Editors: Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
New
CCBAR technical reports on blood spot speciemens (hemoglobin, HbA1c,
CRP, EBV) are published online: http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/ccbartechreports.html. These may be useful
to other researchers seeking to collect blood spots in the population
setting. We have also posted a template technical report for
studies collecting biomeasures. Generating technical
reports is greatly facilitated by starting early in the process of
study protocol development. The template can be shared with
laboratory partners in developing the scope of work so as to ensure
delivery of the information needed to track equipment, assays and assay
characteristics, protocols, and changes in these important areas over
time. The technical report is also critical for authors working with
the data who will need detailed methodological information for
interpretation, comparison across studies, and to accurately write
methods sections of manuscripts.
Natalia
Gavrilova made an outreach lecture about biosocial survey research in
the US at the international seminar "Contemporary Methods of
Demographic Analysis" organized by the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (November 3-7, 2008). Participants
were demographers and statisticians (including representatives of
governmental organizations) from all five countries of Central Asia
(Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan). This lecture prompted significant interest among
participants. Population-based biosocial survey research has not
yet been carried out on a large scale in these countries.
Participants were also interested in contemporary methods of population
health measurement and estimation of healthy life expectancy.
In November,
Stacy Lindau attended a meeting of the National Academies of Science
National Research Council which is generating a report on Collecting,
Storing, Protecting, and Accessing Biological Data Collected in Social
Surveys in Washington, DC. In December, she also participated in a
meeting on the Scientific Assessment of Biomeasures in the Panel Study
of Income Dynamics in Ann Arbor, MI.
[Neuroscience]
Comparing face patch systems in macaques and humans
Face recognition is of central importance for primate social
behavior. In both humans and macaques, the visual analysis of faces...
[Evolution]
The quantitative genetics of sex differences in parenting
Sex differences in parenting are common in species where both males
and females provide care. Although there is a considerable...
EARLY
RELEASE: Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with
...
Background Increased levels of the inflammatory biomarker
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein predict cardiovascular events.
Since statins lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as
well as cholesterol, we hypothesized that people with ...
ORIGINAL
ARTICLE: General and Abdominal Adiposity and Risk of Death in Europe
This study examined the association of body-mass index (BMI),
waist
circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio with the risk of death among more
than 350,000 European subjects who had no major chronic diseases. The
data suggest that both general and abdominal adiposity are associated
with the risk of death and support the use of waist circumference or
waist-to-hip ratio in addition to BMI for assessment of the risk of
death, particularly among persons with a lower BMI.
EDITORIAL:
Treating Low Sexual Desire -- New Findings for Testosterone in Women
Decreased or low sexual desire is commonly reported by women from
late adolescence through the seventh decade across a number of
cultures. Estimates of prevalence range from 25 to 53%.1,2,3 ...
ORIGINAL
ARTICLE: Testosterone for Low Libido in Postmenopausal Women Not Tak...
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, 52-week trial among
postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen therapy, treatment with a
patch delivering 300 {micro}g of testosterone per day resulted in a
significant although modest increase in the 4-week frequency of
satisfying sexual episodes (1.4 more episodes per month), but the women
were also subject to more adverse events, including androgenic side
effects.
PERSPECTIVE:
Screening for Prostate Cancer among Men 75 Years of Age or Older
Prostate-cancer screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
test remains one of the most controversial issues in modern medicine.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent group
of experts ...
EDITORIAL:
Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Atherosclerosis -- Chicken or Egg?
One of the most debated topics in cardiovascular medicine is whether
C-reactive protein (CRP), a component of the acute-phase response, is a
causal factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.1,2 If ...
REVIEW
ARTICLE: Medical Progress: Uric Acid and Cardiovascular Risk
This review summarizes relevant studies concerning uric acid and
possible links to hypertension, renal disease, and cardiovascular
disease. Whether uric acid is an independent risk factor for such
diseases is still a point of debate. Current evidence is presented.
EDITORIAL:
Does It Matter How Hypertension Is Controlled?
Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for
cardiovascular and renal diseases. Currently, approximately 73 million
adults in the United States and approximately 1 billion adults
worldwide have ...