In 49 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia serial EEGs were performed during the course of treatment. Therapy in the first four weeks consisted of: Prednisone, vincristine, daunorubicine and L-asparaginase. In the second month 6-mercaptopurine, cytosin-arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate-i. th. and cranial irradiation were administered. Maintenance-therapy consisted of 6-mercaptopurine, cyclophosphamide and methotrexate i.v. Before treatment only 24% of patients showed normal EEG-findings, whereas 57% presented sly induced by leukemic infiltrations and partly due to the impaired clinical state. At the end of the first phase of therapy, the combined toxicity of vincristine and L-asparaginase led to the finding of 23% severely and 37% moderately slowed EEGs. Slightly disturbed EEGs were found in 29% and normal ones in 11% of children. Regression occurred duirng the phase of CNS-prophylaxis. At its end 37% of recordings were normal and 57% slightly abnormal. After maintenance-therapy of 1/2 to 1 year duration, there were 65% normal findings. Moderate and severe disorders were no longer demonstrated. Paroxysmal activity developed twice, each during the first phase of therapy and accompnaying convulsions. In both cases we saw slowing of background-activity and signs of increased excitability still months after. In one of these patients, the probable cause was a vincristin-encephalopathy, the cause of the second case remained unknown. EEGs of two furtehr patients with rubella-encephalitis and subarachnoideal hemorrhage exhibited severe unspecific changes.

Introduction Over 35% of all adults in the world are currently obese and risk of obesity in racial or ethnic minority groups exist in the US, but the causes of these differences are not all known. As obesity is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, an improved understanding of risk factors across racial and ethnic groups may improve outcomes. Objective The objective of this study was to determine if susceptibility to obesity is associated with genetic variation in candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos. Materials and methods We examined data from 534 African Americans and 557 Hispanic/Latinos participants from the UIC Cohort of Patients, Family and Friends. Participants were genotyped for the top 26 obesity-associated SNPs within FTO, MC4R, TUB, APOA2, APOA5, ADIPOQ, ARL15, CDH13, KNG1, LEPR, leptin, and SCG3 genes. Results The mean (SD) age of participants was 49±13 years, 55% were female, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 31±7.5 kg/m2. After adjusting for age and sex, we found that rs8050136 in FTO (odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–1.8; P = 0.01) among African Americans and rs2272383 in TUB (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04–1.71; P = 0.02) among Hispanic/Latinos were associated with obesity. However, none of the SNPs in multivariable analysis of either AA or H/L cohorts were significant when adjusted for multiple correction. Conclusions We show that candidate SNPs in the FTO and TUB genes are associated with obesity in African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos individuals respectively. While the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms by which common genetic variants cause obesity remain unclear, we have identified novel therapeutic targets across racial and ethnic groups.

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