Homocysteine might increase the risk of recurrence in patients presenting with primary cerebral infarction

Purpose: Although hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy) is a risk factor for cerebral infarction, its effect on recurrent cerebral infarction is less-defined. We aimed to investigate the association of Hhcy and increased risk of recurrent cerebral infarct.

Materials and methods: From 2011 to 2013, we recruited 231 primary cerebral infarct patients that were divided to a Hhcy group (n?=?105) and a control group (n?=?126) according to plasma homocysteinemia (Hcy) levels exceeding 15?μmol/L. In this prospective study, risk factors such as gender, age, blood lipid and glucose levels, history of diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking habits and plasma Hhcy levels were determined. A three-year follow-up compared differences in cerebral infarction recurrence rates. Statistical analyses identified whether plasma Hhcy levels were an independent risk factor for recurrent cerebral infarction.

Results: Triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the Hhcy group were significantly higher than controls, and cerebral infarct recurrence rates in the Hhcy group exceeded control subject rates through the three-year follow-up (p?=?.021, p?=?.036 and p?=?.025). Cox proportional hazards modeling showed that elevated Hhcy levels (hazard ratio [HR]?=?3.062, p?<?.001), increased age (HR?=?1.069, p?<?.01), circulating triglyceride levels (HR?=?1.686, p?=?.048), and relative National Institutes of Health Stroke (NIHSS) score (HR?=?1.068, p?=?.016) were risk factors for recurrent cerebral infarction.

Conclusions: Level of Hhcy was a risk factor for recurrent cerebral infarction. Further, particular demographic and clinical outcomes including age, relative NIHSS scores, and circulating triglyceride levels were markedly associated with the occurrence of cerebral infarction.     

Lung Cancer Risk in Never-Smokers of European Descent is Associated With Genetic Variation in the 5p15.33 TERT-CLPTM1Ll Region

IntroductionInherited susceptibility to lung cancer risk in never-smokers is poorly understood. The major reason for this gap in knowledge is that this disease is relatively uncommon (except in Asians), making it difficult to assemble an adequate study sample. In this study we conducted a genome-wide association study on the largest, to date, set of European-descent never-smokers with lung cancer.MethodsWe conducted a two-phase (discovery and replication) genome-wide association study in never-smokers of European descent. We further augmented the sample by performing a meta-analysis with never-smokers from the recent OncoArray study, which resulted in a total of 3636 cases and 6295 controls. We also compare our findings with those in smokers with lung cancer.ResultsWe detected three genome-wide statistically significant single nucleotide polymorphisms rs31490 (odds ratio [OR]: 0.769, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.722–0.820; p value 5.31 × 10^-16), rs380286 (OR: 0.770, 95% CI: 0.723–0.820; p value 4.32 × 10^-16), and rs4975616 (OR: 0.778, 95% CI: 0.730–0.829; p value 1.04 × 10^-14). All three mapped to Chromosome 5 CLPTM1L-TERT region, previously shown to be associated with lung cancer risk in smokers and in never-smoker Asian women, and risk of other cancers including breast, ovarian, colorectal, and prostate.ConclusionsWe found that genetic susceptibility to lung cancer in never-smokers is associated to genetic variants with pan-cancer risk effects. The comparison with smokers shows that top variants previously shown to be associated with lung cancer risk only confer risk in the presence of tobacco exposure, underscoring the importance of gene-environment interactions in the etiology of this disease.     

监测数据统计分析模型在生态学研究中的应用

近年来，环境监测、疾病监测等各种监测网络不断健全，监测系统成为开展生态学研究的重要数据来源。监测数据类型包括了横断面数据、时间序列数据和面板数据，涉及暴露、结局和混杂3个维度。针对该数据的信息属性和结构特点，相关统计学方法逐渐发展完善，出现了一些新的方法、模型。基于数据的时空属性，本文对监测数据在生态学研究中常用模型的原理、适用条件及优劣进行了综述。     

Impact des facteurs psychosociaux sur la santé mentale du personnel de nettoyage

Purpose

To describe the relationship between psychosocial factors and mental health among housekeepers.

Research methods in performance validity testing studies: Criterion grouping approach impacts study outcomes

Objective: Performance validity test (PVT) research studies commonly utilize a known-groups design, but the criterion grouping approaches within the design vary greatly from one study to another. At the present time, it is unclear as to what degree different criterion grouping approaches might impact PVT classification accuracy statistics. Method: To analyze this, the authors used three different criterion grouping approaches to examine how classification accuracy statistics of a PVT (Word Choice Test; WCT) would differ. The three criterion grouping approaches included: (1) failure of 2+ PVTs versus failure of 0 PVTs, (2) failure of 2+ PVTs versus failure of 0–1 PVT, and (3) failure of a stand-alone PVT versus passing of a stand-alone PVT (Test of Memory Malingering). Results: When setting specificity at ≥.90, WCT cutoff scores ranged from 41 to 44 and associated sensitivity values ranged from .64 to .88, depending on the criterion grouping approach that was utilized. Conclusions: When using a stand-alone PVT to define criterion group status, classification accuracy rates of the WCT were higher than expected, likely due to strong correlations between the reference PVT and the WCT. This held true even when considering evidence that this grouping approach results in higher rates of criterion group misclassification. Conversely, when using criterion grouping approaches that utilized failure of 2+ PVTs, accuracy rates were more consistent with expectations. These findings demonstrate that criterion grouping approaches can impact PVT classification accuracy rates and resultant cutoff scores. Strengths, weaknesses, and practical implications of each of the criterion grouping approaches are discussed.