Dr. Delores Malaspina

Dr. Delores Malaspina, an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and lead author of the report, said if the results of the study hold up to scrutiny, "The next question is, 'What might explain that finding?'" One possibility, say researchers, is that some cases of schizophrenia are a result of genetic abnormalities in sperm cells that become more likely as a man ages.A number of physical illnesses and birth defects have been linked to genetic mutations during sperm production in older fathers, including Apert syndrome (a rare congenital deformity of the skull, fingers, and toes) and achondroplasia (the most common form of dwarfism).

Additional information on this topic can be found at the following Web site: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/12/health/12DADS.html

Chemotherapy Pill Has Fewer Side Effects than IVApril 24, 2001Results of a new study published* in the Journal of Clinical Oncology find that a chemotherapy pill is as effective for treating advanced colorectal cancer as intravenous treatment with a similar drug.Patients taking the pill capecitabine survived just as long as those on standard chemotherapy, but the pill caused fewer side effects, according to researchers.Capecitabine is the oral form of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), the chemotherapy regimen most commonly used to treat advanced colorectal cancer.In the study, researchers compared the capecitabine pill with a combination of intravenous 5-FU and the drug leucovorin in 605 patients whose colorectal cancer had spread to other parts of the body.The patients were randomly assigned to take two daily doses of capecitabine for two weeks followed by a one-week break, or a five-day course of the 5-FU/leucovorin combination followed by a three-week rest.

"The finding is a very strong association of schizophrenia risk and father's age," said Dr. Delores Malaspina, an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the lead author of the report, which appears in this month's issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Other scientists were more skeptical.They noted that confirmation through other studies was needed before such a link could be said to be established, and they cautioned that in the history of schizophrenia research, many apparent associations had eventually proved spurious or impossible to replicate.

If the results of the study hold up to scrutiny, Dr. Malaspina said, "The next question is, `What might explain that finding?' " One possibility, the researchers argue in their report, is that some cases of schizophrenia are a result of genetic abnormalities in sperm cells that become more likely as a man ages.
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Dr. Malaspina said that the findings of her study "suggest that relevant mutations are there" in such sporadic cases "as well as in familial cases."
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In the study, Dr. Malaspina and her colleagues took advantage of the Jerusalem Perinatal Study, a research archive that includes information about all births in one area of Jerusalem.Records from the study were correlated with those of a national registry of psychiatric illness kept by the Israeli government.

"I am absolutely optimistic about delaying the onset of it even if we can't stop it," said Delores Malaspina, M.D., a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and an authority on schizophrenia pathophysiology.

The finding is a very strong association of schizophrenia risk and father's age , said Dr. Delores Malaspina , an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the lead author of the report , which appears in this month's issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Other scientists were more skeptical.They noted that confirmation through other studies was needed before such a link could be said to be established , and they cautioned that in the history of schizophrenia research , many apparent associations had eventually proved spurious or impossible to replicate.

If the results of the study hold up to scrutiny , Dr. Malaspina said , The next question is , `What might explain that finding?' One possibility , the researchers argue in their report , is that some cases of schizophrenia are a result of genetic abnormalities in sperm cells that become more likely as a man ages.

Stem cells in the testicles divide throughout a man's life in a process that leads to the production of sperm.Each cell division carries the chance for copying errors in reproducing the DNA.By the age of 40 , research suggests , about 660 such divisions have taken place.Genetic mutations can also occur from exposure to radiation or chemicals over a man's life.

In contrast , the divisions of cells that produce a woman's eggs occur only before birth.
...
Dr. Malaspina said that the findings of her study suggest that relevant mutations are there in such sporadic cases as well as in familial cases..

...
In the study , Dr. Malaspina and her colleagues took advantage of the Jerusalem Perinatal Study , a research archive that includes information about all births in one area of Jerusalem.Records from the study were correlated with those of a national registry of psychiatric illness kept by the Israeli government.

The researchers found that in 1 , 337 people admitted to psychiatric hospitals before 1998 , the fathers' ages were strongly associated with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related disorder.The risk of schizophrenia increased steadily with the father's increasing age.Advancing age of the fathers , the investigators reported , accounted for 26 percent of the cases of schizophrenia in the study ; for fathers over 50 , two out of every three cases of the illness could be attributed to the father's age.

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Malaspina said older men considering becoming fathers should put the findings in perspective.

``I think it's important to bear in mind that even though children of older fathers have a greater risk of disease , most children are fine , '' Malaspina said. ``Most children of older fathers have no sign of any disease whatsoever.So this is not meant to discourage people from having families and I wouldn't want it to be interpreted that way.''.

The findings may help explain long-standing mysteries about schizophrenia.The fact that it is remarkably persistent in human populations over time puzzles experts because those with the disease are less likely to mate and reproduce , presumably because of the social deficits in the illness.In addition , its incidence is strikingly consistent across human populations.

The finding is a very strong association of schizophrenia risk and father's age , said Dr. Delores Malaspina , an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the lead author of the report , which appears in this month's issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Other scientists were more skeptical.They noted that confirmation through other studies was needed before such a link could be said to be established , and they cautioned that in the history of schizophrenia research , many apparent associations had eventually proved spurious or impossible to replicate.

If the results of the study hold up to scrutiny , Dr. Malaspina said , The next question is , `What might explain that finding?' One possibility , the researchers argue in their report , is that some cases of schizophrenia are a result of genetic abnormalities in sperm cells that become more likely as a man ages.

Stem cells in the testicles divide throughout a man's life in a process that leads to the production of sperm.Each cell division carries the chance for copying errors in reproducing the DNA.By the age of 40 , research suggests , about 660 such divisions have taken place.Genetic mutations can also occur from exposure to radiation or chemicals over a man's life.

In contrast , the divisions of cells that produce a woman's eggs occur only before birth.
...
Dr. Malaspina said that the findings of her study suggest that relevant mutations are there in such sporadic cases as well as in familial cases..

...
In the study , Dr. Malaspina and her colleagues took advantage of the Jerusalem Perinatal Study , a research archive that includes information about all births in one area of Jerusalem.Records from the study were correlated with those of a national registry of psychiatric illness kept by the Israeli government.

The researchers found that in 1 , 337 people admitted to psychiatric hospitals before 1998 , the fathers' ages were strongly associated with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related disorder.The risk of schizophrenia increased steadily with the father's increasing age.Advancing age of the fathers , the investigators reported , accounted for 26 percent of the cases of schizophrenia in the study ; for fathers over 50 , two out of every three cases of the illness could be attributed to the father's age.

...
Malaspina said older men considering becoming fathers should put the findings in perspective.

``I think it's important to bear in mind that even though children of older fathers have a greater risk of disease , most children are fine , '' Malaspina said. ``Most children of older fathers have no sign of any disease whatsoever.So this is not meant to discourage people from having families and I wouldn't want it to be interpreted that way.''.

The findings may help explain long-standing mysteries about schizophrenia.The fact that it is remarkably persistent in human populations over time puzzles experts because those with the disease are less likely to mate and reproduce , presumably because of the social deficits in the illness.In addition , its incidence is strikingly consistent across human populations.