Search

Introduction: Large segments of the world population use combustible cigarettes, and our society pays a high price for smoking, through increased healthcare expenditures, morbidity and mortality. The development of combustible cigarette smoking requires the initiation of smoking and a subsequent chain of behavioral transitions from experimental use, to established regular use, to the conversion to addiction. Each transition is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors, and our increasing knowledge about genetic contributions to smoking behaviors opens new potential interventions.Methods: This review describes the journey from genetic discovery to the potential implementation of genetic knowledge for the treatment of tobacco use disorder.Results and Conclusions: The field of genetics applied to smoking behaviors has rapidly progressed with the identification of highly validated genetic variants that are associated with different smoking behaviors. The large scale implementation of this genetic knowledge to accelerate smoking cessation represents an important clinical challenge in precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are commonly seen among military service members (SM) and Veterans. We explored correlates of award of MSK-related service-connected disability benefits (SCDB) among SM seeking care in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.Materials and Methods: Department of Defense data on SM who separated from October 1, 2001 to May 2017 were linked to VA administrative data. Using adjusted logistic regression models, we determined the odds of receiving MSK SCDB.Results: A total of 1,558,449 (79% of separating SM) had at least one encounter in VA during the study period (7.8% disability separations). Overall, 51% of this cohort had at least one MSK SCDB (88% among disability separations, 48% among normal). Those with disability separations (as compared to normal separations) were significantly more likely to receive MSK SCDB (odds ratio 2.37) as were females (compared to males, odds ratio 1.15).Conclusions: Although active duty SM with disability separations were more likely to receive MSK-related service-connected disability ratings in the VA, those with normal separations also received such awards. Identifying those at highest risk for MSK-related disability could lead to improved surveillance and prevention strategies in the Department of Defense and VA health care systems to prevent further damage and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We explore disparities in awarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) service-connected disability benefits (SCDB) to veterans based on gender, race/ethnicity, and misconduct separation.Methods: Department of Defense data on service members who separated from October 1, 2001 to May 2017 were linked to Veterans Administration (VA) administrative data. Using adjusted logistic regression models, we determined the odds of receiving a PTSD SCDB conditional on a VA diagnosis of PTSD.Results: A total of 1,558,449 (79% of separating service members) had at least one encounter in VA during the study period (12% female, 4.5% misconduct separations). Females (OR 0.72) and Blacks (OR 0.93) were less likely to receive a PTSD award and were nearly equally likely to receive a PTSD diagnosis (OR 0.97, 1.01). Other racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to receive an award and diagnosis, as were those with misconduct separations (award OR 1.3, diagnosis 2.17).Conclusions: Despite being diagnosed with PTSD at similar rates to their referent categories, females and Black veterans are less likely to receive PTSD disability awards. Other racial/ethnic minorities and those with misconduct separations were more likely to receive PTSD diagnoses and awards. Further study is merited to explore variation in awarding SCDB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In a conference 2018, Senator Kelleher said she concurred with the statement describing ADMA ".... as a paradigm shift...a major, major culture shift which has yet to work through our societal systems...."(1) In 2016, a senior and manager speech and language therapist (SLT) won the Dementia Elevator Innovation Award with the project "Empowering Persons with Dementia to Become More Active Participants in Decision Making Related to Their Present and Future Needs". The IASLT Position Statement on the role of the speech and language therapist (SLT) in assessing Capacity and Facilitating Understanding to Support Decision Making for Adults with Communication Disabilities 2017  names training others in assisted decision making as a key SLT role. Talking Mats (TM) (2) may help address some training issues outlined. TM is discussed in NICE-Capacity Guidelines 2018. The Phase 1 project outlined recommends progression to Phase 2. Methods In 2018, the senior SLT trained SLTs working professionally with people with dementia across different service settings. They made a prior commitment to attend and complete the course and to trial TM with people with dementia. Results The Phase 1 report Dec 18 contains 16 brief case studies. Some initial findings: Facilitates strengths rather than deficits. Helpful for assisted decision-making when listeners are trained. Pictures help maintain attention and aid comprehension. Pictorial record of photographed TM viewed very positively, particularly for meetings. Video recording sessions, with consent, greatly enhances reflective practice. It helped address the unmet needs of one person with dementia who presented with responsive behaviour. Conclusion Talking Mats was strongly endorsed by all participants. Recommendations in Phase 1 report 2018 included progressing to Phase 2 i.e. training the six SLTs to become TM trainers and commence cascading through the system. We are currently awaiting funding approval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes my experiences over more than 50 years in initiating and maintaining research on human genetics and genomics at the National Research Centre in Cairo, Egypt, from its beginnings in a small unit of human genetics to the creation of the Center of Excellence for Human Genetics. This was also the subject of a lecture I gave at the 10th Conference of the African Society of Human Genetics, held in Cairo in November 2017, after which Professor Michèle Ramsay, president of the society, suggested that I write an autobiographical article for the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. I hope that I succeeded in the difficult assignment of summarizing the efforts of a researcher from a developing country to initiate and maintain the rapidly advancing science of human genetics and genomics in my own country and make contributions to the worldwide scientific community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial aims to report on the performance of the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences (MJMS) in the year 2016. The performance report is based on an analysis of the autogenerated data compiled from the ScholarOne Manuscripts™. It will specifically focus on the pattern of manuscript submission, geographical distribution of contributors, manuscript submission by month and the acceptance-rejection rate of post-review manuscripts. It will also discuss the effects of the decision to raise the article acceptance standards. The MJMS would also like to share the news of its receipt of the 2016 Current Research in Malaysia (CREAM) award. This honour was bestowed upon us by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) of Malaysia, on November 1, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To grade the long-term benefit of anticancer agents, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework (ASCO-VF) awards tail-of-the-curve bonus points by using milestone survival at twice the median control survival. Here, we propose an alternative, late-life expectancy that we defined as the area under the Kaplan-Meier curve from median control survival to the end of follow-up. We analyzed all indications of immune checkpoint inhibitors with survival data and found that 9 indications out of 13 (69.2%) qualified for ASCO-VF tail-of-the-curve bonus points either in progression-free or overall survival. Our proposed score recognized a long-term benefit not captured by the ASCO-VF, for example, for CHECKMATE-66 where twice the median overall survival was not reached. We found that nivolumab was associated with an increase of 65.3% (95% CI = 38.9 to 89.5) in overall survival late-life expectancy, which highlights its important long-term benefit. In conclusion, the ASCO-VF could be improved with the use of late-life expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine smoking abstinence rates and predictors of abstinence among college students enrolled in a campus-based Quit & Win contest.Design: Pre-post measure with no comparison group.Setting: Contests conducted on seven college campuses in 2007.Subjects: Subjects (N = 484) were 23.7 ± 6.8 years of age, 61% female, 16.3% nonwhite, and smoked 12.5 ± 7.8 cigarettes per day on 28.0 ± 4.8 days in the past month.Intervention: Participants abstinent for the 30-day contest were eligible for a lottery-based prize. Assessments were completed at baseline, end of contest, and 6 months after enrollment.Measures: The 6-month survey assessed retrospective abstinence during the contest period and the prior 6 months and 7- and 30-day point prevalence abstinence at the time of the survey.Analysis: Chi-square test was used to compare baseline characteristics among participants from 2-versus 4-year schools. Smoking abstinence was assessed by participant self-report. Both a simple imputation method (i.e., missing = smoking) and completers-only analyses were conducted. Stepwise logistic regression was used to determine baseline predictors of abstinence.Results: Thirty-day abstinence rate was 52.5% during the contest month and 20.5% at the 6-month follow-up. Baseline intention to stay quit (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56, p = .01), cigarettes smoked per day (OR = .67, p = .04), and 2-year (vs. 4-year) college (OR = 1.65, p = .05) predicted abstinence at 6 months.Conclusion: Intention to stay quit even without winning a prize, a measure of intrinsic motivation, predicted both short- and long-term abstinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurturing the development of cardiovascular physician-scientist investigators is critical for sustained progress in cardiovascular science and improving human health. The transition from an inexperienced trainee to an independent physician-scientist is a multifaceted process requiring a sustained commitment from the trainee, mentors, and institution. A cornerstone of this training process is a career development (K) award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These awards generally require 75% of the awardee's professional effort devoted to research aims and diverse career development activities carried out in a mentored environment over a 5-year period. We report on recent success rates for obtaining NIH K awards, provide strategies for preparing a successful application and navigating the early career period for aspiring cardiovascular investigators, and offer cardiovascular division leadership perspectives regarding K awards in the current era. Our objective is to offer practical advice that will equip trainees considering an investigator path for success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine baseline characteristics and biochemically verified 1-, 4-, and 6-month tobacco quit rates among college students enrolled in a Quit and Win cessation trial, comparing those who concurrently smoke both hookah and cigarettes with those who deny hookah use. Methods Analyses were conducted on data from 1217 college students enrolled in a Quit and Win tobacco cessation randomized clinical trial from 2010-2012. Multivariable logistic regression (MLR) analyses examined group differences in baseline characteristics and cotinine verified 30-day abstinence at 1, 4, and 6-month follow-up, adjusting for baseline covariates. Results Participants smoked 11.5(± 8.1) cigarettes per day on 28.5(± 3.8) days/month, and 22% smoked hookah in the past 30 days. Hookah smokers (n = 270) were more likely to be male (p < 0.0001), younger (p < 0.0001), report more binge drinking (p < 0.0001) and score higher on impulsivity (p < 0.001). MLR results indicate that hookah users, when compared to non-users, had a 36% decrease in odds of self-reported 30-day abstinence at 4-months (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45-0.93, p = 0.02) and a 63% decrease in odds in biochemically verified continuous abstinence at 6-months (OR = 0.37, CI = 0.14-0.99, p = 0.05). Conclusion College cigarette smokers who concurrently use hookah display several health risk factors and demonstrate lower short and long-term tobacco abstinence rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the 2005 recipients of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards. Description of the award, which is the United States' most distinguished honor for contributions to basic and clinical medical research enterprise; How Ernest McCulloch and James Till share the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; Award given to Nancy Brinker for public service; Medical research by Till and McCulloch regarding stem cells and their discovery; Others who won awards, which will be presented at a luncheon ceremony on September 23, 2005 in New York City.

Announces the recipients of the 2004 Lasker Awards. Three scientists instrumental in revolutionizing the fields of endocrinology and metabolism who were Pierre Chambon of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasborg, France, Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California and Elwood Jensen of the University of Chicago; Details of their work; Clinical Research Award which went to Charles Kelman who developed a non-invasive surgical technique for cataract surgery; Special Achievement Award which went to Matthew Meselson of Harvard University for his work in changing policy concerning chemical and biological weapons.

Several epidemiological studies suggest that chronic alcoholics are at risk of viral infections. Clinical and basic research has demonstrated that alcohol not only worsens the natural history of chronic viral hepatitis, but also seems to interact with the viral replication cycle leading to an unusual serum virological profile and/or modification in the serum concentration of viral particles. Infections with hepatitis B and C viruses are a major risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in excessive drinkers who should be protected against these viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Prostate cancers with mutations in genes involved in homologous recombination (HR), most commonly BRCA2, respond favorably to PARP-inhibition and platinum-based chemotherapy. Currently targeted sequencing of key HR genes serves as an indicator of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in prostate cancer. It is well known, however, that other mechanisms, such as suppression of expression, rare mutations of HR-related genes can also cause HRD. Methods HRD levels can be estimated using various mutational, genomic signatures derived from next-generation sequencing data. We used this approach to determine whether prostate cancer cases display clear signs of HRD in somatic tumor biopsies. Whole genome (n = 311) and whole exome sequencing data (n = 498) of both primary and metastatic prostate adenocarcinomas (PRAD) were analyzed. Results Known BRCA-deficient samples showed robust signs of HR-deficiency associated mutational signatures. HRD-patterns were also detected in a subset of patients who did not harbor germline or somatic mutations in BRCA1/2 or other HR-related genes. The signs HRD present low intratumor heterogeneity and in most cases, the metastasis's HRD-status is similar to the primary tumor's. Patients with HRD signatures had a significantly worse prognosis than patients without signs of HRD. Conclusions Based on the HRD associated mutational and genomic scar signatures, 5-8 % of prostate cancer cases may be good candidates for PARP-inhibitor treatment (including those with BRCA1/2 mutations). The prioritization of these patients for clinical trials, extending PARP-inhibitor therapy to all cases with HRD associated mutational signatures, even to those without BRCA1/2 mutations, will likely increase the efficacy of this treatment. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Research and Technology Innovation Fund (KTIA_NAP_13-2014-0021 to Z.S.); Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF-17-156 to Z.S.) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme Grant (NNF15OC0016584 to Z.S.), Department of Defense through the Prostate Cancer Research Program (award number is W81XWH-18-2-0056) to Z.S. and M.F. The Danish Cancer Society grant (R90-A6213 to MK). Z.S. and J.B. was supported by Velux Foundation 00018310 grant. Disclosure Z. Szallasi: Licensing / Royalties: Inventor on a patent used in the myChoice HRD assay: Myriad. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the author's comments about receiving a Lasker award for his medical research on cancer. How he found out that he had won the award in 1982; Way that winning authenticated his work; Assertion that winning prizes is not the point of science; Description of Mary Lasker and her purpose for creating the awards; Her lack of expertise in medicine; Efforts of Lasker to encourage medical research; Credibility of the Lasker Award.

Presents comments from the author about the Lasker Awards for medical research. How he received a Lasker Award for clinical medicine in 1995; Way that the author's research on Helicobacter pylori was widely accepted after receiving the award; Validation that the award gave to his research; Advancement of research about Helicobacter pylori.

Comments on the Lasker Foundation, which promotes and recognizes scientific excellence, and relates the author's thoughts on his own career. The scientists who inspired the author; His choice of a career in genetics and reproductive biology; The collaboration that led to the first "test-tube" baby; View that inspiration and stubbornness fostered research that was rewarded with the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award in 2001.

Reports that the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Paul Lauterbur of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Peter Mansfield, Nottingham University, England, while the Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Peter Agre, a biochemist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Roderick MacKinnon, an investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Research by Lauterbur and Mansfield that led to today's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology; Details of Lauterbur's and Mansfield's research; Background on the use of MRI machines; Details of Agre's and MacKinnon's groundbreaking work on the structure and function of essential cellular channels regulating water and ion transport.

Presents a correction to incorrect labels in a figure on DNA published in the September 21, 2005 issue of "The Journal of the American Medical Association."