostic initial electrocardiograms (ECGs).

Methods: This was a retrospective review of a cohort of patients admitted to the coronary triage unit (CTU) at a large urban facility over a two-year period (1997-1999). Cases included all patients with nondiagnostic initial ECGs diagnosed as having AMI by enzymatic criteria.

Delayed presentation for care during acute myocardial infarction in a Hispanic population of Los Angeles County.

Background: Delay in seeking care for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been well described in some populations, but little research has been conducted on delay by minority groups, such as Latinos and Asians. This study sought to determine the degree of delay and mode of access of patients with AMI presenting to an inner-city hospital serving an ethnically diverse population.

Methods And Results: This study was a retrospective case series of Latino, Asian, African-American and Caucasian patients diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) with chest pain (CP) and AMI, during a 2-year period.