Can religion help prevent obesity? Religious messages and the prevalence of being overweight or obese among Korean women in California

This research examines the influence of messages from religious leaders and congregants on whether Korean women are overweight or obese. Data were drawn from telephone interviews with a probability sample (N = 591) of women of Korean descent living in California. Overweight or obese prevalence was measured using World Health Organization standards for Asians (BMI > 23). Respondents reported the frequency of messages discouraging “excessive eating” or encouraging “exercise” from religious leaders and congregants during a typical month. When conditioned on leaders’ messages, the frequency of congregants’ messages was associated with a significantly lower probability of being overweight or obese, although messages from either in the absence of the other were unassociated with being overweight or obese. At least for Korean women, religion may help prevent obesity via religious-based social mechanisms.

Oranges or "lemons"? Family farming and product quality in the Spanish orange industry, 1870-1960

In the early twentieth century California became a big exporter of some agricultural products that, until then, had only been grown on a large scale in the mediterranean basin. As a result, exports of those products diminished or stagnated in Mediterranean countries, with important repercussions on their economies. The Spanish orange industry, however, continued to expand, despite the fact that a substantial percentage of Spanish oranges came from farms owned by (often illiterate) small peasants who, in comparison to the California growers, used a great deal of labor, small amounts of capital, and little science. This paper shows that Spanish farmers were in fact capable of growing high-quality oranges at prices that were more competitive than those in California, although interested they often preferred to satisfy the strong demand for middling fruit from Great Britain because it was a more profitable business. This, combined with a deficient use of brand names, gave the Spanish citrus industry serious reputation problems by the 1930s, from which, however, it recovered quickly.

The agriburb: recalling the suburban side of Ontario, California's agricultural colonization

This essay spotlights the development of Ontario, California, in the last decades of the nineteenth century. It demonstrates that many agricultural communities in California, particularly so-called agricultural colonies, represent a unique rural suburban type labeled here as "agriburbs." Agriburbs, such as Ontario, were communities consciously planned, developed, and promoted based on the drive for profit in emerging agricultural markets. Advertised as the perfect mix of rural and urban, they promised a superior middle-class lifestyle. On the one hand, agriburbs evoked the myths of agrarian security and virtue, a life on a farm in an environment that was good for both soil and soul. On the other hand, agriburbs were ideally urbane but not urban because of their many amenities that represented cultural symbols of modernity, refinement, and progress. An understanding of California's agriburbs deepens an appreciation for both the growth and development of California at the turn of the twentieth century and the diversity of suburban types across the American landscape.

The effects of racial/ethnic segregation on Latino and Black homicide

Racial/ethnic residential segregation has been shown to contribute to violence and have harmful consequences for minority groups. However, research examining the segregation–crime relationship has focused almost exclusively on blacks and whites while largely ignoring Latinos and other race/ethnic groups and has rarely considered potential mediators (e.g., concentrated disadvantage) in segregation–violence relationships. This study uses year 2000 arrest data for California and New York census places to extend segregation–crime research by comparing the effects of racial/ethnic residential segregation from whites on black and Latino homicide. Results indicate that (1) racial/ethnic segregation contributes to both Latino and black homicide, and (2) the effects for both groups are mediated by concentrated disadvantage. Implications for segregation–violence relationships, the racial-invariance position, and the Latino paradox are discussed.

Parent-child acculturation, parenting, and adolescent depressive symptoms in Chinese immigrant families

Using a sample of 388 father-adolescent and 399 mother-adolescent dyads in Chinese immigrant families, the current investigation tested Portes and Rumbaut's (1996) assertion that generational dissonance may indicate a family context that places children at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Study findings suggest that a high discrepancy in father-adolescent acculturation levels relates significantly to more adolescent depressive symptoms. The study further demonstrates that the quality of the parenting relationship between fathers and adolescents operates as a mediator between father-adolescent acculturation discrepancy and adolescent depressive symptoms. Specifically, a high level of discrepancy in American orientation between fathers and adolescents is associated with unsupportive parenting practices, which, in turn, are linked to more adolescent depressive symptoms. These relationships are significant even after controlling for the influence of family socioeconomic status and parents' and adolescents' sense of discrimination within the larger society.

Master of the master gland: Choh Hao Li, the University of California, and science, migration, and race

This essay examines the origins of the relationship between Choh Hao Li and the University of California, Berkeley. Li came to the United States from China in 1935 for graduate study at the University of Michigan, but ended up enrolling at Berkeley. Over the course of the next two decades, Li went from being a foreign graduate student in chemistry on a temporary visa to an internationally recognized leader in the biochemistry of endocrinology at the head of his own laboratory and a naturalized citizen of the United States. At what was otherwise a dark time for Americans of Chinese descent, Li was garnering adulation in the popular press. He was called the "master of the master gland" for his successes both in isolating and in synthesizing pituitary hormones. Specifically, the essay explores the making of the "master of the master gland" from the perspectives of the history of science and the history of race and migration in the United States, tracing the interplay among Li's scientific work, his migrations, his career aspirations, and his legal status in the United States. A Chinese intellectual cast adrift by the shifting geopolitics of World War II and the early Cold War, Li danced delicately along the margins of membership in American society during the 1940s, only arriving at what turned out to be his final destination after careful and protracted negotiations with officials of the U.S. government, with influential members of the international scientific community, and with representatives of the University of California, Berkeley.

The "Plant Drosophila": E.B. Babcock, the genus "Crepis," and the evolution of a genetics research program at Berkeley, 1915-1947

This paper explores the research and administrative efforts of Ernest Brown Babcock, head of the Division of Genetics in the College of Agriculture at the University of California, Berkeley, the first academic unit so named in the United States. It explores the rationale for his choice of "model organism," the development--and transformation--of his ambitious genetics research program centering on the weedy plant genus named "Crepis" (commonly known as the hawkbeard), along with examining in detail the historical development of the understanding of genetic mechanisms of evolutionary change in plants leading to the period of the evolutionary synthesis. Chosen initially as the plant counterpart of Thomas Hunt Morgan's "Drosophila melanogaster," the genus "Crepis" instead came to serve as the counterpart of Theodosius Dobzhansky's "Drosophila pseudoobscura," leading the way in plant evolutionary genetics, and eventually providing the first comprehensive systematic treatise of any genus that was part of the movement known as biosystematics, or the "new" systematics. The paper also suggests a historical rethinking of the application of the terms model organism, research program, and experimental system in the history of biology.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma incidence by subsite among diverse racial and ethnic populations in California

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this report was to examine the oral cancer incidence by sex, race/ethnicity, and anatomical subsite.

STUDY DESIGN

Data from the California Cancer Registry (CCR) were used to calculate the age-adjusted incidence rates of invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) by sex, race/ethnicity, and anatomical subsite among residents in California during 1988 to 2001.

RESULTS

Although non-Hispanic (NH) black men have the highest overall incidence rate for OSCC, NH whites and NH blacks have similar incidence patterns by subsite, but the male-to-female (M:F) rate ratio is higher among NH blacks. The OSCC incidence rates for Hispanics are much lower than those for NH whites and NH blacks and similar to those of Asians. The Asian ethnic groups display dramatic variations in terms of the subsite-specific incidence rates and M:F rate ratios.

CONCLUSION

The findings illustrate the heterogeneity and complexity of oral cancer by anatomical location and the importance of cultural habits and behavioral factors in the development of oral cancer.

Syphilis serologic prevalence monitoring among STD clinic clients: correlation with reported syphilis incidence, San Diego, CA, 1985-2004

OBJECTIVE

To describe the serologic test for syphilis (STS) prevalence among STD clinic clients, determine the correlation between STS prevalence trends and reported community-diagnosed primary and secondary (P&S) case incidence, and evaluate the usefulness of STS prevalence monitoring as a component of syphilis surveillance.

STUDY

During the period 1985-2004, 21,4336 STS were done among STD clinic clients and a variety of STS prevalence measures were evaluated.

RESULTS

From 1985-1991, 10.2% of STS were positive, which declined to 5.6% during 1992-2004. Overall, STS positivity (>or=1:8) and male positivity (>or=1:8) trends were correlated with reported community-diagnosed P&S case incidence and case incidence in men (r = 0.58 and r = 0.81, respectively). Male STS positivity (>or=1:8) began increasing in 2001, 1 year before the increase in syphilis incidence in men, which began in the latter half of 2002 and occurred mostly among men who have sex with men.

CONCLUSION

In a syphilis outbreak in men who have sex with men, STS prevalence (>or=1:8) among male STD clinic clients was a useful measure of syphilis case incidence trends and may provide an early warning for a subsequent increase in community-diagnosed case incidence.

"A different kind of beauty": scientific and architectural style in I.M. Pei's Mesa Laboratory and Louis Kahn's Salk Institute

I.M. Pei's Mesa Laboratory for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and Louis Kahn's Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, are rare examples of laboratories as celebrated for their architecture as for their scientific contributions. Completed in the mid-1960s, these signature buildings still express the scientific style of their founding directors, Walter Roberts and Jonas Salk. yet in commissioning their laboratories, Roberts and Salk had to work with architects as strong-willed as themselves. A close reading of the two laboratories reveals the ongoing negotiations and tensions in collaborations between visionary scientist and visionary architect. Moreover, Roberts and Salk also had to become architects of atmospheric and biomedical sciences. For laboratory architecture, however flexible in theory, necessarily stabilizes scientific practice, since a philosophy of research is embedded in the very structure of the building and persists far longer than the initial vision and mission that gave it life. Roberts and Salk's experiences suggest that even the most carefully designed laboratories must successfully adapt to new disciplinary configurations, funding opportunities, and research priorities, or risk becoming mere architectural icons.

Integration of mental health services into primary care overcomes ethnic disparities in access to mental health services between black and white elderly

OBJECTIVE

The authors evaluated whether the integration of mental health into primary care overcomes ethnic disparities in access to and participation in mental health (MH) and substance abuse (SA) treatment.

METHODS

The authors conducted site-specific analysis of a multisite clinical trial to compare participation of black and white elderly in an integrated model of care (all MH/SA services are provided at primary care clinics) versus an enhanced referral model of care (all MH/SA services are provided at specialized MH clinics). In all, 183 elderly (56% black) diagnosed with depression (82%), anxiety (32%), and/or problem drinking (22%) were randomized.

RESULTS

Blacks in the integrated arm were significantly more likely to have at least one MH/SA visit (77.5%) relative to blacks in the enhanced referral arm (22%; adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 14.13; confidence interval [CI]: 4.76-41.95, Wald chi(2): 22.75, df = 1, p <0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between whites in the integrated treatment arm (66.6%) and whites in the enhanced referral arm (46.9%, adjusted OR: 2.98; CI: 0.98-9.06, Wald chi(2): 3.72, df = 1, p = 0.05). In the enhanced referral arm, blacks had a significantly smaller number of overall MH/SA visits (mean [SD]: 2.08 [5.28]) relative to whites (mean [SD]: 5.31 [7.76], adjusted incident rate ratio [IRR]: 2.87; CI: 1.06-7.73, Wald chi(2): 4.37, df = 1, p = 0.03). In the integrated arm, there was no statistically significant difference between blacks (mean [SD]: 3.22 [3.71]) and whites (mean [SD]: 2.75 [4.29], adjusted IRR: 0.58; CI: 0.25-1.33, Wald chi(2): 1.64, df = 1, p = 0.20). For both groups, time between baseline evaluation to first MH/SA visit was significantly shorter in the integrated treatment arm (for blacks: mean days [SD]: 31.06 [28.66]; for whites: mean days [SD]: 22.18 [33.88]) than in the enhanced referral arm (mean [SD]: 62.45 [43.53], adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 7.82; CI: 3.65-16.75, Wald chi(2): 28.02, df = 1, p <0.0001; mean [SD]: 63.46 [32.41], adjusted HR: 2.48; CI: 1.20-5.13, Wald chi(2): 6.02, df = 1, p = 0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSION

An integrated model of care is particularly effective in improving access to and participation in MH/SA treatment among black primary care patients.

Adiponectin and ghrelin levels and body size in normoglycemic Filipino, African-American, and white women

OBJECTIVE

Prior studies have reported ethnic differences in adiponectin and ghrelin, but few have assessed the role of body size in normoglycemic women. We compared fasting adiponectin and ghrelin concentrations in normoglycemic 40- to 80-year-old Filipino, African-American, and white women.

METHODS

Participants included women from the Rancho Bernardo Study (n = 143), the University of California-San Diego Filipino Women's Health Study (n = 136), and the Health Assessment Study of African-American Women (n = 212). A 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test was administered; glucose, insulin, lipid, and anthropometric measurements were obtained. Fasting adiponectin and ghrelin were measured by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS

Whites and Filipinas had similar BMI (23.7 and 24.3 kg/m(2), respectively), waist girth (75.6 and 77.2 cm, respectively), and total body fat (27.4 and 28.5%, respectively); African-Americans had significantly larger BMI (28.8 kg/m(2)), waist girth (86.3 cm), and body fat (39.6%, p < 0.0001). Adiponectin was lower in Filipinas (8.90 mug/mL) and African-Americans (9.67 mug/mL) compared with whites (15.6 mug/mL, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and waist-to-hip ratio. Compared with whites, Filipinas (beta = -5.06, p < 0.0001) and African-Americans (beta = -6.85, p < 0.0001) had significantly lower adiponectin levels after adjusting for age, waist-to-hip ratio, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, exercise, and alcohol use. Ghrelin was significantly lower in Filipinas compared with African-Americans (1146.9 vs. 1412.2 pg/mL, p < 0.001), and this observation persisted in multivariable analysis (beta = -245.4, p < 0.0001). Ghrelin levels did not differ between whites (1356.9 pg/mL) and either ethnic group.

DISCUSSION

Normoglycemic Filipino and African-American women had significantly lower adiponectin concentrations than white women, and Filipinas had lower ghrelin levels than African-Americans, independently of body size or indices of insulin resistance or lipids.

Genetic polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase genes and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and thymidylate synthase (TYMS) are known to play a role in DNA methylation, synthesis, and repair. The genetic mutations in MTHFR and TYMS genes may have influences on their respective enzyme activities. Data on the association studies of the MTHFR and TYMS genetic polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are sparse. MTHFR and TYMS genotypes were determined on 365 HCC cases and 457 healthy control subjects among Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites and African-Americans in Los Angeles County, California, and among Chinese in the city of Nanning, Guangxi, China. Relative to the high-activity genotype, each low-activity genotype of MTHFR was associated with a statistically nonsignificant 30% to 50% reduction in risk of HCC. Relative to the TYMS3'UTR +6/+6 genotype, individuals with 1 or 2 copies of the deletion allele had a statistically significant 50% reduction in risk of HCC. When we examined HCC risk by the total number of mutant alleles in the 3 polymorphic loci of MTHFR/TYMS (range, 0-4), there was a monotonic decrease in risk with increasing number of mutant alleles (P for trend = 0.003). Individuals possessing the maximum number of mutant alleles (i.e., 4) had an odds ratio of 0.46 (95% confidence interval = 0.23-0.93) for HCC compared with those with no or only 1 mutant allele.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the hypothesis that reduced MTHFR activity and enhanced TYMS activity, both of which are essential elements in minimizing uracil misincorporation into DNA, may protect against the development of HCC.

Effect of scanner type on the reproducibility of extracoronary measures of calcification: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has been used extensively to measure coronary artery calcification. However, extracoronary calcifications, such as aortic valve calcification (AVC), may have independent clinical significance as well. The ability to track calcification is dependent on the reproducibility of the original measurement, and the variability of extracoronary calcification measurements still is unknown. Accurate quantification of calcification of the aortic valve, mitral annulus (MAC), and thoracic aortic (TAC) may be possible by using cardiac CT.

METHODS

A total of 1,729 randomly chosen participants (ages 45-84, 53% female, 28% African-American, 36% Caucasian, 11% Chinese, 25% Hispanic) of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis underwent dual scanning by electron beam CT (EBT) or multidetector CT (MDCT) to assess coronary and extra-coronary calcifications. Two calcium measurement methods--Agatston score (AS) and volume score (VS)--were measured for each scan. Concordance for calcium positivity was assessed among all scans. Mean absolute and relative differences between calcium measures on scans 1 and 2, excluding cases for which both scans had a measure of zero, was modeled by using linear regression to compare variability between scanner types. A repeated measures analysis of variance test was used to compare variability across calcium measures, with mean percentage absolute difference as the outcome measure.

RESULTS

Concordances for the presence of calcium between duplicate scans were high and similar for both EBT and MDCT. Concordance was high for all three extracoronary measures, with a kappa statistic of kappa = 0.94-0.96. For all three extracoronary sites, Bland-Altman plots demonstrated excellent agreement, with almost all measures falling within the boundaries of the 95% confidence limits of reproducibility. AVC interscan variability was approximately 8% for both AS and VS, with improved variability for EBT as compared with MDCT. Mitral annular calcification demonstrated slightly lower variability than AVC for both scanner types (approximately 6%), with no significant differences between MDCT and EBT. Of the three extracoronary sites, TAC had the highest variability (10%), with MDCT variability slightly lower than EBT variability (9.3 vs. 10.2%, respectively, P = NS). Agatson and volume scores for each of the three extracoronary sites were similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall rescan measurement variabilities for extracoronary calcification are low and should not be an impediment to the use of this test for studying progression of extracoronary calcification over time.

A longitudinal study of the use of mental health services by persons with serious mental illness: do Spanish-speaking Latinos differ from English-speaking Latinos and Caucasians?

OBJECTIVE

Reports of mental health care use by Latinos compared to Caucasians have been mixed. To the authors' knowledge, no large-scale studies have examined the effects of language on mental health service use for Latinos who prefer Spanish compared to Latinos who prefer English and to Caucasians. Language is the most frequently used proxy measure of acculturation. The authors used the administrative database of a mental health system to conduct a longitudinal examination of mental health service use among Spanish-speaking versus English-speaking Latinos and Caucasians with serious mental illness.

METHOD

There were 539 Spanish-speaking Latinos, 1,144 English-speaking Latinos, and 4,638 Caucasians initiating treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression during 2001-2004. Using multivariate regressions, the authors examined the differences among the groups in the type of service first used. The authors also examined the probability of use of each of four types of mental health services and the intensity of outpatient treatment.

RESULTS

Spanish-speaking Latinos differed from both English-speaking Latinos and Caucasians on most measures. Compared to patients in the other groups, the Spanish-speaking Latinos were less likely to enter care through emergency or jail services and more likely to enter care through outpatient services. There were no group differences in the proportion that stayed in treatment or used inpatient hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that for Latinos, preferred language may be more important than ethnicity in mental health service use. Future studies comparing mental health use may need to differentiate between Spanish- and English-speaking Latinos.

Racial/ethnic differences in postmenopausal endogenous hormones: the multiethnic cohort study

Postmenopausal women with increased estrogens and lowered sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations are at increased risk of breast cancer. In the Multiethnic Cohort Study, the highest incidence rates of postmenopausal breast cancer were observed among Native Hawaiians followed by Japanese Americans, Whites, African Americans, and Latinas. Ethnic differences in endogenous sex hormone profiles may contribute to some of the variation in breast cancer incidence. Plasma concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone, estrone (E(1)), estradiol (E(2)), and SHBG were measured in 739 postmenopausal women from the Multiethnic Cohort Study (240 African Americans, 81 Native Hawaiians, 96 Japanese Americans, 231 Latinas, and 91 Whites). After adjusting for age, known breast cancer risk factors and lifestyle factors, the mean levels of testosterone, estrogen, and SHBG varied across populations (Ps < or = 0.004). Across racial/ethnic groups, Native Hawaiians had the highest mean levels of androstenedione, testosterone, and estrogens and the lowest mean levels of SHBG. Compared with Whites, Native Hawaiians had higher androstenedione (+22%, P = 0.017), total testosterone (+26%, P = 0.013), bioavailable testosterone (+33%, P = 0.002), E(1) (> or =21%; P = 0.009), total E(2) (+26%, P = 0.001), bioavailable E(2) (+31%, P < 0.001), and lower SHBG (-12% P = 0.07) levels. Compared with Whites, Japanese Americans had higher E(2) (+15%, P = 0.036) and bioavailable E(2) (+18%, P = 0.024) levels. African Americans also had higher E(1) (+21%, P = 0.004), E(2) (+20%, P = 0.007), and bioavailable E(2) (+20%, P = 0.015) levels compared with Whites, whereas mean levels in Latinas were similar to those of Whites. Many of the differences in endogenous postmenopausal hormonal milieu across these five racial/ethnic groups are consistent with the known differences in breast cancer incidence across these populations.

Five-year prospective prediction of self-initiated quitting of cigarette smoking of high-risk youth

This paper provides a 5-year replication-extension of a previous 1-year follow-up study of the same sample of southern California alternative high school youth. Demographic, behavioral, psychosocial, and emerging adult function predictors of adolescent self-initiated smoking cessation were investigated. Based on the first (1-year) prospective study and this follow-up, one may speculate that smoking cessation programs for adolescents should include counteraction of problem-prone attitudes, assistance with job aspirations and information about drug-free workplaces, motivation to quit strategies, and assistance with overcoming withdrawal symptoms.

Recent trends in breast cancer incidence among 6 Asian groups in the Greater Bay Area of Northern California

Asians and Pacific Islanders are typically aggregated in United States (US) cancer statistics even though the few studies that have considered subgroups separately have found marked differences in cancer incidence. The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in breast cancer incidence rates separately for US Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, South Asian and Vietnamese women overall and by age at diagnosis, histologic subtype and stage at diagnosis. Age-adjusted incidence rates and annual percent changes (APC) of new, primary breast cancer diagnosed in the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry of Northern California (1990-2002) were calculated using SEER*Stat. In women under 50 years of age, annual incidence rates decreased for Japanese (APC = -4.1, p = 0.02) and Filipinas (APC = -1.9, p = 0.11), and increased or fluctuated in other subgroups over the study period. In women 50 years or older, rates of invasive breast cancer increased for most subgroups, except Filipinas (APC = -1.3, p = 0.32), and in Japanese until 1998-2000. Rates of breast cancer in situ increased in most subgroups from 1990 to 2002, as did rates of lobular breast cancer for Chinese (APC = +7.46, p < 0.01) women. In Japanese women, rates of lobular breast cancer were highest in 1995-1997 and decreased thereafter. Our data support the notion that the prevalence of established risk factors influence breast cancer incidence, as breast cancer rates increased for more recently immigrated groups and decreased among more established groups, and may suggest leads into other avenues of research, such as genetic differences, that may explain differences in incidence rates among Asian subgroups.

Prostate cancer incidence and intake of fruits, vegetables and related micronutrients: the multiethnic cohort study* (United States)

OBJECTIVE

To describe the relationship between the intake of fruits, vegetables, and related vitamins and antioxidants, and the risk of prostate cancer in male participants in a large multiethnic cohort study.

METHODS

Food and nutrient intakes in 1993-1996 were calculated from a detailed food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) designed to account for the food and nutrient intake of the ethnic groups represented in the study (82,486 African-American, Japanese-American, Native-Hawaiian, Latino and White males included here). Follow-up for incident cancers utilized local SEER registries. Vital status was ascertained using state death files. Data on PSA utilization from a later questionnaire was also examined.

RESULTS

A total of 3,922 incident cancer cases were ascertained during follow-up. Modestly increased risks of prostate cancer were observed in relation to higher intakes of several food items including light green lettuce and dark leafy green vegetables. Notably, no significant protective associations of any foods were seen, including tomato intake; and intakes of two complex foods containing tomato sauce (pizza and Spanish rice) were associated with modest increases in risk. PSA test use was significantly and positively related to intake of some of these same items, implying a degree of disease detection-bias. Analysis of non-localized and high grade disease (1,345 cases) showed no significant protective associations with overall fruits and vegetables intake, related micronutrients, or with intake of selected complex food items.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no statistically significant evidence of a protective effect against prostate cancer of higher levels of intake of any of these foods, associated micronutrients or supplements. A possible explanation for the positive associations with risk of several of the foods normally considered to be healthy is detection bias, since "healthy" dietary intake was related to greater use of the PSA test.

Lower bone mineral content in hypertensive compared with normotensive overweight Latino children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

In adults, hypertension has been shown to be inversely correlated with bone mineral content (BMC); however, the association between blood pressure (BP) and BMC has not been studied in pediatrics.

METHODS

Total body BMC of 187 overweight (mean BMI = 28.7 kg/m(2)) Latino children and adolescents (mean age = 11.2 years) were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Seated systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Hypertension was defined by SBP or DBP above the 90(th) percentile for height, age, and sex.

RESULTS

Partial correlations revealed an inverse association between SBP and BMC (r = -0.24, P = 0.02) in boys (n = 105); results were nonsignificant (P = 0.27) in girls (n = 82). There were no significant correlations between DBP and BMC. When BMI and insulin sensitivity were adjusted for, hypertensive boys (n = 21) had lower BMC (1435 v 1636 g; P = 0.03) than normotensive boys (n = 84); similarly, hypertensive girls (n = 25) had lower BMC (1438 v 1618 g; P = 0.02) than normotensive girls (n = 57). In postpubertal adolescents (Tanner stage 4-5; n = 48), inverse correlations were stronger (r = -0.40, P = 0.007); results were nonsignificant in prepubertal and pubertal children (Tanner stage 1-3; n = 139, P = 0.57). In postpubertal girls (n = 37), there were no significant correlations (P = 0.14); inverse correlations in postpubertal boys (n = 11) became markedly stronger (r = -0.80, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Based on the study findings, SBP is inversely correlated with BMC in overweight adolescents; additionally, hypertensive subjects have lower adjusted means of BMC than normotensive subjects. These promising new findings suggest that hypertension may be a risk factor for osteopenia in overweight children and adolescents; this risk may be exacerbated in postpubertal boys.

"Express Yourself": Culture and the Effect of Self-Expression on Choice

Whereas self-expression is valued in the United States, it is not privileged with such a cultural emphasis in East Asia. Four studies demonstrate the psychological implications of this cultural difference. Studies 1 and 2 found that European Americans value self-expression more than East Asians/East Asian Americans. Studies 3 and 4 examined the roles of expression in preference judgments. In Study 3, the expression of choice led European Americans but not East Asian Americans to be more invested in what they chose. Study 4 examined the connection between the value of expression and the effect of choice expression and showed that European Americans place greater emphasis on self-expression than East Asian Americans, and this difference explained the cultural difference in Study 3. This research highlights the importance of the cultural meanings of self-expression and the moderating role of cultural beliefs on the psychological effect of self-expression.

P3 components and adolescent binge drinking in Southwest California Indians

In adolescence, consuming a large number of drinks over a short interval of time (e.g. binging) is not an uncommon occurrence. Since adolescence is an important neurodevelopmental period, the effect of binge drinking on brain and behavior has become a significant health concern. The present study evaluated event-related potentials (ERPs) in young adult Southwest California Indians who had a history of binge drinking during their adolescence. One hundred twenty five participants who were currently 18-25 yrs of age who were free of Axis I psychiatric diagnoses were categorized as: 1) reporting no binge drinking during adolescence (>5 drinks per occasion before age 18) or drug dependence diagnoses 2) reporting binge drinking during adolescence with no drug dependence diagnoses 3) reporting binge drinking during adolescence and drug dependence diagnoses. ERPs were collected using a facial discrimination task. Adolescent alcohol and drug exposure was found to be associated with decreases in the latency of an early P3 component (P350). Decreases in a later component amplitude (P450) were also found in young adults exposed to alcohol, and those exposed to alcohol and drugs. However, that finding appears to be a combined result of predisposing factors such as family history of alcoholism and presence of other externalizing diagnoses. Taken together these preliminary studies suggests that adolescent binge drinking may result in a decreases in P3 component latencies and amplitudes perhaps reflecting a loss or delay in the development of inhibitory brain systems.

Predictors of breast cancer screening among immigrant Iranian women in California

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the predictors of age-specific breast cancer screening participation among immigrant Iranian women aged 30 years and older.

METHODS

Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of women's breast cancer screening. The logistic regression results appear as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

In general, screening rates for clinical breast examinations (CBE) and mammography among the participants in the current study were higher than levels set in the year 2010 Health Objectives and those reported for women nationally. These findings are inconsistent with previous studies on immigrant women living in the United States. However, the low rate of breast self-examinations (BSE) is consistent with previous findings of other immigrant women breast cancer screening studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first of its kind to explore predictors of Iranian immigrant women's breast cancer screening behaviors. This study provides valuable information to healthcare providers as well as researchers and public health educators. The findings can make a significant difference in designing guidelines for culturally sensitive interventions and educational material to improve breast cancer screening behaviors.