Sun-related knowledge and practices in Irish construction and agricultural workers.

BACKGROUND: Agricultural and construction workers spend much of their work time outdoors and have higher risks of developing skin cancer when compared to indoor workers. However, there is limited research on ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure knowledge, sun safety practices and constraints within these occupational groups in Ireland. AIMS: This study aimed to examine self-reported time spent outdoors in a sample of Irish agricultural and construction workers; to describe and compare UVR exposure knowledge, safety practices and perceived constraints in both occupational groups, and to assess the association of demographic, personal and occupational factors with sun-related knowledge, practices and perceived constraints. METHODS: Agricultural workers (n = 154) and construction workers (n = 467) completed a questionnaire, which measured solar UVR exposure knowledge, safety practices, and perceived constraints to sun personal protective equipment and sunscreen use in addition to demographic, personal, and workplace characteristics. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine differences in knowledge, practices and perceived constraints by these characteristics. RESULTS: Both groups spend a significant proportion of their working week outdoors (25 hours per week on average). Although participation in sun safety training was high for both groups, UVR exposure knowledge and sunscreen use were low, and annual rates of reported sunburn were high. Knowledge, practices and perceived constraints also differed significantly according to demographic, personal, occupational and workplace characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to training by employers and advisory groups, interventions are required to address perceived barriers that impede the uptake and usage of control measures that can lower risk.

Outcomes of posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release for repair of abdominally based breast reconstruction donor site hernias.

PURPOSE: Abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction (ABABR) is common after mastectomy, but carries a risk of complex abdominal wall hernias. We report experience with posterior component separation (PCS) and transversus abdominis release (TAR) with permanent synthetic mesh repair of ABABR-related hernias. METHODS: Patients at Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Penn State Health were identified retrospectively. Outcomes included postoperative complications, hernia recurrence, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs): Hernia Recurrence Inventory, HerQLes Summary Score, Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Intensity 3a Survey, and the Decision Regret Scale (DRS). RESULTS: Forty patients underwent PCS/TAR repair of hernias resulting from pedicled (35%), free (5%), muscle-sparing TRAMs (15%), and DIEPs (28%) from August 2014 to March 2021. Following PCS, 30-day complications included superficial surgical site infection (13%), seroma (8%), and superficial wound breakdown (5%). Five patients (20%) developed clinical hernia recurrence. At a minimum of 1 year, 17 (63%) reported a bulge, 12 (44%) reported pain, median HerQLes Quality Of Life Scores improved from 33 to 63/100 (p value < 0.01), PROMIS 3a Pain Intensity Scores improved from 52 to 38 (p value < 0.05), and DRS scores were consistent with low regret (20/100). CONCLUSION: ABABR-related hernias are complex and technically challenging due to missing abdominal wall components and denervation injury. After repair with PCS/TAR, patients had high rates of recurrence and bulge, but reported improved quality of life and pain and low regret. Surgeons should set realistic expectations regarding postoperative bulge and risk of hernia recurrence.

A Case Report of a Novel Atypical Mycobacterial Infection: Mycobacterium Chimaera Hand Tenosynovitis.

CASE: A 76-year-old fisherman with a history of diabetes mellitus, coronary artery bypass grafting, and a previous ipsilateral elbow wound presented with a 1-year history of hand pain and swelling. Anti-inflammatories and antibiotics were administered without improvement. Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound demonstrated flexor tenosynovitis. Intraoperative cultures revealed Mycobacterium chimaera. The treatment course included 2 tenosynovectomies and a 1-year course of triple antimycobacterial therapy. CONCLUSION: Nontuberculous mycobacteria infections should be considered in cases of indolent tenosynovitis. M. chimaera should be considered in patients with a history of cardiopulmonary bypass given its association with cardiopulmonary heater-cooler units.

Macroalgal protein hydrolysates from Palmaria palmata influence the 'incretin effect' in vitro via DPP-4 inhibition and upregulation of insulin, GLP-1 and GIP secretion.

PURPOSE: This study investigated metabolic benefits of protein hydrolysates from the macroalgae Palmaria palmata, previously shown to inhibit dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) activity in vitro. METHODS: Previously, Alcalase/Flavourzyme-produced P. palmata protein hydrolysate (PPPH) improved glycaemia and insulin production in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Here the PPPH, was compared to alternative Alcalase, bromelain and Promod-derived hydrolysates and an unhydrolysed control. All PPPH's underwent simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID) to establish oral bioavailability. PPPH's and their SGID counterparts were tested in pancreatic, clonal BRIN-BD11 cells to assess their insulinotropic effect and associated intracellular mechanisms. PPPH actions on the incretin effect were assessed via measurement of DPP-4 activity, coupled with GLP-1 and GIP release from GLUTag and STC-1 cells, respectively. Acute in vivo effects of Alcalase/Flavourzyme PPPH administration on glucose tolerance and satiety were assessed in overnight-fasted mice. RESULTS: PPPH's (0.02-2.5 mg/ml) elicited varying insulinotropic effects (p < 0.05-0.001). SGID of the unhydrolysed protein control, bromelain and Promod PPPH's retained, or improved, bioactivity regarding insulin secretion, DPP-4 inhibition and GIP release. Insulinotropic effects were retained for all SGID-hydrolysates at higher PPPH concentrations. DPP-4 inhibitory effects were confirmed for all PPPH's and SGID counterparts (p < 0.05-0.001). PPPH's were shown to directly influence the incretin effect via upregulated GLP-1 and GIP (p < 0.01-0.001) secretion in vitro, largely retained after SGID. Alcalase/Flavourzyme PPPH produced the greatest elevation in cAMP (p < 0.001, 1.7-fold), which was fully retained post-SGID. This hydrolysate elicited elevations in intracellular calcium (p < 0.01) and membrane potential (p < 0.001). In acute in vivo settings, Alcalase/Flavourzyme PPPH improved glucose tolerance (p < 0.01-0.001) and satiety (p < 0.05-0.001). CONCLUSION: Bioavailable PPPH peptides may be useful for the management of T2DM and obesity.

Underreporting of Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases in Residents of a High-Incidence County, Minnesota, 2009.

Lyme disease (LD), anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other tick-borne diseases (TBDs) attributed to Ixodes ticks are thought to be widely underreported in the United States. To identify TBD cases diagnosed in 2009, but not reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), diagnostic and procedural billing codes suggestive of tick-borne diseases were used to select medical charts for retrospective review in medical facilities serving residents of a highly endemic county in Minnesota. Of 444 illness events, 352 (79%) were not reported. Of these, 102 (29%) met confirmed or probable surveillance case criteria, including 91 (26%) confirmed LD cases with physician-diagnosed erythema migrans (EM). For each confirmed and probable LD, probable anaplasmosis and confirmed babesiosis case reported to MDH in 2009, 2.8, 1.3, 1.2 and 1.0 cases were likely diagnosed, respectively. These revised estimates provide a more accurate assessment and better understanding of the burden of these diseases in a highly endemic county.

Early onset necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature twins.

Twin infants born at 34 week gestation had frank blood in stools on day three of life on mixed feeds of formula and maternal breast milk. Sepsis work up was negative in these relatively well appearing infants with pneumatosis in the colon on abdominal x-ray. Blood in stools recurred on reintroduction of breast milk in Twin A. Both infants recovered from episodes of bloody stools on amino-acid based formula and were thriving at discharge. Early necrotizing enterocolitis in both twins is rare and has not been reported. Cow's milk protein sensitivity, possibly from in-utero sensitization, could explain non-infectious colitis in these twins, precipitated by formula or breast milk after birth.

Successful multimodality treatment of recalcitrant necrobiotic xanthogranuloma using electron beam radiation and intravenous immunoglobulin.

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG) is a rare dermatosis with a poorly understood pathophysiology. Studies comparing treatments for such lesions are limited. We present the case of a patient with a 30-year history of NXG refractory to several individual therapeutic interventions [excision, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), systemic chemotherapies and immunosuppressants, cryotherapy and laser therapy], who ultimately responded to a combination of treatment with electron beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in conjunction with IVIg. This combined treatment resulted in flattening of the NXG lesions and a reduction of symptomatic pruritus within the treatment zone. EBRT may represent a potent treatment for NXG, and formal trials evaluating its effectiveness may yield insights into the management of NXG.

Moving off the grid in an experimental, compressively sampled photonic link.

Perhaps the largest obstacle to practical compressive sampling is an inability to accurately, and sparsely describe the data one seeks to recover due to poor choice of signal model parameters. In such cases the recovery process will yield artifacts, or in many cases, fail completely. This work represents the first demonstration of a solution to this so-called "off-grid" problem in an experimental, compressively sampled system. Specifically, we show that an Alternating Convex Search algorithm is able to significantly reduce these data model errors in harmonic signal recovery.

Hepatitis E virus in patients with decompensated chronic liver disease: a prospective UK/French study.

BACKGROUND: In developed countries, hepatitis E is a porcine zoonosis caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3. In developing countries, hepatitis E is mainly caused by genotype 1, and causes increased mortality in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease (CLD). AIM: To determine the role of HEV in patients with decompensated CLD. METHODS: Prospective HEV testing of 343 patients with decompensated CLD at three UK centres and Toulouse France, with follow-up for 6 months or death. IgG seroprevalence was compared with 911 controls. RESULTS: 11/343 patients (3.2%) had acute hepatitis E infection, and three died. There were no differences in mortality (27% vs. 26%, OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.28-4.1), age (P = 0.9), bilirubin (P = 0.5), alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.06) albumin (P = 0.5) or international normalised ratio (P = 0.6) in patients with and without hepatitis E infection. Five cases were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive (genotype 3). Hepatitis E was more common in Toulouse (7.9%) compared to the UK cohort (1.2%, P = 0.003). HEV IgG seroprevalence was higher in Toulouse (OR 17, 95% CI 9.2-30) and Truro (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4-4.6) than in Glasgow, but lower in cases, compared to controls (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis E occurs in a minority of patients with decompensated chronic liver disease. The mortality is no different to the mortality in patients without hepatitis E infection. The diagnosis can only be established by a combination of serology and PCR, the yield and utility of which vary by geographical location.

Clinical guideline adherence by physiotherapists working in acute stroke care.

The publication of the Irish Clinical Guidelines for Stroke in 2009 provided healthcare professionals with an essential tool for improving stroke services. The aim of this study was to identify the degree to which Senior Physiotherapists in acute stroke care adhered to the Irish Clinical Guidelines for Stroke. This was a cross-sectional study, a postal or online survey was distributed to 31 Senior Physiotherapists working in acute stroke care, 23 responded, achieving a 74% response rate. There was excellent compliance with guidelines for the completion and documentation of full assessment within 5 working days of admission 19 respondents (82.6%), and the involvement of the patient in goal setting 19 (82.6%). Poor compliance was reported in relation to the provision of early assessment 10 (43.5%) and adequate rehabilitation intensity 9 (39%). The main barriers to compliance in these areas were organisational in nature.

Dynamic behavior of DNA cages anchored on spherically supported lipid bilayers.

We report the anchoring of 3D-DNA-cholesterol labeled cages on spherically supported lipid bilayer membranes (SSLBM) formed on silica beads, and their addressability through strand displacement reactions, controlled membrane orientation and templated dimerization. The bilayer-anchored cages can load three different DNA-fluorophores by hybridization to their "top" face (furthest from bilayer) and unload each of them selectively upon addition of a specific input displacement strand. We introduce a method to control strand displacement from their less accessible "bottom" face (closest to the bilayer), by adding cholesterol-substituted displacing strands that insert into the bilayer themselves in order to access the toehold region. The orientation of DNA cages within the bilayer is tunable by positioning multiple cholesterol anchoring units on the opposing two faces of the cage, thereby controlling their accessibility to proteins and enzymes. A population of two distinct DNA cages anchored to the SSLBMs exhibited significant membrane fluidity and have been directed into dimer assemblies on bilayer via input of a complementary linking strand. Displacement experiments performed on these anchored dimers indicate that removal of only one prism's anchoring cholesterol strand was not sufficient to release the dimers from the bilayer; however, removal of both cholesterol anchors from the dimerized prisms via two displacement strands cleanly released the dimers from the bilayer. This methodology allows for the anchoring of DNA cages on supported lipid bilayers, the control of their orientation and accessibility within the bilayer, and the programmable dimerization and selective removal of any of their components. The facile coupling of DNA to other functional materials makes this an attractive method for developing stimuli-responsive protein or nanoparticle arrays, drug releasing biomedical device surfaces and self-healing materials for light harvesting applications, using a highly modular, DNA-economic scaffold.

Biotea: RDFizing PubMed Central in support for the paper as an interface to the Web of Data.

BACKGROUND: The World Wide Web has become a dissemination platform for scientific and non-scientific publications. However, most of the information remains locked up in discrete documents that are not always interconnected or machine-readable. The connectivity tissue provided by RDF technology has not yet been widely used to support the generation of self-describing, machine-readable documents. RESULTS: In this paper, we present our approach to the generation of self-describing machine-readable scholarly documents. We understand the scientific document as an entry point and interface to the Web of Data. We have semantically processed the full-text, open-access subset of PubMed Central. Our RDF model and resulting dataset make extensive use of existing ontologies and semantic enrichment services. We expose our model, services, prototype, and datasets at http://biotea.idiginfo.org/ CONCLUSIONS: The semantic processing of biomedical literature presented in this paper embeds documents within the Web of Data and facilitates the execution of concept-based queries against the entire digital library. Our approach delivers a flexible and adaptable set of tools for metadata enrichment and semantic processing of biomedical documents. Our model delivers a semantically rich and highly interconnected dataset with self-describing content so that software can make effective use of it.

Evaluation of ceftiofur crystalline free acid sterile suspension for control of metritis in high-risk lactating dairy cows.

Two studies were conducted to determine if clinical metritis could be prevented or decreased in at-risk lactating dairy cows by a single treatment with Excede Sterile Suspension (ceftiofur crystalline free acid sterile suspension [CCFA-SS]) administered within 24 hours after an abnormal calving. Study 1 was a preliminary study and study 2 was a clinical trial (designed to confirm the results of study 1). In both studies, abnormal calving was defined as cows that had dystocia (required assistance), twins, abortion, retained fetal membranes for 12 hours or more, or any combination thereof. A randomized block design with cows blocked on order-of-entry within dairy without regard to parity was used in both studies. In study 1, cows that had abnormal calving from six commercial dairies were randomly assigned to either untreated control (N = 122) or 6.6 mg ceftiofur equivalents/kg of body weight sc in the base of the ear (CCFA-SS, N = 121), within 24 hours after calving. Cows with normal calving during the enrollment period received no treatment and were included for observational purposes (N = 122). Health observations and rectal temperatures were recorded daily, and physical examinations were conducted on Days 1 ± 1, 7 ± 2, 14 ± 2, and 21 ± 2, and uterine swabs (for bacterial culture) were collected from a subsample of cows on Days 3 or 4, 7 ± 2, 14 ± 2, and 21 ± 2. These observations were made by treatment-blinded personnel. In study 2, cows with abnormal calving from 12 commercial dairies were assigned to receive either saline (control, N = 247) or CCFA-SS (N = 247) within 24 hours after calving. Health observations and rectal temperatures were recorded daily, and physical examinations were conducted on Days 0 to 2, 7 ± 1, and 14. In study 1, the incidence of metritis on Day 14 ± 2 was 20.2% versus 36.8% for CCFA-SS and control, respectively, with an odds ratio of 2.30 (P < 0.05). In study 2, incidences of metritis on Day 14 were 28.7% versus 43.5% for CCFA-SS and saline, respectively, with an odds ratio of 1.92 (P < 0.05). Rectal temperatures on Days 1 and 2 and the average for the first 6 days were lower (P < 0.05) for CCFA-SS compared with control cows for both studies. Treatment of cows with a single dose of CCFA-SS within 24 hours after abnormal calving reduced the incidence of subsequent metritis in lactating dairy cows.

Characterization of a compressively sampled photonic link.

The emerging field of compressive sampling has potentially powerful implications for the design of analog-to-digital sampling systems. In particular, the mathematics of compressive sampling suggests that one can recover a signal at a smaller sampling interval than is dictated by the rate at which the samples are digitized. In a recent work the authors presented an all-photonic implementation of such a system and experimentally demonstrated the basic operating principles. This paper offers a more in-depth study of the system, including a more detailed description of the hardware, issues involved in real-time implementation, and how choice of signal model and model fidelity can influence the reconstruction.

Evaluation of two doses of ceftiofur crystalline free acid sterile suspension for treatment of metritis in lactating dairy cows.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate efficacy of a 2-dose regimen of ceftiofur crystalline free acid sterile suspension (CCFA-SS) for treatment of acute metritis in lactating dairy cows under field conditions and to provide additional safety and injection site tolerance data for injections at the base of the ear. Cows at 15 dairies with rectal temperature ≥ 39.5°C and fetid uterine discharge ≤ 10 d postcalving were randomly assigned by blocks of 2, based on order of entry and without regard to parity, to treatment with saline (1.5 mL/45.5 kg of body weight, n=509) or CCFA-SS (6.6 mg of ceftiofur equivalents/kg of body weight, n=514). Treatments were administered by subcutaneous injection in the posterior aspect of the ear where it attaches to the head; the first dose was administered on study d 0 and the second dose was administered in the contra lateral ear on study d 3. Rectal temperatures were recorded on study d 1 to 4 and 5 or 6 and cows were clinically evaluated daily from study d 1 to 13. Cows that exhibited increased adverse clinical signs of poor health or complications associated with metritis were categorized as a treatment failure and administered escape therapy. Each cow received a veterinary physical examination on study d 5 or 6 to determine if she should be removed from the study and on study d 14 to determine clinical cure or failure to cure. Clinical cure was defined as rectal temperature <39.5°C and non-fetid and purulent or mucopurulent discharge on study d 14 and no escape therapy administered. The injection procedure was scored after each injection (study d 0 and 3) and injection sites and ear carriage were scored on study d 5 or 6, 14, and 57±3. Of the 1,023 cows enrolled, 7 were completely censored due to protocol deviations and 34 were removed for protocol deviations or medical conditions not related to metritis. Clinical cure rate was higher for CCFA-SS than for saline (74.3 vs. 55.3%) and rectal temperatures for each of study d 1 to 5 or 6 were lower for CCFA-SS than saline. Injection procedure indices showed that CCFA-SS could be practically and safely administered using commercial dairy facilities. Although injection site scores were higher for CCFA-SS than saline at study d 5 or 6 and 14, ≥98.6% of ears were normal on d 57±3. Thus, a 2-dose treatment with CCFA-SS given 72h apart increased metritis clinical cure rate and was well tolerated in dairy cows.

Birth characteristics and childhood carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas in children are rare and have not been well studied. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control study and examined associations between birth characteristics and childhood carcinomas diagnosed from 28 days to 14 years during 1980-2004 using pooled data from five states (NY, WA, MN, TX, and CA) that linked their birth and cancer registries. The pooled data set contained 57,966 controls and 475 carcinoma cases, including 159 thyroid and 126 malignant melanoma cases. We used unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: White compared with 'other' race was positively associated with melanoma (OR=3.22, 95% CI 1.33-8.33). Older maternal age increased the risk for melanoma (OR(per 5-year age increase)=1.20, 95% CI 1.00-1.44), whereas paternal age increased the risk for any carcinoma (OR=1.10(per 5-year age increase), 95% CI 1.01-1.20) and thyroid carcinoma (OR(per 5-year age increase)=1.16, 95% CI 1.01-1.33). Gestational age < 37 vs 37-42 weeks increased the risk for thyroid carcinoma (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.07-3.27). Plurality, birth weight, and birth order were not significantly associated with childhood carcinomas. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study indicates that some birth characteristics including older parental age and low gestational age may be related to childhood carcinoma aetiology.

Prevalence and correlates of Herpes Simplex Virus-2 and syphilis infections in the general population in India.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and correlates of Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) and syphilis infections in the general population in India. METHODS: 2456 adults were surveyed in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh in India. Socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics were obtained through a questionnaire, and a dried blood spot (DBS) was collected from all individuals aged 18 years and over; sexual behaviour was collected from those aged 18-49 years. DBS samples were tested for HSV-2 and syphilis serology. The association between HSV-2 and syphilis infections with socio-demographic and behavioural variables was analysed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of HSV-2 and syphilis was 10.1% and 1.7%, respectively. Geographic differences in HSV-2 prevalence were significant, while for syphilis it was comparable. Urban-rural differences in prevalence were only seen for syphilis. For both infections, the prevalence between males and females was not significantly different. In males and females, HSV-2 prevalence increased significantly with increasing age; for syphilis, a slight trend was seen only in females. In a multivariable analysis, HSV-2 infection in males and females was associated with site, religion and testing positive for syphilis, in addition to reporting ≥ 2 lifetime partners in the previous year among males and being ever married or having had sex with a non-regular partner in the last year among females. CONCLUSIONS: The burden and geographic heterogeneity of HSV-2 and syphilis infections in India are significant. A national household and DBS-based sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance system would enable monitoring, especially in relation to the HIV epidemic, and planning of evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes.

Parental educational attainment as an indicator of socioeconomic status and risk of childhood cancers.

BACKGROUND: Little has been reported on socioeconomic (SES) patterns of risk for most forms of childhood cancer. METHODS: Population-based case-control data from epidemiological studies of childhood cancer conducted in five US states were pooled and associations of maternal, paternal and household educational attainment with childhood cancers were analysed. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression, controlling for confounders. RESULTS: Although there was no association with parental education for the majority of cancers evaluated, there was an indication of a positive association with lower education for Hodgkin's and Burkitt's lymphoma and Wilm's tumour, with the ORs ranging from 1.5 to >3.0 times that of more educated parents. A possible protective effect was seen for lower parental education and astrocytoma and hepatoblastoma, with ORs reduced by 30 to 40%. CONCLUSIONS: These study results should be viewed as exploratory because of the broad nature of the SES assessment, but they give some indication that childhood cancer studies might benefit from a more thorough assessment of SES.

Optimal neural differentiation and extension of hybrid neuroblastoma cells (NDC) for nerve-target evaluations using a multifactorial approach.

In vitro models of tissues, such as the cornea, represent systems for modeling cell-to-cell interactions and tissue function. The objective of this study was to develop an optimized nerve differentiation medium to incorporate into a 3D in vitro model to study innervation and cell targeting. A hybrid neuroblastoma cell line (NDC) was examined for its ability to differentiate into neurons, produce neurites, and functionally contact target cells. Neuronal differentiation of NDCs was optimized through a combinatorial approach which involved culturing cells in the presence of various extracellular matrices and soluble factors. A serum-free medium containing nerve growth factor (NGF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), or dexamethasone resulted in the greatest proportion of NDCs demonstrating a neuronal morphology. Similarly, with supplementation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) or NGF, neurite extension was optimized. Combining these factors generated an optimized differentiation and extension medium, relative to the individual components alone. In co-culture with epithelial cells, NDC neurites generated in the optimized medium formed contacts with epithelial targets and produced substance P. Similarly, NDCs seeded into a collagen matrix produced neurites that projected through the matrix to target epithelial cells, promoted epithelial stratification, and increased the rate of epithelial wound healing. As well, differentiated NDCs could target and alter acetylcholine receptor clustering in mouse C2C12 myotubes, demonstrating synaptic plasticity. Our data supports the use of NDCs, in combination with optimized medium, for generating an innervated in vitro model.

Birth characteristics and the risk of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma based on histological subtype.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about risk factors for childhood rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and the histology-specific details are rare. METHODS: Case-control studies formed by linking cancer and birth registries of California, Minnesota, New York, Texas and Washington, which included 583 RMS cases (363 embryonal and 85 alveolar RMS) and 57 966 randomly selected control subjects, were analysed using logistic regression. The associations of RMS (overall, and based on embryonal or alveolar histology) with birth weight across five 500 g categories (from 2000 to 4500 g) were examined using normal birth weight (2500-3999 g) as a reference. Large (>90th percentile) and small (<10th percentile) size for gestational age were calculated based on birth weight distributions in controls and were similarly examined. RESULTS: High birth weight increased the risk of embryonal RMS and RMS overall. Each 500 g increase in birth weight increased the risk of embryonal RMS (odds ratio (OR)=1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.14-1.42) and RMS overall (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.09-1.29). Large size for gestational age also significantly increased the risk of embryonal RMS (OR=1.42, 95% CI=1.03-1.96). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a positive association between accelerated in utero growth and embryonal RMS, but not alveolar RMS. These results warrant cautious interpretation owing to the small number of alveolar RMS cases.