Evaluation of three state-of-the-art metabolite prediction software packages (Meteor, MetaSite, and StarDrop) through independent and synergistic use.

The aim of this study was to evaluate three different metabolite prediction software packages (Meteor, MetaSite, and StarDrop) with respect to their ability to predict loci of metabolism and suggest relative proportions of metabolites. A chemically diverse test set of 22 compounds, for which in vivo human mass balance studies and metabolic schemes were available, was used as basis for the evaluation. Each software package was provided with structures of the parent compounds, and predicted metabolites were compared with experimentally determined human metabolites. The evaluation consisted of two parts. First, different settings within each software package were investigated and the software was evaluated using those settings determined to give the best prediction. Second, the three different packages were combined using the optimized settings to see whether a synergistic effect concerning the overall metabolism prediction could be established. The performance of the software was scored for both sensitivity and precision, taking into account the capabilities/limitations of the particular software. Varying results were obtained for the individual packages. Meteor showed a general tendency toward overprediction, and this led to a relatively low precision (∼35%) but high sensitivity (∼70%). MetaSite and StarDrop both exhibited a sensitivity and precision of ∼50%. By combining predictions obtained with the different packages, we found that increased precision can be obtained. We conclude that the state-of-the-art individual metabolite prediction software has many advantageous features but needs refinement to obtain acceptable prediction profiles. Synergistic use of different software packages could prove useful.

Mobilizing churches for health promotion in Latino communities: Compañeros en la Salud.

Compañeros en la Salud (Partners in Health) is a 3-year project funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct a church-based health promotion program whose aim is to reduce the risk of breast, cervical, and diet-related cancers in Latino/Hispanic women by increasing their knowledge of preventive behaviors, motivating healthy behavior change, and increasing their access to and utilization of preventive health services. From a systems perspective, churches serve as miniature, dynamic communities that present an opportunity for developing and implementing a program of health promotion. An analysis of church, Promotora (peer health worker), and participant characteristics from the preintervention base-line data revealed a naturally occurring segmentation of churches by congregation size and denomination. The Catholic churches almost exclusively were larger, whereas the Protestant churches almost exclusively were smaller. An analysis of the psychosocial characteristics of the various Latino women, when stratified by church congregation size, revealed that the women from the smaller, Protestant churches were poorer, had a lower level of acculturation, and had lower lifetime rates of clinical breast examinations. These results suggested greater resource deficits and a relatively higher need for Promotora outreach services for women from the smaller, Protestant churches. Implications are presented for differential approaches to effective health promotion among various types of churches.

The human breast and the ancestral reproductive cycle : A preliminary inquiry into breast cancer etiology.

This paper, using modern Darwinian theory, proposes an explanation for the increasingly high incidence of breast cancer found among pre-and post-menopausal women living today in westernized countries. A number of factors have been said to be responsible: genetic inheritance (BRCA-1), diet (specifically the increased consumption of dietary fat), exposure to carcinogenic agents, lifetime menstrual activity, and reproductive factors. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate the value of a perspective based on Darwinian theory. In this paper, Darwinian theory is used to explore the possibility that the increased incidence of breast cancer is due primarily to the failure to complete in a timely manner the reproductive developmental cycle, beginning at menarche and continuing through a series of pregnancies and lactation. On the basis of comparative data, we assume that most women in ancestral populations began having children before age 20 or so and tended to remain either pregnant or nursing for most of their adult lives. If a woman did not have a child by age 25 or so, she probably would never have one. Therefore, selection would probably not have acted against deleterious traits, such as cancer, that appeared after that age, just as it does not act against such traits in old age.

Effectiveness of No-Sting skin protectant and Aquaphor on water loss and skin integrity in premature infants.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of No-Sting skin protectant and Aquaphor, a water-based emollient, on skin integrity measured by Neonatal Skin Condition Score (NSCS) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in premature infants. In addition, with no data regarding the use of No-Sting in the neonatal population and its desirability because it requires less infant manipulation and less nursing time, it was important to evaluate the use of this product. STUDY DESIGN: In all, 69 premature infants born at <33 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: (1) No-Sting or (2) Aquaphor for a total of 14 days. RESULT: Gestational age and total fluid intake were related to NSCS whereas gestational age, incubator humidity levels and total daily fluid intake were significantly related to TEWL. Infants receiving Aquaphor had significantly higher NSCS, but the mean scores in both groups over the 14-day period were in the normal range (<4). There were no differences between Aquaphor and No-Sting in the rate of TEWL over the 14-day period. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first information regarding the use of No-Sting in the neonatal population. This skin protectant seems as effective as Aquaphor in decreasing TEWL and maintaining skin integrity, and is less resource intensive.

Acculturation and cervical cancer: knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors of Hispanic women.

In a community-based sample of Hispanic women, this study examines differences in relation to level of acculturation in knowledge about the Pap examination, fear/fatalism towards cancer, and cervical cancer screening behaviors. Respondents were randomly chosen from 11 churches in the Phoenix metropolitan area (n = 566) and were categorized into three acculturation levels: low (35.2%), bicultural (26.3%), and high (38.5%). Interviews focused on family history of cancer as well as knowledge about cancer and utilization of screening techniques for breast and cervical cancers. OLS regression and probit analyses were conducted to examine the role of acculturation in differentiating. Hispanic subgroups in relation to knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding cervical cancer. Findings of the present study indicate that Hispanic women in the Phoenix metropolitan area are utilizing cervical cancer screening services with over 90 percent of women in all three acculturation groups ever having had a Pap exam and more than 50 percent having had the examination during the past year. However, results also indicate that of the Hispanic subgroups examined, lower acculturated Hispanic women have less knowledge about Pap smears and exhibit lower utilization rates for cervical cancer screening. These results suggest that lower-acculturated Hispanic women comprise the subgroup of Hispanics that is at greatest risk of presenting with advanced stages of cervical cancer. Results have implications for cancer screening and education programs for Hispanic women as well as implications for health care professionals who serve this population.

Breast self-examination: knowledge and practices of Hispanic women in two southwestern metropolitan areas.

The breast self-examination (BSE) practices of 1,453 Hispanic women in Phoenix, Arizona and San Diego, California were the focus of this study. Variables proposed as factors that influence the frequency and proficiency of BSE were demographic variables, particularly language and level of acculturation, having been taught BSE by a health professional, and experience with the disease. Results indicate that even though the majority of the women at both the Phoenix (78.1%) and San Diego (83.7%) sites had been taught BSE by a professional and most women in Phoenix (62.5%) and San Diego (63.4%) reported performing BSE within the past month, only 0.7% of the women at both sites were found to be proficient in the technique of BSE. Further, results indicate that language and acculturation were correlated with whether or not a woman performed BSE. These findings suggest that BSE education classes must provide information and techniques that promote proficiency in BSE, and must be designed to meet the unique needs of Hispanic women, particularly those of low acculturation levels.