Homocysteine Levels Are not Related to Telomere Length in Cord Blood Leukocytes of Newborns.

Objective Elevated homocysteine (HC) levels and/or shortened telomere length (TL) are associated with adverse medical conditions. Our objective is to investigate the relationship between HC and TL in cord blood leukocytes of newborns. Study Design This is a nested study from a prospective cohort from 2011 to 2012 in pregnant women admitted for delivery at a university-affiliated hospital. Cord blood was collected at delivery and genomic DNA was analyzed using quantitative PCR. The telomere-to-single copy gene ratio method was employed to quantify TL. Newborn HC levels were measured. generalized linear regression modeling (GLM) and bootstrap statistical analyses were performed. Results Seventy-seven maternal-fetal dyads with a mean gestational age of 39 weeks were included. The distribution of the coefficient of homocysteine showed most values greater than zero demonstrating that homocysteine had a positive relationship with TL. In 915 of 10,000 (9.15%) iterations, the p-value was < 0.05 demonstrating a positive effect. Conclusion Increasing newborn concentrations of HC are not associated with decreasing TL. Larger, prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and long-term implications.

Physicians' human papillomavirus vaccine recommendations, 2009 and 2011.

BACKGROUND: Physician recommendation is a key predictor of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake. Understanding factors associated with recommendation is important for efforts to increase current suboptimal vaccine uptake. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine physician recommendations to vaccinate female patients aged 11-26 years, in 2009 and 2011, at 3 and 5 years postvaccine licensure, respectively. A second aim was to identify trends in factors associated with vaccine recommendation for ages 11 and 12 years. METHODS: Nationally representative samples of physicians practicing family medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology were randomly selected from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile (n=1538 in 2009, n=1541 in 2011). A mailed survey asked physicians about patient and clinical practice characteristics; immunization support; and frequency of HPV vaccine recommendation ("always" ≥75% of the time vs other). Analyses were conducted in 2012. RESULTS: Completed surveys were received from 1013 eligible physicians (68% response rate) in 2009 and 928 (63%) in 2011. The proportion of physicians who reported always recommending HPV vaccine increased significantly from 2009 to 2011 for patients aged 11 or 12 years (35% vs 40%, respectively; p=0.03), but not for patients aged 13-17 years (53% vs 55%; p=0.28) or 18-26 years (50% vs 52%; p=0.52). Physician specialty, age, and perceived issues/barriers to vaccination were associated with vaccine recommendation for patients aged 11 or 12 in both years. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a modest increase in recommendations for HPV vaccination of girls aged 11 or 12 years over a 2-year period; however, recommendations remain suboptimal for all age groups despite national recommendations for universal immunization.