Departure from multiplicative interaction for catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype and active/passive exposure to tobacco smoke among women with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Women with homozygous polymorphic alleles of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT-LL) metabolize 2-hydroxylated estradiol, a suspected anticarcinogenic metabolite of estrogen, at a four-fold lower rate than women with no polymorphic alleles (COMT-HH) or heterozygous women (COMT-HL). We hypothesized that COMT-LL women exposed actively or passively to tobacco smoke would have higher exposure to 2-hydroxylated estradiol than never-active/never passive exposed women, and should therefore have a lower risk of breast cancer than women exposed to tobacco smoke or with higher COMT activity. METHODS: We used a case-only design to evaluate departure from multiplicative interaction between COMT genotype and smoking status. We identified 502 cases of invasive incident breast cancer and characterized COMT genotype. Information on tobacco use and other potential breast cancer risk factors were obtained by structured interviews. RESULTS: We observed moderate departure from multiplicative interaction for COMT-HL genotype and history of ever-active smoking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7, 3.8) and more pronounced departure for women who smoked 40 or more years (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI: 0.8, 7.0). We observed considerable departure from multiplicative interaction for COMT-HL genotype and history of ever-passive smoking (aOR = 2.0, 95% CI: 0.8, 5.2) or for having lived with a smoker after age 20 (aOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 0.8, 10). CONCLUSION: With greater control over potential misclassification errors and a large case-only population, we found evidence to support an interaction between COMT genotype and tobacco smoke exposure in breast cancer etiology

Case Report: Ocular Toxocariasis: A Report of Three Cases from the Mississippi Delta

Ocular toxocariasis can be vision threatening, and is commonly reported from tropical or subtropical regions. Knowledge of clinical manifestations from the United States, particularly in underserved areas such as the American South, is lacking. We report three cases of ocular toxocariasis in individuals from the Mississippi Delta, a rural community with prevalent poverty. Visual acuity was severely affected in two of the three cases. Increased awareness of ocular toxocariasis, which may have under-recognized frequency, will contribute to prompt diagnosis and treatment, which will ultimately improve patient health in the region

Stress Crossover in Intimate Relationships: A New Framework for Studying Dynamic Co-Regulation Patterns in Dyadic Interactions

It has been demonstrated that stress, experienced outside of a relationship, can spill into a relationship and cross over during interactions from one partner to the other. However, the mechanism of how stress cross over in real-time between partners is still unknown. To overcome this limitation, we invited 189 couples (N = 378 individuals) for two interactions and stressed either the man, the woman, or both partners between the interactions with a standardized stress-induction procedure. Vocally-encoded emotional arousal (i.e., fundamental frequency, indexed as fo) was extracted from both partners in 25,834 talk turns. Dynamical systems modeling revealed four patterns of dynamic influence prior to stress induction, which started to erode after the stress induction. This demonstrates that the initially unstressed mates become stressed during the behavioral exchange and stress crosses over from the unstressed partner to the stressed mates, interfering with their ability to down-regulate stress

Using movement, diet, and genetic analyses to understand Arctic charr responses to ecosystem change

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The extensive datasets used in this study were reliant on the dedication and innovation of many residents of Nunatsiavut (Food Skills and Environmental Research Program), technicians and biologists from DFO (J. Seiden, D. Lancaster, M. Shears, M. Bloom, S. Duffy), the Nunatsiavut Government (P. McCarney, C. Andersen, L. Pijogge), Oceans North (S. Pain), and of the captains and crew of the What’s Happening and the Safe Passage. Suggestions by three anonymous reviewers also greatly improved the manuscript. Funding for this research was provided in part by ArcticNet and DFO Oceans.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Effect of Altitude Change on Anemia Treatment Response in Hemodialysis Patients

Hemodialysis patients who live at high altitude use less exogenous erythropoietin but achieve higher hematocrit levels than those living at a lower altitude. The authors hypothesized that the effect of altitude would be strongest in hemodialysis patients with poor anemia treatment response. To explore this hypothesis, they studied anemia-related outcomes in US hemodialysis patients who move to higher altitudes. Using Medicare and US Geological Survey data, in 1992–2004 they identified instances in which a patient moved from a dialysis center at an altitude of <2,000 feet (600 m) to one at a higher elevation. Of these moves, 5,274 were ≥3,000 feet (900 m; the altitude group) and 25,345 were 250–500 feet (75–150 m; the control group). Among patients with poor treatment response at baseline, large increases in hematocrit and decreases in erythropoietin dosing were observed in the altitude relative to the control group. At 6 months, hematocrit had increased more in the altitude group (5.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.1, 6.2 vs. 3.7%, 95% CI: 3.5, 3.9), and erythropoietin dosing decreased more (4,600 units/week, 95% CI: 500, 8,700 vs. 1,700 units/week, 95% CI: 1,000, 2,400). No effect of altitude was observed in patients with better treatment response at baseline. These results support the hypothesis that altitude-induced hypoxia reduces erythropoietin requirements in hemodialysis patients with treatment-refractory anemia

Model-based evaluation of the genetic impacts of farm-escaped Atlantic salmon on wild populations

Acknowledgements. The authors thank R. Gregory and T. Kess for comments on this manuscript. Funding was provided through the Fisheries and Oceans Program for Aquaculture Regulatory Research. This work has benefited greatly from a 3 year Canada-EU Galway Statement for the Transatlantic Ocean Research Alliance Working Group on modelling genetic interactions among wild and farm escaped Atlantic Salmon in the North Atlantic, involving participants from 7 countries. The models applied here were evaluated and discussed as part of this working group.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Genetic mixed stock analysis of an interceptory Atlantic salmonfishery in the Northwest Atlantic

Interceptory fisheries represent an ongoing threat to migratory fish stocks particularly when managed in the absence of stock specific catch and exploitation information. Atlantic salmon from the southern portion of the North American range may be subject to exploitation in the commercial and recreational salmon fisheries occurring in the French territorial waters surrounding St. Pierre and Miquelon off southern Newfoundland. We evaluated stock composition of Atlantic salmon harvested in the St. Pierreand Miquelon Atlantic salmon fishery using genetic mixture analysis and individual assignment with a microsatellite baseline (15 loci, 12,409 individuals, 12 regional groups) encompassing the species western Atlantic range. Individual salmon were sampled from the St. Pierre and Miquelon fishery over four years (2004, 2011, 2013, and 2014). Biological characteristics indicate significant variation among years in the size and age distribution. Nonetheless, estimates of stock composition of the samples showed consistent dominance of three regions (i.e., Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Gaspe Peninsula, and New-foundland). Together salmon from these regions accounted for more than 70% of annual harvest over the decade examined. Comparison of individual assignments and biological characteristics revealed a trend of declining fresh water age with latitude of assigned region. Moreover, locally harvested Newfoundland salmon were ten times more likely to be small or one sea winter individuals whereas Quebec and Gaspe Peninsula salmon were two-three times more likely to be harvested as large or two sea winter salmon.Estimates of region specific catch were highest for salmon from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence region ranging from 242 to 887 individuals annually. This work illustrates how genetic analysis of interceptory marine fisheries can directly inform assessment and management efforts in highly migratory marines pecies

Genomic evidence of recent European introgression into North American farmed and wild Atlantic salmon

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