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4 The Air Force Health Study Specimens Repository
Pages 90-100

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From page 90...
... . SPECIMEN COLLECTION AND SHIPMENT Specimen collection was performed as part of the multiday physical examination in each of six cycles carried out by the AFHS during the period 1982– 2002.1 These activities were conducted at the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in Houston, Texas, in Cycle 1 and at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
From page 91...
... SOURCE: J Robinson, Air Force Health Study, personal communication, September 21, 2005.
From page 92...
... Includes assays for 150 Ranch Hands and 50 comparisons conducted for pilot study (Patterson et al., 1987)
From page 93...
... Robinson, Air Force Health Study, personal communication, September 21, 2005) , past uses of AFHS specimens that have resulted in removal of samples from the collection include • 200 samples of sera from the Cycle 1 collection provided for infectious disease antibody testing at the University of Cincinnati in 1984, • 626 samples of sera from Cycle 1 used for dioxin half-life studies by AFHS and CDC in 1987, • 4 samples of sera from Cycle 4 from individuals with consistently low immunoglobulin A levels provided to Duke University in 1993, • 4 samples of sera from Cycle 4 provided to the University of Virginia in 1993, and • 100 samples of sera (cycle not specified; described as "late 1980s")
From page 94...
... The committee feels that researchers should bear the burden of demonstrating the suitability of specimens for their particular studies, and these data must be provided before specimens are released. Logistical Limitations Logistical limitations to the future use of AFHS specimens include deficiencies in or absence of documentation regarding the methods of collection and processing of specimens,4 the need to reaccomplish inventory controls through the reorganization of specimens, the improvement of documentation of specimen locations, and, where feasible, the annotation of specimen history.
From page 95...
... THE AIR FORCE HEALTH STUDY SPECIMENS REPOSITORY 95 biospecimens have been dispersed to collaborating investigators and would need to be recombined, destroyed, or be handled by some other custodial arrangement prior to the termination of the AFHS. Specimen Access Specimens have been maintained in lots, reflecting the manner in which they were received; in some cases several vials from multiple individuals were in zipper-sealed plastic bags, and in other cases several vials were held together with rubber bands.
From page 96...
... During the Cycle 5 physical examination, 313 adipose tissue samples were collected; they are being held by a collaborating investigator at the University of California-Davis. The committee does not have any information on the condition and storage circumstances of these samples.
From page 97...
... Currently, AFHS specimens are stored in freezers by cycle and specimen type, not by individual. This effort will greatly decrease the effort associated with the retrieval of specimens.
From page 98...
... The committee therefore recommended that: Action should be taken prior to the currently scheduled termination date of the AFHS to reorganize and document the study's laboratory speci mens in a form and format that allows them to be easily understood, evaluated, managed, or analyzed by persons outside of the AFHS.
From page 99...
... It therefore recommends that: If available AFHS program funds are not sufficient to accomplish the actions elucidated above, supplemental funding should be provided to carry out such work in a complete and timely manner. REFERENCES AFHS (Air Force Health Study)
From page 100...
... 2005. Disposition of the Air Force Health Study -- Interim Letter Report.


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