Genetic variation in immune regulation and DNA repair pathways and stomach cancer in China.

The incidence of stomach cancer is high in certain parts of the world, particularly in China. Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection is the main risk factor, yet the vast majority of infected individuals remain unaffected with cancer, suggesting an important role of other risk factors. We conducted a population-based case-control study including 196 incident stomach cancer cases and 397 matched controls to test the hypothesis that adverse single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes and haplotypes within genes of the DNA repair and immune regulatory pathways are associated with increased stomach cancer risk.

Predictors of Emergency Preparedness and Compliance.

BACKGROUND:: In response to the evolving nature of potential disasters, both human made and natural, this research identifies predictors of individual emergency preparedness and compliance with government requests. METHODS:: A survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults (1629 respondents) revealed which emergency supplies and plans they had in place; their perceived level of preparedness and that of their local health care system; the likelihood of 7 terrorist and 4 naturally occurring events, whether they would evacuate their home; shelter in place at home and work; be quarantined, vaccinated, or take medication; and whether they believed that these actions would increase their chances for survival. RESULTS:: Having supplies was predicted by being male, older, wealthier, and white, living in the western United States, and being exposed to national news.

Associations between variants of the 8q24 chromosome and nine smoking-related cancer sites.

Recent genome-wide association studies identified key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 8q24 region to be associated with prostate cancer. 8q24 SNPs have also been associated with colorectal cancer, suggesting that this region may not be specifically associated to just prostate cancer. To date, the association between these polymorphisms and tobacco smoking-related cancer sites remains unknown.

Is what's good for the patient good for the hospital? Aligning incentives and the business case for nursing.

This article examines the social and business case for quality related to nursing and the need to restructure incentives to align the interests of the hospital and payers with the interests of the patients. Increasing the proportion of nurses who are registered nurses is associated with net cost savings. Increasing both nursing hours and the proportion of nurses who are registered nurses would result in improved quality and fewer deaths (creating a social case for improved staffing) but would be associated with small cost increases.

Validation of self-reported colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in a study of ethnically diverse first-degree relatives of CRC cases.

Background: Evidence about the accuracy of self-reports of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is lacking. We conducted a validation protocol in a randomized trial to increase CRC screening among high-risk individuals.

Methods: First-degree relatives (n = 1,280) of CRC cases who were due for CRC screening were included in the parent trial.

A case-control study of the association of the polymorphisms and haplotypes of DNA ligase I with lung and upper-aerodigestive-tract cancers.

Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for lung and upper-aerodigestive-tract (UADT) cancers. One possible mechanism for the associations may be through DNA damage pathways. DNA Ligase I (LIG1) is a DNA repair gene involved in both the nucleotide excision repair (NER) and the base excision repair (BER) pathways.

FK506, a calcineurin inhibitor, prevents cadmium-induced testicular toxicity in mice.

Cadmium, a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, damages several major organs in humans and other mammals. The molecular mechanisms for damage are not known. At high doses (5 mg/kg cadmium chloride or higher), testicular damage in mice, rats, and other rodents includes interstitial edema, hemorrhage, and changes in the seminiferous tubules affecting spermatogenesis.

HIV-related traumatic stress symptoms in AIDS caregiving family dyads.

This study assesses HIV-related traumatic stress symptoms in 135 AIDS caregiving family dyads in which the caregiver is a midlife or older mother or wife, and the care-recipient is her HIV-infected adult son or husband. Symptoms of HIV-related traumatic stress can be reliably measured in these dyads, with both caregivers and care-recipients reporting avoidant and intrusive thoughts. Among care-recipients, high symptoms are associated with high daily living assistance requirements, low dyadic adjustment, and high constriction of social activities.

Differential perturbation of the Fgf/Erk1/2 and Shh pathways in the C57BL/6N and SWV embryonic limb buds after mid-gestational cadmium chloride administration.

The differential susceptibility of inbred mouse strains to teratogen-induced malformations can serve as a model to assess the molecular pathogenesis of dysmorphology. Using such a model, the teratogenic effect of cadmium chloride (CdCl(2)), which results in limb reduction deformities in the C57BL/6N mouse strain, but not in the SWV strain, was found to correlate with reduction of the expression domains of Fgf8/4 (fibroblast growth factor-8 and -4) in the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) and Shh (sonic hedgehog) in the posterior mesenchyme, as well as reduction of MAPK/Erk1/2 (the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase 1/2) phosphorylation (pErk1/2) in the mesenchyme throughout the limb bud. The pattern of pErk1/2 reduction did not consistently reflect the pattern of Fgf8/4 reduction suggesting that CdCl(2) might affect pErk1/2 through an Fgf-independent pathway.

Invited commentary: the art of making questionnaires better.

A paper by Schilling et al. (Am J Epidemiol 2006;164:1141-4) addresses a crucial issue for epidemiologists: limited peer access to questionnaires. This limited access hampers the ability to evaluate and improve the questions used by investigators and, in turn, the quality of some of the self-reported data.

The UCLA tobacco control program.

Tobacco use, the most preventable cause of death in our society and a growing international epidemic, should be well understood by all students preparing to enter the field of public health. Despite its importance, however, tobacco does not always enjoy the prominence it deserves in public health education. We report here on efforts to expand the focus on tobacco in the University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health through a program supported by the Association of Schools of Public Health/American Legacy Foundation's Scholarship, Training, and Education Program for Tobacco Use Prevention funding mechanism.

Choices made by low-income women provided with an economic supplement for fresh fruit and vegetable purchase.

Vouchers for fresh fruit and vegetable purchase were provided to low-income women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Los Angeles, CA. As the program is currently constituted, the supplemental foods provided contain no fresh produce except for carrots for exclusively breastfeeding women. This study investigated whether providing supplemental financial support specifically for purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables would result in high uptake of the supplement, and what the individuals would choose to purchase.

Interactive effects of cadmium and all-trans-retinoic acid on the induction of forelimb ectrodactyly in C57BL/6 mice.

Background: Most toxicological studies have tested single chemical agents at relatively high doses, and fewer studies have addressed the toxic effects of chemical interactions. It is important to understand the toxicity of chemical mixtures in order to assess the more realistic risks of environmental and occupational exposures. A number of chemicals are known to induce a predominantly postaxial forelimb ectrodactyly in C57BL/6 mice, including acetazolamide, ethanol, cadmium, valproic acid, carbon dioxide, dimethadione, phenytoin, and 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid (RA).

Stimulating cancer research in Asian communities and training the next generation of scientists.

The landmark Institute of Medicine Report on the "Unequal Burden of Cancer" urgently called for efforts to reduce cancer disparities by conducting research that could rapidly translate laboratory and clinical findings to benefit large segments of society. It also called for intensifying efforts to produce well-trained minority researchers as a way to increase the quantity, quality and community relevance of cancer control research. This manuscript summarized our strategies and successes in these two areas.

Reduced mammographic screening may explain declines in breast carcinoma in older women.

Objectives: To examine whether declines in breast cancer in the oldest-old women correspond with declines in the use of cancer testing.

Design: Cross-sectional evaluation of three databases.

Setting: Public access data.

Drug use among female sex workers in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Aims: To describe the drug use practices among female sex workers (FSWs) in Hanoi and to identify factors associated with their drug injecting.

Design, Setting And Participants: A two-stage cluster survey of 400 FSWs was conducted from June to September, 2002. Participating FSWs were both establishment- (160) and street-based (240), who were practising in seven urban and one suburban districts of Hanoi.

Association between glycaemic control and quality of life in diabetes mellitus.

Background: Relationship between quality of life (QOL) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) amongst diabetics in the community setting is unclear.

Aims: Assess the association between QOL and change in HbA1c in diabetic patients over one year.

Settings And Design: Cohort study of patients from four community clinics in California, USA.

Clinical application of genetic risk assessment strategies for coronary artery disease: genotypes, phenotypes, and family history.

Individuals with genetic predisposition to atherosclerosis have an increased risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD), especially at young ages. They may derive the greatest benefit from traditional preventive strategies and strategies targeting novel,emerging risk factors. Because CAD is a complex, multifactorial disorder, global risk assessment has been recognized as an effective approach in preventing CAD and its manifestations.

Cervical cancer as a priority for prevention in different world regions: an evaluation using years of life lost.

The relative importance of cancer of the cervix among several important causes of mortality (from cancer and other diseases) has been evaluated by estimating the years of life lost (YLL) by young and middle-aged women (25-64 years old) in different regions of the world. The life years were weighted to reflect their importance to the individual and to society. On a global basis, cancer of the cervix is responsible for about 2% of the total (weighted) YLL, fewer than for other causes of mortality in this age group.

Funding public health: The public's willingness to pay for domestic violence prevention programming.

Objectives: The author investigated the willingness of the general public to pay for domestic violence prevention programs.

Methods: An experimental design was used in a telephone survey of 522 California adults. One of 11 funding methods and one of 4 dollar amounts were randomly assigned to each respondent.

Sex differences in the perpetrator-victim relationship among emergency department patients presenting with nonfatal firearm-related injuries.

Study Objective: I examine whether female and male emergency department (ED) patients are equally likely to have been nonfatally shot or struck with a gun by someone they know versus by a stranger.

Methods: This case-control study examined patient records from US hospital EDs from 1993 to 1999. The records of patients aged 15 years or older who presented with nonfatal firearm-related injuries were accessed from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

How do we translate science into public health policy and law?

Scientific knowledge concerning effective preventive measures to preserve and protect the health of the public continues to grow exponentially. Methods for assessing the impact of population-based interventions such as policies and laws have also greatly increased in the past decade, including systematic approaches that allow general findings to be drawn from various studies, especially those developed as part of the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). However, the translation of the collected scientific evidence gathered to date has been spotty and problematic.

Validating the effects of social desirability on self-reported condom use behavior among commercial sex workers.

Most studies on the transmission of HIV depend upon self-reports of risky behaviors. This study examines if there is social desirability bias with respect to self-reported condom use behavior, assesses the reliability of a self-reported condom use scale, and validates the self-reported findings with clinical sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis for commercial sex workers (N = 1,383) in the Philippines. The reliability of the condom use scale is .