Ascertainment Through Family History of Disease Often Decreases the Power of Family-based Association Studies

Selection of cases with additional affected relatives has been shown to increase the power of the case-control association design. We investigated whether this strategy can also improve the power of family-based association studies that use the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT), while accounting for the effects of residual polygenic and environmental factors on disease liability. Ascertainment of parent-offspring trios conditional on the proband having affected first-degree relatives almost always reduced the power of the TDT. For many disease models, this reduction was quite considerable. In contrast, for the same sample size, designs that analyzed more than one affected offspring per family often improved power when compared to the standard parent-offspring trio design. Together, our results suggest that (1) residual polygenic and environmental influences should be considered when estimating the power of the TDT for studies that ascertain families with multiple affected relatives; (2) if trios are selected conditional on having additional affected offspring, then it is important to genotype and include in the analysis the additional siblings; (3) the ascertainment strategy should be considered when interpreting results from TDT analyses. Our analytic approach to estimate the asymptotic power of the TDT is implemented online at http://pngu.mgh.harvard.edu/∼purcell/gpc/. Edited by David Allison     

Xanthohumol ameliorates 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin–induced cellular toxicity in cultured MC3T3‐E1 osteoblastic cells

2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) is an environmental contaminant. Xanthohumol is a prenylated flavonoid found in hops (Humulus lupulus) and beer. The aim of the current study was to explore the role of xanthohumol in modulating the toxicity of TCDD in MC3T3‐E1 osteoblastic cells. In cells treated with TCDD alone, intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, reactive oxygen species production, cardiolipin peroxidation, nitric oxide release and cytochrome P450 1A1 expression were significantly increased. TCDD treatment increased the mRNA levels of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1 and nuclear factor kappa B, and significantly decreased the level of protein kinase B (AKT) in MC3T3‐E1 osteoblastic cells. However, the presence of xanthohumol alleviated the pathological effects of TCDD. In addition, xanthohumol treatment significantly increased the expression of genes associated with osteoblast differentiation (alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and osterix). We conclude that xanthohumol has a beneficial influence and may antagonize TCDD toxicity in osteoblastic cells.     

Health service utilization,unmet healthcare needs,and the potential of telemedicine services among Korean expatriates

Background

With the significant growth of migration and expatriation, facilitated by increased global mobility, the number of Koreans living abroad as of 2016 is approximately 7.4 million (15% of the Korean population). Healthcare utilization or health problems, especially among expatriates in developing countries, have not been well researched despite the various health risks these individuals are exposed to. Consequently, we identified the health utilization patterns and healthcare needs among Korean expatriates in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Uzbekistan.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey examined 429 Korean expatriates living in Vietnam (n?=?208), Cambodia (n?=?60), and Uzbekistan (n?=?161) who had access to the Internet and were living abroad for at least 6?months. A 67-item questionnaire was used, and feedback was received via an online survey program. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with unmet healthcare needs and preferences of certain type of telemedicine.

Results

We found that 45.5% (195/429) of respondents had used medical services in their country of stay. Among those who visited health institutions >?3 times, the most popular choice was general hospitals (39.4%, 15/38); however, they initially visited Korean doctors’ or local doctors’ offices. The most essential criteria for healthcare service facilities was a “skilled professional” (39.3%, 169/429), 42% wanted a health program for chronic disease management, and 30% wanted specialized internal medicine. A substantial number wanted to access telemedicine services and were willing to pay for this service. They were particularly interested in experts’ second opinion (61.5%, 264/429) and quick, 24-h medical consultations (60.8%, 261/429). Having unmet healthcare needs and being younger was strongly associated with all types of telemedicine networks.

Conclusions

Nearly half of the expatriates in developing countries had unmet healthcare needs. Telemedicine is one potential solution to meet these needs, especially in developing countries.

     

Enhanced NO2 Sensing Performance of Graphene with Thermally Induced Defects

This paper demonstrates the enhanced NO₂ sensing performance of graphene with defects generated by rapid thermal annealing (RTA). A high temperature of RTA (300–700 °C) was applied to graphene under an argon atmosphere to form defects on sp² carbon lattices. The density of defects proportionally increased with increasing the RTA temperature. Raman scattering results confirmed significant changes in sp² bonding. After 700 °C RTA, I_D/I_G, I_2D/I_G, and FWHM (full width at half maximum)(G) values, which are used to indirectly investigate carbon-carbon bonds’ chemical and physical properties, were markedly changed compared to the pristine graphene. Further evidence of the thermally-induced defects on graphene was found via electrical resistance measurements. The electrical resistance of the RTA-treated graphene linearly increased with increasing RTA temperature. Meanwhile, the NO₂ response of graphene sensors increased from 0 to 500 °C and reached maximum (R = ~24%) at 500 °C. Then, the response rather decreased at 700 °C (R = ~14%). The results imply that rich defects formed at above a critical temperature (~500 °C) may damage electrical paths of sp² chains and thus deteriorate NO₂ response. Compared to the existing functionalization process, the RTA treatment is very facile and allows precise control of the NO₂ sensing characteristics, contributing to manufacturing commercial low-cost, high-performance, integrated sensors.