Anti-COMT (internal region) polyclonal antibody

As part of a U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) funded Coastal and Ocean Modeling Testbed (COMT), hindcasts of waves and storm surge for 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria are examined and compared to wave and water level gauge data in the vicinity of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The region is characterized by adjacent deep ocean water, narrow shelves, and coral reef systems providing coastal protection. The storm physics are analyzed using an unstructured grid third-generation wave circulation coupled modeling system (ADCIRC+SWAN) with respect to tides, winds, atmospheric pressure, waves, and wave radiation stress-induced setup. The water level response is generally dominated by the pressure deficit of the hurricanes. Wind-driven surge is important over the shallow shelf to the east of Puerto Rico and wave-induced setup becomes significant at locations in close proximity to the coastline. Contrary to conditions along the Gulf of Mexico shelf, geostrophically induced setup is negligible. Characteristics from a range of meteorological forcing models are assessed, and the associated errors in the hydrodynamic response are quantified. A data-assimilated tropical planetary boundary model leads to the smallest atmospheric pressure, water level and wave property errors across both storms. Through comparisons between ADCIRC+SWAN and SLOSH-FW (a structured grid first-generation wave circulation coupled model), it is shown that the response to atmospheric forcing is similar; however, nearshore wave setup is smaller in SLOSH-FW due to its coarser resolution here. Further, in addition to erroneous wind-driven surge through depth limiting over the open ocean, numerical oscillations in the water level time series develop in SLOSH-FW likely due to its small domain size.

Background Vitamins are among the most frequently used supplements (48% of US adults). However, little is known about contributions of genetic variation to their efficacy and safety. Multiple pathways link catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) to the vitamin E supplement, alpha-tocopherol, and cancer. Methods Here we determined if COMT exerted pharmacogenetic effects on cancer prevention in two randomized trials of alpha-tocopherol supplementation. Pharmacogenetic effects of common COMT rs4680 (val158met), which encodes a nonsynonymous valine-to-methionine substitution, were examined in the trial plus a 10-year post-trial follow-up (overall) period of The Women's Genome Health Study (WGHS, N=23294), a 10-year alpha-tocopherol and aspirin trial with 10years post-trial follow-up. Results were validated in a case/control (N=2396/2235) subset of the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC, N=29133). The primary outcome was total cancers. Rates of cancer types prevalent in women (colorectal, breast, lung, uterine, and lymphoma/leukemia) were also examined. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Random-effects meta-analysis of rs4680 genotype strata, in WGHS and ATBC overall periods, revealed differential alpha-tocopherol effects compared with placebo: met/met (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80 to 0.97; P=.01), val/met (HR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.92 to 1.06; P=.74), and val/val (HR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.31; P=.002) with a statistically significant COMT by alpha-tocopherol interaction (P-interaction <.001). Timing of effects differed, with stronger effects in WGHS trial and ATBC post-trial. Conclusion Pharmacogenetic analysis of COMT and cancer prevention in two large randomized trials revealed statistically significant COMT by alpha-tocopherol interaction, such that alpha-tocopherol was beneficial among rs4680 met-allele (28.0%), but not val-allele (22.8%) homozygotes. These effects indicate the need for additional studies of genetic variation as a determinant of the benefits and possible harms of over-the-counter supplements, like alpha-tocopherol, used for health promotion.