Flow: Statistics, visualization and informatics for flow cytometry

Flow is an open source software application for clinical and experimental researchers to perform exploratory data analysis, clustering and annotation of flow cytometric data. Flow is an extensible system that offers the ease of use commonly found in commercial flow cytometry software packages and the statistical power of academic packages like the R BioConductor project

Tracking of leisure-time physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood: a 10-year longitudinal study

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Prevalence and correlates of being bullied among in-school adolescents in Beijing: results from the 2003 Beijing Global School-Based Health Survey

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Diabetes, minor depression and health care utilization and expenditures: a retrospective database study

BACKGROUND: To estimate the prevalence of minor depression among US adults with diabetes, health care resource utilization, and expenditures by people with diabetes with and without minor depression. METHODS: Among adult 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey respondents, diabetes was identified by diagnosis code and self-report. Depression was identified by diagnosis code plus ≥ one antidepressant prescription. Odds of having depression was estimated in people with diabetes and the general population, adjusted for sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, sex, race/ethnicity). Multivariate regressions evaluated factors associated with utilization and log-transformed expenditures for ambulatory care, hospitalizations, emergency visits, and prescriptions. RESULTS: In 2003, 1932 respondents had diabetes, 435/1932 had diabetes and minor depression. Adults with diabetes were more likely than the general population to have depression (adjusted OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.56, 2.09). People with diabetes with versus without comorbid depression were more likely to be women, have lower incomes and health status, and more diabetes complications (all p < 0.05). In unadjusted analyses, ambulatory care visits were higher for those with versus without depression (17.9 vs. 11.4, p = 0.04), as were prescriptions (60.7 vs. 38.1, p = 0.05). In adjusted analyses, depression was not associated with increased resource use or higher expenditures in any category. Increased number of comorbid conditions was associated with increased resource use in all categories, and increased expenditures for ambulatory care and prescriptions. CONCLUSION: People with diabetes are twice as likely to have depression as the general population. Screening for and treatment of depression is warranted, as is additional research into a causal relationship between diabetes and depression

Effect of high up front charges on access to surgery for poor patients at a public hospital in New Mexico

BACKGROUND: A public hospital in New Mexico required collection of 50% of estimated costs prior to elective surgeries for self-pay patients. This study assesses the impact of this policy on access to elective surgical procedures. METHODS: Chi-square tests determined if there was a statistically significant difference between the number of self-pay and insured patient cancellations for financial reasons. A multivariate binomial regression model was used to calculate risk ratios and confidence limits for effects of race/ethnicity, and insurance status, controlling for gender, on these cancellations. RESULTS: Of the 667 cancellations, there were 99 self-pay and 568 insured patients. Cancellations for financial reasons occurred in 55.6% of self-pay and 9.3% of insured patients (p < 0.0001). Inability to pay 50% up front accounted for 76.4% of self-pay patient cancellations for financial reasons. Self-pay, non-Hispanic whites and minority race/ethnicities were 8.76 and 8.61 times more likely to cancel for financial reasons, respectively, than insured non-Hispanic whites. CONCLUSION: Self-pay patients, regardless of race/ethnicity, have elective surgical procedures cancelled for financial reasons significantly more often than insured patients. The hospital's 50% up-front payment policy represents a significant financial barrier to accessing elective surgical procedures for self-pay patients

Perceived community environment and physical activity involvement in a northern-rural Aboriginal community

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Effect of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex on HIV-1 Tat activated transcription

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS). Following entry into the host cell, the viral RNA is reverse transcribed into DNA and subsequently integrated into the host genome as a chromatin template. The integrated proviral DNA, along with the specific chromatinized environment in which integration takes place allows for the coordinated regulation of viral transcription and replication. While the specific roles of and interplay between viral and host proteins have not been fully elucidated, numerous reports indicate that HIV-1 retains the ability for self-regulation via the pleiotropic effects of its viral proteins. Though viral transcription is fully dependent upon host cellular factors and the state of host activation, recent findings indicate a complex interplay between viral proteins and host transcription regulatory machineries including histone deacetylases (HDACs), histone acetyltransferases (HATs), cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs), and histone methyltransferases (HMTs). RESULTS: Here, we describe the effect of Tat activated transcription at the G(1)/S border of the cell cycle and analyze the interaction of modified Tat with the chromatin remodeling complex, SWI/SNF. HIV-1 LTR DNA reconstituted into nucleosomes can be activated in vitro using various Tat expressing extracts. Optimally activated transcription was observed at the G(1)/S border of the cell cycle both in vitro and in vivo, where chromatin remodeling complex, SWI/SNF, was present on the immobilized LTR DNA. Using a number of in vitro binding as well as in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we detected the presence of both BRG1 and acetylated Tat in the same complex. Finally, we demonstrate that activated transcription resulted in partial or complete removal of the nucleosome from the start site of the LTR as evidenced by a restriction enzyme accessibility assay. CONCLUSION: We propose a model where unmodified Tat is involved in binding to the CBP/p300 and cdk9/cyclin T(1 )complexes facilitating transcription initiation. Acetylated Tat dissociates from the TAR RNA structure and recruits bromodomain-binding chromatin modifying complexes such as p/CAF and SWI/SNF to possibly facilitate transcription elongation