The worse outcomes observed among employees receiving treatment for breast and prostate cancer, the most common forms of cancer among women and men, were partially explained by the impacts of cancer and treatment for cancer on sleep disturbance. These findings suggest that preventing or addressing sleep disturbance may result in economic benefits in addition to improvements in health and quality of life.

Summary Objective To evaluate parents’ interest in genetic testing of their offspring in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy. Methods 77 parents with affected offspring and 173 parents without affected offspring from families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy completed a questionnaire asking about their interest in genetic testing of their offspring. Interest in testing was ascertained in four scenarios defined by clinical utility and penetrance of the gene in the test (100% vs 50%). Pairwise agreement in interest was assessed between parents for testing themselves versus their offspring, and between mothers and fathers for their offspring. Results Among parents with affected offspring, the proportion interested in genetic testing of a child (“diagnostic testing”) was 86% in the 100% penetrance, clinical utility scenario, and 71% in the 100% penetrance, no clinical utility scenario (p=0.007). Among parents without affected offspring, comparable proportions interested in genetic testing of offspring (“predictive testing”) were 74% and 53% (p<0.001), and were significantly lower than in parents with affected offspring (clinical utility, p=0.02; no clinical utility, p=0.01). Interest in testing did not differ by gene penetrance. Parents’ agreement in testing interest for themselves versus their offspring was “substantial” (90% agreement, kappa=0.72) for a test with clinical utility, and “almost perfect” for a test without clinical utility (94% agreement, kappa=0.88). Agreement in testing interest between mothers and fathers was “moderate” for a test with clinical utility (85% agreement, kappa=0.48,), and “fair” for a test without clinical utility (67% agreement, kappa=0.30). Significance Interest in diagnostic genetic testing is strong among parents with offspring with epilepsy, particularly when the test offers clinical utility. Testing interest is lower for a diagnostic test without clinical utility, or for a predictive test in offspring at risk of developing epilepsy in the future.

Objective: To evaluate perceptions regarding cell phone use in a teaching hospital setting among health care providers, residents, medical students, and patients. Methods: Fifty-three medical students, 41 resident physicians, 32 attending physicians, and 46 nurses working at University Hospital completed a questionnaire about cell phone use practices and their perceptions of cell phone use in the hospital. Forty-three inpatients admitted to medical/surgical units at University Hospital were surveyed at bedside about their perceptions regarding physicians’ cell phone use. Results: All health care providers identified cell phones as a risk to patient confidentiality with no specific group significantly more likely to attribute risk than another. Practitioners were identified as either primarily as inpatient or outpatient practitioners. Inpatient practitioners were significantly more likely to rate cell phones as beneficial to patient care than outpatient practitioners. Physicians were statistically more likely to rate mobile phones as beneficial to patient care as compared to nurses. Among the patient population surveyed, one quarter noted that their physician had used a cell phone in their presence. The majority of those patients observing practitioner cell phone use had reported a beneficial or neutral impact on their care. Significance: Perceived risk of cell phones to patient confidentiality was equal across health care providers surveyed. Physician and medical students were significantly more likely to rate cell phones as beneficial to patients’ care than nurse providers. Patients indicated that their physicians used cell phones in their presence at low rates and reported that the use was either neutral or beneficial to the care they received.

The small heat shock proteins (sHsp), ubiquitous cellular homeostasis machinery, are oligomeric chaperone proteins. sHsps play an important role in maintaining cell function and survival under stress conditions such as high temperatures. By binding to non‐native proteins in an ATP‐independent manner, sHsps effectively prevent harmful aggregation of denatured proteins, promote proper protein folding, or facilitate protein degradation. Defects in sHsps can result in abnormal accumulation of proteins or aberrant protein folding, which lead to many pathologies such as cataract, tumor and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.Structural studies have demonstrated that sHsps contain a highly conserved α‐crystallin domain flanked by variable N‐terminal and C‐terminal regions. They usually exist in large oligomers and are capable of adopting different oligomeric states in response to different conditions. Therefore, because of their dynamic structures, the specific mechanisms of how sHsp bind to substrate and function are still not well understood. Nonetheless, it is suggested that the variable N‐terminal region of the protein contributes to substrate binding and oligomerization.We have made several mutations in the sHsps to characterize regions that influence oligomerization and make contacts with substrate proteins. Our studies suggest that the hydrophobic regions of the N‐terminal domain are important for substrate‐binding. Additionally, mutations in the a‐crystallin domain also contribute to the dynamics of protein oligomerization and sHsp‐client interactions.

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