Comet assay has been used to estimate cancer risk by quantification of DNA damage and repair in response to mutagen challenge. Our goal was to adopt best practices for the alkaline comet assay to measure DNA repair capacity of white blood cells in whole blood of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). The results show that initial damage by 10 Gy of gamma radiation expressed as percent DNA in comet tail was higher in stimulated lymphocytes (61.1±11.8) compared to whole blood (43.0±12.1) but subsequent repair was similar with comet tail of approximately 20% at 15 minutes and 13% at 45 minutes after exposure. Exposure of whole blood embedded in agarose from 5 to 10 Gy gamma radiation was followed by an approximately 70% repair of the DNA damage within 45 minutes with a faster repair phase in the first 15 minutes. Variability of the measurement was lower within repeated measurements of the same person compared to measurement of different healthy individuals. The repair during first 15 minutes was slower (p=0.01) in ex-/non-smokers (41.0+2.1%) compared to smokers (50.3±2.7%). This phase of repair was also slower (p=0.02) in HNSCC patients (36.8+2.1%) compared to controls matched on age and smoking (46.4+3.0%). The results of this pilot study suggest that quantification of repair in whole blood following a gamma radiation challenge is feasible. Additional method optimization would be helpful to improve the assay for a large population screening.
Children obese at the age of 5 years are at greater risk of lifelong obesity. Because certain risks of obesity can be identified in early infancy, a tool for obesity risk prediction in early life would be clinically useful. We investigated predictors of obesity risk in a novel, prospectively collected healthy birth cohort recruited for demographic risks to develop iron deficiency at 1 year, a cohort leveraged because risk factors for iron deficiency and obesity overlap. Obesity at the age of 5 years was defined as age- and sex-specific body mass index Z-score ( zBMI) >2SD. For each child, obesity risk factors were summed. Of 10 total risk factors, the following 4 key risks were identified: maternal obesity, maternal diabetes, large for gestational age, or breastfeeding <6 months. Childhood obesity was predicted by either ≥3 total number of risks ( P < .033), any key risk ( P < .002), or summing key risks ( P < .0001). In clinical practice, summing early life risk factors may be a useful strategy for preemptive counseling.
Thyroid dysfunction in adolescents treated with minocycline for acne has been previously described as transient effect and/or associated with autoimmune thyroiditis. We report non-immune-mediated thyroid dysfunction associated with minocycline/doxycycline in three adolescents whose clinical courses suggest an adverse effect that may be more common, serious, and persistent than realized previously.
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