Social status,gender and alcohol-related problems: the black young adult experience

Objectives. Using data from the 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, this study examined prevalence of drinking and related problems among five racial/ethnic groups aged 18–30.

Design. Logistic regression analyses examined influences of gender and social status on alcohol-related problems among blacks, controlling for demographics.

Results. Black drinkers were significantly less likely to be high-risk or risky/heavy episodic drinkers than all groups except Asians; and experienced lower prevalence of alcohol-related problems than whites and American Indians. Controlling for drinking, prevalence of alcohol-related problems among blacks was similar to other groups, except native Americans. Analyses of blacks revealed males, unemployed, and heaviest drinkers had highest prevalence of problems. Strong associations between drinking and problems remained consistent across black sub-groups defined by social status and gender.

Conclusion. While blacks are not as engaged in risky/heavy drinking, they are not shielded from problems conditional on drinking patterns. Focus on alcohol-related problems among black males and unemployed is indicated.     

Ribosomal proteins Rpl10 and Rps6 are potent regulators of yeast replicative life span

The yeast ribosome is composed of two subunits, the large 60S subunit (LSU) and the small 40S subunit (SSU) and harbors 78 ribosomal proteins (RPs), 59 of which are encoded by duplicate genes. Recently, deletions of the LSU paralogs RPL31A and RPL6B were found to increase significantly yeast replicative life span (RLS). RPs Rpl10 and Rps6 are known translational regulators. Here, we report that heterozygosity for rpl10Delta but not for rpl25Delta, both LSU single copy RP genes, increased RLS by 24%. Deletion of the SSU RPS6B paralog, but not of the RPS6A paralog increased replicative life span robustly by 45%, while deletion of both the SSU RPS18A, and RPS18B paralogs increased RLS moderately, but significantly by 15%. Altering the gene dosage of RPL10 reduced the translating ribosome population, whereas deletion of the RPS6A, RPS6B, RPS18A, and RPS18B paralogs produced a large shift in free ribosomal subunit stoichiometry. We observed a reduction in growth rate in all deletion strains and reduced cell size in the SSU RPS6B, RPS6A, and RPS18B deletion strains. Thus, reduction of gene dosage of RP genes belonging to both the 60S and the 40S subunit affect lifespan, possibly altering the aging process by modulation of translation.     

Theory of planned behaviour predictors of intention to use condoms among Xhosa adolescents in South Africa

HIV/AIDS is taking a heavy toll on South African youth. Reducing their risk for HIV requires an understanding of the determinants of their HIV risk behaviours that are amendable to intervention-induced change. This study draws upon the theory of planned behaviour to identify the modifiable determinants of the intention to use condoms among Xhosa-speaking South African adolescents. The participants were 390 Xhosa-speaking 6th grade students (mean age = 12.1 years) in public schools in the township of Mdantsane, South Africa who completed an anonymous questionnaire. Multiple regression revealed that attitude and perceived behavioural control were significantly related to the intention to use condoms, whereas subjective norm was not, controlling for sexual experience, gender, and language preference. Consistent with this were additional analyses using beliefs as predictors: Hedonistic behavioural beliefs and control beliefs about condom-use negotiation and technical skills predicted intention, whereas normative beliefs did not. The theory of planned behaviour may be a useful model of condom use among Xhosa-speaking South African adolescents. An emphasis on beliefs about the adverse effects of condom use on sexual enjoyment, the ability to negotiate condom use, and the ability to use condoms correctly might improve the efficacy of HIV/STD interventions for such adolescents.     

Country of origin, age of drinking onset, and drinking patterns among Mexican American young adults

This study examines relationships between country of origin, age of drinking onset, and adverse drinking outcomes among young adult Mexican Americans in the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Logistic regression models estimate associations between age of drinking onset, age of onset in relation to age at immigration, and adverse drinking outcomes, controlling for sex, age, employment, education, marital status, and income. Adjusted analyses indicate the odds of adverse drinking outcomes decreased as age of drinking onset increased. Mexican Americans who initiated drinking in Mexico had significantly lower odds of current or lifetime harmful drinking than U.S. born but the odds were not significantly different between foreign-born Mexican Americans who initiated drinking in the U.S. and U.S. born. Irrespective of whether drinking onset was in Mexico or the U.S., foreign-born Mexican Americans had lower odds of alcohol abuse than U.S. born. However, odds of dependence were not significantly different between foreign-born and U.S.-born Mexican Americans. While findings suggest that being foreign born may be protective, further research on social and cultural factors impacting drinking onset and related outcomes among young Mexican Americans may help inform prevention efforts.     

Assessment of metastatic liver disease in patients with primary extrahepatic tumors by contrast-enhanced sonography versus CT and MRI

AIM: To evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) using SonoVue(?) in the detection of liver metas-tases in patients with known extrahepatic primary tumors versus the combined gold standard comprising CT, MRI and clinical/histological data. METHODS: It is an international multicenter study, and there were 12 centres and 125 patients (64 males, 61 females, aged 59±11 years) involved, with 102 patients per protocol. Primary tumors were colorectal in 35%, breast in 27%, pancreatic in 17% and others in 21%. CEUS using SonoVue(?) was employed with a low-mechanical-index technique and contrast-specific software using Siemens Elegra, Philips HDI 5000 and Acuson Sequoia; continuous scanning for at least five minutes. RESULTS: CEUS with SonoVue(?) increased significantly the number of focal liver lesions detected versus unen-hanced sonography. In 31.4% of the patients, more lesions were found after contrast enhancement. The total numbers of lesions detected were comparable with CEUS (55), triple-phase spiral CT (61) and MRI with a liver-specific contrast agent (53). Accuracy of detection of metastatic disease (i.e. at least one metastatic lesion) was significantly higher for CEUS (91.2%) than for un-enhanced sonography (81.4%) and was similar to that of triple-phase spiral CT (89.2%). In 53 patients whose CEUS examination was negative, a follow-up examination 3-6 months later confirmed the absence of metastatic lesions in 50 patients (94.4%). CONCLUSION: CEUS is proved to be reliable in the detection of liver metastases in patients with known extra-hepatic primary tumors and suspected liver lesions.     

Adolescent initiation of licit and illicit substance use: Impact of intrauterine exposures and post-natal exposure to violence

Whether intrauterine exposures to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or cocaine predispose offspring to substance use in adolescence has not been established. We followed a sample of 149 primarily African American/African Caribbean, urban adolescents, recruited at term birth, until age 16 to investigate intrauterine cocaine exposure (IUCE). We found that in Kaplan-Meier analyses higher levels of IUCE were associated with a greater likelihood of initiation of any substance (licit or illicit), as well as marijuana and alcohol specifically. Adolescent initiation of other illicit drugs and cigarettes were analyzed only in the “any” summary variable since they were used too infrequently to analyze as individual outcomes. In Cox proportional hazard models controlling for intrauterine exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana and demographic and post-natal covariates, those who experienced heavier IUCE had a greater likelihood of initiation of any substance, and those with lighter intrauterine marijuana exposure had a greater likelihood of initiation of any substance as well as of marijuana specifically. Time-dependent higher levels of exposure to violence between ages of 8 and 16 were also robustly associated with initiation of any licit or illicit substance, and of marijuana, and alcohol particularly.     

Apolipoprotein E-dependent inverse regulation of vertebral bone and adipose tissue mass in C57Bl/6 mice: Modulation by diet-induced obesity

The long prevailing view that obesity is generally associated with beneficial effects on the skeleton has recently been challenged. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is known to influence both adipose tissue and bone. The goal of the current study was to examine the impact of apoE on the development of fat mass and bone mass in mice under conditions of diet-induced obesity (DIO).Four week-old male C57BL/6 (WT) and apoE-deficient (apoE^?/?) mice received a control or a diabetogenic high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. The control-fed apoE^?/? animals displayed less total fat mass and higher lumbar trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) than WT controls. When stressed with HFD to induce obesity, apoE^?/? mice had a lower body weight, lower serum glucose, insulin and leptin levels and accumulated less white adipose tissue mass at all sites including bone marrow. While WT animals showed no significant change in BV/TV and bone formation rate (BFR), apoE deficiency led to a decrease of BV/TV and BFR when stressed with HFD. Bone resorption parameters were not affected by HFD in either genotype.Taken together, under normal dietary conditions, apoE-deficient mice acquire less fat mass and more bone mass than WT littermates. When stressed with HFD to develop DIO, the difference of total body fat mass becomes larger and the difference of bone mass smaller between the genotypes. We conclude that apoE is involved in an inverse regulation of bone mass and fat mass in growing mice and that this effect is modulated by diet-induced obesity.     

The your disease risk index for colorectal cancer is an inaccurate risk stratification tool for advanced colorectal neoplasia at screening colonoscopy

Tailoring the use of screening colonoscopy based on the risk of advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACN) could optimize the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Our goal was to assess the accuracy of the Your Disease Risk (YDR) CRC risk index for stratifying average risk patients into low- versus intermediate/high-risk categories for ACN. The YDR risk assessment tool was administered to 3,317 asymptomatic average risk patients 50 to 79 years of age just before their screening colonoscopy. Associations between YDR-derived relative risk (RR) scores and ACN prevalence were examined using logistic regression and χ(2) analyses. ACN was defined as a tubular adenoma ≥1 cm, tubulovillous or villous adenoma of any size, and the presence of high-grade dysplasia or cancer. The overall prevalence of ACN was 5.6%. Although YDR-derived RR scores were linearly associated with ACN after adjusting for age and gender (P = 0.033), the index was unable to discriminate "below average" from "above/average" risk patients [OR, 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-1.37]. Considerable overlap in rates of ACN was also observed between the different YDR risk categories in our age- and gender-stratified analyses. The YDR index lacks accuracy for stratifying average risk patients into low- versus intermediate/high-risk categories for ACN. Cancer Prev Res; 5(8); 1044-52. ?2012 AACR.