The basal ganglia and thalamus may play a critical role for behavioral inhibition mediated by prefrontal, parietal, temporal, and cingulate cortices. The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop with projections from frontal cortex to striatum, then to globus pallidus or to substantia nigra pars reticulata, to thalamus and back to cortex, provides the anatomical substrate for this function. In-vivo neuroimaging studies have reported reduced volumes in the thalamus and basal ganglia in individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) when compared with healthy controls. However, patterns of neuroanatomical shape that may be associated with these volume differences have not yet been consistently characterized. Tools are being developed at a rapid pace within the emerging field of computational anatomy that allow for the precise analysis of neuroanatomical shape derived from magnetic resonance (MR) images, and give us the ability to characterize subtle abnormalities of brain structures that were previously undetectable. In this study, T1-weighted MR scans were collected in 15 neuroleptic-naïve adults with TS or chronic motor tics and 15 healthy, tic-free adult subjects matched for age, gender and handedness. We demonstrated the validity and reliability of large-deformation high dimensional brain mapping (HDBM-LD) as a tool to characterize the basal ganglia (caudate, globus pallidus and putamen) and thalamus. We found no significant volume or shape differences in any of the structures in this small sample of subjects.

The effect of caregiving roles on risk of elevated depressed mood over 12 months was examined in early-stage (0-IIA) breast cancer patients and same-aged women without breast cancer. Women were interviewed 4-6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months following definitive surgical treatment (patients) or routine screening mammogram (controls). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale was administered at each interview and dichotomized for analysis (<16 [little/no depressed mood] vs. ≥16 [elevated depressed mood]). Participants were categorized as having no caregiving responsibilities, care-giving for children or other persons, or caregiving for both children and others (multiple caregiving roles). Two multivariable marginal logistic regression models with repeated measures were fit (one each for patients and controls) to examine the effect of caregiving roles on elevated depressed mood, using generalized estimating equations to account for intra-individual correlations. Of 1096 participants (mean age 58; 76% white), 1019 with caregiving data were included in the analysis.

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A series of 100 experiments was completed to determine if DNA is capable of transforming the genotype of a murine lymphoma (P388) in cell culture. The test system was concerned with the transformation of cells from 8-azaguanine (AZG) sensitivity to resistance. By the use of this marker, it was determined that transformation by DNA did occur, and that the efficiency of transformation was greatly increased by sonication of the DNA. A statistical analysis of 100 experiments demonstrated that the increase in the number of resistant cells after treatment with