Follow-up of a Large Prospective Cohort in the United States Using Linkage With Multiple State Cancer Registries.

All states in the United States now have a well-established cancer registry. Linkage with these registries may be a cost-effective method of follow-up for cancer incidence in multistate cohort studies. However, the sensitivity of linkage with the current network of state registries for detecting incident cancer diagnoses within cohort studies is not well-documented. We examined the sensitivity of registry linkage among 39,368 men and women from 23 states who enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study-3 cohort during 2006-2009 and had the opportunity to self-report cancer diagnoses on a questionnaire in 2011. All participants provided name and birthdate, and 94% provided a complete social security number. Of 378 cancer diagnoses between enrollment and 2010 identified through self-report and verified with medical records, 338 were also detected by linkage with the 23 state cancer registries (sensitivity of 89%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 86, 92). Sensitivity was lower for hematologic cancers (69%, 95% CI: 41, 89) and melanoma (70%, 95% CI: 57, 81). After excluding hematologic cancers and melanoma, sensitivity was 94% (95% CI: 91, 97). Our results indicate that linkage with multiple cancer registries can be a sensitive method for ascertaining incident cancers, other than hematologic cancers and melanoma, in multistate cohort studies.

The American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS-3): Recruitment, study design, and baseline characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Prospective cohort studies contribute importantly to understanding the role of lifestyle, genetic, and other factors in chronic disease etiology. METHODS: The American Cancer Society (ACS) recruited a new prospective cohort study, Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS-3), between 2006 and 2013 from 35 states and Puerto Rico. Enrollment took place primarily at ACS community events and at community enrollment "drives." At enrollment sites, participants completed a brief survey that included an informed consent, identifying information necessary for follow-up, and key exposure information. They also provided a waist measure and a nonfasting blood sample. Most participants also completed a more comprehensive baseline survey at home that included extensive medical, lifestyle, and other information. Participants will be followed for incident cancers through linkage with state cancer registries and for cause-specific mortality through linkage with the National Death Index. RESULTS: In total, 303,682 participants were enrolled. Of these, 254,650 completed the baseline survey and are considered "fully" enrolled; they will be sent repeat surveys periodically for at least the next 20 years to update exposure information. The remaining participants (n = 49,032) will not be asked to update exposure information but will be followed for outcomes. Twenty-three percent of participants were men, 17.3% reported a race or ethnicity other than "white," and the median age at enrollment was 47 years. CONCLUSIONS: CPS-3 will be a valuable resource for studies of cancer and other outcomes because of its size; its diversity with respect to age, ethnicity, and geography; and the availability of blood samples and detailed questionnaire information collected over time. Cancer 2017;123:2014-2024. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

A Galaxy-based bioinformatics pipeline for optimised, streamlined microsatellite development from Illumina next-generation sequencing data.

Microsatellites are useful tools for ecologists and conservationist biologists, but are taxa-specific and traditionally expensive and time-consuming to develop. New methods using next-generation sequencing (NGS) have reduced these problems, but the plethora of software available for processing NGS data may cause confusion and difficulty for researchers new to the field of bioinformatics. We developed a bioinformatics pipeline for microsatellite development from Illumina paired-end sequences, which is packaged in the open-source bioinformatics tool Galaxy. This optimises and streamlines the design of a microsatellite panel and provides a user-friendly graphical user interface. The pipeline utilises existing programs along with our own novel program and wrappers to: quality-filter and trim reads (Trimmomatic); generate sequence quality reports (FastQC); identify potentially-amplifiable microsatellite loci (Pal_finder); design primers (Primer3); assemble pairs of reads to enhance marker amplification success rates (PANDAseq); and filter optimal loci (Pal_filter). The complete pipeline is freely available for use via a pre-configured Galaxy instance, accessible at https://palfinder.ls.manchester.ac.uk.

Distal ligamentous restraints of the first metatarsal. An in vitro biomechanical study.

BACKGROUND: Hypermobility or instability of the first metatarsal is associated with increased hallux valgus deformity and greater risk of recurrence after surgery. The objective of this in vitro study was to determine the ranges of movement, under directional loading, of the normal first metatarsal and the effect of the longitudinal plantar aponeurosis and the transverse tie-bar ligamentous system. METHODS: A model has been developed to quantify the influence of the first intermetatarsal ligament and plantar aponeurosis on movements of the first metatarsal. All muscular structures controlling movements of the first ray in cadaver feet were detached and static ligament structures retained for study. Using a specially designed test system, a static load was applied to the metatarsal to produce flexion, extension, abduction or adduction moments. The first intermetatarsal ligament and the plantar aponeurosis were detached sequentially and a movement map of the first metatarsal in the frontal plane was obtained using the Isotrak II magnetic measuring system. RESULTS: The first intermetatarsal ligament was shown to be an important stabiliser of the first metatarsal in all directions. The plantar aponeurosis was shown to be a secondary stabiliser resisting medial and dorsal rotation of the metatarsal after division of the first intermetatarsal ligament. INTERPRETATION: Recognition of the importance of the plantar aponeurosis and the first intermetatarsal ligament in the normal foot has implications for our understanding of hallux valgus.

Vitamin C and vitamin E supplement use and bladder cancer mortality in a large cohort of US men and women.

Some epidemiologic studies suggest that use of vitamin C or vitamin E supplements, both potent antioxidants, may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. The authors examined the association between use of individual vitamin C and vitamin E supplements and bladder cancer mortality among 991,522 US adults in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort. CPS-II participants completed a self-administered questionnaire at enrollment in 1982 and were followed regarding mortality through 1998. During follow-up, 1,289 bladder cancer deaths occurred (962 in men and 327 in women). Rate ratios were adjusted for age, sex, cigarette smoking, education, and consumption of citrus fruits and vegetables. Regular vitamin C supplement use (>or=15 times per month) was not associated with bladder cancer mortality, regardless of duration (rate ratio (RR) = 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68, 1.20 for <10 years' use; RR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.72 for >or=10 years' use). Regular vitamin E supplement use for >or=10 years was associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer mortality (RR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.96), but regular use of shorter duration was not (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.77, 1.40). Results support the hypothesis that long-duration vitamin E supplement use may reduce the risk of bladder cancer mortality.