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In sport medicine, epidemiology of sport-related injury provides the foundation for understanding what types of injuries and illnesses occur and who is at the highest risk. Thus, accurate and transparent reporting and interpretation of risk metrics is essential to sports epidemiology. Odds ratios (OR) and risk ratios (RR) are two statistics used to quantify the association between exposure and outcome and are frequently seen in sports medicine literature. While similarities exist, there are optimal ways to use and interpret OR and RR based on the study design and outcome incidence in the target population. In this short communication, we will present common study designs (e.g. prospective cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) along with recommendations for the use and interpretation of OR and RR. This will ultimately assist practitioners in choosing and interpreting these frequently confused measures of association and also help journal reviewers better understand the appropriate use of these measures when evaluating a manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced function of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The NMDAR contains a glycine binding site in its NR1 subunit that may be a useful target for the treatment of schizophrenia. In this study, we assessed the therapeutic potential of long-term increases in the brain levels of the endogenous NMDAR glycine site agonist D-serine, through the genetic inactivation of its catabolic enzyme D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) in mice. The effects of eliminating DAO function were investigated in mice that display schizophrenia-related behavioral deficits due to a mutation ( Grin 1 D481N) in the NR1 subunit that results in a reduction in NMDAR glycine affinity. Grin 1 D481N mice show deficits in sociability, prolonged latent inhibition, enhanced startle reactivity and impaired spatial memory. The hypofunctional Dao 1 G181R mutation elevated brain levels of D-serine, but alone it did not affect performance in the behavioral measures. Compared to animals with only the Grin 1 D481N mutation, mice with both the Dao1 G181R and Grin 1 D481N mutations displayed an improvement in social approach and spatial memory retention, as well as a reversal of abnormally persistent latent inhibition and a partial normalization of startle responses. Thus, an increased level of D-serine resulting from decreased catalysis corrected the performance of mice with deficient NMDAR glycine site activation in behavioral tasks relevant to the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Diminished DAO activity and elevations in D-serine may serve as an effective therapeutic intervention for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals labelled as having hypertension tend to report poor self-rated health (SRH), but it is unclear whether this association is independent of actual hypertension, socioeconomic status and adiposity, and extends across racial and ethnic groups. In a cross-sectional study we compared hypertensive and normotensive individuals (N=19 057) who varied in whether they had ever been labelled hypertensive. Blood pressure was measured in participants' homes and mobile examination centres in the United States as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994. The main outcome measure was global SRH. Hypertensive labelling was associated with poorer SRH and was independent of established SRH predictors, antihypertensive medication use, body mass index, and hypertension status (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.61–1.99). Hypertension was also associated with poorer SRH (OR=1.26; 95% CI 1.09–1.46) but this association was eliminated by adjustment for hypertensive labelling (OR 1.06; 95% CI 0.92–1.22). These effects were consistent across non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic subgroups. Individuals labelled hypertensive are more likely to have lower SRH and this labelling effect predominates over that of actual hypertension. Public health efforts to increase the number of individuals screened for high blood pressure may successfully detect the presence of hypertension but may also reduce health-related quality of life as measured by global SRH.Journal of Human Hypertension (2006) 20, 117–123. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1001950; published online 3 November 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several abstracts on NF-kappa B in neurons. "Unique Control of NF-kappa B Activation by Canonical and Translational Pathways in Neurons," by P. T. Massa and K. W. Jarosinski; "Identification of Novel Regulators of NF-kB Activation," by J. R. Bethea; "The Dual Nature of NFkB in Neuronal Death/Survival," by D. S. Park.