The validity of diagnoses obtained through the psychological autopsy procedure in adolescent suicide victims: use of family history

A test of validity of the psychiatric diagnoses obtained by the psychological autopsy procedure is described in a consecutive series of 67 adolescent suicide victims. Family history of mental illness in first-degree relatives of subjects was obtained blind to subject diagnosis using the family history method. It was hypothesized that subjects with a given diagnosis, compared with subjects without this diagnosis, would show an increased rate of this disorder among first-degree relatives. This hypothesis was supported insofar as specific associations between subject diagnosis and familial rates of illness were demonstrated for major depression, bipolar illness, conduct and antisocial disorder and substance abuse. These results provide further support for the validity of diagnoses obtained through the psychological autopsy procedure.     

Application of adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer -- a survey in the region of Essen, Germany

BACKGROUND: The value of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is definitely proven and its application is clearly recommended by the German Cancer Society (GCS). The goal of this study was to investigate whether these findings and recommendations have been introduced in daily practice and whether this might depend on the specialization of the treating physicians. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients presenting with CRC in the department of oncology of the Kliniken Essen-Mitte between 1997 and 2002 who had started AC until the end of 2001 were evaluated. Data on AC were collected retrospectively from patients' records and prospectively by patient interviews. We investigated whether the guidelines of the GCS were followed and whether 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was applied properly and we correlated the results with the treating institution. RESULTS: 133 patients were analyzed for correlation of their treatment with the guidelines of the GCS. In 81% the AC met these guidelines. This was significantly more frequent in oncologic institutions than in non-specialized ones (96 vs. 9%, p < 0.001). Regarding dose and infusion time chemotherapy was properly administered to 83% of the patients (109/132) treated with 5-FU. Again, correct treatment was significantly correlated with specialization of the physicians (98 vs. 9%, medical oncology vs. other, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our random search in the region of Essen, Germany, lead to the hypothesis that a quality-assured chemotherapy is best provided by specialized oncologic institutions, even if the treatment has been established for years. This should be proven by a large epidemiologic study.     

NIX is required for programmed mitochondrial clearance during reticulocyte maturation

The regulated clearance of mitochondria is a well recognized but poorly understood aspect of cellular homeostasis, and defects in this process have been linked to aging, degenerative diseases, and cancer. Mitochondria are recycled through an autophagy-related process, and reticulocytes, which completely eliminate their mitochondria during maturation, provide a physiological model to study this phenomenon. Here, we show that mitochondrial clearance in reticulocytes requires the BCL2-related protein NIX (BNIP3L). Mitochondrial clearance does not require BAX, BAK, BCL-X(L), BIM, or PUMA, indicating that NIX does not function through established proapoptotic pathways. Similarly, NIX is not required for the induction of autophagy during terminal erythroid differentiation. NIX is required for the selective elimination of mitochondria, however, because mitochondrial clearance, in the absence of NIX, is arrested at the stage of mitochondrial incorporation into autophagosomes and autophagosome maturation. These results yield insight into the mechanism of mitochondrial clearance in higher eukaryotes. Furthermore, they show a BAX- and BAK-independent role for a BCL2-related protein in development.     

The genome of Aiptasia,a sea anemone model for coral symbiosis

The most diverse marine ecosystems, coral reefs, depend upon a functional symbiosis between a cnidarian animal host (the coral) and intracellular photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this endosymbiosis are not well understood, in part because of the difficulties of experimental work with corals. The small sea anemone Aiptasia provides a tractable laboratory model for investigating these mechanisms. Here we report on the assembly and analysis of the Aiptasia genome, which will provide a foundation for future studies and has revealed several features that may be key to understanding the evolution and function of the endosymbiosis. These features include genomic rearrangements and taxonomically restricted genes that may be functionally related to the symbiosis, aspects of host dependence on alga-derived nutrients, a novel and expanded cnidarian-specific family of putative pattern-recognition receptors that might be involved in the animal–algal interactions, and extensive lineage-specific horizontal gene transfer. Extensive integration of genes of prokaryotic origin, including genes for antimicrobial peptides, presumably reflects an intimate association of the animal–algal pair also with its prokaryotic microbiome.Coral reefs form marine-biodiversity hotspots that are of enormous ecological, economic, and aesthetic importance. Coral growth and reef deposition are based energetically on the endosymbiosis between the cnidarian animal hosts and photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium, which live in vesicles within the gastrodermal (gut) cells of the animal and typically supply ≥90% of its total energy, while the host provides the algae with a sheltered environment and the inorganic nutrients needed for photosynthesis and growth (1). This tight metabolic coupling allows the holobiont (i.e., the animal host and its microbial symbionts) to thrive in nutrient-poor waters. Although the ecology of coral reefs has been studied intensively, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the critical endosymbiosis remain poorly understood (2). As coral reefs face an ongoing and increasing threat from anthropogenic environmental change (3), new insights into these mechanisms are of critical importance to understanding the resilience and adaptability of coral reefs and thus to the planning of conservation strategies (4).Aiptasia is a globally distributed sea anemone that harbors endosymbiotic Symbiodinium like its Class Anthozoa relatives the stony corals (Fig. 1 and SI Appendix, Fig. S1A) (4, 5). Aiptasia has a range of polyp sizes convenient for experimentation and is easily grown in laboratory culture, where it reproduces both asexually (so that large clonal populations can be obtained) and sexually (allowing experiments on larvae and potentially genetic studies), and it can be maintained indefinitely in an aposymbiotic (dinoflagellate-free) state and reinfected by a variety of Symbiodinium strains (6, 7). These characteristics make Aiptasia a highly attractive model system for studies of the molecular and cellular basis of the cnidarian–dinoflagellate endosymbiosis (2, 4). To provide a solid platform for research on Aiptasia, we have sequenced and analyzed its genome. The results have already provided important insights into several aspects of the evolution and function of the symbiotic system.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Phylogenetic position and different symbiotic states of Aiptasia. (A) Partial phylogenetic tree (see SI Appendix, SI Materials and Methods and Fig. S1A for details) shows Aiptasia grouped with other anthozoans among the cnidarians. Numbers on nodes denote bootstrap values. (B–D) An aposymbiotic Aiptasia polyp (B) and symbiotic polyps viewed under white light (C) or by fluorescence microscopy to visualize the red chlorophyll autofluorescence of the endosymbiotic Symbiodinium algae (D).     

Truncal Adiposity and Lung Function in Older Black Women

The increase in adiposity associated with aging is a concern in older adults, especially as it relates to the risk for ventilatory complications. Therefore, the specific aim of this study was to determine the association of various measures of abdominal adiposity with lung function in a sample of older healthy Black women. Participants (n = 27) had no history of diabetes or respiratory disease. The mean age was 67 years. Lung function was measured by spirometry using percent of predicted values for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁). Body fat was measured using a three-dimensional photonic scanner and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Correlation analyses show that percent body fat in the trunk (%TF) is significantly associated with percent predicted FVC (r = −0.38; p < 0.05). No association was observed between anthropometric indices of truncal adiposity and lung function. Results of this study show that truncal fat mass measured by DXA is more strongly associated with lung function than anthropometric indices of truncal adiposity in this sample of women.     

Improved transport incubator temperature control with insulating thermal cover

INTRODUCTION: Cold stress, secondary to heat loss, can compromise infants in transport incubators during interfacility transfer. With current incubator designs, considerable radiant heat loss occurs. The use of additional external thermal insulation to reduce heat loss has been recommended for infant transports in cold environments. METHOD: A laboratory experiment was done to compare the rate of heat loss from a transport incubator with and without a commercially available, thermal insulating cover in place. The environment was a commercial freezer simulating subzero environmental temperatures. Measurements included air temperatures. inside the incubator and freezer, patterns of heater action and duration of battery power output. The significance of the different rates of cooling was compared using Pearson's r. Suboptimal battery performance was excluded by repeating one arm of the study with an external battery in place of the internal unit. RESULTS: The rate of heat loss from the incubator was: 1) significantly slower when the covered and uncovered incubators were compared (r2 = 0.52), and 2) essentially identical for the uncovered incubator with either the internal or the external battery (r2 = 0.96). CONCLUSION: In the laboratory setting, external thermal insulation slows transport incubator radiant heat loss. Clinically, this effect likely would benefit infants at risk of cold stress during interfacility transports.     

Evaluating and providing quality health information for adolescents and young adults with cancer

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs, 15‐39 years old) are an ideal population to benefit from the ever‐expanding number and variety of cancer information and health resources available via the Internet and other digital platforms. However, the ability of individual AYAs to fully utilize such resources depends on their degree of health literacy. Across the trajectory of cancer care, an important role for the oncology clinician is assisting AYAs and caregivers in accessing quality health information consistent with their level of health literacy. Working from the premise that all AYAs with cancer and their caregivers deserve to be empowered with maximal knowledge about their condition, this review provides information to assist oncology clinicians in (1) understanding the variety of contemporary online resources that are currently available, including their strengths and limitations; (2) evaluating the quality of health information; and (3) recommending specific health information resources to their AYA patients.