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BACKGROUND: Firearm violence is a major burden on Chicago with greater than 1500 gunshot injuries occurring annually. Identifying ecologic variables related to the incidence of firearm-related injuries and crime could prove useful for developing new strategies for reducing gun-related injuries. METHODS: The Illinois Trauma Registry (ITSR) and the Chicago Police Department's CLEAR (Citizen Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting) dataset were retrospectively analyzed to investigate group-level factors potentially related to the incidence of gun-related injuries and crime in Chicago from 1999 through 2012. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the effects of day of the week, daily maximum temperature, precipitation, and snow on the incidence of firearm-related injuries and crime. RESULTS: A total of 18,655 gunshot wounds occurred during the study period (ITSR, 1999-2009). There were 156,866 acts of gun violence identified in the CLEAR dataset (2002-2012). Day of the week, daily maximum temperature, and precipitation were associated with differential risks of gun injury and violence. Rain decreased firearm-related injuries by 9.80% [RR: 0.902, 95% CI: 0.854-0.950] and crime by 7.00% [RR: 0.930, 95% CI: 0.910-0.950]. Gunshot wounds were 33% [RR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.29-1.37] more frequent on Fridays and Saturdays and gun crime was 18% [RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.16-1.20] more common on these days. Snow was not associated with firearm-related injuries or crime. CONCLUSIONS: Day of the week, daily maximum temperature, and rain are associated with the incidence of firearm-related injuries and crime. Understanding the effects of these variables may allow for the development of predictive models and for risk-adjusting injury and crime data.

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BACKGROUND: The association between alcohol and interpersonal violence is well established. Up to 80% of homicide perpetrators and victims are known to have used alcohol before the incident. However, the association between proximity to a liquor-selling establishment and gun violence is more controversial. METHODS: Scene address data from the Illinois State Trauma Registry from 1999 to 2009 were used to geocode all gunshot wounds (GSWs) presenting to trauma centers in Chicago during the study period. These data were linked to publicly available US Census Demographic Data and City of Chicago Liquor Board data. A combination of ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression was performed to identify "risk regions" throughout the study area. Logistic regression analysis was then performed to assess the independent effect of proximity to an establishment with a liquor license (LL) on trauma center admissions for GSWs. RESULTS: A total of 11,744 GSWs were geocoded. No association between LLs and GSWs was identified for the city overall (odds ratio [OR] .97, 95% confidence interval [CI] .96 to .99). However, 5 distinct regions of influence between LLs and GSWs were found. In regions with the highest association, likelihood of a GSW near a packaged LL was extraordinarily high (OR 518.08, 95% CI 10.23 to 1,000), and tavern LLs were also very significant (OR 21.51, 95% CI 1.81 to 255.53). CONCLUSIONS: We found that proximity to an establishment with an LL was a strong independent predictor of GSW incidence for many areas of the city, even after controlling for neighborhood characteristics. However, this association was not demonstrable for the entire city, and, in fact, marked regional variation was apparent. These data may contribute to our understanding of the interplay between alcohol and violent injury disparities.

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Collagen XV (COLXV) is a secreted non-fibrillar collagen found within basement membrane (BM) zones of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Its ability to alter cellular growth in vitro and to reduce tumor burden and increase survival in vivo support a role as a tumor suppressor. Loss of COLXV during the progression of several aggressive cancers precedes basement membrane invasion and metastasis. The resultant lack of COLXV subjacent to the basement membrane and subsequent loss of its interactions with other proteins in this zone may directly impact tumor progression. Here we show that COLXV significantly reduces invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells through a collagen I (COLI) matrix. Moreover, we demonstrate that epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in these cells, which is recapitulated in vitro by cell scattering on a COLI substrate, is inhibited by over-expression of COLXV. We identify critical collagen-binding surface receptors on the tumor cells, including the discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) and E-Cadherin (E-Cad), which interact with COLXV and appear to mediate its function. In the presence of COLXV, the intracellular redistribution of E-Cad from the cell periphery, which is associated with COLI-activated EMT, is inhibited and concurrently, DDR1 signaling is suppressed. Furthermore, continuous exposure of the pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells to high levels of COLXV suppresses endogenous levels of N-Cadherin (N-Cad). These data reveal a novel mechanism whereby COLXV can function as a tumor suppressor in the basement membrane zone.

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