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Background: Little is known about the surgical patterns of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are disparities in breast cancer surgery and radiation therapy between non-Hispanic AI/AN (NH-AI/AN) women and non-Hispanic White (NHW) women., Methods: Data from the National Program of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results were used for this cross-sectional study. Female patients with invasive breast cancer diagnosed 2010-2015 were stratified by race/ethnicity, surgical procedure, radiation, and region. Percentage distributions of mastectomy and lumpectomy were compared overall and by region and stage., Results: From 2010 to 2015 there were 3292 NH-AI/AN women and 165,225 NHW women diagnosed with breast cancer. For early stage (AJCC stage 1 and 2), NH-AI/AN women had overall significantly higher percentage of mastectomy (41% vs 34.4%, p < 0.001) and significantly lower percentage of lumpectomy (59% vs 65.6%) compared with NHW women, without significant differences in post-lumpectomy radiation (71% vs 70%). There were regional variations, notably in the Northern Plains, where the percentage of mastectomy for early-stage disease was 48.9% for NH-AI/AN women versus 35.9% for NHW women, and in Alaska with 47% for NH-AI/AN women versus 33.3% for NHW women (p < 0.001). There were no overall significant differences in type of surgery or radiation for late-stage disease between groups., Conclusion: This is the first study to show disparities in surgical management of NH-AI/AN women with breast cancer. For early-stage disease, NH-AI/AN women undergo a higher percentage of mastectomy. Future clinical directions could focus on the factors that drive awareness, decision-making, and access to breast conservation., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Failure to follow-up women after abnormal cervical screening could lead to cervical cancers, yet little is known about adherence to recommended follow-up after abnormal co-testing [cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing]. We documented clinical management following cervical screening by co-testing in a diverse population-based setting. A statewide surveillance program for cervical screening, diagnosis, and treatment was used to investigate all cytology, hrHPV and biopsy reports in the state of New Mexico from January 2015 through August 2019. Guideline-adherent follow-up after co-testing required 1) biopsy within 6 months for low-grade cytology if positive for hrHPV, for high-grade cytology irrespective of hrHPV, and for HPV 16/18 positive results irrespective of cytology and; 2) repeat co-testing within 18 months if cytology was negative and hrHPV test was positive (excluding types 16/18). Screening co-tests (2015-2017) for 164,522 women were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kaplan Meier curves, and pairwise comparisons between groups. Guideline adherence was highest when both cytology and hrHPV tests were abnormal, ranging from 61.7% to 80.3%. Guideline-adherent follow-up was lower for discordant results. Women with high-grade cytology were less likely to receive a timely biopsy when hrHPV-testing was negative (48.1%) versus positive (83.3%) (p < 0.001). Only 47.9% of women received biopsies following detection of HPV16/18 with normal cytology, and 30.8% received no follow-up within 18-months. Among women with hrHPV-positive normal cytology without evidence of HPV 16/18 infection, 51% received no follow-up within 18 months. Provider education and creation of robust recall systems may help ensure appropriate follow-up of abnormal screening results., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We aimed to examine the impact of demographic and treatment factors on overall survival among spinal ependymoma patients., Methods: Using data from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) from 1990-2008, we evaluated subjects with histologically confirmed spinal cord ependymoma., Results: We identified 1,353 patients with spinal ependymoma (mean age 43.5 years). Among these, 26 had anaplastic ependymoma (AE), 374 had myxopapillary ependymoma (MPE), and 953 had other low-grade ependymoma (non-MPE). Median follow-up was 61 months. Overall survival at 5 years was 97% for MPE, 92% for low-grade non-MPE, and 73% for AE. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 58% of subjects with MPE, 51% with low-grade non-MPE, and 50% with AE. Radiation occurred more often after subtotal resection (STR) than after GTR, and more often among those with anaplastic histology. Histology and extent of surgical resection were significant prognostic factors in multivariate analyses. Compared to MPE, subjects with low-grade non-MPE had a higher risk of mortality at 5 years (HR 2.35, P = 0.03), as did subjects with AE (HR 8.63, P < 0.01). Compared to GTR, STR was associated with an increased risk of mortality at 5 years (HR 2.2, P = 0.01), as was biopsy only (HR 2.05, P = 0.03) and no surgery (HR 4.97, P < 0.01). Among patients with either STR or GTR, adjuvant radiotherapy did not confer a survival benefit at 5 years (STR: HR 2.29, P = 0.07, and GTR: HR 2.2, P = 0.12)., Discussion: We found that lower grade histology and higher extent of surgical resection were significant prognostic factors for more favourable survival outcomes for spinal ependymoma patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to use the National Cancer Institutes' Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to perform a large-scale analysis of brainstem anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Use of the SEER database gave us a larger sample size of this rare tumor type, allowing for the analysis of the relationship between prognostic factors and survival., Materials and Methods: We selected pediatric patients (<18 years old) from the SEER database with histologically confirmed diagnoses of primary high-grade gliomas (World Health Organization Grade III/IV) of the brainstem. In univariate and multivariate analysis, we analyzed the relationship between demographic (age, gender, race, diagnosis date), histologic (AA, GBM), and treatment (surgery, radiation) factors on survival., Results: In our cohort of 124 patients, those with AA had a median survival of 13 months and those with GBM 9 months. Higher-grade tumors were associated with statistically significantly increased mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.74, confidence intervals [CIs]: 1.17-2.60). Surgical intervention was associated with a significantly lower mortality, either alone (HR: 0.14, CI: 0.04-0.5) or in combination with radiation (HR: 0.35, CI: 0.15-0.82). Radiation therapy alone was significantly associated with decreased mortality within the first 9 months after diagnosis but not with overall mortality. No demographic characteristics were significantly associated with mortality., Conclusions: Outcome remains poor in the pediatric high-grade brainstem glioma population. Survival is correlated with lower-grade tumor histology, radiation therapy only in the first 9 months after diagnosis, and surgical resection.

Adult brainstem astrocytomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies. Most reports represent low-grade gliomas. This study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to analyze the association between survival and demographic factors, tumor histology, and treatment characteristics among adult patients with high-grade brainstem astrocytoma (HGBSA). Adult patients with histologically confirmed diagnoses of primary HGBSA were studied. In univariate and multivariate analysis, we investigated the effect of demographics, tumor histology and treatment modality on survival. Overall median survival in the cohort of 240 adult patients was 7months, with 1, 2, 5 and 10year survival rates of 33.2%, 19.7%, 10.1%, and 8.3%, respectively. Age >50years (hazard ratio [HR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45-2.70, p<0.001) and grade IV versus grade III tumor (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.15-2.26, p=0.006) were associated with statistically significant increased mortality in multivariate analyses. Surgical intervention trended toward association with lower mortality (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.47-1.01, p=0.055). Our findings suggest that in patients with HGBSA, younger age and lower-grade histology are associated with better prognosis. Surgical intervention trended towards a significant association with better outcome, while radiation treatment was not associated with a statistically significant benefit in survival., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Early-onset breast cancer (EOBC) causes substantial loss of life and productivity, creating a major burden among women worldwide. We analyzed 1,265,548 Hapmap3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) among a discovery set of 3,523 EOBC incident cases and 2,702 population control women ages ≤ 51 years. The SNPs with smallest P values were examined in a replication set of 3,470 EOBC cases and 5,475 control women. We also tested EOBC association with 19,684 genes by annotating each gene with putative functional SNPs, and then combining their P values to obtain a gene-based P value. We examined the gene with smallest P value for replication in 1,145 breast cancer cases and 1,142 control women. The combined discovery and replication sets identified 72 new SNPs associated with EOBC (P < 4 × 10(-8)) located in six genomic regions previously reported to contain SNPs associated largely with later-onset breast cancer (LOBC). SNP rs2229882 and 10 other SNPs on chromosome 5q11.2 remained associated (P < 6 × 10(-4)) after adjustment for the strongest published SNPs in the region. Thirty-two of the 82 currently known LOBC SNPs were associated with EOBC (P < 0.05). Low power is likely responsible for the remaining 50 unassociated known LOBC SNPs. The gene-based analysis identified an association between breast cancer and the phosphofructokinase-muscle (PFKM) gene on chromosome 12q13.11 that met the genome-wide gene-based threshold of 2.5 × 10(-6). In conclusion, EOBC and LOBC seem to have similar genetic etiologies; the 5q11.2 region may contain multiple distinct breast cancer loci; and the PFKM gene region is worthy of further investigation. These findings should enhance our understanding of the etiology of breast cancer.

The effect of dietary composition on mortality in low-income countries is largely unknown. We evaluated whether percentages of dietary energy derived from protein, fat and carbohydrates were associated with all-cause and cancer mortalities in a Bangladeshi population. Data from a prospective population-based cohort study of 17,244 men and women were used. Percentages of dietary energy derived from protein, fat and carbohydrates, assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire at baseline, were analyzed in relation to mortality over an average of 9 years (155,126 person-years) of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios for all cause, all cancer and cancers of the digestive organs mortalities. Percentage of dietary energy from protein appeared to be significantly associated with cancer mortality. Fully adjusted hazard ratios for cancer mortality in increasing tertiles of percentage of dietary energy from protein were 1.0 (reference), 1.21 (0.73, 2.00) and 1.84 (1.08, 3.15) (p for trend = 0.023). These associations were much stronger for deaths from cancers of the digestive organs with fully adjusted hazard ratios in increasing tertiles of percentage of dietary energy from protein being 1.0 (reference), 2.25 (0.91, 5.59) and 4.85 (1.88, 12.51) (p for trend = 0.001). No significant associations in relation to cancer-related mortality were observed for percentage of dietary energy from fat. Novel findings from this prospective study show protein is an important risk factor or proxy to an important risk factor for cancer mortality especially from digestive organ cancers in Bangladesh., (Copyright © 2013 UICC.)

Background: We utilized data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh, to evaluate the association of steamed rice consumption with urinary total arsenic concentration and arsenical skin lesions in the overall study cohort (N=18,470) and in a subset with available urinary arsenic metabolite data (N=4,517)., Methods: General linear models with standardized beta coefficients were used to estimate associations between steamed rice consumption and urinary total arsenic concentration and urinary arsenic metabolites. Logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between rice intake and prevalent skin lesions at baseline. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate discrete time (HRs) ratios and their 95% CIs for the associations between rice intake and incident skin lesions., Results: Steamed rice consumption was positively associated with creatinine-adjusted urinary total arsenic (β=0.041, 95% CI: 0.032-0.051) and urinary total arsenic with statistical adjustment for creatinine in the model (β=0.043, 95% CI: 0.032-0.053). Additionally, we observed a significant trend in skin lesion prevalence (P-trend=0.007) and a moderate trend in skin lesion incidence (P-trend=0.07) associated with increased intake of steamed rice., Conclusions: This study suggests that rice intake may be a source of arsenic exposure beyond drinking water.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between arsenic exposure and oral cavity lesions among an arsenic-exposed population in Bangladesh., Methods: We carried out an analysis utilizing the baseline data of the Health Effects of Arsenic Exposure Longitudinal Study, which is an ongoing population-based cohort study to investigate health outcomes associated with arsenic exposure via drinking water in Araihazar, Bangladesh. We used multinomial regression models to estimate the risk of oral cavity lesions., Results: Participants with high urinary arsenic levels (286.1 to 5000.0 μg/g) were more likely to develop arsenical lesions of the gums (multinomial odds ratio = 2.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 7.54), and tongue (multinomial odds ratio = 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.51 to 5.15), compared with those with urinary arsenic levels of 7.0 to 134.0 μg/g., Conclusions: Higher level of arsenic exposure was positively associated with increased arsenical lesions of the gums and tongue.

Background: Choroid plexus tumors are rare neoplasms that primarily occur in children. The use of the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) database allows for the analysis of the relationship between prognostic factors and survival., Methods: We analyzed the SEER database to select pediatric patients (<18 years old) with histologically confirmed diagnoses of choroid plexus papillomas (CPP; WHO Grade 0), atypical CPP (WHO Grade I) and choroid plexus carcinomas (CPC; WHO grade III). In univariate and multivariate analysis, we analyzed the relationship between demographic (age, gender, race, date of diagnosis) and treatment factors (extent of surgical resection, use of adjuvant radiation) on survival., Results: Overall, 168 pediatric subjects with choroid plexus tumors were identified as follows: 75 cases of CPP, 12 cases of atypical CPP and 81 cases of CPC. The median follow-up time was 3.5 years for CPP and 7.7 years for CPC. The median age at diagnosis was 4 years for CPP (10-90th percentile 0-16 years) and 1 year for CPC (10-90th percentile 0-10 years). In univariate regression analysis, CPC histology (β = -3.2, 95% confidence interval, CI -4.8 to -1.5, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with younger age at diagnosis in comparison to CPP. The mean tumor size was 3.7 cm for CPP and 6.0 cm for CPC (p < 0.001). A higher-grade tumor was associated with significantly increased mortality (hazard ratio, HR = 28.90, 95% CI 3.94-211.83, p = 0.001). Overall survival at 5 years was 98.7% for CPP and 58.5% for CPC (p < 0.001). Among those patients with CPC, gross total resection (GTR) was associated with a significantly lower mortality (HR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.66, p = 0.007). Overall survival at 5 years was 70.9% after GTR, significantly better than 35.9% after subtotal resection (p = 0.012) and 30% after no surgery (p = 0.003). Radiation treatment was not found to confer a survival benefit in CPC. No demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, date of diagnosis) were significantly associated with mortality., Conclusions: Analysis of a pediatric cohort of choroid plexus tumors in children in the SEER database shows that tumor grade is predictive of survival. In cases of CPC, the extent of surgical resection, especially GTR, is significantly associated with increased survival. Radiation did not confer survival benefit.

Risk of skin lesions due to chronic arsenic exposure can be further affected by nutrient intake. We prospectively evaluated the association of nutrient intake and gender with incident skin lesions using data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate these effects in stratified analyses based on skin lesion severity. Overall, we observed significant associations between low intakes of various nutrients (retinol, calcium, fiber, folate, iron, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins A, C, and E) and skin lesion incidence, particularly for keratotic skin lesions. Associations for vitamins C and E showed significant linear trends. Gender-specific analyses revealed an inverse association between the lowest quartile of nutrient intake and keratotic skin lesion incidence for retinol equivalents, calcium, folate, iron, and fiber among women. Interactions by gender were observed for retinol equivalents (P-interaction = 0.03), calcium (P-interaction = 0.04), vitamin A (P-interaction = 0.03), and riboflavin (P-interaction = 0.04) with the incidence of keratotic skin lesions. Understanding differential susceptibility to skin lesion incidence based on nutrient intake will help researchers develop targeted interventions to prevent health consequences of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and beyond.

Background/aims: Primary pediatric high-grade spinal cord astrocytomas are rare neoplasms with poor prognoses. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we analyzed prognostic factors and survival., Methods: Pediatric patients with histologically confirmed diagnoses of primary high-grade spinal cord astrocytoma (WHO grade III-IV) from 1973 to 2008 in the SEER database were studied. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the relationship between demographic, tumor grade, and treatment factors on survival., Results: Median survival in the 48 patient cohort was 10 months. Increasing age and higher tumor grade were found to be significantly associated with higher mortality. For children aged <7, 7-12, and 13-18 years, median survival was 22, 11, and 8 months, respectively. For children with anaplastic astrocytoma (WHO grade III), median survival was 12 months, compared with 7 months for those with glioblastoma multiforme (WHO grade IV). This study did not find a statistically significant relationship between sex, race, presence of radiation therapy or extent of surgical resection and mortality., Conclusion: Survival in primary pediatric high-grade spinal cord astrocytomas was positively associated with younger age and lower tumor grade. Survival was not associated with other demographic or treatment modality factors., (Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Mild action tremor occurs in most normal people. Yet this tremor mainly has been studied within the context of advanced age rather than among the vast bulk of adults who are not elderly. Whether this tremor worsens during young and middle age is unknown. Using cross-sectional data from a large population-based study of young and midlife normal adults (age range, 18-60 years), we assessed whether increasing age is associated with more severe action tremor. Two thousand five hundred and twenty-four adults in Araihazar, Bangladesh, drew an Archimedes spiral with each hand. Tremor in spirals was rated (0-3) by a blinded neurologist, and a spiral score (range, 0-6) was assigned. Spiral score was correlated with age (r = 0.06, P = .004). With each advancing decade, the spiral score increased (P = .002) so that the spiral score in participants in the highest age group (age 60) was approximately twice that of participants in the youngest age group (age 18-19); P = .003. In the regression model that adjusted for potential confounders (sex, cigarettes, medications, asthma inhalers, and tea and betel nut use), spiral score was associated with age (P = .0045). In this cross-sectional, population-based study of more than 2500 young and midlife normal adults, there was a clear association between age and tremor severity. Although the magnitude of the correlation coefficient was modest, tremor severity was higher with each passing decade. These data suggest that age-dependent increase in tremor amplitude is not restricted to older people but occurs in all adult age groups., (Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.)

Background: Women with breast cancer are more likely to have a second breast cancer than women in the general population are to have a primary cancer. However, the biological relationship between primary and second breast cancers is not clear., Methods: A total of 30,617 patients diagnosed with bilateral breast cancers between 1990 and 2007 were identified through 17 cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Logistic regression with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to model strength of association in hormone receptor status, grade, and histology between 2 cancers., Results: There was a strong association in estrogen receptor status between 2 bilateral tumors (OR, 7.64; 95% CI, 7.00-8.35). The strength of association in estrogen receptor status depended on the time interval between the first and second tumors and age at diagnosis. The OR was 25.9 for synchronous tumors (within 1 month) and 3.69 for metachronous tumors separated by ≥10 years. The strength of association was stronger in patients whose first cancer was diagnosed before age 50 (OR, 11.7) versus after age 50 (OR, 5.71). A similar pattern was observed for progesterone receptor, grade, and histological type, but with relatively weaker association., Conclusions: The strong concordance in hormone receptor status of primary and second breast cancers suggests that 2 breast cancers arise in a common milieu and that tumor subtypes are predetermined in the early stage of breast carcinogenesis., (Copyright © 2010 American Cancer Society.)

Dietary factors are believed to modulate arsenic toxicity, potentially influencing risk of arsenical skin lesions. The authors evaluated associations among dietary patterns, arsenic exposure, and skin lesion risk using baseline food frequency questionnaire data collected in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh (2000-2009). They identified dietary patterns and estimated dietary pattern scores using factor analysis. Scores were tested for association with incident skin lesion risk and interaction with water arsenic exposure by using ∼6 years of follow-up data (814 events among 9,677 individuals) and discrete time hazards models (adjusting for key covariates). The authors identified 3 clear dietary patterns: the "gourd and root," "vegetable," and "animal protein" patterns. The gourd and root pattern score was inversely associated with skin lesion risk (P(trend) = 0.001), with hazard ratios of 0.86, 0.73, and 0.69 for the second, third, and fourth highest quartiles. Furthermore, the association between water arsenic and skin lesion incidence was stronger among participants with low gourd and root scores (multiplicative P(interaction) < 0.001; additive P(interaction) = 0.05). The vegetable pattern and animal protein pattern showed similar but weaker associations and interactions. Eating a diet rich in gourds and root vegetables and increasing dietary diversity may reduce arsenical skin lesion risk in Bangladesh.

Skin lesions are classic clinical signs of toxicity due to long-term exposure to arsenic, and they are considered precursors to arsenic-related skin cancer. The authors prospectively evaluated synergisms between effects of arsenic exposure and those of tobacco use, sun exposure, and pesticide and fertilizer use on incident skin lesions using risk factor data from 5,042 men from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study in Araihazar, Bangladesh, which recruited participants from October 2000 to May 2002. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate measures of synergistic interactions on the additive scale. The authors observed significant synergistic effects between various measures of arsenic exposure and smoking and fertilizer use. The relative excess risks for the interactions between smoking status and arsenic exposure were 0.12 (95% confidence interval: 0.06, 0.19) for water arsenic and 0.11 (95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.15) for urinary arsenic measures, respectively. Significant synergistic effects were also observed between fertilizer use and water arsenic (relative excess risk for the interaction = 0.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.01, 0.12). This is the first prospective study based on individual-level data that supports a role for smoking and certain occupational risk factors in modification of the effect of long-term arsenic exposure on skin lesions. Understanding differential arsenic susceptibility allows researchers to develop interventions to prevent the health consequences of this massive problem in the Bangladeshi population and beyond.

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common neurological diseases. Few prevalence studies have been conducted in South Asia, and none in Bangladesh, one of the most populated countries in the world. We estimated the prevalence of ET in a population-based study in Araihazar, Bangladesh., Methods: As part of an in-person evaluation in a health outcomes study, each study participant produced 2 handwriting samples, from which ET diagnoses were assigned by 2 independent movement disorder neurologists., Results: The crude prevalence of ET (age ≥18 years) was 19/1,229 [1.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.4], and was similar in men and women. The crude prevalence was 2.5% in participants aged ≥40 years and was one half that (1.3%) among younger participants (<40 years), although the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.18). The age-adjusted prevalence (United States 2000 census) was 2.0% (95% CI = 1.2-2.8)., Conclusion: The crude prevalence of ET in Araihazar, Bangladesh, was 1.5%. There is 1 other population-based study in a developing country (Turkey) which, like ours, did not restrict enrollment to middle-aged or elderly individuals and did not rely on screening questionnaires; the crude prevalence in the 2 studies is very similar., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: Adolescents in primary care with sub-threshold depression symptoms may be candidates for early intervention to prevent onset of full major depressive disorder. Little is known about this population., Method: We screened consecutive adolescents (ages 14-21) in 13 primary care sites for presence of depression symptoms for "at least a few days" or "nearly every day" in the last two weeks for possible enrollment in a primary care/Internet-based depression prevention intervention (CATCH-IT). We report illness severity, prevalence of self-harm ideation, prevalence correlates (automatic negative thoughts, generalized self-efficacy, perceived social support from family and friends) and co-occurring symptoms of other mental disorders with depressed mood., Results: Twenty-one percent (N=293) of those screened reported a core symptom of depressive disorder of which 83 enrolled in the study and were analyzed. The sample was 40% ethnic minority with a mean zip code household income of $40,249 (SD=$14,500). Reporting at least one symptom of another mental disorder was common for anxiety (48%, N=40), substance abuse (31%, N=15), conduct disorder (71%, N=53), as were self-harm ideation (16%, N=12) and reporting school impairment (100%, N=83). Prevalence correlates for current depressive symptoms included low self-efficacy, automatic negative thoughts, perceived low peer acceptance, and school impairment., Conclusions: Adolescents with sub-threshold depressed mood have frequent co-morbid symptoms that may need to be considered in developing prevention interventions. Early intervention targets to reduce depressed mood include pessimistic thinking, low self-efficacy, low peer acceptance, and school impairment.

Background: Adolescent depression is both a major public health and clinical problem, yet primary care physicians have limited intervention options. We developed two versions of an Internet-based behavioral intervention to prevent the onset of major depression and compared them in a randomized clinical trial in 13 US primary care practices., Methods: We enrolled 84 adolescents at risk for developing major depression and randomly assigned them to two groups: brief advice (BA; 1-2 minutes) + Internet program versus motivational interview (MI; 5-15 minutes) + Internet program. We compared pre/post changes and between group differences for protective and vulnerability factors (individual, family, school and peer)., Results: Compared with pre-study values, both groups demonstrated declines in depressed mood; [MI: 21.2 to 16.74 (p < 0.01), BA: 23.34 to 16.92 (p < 0.001)]. Similarly, both groups demonstrated increases in social support by peers [MI: 8.6 to 12.1 (p = 0.002), BA: 7.10 to 12.5 (p < 0.001)] and reductions in depression related impairment in school [MI: 2.26 to 1.76 (p = 0.06), BA: 2.16 to 1.93 (p = 0.07)]., Conclusions: Two forms of a primary care/Internet-based behavioral intervention to prevent adolescent depression may lower depressed mood and strengthen some protective factors for depression.

Purpose: Depressive episodes cause considerable morbidity and mortality in adolescents. We sought to identify factors predicting new onset depressive episode in a representative sample of U.S. adolescents., Methods: We conducted logistic regression analyses to identify baseline individual, family, school/peer and community factors predicting new-onset depressive episode at a 1-year follow-up in a longitudinal cohort study of 4791 U.S. adolescents. Potential protective and vulnerability factors included individual (sociodemographics, general health and maturity, coping behavior, self-concept, and affect regulation), family (connectedness and conflict), school/peers (acceptance and performance), and community (engagement, delinquency, and adverse events)., Results: African American and Hispanic ethnicity, female gender, and low-income status predicted higher risk of onset of a depressive episode. Active coping and positive self-concept, predicted lower risk, whereas poor affect regulation and greater depressed mood predicted higher risk. Family "connectedness," parental warmth, peer acceptance, better school performance, and religious activities were protective, whereas parental conflict, delinquent activities, and greater numbers of adverse events increased risk of depressive episodes., Conclusions: Female gender, nonwhite ethnicity, low-income status, poor health, and parental conflict, increase risk of a depressive episode. Physicians should consider recommending behaviors that enhance perceived fitness, favorable self-concept, family connectedness, peer acceptance, and community engagement to youth as means a of mitigating this risk for developing a depressive episode.

Effect of platelet storage within 1-3 days on the cell membranes microviscosity, studied by means of a spin probe, and their sensitivity to PGEI, inhibitor of ADP aggregation, were studied. The highest values of fluidity and PGEI sensitivity exhibited plasmatic membranes of platelets stored at 22 degrees; lower values were found in the membranes stored at 4 degrees as compared with native fresh platelets. The data obtained suggest the dissimilar character of alterations in structure and functions of platelet plasmatic membrane during storage at 22 degrees and 4 degrees.