Purpose To evaluate the severity of post-radiation dental lesions and possible correlation with radiation dose to the teeth in patients treated for head and neck cancers. Methods and Materials Data from 93 head and neck radiotherapy patients treated between 1997 and 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. The main effect, radiation dose to the individual teeth, was evaluated with covariates of elapsed time after radiation, xerostomia, topical fluoride use, and oral hygiene status included. Patients’ radiotherapy plans were used to calculate cumulative exposure for each tooth. Patients’ teeth were evaluated using a validated index and then categorized as having none/slight or moderate/severe post-radiation damage. Results Patients (31 females, 62 males) ranged in age from 18–82 yrs (mean=57). The number of teeth/patient ranged from 3–30 (mean=20) with a total of 1873 teeth evaluated. Overall, 51% of teeth had moderate/severe damage, with the remaining having little or none. Using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, the odds for moderate/severe damage were 2–3x greater for teeth exposed to between 30–60 Gy as compared to no radiation. However, for teeth exposed to ≥60 Gy as compared to no radiation the odds of moderate/severe tooth damage was greater by a magnitude of 10 times. Conclusions The results indicate that there is minimal tooth damage below 30 Gy (salivary gland threshold), a greater than 1:1 increased dose-response between 30–60y likely related to salivary gland damage, and a critical threshold of ≥60Gy which may be linked to direct effects of radiation on tooth structure. These findings suggest that care should be taken during the treatment planning process to limit tooth dose, and when clinically possible to limit tooth dose to less than 60 Gy.

African American women are less physically active than White women and have a higher prevalence of inactivity-related diseases. Increased physical activity is known to reduce the risks for many chronic diseases. Positive health behavior changes have resulted from health promotion interventions conducted in African American churches. Eighteen midlife African American women participated in the Heart and Soul Physical Activity Program (HSPAP), a church-based physical activity intervention conceptualized in appraisal, belonging, tangible, and self-esteem domains of social support. Feasibility of the HSPAP was tested by determining changes in time and intensity of physical activity and social support for physical activity from baseline to 6 weeks. Data analyses were conducted utilizing paired t tests. Significant increases in time spent in physical activity from a mean of 412 min/week at baseline to 552 min/week at 6 weeks were noted. Participants reported increases in social support for physical activity in the 6-week study.

BackgroundEndometrial cancers (ECs) are the most common form of gynecologic malignancy. Recent studies have reported that ECs reveal distinct markers for molecular pathogenesis, which in turn is linked to the various histological types of ECs. To understand further the molecular events contributing to ECs and endometrial tumorigenesis in general, a more precise identification of cancer-associated molecules and signaling networks would be useful for the detection and monitoring of malignancy, improving clinical cancer therapy, and personalization of treatments.ResultsECs-specific gene co-expression networks were constructed by differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Important pathways and putative cancer hub genes contribution to tumorigenesis of ECs were identified. An elastic-net regularized classification model was built using the cancer hub gene signatures to predict the phenotypic characteristics of ECs. The 19 cancer hub gene signatures had high predictive power to distinguish among three key principal features of ECs: grade, type, and stage. Intriguingly, these hub gene networks seem to contribute to ECs progression and malignancy via cell-cycle regulation, antigen processing and the citric acid (TCA) cycle.ConclusionsThe results of this study provide a powerful biomarker discovery platform to better understand the progression of ECs and to uncover potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of ECs. This information might lead to improved monitoring of ECs and resulting improvement of treatment of ECs, the 4th most common of cancer in women.

Background:After diagnosis, a substantial number of people with HIV disease fall out of care. Effective interventions are needed for this priority population.Methods:The “Peers Keep It Real” study aimed to help adults who were disengaged from HIV treatment. Peers, lay individuals living with HIV, facilitated intervention sessions. Participants were randomized to immediately receive the peer-facilitated intervention or were wait-listed.Results:Considerable attrition occurred in the control group. Pre-/postanalyses showed that among participants (n = 23) who received the intervention, 65% had viral load suppression and 100% remained in care at 12 months postintervention. Impact on viral load was significant (P = .0326), suggesting that peers are effective change agents who positively impacted outcomes for individuals struggling with adherence to HIV treatment.Conclusion:Future endeavors should consider providing all individuals from this priority population with an active peer intervention from the onset to enhance retention and adherence.

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