Greta R Bunin

..We conducted a case-control study to examine the role of parents' nutrient intake before their child's conception in the child's risk of sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma, which results from a new germline RB1 mutation...

..As few human data exist on the role of diet in any condition resulting from new germ-cell mutation, additional studies will be needed to replicate or refute our findings...

..4% per year (95% CI: -2.7, -2.0; p < 0.001). The current low response rates for RDD indicate a substantial potential for selection bias and a need to seek alternative sources of controls...

..4, 95% CI: 1.2, 9.7, and odds ratio = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.3, respectively). This new observation regarding paternal exposure to heat just prior to the index pregnancy deserves consideration in future animal and human studies of MB/PNET...

..Two patients relapsed, and 10 patients died of non-relapse causes. This study demonstrates that PSCT with CD34+ selection and a defined dose of CD3+ results in prompt engraftment and may limit development of extensive chronic GVHD...

..French fries (OR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.9) and chili peppers (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0, 3.0) were associated with medulloblastoma/PNET. The results suggest that some aspects of diet are worthy of further research...

..We discuss the practical advantages and challenges of sharing controls among two or more concurrently conducted case-control studies...

..The most important difference between the cancers for which there are good etiologic clues and those for which there are not may be the number of relevant studies...

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..These and previous data are consistent with either a small paternal age effect in sporadic NF1 or a bias such as that resulting from the selection of cases and/or controls...

..While the results of this study may not be generalizable to those obtained from other populations, to the authors' knowledge it is the first study of recall of diet during pregnancy...

..However, innovative approaches are needed for patients with initial remissions of less than 6 months and for older teenagers...

..Although not ideal, friend controls were convenient, had a reasonably high response rate and provided controls closely matched on race/ethnicity, education and age...

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..3,317 g). Finally, participating BC mothers were likely to be older and to have more education than nonparticipants. Thus, the study's control groups were comparable but differed from the population of interest...

..These results suggest that birth registries may be used to select controls for studies of rare childhood diseases on a national scale...

..Although a few children achieved durable remissions when DLI was used as part of a post-relapse treatment strategy, DLI was unsuccessful in the majority of cases. Strategies may be better directed at preempting post transplant relapse...

..We further report that these genes confer their effects in HER2- tumors, interact with one another to confer breast cancer susceptibility in AA women and interact with hormone exposures in AA and EA women...

..This analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between fathers' hobbies and risk of their children developing MB/PNET. The hobbies chosen for study were those with similar exposures as occupations associated with childhood cancers...

..This analysis evaluated possible associations between previous head injury and ionizing radiation exposure through diagnostic X-rays and medulloblastoma/PNET...

..Until the effects of pregnancy on the maternal immune system are better understood, it is appropriate whenever possible to avoid parous female donors and to choose male donors for male recipients in HLA-identical related donor SCT...

..Additional confirmatory studies are required to determine whether black cohosh could be used to prevent breast cancer...

..The majority of patients with high risk neuroblastoma (NB) still relapse...

..3). However, for URD, EFS was 20% for Bu and 57% for TBI (P=0.04). Relapses were similar in both arms. This randomized prospective study suggests that Bu is inferior to TBI for pediatric patients with ALL undergoing allogeneic SCT...

..8% of AML/MDS patients. Grades III-IV GVHD was observed in only 6.7% of patients. Partial TCD allows use of matched or mismatched URD, or PMRD with little mortality from GVHD, durable engraftment, and no increase in relapse risk...

..This series suggests that an aggressive immunosuppressive conditioning regimen with PTCD results in successful engraftment and minimal GVHD in pediatric patients with SAA, even with HLA mismatched donors...

..Daclizumab is a relatively safe and effective medication for corticosteroid refractory GVHD in children and larger studies are needed to evaluate its role in treatment...

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..Although rare, microsporidial infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained pulmonary infection in bone marrow transplant patients...

..This case illustrates that TAGVHD can be successfully treated by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and that DNA-based HLA typing can play a unique role in the diagnosis and management of TAGVHD...

..Relative contributions of cancer and treatment variables and sociodemographic factors in engagement with follow-up care are not fully understood. This study aimed to identify risk factors for inadequate follow-up care...

..The optimal timing for listing of cystic fibrosis patients for lung transplantation is controversial...

..To study the effectiveness of combined systemic chemotherapy and local ophthalmic therapy for retinoblastoma with the goal of avoiding enucleation and external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT)...

..These cases suggest that patients with immune deficiencies caused by NEMO or IkappaBalpha mutations may have intrinsic barriers to successful engraftment, which require further investigation...

..The results of the study add to the evidence of a protective role for multivitamins, suggest a possible role for micronutrients early in pregnancy, and generally do not support an association between cured meats and medulloblastoma/PNET...

..Most risk estimates were around unity, and exposure-response patterns were absent. Overall, it seems unlikely that parental exposure to pesticides plays an important role in the etiology of childhood brain cancer...

..We investigated the association between breast-feeding and Wilms tumor, a childhood kidney tumor...

..The assessment of job tasks has been used little or not at all in studies of occupational exposure and childhood cancer. The proposed study will provide information on the usefulness of these approaches. ..

..A feasible and valid control group is needed to ensure that studies of childhood cancer are scientifically valid and therefore, will provide results that can eventually lead to prevention of these cancers. ..

..Sporadic heritable RBL is a childhood cancer worth studying in its own right and an ideal model for the investigation of new germline mutation. ..

..A feasible and valid control group is needed to ensure that studies of childhood cancer are scientifically valid and therefore, will provide results that can eventually lead to prevention of these cancers. ..