Discrepancy of social cognition between bipolar disorders and major depressive disorders.

BACKGROUND: The research landscape examining social cognition (SC) impairment in patients with major depressive disorders (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BD) is notably scarce. Presently, assessments predominantly rely on static stimuli and self-reported measures, which may not capture the dynamic dimensions of social cognition. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of Movie Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC-CH) and to investigate whether MDD and BD exhibit distinct patterns of SC impairments, shedding light on potential differences between these two mood disorders. METHODS: The study encompassed 197 participants, aged 18-65, distributed as follows: 21 BD, 20 MDD, and 156 healthy controls (HC). We focused on examining "cognitive" and "emotional" SC scores and "undermentalizing" and "overmentalizing" error patterns, with nonsocial inference as a control. Additional assessments included the Reading Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). We also explored the association between depression severity (measured by the Hamilton Depressive Rating Scale, HDRS) and distinct SC dimensions between MDD and BD. RESULTS: The MASC-CH exhibited strong validity and reliability for SC assessment. In group comparisons, BD participants scored significantly lower on MASC-CH, while the MDD group scores were not significantly different from HC. Specifically, BD individuals had notably lower cognitive SC scores and made more undermentalizing and absence of mentalizing errors than MDD and HC. Additionally, a negative correlation between HDRS score and overmentalizing was observed in BD, not in the MDD. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that depression severity scores in BD were inversely related to MASC-CH scores. In contrast, this relationship was not observed in the MDD group. These results underscore the importance of SC impairments as distinguishing characteristics of both BD and MDD. It provides valuable insights into the distinct social-cognitive profiles of both mood disorders.

Effectiveness of Alpelisib + Fulvestrant Compared with Real-World Standard Treatment Among Patients with HR+, HER2-, PIK3CA-Mutated Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The BYLieve trial (NCT03056755) confirmed efficacy and safety of alpelisib with fulvestrant for hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-), PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer (ABC), after cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) as immediate prior therapy. Further analyses were performed to compare efficacy from BYLieve with effectiveness of standard treatment in the real-world setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who progressed on a CDK4/6i plus AI and were treated with alpelisib with fulvestrant in BYLieve were matched with a real-world patient cohort who received standard-of-care from a deidentified clinico-genomics database (CGDB). Primary and secondary endpoints were to compare progression-free survival (PFS), estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the proportion of patients remaining progression-free at 6 months, respectively, between the two cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 855 patients with PIK3CA-mutant disease who had prior CDK4/6i plus hormone therapy were selected from the CGDB; further matching to 120 patients from BYLieve selected 95 patients without exposure to HER2-targeting agents, clinical study drug, or alpelisib. In unadjusted and postmatching results, primary and secondary endpoints favored treatment with alpelisib with fulvestrant in BYLieve more than standard treatments in the real-world cohort. Postadjustment, median PFS for patients treated with alpelisib in BYLieve was 7.3 versus 3.7 months in the real-world cohort, and 6-month PFS was 54.6% versus 40.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Matched/weighted analysis comparing BYLieve with the real-world setting further supports the clinical benefit of alpelisib with fulvestrant for treatment of HR+, HER2-, PIK3CA-mutant ABC after CDK4/6i treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Approximately 40% of patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC) have PIK3CA-mutated tumors, which have been associated with endocrine therapy resistance. Alpelisib, an α-selective phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor, demonstrated significantly improved progression-free survival in SOLAR-1 and demonstrated clinical efficacy in BYLieve when combined with fulvestrant. Data are limited in comparing the efficacy of alpelisib combined with fulvestrant with effectiveness of standard therapy after CDK4/6i treatment. Using real-world data, this is the first analysis comparing alpelisib combined with fulvestrant with standard treatments for HR+, HER2-, PIK3CA-mutant ABC in the post-CDK4/6i setting.

Cyclin D1 promoter -56 and -54bp CpG un-methylation predicts invasive progression in arsenic-induced Bowen's disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with arsenic-induced Bowen's disease (As-BD) are at risk of developing invasive cancers in the skin, lung, and urinary bladder. However, a longitudinal follow-up study on the association between As-BD and invasive cancers is still lacking. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of this malignant progression in the skin and internal organs. METHODS: This is a biopsy-based follow-up study. We tested the DNA histograms, Cyclin D1 (CCND1) protein expression and CCND1 promoter DNA methylation in 40 pathologically confirmed specimens from As-BD patients to correlate with individual's invasive cancer occurrence in the 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: Flow cytometric DNA histogram analysis of skin specimens showed aneuploid (n=15), G2/M arrest (n=22), and normal (n=3) DNA histograms. No patients with normal DNA histograms developed invasive cancers, whereas 13 developed invasive cancers in the aneuploid group and 2 developed invasive cancers in the G2/M arrest group. The aneuploid group showed a high risk of invasive cancer development. In all assessed aneuploid specimens, the CCND1 promoter hypomethylation was observed. Statistically, percentage of un-methylation more than 55.85% among 17 detected CpG sites showed extremely high predictive power in the occurrence of invasive arsenical cancers. Furthermore, the un-methylation at -56 and -54bp CpG sites was statistically significantly associated with invasive arsenical cancer development (p=1.29×10-5). CONCLUSIONS: As-BD lesions showing an aneuploid DNA histogram had a high risk of invasive cancer development. Un-methyaltion at -56 and -54bp CpG in the CCND1 promoter serves as a predictor for invasive progression in As-BD patients.

Cancer Risks in U.S. Radiologic Technologists Working With Fluoroscopically Guided Interventional Procedures, 1994-2008.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine risks of cancer incidence and mortality among U.S. radiation technologists performing or assisting with fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A nationwide prospective cohort of 90,957 radiologic technologists, who responded to a 1994-1998 survey that collected information on whether they had ever worked with fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures, was followed through completion of a subsequent cohort survey during 2003-2005 (for cancer incidence) or December 31, 2008 (for cancer mortality). Sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were calculated by use of Cox proportional hazards models for incidence and mortality from all cancers other than nonmelanoma skin cancer and for specific cancer outcomes in participants who reported ever performing fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures compared with technologists who never performed these procedures. RESULTS: The analysis showed an approximately twofold increased risk of brain cancer mortality (HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.48-4.40) and modest elevations in incidence of melanoma (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05-1.61) and in breast cancer incidence (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.32) but not mortality (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.69-1.66) among technologists who performed fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures compared with those who never performed these procedures. Although there was a small suggestive increase in incidence of all cancers combined, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.17), mortality from all cancers combined, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers, was not elevated (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.88-1.14). We similarly observed no elevated risk of cancers of the thyroid, skin other than melanoma, prostate, lung, or colon and rectum or of leukemia that was not chronic lymphocytic leukemia among workers who performed fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures. CONCLUSION: We observed elevated risks of brain cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma among technologists who performed fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures. Although exposure to low-dose radiation is one possible explanation for these increased risks, these results may also be due to chance or unmeasured confounding by nonradiation risk factors. Our results must be confirmed in other studies, preferably with individual radiation dose data.

Incidence and mortality risks for circulatory diseases in US radiologic technologists who worked with fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures, 1994-2008.

OBJECTIVES: Although fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures (FGIP) have provided major advances in the treatment of various common diseases, radiation exposures associated with these procedures may cause adverse health effects in workers. We assess risk of circulatory disease incidence and mortality in medical radiation workers performing FGIP. METHODS: A US nationwide prospective cohort study of 90,957 radiologic technologists who completed a cohort survey during 1994-1998 was followed until completion of a subsequent survey during 2003-2005 for circulatory disease incidence, or until 31 December 2008 for mortality. Incidence analyses were restricted to the 63,482 technologists who completed both the second survey (1994-1998) and the third survey (2003-2005). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess adjusted HR and 95% CIs for mortality from all causes, all circulatory diseases, all heart diseases, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, acute myocardial infarction and hypertension in participants who reported ever performing FGIP compared to technologists who never performed FGIP procedures. Adjusted HRs were calculated for self-reported hypertension, stroke and myocardial infarction. RESULTS: We observed a 34% increase in stroke incidence (HR=1.34, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.64) in technologists who performed FGIP compared to those who never performed these procedures. Mortality from stroke was also modestly elevated, although not statistically significant (HR=1.22, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.73). We observed no statistically significant excess risks of incidence or mortality from any other outcome evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding of elevated risk of stroke in workers performing FGIP needs to be confirmed in studies with individual radiation dose data, but nonetheless underlines the need to keep radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable without compromising key diagnostic information.

Treatment patterns for ductal carcinoma in situ from 2000-2010 across six integrated health plans.

Considerable debate exists about the optimal treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Using electronic data sources, we examined first course treatment patterns among women aged 18 years and older diagnosed with DCIS between 2000-2010 from six Kaiser Permanente (KP) regions. We calculated the proportion of patients receiving breast conserving surgery (BCS), BCS plus radiation therapy, unilateral mastectomy, bilateral mastectomy, and hormone therapy. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the association between patient characteristics and treatment. We included 9,437 women: 1,086 (11.5%) African-American; 1,455 (15.4%) Asian; 918 (9.7%) Hispanic; and 5,978 (63.3%) non-Hispanic white. Most cases (42.2%) received BCS plus radiation as their initial treatment. Nearly equal numbers of women received BCS without radiation (28.5%) or unilateral mastectomy (24.6%). Use of bilateral mastectomy was uncommon (4.7%), and most women (72.2%) did not receive hormone therapy has part of their first course treatment. We observed statistically significant differences in treatment patterns for DCIS by KP region and patient age. Predictably, nuclear grade and the presence of comorbidities were associated with first course treatment for DCIS. We observed statistically significant increases in BCS plus radiation therapy and bilateral mastectomy over time. Although still uncommon, the frequency of bilateral mastectomy increased from 2.7% in 2000 to 7.0% in 2010. We also observed differences in treatment by race/ethnicity. Our findings help illustrate the complex nature of DCIS treatment in the United States, and highlight the need for evidence based guidelines for DCIS care.

Farm residence and lymphohematopoietic cancers in the Iowa Women's Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Cancer incidence in male farmers has been studied extensively; however, less is known about risk among women residing on farms or in agricultural areas, who may be exposed to pesticides by their proximity to crop fields. We extended a previous follow-up of the Iowa Women's Health Study cohort to examine farm residence and the incidence of lymphohematopoietic cancers. Further, we investigated crop acreage within 750 m of residences, which has been associated with higher herbicide levels in Iowa homes. METHODS: We analyzed data for a cohort of 37,099 Iowa women aged 55-69 years who reported their residence location (farm, rural (not a farm), town size based on population) at enrollment in 1986. We identified incident lymphohematopoietic cancers (1986-2009) by linkage with the Iowa Cancer Registry. Using a geographic information system, we geocoded addresses and calculated acreage of pasture and row crops within 750 m of homes using the 1992 National Land Cover Database. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in multivariate analyses of cancer risk in relation to both residence location and crop acreage. RESULTS: As found in an earlier analysis of residence location, risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was higher among women living on farms (HR=2.23, 95%CI: 1.25-3.99) or rural areas (but not on a farm) (HR=1.95, 95%CI: 0.89-4.29) compared with women living in towns of >10,000 population. We observed no association between farm or rural residence and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL; overall or for major subtypes) or multiple myeloma. In analyses of crop acreage, we observed no association between pasture or row crop acreage within 750 m of homes and risk of leukemia overall or for the AML subtype. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) risk was nonsignificantly elevated among women with pasture acreage within 750 m of their home (HRs for increasing tertiles=1.8, 1.8 and 1.5) and with row crop acreage within 750 m (HRs for increasing tertiles of acreage=1.4, 1.5 and 1.6) compared to women with no pasture or row crop acreage, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Iowa women living on a farm or in a rural area were at increased risk of developing AML, which was not related to crop acreage near the home. Living near pasture or row crops may confer an increased risk of CLL/SLL regardless of residence location. Further investigation of specific farm-related exposures and these cancers among women living on farms and in agricultural areas is warranted.

Variation of second cancer risk by family history of retinoblastoma among long-term survivors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the risk of second cancer (SC) in long-term survivors of retinoblastoma (Rb) according to classification of germline mutation, based on family history of Rb and laterality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assembled a cohort of 1,852 1-year survivors of Rb (bilateral, n = 1,036; unilateral, n = 816). SCs were ascertained by medical records and self-reports and confirmed by pathology reports. Classification of RB1 germline mutation, inherited or de novo, was inferred by laterality of Rb and positive family history of Rb. Standardized incidence ratios and cumulative incidence for all SCs combined and for soft tissue sarcomas, bone cancers, and melanoma were calculated. The influence of host- and therapy-related risk factors for SC was assessed by Poisson regression for bilateral survivors. RESULTS: We observed a relative risk (RR) of 1.37 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.86) for SCs in bilateral survivors associated with a family history of Rb, adjusted for treatment, age, and length of follow-up. The risk for melanoma was significantly elevated for survivors with a family history of Rb (RR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.23 to 7.16), but risks for bone or soft tissue sarcomas were not elevated. The cumulative incidence of SCs 50 years after diagnosis of bilateral Rb, with adjustment for competing risk of death, was significantly higher for survivors with a family history (47%; 95% CI, 35% to 59%) than survivors without a family history (38%; 95% CI, 32% to 44%; P = .004). CONCLUSION: Rb survivors with bilateral disease and an inherited germline mutation are at slightly higher risk of an SC compared with those with a de novo germline mutation, in particular melanoma, perhaps because of shared genetic alterations.

Common genetic variants in the 8q24 region and risk of papillary thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 8q24 chromosomal region identified from genome-wide scans have been associated with the risk of several cancers, including breast (rs1562430), prostate (rs1447295), and colon (rs6983267). A genome-wide scan in 26 families with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) also found susceptibility loci in 8q24, supporting a closer evaluation of this chromosomal region in relation to the risk of sporadic PTC. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: We evaluated 157 tag SNPs in the 8q24 chromosomal region between 120.91 Mb and 128.78 Mb (including rs1562430, rs1447295, and rs6983267) in a case-control study of 344 PTC cases and 452 age and gender frequency-matched controls. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and compute P values of linear trend for PTC with genotypes of interest. To account for multiple comparisons, we applied the false discovery rate (FDR) method. RESULTS: We did not find a significant association between rs1562430, rs1447295, or rs6983267 and PTC risk. We found that one SNP (rs4733616) was associated with PTC risk at P = .003, and 12 other SNPs were associated with PTC risk at P < .05. However, no SNPs remained significant after FDR correction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings do not support a strong association between SNPs in the 8q24 chromosomal region and risk of sporadic PTC, but several SNPs with small effects might exist.

The impact of delayed blood centrifuging, choice of collection tube, and type of assay on 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations.

Studies have examined the associations between cancers and circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], but little is known about the impact of different laboratory practices on 25(OH)D concentrations. We examined the potential impact of delayed blood centrifuging, choice of collection tube, and type of assay on 25(OH)D concentrations. Blood samples from 20 healthy volunteers underwent alternative laboratory procedures: four centrifuging times (2, 24, 72, and 96 h after blood draw); three types of collection tubes (red top serum tube, two different plasma anticoagulant tubes containing heparin or EDTA); and two types of assays (DiaSorin radioimmunoassay [RIA] and chemiluminescence immunoassay [CLIA/LIAISON((R))]). Log-transformed 25(OH)D concentrations were analyzed using the generalized estimating equations (GEE) linear regression models. We found no difference in 25(OH)D concentrations by centrifuging times or type of assay. There was some indication of a difference in 25(OH)D concentrations by tube type in CLIA/LIAISON((R))-assayed samples, with concentrations in heparinized plasma (geometric mean, 16.1 ng ml(-1)) higher than those in serum (geometric mean, 15.3 ng ml(-1)) (p = 0.01), but the difference was significant only after substantial centrifuging delays (96 h). Our study suggests no necessity for requiring immediate processing of blood samples after collection or for the choice of a tube type or assay.

Cause-specific mortality in long-term survivors of retinoblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Subsequent malignant neoplasms are a major cause of premature death in survivors of hereditary retinoblastoma. Radiotherapy further increases the risk of death. Mortality information is limited among long-term survivors who were irradiated for hereditary retinoblastoma. METHODS: We examined cause-specific mortality among 1854 retinoblastoma survivors who were diagnosed from January 1, 1914, through December 31, 1996, at two US institutions. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated by use of US mortality data to estimate expected numbers of deaths. The relative rates (RRs) of mortality due to subsequent malignant neoplasms associated with multiple risk factors were evaluated with Poisson regression models. Cumulative mortality from subsequent malignant neoplasms was calculated by treating other causes of death as competing risks. RESULTS: A total of 151 deaths due to subsequent malignant neoplasms occurred among 1092 hereditary retinoblastoma survivors (SMR = 35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 30 to 41) compared with 12 deaths among 762 nonhereditary retinoblastoma survivors (SMR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.3 to 4.4). In this extended follow-up of retinoblastoma survivors, we found no evidence of excess mortality from non-neoplastic causes compared with the general population. However, excess mortality from subsequent malignant neoplasms (particularly sarcomas, melanomas, and cancers of the brain and other parts of the nervous system) among hereditary retinoblastoma survivors extended beyond 40 years after retinoblastoma diagnosis. The additional 13 years of follow-up since our last mortality study revealed a previously unreported increased risk of death due to cancers of the corpus uteri (primarily sarcomas) and confirmed the previously reported elevated risk of death from lung cancer among hereditary retinoblastoma survivors. Among hereditary and nonhereditary retinoblastoma survivors, the relative rates of mortality from subsequent malignant neoplasm were higher in those who had been treated with radiotherapy than in those who had not. Cumulative mortality from subsequent malignant neoplasms at 50 years after retinoblastoma diagnosis was 25.5% (95% CI = 20.8% to 30.2%) for hereditary retinoblastoma survivors and 1.0% (95% CI = 0.2% to 1.8%) for nonhereditary retinoblastoma survivors. CONCLUSIONS: The temporal patterns of site-specific excess risks of subsequent malignant neoplasms in retinoblastoma survivors should inform screening programs designed for the early detection and treatment of subsequent malignant neoplasms.

Assessment of lifetime cumulative sun exposure using a self-administered questionnaire: reliability of two approaches.

Few studies have evaluated the reliability of lifetime sun exposure estimated from inquiring about the number of hours people spent outdoors in a given period on a typical weekday or weekend day (the time-based approach). Some investigations have suggested that women have a particularly difficult task in estimating time outdoors in adulthood due to their family and occupational roles. We hypothesized that people might gain additional memory cues and estimate lifetime hours spent outdoors more reliably if asked about time spent outdoors according to specific activities (an activity-based approach). Using self-administered, mailed questionnaires, test-retest responses to time-based and to activity-based approaches were evaluated in 124 volunteer radiologic technologist participants from the United States: 64 females and 60 males 48 to 80 years of age. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to evaluate the test-retest reliability of average number of hours spent outdoors in the summer estimated for each approach. We tested the differences between the two ICCs, corresponding to each approach, using a t test with the variance of the difference estimated by the jackknife method. During childhood and adolescence, the two approaches gave similar ICCs for average numbers of hours spent outdoors in the summer. By contrast, compared with the time-based approach, the activity-based approach showed significantly higher ICCs during adult ages (0.69 versus 0.43, P = 0.003) and over the lifetime (0.69 versus 0.52, P = 0.05); the higher ICCs for the activity-based questionnaire were primarily derived from the results for females. Research is needed to further improve the activity-based questionnaire approach for long-term sun exposure assessment.

A population-based, case-control study of green tea consumption and leukemia risk in southwestern Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between green tea consumption and leukemia. METHODS: A total of 252 cases (90.3% response) and 637 controls (53.4% response) were enrolled. Controls were matched for cases on age and gender. Information was collected on participants' living habits, including tea consumption. Green tea was used as a standard to estimate the total amount of individual catechin consumption. We stratified individual consumption of catechins into four levels. Conditional logistic regression models were fit to subjects aged 0-15 and 16-29 years to evaluate separate associations between leukemia and catechin consumption. RESULTS: A significant inverse association between green tea consumption and leukemia risk was found in individuals aged 16-29 years, whereas no significant association was found in the younger age groups. For the older group with higher amounts of tea consumption (>550 units of catechins), the adjusted odds ratio (OR) compared with the group without tea consumption was 0.47 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.23-0.97]. After we adjusted for smoking status and medical irradiation exposure, the overall OR for all participants was 0.49 (95% CI = 0.27-0.91), indicating an inverse relation between large amounts of catechins and leukemia. CONCLUSION: Drinking sufficient amounts of tea, especially green tea, which contains more catechins than oolong tea and black tea, may reduce the risk of leukemia.

Surfactant protein-B polymorphisms and mortality in the acute respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether polymorphisms of the surfactant protein B gene may be associated with increased mortality in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four adult intensive care units at a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: Two hundred fourteen white patients who had met criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were genotyped for a variable nuclear tandem repeat polymorphism in intron 4 of the surfactant protein B gene and the surfactant protein B gene +1580 polymorphism. For the variable nuclear tandem repeat surfactant protein B gene polymorphism, patients were found to have either a homozygous wild-type genotype or a variant genotype consisting of either a heterozygous insertion or deletion polymorphism. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the relationship of the polymorphisms to mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. In multivariate analysis, the presence of variable nuclear tandem repeat surfactant protein B gene polymorphism was associated with a 3.51 greater odds of death at 60 days in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome as compared to those patients with the wild-type genotype (95% confidence interval 1.39-8.88, p = 0.008). There was no association found between the +1580 variant and outcome (p = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the variable nuclear tandem repeat surfactant protein B gene polymorphism in intron 4 is associated with an increased 60 day mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome after adjusting for age, severity of illness, and other potential confounders. Additional studies in other populations are needed to confirm this finding.

Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor gene polymorphisms and risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) levels are elevated in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum of patients with acute lung injury. There are several suspected functional polymorphisms of the corresponding PBEF gene. We hypothesized that variations in PBEF gene polymorphisms alter the risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). DESIGN: Nested case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: We studied 375 patients with ARDS and 787 at-risk controls genotyped for the PBEF T-1001G and C-1543T polymorphisms. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients with the -1001G (variant) allele had significantly greater odds of developing ARDS than wild-type homozygotes (odds ratio, 1.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.78). Patients with the -1543T (variant) allele did not have significantly different odds of developing ARDS than wild-type homozygotes (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-1.13). When analysis was stratified by ARDS risk factor, -1543T was associated with decreased odds of developing ARDS in septic shock patients (odds ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.97). Also, -1001G was associated with increased hazard of intensive care unit mortality, whereas -1543T was associated with decreased hazard of 28-day and 60-day ARDS mortality, as well as shorter duration of mechanical ventilation. Similar results were found in analyses of the related GC (-1001G:-1543C) and TT (-1001T:-1543T) haplotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The PBEFT-1001G variant allele and related haplotype are associated with increased odds of developing ARDS and increased hazard of intensive care unit mortality among at-risk patients, whereas the C-1543T variant allele and related haplotype are associated with decreased odds of ARDS among patients with septic shock and better outcomes among patients with ARDS.

Residential exposure to petrochemicals and the risk of leukemia: using geographic information system tools to estimate individual-level residential exposure.

The authors conducted a population-based, case-control study in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Republic of China, to investigate the association between residential petrochemical exposure and leukemia risk among subjects 29 years of age and younger. Between November 1997 and June 2003, 171 cases and 410 controls matched for age and sex were recruited. Since assessment of petrochemical impacts depends on accurate exposure estimates, the authors developed a procedure using geographic information system tools to assign subjects' exposure. The resulting individual-level exposure estimates (the exposure opportunity score) are an integrated exposure measure that accounts for subjects' mobility, length of stay at each residence, distance to petrochemical plant(s), monthly prevailing wind direction, and multiple petrochemical pollution sources. Different conditional logistic regression models were fitted for subjects aged 0-19 and 20-29 years to evaluate separately childhood versus adulthood leukemia. No overall association was observed for the younger age group. However, residential petrochemical exposure was a significant risk factor for leukemia for the older age group. For one unit of increase in the log-transformed exposure opportunity score, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.54 (95 percent confidence interval: 1.14, 2.09). This study illustrates the utility of geographic information system tools for providing refined exposure estimates for residential exposure to petrochemical pollution.

A case-control study of parental occupation, leukemia, and brain tumors in an industrial city in Taiwan.

We conducted a case-control study in an industrial city in Taiwan to determine whether parents of newly diagnosed patients who were younger than 30 years old with leukemia or brain tumors or the patients themselves were more likely to have been employed in certain occupations or industries. Job histories were collected for parents (and for subjects if they worked) on 103 newly diagnosed cases of leukemia, 74 newly diagnosed cases of brain tumors, and 417 controls matched for age and sex. All jobs since the age of 16 that the subjects held for more than 6 months, a total of approximately 4,000 jobs, were coded for occupation and industry according the standard four-digit system used in Taiwan. Matched-pair analyses were performed comparing cases and controls among all jobs held by subjects and both parents using four-digit occupation and industry codes. Separate analyses also were performed for parental jobs held during the preconception, perinatal, and postnatal periods. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for subject smoking, parental smoking, and exposure to medical radiation. Certain industry and occupation four-digit codes were significantly associated with increased odds ratios of childhood tumors. Including work during any or all periods, leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 16.03, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.77-145.5), and (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.08, 95% CI = 1.12-14.8), whereas brain tumors were more common in children of mothers who had worked (1) in electronic parts and components manufacturing (adjusted OR 13.78, 95% CI = 1.47-129.0) and 2) as textile and garment workers (adjusted OR 7.25, 95% CI = 1.42-37.0), as well as in subjects who had worked with certain electronic parts and components (adjusted OR 28.67, 95% CI = 2.88-285.6). Leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked in the preconception period (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 12.17, 95% CI = 1.36-109.2), (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.08, 95% CI = 1.12-14.8), (3) as electronic equipment assemblers (adjusted OR 4.56, 95% CI = I 1.05-19.9), and (4) as certain other assemblers (adjusted OR 10.24, 95% CI = 1.02-102.6). In addition, leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked in the perinatal period (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 13.08, 95% CI = 1.36-125.5) and (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.51, 95% CI = 1.04-19.6). Brain tumors were more common in children of mothers who had worked in the preconception period (1) in electronic parts and components manufacturing (adjusted OR 11.81, 95% CI = 1.20-116.3), and (2) as textile and garment workers (adjusted OR 7.25, 95% CI = 1.18-31.0).