Specificity of the Speed''s test: arthroscopic technique for evaluating the biceps tendon at the level of the bicipital groove

A historical cohort study was conducted in Misasa town, Tottori prefecture, Japan, where radon spas have been operating for a long time. Misasa town was divided into an elevated radon level area and a control area, with mean indoor radon levels of about 60 and 20 Bq/m3, respectively. In total, 3,083 subjects in the elevated radon level area and 1,248 in the control area, all aged 40 or older on January 1, 1976, were followed up until December 31, 1993, for a mean period of 14 years. The mortality rates from all causes exhibited no difference between the elevated radon level area and the control area for both sexes. No difference was observed in the incidence of all-site cancers (age, period-adjusted rate ratios by Poisson regression, RR = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79-1.42 for males, RR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.65-1.24 for females), while stomach cancer incidence seemed to decrease for both sexes (RR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.44-1.11 for male, RR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.34-1.00 for female) and lung cancer incidence for males only seemed to increase (RR = 1.65, 95% CI 0.83-3.30 for male, RR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.28-4.14 for female) in the elevated radon level area. Caution is needed in the interpretation of these findings, however, since the individual exposure level was not measured and major confounding factors, such as smoking and diet, could not be controlled in this study.     

Urban air pollution and cardiopulmonary ill health: a 14.5 year time series study

OBJECTIVES: To examine possible associations between daily concentrations of urban air pollutants and hospital emergency admissions and mortality due to cardiac and pulmonary disease. METHODS: A time series study was conducted in the City of Edinburgh, which has a population of about 450,000. Poisson log linear regression models were used to investigate the relation of the daily event rate with daily air pollution concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and black smoke from 1981 to 1995, and of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter (PM10) from 1992 to 1995. Adjustments were made for seasonal and weekday variation, daily temperature, and wind speed. RESULTS: The most significant findings were positive associations over the period 1981-95 between black smoke as a mean of the previous three days and daily all cause mortality in people aged > or = 65, and respiratory mortality also in this age group (3.9% increase in mortality for a 10 micrograms/m3 increment in black smoke). For hospital emergency admissions between 1992 and 1995 the two most significant findings (p < 0.05) were for cardiovascular admissions of people aged > or = 65 which showed a positive association with PM10 as a mean of the 3 previous days, and a negative association with O3 as a mean of the previous three days. Analyses of outcomes based on linkage with previous cardiorespiratory emergency admissions did not show substantially different results. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that in the City of Edinburgh, after correction for confounders, there was a small but significant association between concentrations of black smoke and respiratory mortality in the older age group, probably attributable to higher pollution levels in the early part of the study period. There were also generally weak and variable associations between day to day changes in concentrations of urban air pollutants at a single central point and emergency hospital admission rates from cardiac and respiratory disease.     

Gastric carcinosarcoma (sarcomatoid carcinoma) with rhabdomyoblastic and osteoblastic differentiation

Using data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, we prospectively examined the relationships between height, body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, and risk of total and advanced (extraprostatic and metastatic) prostate cancer. In addition, we assessed adiposity during childhood, adolescence, and early, middle, and late adulthood using pictograms in relation to prostate cancer risk. Between 1986 and 1994, 1,369 cases of prostate cancer (excluding stage A1) were confirmed in 47,781 men. Adult body mass index and waist and hip circumferences were not appreciably related to risk of total prostate cancer or advanced prostate cancer. In contrast, preadult (age 10) obesity assessed in 33,336 men in 1988 was prospectively related to lower risk of advanced [relative risk (RR) = 0.72 with 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.47-1.10, between high and low quintiles; P(trend) = 0.06] and metastatic prostate cancer (RR = 0.38 with 95% CI = 0.19-0.77; P(trend) = 0.004). For the advanced lesions, an association was observed with height (RR = 1.68 with 95% CI = 1.16-2.43 for men 74 inches or taller, relative to men 68 inches or shorter; P(trend) = 0.01). In an analysis limited to particularly aggressive forms of prostate cancer, i.e., cases found to be metastatic at time of diagnosis between 1988 and 1994 after a negative digital rectal examination in 1988, we found that obesity at ages 5 and 10 had a strong inverse association (RR = 0.16 with 95% CI = 0.05-0.54, between high and low quintiles at age 10) and that tallness had a strong direct association with risk of metastatic disease (RR = 2.29 with 95% CI = 1.04-5.05, for height > or = 74 inches versus < or = 68 inches). Our findings suggest that the preadult hormonal milieu, as reflected in attained height and childhood obesity, may have a strong influence on prostate carcinogenesis.     

A meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies of lung cancer in welders

OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies was carried out on lung cancer risk among shipyard, mild steel, and stainless steel welders, and the role of asbestos exposure and smoking was considered. METHODS: The meta-analysis consisted of calculating combined relative risks (RR) and their variances through a logarithm transformation of published RR values and a weighing using the inverted variance of each RR. RESULTS: The literature provided 18 case-referent and 31 cohort studies. The combined RR values were 1.38 [observed 1028, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.29-1.48] for "all or unspecified welding categories", 1.30 (observed 305, 95% CI 1.14-1.48) for shipyard welders, and 1.35 (observed 173, 95% CI 1.15-1.58) for nonshipyard welders. Similar combined RR values (RR) were observed for mild steel welders (combined RR 1.50, observed 137, 95% CI 1.18-1.91) and stainless steel welders (combined RR 1.50 observed 114, 95% CI 1.10-2.05). No significant heterogeneity was discerned between studies of any welding or study design category. A marked healthy worker effect may also lead to an underestimation of the standardized mortality ratio for lung cancer among stainless steel welders. Furthermore, welders of any category are likely to be exposed to asbestos. Welders also seem to smoke more than the general male population, and therefore the hypothesis of tobacco overconsumption among welders could not be discarded. CONCLUSIONS: A 30-40% increase in the RR of lung cancer among welders cannot be explained by hexavalent chromium and nickel exposure among stainless steel welders. The combination of the carcinogenic effects of asbestos exposure and smoking may account for part of the lung cancer excess observed.     

Nutrient utilization by sheep and performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed crab waste-straw silage

Exacerbations of asthma have been associated with exposure to ozone or particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10). We postulated in this study that the association of summertime air pollution (i.e. ozone and PM10) with acute respiratory symptoms, medication use and peak expiratory flow differs among patients grouped according to asthma severity. During the summer of 1995, effects of ambient air pollution on these parameters were studied in a panel of 60 nonsmoking patients with intermittent to severe persistent asthma. These patients were recruited from our Pulmonary Out-patient Clinic. Subgroup analysis was performed on the degree of hyperresponsiveness and lung steroid use before the start of the study, as indictors for the severity of asthma. Associations of the parameters studied with ozone, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and black smoke were evaluated using time series analysis. Several episodes with increased summertime air pollution occurred during the 96 day study period. Eight hour average ozone concentrations exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (120 microg x m(-3)) on 16 occasions. Daily mean levels of PM10 were moderately elevated (range 16-98 microg x m(-3)). Levels of the other measured pollutants were low. There was a consistent, positive association of the prevalence of shortness of breath (maximal relative risk (RRmax) 1.18) with ozone, PM10, black smoke and NO2. In addition, bronchodilator use was associated with both ozone and PM10 levels (RRmax 1.16). Stratification by airway hyperresponsiveness and steroid use did not affect the magnitude of the observed associations. No associations with peak expiratory flow measurements were found. We conclude that the severity of asthma is not an indicator for the sensitivity to air pollution.     

Increased cancer mortality following a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer

CONTEXT: Cancer registries have reported an increased incidence of melanoma and certain noncutaneous cancers following nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Whether these findings were attributable to intensified surveillance, shared risk factors, or increased cancer susceptibility remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a history of NMSC predicts cancer mortality. DESIGN: Prospective cohort with 12-year mortality follow-up adjusted for multiple risk factors. SETTING: Cancer Prevention Study II, United States and Puerto Rico. PARTICIPANTS: Nearly 1.1 million adult volunteers who completed a baseline questionnaire in 1982. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Deaths due to all cancers and common cancers. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, race, education, smoking, obesity, alcohol use, and other conventional risk factors, a baseline history of NMSC was associated with increased total cancer mortality (men's relative risk [RR], 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.36; women's RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.17-1.35). Exclusion of deaths due to melanoma reduced these RRs only slightly. Mortality was increased for the following cancers: melanoma (RR, 3.36 in men, 3.52 in women); pharynx (RR, 2.77 in men, 2.81 in women); lung (RR, 1.37 in men, 1.46 in women); non-Hodgkin lymphoma (RR, 1.32 in men, 1.50 in women); in men only, salivary glands (RR, 2.96), prostate (RR, 1.28), testis (RR, 12.7), urinary bladder (RR, 1.41), and leukemia (RR, 1.37); and in women only, breast (RR, 1.34). All-cause mortality was slightly increased (adjusted men's RR, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.00-1.06]; women's RR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.00-1.09]). CONCLUSIONS: Persons with a history of NMSC are at increased risk of cancer mortality. Although the biological mechanisms are unknown, a history of NMSC should increase the clinician's alertness for certain noncutaneous cancers as well as melanoma.     

Pancreas cancer as a second primary malignancy. A population-based study

BACKGROUND: The study of second primary malignancies may give clues to the etiology of various cancers. Little is known about risk factors for pancreatic carcinoma; therefore, its occurrence as a second primary malignancy was investigated. METHODS: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER) program were used for the period from January 1, 1973 through December 31, 1990. Person-years of follow-up for various cancer sites were calculated, excluding the initial 6 months after diagnosis, and were multiplied times the age- and sex-specific incidence rates for pancreas cancer to calculate the expected number of second primary pancreas cancer cases. The observed number of cases was divided by the expected number to estimate the relative risk (RR) of pancreas cancer as a second primary cancer, and 95% confidence limits were calculated. RESULTS: The risk of second primary cancer was elevated after lung cancer for men (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6) and women (RR 2.5, 95% CI 1.9-3.2). An elevation in risk also was found after head and neck cancer in women (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.5) and bladder cancer in women (RR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0), but not in men. Other significant elevations were found after prostate cancer (RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3), and a decreased risk was found after lymphoma in men (RR 0.2, 95% CI 0.0-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Second primary pancreas cancer is increased after tobacco-related malignancies, particularly in females, supporting the role of cigarette smoking as a risk factor for pancreas cancer and suggesting a stronger effect of cigarette smoking for women. The elevation in risk after prostate cancer and the decreased risk after lymphoma in males need to be confirmed in other data sets.     

Mortality from myocardial infarction after adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer in the surveillance, epidemiology, and end-results cancer registries

PURPOSE: To compare the risk for fatal myocardial infarction (MI) after adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for left-sided breast cancer with the risk for MI after adjuvant RT for right-sided breast cancer. METHODS: We studied women with local- and regional-stage breast cancer diagnosed from 1973 to 1992 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER) cancer registries. We performed life-table analysis, the log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression to compare the time to fatal MI from diagnosis between left-sided and right-sided cases, censoring deaths from other causes. RESULTS: Among irradiated patients, the relative risk (RR) for fatal MI in women with left-sided breast cancer was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.36), controlling for age, compared with those with right-sided breast cancer. The RR for fatal MI among left-sided cases was increased for those under the age of 60 years (RR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.31 to 2.97) compared with right-sided cases, but not at age 60 years or older. Among women with irradiated regional-stage cancer who were younger than 60 years of age, the risk was significantly increased (RR = 2.24; 95% CI, 1.38 to 3.64) for those with left-sided compared with right-sided breast cancer, but not among patients aged 60 years or older. Among irradiated local-stage cases, the risk for those with left-sided breast cancer was not significantly elevated in either age category. Analysis of 5-year conditional survival cohorts showed an increased risk for irradiated left-sided cases among women younger than 60 years of age in the 10- to 15-year conditional survival cohort (RR = 5.28; 95% CI, 1.82 to 15.3). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant RT for left-sided breast cancer diagnosed in women younger than 60 years of age is associated with a higher risk for fatal MI 10 to 15 years later compared with adjuvant RT for right-sided cases.     

Calcium, vitamin D, and dairy foods and the occurrence of colon cancer in men

To examine the associations between intakes of calcium, Vitamin D, and dairy foods and the risk of colon cancer, the authors analyzed data from a prospective study of 47,935 US male professionals, 40-75 years of age and free of cancer in 1986. Within this cohort, 203 new cases of colon cancer were documented between 1986 and 1992. After adjusting for age and total energy intake, the authors found that the intake of calcium from foods and supplements was inversely associated with colon cancer risk (relative risk (RR) = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-087 between high and low intakes of calcium). However, after adjusting for confounding variables, they found that the trend was no longer statistically significant (p = 0.22), and the relative risk for the highest quintile group of intake was attenuated: 0.75 (95% CI 0.48-1.15). Similar results were observed for total vitamin D intake; the age- and energy-adjusted relative risk was 0.54% (95% CI 0/34-0/85) for the highest versus lowest quintile group, and this was attenuated in the multivariate model (RR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.42-1.05). The inverse association was weaker for dietary vitamin D (RR highest vs. lowest quintile = 0.88. 95% CI 0.54-1.42) and strongest for vitamin D arising from vitamin supplements (RR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.22-1.02). Thus, it is possible that other components of multivitamin use rather than vitamin D accounted for the reduction in risk. Consumption of milk and fermented dairy products was not significantly associated with the risk of colon cancer; individuals consuming two or more glasses of "whole" or skim milk per day had a relative risk of 1.09 (95% CI 0.69-1.72), compared with those who consumed "whole or skim milk less than once a month. These prospective data do not support the hypothesis that calcium intake is strongly protective against colon cancer risk, although a modest association cannot be excluded.     

Association between ozone and asthma emergency department visits in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

This study examines the relationship of asthma emergency department (ED) visits to daily concentrations of ozone and other air pollutants in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Data on ED visits with a presenting complaint of asthma (n = 1987) were abstracted for the period 1984-1992 (May-September). Air pollution variables included ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfate, and total suspended particulate (TSP); weather variables included temperature, humidex, dewpoint, and relative humidity. Daily ED visit frequencies were filtered to remove day of the week and long wave trends, and filtered values were regressed on air pollution and weather variables for the same day and the 3 previous days. The mean daily 1-hr maximum ozone concentration during the study period was 41.6 ppb. A positive, statistically significant (p < 0.05) association was observed between ozone and asthma ED visits 2 days later, and the strength of the association was greater in nonlinear models. The frequency of asthma ED visits was 33% higher (95% CI, 10-56%) when the daily 1-hr maximum ozone concentration exceeded 75 ppb (the 95th percentile). The ozone effect was not significantly influenced by the addition of weather or other pollutant variables into the model or by the exclusion of repeat ED visits. However, given the limited number of sampling days for sulfate and TSP, a particulate effect could not be ruled out. We detected a significant association between ozone and asthma ED visits, despite the vast majority of sampling days being below current U.S. and Canadian standards.     

Cancer mortality in Italy, 1994, and an overview of trends from 1955 to 1994

BACKGROUND: Data and statistics are presented on cancer death certification in Italy, updating previous publications covering the period 1955-1993. METHODS: Data for 1994 and the quinquennium 1990-94 subdivided into 30 cancer sites are presented in 8 tables, including age- and sex-specific absolute and percentage frequencies of cancer deaths, and crude, age-specific and age-standardized rates, at all ages and truncated for the 35-64 year age group. Trends in age-standardized rates for major cancer sites are plotted from 1955 to 1994. RESULTS: The age-standardized (world standard) death certification rates from all neoplasms steadily declined from the peak of 199.2/100,000 males in 1988 to 186.3 in 1994, and in females from 102.5 in 1989 to 98.6 in 1994. Ever larger was the decline in truncated rates, for males from the peak of 275.1/100,000 in 1983 to 223.2 (-19%) in 1994, and for females from 151.6/100,000 in 1987 to 136.4 (-10%). A major component of the favourable cancer mortality trends in males was lung cancer (accounting for 31,000 deaths in both sexes combined in 1994), whose overall age-standardized rates declined from 60.3 in 1987-89 to 54.6/100,000 males in 1994 (-9%), and from the peak of 96.7 in 1983 at ages 35 to 64 to 72.7 in 1994 (-25%). In contrast, female lung cancer rates have remained stable from 1992 onwards, but have increased from 7.2 to 7.7 at all ages and from 10.6 to 11.0 at age 35-64 between 1985-89 and 1990-94. These different trends in the two sexes reflect the patterns and trends in smoking among Italian males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer mortality trends in Italy over the period 1990-94 were relatively favourable, mainly reflecting the decline in lung cancer rates in males, together with the persistent declines in gastric cancer in both sexes and in cervix uteri for women. Continuous advancements were registered for neoplasms amenable to treatment, essentially testicular cancer, Hodgkin's disease and childhood leukaemias. The major unfavourable trends were observed for non Hodgkin's lymphomas, and require therefore further monitoring, besides a clearer understanding of their determinants. Italy maintains an intermediate level of cancer mortality on a European scale, suggesting that further progress is possible, mostly for tobacco-related neoplasms in males.     

Occupational exposure to phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols and cancer mortality in The Netherlands

As part of the "IARC International Register of Persons Exposed to Phenoxy Herbicides and Contaminants," a cohort of workers who manufacture and prepare chlorophenoxy herbicides was recruited in The Netherlands. The cohort comprised 2,310 workers from two plants, operated by different companies, who were followed during the periods 1955-1985 and 1965-1986, respectively. In 1963, there had been an industrial accident in one factory with concomitant release of dioxin into the environment. Loss to follow-up was 3%. Mortality data on 963 exposed and 1,111 nonexposed men were evaluated by external and internal comparison. Compared with national rates, total mortality (94 deaths, standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 101; 95% confidence interval [CI], 82-124) and cancer mortality (31 deaths, SMR = 107; 95% CI, 73-152) for exposed workers were not significantly increased. A statistically insignificant increase was observed for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (2 deaths, SMR = 299; 95% CI, 36-1,078). No cases of soft-tissue sarcoma were encountered. There was no increase in either total mortality (25 deaths, SMR = 111; 95% CI, 72-163) or cancer mortality (10 deaths, SMR = 137; 95% CI, 66-252) among the 139 workers probably exposed to dioxins during the 2,4,5-trichlorophenol production accident or the subsequent clean-up operations. Compared with nonexposed workers, exposed workers did not exhibit a higher total mortality (rate ratio [RR] = 1.28; 95% CI, 0.89-1.82). Mortality due to all cancers (RR = 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9-3.4) and respiratory cancer (RR = 1.7; 95% CI, 0.5-6.3) was insignificantly elevated. These findings suggest that the increases in cancer mortality among workers exposed to phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols may be attributable to chance. Lack of power prevented evaluation with respect to specific cancers.     

Patterns of mortality among Bangladeshis in England and Wales

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the patterns of mortality among Bangladeshis living in England and Wales. METHODS: An analysis of national mortality data, classified by country of birth, for the latest period (1988-1992), using the method of indirect standardization for deriving standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) with the age- and sex-specific rates for England and Wales as the standard (= 100). The SMRs were derived for Bangladeshi-born men and women aged 20-69 years for major disease entities. RESULTS: The mortality among Bangladeshi men was significantly higher (SMR 118 and 95% CI 111-126) than the levels prevalent in England and Wales. In contrast, the mortality among Bangladeshi women was significantly lower (SMR 71 and 95% CI 61-82). The cancer mortality overall was lower than expected in both sexes, with the exception of cancer of the liver and gall bladder. The mortality from breast cancer (SMR 16 and 95% CI 6-34) and cervical cancer (SMR 51 and 95% CI 14-131) was lower than expected. Bangladeshi men experienced high mortality from diabetes (SMR 685 and 95% CI 529-874), coronary heart disease (SMR 148 and 95% CI 134-163) and cerebrovascular disease (SMR 267 and 95% CI 222-319); they also experienced excess deaths from cirrhosis of the liver (SMR 254 and 95% CI 175-357). CONCLUSIONS: The findings establish significant variations in the recent health experiences of Bangladeshi men living in England and Wales, posing a major challenge for purchasers of care. If the Health of the Nation strategy is to ensure that equity in health and health care is to apply to all those living in this country, the Bangladeshi population needs special targeting.     

Rice burning and asthma hospitalizations, Butte County, California, 1983-1992

We investigated the association between rice burning and daily asthma hospitalizations in Butte County, California, from 1983 to 1992. Eighty-two percent of planted rice was burned, with a mean of 555 acres burned on days when burning was permitted. For 60% of the days during this period, no rice burning occurred. Peak burning occurred in fall and spring but was not correlated with criteria pollutants. Asthma admissions averaged 0.65/day and peaked in March. In the basic Poisson model with daily asthma hospitalizations as the outcome of interest, burn acreage showed a small but statistically significant elevation of risk for hospitalization per acre of rice burned [relative risk (RR) = 1.0001; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1. 00004-1.0002], after adjusting for maximum daily temperature, seasonal factors, and yearly population. In this model, burn acreage showed a dose-response effect as acreage burned increased. Days with the greatest acreage burned (>499 acres) had the largest risk of hospitalization (RR = 1.23; CI, 1.09-1.39), and days with moderate burning (between 100 and 499 acres) had a slightly lower risk of admission (RR = 1.2; CI, 1.05-1.37). Elevations of air pollutants were not associated with days of increased rice burning; however, rice burn acreage was shown to have a small but statistically significant effect on asthma morbidity in Butte County. This evidence suggests that further limitations on the daily amount of rice straw permitted to be burned should be considered to reduce pulmonary morbidity related to asthma.     

Physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in men and women

We examined the association between self-reported occupational and recreational physical activity and the subsequent risk of colorectal cancer in a population-based cohort in Norway. During a mean follow-up time of 16.3 years for males and 15.5 years for females, 236 and 99 colon cancers and 170 and 58 rectal cancers were observed in males and females, respectively, among 53,242 males and 28,274 females who attended the screening between 1972 and 1978. Physical activity at a level equivalent to walking or bicycling for at least four hours a week during leisure-time was associated with decreased risk of colon cancer among females when compared with the sedentary group (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.40-0.97). Reduced risk of colon cancer was particularly marked in the proximal colon (RR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-0.93). This effect was not observed for occupational physical activity alone, probably due to a narrow range of self-reported physical activity at work among females. However, by combining occupational and recreational physical activity we observed an inverse dose-response effect as increasing total activity significantly reduced colon cancer risk (P for trend = 0.04). Among males 45 years or older at entry to the study, an inverse dose-response effect was observed between total physical activity and colon cancer risk (P for trend = 0.04). We also found in males a stronger preventive effect for physical activity in the proximal as compared to distal colon. In addition, we found a borderline significant decrease in colon cancer risk for occupational physical activity in males 45 years or older when compared to the sedentary group (RR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.53-1.04). All results were adjusted for age, body mass index, serum cholesterol and geographic region. No association between physical activity and rectal cancer was observed in males or females. The protective effect of physical activity on colon cancer risk is discussed in regard to energy balance, dietary factors, age, social class, body mass index and gastrointestinal transit time.     

A prospective study of dietary fiber types and symptomatic diverticular disease in men

To examine prospectively dietary fiber calculated from food composition values based on analytic techniques and specific dietary fiber types in relation to risk of diverticular disease, we analyzed data from a prospective cohort of 43,881 U.S. male health professionals 40-75 y of age at base line; subjects were free of diagnosed diverticular disease, colon or rectal polyps, ulcerative colitis and cancer. The insoluble component of fiber was inversely associated with risk of diverticular disease relative risk (RR) = 0. 63, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.91, P for trend = 0.02, and this association was particularly strong for cellulose (RR = 0.52, 95% CI, 0.36-0.75, P for trend = 0.002). The association between diverticular disease and total dietary fiber intake calculated from the AOACstandards method was not appreciably different from results using the Southgate or Englyst method [for AOAC method, RR = 0.60, 95% CI, 0.41-0.87; for Southgate method, RR = 0.61, 95% CI, 0.42-0. 88; for Englyst method, RR = 0.60, 95% CI, 0.42-0.87, for the highest quintiles]. Our findings provide evidence for the hypothesis that a diet high in dietary fiber decreases the risk of diverticular disease, and this result was not sensitive to the use of different analytic techniques to define dietary fiber. Our findings suggest that the insoluble component of fiber was significantly associated with a decreased risk of diverticular disease, and this inverse association was particularly strong for cellulose.     

Serum antibodies to benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adducts in the general population: effects of air pollution, tobacco smoking, and family history of lung diseases

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are almost ubiquitous pollutants that may interact with metabolic systems in human tissues and eventually cause cancer. PAH-adducted DNA becomes antigenic and antibodies anti-benzo(a)pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE)-DNA may be found in serum of PAH-exposed subjects. The presence of serum antibodies anti-BPDE-DNA adduct was investigated in 1345 individuals from family clusters of the general population of a small area in central Italy in whom information about smoking habits, site of residence, and personal and family history of lung diseases, including cancer, were obtained. Anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies in the sera were detected with a direct ELISA and the association of anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies with subjects' data from a standardized respiratory questionnaire including age, occupation, tobacco smoking habits, respiratory symptoms, and family history of respiratory diseases was subsequently tested by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of subjects with anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies was 21.0% (n=283), with no differences between males and females. Anti-BPDE-DNA positivity was associated with living in the urban area [odds ratio (OR), 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.16-1.92], with active tobacco smoking (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06-1.48), and with family history of lung cancer (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.90-1.88), and positivity increased with the number of members in the family cluster positive to anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.03-1.65). This study on a large general population sample indicates that serum anti-BPDE-DNA antibodies may be considered as biomarkers of exposure to environmental carcinogens and of DNA damage. The genetic and familial components of their association with tobacco smoking lend further support to the argument about the familial predisposition to lung cancer.     

Mortality and ambient fine particles in southwest Mexico City, 1993-1995

++Epidemiologic studies have focused attention on the health effects of fine particulate air pollutants <2.5 microm in diameter (PM2.5). To further characterize the potential effects of fine particles, we investigated the relationship of air pollution to mortality in Mexico City during 1993-1995. The concentration of PM2.5 was measured on a 24-hr integrated basis; concentrations of NO2 and ozone were measured hourly and reduced to 24-hr means. Daily mortality was determined from death registration records, and Poisson regression was used to model daily death counts as a function of air pollutant levels on the same and previous days, while controlling for temperature and periodic cycles. Without taking other air pollutants into account, a 10 microg/m3 increase in the level of PM2.5 was associated with a 1.4% increase in total mortality, both on the current day and 4 days after exposure [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.2-2.5]. An equivalent increase in PM2.5 was also associated with somewhat larger excesses of deaths among people over 65 years of age and from cardiovascular and respiratory causes, which occurred after a lag of 4 days. The mean concentration of ozone over a 2-day period was associated with a 1.8% increase in mortality from cardiovascular diseases. NO2 was not consistently related to mortality. Fine particles had an independent effect on mortality when modeled simultaneously with other pollutants, and the association of ozone with cardiovascular mortality was strengthened after adjusting for NO2 and PM2.5. These results support previous findings that urban air pollution at current levels leads to excess mortality and suggest that fine particles may play a causal role in producing that excess.     

Calcium channel blockers, cancer incidence, and cancer mortality in a cohort of U.S. women: the nurses' health study

BACKGROUND: Some studies have suggested that the use of calcium channel blockers may increase the risk of cancer. A possible association of the use of calcium channel blockers with cancer incidence and cancer mortality was addressed using data from the Nurses' Health Study. METHODS: In this study, a total of 18,635 female nurses reported regularly taking at least 1 of 4 cardiovascular medications in 1988: diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Cancer incidence and cancer deaths were ascertained until 1994. RESULTS: During 6 years of follow-up, 852 women were newly diagnosed with cancer and 335 women died of cancer. Women who reported the use of calcium channel blockers had no increased risk of newly diagnosed cancer compared with those taking other cardiovascular drugs (relative risk=1.02; 95% CI 0.83-1.26). The relative risk of dying from cancer associated with the self-reported use of calcium channel blockers was 1.25 (95% CI 0.91-1.72). Relative risks were adjusted for the following self-reported factors: age; weight; height; cholesterol level; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; smoking; alcohol intake; physical activity; menopausal status; postmenopausal hormone use; aspirin use; and history of diabetes, cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, angina, and hypertension. Regarding site specific cancer incidence and mortality, only lung cancer incidence was somewhat increased (RR=1.61; 95% CI 0.88-2.96). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest no important increase in overall cancer incidence or cancer mortality related to the self-reported use of calcium channel blockers.     

Renal eco Doppler in pediatrics

In this study, the authors investigated mortality and cancer patterns among a group of individuals accidentally exposed to methyl chloride 32 y earlier. This group of 24 persons had survived the immediate intoxication, which had occurred on a trawler during a fishing trip. The authors selected a reference group, which contained five times as many individuals as the study group, from registers of crews, and they controlled for age, occupation, social class, and lifestyle factors. The authors established a record linkage through personal identification numbers with the national death register and cancer register, thus securing 100% follow-up. The Mantel-Haenszel point estimate (M-H) was 2.2, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.3-3.1 for all causes of death. There was an excess of deaths from cardiovascular diseases (M-H = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2-3.8). This excess mortality was more prominent among deckhands who had been subject to higher exposure; risk ratios (RRs) were elevated for all causes of death (RR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.0-5.7), as well as for cardiovascular diseases (RR = 3.9, 95% CI = 1.0-14.4). In addition, the authors noted elevated risks for all cancers (M-H = 1.5, 95% CI = 0.3-5.6) and for lung cancer (M-H = 2.7, 95% CI = 0.1-52.6). The authors concluded that exposure to methyl chloride may have contributed to the risk of cardiovascular disease. Investigators need to conduct further studies on groups exposed to methyl chloride to refute or confirm this result.