Enzymatic MPG DNA repair assays for two different oxidative DNA lesions reveal associations with increased lung cancer risk.

DNA repair is a major mechanism for minimizing mutations and reducing cancer risk. Here, we present the development of reproducible and specific enzymatic assays for methylpurine DNA glycosylase (MPG) repairing the oxidative lesions 1,N6-ethenoadenine (εA) and hypoxanthine (Hx) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells protein extracts. Association of these DNA repair activities with lung cancer was determined using conditional logistic regression with specimens from a population-based case-control study with 96 lung cancer cases and 96 matched control subjects.

The use of MR imaging guided focused ultrasound in breast cancer patients; a preliminary phase one study and review.

The use of high energy focused ultrasound (FUS) waves to destroy tumor tissue in breast cancer is explored. High energy FUS destroys cells by raising the temperature of the treated volume high enough to denature cell proteins and bring about cellular death. The absorbed energy results in extremely high tissue gradients between target cells and surrounding tissue, so the effect of the focused energy is concentrated only at the target, leaving the healthy tissue unscathed.

Combined environmental stress and physiological strain indices for physical training guidelines.

The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines based on the previously described environmental stress index (ESI) and physiological strain index (PSI) for work-rest cycles (WRC) during training, especially in the military. The ESI was introduced as a potential substitute for the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index because of the very high correlation coefficients between them. The ESI is constructed from the fast-reading meteorological response sensors ambient temperature (Ta), relative humidity (RH), and global radiation (GR), which require only a few seconds to reach equilibrium.

Evaluation and refinement of the environmental stress index for different climatic conditions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recently constructed environmental stress index (ESI) for a large database comprising various climatic conditions. Data analysis of measurements from 19 locations revealed a high correlation between ESI and the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index for each database. Validity from statistical analysis, including optimization procedures, slightly changed the ESI constants as follows: ESI = 0.