Sibling risks in cancer: clues to recessive or X-linked genes?

A systematic analysis of cancer risks to offspring and to siblings of cancer cases was carried out based on the nation-wide Swedish Family-Cancer Database. For all 13 cancer sites examined, risks to both offspring and siblings of cases of cancer at the same site were significantly elevated. The relative risk to siblings was approximately 2 fold more than the offspring risk for cancers of the prostate, testis, kidney and bladder, suggesting that recessive or X-linked susceptibility genes may be important for these cancers. Risks to siblings of cases where a parent was also affected were increased >20 fold over population rates for colorectal, ovarian, prostate and renal cancer, and for leukaemia, consistent with the effects of rare high-risk susceptibility alleles. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Cancers in the first-degree relatives of children with brain tumours

We used the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database with 2060 childhood brain tumours diagnosed in the period 1958–1996 to analyse the risk of this tumour by parental cancers and in siblings of childhood brain tumour probands. Groups of patients were compared by calculating standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for brain tumours in offspring. 1.3% of brain tumour patients had a parent with nervous system cancer; SIRs were 2.4 and 1.88 for diagnostic ages < 5 and < 15 years, respectively. The data showed distinct patterns of familial risks for childhood brain tumours, the SIR was 10.26 for brain astrocytoma given a parent with meningioma. Parental colon cancer was associated with offspring ependymoma (SIR 3.70), and parental salivary gland cancers with offspring medulloblastoma (SIR 13.33, but two cases only). SIR for sibling nervous system cancer from childhood brain tumour probands was 3.55 up to age 61. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Direct detection of acetylene in air by continuous wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy

Peer reviewe

The evidence-based development of an intervention to improve clinical health literacy practice

Abstract: Low health literacy is an issue with high prevalence in the UK and internationally. It has a social gradient with higher prevalence in lower social groups and is linked with higher rates of long-term health conditions, lower self-rated health, and greater difficulty self-managing long-term health conditions. Improved medical services and practitioner awareness of a patient’s health literacy can help to address these issues. An intervention was developed to improve General Practitioner and Practice Nurse health literacy skills and practice. A feasibility study was undertaken to examine and improve the elements of the intervention. The intervention had two parts: educating primary care doctors and nurses about identifying and enhancing health literacy (patient capacity to get hold of, understand and apply information for health) to improve their health literacy practice, and implementation of on-screen ‘pop-up’ notifications that alerted General Practitioners (GPs) and nurses when seeing a patient at risk of low health literacy. Rapid reviews of the literature were undertaken to optimise the intervention. Four General Practices were recruited, and the intervention was then applied to doctors and nurses through training followed by alerts via the practice clinical IT system. After the intervention, focus groups were held with participating practitioners and a patient and carer group to further develop the intervention. The rapid literature reviews identified (i) key elements for effectiveness of doctors and nurse training including multi-component training, role-play, learner reflection, and identification of barriers to changing practice and (ii) key elements for effectiveness of alerts on clinical computer systems including ‘stand-alone’ notification, automatically generated and prominent display of advice, linkage with practitioner education, and use of notifications within a targeted environment. The findings from the post-hoc focus groups indicated that practitioner awareness and skills had improved as a result of the training and that the clinical alerts reminded them to incorporate this into their clinical practice. Suggested improvements to the training included more information on health literacy and how the clinical alerts were generated, and more practical role playing including initiating discussions on health literacy with patients. It was suggested that the wording of the clinical alert be improved to emphasise its purpose in improving practitioner skills. The feasibility study improved the intervention, increasing its potential usefulness and acceptability in clinical practice. Future studies will explore the impact on clinical care through a pilot and a randomised controlled trial

Tumoral Expression of CD44 and HIF1α Predict Stage I Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Outcome

Objectives/HypothesisNo biomarkers are used to estimate the prognosis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In our previously published work, we have reported the prognostic value of CD44 and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)−1α in patients with stage I disease.Study DesignIn this study, we tested our previous observations in a larger cohort. We also studied the predictive value of common lymphatic endothelial and vascular endothelial receptor (CLEVER)−1 in this material.MethodsCD44, HIF1α, and CLEVER-1 were immunohistochemically analyzed in paraffin-embedded tissue material of stage I OSCC patients treated at three Finnish university hospitals. Microscopy results were correlated with OSCC outcome.ResultsAs in our pilot study, the CD44lowHIF1αhigh signature was associated with poorer disease-free survival. Clear correlations between CLEVER-1 expression and clinical outcome were not evident.ConclusionOur results suggest that immunohistochemistry of CD44 and HIF1α may be useful in identification of patients with poor prognoses. These parameters could be used to select the optimal treatment modalities for stage I OSCC patients.</p

Prevention of HIV and Associated Infections among Adolescents and Young People at High Risk of Infection : Methodology Guide

Methodology Guide on Prevention of HIV and Associated Infections among Adolescents and Young People at High Risk of Infection was prepared as part of project “Building capacity in prevention of HIV and associated infections among youth at high risk in the Northern Dimension area” (cf. www.ndphs.org/?database,view,project,1467) co-funded by the European Union. The project was implemented from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2015 by the project consortium led by Secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) and including also Regional NGO “Stellit”, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kaliningrad Regional Non-governmental Youth Organisation “Young Leaders Army” (YLA), Social AIDS Committee and Baltic HIV Association. The Methodology Guide contains overview of theories applicable for addressing the priorities of HIV and associated infections prevention among adolescents and young people at high risk of infection, theories which might be used to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention programs. It provides the results of assessment of needs of children and young people at high risk of infection in prevention programs, overview of prevention programs implemented in Russia, Latvia, Poland, Finland and Germany which might be recommended to be spread to other countries of the NDPHS and examples of tool which might be used in prevention work. The Methodology Guide might be useful for authorities, representatives of governmental organizations, NGOs, international organizations, public health specialists and other experts involved into HIV and associated infections prevention among children and young people. The Methodology Guide is available for downloading at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2015102715069. Other methodological materials produced within the project can be downloaded at: https://www.thl.fi/en/web/thlfi-en/about-us/organisation/departments-and-units/administration-and-development/planning/international-affairs-unit/projects

Ammonia in breath and emitted from skin

Peer reviewe

EMMA - A New Underground Cosmic-Ray Experiment

A new type of cosmic-ray experiment is under construction in the Pyh\"asalmi mine in the underground laboratory of the University of Oulu, Finland. It aims to study the composition of cosmic rays at and above the knee region. The experiment, called EMMA, will cover approximately 150 square-metres of detector area. The array is capable of measuring the multiplicity and the lateral distribution of underground muons, and the arrival direction of the air shower. The full-size detector is expected to run by the end of 2007.Comment: Extended and updated TAUP2005 Proceedings contribution. 8 pages, 5 figures (part in colour). Preprint not submitte

Second primary neoplasms among 53 159 haematolymphoproliferative malignancy patients in Sweden, 1958–1996: a search for common mechanisms

The Swedish Family-Cancer Database was used to analyse site-specific risk of second primary malignancies following 53 159 haematolymphoproliferative disorders (HLPD) diagnosed between 1958 and 1996. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of a second malignancy was calculated as the ratio of observed to expected numbers of second malignancies by applying site-, sex-, age-, period-, residence- and occupation-specific rates in the corresponding population in the Database to the appropriate person-years at risk. Among 18 960 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), there was over a 3-fold significant increase in cancer of the tongue, small intestine, nose, kidney and nervous system, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin, NHL, Hodgkin's disease (HD) and lymphoid and myeloid leukaemia. Among 5353 patients with HD, there was over a 4-fold significant increase in cancer of the salivary glands, nasopharynx and thyroid, NHL and myeloid leukaemia, and over a 1.6-fold increase in cancer of the stomach, colon, lung, breast, skin (melanoma and SCC), nervous system and soft tissues and lymphoid leukaemia. Among 28 846 patients with myeloma and leukaemia, there was a significant increase in cancer of the skin, nervous system and non-thyroid endocrine glands and all HLPD except for myeloma. Our findings showed some clustering between first and second primaries among Epstein–Barr virus-, ultraviolet radiation- and immunosuppression-related cancers. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaignhttp://www.bjcancer.co

Second primary malignancies in patients with male breast cancer

An international multicentre study of first and second primary neoplasms associated with male breast cancer was carried out by pooling data from 13 cancer registries. Among a total of 3409 men with primary breast cancer, 426 (12.5%) developed a second neoplasia; other than breast cancer, a 34% overall excess risk of second primary neoplasia, affecting the small intestine (standardised incidence ratio, 4.95, 95% confidence interval, 1.35–12.7), rectum (1.78, 1.20–2.54), pancreas (1.93, 1.14–3.05), skin (nonmelanoma, 1.65, 1.16–2.29), prostate (1.61, 1.34–1.93) and lymphohaematopoietic system (1.63, 1.12–2.29). A total of 225 male breast cancers was recorded after cancers other than breast cancer, but an increase was found only after lymphohaematopoietic neoplasms. BRCA2 (and to some extent BRCA1) mutations may explain the findings for pancreatic and prostate cancers. Increases at other sites may be related to unknown factors or to chance. This large study shows that the risks for second discordant tumours after male breast cancer pose only a moderate excess risk