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Background:The Sister Study was designed to address gaps in the study of environment and breast cancer by taking advantage of more frequent breast cancer diagnoses among women with a sister history of breast cancer and the presumed enrichment of shared environmental and genetic exposures.Objective:The Sister Study sought a large cohort of women never diagnosed with breast cancer but who had a sister (full or half) diagnosed with breast cancer.Methods:A multifaceted national effort employed novel strategies to recruit a diverse cohort, and collected biological and environmental samples and extensive data on potential breast cancer risk factors.Results:The Sister Study enrolled 50,884 U.S. and Puerto Rican women 35–74y of age (median 56 y). Although the majority were non-Hispanic white, well educated, and economically well off, substantial numbers of harder-to-recruit women also enrolled (race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white: 16%; no college degree: 35%; household income <$50,000: 26%). Although all had a biologic sister with breast cancer, 16.5% had average or lower risk of breast cancer according to the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (Gail score). Most were postmenopausal (66%), parous with a first full-term pregnancy <30y of age (79%), never-smokers (56%) with body mass indexes (BMIs) of <29.9 kg/m2 (70%). Few (5%) reported any cancer prior to enrollment.Conclusions:The Sister Study is a unique cohort designed to efficiently study environmental and genetic risk factors for breast cancer. Extensive exposure data over the life-course and baseline specimens provide important opportunities for studying breast cancer and other health outcomes in women. Collaborations are welcome. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1923

These data implicate the RANTES-403A allele as a risk factor for HIV transmission and as a protective factor for HIV progression.

Assessment of adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) is required for studying therapeutic effectiveness and identifying subgroups needing focused education. The study's goals were to describe the level of ART adherence using self-reported recall over a 4-day period and to characterize determinants of lower adherence. The interaction between adherence and drug holidays on level of HIV RNA also was investigated. Perfect self-reported adherence was defined as taking all doses and numbers of pills as prescribed for current HIV medications. Independent predictors of<100% adherence were determined using multivariate logistic regression. Among 539 men, 419 (77.7%) were 100% adherent by the algorithm using self-reported data. HIV-1 RNA was <50 copies/ml in 48.2% of the adherent group versus 33.7% in the less adherent group (p = .015). This proportion dropped to 28% if a drug holiday was reported in addition to lower adherence. A drug holiday was not virologically detrimental if the participant was otherwise adherent. Determinants of lower adherence included African American race (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; p = .008), income

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Background: Management and traceability of biospecimen preanalytical variations are necessary to provide effective and efficient interconnectivity and interoperability between Biobanks.Methods: Therefore, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories Biospecimen Science Working Group developed a "Standard PREanalytical Code" (SPREC) that identifies the main preanalytical factors of clinical fluid and solid biospecimens and their simple derivatives.Results: The SPREC is easy to implement and can be integrated into Biobank quality management systems and databases. It can also be extended to nonhuman biorepository areas. Its flexibility allows integration of new novel technological developments in future versions. SPREC version 01 is presented in this article.Conclusions and Impact: Implementation of the SPREC is expected to facilitate and consolidate international multicenter biomarker identification research and biospecimen research in the clinical Biobank environment. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(4); 1004-11. ©2010 AACR.

The objective ofthis study was to determine ifsustained decline in psychomotor speed tests is associated with an increased risk of progression to dementia, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), or mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HZV)-l-infected homosexual men in the Baltimore site of the Multicenter A D S Cohort Study (MACS). Clinical and neuropsychological data were obtained on 291 HIV' homosexual men seen semi-annually over a nine year period (1986 -1994). A proportional hazards model was used to assess the predictive value of sustained psychomotor slowing (defined as a 2.0 standard deviation (s.d.) decline in performance on either the Symbol Digit Modalities test or Trailmaking test at two consecutive evaluations). Timedependent co-variates included in the model were sustained psychomotor slowing, number of attended visits, CD4' lymphocyte count, hemoglobin and antiretroviral medication use. H l V + participants with and without sustained psychomotor slowing were compared. Outcome variables were the development of dementia, AIDS and death. HIV' subjects with sustained psychomotor slowing had an increased hazard of dementia (Risk ratio (RR)=s.o, P=O.OOS), AIDS (RR=2.4, P=0.02), and death (RR=2.0, P=0.04). A similar analysis using sustained cognitive decline in one domain from a more extensive neuropsychological test battery failed to show any predictive value. Sustained decline in psychomotor performance in HIV infection was predictive of dementia, AIDS and death. This brief neuropsychological test battery may be useful for early detection of HIV' individuals with a poorer prognosis who may benefit from more aggressive treatment to prevent HIV dementia. J Neurovirol Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Monash University on 02/02/15 For personal use only. Cohen S, Tyrrell AJ, Smith A P (1991). Psychological stress and susceptibility to the common cold. N Engl 1 Med 325: 606-612. Cox DR (1972). Regression models and life tables. 1 R Stat Soc 34: 187-220. Darko DF, McCutchan JA, Kripke DF, Gillin JC, Golshan S (1992). Fatigue, sleep disturbance, disability, and indices of progression of HIV infection. Am J Psychiatry 149: 514-520. J Neurovirol Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Monash University on 02/02/15For personal use only.

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