Altered growth pattern, not altered growth per se, is the hallmark of early lesions preceding cancer development

Many human solid cancers arise from focal proliferative lesions that long precede the overt clinical appearance of the disease. The available evidence supports the notion that cancer precursor lesions are clonal in origin, and this notion forms the basis for most of the current theories on the pathogenesis of neoplastic disease. In contrast, far less attention has been devoted to the analysis of the phenotypic property that serves to define these focal lesions, i.e. their altered growth pattern. In fact, the latter is often considered a mere morphological by-product of clonal growth, with no specific relevance in the process. In the following study, evidence will be presented to support the concept that focal growth pattern is an inherent property of altered cells, independent of clonal growth; furthermore, it will be discussed how such a property, far from being merely descriptive, might indeed play a fundamental role in the sequence of events leading to the development of cancer. Within this paradigm, the earliest steps of neoplasia should be considered and analysed as defects in the mechanisms of tissue pattern formation.

Family life satisfaction, age, length of residency: predicting alcohol and cigarette use among Korean adolescents in Australia

A total of 203 Korean adolescent students, ages 14 to 18 years, participated in the present study designed to investigate the predictive value of adolescent scores on the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index relative to those of parents and siblings, their length of residency in Australia, and age on alcohol and cigarette use. For boys, age was the only significant predictor of both alcohol and cigarette use. However, for girls three variables were identified as significant predictors of alcohol use. Parent-related Life Satisfaction, age, and length of residency in Australia accounting for 26.11% of the total variance. Two variables, Parent-related Life Satisfaction and length of residency in Australia, were significant predictors of cigarette use for girls, explaining 21.96% of the total variance. Results were discussed in terms of the different relationships between scores on the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index and alcohol and cigarette use for adolescent boys and girls.

Are university students more depressed than nonuniversity students?

Rimon's Brief Depression Scale was administered to examine the associations of university status and gender on depression among 1728 subjects ages 17 to 40 years and residing in Sydney, Australia. Analysis showed the 912 women were significantly more depressed than the 816 men; however, no significant difference was found between 744 university students and 984 nonstudents. These findings were interpreted in terms of various theories proposed in the literature.