Background: Previous research among specific cancer populations has shown high but variable symptom burden; however, very little is known about its extent and pattern among the entire population of US cancer survivors, which is more clinically relevant to primary care physicians.Methods: To determine the prevalence of ongoing symptom burden among cancer survivors and compare it with the general population without cancer, we analyzed data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, which included 1,904 cancer survivors and 29,092 controls. Main outcome measures included self-reported ongoing pain, psychological distress, and insomnia. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounders and test for interactions.Results: The rates of ongoing pain, psychological distress, and insomnia among cancer survivors were 34%, 26%, and 30%, respectively, and were significantly higher (all P < .001) than controls without a history of cancer (18%, 16%, and 17%). Compared with controls in the same age groups, younger survivors (younger than 50) were much more likely to report ongoing symptoms than older survivors (older than 64); adjusted odds ratios were 2.96 and 1.36 for pain in the respective age groups (P < .001). Comorbidities also interact with cancer status and contribute to a marked increase in reports of ongoing symptom burden among cancer survivors, with a greater number of comorbidities leading to greater degree of symptom burden in a dose-dependent manner (P < .001).Conclusions :
Growth-inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG) are a primary target for therapeutic strategies after spinal cord injury because of their contribution to the inhibitory nature of glial scar tissue, a major barrier to successful axonal regeneration. Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) digestion of CSPGs promotes axonal regeneration beyond a lesion site with subsequent functional improvement. ChABC also has been shown to promote sprouting of spared fibers but it is not clear if functional recovery results from such plasticity. Here we sought to better understand the roles rostral or caudal sprouting may play in ChABC-mediated functional improvement. To achieve this, ChABC or vehicle was injected rostral or caudal to a unilateral C5 injury. When injected rostral to a hemisection, ChABC promoted significant sprouting of 5HTþ fibers into dorsal and ventral horns. When ChABC was injected into tissue caudal to a hemisection, no additional sprouting was observed. When injected caudal to a hemicontusion injury, ChABC promoted sprouting of 5HTþ fibers into the ventral horn but not the dorsal horn. None of this sprouting resulted in a change in the synaptic component synapsin, nor did it impact performance in behavioral tests assessing motor function. These data suggest that ChABC-mediated sprouting of spared fibers does not necessarily translate into functional recovery.
Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) is necessary for adequate human growth. Overexpression of the IGF2 gene is associated with fetal overgrowth and may play a role in the intrauterine programming of adipose tissue. As obesity in children is a major public health problem associated with early onset of comorbid metabolic diseases, identifying early life markers of obesity may serve as useful tool for counseling and implementation of preventive efforts before obesity develops. The relationship between IGF-2 and body composition is an emerging field of study and existing data are conflicting. In this review, we discuss the IGF2 gene and its function, highlight the proposed mechanisms for the effects of IGF-2 on adiposity, and examine the current literature studying the relationships between IGF-2 levels, changes within the IGF2 gene, weight, and adiposity. With additional study, IGF-2 may emerge as a useful marker of future obesity risk in infants.
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