Racial and sex differences in the polymorphisms of the endocannabinoid receptor genes in obesity.

Background: Obesity is a global epidemic and prevalence of obesity is higher in African Americans (AAs) compared to Caucasians. The endocannabinoid system (EC) and polymorphism in the endocannabinoid receptor type 1 (CNR1) gene 3813A/G and 4895A/G and in the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) are associated with obesity. The objective was to explore racial and sex differences in these polymorphisms and the biochemical abnormalities seen in obesity.

BRAF Testing in Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Background: BRAF V600E mutation is associated with poor prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). PTC is often multifocal, and there are no guidelines on how many tumors to test for BRAF mutation in multifocal PTC.

Methods: Fifty-seven separate formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded PTCs from twenty-seven patients were manually macrodissected and tested for BRAF mutation using a commercial allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction-based assay (Entrogen, Woodland Hills, CA).

KRAS Testing: A Tool for the Implementation of Personalized Medicine.

Activating point mutations in codons 12, 13, and 61 of the KRAS proto-oncogene are common in colorectal, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, and thyroid cancers. Constitutively activated KRAS mutations are strongly associated with a resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies, such as panitumumab and cetuximab used for treating metastatic colorectal carcinoma and EGFR tyrosine inhibitors used for advanced non-small cell lung cancers. Since anti-EGFR therapies are costly and may exert deleterious effects on individuals without activating mutations, KRAS mutation testing is recommended prior to the initiation of anti-EGFR therapy for these malignancies.

Urinary catalytic iron in obesity.

Introduction: Obesity precedes the development of many cardiovascular disease risk factors, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Catalytic iron, which has been associated with these chronic diseases, may be one of the links between obesity and these multifactorial diverse disorders.

Objective: We investigated whether urinary catalytic iron is increased in obese individuals without DM and overt kidney disease.

Salt loading increases urinary excretion of linoleic acid diols and triols in healthy human subjects.

Increased dietary linoleic acid has been associated with reduced blood pressure in clinical and animal studies possibly mediated by prostaglandins. Urinary linoleate and prostaglandin metabolite excretion were investigated in subjects exposed to a salt-loading/salt-depletion regimen. Twelve healthy subjects were recruited from the New Orleans population (before Hurricaine Katrina) and admitted to the Tulane-Louisiana State University-Charity Hospital General Clinical Research Center after a 5-day outpatient lead-in phase on a 160-mmol sodium diet.

Effects of riboflavin and folic acid supplementation on plasma homocysteine levels in healthy subjects.

Background: Observational studies have shown an inverse relationship between vitamin B2 status and total homocysteine levels, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We hypothesize that intervention with riboflavin will lower total homocysteine levels. The total homocysteine lowering by the three genotypes (CC, CT, TT) of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism (677C-->T) was also studied.

The Prevalence of CYP2C8, 2C9, 2J2, and soluble epoxide hydrolase polymorphisms in African Americans with hypertension.

Background: The cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase pathway produces arachidonic acid metabolites that are vasoactive, that affect renal sodium handling, and that have been proposed to play a mechanistic role in hypertension. Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in CYP2C8, 2C9, 2J2 and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) have been identified, many of which have altered functional activity in vitro. We performed a case-control study to determine the prevalence of epoxygenase-related SNP in African American individuals and to evaluate whether these SNP are associated with increased risk of hypertension.

Tropical spastic paraparesis/human T leukemia virus type 1-associated myelopathy in HIV type 1-coinfected patients.

Background: Tropical spastic paraparesis/human T leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) is rarely reported in the United States. The causative agents of TSP/HAM are HTLV-1 and, possibly, its cosmopolitan variant, human T leukemia virus type 2 (HTLV-2). Among HTLV-1- or HTLV-2-monoinfected individuals, the estimated lifetime risk for development of TSP/HAM is <2%.