Further evaluation of the clinical benefits of therapeutic venesection should be undertaken to definitively confirm our suggestion that careful observation is a viable alternative to venesection therapy of such Selleckchem BYL719 subjects. Ideally, a randomized controlled trial of phlebotomy versus a “wait and watch” approach for C282Y homozygotes with SF < 1000 μg/L would be mounted, although the follow-up period required for such a study to produce definitive results may be prohibitively long. If such a trial demonstrated that phlebotomy therapy was not superior, then the “wait and watch” approach would save many thousands

of C282Y homozygotes worldwide from unnecessary venesection. Dr. Sue Forrest from the Australian Genome Research Facility, Melbourne, supervised HFE genotyping of the cohort samples. Andrea A. Tesoriero with Dr. Melissa C. Southey (both at The University of Melbourne) supervised DNA extraction. Ashley Fletcher provided assistance with study coordination and sample retrieval. This study was made possible by the contribution of many people, including the original investigators and the diligent team who recruited the participants and

who continue working on follow-up. We would like to express our gratitude to the many thousands of Melbourne residents who continue to participate in the study. “
“See article in J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2012; 27: 385–389. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), comprising basal cell and squamous cell cancer, is a significant GDC-0941 cost global health problem—there are over 3.5 million cases annually, affecting medchemexpress over 2 million

people.1 While fair-skinned populations who have high levels of sun exposure, such as those found in northern Australia, have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, there is evidence that the incidence in fair-skinned Asian populations is also rising.2 A number of risk factors have been postulated for NMSC: the most important environmental factors are exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and cumulative sun exposure. Reducing childhood exposure to UV radiation is crucial to preventing skin cancer in later life.3 NMSC incidence increases with decreasing latitude, again emphasizing the importance of sun exposure.4 Host risk factors include the degree of skin pigmentation (skin phototype), human papilloma virus infection, genetic disorders such as xeroderma pigmentosum, and immunosuppression. The risk of NMSC is increased in organ transplant recipients on immunosuppression. Thus, squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers account for more than 90% of all cancers in post-transplant patients: the risk of basal cell skin cancer is increased tenfold, and the incidence of squamous cell cancer is increased 65 times compared with the normal population.5 This risk is so great that between 40% and 80% of Caucasian transplant recipients develop squamous cell cancer over a period of 20 years post-transplant.