Some Sex Hormone Profiles are Consistent over Time in Normal Menstruating Women: Implications for Sports Injury Epidemiology

Purpose-It is unclear whether sex hormone profiles obtained in two consecutive months are consistent within women. Month-to-month consistency in daily, nadir, peak and mean hormone concentrations during the early follicular and luteal phases in recreationally active, young eumenorrheic women was prospectively examined. Methods-60 healthy, non-smoking women who reported normal and consistent menstrual cycles lasting 26–32 days for the past 6 months were followed prospectively to obtain serum samples for the first 6 days of menses and for 8 days after a positive ovulation test over two consecutive months. Month-to-month consistency of daily concentrations of oestradiol (pg/ml), progesterone (ng/ml), testosterone (ng/dl), sex hormone-binding globulin (nmol/l) and free androgen index were determined using linear mixed models. Month-to-month consistency in nadir, peak and mean concentrations were then assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients and SEM to more precisely examine intraindividual consistency. Results-Linear mixed models revealed stable hormone concentrations across cycles and cycles by day. Reliability estimates for nadir, peak, mean menses and mean postovulatory concentrations range from 0.56 to 0.86 for oestradiol, 0.44 to 0.91 for progesterone, 0.60 to 0.86 for testosterone, 0.88 to 0.97 for sex hormone-binding globulin and 0.78 to 0.91 for free androgen index. Conclusions-Hormone profiles were reproducible over two consecutive months. To reduce month-to-month intraindividual variations and improve measurement consistency, it is recommended that multiple samples be taken over consecutive days as opposed to a single sample

Knee Joint Laxity and Its Cyclic Variation Influence Tibiofemoral Motion during Weight Acceptance

Purpose - To better understand how sex differences in anterior knee joint laxity (AKL) impact knee joint biomechanics, we examined the consequence of greater absolute baseline (males and females) and cyclic increases in AKL during the menstrual cycle (females) on anterior tibial translation (ATT) as the knee transitioned from non-weight bearing (NWB) to weight bearing (WB) conditions, while also controlling for genu recurvatum (GR). Methods - Males and females (71F,48M;18-30 years) were measured for AKL and GR, and underwent measurement of ATT. Females were tested on the days of their cycle when AKL was at its minimum (T1) and maximum (T2); males were matched in time to a female with similar AKL. Linear regressions examined relationships between absolute baseline (AKLT1, GRT1) and cyclic changes (?=T2-T1; AKL?, GR?)(females only) in knee laxity with ATT as measured at T1 and T2, and ? (T2-T1) (females only). Results - AKL and GR increased in females, but not males, from T1 to T2. Greater AKLT1 and GRT1 predicted greater ATTT1 and ATTT2 in males (R2=21.0, P<.007). The combination of greater AKLT1, AKL? and less GR? predicted greater ATTT1 and ATTT2 in females (R2=12.5-13.1, P<.05), with AKL? being a stronger predictor (coefficient, P-value) of ATTT2 (0.864, P=.027) compared to ATTT1 (0.333, P=.370). AKL? was the sole predictor of ATT? (R2=.104; 0.740, P=.042). Conclusions - Greater absolute baseline and cyclic increases in AKL were consistently associated with greater ATT produced by transition of the knee from NWB to WB. As the ACL is the primary restraint to ATT, these findings provide insight into possible mechanisms by which greater AKL may be associated with at risk knee biomechanics during the weight acceptance phase of dynamic tasks

Reproductive and Hormonal Risk Factors for Ductal Carcinoma In situ of the Breast

One-fifth of all newly diagnosed breast cancer cases are ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), but little is known about DCIS risk factors. Recent studies suggest that some subtypes of DCIS (high grade, or comedo) share histopathologic and epidemiologic characteristics with invasive disease, while others (medium or low grade, or non-comedo) show different patterns. To investigate whether reproductive and hormonal risk factors differ among comedo and non-comedo types of DCIS and invasive breast cancer, we used a population-based case-control study of 1808 invasive and 446 DCIS breast cancer cases and their age and race frequency-matched controls (1564 invasive and 458 DCIS). Three or more full-term pregnancies showed a strong inverse association with comedo-type DCIS (odds ratio (OR) = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.30, 0.95) and a weaker inverse association for non-comedo DCIS (OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.42, 1.27). Several risk factors (age at first full-term pregnancy, breastfeeding, and age at menopause) demonstrated similar associations for comedo-type DCIS and invasive breast cancer, but different associations for non-comedo DCIS. Ten or more years of oral contraceptive showed a positive association with comedo-type DCIS (OR = 1.31, 05% CI 0.70, 2.47) and invasive breast cancer (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.06, 5.09), but an inverse association for noncomedo DCIS (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.25-1.04). Our results support the theory that comedo-type DCIS may share hormonal and reproductive risk factors with invasive breast cancer, while the etiology of non-comedo DCIS deserves further investigation

A Comparison of Cyclic Variations in Anterior Knee Laxity, Genu Recurvatum, and General Joint Laxity across the Menstrual Cycle

. A comparison of cyclic variations in anterior knee laxity, genu recurvatum and general joint laxity across the menstrual cycle. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 28, 1411Research, 28, -1417 Abstract: Changes in anterior knee laxity (AKL), genu recurvatum (GR) and general joint laxity (GJL) were quantified across days of the early follicular and early luteal phases of the menstrual cycle in 66 females, and the similarity in their pattern of cyclic variations examined. Laxity was measured on each of the first 6 days of menses (M1-M6) and the first 8 days following ovulation (L1-L8) over two cycles. The largest mean differences were observed between L5 and L8 for AKL (0.32 mm), and between L5 and M1 for GR (0.56°) and GJL (0.26) (p < 0.013). At the individual level, mean absolute cyclic changes in AKL (1.8 ± 0.7 mm, 1.6 ± 0.7 mm), GR (2.8 ± 1.0°, 2.4 ± 1.0°), and GJL (1.1 ± 1.1, 0.7 ± 1.0) were more apparent, with minimum, maximum and delta values being quite consistent from month to month (ICC 2,3 = 0.51-0.98). Although the average daily pattern of change in laxity was quite similar between variables (Spearman correlation range 0.61 and 0.90), correlations between laxity measures at the individual level were much lower (range −0.07 to 0.43). Substantial, similar, and reproducible cyclic changes in AKL, GR, and GJL were observed across the menstrual cycle, with the magnitude and pattern of cyclic changes varying considerably among females. Article: Joint laxity continues to be a variable of interest as we seek to uncover the underlying risk factors for ACL injury in females

The landscape of somatic copy-number alteration across human cancers

available in PMC 2010 August 18.A powerful way to discover key genes with causal roles in oncogenesis is to identify genomic regions that undergo frequent alteration in human cancers. Here we present high-resolution analyses of somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs) from 3,131 cancer specimens, belonging largely to 26 histological types. We identify 158 regions of focal SCNA that are altered at significant frequency across several cancer types, of which 122 cannot be explained by the presence of a known cancer target gene located within these regions. Several gene families are enriched among these regions of focal SCNA, including the BCL2 family of apoptosis regulators and the NF-κΒ pathway. We show that cancer cells containing amplifications surrounding the MCL1 and BCL2L1 anti-apoptotic genes depend on the expression of these genes for survival. Finally, we demonstrate that a large majority of SCNAs identified in individual cancer types are present in several cancer types.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P50CA90578)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, R01CA109038))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, R01CA109467)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P01CA085859)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, P01CA 098101)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPOREs, K08CA122833

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

Environmentalism, pre-environmentalism, and public policy

In the last decade, thousands of new grassroots groups have formed to oppose environmental pollution on the basis that it endangers their health. These groups have revitalized the environmental movement and enlarged its membership well beyond the middle class. Scientists, however, have been unable to corroborate these groups' claims that exposure to pollutants has caused their diseases. For policy analysts this situation appears to pose a choice between democracy and science. It needn't. Instead of evaluating the grassroots groups from the perspective of science, it is possible to evaluate science from the perspective of environmentalism. This paper argues that environmental epidemiology reflects ‘pre-environmentalist’ assumptions about nature and that new ideas about nature advanced by the environmental movement could change the way scientists collect and interpret data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45449/1/11077_2005_Article_BF01006494.pd