https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673602076031.pdf

Spinal-cord injury

Background Intussusception is a form of intestinal obstruction in which a segment of the bowel prolapses into a more distal segment. Our investigation began on May 27, 1999, after nine cases of infants who had intussusception after receiving the tetravalent rhesus–human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV) were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Methods In 19 states, we assessed the potential association between RRV-TV and intussusception among infants at least 1 but less than 12 months old. Infants hospitalized between November 1, 1998, and June 30, 1999, were identified by systematic reviews of medical and radiologic records. Each infant with intussusception was matched according to age with four healthy control infants who had been born at the same hospital as the infant with intussusception. Information on vaccinations was verified by the provider. Results Data were analyzed for 429 infants with intussusception and 1763 matched controls in a case–control analysis as well as for ...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM200102223440804

Intussusception among infants given an oral rotavirus vaccine.

We review new findings and new theoretical developments in the field of intelligence New findings include the following: (a) Heritability of IQ varies significantly by social class (b) Almost no genetic polymorphisms have been discovered that are consistently associated with variation in IQ in the normal range (c) Much has been learned about the biological underpinnings of intelligence (d) "Crystallized" and "fluid" IQ are quite different aspects of intelligence at both the behavioral and biological levels (e) The importance of the environment for IQ is established by the 12-point to 18-point increase in IQ when children are adopted from working-class to middle-class homes (f) Even when improvements in IQ produced by the most effective early childhood interventions fail to persist, there can be very marked effects on academic achievement and life outcomes (g) In most developed countries studied, gains on IQ tests have continued, and they are beginning in the developing world (h) Sex differences in aspects of intelligence are due partly to identifiable biological factors and partly to socialization factors (i) The IQ gap between Blacks and Whites has been reduced by 033 SD in recent years We report theorizing concerning (a) the relationship between working memory and intelligence, (b) the apparent contradiction between strong heritability effects on IQ and strong secular effects on IQ, (c) whether a general intelligence factor could arise from initially largely independent cognitive skills, (d) the relation between self-regulation and cognitive skills, and (e) the effects of stress on intelligence

Intelligence: New findings and theoretical developments.

Objective: To determine, using a systematic review of case-control studies, whether head injury is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. We sought to replicate the findings of the meta-analysis of Mortimer et al (1991). Methods: A predefined inclusion criterion specified case-control studies eligible for inclusion. A comprehensive and systematic search of various electronic databases, up to August 2001, was undertaken. Two independent reviewers screened studies for eligibility. Fifteen case-control studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria, of which seven postdated the study of Mortimer et al . Results: We partially replicated the results of Mortimer et al . The meta-analysis of the seven studies conducted since 1991 did not reach significance. However, analysis of all 15 case-control studies was significant (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.06), indicating an excess history of head injury in those with Alzheimer’s disease. The finding of Mortimer et al that head injury is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease only in males was replicated. The excess risk of head injury in those with Alzheimer’s disease is only found in males (males: OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.06; females: OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.47). Conclusions: This study provides support for an association between a history of previous head injury and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/jnnp/74/7/857.full.pdf

Head injury as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease: the evidence 10 years on; a partial replication

Around their 18th birthday, basically all Dutch males born between 1934 and 1964 unknowingly took part in a study of the malleability of intelligence. When these young men appeared before the Dutch military draft board, they took a non-verbal IQ test based on Raven’s (1960) Progressive Matrices. With a little help from Piet Vroon, James Flynn (1987) discovered that those born in 1934 (cohort of 1952) scored on average 20 IQ points lower on the test than those born in 1964 (cohort of 1982). This suggested that in only 30 years, the Dutch male population had shown an increase of more than one standard deviation in average IQ. Flynn (1987) also documented this gain in average IQ in 13 other countries over the course of the 20th century and the effect is now commonly known as the Flynn effect. The Flynn effect raises many questions: How can IQ be substantially heritable, yet show such strong gains that appear to be due to environmental factors? Were Dutch males in 1982 so much smarter than Dutch males in 1952?

/pdf/what-is-intelligence-beyond-the-flynn-effect-519hkppdrg.pdf

What Is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect

Protein arrays and protein assays in parallel are enabling researchers to look at protein interactions and activity on a large scale, as Lisa Melton finds out.

/pdf/protein-arrays-proteomics-in-multiplex-4a3ag3xdxx.pdf

Protein arrays: proteomics in multiplex.

Extracting useful data from the human genome sequence is a major challenge. Lisa Melton examines the early steps towards personal genotyping.

Lisa Melton

Papers

Protein arrays: proteomics in multiplex.

Pharmacogenetics and genotyping: on the trail of SNPs.

Does mucus hypersecretion matter in airway disease

New perspectives on the management of intersex

The antioxidant myth