MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'American Journal of Epidemiology' source. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:28:53 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345708&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F747%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345708 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345707&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F746%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345707 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345706&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F745-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345706 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345705&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F745%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345705 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345704&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F736%3Frss%3D1 Pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease share some common determinants. It has previously been hypothesized that family history of cardiovascular disease would be associated with low birth weight. Records from 120,317 Scottish births, 1992–2006, were linked to hospital admission and death certificate data for 71,681 pairs of maternal grandparents. There was a negative relation between the birth weight of the baby and the risk of either grandparent's experiencing ischemic heart disease (for a 1-kg increase in birth weight, hazard ratio = 0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.83, 0.89) or cerebrovascular disease (hazard ratio = 0.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.77, 0.87). Further analysis demonstrated that the associations were explained by increased risks of both delivering a sma... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345704 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345703&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F728%3Frss%3D1 Ophthalmologic abnormalities have been described in patients with dementia, but the extent to which poor vision and treatment for visual disorders affect cognitive decline is not well defined. Linked data from the Health and Retirement Study and Medicare files (1992–2005) were used to follow the experiences of 625 elderly US study participants with normal cognition at baseline. The outcome was a diagnosis of dementia, cognitively impaired but no dementia, or normal cognition. Poor vision was associated with development of dementia (P = 0.0048); individuals with very good or excellent vision at baseline had a 63% reduced risk of dementia (95% confidence interval (CI): 20, 82) over a mean follow-up period of 8.5 years. Participants with poorer vision who did not visit an ophthalmologis... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345703 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345702&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F721%3Frss%3D1 In conclusion, a registry-based diagnosis of PTSD based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, is a risk factor for completed suicide. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345702 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345701&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F709%3Frss%3D1 Whether insomnia, a known correlate of depression, predicts depression longitudinally warrants elucidation. The authors examined 555 Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study participants aged 33–71 years without baseline depression or antidepressant use who completed baseline and follow-up overnight polysomnography and had complete questionnaire-based data on insomnia and depression for 1998–2006. Using Poisson regression, they estimated relative risks for depression (Zung scale score ≥50) at 4-year (average) follow-up according to baseline insomnia symptoms and polysomnographic markers. Twenty-six participants (4.7%) developed depression by follow-up. Having 3–4 insomnia symptoms versus none predicted depression risk (age-, sex-, and comorbidity-adjusted relative risk (RR) = 3.2,... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345701 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345700&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F701%3Frss%3D1 Soft drinks and other sweetened beverages may contribute to risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, research has not addressed higher risk and Asian populations. The authors examined the association between soft drinks and juice and the risk of type 2 diabetes among Chinese Singaporeans enrolled in a prospective cohort study of 43,580 participants aged 45–74 years and free of diabetes and other chronic diseases at baseline. The incidence of physician-diagnosed type 2 diabetes was assessed by interview and validated; 2,273 participants developed diabetes during follow-up. After adjustment for potential lifestyle and dietary confounders, participants consuming ≥2 soft drinks per week had a relative risk of type 2 diabetes of 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25, 1.62) comp... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345700 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:15 +0100 3345700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345699&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F691%3Frss%3D1 Typical applications of marginal structural time-to-event (e.g., Cox) models have used time on study as the time scale. Here, the authors illustrate use of time on treatment as an alternative time scale. In addition, a method is provided for estimating Kaplan-Meier–type survival curves for marginal structural models. For illustration, the authors estimate the total effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on time to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or death in 1,498 US men and women infected with human immunodeficiency virus and followed for 6,556 person-years between 1995 and 2002; 323 incident cases of clinical AIDS and 59 deaths occurred. Of the remaining 1,116 participants, 77% were still under observation at the end of follow-up. By using time on study, the hazard... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345699 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345698&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F682%3Frss%3D1 In the current era of diet-gene analyses, large sample sizes are required to uncover the etiology of complex diseases. As such, consortia form and often combine available data. Food frequency questionnaires, which commonly use 2 different types of responses about the frequency of intake (predefined responses and open-ended responses), may be pooled to achieve the desired sample size. The common practice is to categorize open-ended responses into the predefined response categories. A problem arises when the predefined categories are noncontiguous: possible open-ended responses may fall in gaps between the predefined categories. Using simulated data modeled from frequency of intake among 1,664 controls in a lung cancer case-control study at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Cente... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345698 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345697&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F680%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345697 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345696&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F678%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345696 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345695&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F674%3Frss%3D1 Positivity, or the experimental treatment assignment assumption, requires that there be both exposed and unexposed participants at every combination of the values of the observed confounders in the population under study. Positivity is essential for inference but is often overlooked in practice by epidemiologists. This issue of the Journal includes 2 articles featuring discussions related to positivity. Here the authors define positivity, distinguish between deterministic and random positivity, and discuss the 2 relevant papers in this issue. In addition, the commentators illustrate positivity in simple 2 x 2 tables, as well as detail some ways in which epidemiologists may examine their data for nonpositivity and deal with violations of positivity in practice. (Source: American Journal of ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345695 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345694&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F664%3Frss%3D1 Confounding associated with social stratification or other selection processes has been called structural confounding. In the presence of structural confounding, certain covariate strata will contain only subjects who could never be exposed, a violation of the positivity or experimental treatment effect assumption. Thus, structural confounding can prohibit the exchangeability necessary for meaningful causal contrasts across levels of exposure. The authors explored the presence and magnitude of structural confounding by estimating the independent effects of neighborhood deprivation and neighborhood racial composition (segregation) on rates of preterm birth in Wake and Durham counties, North Carolina (1999–2001). Tabular analyses and random-intercept fixed-slope multilevel logistic mod... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345694 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345693&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F656%3Frss%3D1 In a retrospective cohort study of 18,880 full-term, cephalic singletons born in San Francisco, California, during 1976–2001, the authors used multivariable logistic regression (MVLR) and propensity score analysis (PSA) to examine the association between persistent fetal occiput posterior (OP) position and perinatal outcomes. The principles and applications of these techniques are compared and discussed. Pregnancies with OP positions at delivery were compared with those with occiput anterior positions. Perinatal outcomes were examined as adjusted odds ratios determined by MVLR and PSA and as risk differences determined by propensity score matched bootstrapping based on covariate distance. Persistent OP position was associated with operative delivery and maternal morbidity. The odds r... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345693 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345692&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F645%3Frss%3D1 The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- gene (PPARG) has been implicated in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus and has been investigated in numerous epidemiologic studies. In this Human Genome Epidemiology review, the authors assessed this relation in an updated meta-analysis of 60 association studies. Electronic literature searches were conducted on September 14, 2009. Population-based cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, or genome-wide association studies reporting associations between the PPARG Pro12Ala gene variant (rs1801282) and type 2 diabetes were included. An updated literature-based meta-analysis involving 32,849 type 2 diabetes cases and 47,456 controls in relation to the PPARG Pro12Ala variant was conducted. The combined overall odds ratio, calculated by per-all... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345692 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345691&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2F633%3Frss%3D1 Contrary to a cardioprotective effect of moderate regular alcohol consumption, accumulating evidence points to a detrimental effect of irregular heavy drinking occasions (>60 g of pure alcohol or ≥5 drinks per occasion at least monthly) on ischemic heart disease risk, even for drinkers whose average consumption is moderate. The authors systematically searched electronic databases from 1980 to 2009 for case-control or cohort studies examining the association of irregular heavy drinking occasions with ischemic heart disease risk. Studies were included if they reported either a relative risk estimate for intoxication or frequency of ≥5 drinks stratified by or adjusted for total average alcohol consumption. The search identified 14 studies (including 31 risk estimates) containing 4,71... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345691 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:14 +0100 3345691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345690&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345690 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:13 +0100 3345690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345689&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345689 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:13 +0100 3345689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345688&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345688 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:13 +0100 3345688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3345687&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F6%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3345687 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:52:13 +0100 3345687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278997&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F624%3Frss%3D1 Statistical analysis in epidemiologic studies is often hindered by missing data, and multiple imputation is increasingly being used to handle this problem. In a simulation study, the authors compared 2 methods for imputation that are widely available in standard software: fully conditional specification (FCS) or "chained equations" and multivariate normal imputation (MVNI). The authors created data sets of 1,000 observations to simulate a cohort study, and missing data were induced under 3 missing-data mechanisms. Imputations were performed using FCS (Royston's "ice") and MVNI (Schafer's NORM) in Stata (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas), with transformations or prediction matching being used to manage nonnormality in the continuous variables. Inferences for a set of regression par... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278997 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278996&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F618%3Frss%3D1 There is increasing interest in estimating and drawing inferences about risk or prevalence ratios and differences instead of odds ratios in the regression setting. Recent publications have shown how the GENMOD procedure in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina) can be used to estimate these parameters in non-population-based studies. In this paper, the authors show how model-adjusted risks, risk differences, and risk ratio estimates can be obtained directly from logistic regression models in the complex sample survey setting to yield population-based inferences. Complex sample survey designs typically involve some combination of weighting, stratification, multistage sampling, clustering, and perhaps finite population adjustments. Point estimates of model-adjusted risks, risk differ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278996 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278995&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F609%3Frss%3D1 Studying the relation between the residential environment and health requires valid, reliable, and cost-effective methods to collect data on residential environments. This 2002 study compared the level of agreement between measures of the presence of neighborhood businesses drawn from 2 common sources of data used for research on the built environment and health: listings of businesses from commercial databases and direct observations of city blocks by raters. Kappa statistics were calculated for 6 types of businesses—drugstores, liquor stores, bars, convenience stores, restaurants, and grocers—located on 1,663 city blocks in Chicago, Illinois. Logistic regressions estimated whether disagreement between measurement methods was systematically correlated with the socioeconomic an... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278995 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278994&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F602%3Frss%3D1 Selection bias is a concern in cohort studies in which selection into the cohort is related to the studied outcome. An example is chronic infection with hepatitis C virus, where the initial infection may be asymptomatic for decades. This problem leads to selection of more severely ill individuals into registers of such infections. Cohort studies often adjust for this bias by introducing a time window between entry into the cohort and entry into the study. This paper describes and assesses a novel method to improve adjustment for this type of selection bias. The size of the time window is decided by calculating a standardized incidence ratio as a continuous function of the size of the time window. The resulting graph is used to decide on an appropriate window size. The method is evaluated b... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278994 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278993&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F593%3Frss%3D1 Organochlorines are environmentally persistent contaminants that readily cross the placenta, posing a potential risk to the developing fetus. Evidence for neurodevelopmental effects at low levels of these compounds is growing, though few studies have focused on behavioral outcomes. The authors investigated the association between prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) levels and behaviors associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), measured with the Conners’ Rating Scale for Teachers (CRS-T), in a cohort of 607 children aged 7–11 years (median age, 8.2 years) born in 1993–1998 to mothers residing near a PCB-contaminated harbor in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The median umbilical cord serum level of... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278993 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278992&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F583%3Frss%3D1 The association of sex hormone levels with mortality over a median of 16 years of follow-up was evaluated in a prospective cohort study. The study included 1,114 US men who participated in phase 1 (1988–1991) of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Mortality Study and had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline. Multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality associated with a decrease in hormone concentration equal to the difference between the 90th and 10th percentiles of the sex hormone distributions were estimated by using proportional hazards regression. The hazard ratios associated with low free testosterone and low bioavailable testosterone levels were 1.43 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.87) and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.15, ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278992 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278991&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F571%3Frss%3D1 The authors conducted a nested case-control study of serum inflammatory markers and risk of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), using data from the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (1993–2003). Incident BPH (n = 676) was defined as treatment, report of 2 International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) values >14, or 2 increases of ≥5 from baseline values with at least one value ≥12. Controls (n = 683) were men who reported no BPH treatment or IPSS values >7 over the 7-year trial. Baseline serum was analyzed for C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor (monomer), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors I and II (sTNF-RI and sTNF-RII), interleukin 6, and interferon . Controlled for age and race, a high C-reactive protein concentration was associa... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278991 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278990&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F564%3Frss%3D1 The authors examined the relation between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and type 2 diabetes incidence among African-American women in the prospective Black Women's Health Study. Participants have completed mailed biennial follow-up questionnaires since 1995. US Census block group characteristics were used to measure neighborhood SES. Incidence rate ratios were estimated in clustered survival regression models. During 12 years of follow-up of 46,382 participants aged 30–69 years, 3,833 new cases of type 2 diabetes occurred. In models that included both individual and neighborhood SES factors, incidence rate ratios were 1.28 (95% confidence interval: 1.15, 1.43) for ≤12 years of education relative to ≥17 years, 1.57 (95% confidence interval: 1.30, 1.90) f... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278990 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278989&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F557%3Frss%3D1 Patterns of lung cancer incidence suggest that gender-associated factors may influence lung cancer risk. Given the association of parity with risk of some women's cancers, the authors hypothesized that childbearing history may also be associated with lung cancer. Women enrolled in the Lung Cancer Susceptibility Study at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) between 1992 and 2004 (1,004 cases, 848 controls) were available for analysis of the association between parity and lung cancer risk. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. After results were controlled for age and smoking history, women with at least 1 child had 0.71 times the odds of lung cancer as women without children (odds ratio = 0.71, 95% confiden... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278989 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278988&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F550%3Frss%3D1 This study underscores the importance of obesity in diabetes risk and the importance of preventing the development of overweight and obesity earlier in life. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278988 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278987&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F540%3Frss%3D1 Although both inflammatory and atherosclerosis markers have been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, data directly comparing their predictive value are limited. The authors compared the value of 2 atherosclerosis markers (ankle-arm index (AAI) and aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV)) and 3 inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-)) in predicting CHD events. Among 2,191 adults aged 70–79 years at baseline (1997–1998) from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study cohort, the authors examined adjudicated incident myocardial infarction or CHD death ("hard" events) and "hard" events plus hospitalization for angina or coronary revascularization (total CHD events). During 8 years of follow-up between 1997&... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278987 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278986&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F532%3Frss%3D1 This study examined the association between alcohol consumption in a diverse group of young adults and incident hypertension over 20 years. Participants (n = 4,711) were from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study cohort, recruited in 1985 (aged 18–30 years) from Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Oakland, California. The 20-year incidence of hypertension for never, former, light, moderate, and at-risk drinkers was 25.1%, 31.8%, 20.9%, 22.2%, and 18.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). Race, gender, age, family history of hypertension, body mass index, income, education, and difficulty paying for basics and medical care were associated with hypertension. Adjustment using Cox proportional hazard models revealed no association between ba... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278986 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278985&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F522%3Frss%3D1 The association between psychosocial risk factors and retinal microvascular signs was examined in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Subjects were recruited from Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Forsyth County, North Carolina; Los Angeles County, California; New York, New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Levels of depressive symptoms, trait anger, trait anxiety, chronic burdens, emotional support, and cynical distrust were assessed by questionnaire (from July 2000 to July 2002). Digital retinal images (from August 2002 to January 2004) from 6,147 participants were used to evaluate retinopathy and retinal vascular caliber. After controlling for potential confounding factors, the authors found that subjects without access to emotional support (Enriched Social Support Instrument ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278985 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278984&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2F515%3Frss%3D1 Higher urinary albumin excretion predicts future cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Physical activity improves endothelial function so activity may reduce albuminuria. Among diabetics, physical activity decreases albuminuria. In nondiabetics, prior studies have shown no association. The authors explored the cross-sectional association between physical activity and albuminuria in 3,587 nondiabetic women in 2 US cohorts, the Nurses’ Health Study I in 2000 and the Nurses’ Health Study II in 1997. Physical activity was expressed as metabolic equivalents per week. The outcome was the top albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) decile. Multivariate logistic regression was used. Secondary analyses explored the ACR association with strenuous activity and walking. ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278984 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278983&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278983 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278983 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278982&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278982 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278981&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278981 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3278980&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F5%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3278980 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:25 +0100 3278980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242803&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F506%3Frss%3D1 Sufficient cause interactions concern cases in which there is a particular causal mechanism for some outcome that requires the presence of 2 or more specific causes to operate. Empirical conditions have been derived to test for sufficient cause interactions. However, when regression outcome models are used to control for confounding variables in tests for sufficient cause interactions, the outcome models impose restrictions on the relation between the confounding variables and certain unidentified background causes within the sufficient cause framework; often, these assumptions are implausible. By using marginal structural models, rather than outcome regression models, to test for sufficient cause interactions, modeling assumptions are instead made on the relation between the causes of int... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242803 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242802&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F498%3Frss%3D1 Assuming continuous, normally distributed environmental and categorical genotype variables, the authors compare 6 case-only designs for tests of association in gene-environment interaction. Novel tests modeling the environmental variable as either the response or the predictor and allowing a genetic variable with multiallelic variants are included. The authors show that tests imposing the same genotypic pattern of inheritance perform similarly regardless of whether genotype is the response variable or the predictor variable. The novel tests using the genetic variable as the response variable are advantageous because they are robust to non-normally distributed environmental exposures. Dominance deviance—deviation from additivity in the main or interaction effects—is key to test ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242802 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242801&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F488%3Frss%3D1 Few food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) have been developed specifically for use among African Americans, and reports of FFQ performance among African Americans or low-income groups assessed using biochemical indicators are scarce. The authors conducted a validation study within the Southern Community Cohort Study to evaluate FFQ-estimated intakes of -carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, folate, and -tocopherol in relation to blood levels of these nutrients. Included were 255 nonsmoking participants (125 African Americans, 130 non-Hispanic whites) who provided a blood sample at the time of study enrollment and FFQ administration in 2002–2004. Levels of biochemical indicators of each micronutrient (-tocopherol among women only) significantly i... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242801 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242800&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F479%3Frss%3D1 The authors compared dietary pattern methods—cluster analysis, factor analysis, and index analysis—with colorectal cancer risk in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)–AARP Diet and Health Study (n = 492,306). Data from a 124-item food frequency questionnaire (1995–1996) were used to identify 4 clusters for men (3 clusters for women), 3 factors, and 4 indexes. Comparisons were made with adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals, distributions of individuals in clusters by quintile of factor and index scores, and health behavior characteristics. During 5 years of follow-up through 2000, 3,110 colorectal cancer cases were ascertained. In men, the vegetables and fruits cluster, the fruits and vegetables factor, the fat-reduced/diet foods factor, and all in... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242800 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242799&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F465%3Frss%3D1 The transmissibility of the strain of influenza virus which caused the 1968 influenza pandemic is poorly understood. Increases in outbreak size between the first and second waves suggest that it may even have increased between successive waves. The authors estimated basic and effective reproduction numbers for both waves of the 1968 influenza pandemic. Epidemic curves and overall attack rates for the 1968 pandemic, based on clinical and serologic data, were retrieved from published literature. The basic and effective reproduction numbers were estimated from 46 and 17 data sets for the first and second waves, respectively, based on the growth rate and/or final size of the epidemic. Estimates of the basic reproduction number (R0) were in the range of 1.06–2.06 for the first wave and, a... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242799 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242798&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F455%3Frss%3D1 Thyroid disease is common, and evidence of an association between organochlorine exposure and thyroid disease is increasing. The authors examined the cross-sectional association between ever use of organochlorines and risk of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism among female spouses (n = 16,529) in Iowa and North Carolina enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study in 1993–1997. They also assessed risk of thyroid disease in relation to ever use of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and fumigants. Prevalence of self-reported clinically diagnosed thyroid disease was 12.5%, and prevalence of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism was 6.9% and 2.1%, respectively. There was an increased odds of hypothyroidism with ever use of organochlorine insecticides (adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) = 1.2 (95% ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242798 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242797&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F447%3Frss%3D1 Recent evidence suggests that gallstones and kidney stones are associated with insulin resistance, but the relation between stone diseases and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus is not clear. Participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam Study (Potsdam, Germany) provided information about the presence of gallstones and kidney stones at recruitment between 1994 and 1998. On biennial questionnaires, participants reported newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus, and confirmation was obtained from treating physicians. During a mean follow-up period of 7.0 years between 1994 and 2005, 849 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified among 25,166 participants. After adjustment for sex, age, waist circumference, and lifestyle ri... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242797 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242796&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F436%3Frss%3D1 The authors examined the association between the intake of different dairy products and the risk of bladder cancer in 120,852 men and women aged 55–69 years participating in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer. Dairy product intake was assessed in 1986 by using a 150-item food frequency questionnaire. The cohort was followed for 16.3 years, and 1,549 incident cases of bladder cancer were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards analysis was applied with a case-cohort approach by using the follow-up data of a random subcohort (n = 5,000). Multivariate hazard ratio estimates comparing the highest with the lowest quintile of total dairy intake were 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81, 1.27; Ptrend = 0.68). A statistically significant association for fermented milk products wa... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242796 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242795&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F426%3Frss%3D1 Data from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to describe the distribution of cardiorespiratory fitness and its association with obesity and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) for adults 20–49 years of age without physical limitations or indications of cardiovascular disease. A sample of 7,437 adults aged 20–49 years were examined at a mobile examination center. Of 4,860 eligible for a submaximal treadmill test, 3,250 completed the test and were included in the analysis. The mean maximal oxygen uptake ( max) was estimated as 44.5, 42.8, and 42.2 mL/kg/minute for men 20–29, 30–39, and 40–49 years of age, respectively. For women, it was 36.5, 35.4, and 34.4 mL/kg/minute for the corresponding age groups. Non-Hispanic ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242795 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242794&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F415%3Frss%3D1 Results from epidemiologic studies of hormone therapy use and colon cancer risk are inconsistent. This question was investigated in the California Teachers Study (1995–2006) among 56,864 perimenopausal or postmenopausal participants under 80 years of age with no prior colorectal cancer by using Cox proportional hazards regression. Incident invasive colon cancer was diagnosed among 442 participants. Baseline-recent hormone therapy users were at 36% lower risk for colon cancer versus baseline-never users (baseline-recent users: relative risk (RR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51, 0.80). Results did not differ by formulation. Estimated risk was lower among baseline-recent hormone therapy users with increasing duration between 5 and 15 years of use (RR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.6... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242794 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242793&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F407%3Frss%3D1 Both maternal diabetes and obesity have been associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects (NTD), possibly due to a sustained state of hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia. Data were collected in the Boston University Slone Birth Defects Study (a case-control study) from 1988 to 1998. The authors examined whether high dietary glycemic index (DGI) and high dietary glycemic load (DGL) increased the risk of NTDs in nondiabetic women. Mothers of NTD cases and nonmalformed controls were interviewed in person within 6 months after delivery about diet and other exposures. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated from logistic regression for high DGI (≥60) and high DGL (≥205), with cutpoints determined by cubic spline. Of 698 case mothers, 25% had high DGI and 4% h... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242793 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242792&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F399%3Frss%3D1 The authors investigated variations in cognitive ability by gestational age among 13,824 children at age 6.5 years who were born at term with normal weight, using data from a prospective cohort recruited in 1996–1997 in Belarus. The mean differences in the Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence were examined by gestational age in completed weeks and by fetal growth after controlling for maternal and family characteristics. Compared with the score for those born at 39–41 weeks, the full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) score was 1.7 points (95% confidence interval (CI): –2.7, –0.7) lower in children born at 37 weeks and 0.4 points (95% CI: –1.1, 0.02) lower at 38 weeks after controlling for confounders. There was also a graded relation in postterm children... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242792 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242791&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2F391%3Frss%3D1 Neighborhood socioeconomic environment may be a determinant of injection drug use cessation. The authors used data from a prospective cohort study of Baltimore City, Maryland, injection drug users assessed between 1990 and 2006. The study examined the relation between living in a poorer neighborhood and the probability of injection cessation among active injectors, independent of individual characteristics and while respecting the temporality of potential confounders, exposure, and outcome. Participants’ residences were geocoded, and the crude, adjusted, and inverse probability of exposure weighted associations between neighborhood poverty and injection drug use cessation were estimated. Weighted models showed a strong association between neighborhood poverty and injection drug use c... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242791 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242790&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242790 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242789&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242789 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242788&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242788 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3242787&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F4%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3242787 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:09:30 +0100 3242787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188111&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F389%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188111 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188110&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F387-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188110 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188109&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F387%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188109 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188108&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F385%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188108 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188107&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F384%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188107 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188106&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F377%3Frss%3D1 Cox proportional hazards regression analysis of survival data and conditional logistic regression analysis of matched case-control data are methods that are widely used by epidemiologists. Standard statistical software packages accommodate only log-linear model forms, which imply exponential exposure-response functions and multiplicative interactions. In this paper, the authors describe methods for fitting non-log-linear Cox and conditional logistic regression models. The authors use data from a study of lung cancer mortality among Colorado Plateau uranium miners (1950–1982) to illustrate these methods for fitting general relative risk models to matched case-control control data, countermatched data with weights, d:m matching, and full cohort Cox regression using the SAS statistical ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188106 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188105&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F368%3Frss%3D1 The authors aimed to determine differences in the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and its associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, using different methods of calculating the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Using measurements taken in the bilateral brachial, dorsalis pedis, and posterior tibial arteries, the authors calculated ABI in 3 ways: 1) with the lowest ankle pressure (dorsalis pedis artery or posterior tibial artery) ("ABI-LO"), 2) with the highest ankle pressure ("ABI-HI"), and 3) with the mean of the ankle pressures ("ABI-MN"). For all 3 methods, the index ABI was the lower of the ABIs calculated from the left and right legs. PAD was defined as an ABI less than 0.90. Among 6,590 subjects from a multiethnic cohort (baseline examination: 2000–20... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188105 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188104&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F357%3Frss%3D1 The authors studied the characteristics of those who initiated the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine versus those who did not. Female members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California aged 9–26 years were identified and assessed for HPV vaccination between October 2006 and March 2008. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to examine the association of the following factors with vaccine initiation: 1) demographics, 2) provider characteristics, 3) health care utilization, 4) women's health-related conditions, and 5) selected immune-related conditions. The study included 285,265 females. All analyses were stratified by 2 age groups: 9–17 years and 18–26 years. Black race (relative risk (RR)9–17 years = 0.93, RR18–26 years = 0.82), having a male primary c... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188104 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188103&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F345%3Frss%3D1 During the 20th century, the Hong Kong Chinese population experienced 2 abrupt but temporally distinct macroenvironmental changes: The transition from essentially preindustrial living conditions to a rapidly developing economy through mass migration in the late 1940s was followed by the emergence of an infant and childhood adiposity epidemic in the 1960s. The authors aimed to delineate the effects of these 2 aspects of economic development on mortality, thus providing a sentinel for other rapidly developing economies. Sex-specific Poisson models were used to estimate effects of age, calendar period, and birth cohort on Hong Kong adult mortality between 1976 and 2005. All-cause and cause-specific mortality, including mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD), cardiovascular disease exclud... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188103 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188102&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F334%3Frss%3D1 The authors investigated the association between age at menarche and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among 101,415 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) aged 34–59 years (1980–2006) and 100,547 women from Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II) aged 26–46 years (1991–2005). During 2,430,274 and 1,373,875 person-years of follow-up, respectively, 7,963 and 2,739 incident cases of T2DM were documented. Young age at menarche was associated with increased risk of T2DM after adjustment for potential confounders, including body figure at age 10 years and body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) at age 18 years. Relative risks of T2DM across age-at-menarche categories (≤11, 12, 13, 14, and ≥15 years) were 1.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188102 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188101&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F323%3Frss%3D1 The authors examined the relation between occupation and lung cancer in the large, population-based Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology (EAGLE) case-control study. In 2002–2005 in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, 2,100 incident lung cancer cases and 2,120 randomly selected population controls were enrolled. Lifetime occupational histories (industry and job title) were coded by using standard international classifications and were translated into occupations known (list A) or suspected (list B) to be associated with lung cancer. Smoking-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated with logistic regression. For men, an increased risk was found for list A (177 exposed cases and 100 controls; odds ratio = 1.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.27, 2.38) ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188101 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188100&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F312%3Frss%3D1 The relation between diet, lifestyle, and acute myeloid leukemia was assessed in a US cohort of 491,163 persons from the NIH–AARP Diet and Health Study (1995–2003). A total of 338 incident cases of acute myeloid leukemia were ascertained. Multivariate Cox models were utilized to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Compared with those for never smokers, hazard ratios were 1.29 (95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.75), 1.79 (95% confidence interval: 1.32, 2.42), 2.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.63, 3.57), and 2.29 (85% confidence interval: 1.38, 3.79) for former smokers who smoked ≤1 or >1 pack/day and for current smokers who smoked ≤1 or >1 pack/day, respectively. Higher meat intake was associated with an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (hazard... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188100 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188099&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F303%3Frss%3D1 This study examined whether externally rated job demand and control were associated with depression diagnosis claims in a heavy industrial cohort. The retrospective cohort sample consisted of 7,566 hourly workers aged 18–64 years who were actively employed at 11 US plants between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2003, and free of depression diagnosis claims during an initial 2-year run-in period. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the effect of tertiles of demand and control exposure on depression diagnosis claims. Demand had a significant positive association with depression diagnosis claims in bivariate models and models adjusted for demographic (age, gender, race, education, job grade, tenure) and lifestyle (smoking status, body mass index, cholesterol level) variable... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188099 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:37 +0100 3188099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188098&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F292%3Frss%3D1 Recent studies have found that smoking is associated with an increased risk of dementia, but the effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) on dementia risk are not known to have previously been studied. The authors used Cox proportional hazards marginal structural models to examine the association between self-reported lifetime household SHS exposure and risk of incident dementia over 6 years among 970 US participants in the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study (performed from 1991 to 1999) who were never smokers and were free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), dementia, and mild cognitive impairment at baseline. In addition, because prior studies have found that SHS is associated with increased risk of CVD and that CVD is associated with increased risk of dementia, the authors tested for ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188098 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188097&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F290%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188097 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188096&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F287%3Frss%3D1 This commentary considers the implications of the association between albuminuria and cognitive decline described by Jassal et al. in this issue of the Journal (Am J Epidemiol. 2010;171(3):290–291). The authors report that men with albuminuria had a greater likelihood than men without albuminuria of experiencing declines in cognitive function over a 6.6-year period. Albuminuria is the result of endothelial damage in the kidney, which, in turn, is the result of microvascular disease. If one of the key mechanisms of brain microvascular disease is leakage of serum proteins into the brain extracellular space, in a fashion parallel to albuminuria that occurs in nephrosclerosis, several facets of cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline are explained. First, brain microvascular diseas... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188096 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188095&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F277%3Frss%3D1 Chronic kidney disease is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Albuminuria is an early manifestation of chronic kidney disease and a marker of endothelial dysfunction and vascular risk. Results of prior studies of albuminuria and cognitive function are contradictory. The authors studied 1,345 community-dwelling women and men in southern California (mean age, 75 years) at a 1992–1996 research clinic visit, when urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) was measured in spot morning urine and cognitive function was evaluated by using the Mini-Mental State Examination Trail-Making Test B, and category fluency test. An ACR of ≥30 mg/g was found in 17% of women and 15% of men in 1992–1996. Analysis of covariance was used to compare cognitive function score by categorical ACR. Betwee... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188095 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188094&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2F267%3Frss%3D1 In an International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium pooled analysis, polymorphisms in 2 immune-system-related genes, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-10 (IL10), were associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk. Here, 8,847 participants were added to previous data (patients diagnosed from 1989 to 2005 in 14 case-control studies; 7,999 cases, 8,452 controls) for testing of polymorphisms in the TNF –308G>A (rs1800629), lymphotoxin- (LTA) 252A>G (rs909253), IL10 –3575T>A (rs1800890, rs1800896), and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2) 3020insC (rs2066847) genes. Odds ratios were estimated for non-Hispanic whites and several ethnic subgroups using 2-sided tests. Consistent with previous findings, odds ratios were increased for "new" ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188094 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188093&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188093 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188092&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188092 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188091&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188091 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3188090&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F3%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3188090 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:44:36 +0100 3188090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132927&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F260%3Frss%3D1 In this study, the authors aimed to assess the effect of birth cohort on the prevalence of hearing impairment in an adult population aged 45–94 years, using data collected between 1993 and 2008 from 3 cycles of the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (n = 3,753; ages 48–92 years at baseline) and a sample of participants from the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (n = 2,173; ages ≥45 years). Hearing impairment was defined as a pure-tone average of thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz greater than 25-dB HL [hearing level]. Descriptive analysis, generalized additive models, and alternating logistic regression models were used to examine the birth cohort effect. Controlling for age, with every 5-year increase in birth year, the odds of having hearing impairment were 13% lower in men (odds... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132927 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132926&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F253%3Frss%3D1 Biologic mechanisms underlying associations of periodontal disease with cancers remain unknown. The authors propose that both conditions share common genetic risk factors. They analyzed associations between baseline periodontal disease, measured by questionnaire-recorded tooth mobility, and incident cancers, identified by linkage with national registries, between 1963 and 2004 in 15,333 Swedish twins. The authors used co-twin analyses to control for familial factors and undertook analyses restricted to monozygotic twins to further control for confounding by genetic factors. They observed 4,361 cancer cases over 548,913 person-years. After adjustment for covariates, baseline periodontal disease was associated with increased risk of several cancers ranging from 15% for total cancer (proporti... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132926 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132925&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F242%3Frss%3D1 The incidence of thyroid cancer has been rapidly increasing in the United States, but few risk factors have been established. The authors prospectively examined the associations of self-reported medical history, anthropometric factors, and behavioral factors with thyroid cancer risk among 90,713 US radiologic technologists (69,506 women and 21,207 men) followed from 1983 through 2006. Incident thyroid cancers in 242 women and 40 men were reported. Elevated risks were observed for women with benign thyroid conditions (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.73, 3.20), benign breast disease (HR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.26), asthma (HR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.83), and body mass index ≥35.0 versus 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 (HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.94; P-trend = 0.04). Curren... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132925 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132924&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F233%3Frss%3D1 Many studies have investigated the relation between magnesium and iron intake and diabetes and, separately, between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. However, no known study has examined the direct association of magnesium and iron intake with pancreatic cancer risk. The authors obtained magnesium and iron intake data using food frequency questionnaires from the US male Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which began in 1986. During 851,476 person-years and 20 years of follow-up, 300 pancreatic cancer cases were documented. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate relative risks, adjusting for age, smoking, and body mass index. No associations were observed between magnesium or iron intake and pancreatic cancer (highest vs. lowest quintile: relative risk (RR) = 0.94, 95% confi... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132924 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132923&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F221%3Frss%3D1 Rates of uterine leiomyomata are 2–3 times higher among black women than white women. Dietary factors that differ in prevalence between these populations that could contribute to the disparity include dairy intake. During 1997–2007, the authors followed 22,120 premenopausal US Black Women's Health Study participants to assess dairy intake in relation to uterine leiomyomata risk. Because soy may be substituted for dairy, the effect of soy intake was also evaluated. Diet was estimated by using food frequency questionnaires in 1995 and 2001. Incidence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated with Cox regression. There were 5,871 incident cases of uterine leiomyomata diagnosed by ultrasound (n = 3,964) or surgery (n = 1,907). Multivariable incidence rate ratios compa... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132923 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132922&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F214%3Frss%3D1 The authors investigated whether red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality in a community cohort in Taiwan. The influence of anemia on the association was also assessed. RDW levels were measured in 3,226 participants aged 35 years or older who reported no CVD or cancer at baseline in 1990. During a median follow-up period of 15.9 years (1990–2007), 358 participants experienced stroke and/or coronary heart disease, and 810 participants died. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio for subjects in the highest RDW quartile as compared with the lowest quartile was 1.46 for both all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.81) and non-CVD mortality (95% confidence interval: 1.13, 1.88) (P for tr... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132922 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132921&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F206%3Frss%3D1 Retinal microvascular caliber is a risk marker for cardiovascular disease. The authors examined the relation between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and retinal microvascular caliber in a multiethnic Asian population (n = 3,583) of Chinese, Malays, and Indians aged 24–95 years residing in Singapore (2003–2007). Retinal arteriolar and venular diameters were measured and summarized as central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), respectively. Persons with higher levels of hsCRP had wider CRVE (Ptrend < 0.001). In subgroup analysis stratified for different cardiovascular disease risk factors, the association between hsCRP and CRVE was seen in persons without diabetes (Ptrend < 0.001) but was absent in persons with di... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132921 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:13 +0100 3132921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132920&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F198%3Frss%3D1 Plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral load is a valuable tool for HIV research and clinical care but is often used in a noncumulative manner. The authors developed copy-years viremia as a measure of cumulative plasma HIV-1 viral load exposure among 297 HIV seroconverters from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (1984–1996). Men were followed from seroconversion to incident acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), death, or the beginning of the combination antiretroviral therapy era (January 1, 1996); the median duration of follow-up was 4.6 years (interquartile range (IQR), 2.7–6.5). The median viral load and level of copy-years viremia over 2,281 semiannual follow-up assessments were 29,628 copies/mL (IQR, 8,547–80,210) and 63,659 copies x years/mL (IQ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132920 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132919&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F189%3Frss%3D1 It is common in longitudinal studies for scheduled visits to be accompanied by as-needed visits due to medical events occurring between scheduled visits. If the timing of these as-needed visits is related to factors that are associated with the outcome but are not among the regression model covariates, naively including these as-needed visits in the model yields biased estimates. In this paper, the authors illustrate and discuss the key issues pertaining to inverse intensity rate ratio (IIRR)-weighted generalized estimating equations (GEE) methods in the context of a study of Kenyan mothers infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (1999–2005). The authors estimated prevalences and prevalence ratios for morbid conditions affecting the women during a 1-year postpartum follow-u... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132919 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132918&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F177%3Frss%3D1 The emergence of pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009 has prompted public health responses, including production and licensure of new influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccines. Safety monitoring is a critical component of vaccination programs. As proof-of-concept, the authors mimicked near real-time prospective surveillance for prespecified neurologic and allergic adverse events among enrollees in 8 medical care organizations (the Vaccine Safety Datalink Project) who received seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine during the 2005/06–2007/08 influenza seasons. In self-controlled case series analysis, the risk of adverse events in a prespecified exposure period following vaccination was compared with the risk in 1 control period for the same individual either before or after vac... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132918 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132917&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F169%3Frss%3D1 The state of pneumococcal carriage—that is, pneumococcal colonization in the nasopharynx of healthy persons—represents a reservoir for the spread of pneumococci among individuals. In light of the introduction of new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, further knowledge on the dynamics of pneumococcal carriage is important. Different serotypes (strains) of pneumococcus are known to compete with each other in colonizing human hosts. Understanding the strength and mode of between-serotype competition is important because of its implications for vaccine-induced changes in the ecology of pneumococcal carriage. Competition may work through reduced acquisition of new serotypes, due to concurrent carriage in the individual, or through enhanced clearance of serotypes in carriers who harbor... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132917 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132916&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F164%3Frss%3D1 Epidemiologists are well aware of the negative consequences of measurement error in exposure and outcome variables to their ability to detect putative causal associations. However, empirical proof that remedying the misclassification problem improves estimates of epidemiologic effect is seldom examined in detail. Of all areas in cancer epidemiology, perhaps the best example of the consequences of misclassification and of the steps taken to circumvent them was the pursuit, beginning in the mid-1980s, of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection–cervical cancer association. The stakes were high: Had the wrong conclusions been reached epidemiologists would have been led astray in the search for competing hypotheses for the sexually transmissible agent causing cervical cancer or in ascrib... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132916 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132915&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F155%3Frss%3D1 Misclassification of exposure and surrogate endpoints of disease can obscure causal relations. Using data from the Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance/Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion Triage Study (ALTS, 1997–2001), the authors explored the impact of exposure (human papillomavirus (HPV) detection) and endpoint (histologic cervical precancer) classification on their mutual association. Women referred into this study with an atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance Papanicolaou test with satisfactory results for all 4 HPV tests were included in this analysis (n = 3,215; 92.2%). HPV testing results were related to different definitions of cervical precancer, based on paired, worst 2-year histologic diagnoses, by calculating clinical sensitivity, spe... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132915 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132914&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2F135%3Frss%3D1 This meta-analysis assessed the association between overweight/obesity and low back pain. The authors systematically searched the Medline (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland) and Embase (Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) databases until May 2009. Ninety-five studies were reviewed and 33 included in the meta-analyses. In cross-sectional studies, obesity was associated with increased prevalence of low back pain in the past 12 months (pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.54), seeking care for low back pain (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.46, 1.67), and chronic low back pain (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.60). Compared with nonoverweight people, overweight people had a higher prevalence of low back pain but a lower prevalence of low back pain compared with ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132914 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132913&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132913 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132912&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132912 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132911&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132911 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3132910&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F2%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3132910 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:43:12 +0100 3132910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114036&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F133%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114036 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114035&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F132%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114035 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114034&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F131%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114034 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114033&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F130%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114033 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114032&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F129%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114032 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114031&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F123%3Frss%3D1 Cancer registries usually exclude nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC), despite the large population affected. Health maintenance organization (HMO) and health system administrative databases could be used as sampling frames for ascertaining NMSC. NMSC patients diagnosed between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 2007, from such defined US populations were identified by using 3 algorithms: NMSC International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, NMSC treatment Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, or both codes. A subset of charts was reviewed to verify NMSC diagnosis, including all records from HMO-enrollee members in 2007. Positive predictive values for NMSC ascertainment were calculated. Analyses of data from 1988–2007 ascertained 11,7... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114031 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114030&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F113%3Frss%3D1 To estimate the net effect of imperfectly measured highly active antiretroviral therapy on incident acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or death, the authors combined inverse probability-of-treatment-and-censoring weighted estimation of a marginal structural Cox model with regression-calibration methods. Between 1995 and 2007, 950 human immunodeficiency virus–positive men and women were followed in 2 US cohort studies. During 4,054 person-years, 374 initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy, 211 developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or died, and 173 dropped out. Accounting for measured confounders and determinants of dropout, the weighted hazard ratio for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or death comparing use of highly active antiretroviral therapy in the prior 2 years ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114030 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114029&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F105%3Frss%3D1 Longitudinal epidemiologic studies with irregularly observed categorical outcomes present considerable analytical challenges. Generalized linear models (GLMs) tolerate without bias only values missing completely at random and assume that all observations contribute equally. A triggered sampling study design and an analysis using inverse intensity weights in a GLM offer promise of effectively addressing both shortcomings. A triggered sampling design generates irregularly spaced outcomes because, in addition to regularly scheduled follow-up interviews, it specifies that data be collected after a "trigger" (a decline in health status during follow-up) occurs. It is intended to mitigate bias introduced by study participant loss to follow-up. For each observation, an inverse intensity weight is... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114029 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114028&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F93%3Frss%3D1 In alcohol epidemiology surveys, there is a tradition of measuring alcohol-related consequences using respondents’ attribution of alcohol as the cause. The authors aimed to compare the prevalence and frequency of self-attributed consequences to consequences without self-attribution using alcohol-attributable fractions (AAF). In 2007, a total of 7,174 Swiss school students aged 13–16 years reported the numbers of 6 alcohol-related adverse consequences (e.g., fights, injuries) they had incurred in the past 12 months. Consequences were measured with and without attribution of alcohol as the cause. The alcohol-use measures were frequency and volume of drinking in the past 12 months and number of risky single-occasion (≥5 drinks) drinking episodes in the past 30 days. Attributabl... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114028 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114027&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F83%3Frss%3D1 The authors assessed the extent to which socioeconomic status (SES) and the personality factors termed the "big 5" (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness) represented confounded or independent risks for all-cause mortality over a 10-year follow-up in the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) cohort between 1995 and 2004. Adjusted for demographics, the 25th versus 75th percentile of SES was associated with an odds ratio of 1.43 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11, 1.83). Demographic-adjusted odds ratios for the 75th versus 25th percentile of neuroticism were 1.38 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.73) and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.47, 0.84) for conscientiousness, the latter evaluated at high levels of agreeableness. Modest associations were observed between SES ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114027 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:39 +0100 3114027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114026&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F72%3Frss%3D1 Low-grade, systemic inflammation is related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adults. The proinflammatory state tracks from adolescence to adulthood. Identifying correlates of inflammation in adolescents could provide opportunities to prevent cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, population-based data on correlates of inflammation in adolescence are limited. Therefore, the authors studied the associations of early-life factors, gender, and lifestyle with inflammation (measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and leukocyte count) at age 16 years (2001–2002) in the prospective, population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 Study (n = 5,240). In females, being born small for gestational age and current use of oral contraceptives were associated with the... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114026 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114025&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F63%3Frss%3D1 Vascular abnormalities may exist before clinical hypertension. Using Poisson regression, the authors studied the association of coronary artery calcium (CAC), common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), aortic distensibility, and large and small arterial elasticity with incident hypertension among 2,512 normotensive US adults free of cardiovascular disease. Incidence rate ratios for incident hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or new antihypertensive medication) were calculated. Increased CAC was associated with incident hypertension in demographics-adjusted models (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 1.75; IRR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.78; and IRR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.25 for CAC scores of 30–99, 100–399, and ≥400, respectively... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114025 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114024&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F54%3Frss%3D1 Mechanical stress to alveolar walls may cause progressive damage after an early-life insult such as exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). This hypothesis was examined by using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a population-based cohort aged 45–84 years, free of clinical cardiovascular disease, recruited from 6 US sites in 2000–2002. The MESA-Lung Study assessed a fractal, structural measure of early emphysema ("alpha," lower values indicate more emphysema) and a standard quantitative measure ("percent emphysema") from cardiac computed tomography scans. Childhood ETS exposure was assessed retrospectively as a report of living with one or more regular indoor smokers. Analyses included 1,781 nonsmokers (<100 cigarettes, 20 cigars, or 20 pipefu... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114024 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114023&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F45%3Frss%3D1 Previous epidemiologic studies suggest that the major histologic subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer may have different risk factor profiles; however, no known prospective study has systematically examined differences in risk by subtype. The authors used Cox proportional hazards regression, stratified by histologic subtype and time period, to examine the association between ovarian cancer risk factors and incidence of serous invasive, endometrioid, and mucinous ovarian cancers in the US Nurses’ Health Study (1976–2006) and Nurses’ Health Study II (1989–2005). For each exposure, they calculated P-heterogeneity using a likelihood ratio test comparing models with separate estimates for the 3 subtypes versus a single estimate across subtypes. Analysis included 221,866... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114023 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114022&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F36%3Frss%3D1 The authors investigated the relation between alcohol consumption and lung cancer risk in the Environment and Genetics in Lung Cancer Etiology (EAGLE) Study, a population-based case-control study. Between 2002 and 2005, 2,100 patients with primary lung cancer were recruited from 13 hospitals within the Lombardy region of Italy and were frequency-matched on sex, area of residence, and age to 2,120 randomly selected controls. Alcohol consumption during adulthood was assessed in 1,855 cases and 2,065 controls. Data on lifetime tobacco smoking, diet, education, and anthropometric measures were collected. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for categories of mean daily ethanol intake were calculated using unconditional logistic regression. Overall, both nondrinkers (odds ratio = 1... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114022 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114021&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F27%3Frss%3D1 Extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) have been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The authors investigated, in a population-based case-control study in Germany, if children whose parents were exposed preconceptionally at work to ELF-MFs had an increased risk of developing cancer. Cases aged 0–14 years were ascertained from the German Childhood Cancer Registry. Controls were selected from local resident registration offices. The parental occupational history was recorded in questionnaires and telephone interviews, and preconceptional magnetic field exposure was estimated according to a job-exposure matrix. The analysis included 2,382 controls and 2,049 cases (846 children with acute leukemia, 159 children with... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114021 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114020&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F24%3Frss%3D1 Over the past decade, leading epidemiologists have noted the importance of social factors in studying and understanding the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations; but to what extent are epidemiologic studies integrating genetic information and other biologic variables with information about individual-level risk factors and group-level or societal factors related to the broader residential, behavioral, or cultural context? There remains a need to consider ways to integrate genetic information with social and contextual information in epidemiologic studies, partly to combat the overemphasis on the importance of genetic factors as determinants of disease in human populations. Even in genome-wide association studies of coronary heart disease and other common complex di... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114020 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114019&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F14%3Frss%3D1 This study demonstrates that genetic variants revealed in a case-control genome-wide association study enriched for early disease onset may play a role in the genetic etiology of CHD in the general population. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114019 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114018&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2F1%3Frss%3D1 Steroid 5--reductase type 2 (SRD5a2) is a critical enzyme in androgen metabolism. Two polymorphisms in the SRD5a2 gene, V89L (rs523349) and A49T (rs9282858), have been studied for associations with prostate cancer risk, with conflicting results. The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (1997–2007) to examine these associations and compared the results with findings from genome-wide association studies of prostate cancer. The meta-analysis included 24 case-control studies (10,088 cases and 10,120 controls for V89L and 4,998 cases and 5,451 controls for A49T). The authors found that prostate cancer was not associated with V89L (L allele vs. V allele: odds ratio = 0.99, 95% confidence interval: 0.94, 1.05) and was probably not associated with A49T (T allele vs. A alle... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114018 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114017&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114017 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114016&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114016 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114015&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114015 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3114014&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F171%2F1%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3114014 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:33:38 +0100 3114014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055477&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1582%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055477 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:37 +0100 3055477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055476&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1581-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055476 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:37 +0100 3055476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055475&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1581%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055475 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055474&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1579%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055474 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055473&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1571%3Frss%3D1 Mammographic density is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk. Typically expressed as a percentage of the breast area occupied by radiologically dense tissue on a mammogram, its full value may not be realized because of its negative association with body mass index. A simpler measure of mammographic density, independent of other breast cancer risk factors and equally predictive of risk, would be preferable for risk prediction models. Percentage and area measures of mammographic density were determined for 815 women at high risk for breast cancer from the baseline assessments in the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study I, a trial of tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention conducted between 1992 and 2001. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess associations... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055473 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055472&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1563%3Frss%3D1 Few studies have evaluated the validity of adolescent diet recall after many decades. Between 1943 and 1970, yearly diet records were completed by parents of adolescents participating in an ongoing US study. In 2005–2006, study participants who had been 13–18 years of age when the diet records were collected were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire regarding their adolescent diet. Food frequency questionnaires and diet records were available for 72 participants. The authors calculated Spearman correlation coefficients between food, food group, and nutrient intakes from the diet records and food frequency questionnaire and deattenuated them to account for the effects of within-person variation measured in the diet records on the association. The median deattenuated ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055472 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055471&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1555%3Frss%3D1 Family studies of exceptional longevity can potentially identify genetic and other factors contributing to long life and healthy aging. Although such studies seek families that are exceptionally long lived, they also need living members who can provide DNA and phenotype information. On the basis of these considerations, the authors developed a metric to rank families for selection into a family study of longevity. Their measure, the family longevity selection score (FLoSS), is the sum of 2 components: 1) an estimated family longevity score built from birth-, gender-, and nation-specific cohort survival probabilities and 2) a bonus for older living siblings. The authors examined properties of FLoSS-based family rankings by using data from 3 ongoing studies: the New England Centenarian Study... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055471 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055470&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1541%3Frss%3D1 Discovering and understanding genetic risk factors for melanoma and their interactions with phenotype, sun exposure, and other risk factors could lead to new strategies for melanoma control. This paper describes the Australian Melanoma Family Study, which uses a multicenter, population-based, case-control-family design. From 2001 to 2005, the authors recruited 1,164 probands including 629 cases with histopathologically confirmed, first-primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosed before age 40 years, 240 population-based controls frequency matched for age, and 295 spouse/friend controls. Information on lifetime sun exposure, phenotype, and residence history was collected for probands and nearly 4,000 living relatives. More than 3,000 subjects donated a blood sample. Proxy-reported information was ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055470 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055469&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1533%3Frss%3D1 Seasonal influenza causes excess morbidity and mortality at the extremes of age: It disproportionately affects the very young and the very old, typically resulting in "U"-shaped age-distributed curves. By means of a well-established public health department surveillance system using positive influenza tests submitted from sentinel sites, the authors generated annual influenza-specific morbidity curves over a 10-year period (1998–2008) for St. Louis County, Missouri. The authors detected an unusually high incidence of cases of medically attended test-positive influenza, particularly in young adults, during the 2007–2008 season, resulting in an unexpected "W"-shaped age-distributed morbidity curve that was distinctly unique in comparison with the prior 9 influenza seasons. Public... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055469 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055468&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1530%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055468 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055467&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1518%3Frss%3D1 This study examined the relation between Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of incident CHD events in the 5 Spanish centers of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Analysis included 41,078 participants aged 29–69 years, recruited in 1992–1996 and followed up until December 2004 (mean follow-up:10.4 years). Confirmed incident fatal and nonfatal CHD events were analyzed according to Mediterranean diet adherence, measured by using an 18-unit relative Mediterranean diet score. A total of 609 participants (79% male) had a fatal or nonfatal confirmed acute myocardial infarction (n = 468) or unstable angina requiring revascularization (n = 141). After stratification by center and age and adjustment for recognized CHD risk factors, high compared with low... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055467 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055466&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1512%3Frss%3D1 Results of 3 previous studies suggest that use of aspirin is related to a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, at least in obese women (body mass index, ≥30 kg/m2). Using data obtained in a population-based, case-control study in western Washington State, the authors examined this question. Between 2003 and 2005, 410 women diagnosed with invasive endometrial cancer and 356 controls were interviewed regarding the use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). A history of use of NSAIDs was not associated with the risk of endometrial cancer (odds ratio = 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 0.76, 1.42). The lack of association was also present specifically for use of aspirin (odds ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.73, 1.53). NSAID use was unrelated to risk of endom... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055466 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055465&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1502%3Frss%3D1 Few epidemiologic investigations of visceral adiposity and colorectal neoplasms have attempted the direct quantification of visceral fat. The authors measured visceral fat volume among middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women who underwent colonoscopy and positron emission tomography/computed tomography for cancer screening in Tokyo, Japan, between February 2004 and February 2005, and examined the association between visceral adiposity and colorectal adenoma in 1,205 eligible subjects. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for colorectal adenoma were estimated by using an unconditional logistic regression model after adjustment for potential confounders. Despite its high correlation with body mass index, visceral fat volume was associated with the prevalence of colorectal adenoma ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055465 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055464&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1494%3Frss%3D1 The individual effect of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms within the catalase and myeloperoxidase genes (CAT and MPO) has been studied in relation to asthma; however, their interrelationship with ambient air pollution exposures has yet to be determined. The authors investigated the interrelationships between variants in CAT and MPO, ambient air pollutants, and acute respiratory illness. Health information, air pollution, and incident respiratory-related school absences were ascertained in January–June 1996 for 1,136 Hispanic and non-Hispanic white US elementary schoolchildren as part of the prospective Children's Health Study. Functional and tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms for the CAT and MPO loci were genotyped. The authors found epistasis between functional polymo... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055464 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055463&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1486%3Frss%3D1 This study aimed to investigate the effect of the timing, dose, and source of folate during pregnancy on childhood asthma by using data from an Australian prospective birth cohort study (n = 557) from 1998 to 2005. At 3.5 years and 5.5 years, 490 and 423 mothers and children participated in the study, respectively. Maternal folate intake from diet and supplements was assessed by food frequency questionnaire in early (<16 weeks) and late (30–34 weeks) pregnancy. The primary outcome was physician-diagnosed asthma, obtained by maternal-completed questionnaire. Asthma was reported in 11.6% of children at 3.5 years (n = 57) and in 11.8% of children at 5.5 years (n = 50). Folic acid taken in supplement form in late pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma at 3... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055463 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055462&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1478%3Frss%3D1 This study provides longitudinal evidence that smoking increases risk of incident tuberculosis, mortality from tuberculosis, and tuberculosis recurrence. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055462 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055461&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1469%3Frss%3D1 This study showed that although the incremental risk of recreational swimming is significant, it is relatively small. (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055461 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055460&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1467%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055460 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055460 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055459&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1464%3Frss%3D1 Genomic data will become an increasingly important component of epidemiologic studies in coming years. The authors of the accompanying Journal article, van Ballegooijen et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2009;170(12):1455–1463), are to be commended for attempting to use the coalescent analysis of viral sequence data to evaluate a hepatitis B vaccination program. Coalescent theory attempts to link the phylogenetic history of populations with rates of population growth and decline. In particular, under certain assumptions, a reduction in genetic diversity can be interpreted as a reduction in disease incidence. However, the authors of this commentary contend that van Ballegooijen et al.’s interpretation of changes in viral genetic diversity as a measure of hepatitis B vaccine effectiveness h... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055459 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055458&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2F1455%3Frss%3D1 The effect of vaccination programs on transmission of infectious disease is usually assessed by monitoring programs that rely on notifications of symptomatic illness. For monitoring of infectious diseases with a high proportion of asymptomatic cases or a low reporting rate, molecular sequence data combined with modern coalescent-based techniques offer a complementary tool to assess transmission. Here, the authors investigate the added value of using viral sequence data to monitor a vaccination program that was started in 1998 and was targeted against hepatitis B virus in men who have sex with men in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The incidence in this target group, as estimated from the notifications of acute infections with hepatitis B virus, was low; therefore, there was insufficient power ... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055458 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055457&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2Fi%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055457 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055456&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2FNP-c%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055456 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055455&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2FNP-b%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055455 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055454&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2FNP-a%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055454 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3055453&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F12%2FNP%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3055453 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:42:36 +0100 3055453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3002721&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F11%2F1453%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3002721 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:11:06 +0100 3002721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3002720&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F11%2F1451%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3002720 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:11:06 +0100 3002720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3002719&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F11%2F1449%3Frss%3D1 (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology) American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3002719 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:11:06 +0100 3002719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3002718&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F11%2F1443%3Frss%3D1 The assessment of indirect effects is an important tool for epidemiologists interested in exploring the mechanisms of exposure-disease relations. A standard way of expressing an indirect effect is in terms of the "proportion explained"; this is the proportion of the total effect that is explained by a particular mediator (or set of mediators). There are several ways to calculate the proportion explained, based on both additive and multiplicative models. However, these standard methods (particularly those based on multiplicative models) have been criticized for lacking a causal interpretation. To address this issue, the author uses a framework of potential outcomes to define the indirect effects of interest (natural effects) and assess the correspondence between the natural effects and stan... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3002718 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:11:06 +0100 3002718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3002717&cid=s_28380_54_f&fid=28380&url=http%3A%2F%2Faje.oxfordjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fcontent%2Fshort%2F170%2F11%2F1433%3Frss%3D1 Concerns about respiratory conditions have surfaced among persons deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Data on 46,077 Millennium Cohort Study participants who completed baseline (July 2001–June 2003) and follow-up (June 2004–February 2006) questionnaires were used to investigate 1) respiratory symptoms (persistent or recurring cough or shortness of breath), 2) chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and 3) asthma. Deployers had a higher rate of newly reported respiratory symptoms than nondeployers (14% vs. 10%), while similar rates of chronic bronchitis or emphysema (1% vs. 1%) and asthma (1% vs. 1%) were observed. Deployment was associated with respiratory symptoms in both Army (adjusted odds ratio = 1.73, 95% confidence interval: 1.57, 1.91) and Marine Corps (adjusted odds ratio = 1.49... American Journal of Epidemiology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3002717 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:11:06 +0100 3002717