Socioeconomic Status, Smoking, Alcohol use, Physical Activity, and Dietary Behavior as Determinants of Obesity and Body Mass Index in the United States: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to study the socio-demographic and behavioral determinants of obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI) in the United States, using a nationally representative sample.

Methods: We used data from the 2010 US National Health Interview Survey. Analyses were limited to adults 18 years and older (N=23,434).

Study on optical properties of l-valine doped ADP crystal.

Single crystal of l-valine doped ammonium dihydrogen phosphate has been grown by slow evaporation method at room temperature. The crystalline nature of the grown crystal was confirmed using powder X-ray diffraction technique. The different functional groups of the grown crystal were identified using Fourier transform infrared analysis.

Occupational variations in obesity, smoking, heavy drinking, and non-adherence to physical activity recommendations: findings from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey.

Background: Understanding occupational variations in health risks is necessary to identify high risk groups. We examined the recent prevalence of obesity, heavy alcohol consumption, smoking, and leisure time physical activity (PA) across occupations.

Methods: Data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey were used.

Evaluation of Anticancer, Antioxidant, and Possible Anti-inflammatory Properties of Selected Medicinal Plants Used in Indian Traditional Medication.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the anticancer, antioxidant, and possible anti-inflammatory properties of diverse medicinal plants frequently used in Indian traditional medication. The selected botanicals such as Soymida fembrifuga (Roxb.) A.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Awareness among Female University Students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess female university students' knowledge of breast cancer and its preventative measures and to identify their main misconceptions regarding breast cancer.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2011 and June 2012 and included female students from three large universities in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A stratified random sampling procedure was used.

Percutaneous coil embolization of massive pelvic pseudoaneurysm in an infant.

Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm formation is an uncommon but potentially serious complication of cardiac catheterization. This case report describes diagnosis and treatment of a large left external iliac artery pseudoaneurysm in a 3-month-old boy following cardiac catheterization and aortic balloon dilatation for aortic coarctation. A 4-cm pulsatile mass in the left hemipelvis was discovered on MRI performed 6 weeks later for possible tethered spinal cord.

In vivo Raman spectroscopy of human uterine cervix: exploring the utility of vagina as an internal control.

In vivo Raman spectroscopy is being projected as a new, noninvasive method for cervical cancer diagnosis. In most of the reported studies, normal areas in the cancerous cervix were used as control. However, in the Indian subcontinent, the majority of cervical cancers are detected at advanced stages, leaving no normal sites for acquiring control spectra.

Homozygous missense variant in the human CNGA3 channel causes cone-rod dystrophy.

We assessed a large consanguineous Pakistani family (PKAB157) segregating early onset low vision problems. Funduscopic and electroretinographic evaluation of affected individuals revealed juvenile cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) with maculopathy. Other clinical symptoms included loss of color discrimination, photophobia and nystagmus.

Raman spectroscopic study of radioresistant oral cancer sublines established by fractionated ionizing radiation.

Radiotherapy is an important treatment modality for oral cancer. However, development of radioresistance is a major hurdle in the efficacy of radiotherapy in oral cancer patients. Identifying predictors of radioresistance is a challenging task and has met with little success.

Genetic variants of ACE (Insertion/Deletion) and AGT (M268T) genes in patients with diabetes and nephropathy.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been a growing epidemic worldwide and poses a major socio-economic challenge. The leading cause of DM death is nephropathy due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study aims to identify the possible association of I/D variants of the ACE gene and M268T (rs699) of the AGT gene of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

Association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphism (Glu 298 Asp) with coronary artery disease in subjects from Multan, Pakistan.

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is the most common disease and cause of mortality in both genders across the world and certain risk factors i.e. age, gender, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, drugs usage, weight etc are known to be associated with the disease.

Subfascial involvement in glomuvenous malformation.

Objective: Glomuvenous malformation (GVM) is an inherited autosomal dominant trait. The lesions, which appear as bluish nodules or plaque-like cutaneous elevations, are usually tender and more firm than sporadic venous malformations. Conventionally, the lesions are thought to be limited to the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue planes.

The tumor necrosis factor family member TNFSF14 (LIGHT) is required for resolution of intestinal inflammation in mice.

Background & Aims: The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with a dysregulated mucosal immune response. Expression of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member 14 (TNFSF14, also known as LIGHT [homologous to lymphotoxins, exhibits inducible expression, and competes with HSV glycoprotein D for HVEM, a receptor expressed by T lymphocytes]) on T cells is involved in their activation; transgenic expression of LIGHT on T cells in mice promotes inflammation in multiple organs, including intestine. We investigated the roles for LIGHT in recovery from intestinal inflammation in mice.

Synthesis, antileishmanial activity and docking study of N'-substitutedbenzylidene-2-(6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-5(4H)-yl)acetohydrazides.

A series of N'-substitutedbenzylidene-2-(6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-5(4H)-yl)acetohydrazide derivatives is synthesized and evaluated for antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani promastigotes. Compounds 9a and 9i were shown significant antileishmanial when compared with standard sodium stilbogluconate. Antimicrobial study revealed that compound 9b has potent as well as broad spectrum antibacterial activity when compared with ampicillin and compound 9e showed promising antifungal activity when compared with miconazole.

Voluntary STD testing and treatment program at a metropolitan correctional facility: evaluation of test acceptability and associated risk factors.

Few studies have addressed challenges of diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) within correctional facilities. Initiatives that screen all inmates can be cost-prohibitive, while symptom-based screening undoubtedly fails to recognize significant numbers of asymptomatically infected persons. This study discusses a voluntary STD screening and treatment program developed at the Douglas County (Nebraska) Department of Corrections where student volunteers interviewed, screened, and educated 456 inmates.

Breast self examination practice and breast cancer risk perception among female university students in Ajman.

Breast cancer is the top cancer in women worldwide and its incidence is increasing, particularly in developing countries. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many cases are first diagnosed in later stages and at younger age compared to those seen in developed countries. Early detection in order to improve breast cancer outcome and survival remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.

Performance modelling of parallel BLAST using Intel and PGI compilers on an infiniband-based HPC cluster.

The Basic Local Alignment Search (BLAST) is one of the most widely used bioinformatics programs for searching all available sequence databases for similarities between a protein or DNA query and predefined sequences, using sequence alignment technique. Recently, many attempts have been made to make the algorithm practical to run against the publicly available genome databases. This paper presents our experience in mapping and evaluating both the serial and parallel BLAST algorithms onto a large Infiniband-based High Performance Cluster.

The association of lone-motherhood with smoking cessation and relapse: prospective results from an Australian national study.

The aims were to examine the association of lone-motherhood with smoking cessation and relapse, and to investigate the extent to which this association was accounted for by socioeconomic status (education, occupation, and income), social support, and mental health. We used data from 10 yearly waves (2001 to 2010) of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Response rate in the first wave was 66%.

Prolonged financial stress predicts subsequent obesity: results from a prospective study of an Australian national sample.

Objective: The aim of this research was to assess the association of prolonged financial stress (FS) with subsequent obesity.

Design And Methods: Data were from Waves 8 (2008), 9 (2009), and 10 (2010) of Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. The outcome was obesity measured in 2010.

A report on the high prevalence of Anaplasma sp. in buffaloes from two provinces in Pakistan.

The present study was designed to use a PCR-RFLP protocol for the molecular detection of Anaplasma sp. and to compare its prevalence in blood samples from buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) from 2 provinces of Pakistan and to determine the risk factors associated with the spread of Anaplasma infection. A total of 281 blood samples were collected from adults and calves of buffaloes from 4 sampling sites in Southern Punjab (Bahawalnagar, Burewala, Layyah, and Multan districts) and 2 in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa (Peshawer and Kohat districts) from randomly selected herds.

Rapid reduction in HIV viral load in late pregnancy with raltegravir: a case report.

The use of raltegravir (RAL) is not preferred to prevent perinatal transmission in pregnancy due to lack of safety and pharmacokinetic data in this population. Data have been limited to few case reports of patients who present for treatment late in pregnancy, have multidrug resistance, or have poor adherence, requiring an additional class such as an integrase inhibitor to further lower viral load. This case report describes and supports the initiation of RAL in very late pregnancy (week 33) to rapidly decrease viral load and successfully prevent perinatal transmission.

It is better to be a fat ex-smoker than a thin smoker: findings from the 1997-2004 National Health Interview Survey-National Death Index linkage study.

Objective: The aim of this research was to compare the risk of all-cause mortality and mortality from all cancers combined, lung cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus between normal-weight smokers and overweight or obese ex-smokers.

Methods: Data were from 1997 to 2004 National Health Interview Survey (with response rates ranging from 70% to 80%) which were linked to records in the National Death Index. Mortality follow-up was through 31 December 2006.

Effects of glutathione-S-transferase polymorphisms on the risk of breast cancer: a population-based case-control study in Pakistan.

Cancer is widely accepted as one of the major health issues. Diet composition and exposure to environmental genotoxic and carcinogenic agents such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the causative factors for various types of cancers, including breast cancer. Low penetrance genes including glutathione S transferases (GST) in association with environmental factors can contribute greatly in the development of breast cancer.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of asymmetric indole curcumin analogs as potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents.

Abstract A series of asymmetric indole curcumin analogs were synthesized and evaluated as possible inhibiters of pro-inflammatory enzymes such as COX-2, pro-inflammatory cytokines as TNF-α and IL-6, trypsin and β-glucuronidase. They were also tested for antioxidant activities. The results showed that compounds 5e and 5h were found to be the most potent inhibitors of COX-2 (83.