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Lifestyle Habits (lifestyle + habit)
Selected AbstractsGenetic and environmental interactions on oral cancer in Southern ThailandENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 2 2001Suparp Kietthubthew Abstract Many countries are interested in understanding the relationship between genetic susceptibility and their prevalent environmental cancers for disease prevention. In Thailand we conducted a population-based case-control study of 53 matched pairs to assess the risk of oral cancer in relation to genetic polymorphism of the glutathione-S-transferase genes (GSTM1 and GSTT1) in cigarette smokers, alcohol drinkers, and betel quid chewers. Interaction of the genes with other potential risk factors such as local bean consumption were also elucidated. Homozygous deletion of GSTM1 has a frequency of 56.6% (n = 30 over 53) among the patients and 30.2% (16/53) among the controls. This gene is associated with a 2.6-fold higher risk for development of oral cancer (95% CI 1.04,6.5). Among the null GSTM1 individuals, those who smoke, consume alcohol, and/or chew betel quid have a significantly increased risk for oral cancer with an odd ratio (OR) = 4.0 (95% CI = 1.2,13.7), OR = 7.2 (95% CI = 1.5,33.8), and OR = 4.4 (95% CI = 1.1,17.8), respectively. Interactions between any two of the lifestyle habits for oral cancer risk, however, are not found. The frequency of the GSTT1 null genotype is 34.0% (18/53) among the patients and 47.2% (25/53) among our controls. There is no association between the GSTT1 null allele and oral cancer risk. In conclusion, our study provides data to indicate that individuals who have homozygous deletion of the GSTM1 gene have increased risk for oral cancer. The risk increases further when these individuals are exposed to environmental toxicants such as chemicals in cigarette smoke, alcohol, and betel quid. These baseline data can be applied to a larger population-based study, both to verify the observation and to conduct mechanistic investigations. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 37:111,116, 2001 © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Preventive medicine beyond 65GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2006Lionel S. Lim Preventive health care in adults aged 65 and older is essential to ensure that quality of life is maintained with longevity. The first half of this article will focus on the two major causes of mortality in the US adult population: cancer and cardiovascular disease. We will address current screening and chemoprevention issues pertaining to breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate and skin cancer. For cardiovascular disease prevention, we will discuss the importance of screening for and treating hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and the use of aspirin chemoprophylaxis and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. In the latter half, we will discuss other aspects of preventive health care including fall prevention, motor vehicle safety, immunizations and screening issues. Health screening can help detect conditions like osteoporosis, subclinical thyroid disease, hearing impairment, nutritional status, and oral and dental problems. Finally, we will also address psychosocial health issues that affect older people including dementia, depression, elder abuse, lifestyle habits and advanced directives. Our recommendations are based on the latest available evidence and include the US Preventive Services Task Force and other leading health professional organizations. [source] A history of cancer in the husband does not increase the risk of breast cancerINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 12 2006Eva Negri Abstract Spouses share the home environment, and dietary and other lifestyle habits. Furthermore, a cancer diagnosis in the husband is a stressful event for the wife also. Thus, a history of cancer in the husband may be an indicator of breast cancer risk. We investigated the issue in a large Italian multicentric case-control study on 2,588 women with incident breast cancer and 2,569 female hospital controls, admitted for acute, non neoplastic diseases. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.0 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.7,1.4) for a history of any type of cancer in the husband, 1.0 (95% 0.4,2.7) for stomach, 0.7 (95% 0.2,2.3) for intestinal (chiefly colorectal), 0.9 (95% CI 0.5,1.7) for lung, and 1.3 (95% CI 0.4,4.3) for prostate cancer. The OR was close to unity also when data were analyzed in separate strata of patient's or husband's age, patient's education, or vital status of the husband. This study suggests that women whose husband had a diagnosis of cancer are not at increased risk of breast cancer, although results for individual cancer sites should be interpreted with caution, due to small numbers. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Epidemiology of low back pain in the United Arab EmiratesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, Issue 3 2004Abdulbari BENER Abstract Aims:, Low back pain (LBP), a common presenting problem in general practice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has received increasing attention in recent decades. We seek to investigate the prevalence of LBP and associated risk factors among people living in the typically hot, humid desert environment of the UAE. Methods:, A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. The setting was the Primary Health Care (PHC) Clinics in Al-Ain, UAE. The subjects were a multistage stratified sample of 1304 UAE nationals, 15,70 years of age, who attended PHC clinics for any reason. All subjects were invited to participate. The questionnaire used in the survey is a modified version of the Roland-Morris scale for evaluating low back pain. The questionnaires were administered during face-to-face interviews conducted in Arabic by qualified nurses. Results:, Of the total 1304 subject, 1103 (84.5%) living in both urban and rural areas agreed to participate and responded to the study; 586 (53.1%) were men and 517 (46.9%) women. The mean ages and SD of the subjects were 34.9 ± 13.4 years for the men and 33.5 ± 11.8 years for the women. The prevalence of LBP in the present study was 64.6% (95% CI = 60.7,68.5). The results revealed that there were statistically significant differences between men and women with respect to LBP and body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001), marital status (P < 0.001), occupational status (P < 0.001), housing condition (P < 0.001), and smoking habits (P < 0.001). Back pain had a greater influence on the lifestyle habits of the women than men. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that only BMI (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 2.30,281; P < 0.001), prolonged standing (OR = 6.22, 95% CI = 4.01,9.67; P < 0.0001), weakness in leg (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.16,3.85; P = 0.0142), lifting heavy weights (OR = 6.34, 95% CI = 4.09,9.84; P = 0.019) regular exercise (OR = 12.47, 95% CI = 7.50,20.71; P < 0.001) and smoking habits (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.08,2.38; P < 0.05) had a significant effect on the presence of LBP in these patients. Conclusions:, The study showed that the prevalence of back-related disability was higher among women than men in the UAE. Also, low socio-economic status and adverse lifestyle habits may constitute risk factors and predictors of LBP. [source] Predictors for squamous re-epithelialization of Barrett's esophagus after endoscopic biopsyJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2007Yuji Amano Abstract Background and Aim:, Acid suppressive therapy has been reported to regress Barrett's esophagus. However, it is still controversial as to whether all Barrett's esophagus patients respond to this therapy. The factors that might facilitate newly developed squamous re-epithelialization after biopsy excision of Barrett's mucosa were evaluated to identity individuals who may favorably respond to the regression therapy. Methods:, Two hundred and forty-seven biopsy sites from 185 patients with Barrett's esophagus were examined by endoscopy to investigate possible squamous re-epithelialization of Barrett's mucosa after endoscopic biopsy. Before endoscopic examination, all participants were requested to answer questionnaires concerning sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and drugs usage. The mucin phenotype, Cdx2 expression, cyclooxygenase-2 expression, cellular proliferation and apoptosis of Barrett's mucosa were immunohistochemically investigated in the biopsy samples taken from Barrett's esophagus. The influence of these factors on the newly developed squamous re-epithelialization of Barrett's mucosa after endoscopic biopsy excision was evaluated. Results:, By multivariate analysis, the independent factors that favored squamous re-epithelialization were the gastric mucin predominant phenotype of Barrett's mucosa and the absence of Cdx2 protein expression. In Barrett's mucosa with the gastric predominant mucin phenotype, proton pump inhibitor administration, the absence of reflux esophagitis and a low proliferating cell nuclear antigen index were found to be independent predictors for squamous re-epithelialization. Conclusions:, The absence of the intestinal predominant mucin phenotype was a positive predictor for newly developed squamous re-epithelialization at the site of biopsy of Barrett's mucosa. Only Barrett's esophagus with the gastric predominant mucin phenotype may predict a favorable response to acid suppressive therapy. [source] Bone mass in young adults with Down syndromeJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008M. Guijarro Abstract Background Down syndrome (DS) is a frequent cause of intellectual disability. With the increasing life expectancy of these patients, concerns have been raised about the risk of osteoporosis. In fact, several investigators have reported a reduced bone mass in DS. However, the results may be confounded by comorbid diseases, and differences in lifestyle habits and body size. Therefore, we planned to determine anthropometric and lifestyle factors influencing bone mineral density (BMD) in young adults with DS. Methods Thirty-nine patients with DS (mean age 26 years) and 78 controls were studied. Areal BMD was measured by dual x-ray decsitometry (DXA); volumetric BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck was estimated with published formulae. Results DS patients had lower areal BMD than controls at all regions (spine, hip and total body). Height and projected bone area were also lower. There were no differences between both groups regarding estimated volumetric BMD at the femoral neck. However, spine volumetric BMD was also lower in DS than controls. In multivariate analysis, DS, male sex, little physical activity and low sunlight exposure were associated with lower spine volumetric BMD; on the other hand, fat mass and sunlight exposure were associated with femoral neck volumetric BMD. Conclusion This study shows that patients with DS had a reduced areal BMD, but it is in part a consequence of the reduced body size, particularly at the femoral neck. Physical activity and sunlight exposure are associated to volumetric BMD and should be stimulated in order to maintain an adequate bone mass in these patients. [source] Parity is associated with lower cervical E-cadherin expression in postmenopausal womenJOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2008Vasileios Sioulas Abstract Aim:, Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in calcium-dependent homophilic cell-cell adhesion, is expressed aberrantly during cervical carcinogenesis. E-cadherin expression and putatively implicated predictors in healthy women remain a rather under-investigated area. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possible associations between E-cadherin expression and reproductive/lifestyle factors in cervical epithelial cells from postmenopausal women. Methods:, A total of 105 healthy postmenopausal women (aged 45,68 years old) attending a university menopause clinic were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Pap smears were derived and E-cadherin immunostaining was evaluated in squamous, glandular and squamous metaplastic cells, using a semi-quantitative method (rating scale: 0,3). Reproductive and lifestyle factors were obtained from patients' chart review. Results:, In squamous cells, women with a history of 0,1 deliveries presented with a higher score vs women with 2,4 deliveries (P = 0.003). Social drinkers and women drinking alcohol daily exhibited a higher E-cadherin immunostaining score in squamous cells vs non-drinkers (0.96 ± 0.72 vs 0.56 ± 0.65, P = 0.004). A higher dietary calcium intake was marginally correlated with a lower staining score in squamous cells (0.94 ± 0.78 for low, 0.71 ± 0.70 for average, 0.45 ± 0.52 for high consumption, P = 0.073). Conclusions:, E-cadherin expression seems to be associated with reproductive history and lifestyle habits in squamous cervical cells from healthy postmenopausal women. E-cadherin might participate in the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of parity as a risk factor for cervical cancer. [source] Automating survey coding by multiclass text categorization techniquesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 14 2003Daniela Giorgetti Survey coding is the task of assigning a symbolic code from a predefined set of such codes to the answer given in response to an open-ended question in a questionnaire (aka survey). This task is usually carried out to group respondents according to a predefined scheme based on their answers. Survey coding has several applications, especially in the social sciences, ranging from the simple classification of respondents to the extraction of statistics on political opinions, health and lifestyle habits, customer satisfaction, brand fidelity, and patient satisfaction. Survey coding is a difficult task, because the code that should be attributed to a respondent based on the answer she has given is a matter of subjective judgment, and thus requires expertise. It is thus unsurprising that this task has traditionally been performed manually, by trained coders. Some attempts have been made at automating this task, most of them based on detecting the similarity between the answer and textual descriptions of the meanings of the candidate codes. We take a radically new stand, and formulate the problem of automated survey coding as a text categorization problem, that is, as the problem of learning, by means of supervised machine learning techniques, a model of the association between answers and codes from a training set of precoded answers, and applying the resulting model to the classification of new answers. In this article we experiment with two different learning techniques: one based on naive Bayesian classification, and the other one based on multiclass support vector machines, and test the resulting framework on a corpus of social surveys. The results we have obtained significantly outperform the results achieved by previous automated survey coding approaches. [source] Reflux symptoms in wind instrument playersALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2010G. CAMMAROTA Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 593,600 Summary Background, An occupation-related susceptibility of orchestral wind instrument players to gastro-oesophageal reflux was hypothesized. Aim, To compare reflux symptoms reported by wind instrument players with those reported by players of other instruments. Methods, A questionnaire was distributed to 1083 musicians (414 wind instrument players and 669 players of other instruments) from 21 Italian orchestras to obtain information on reflux symptoms in the year preceding the survey together with selected individual characteristics and lifestyle habits. Crude and adjusted prevalence rate ratios (PRR) were computed by a model including gender, age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption and other confounding factors. Results, Wind instrument players reported a higher prevalence of heartburn in the previous year than the other instrument players (adjusted PRR 1.23, CI 95% 1.04,1.46). Wind instrument players also reported higher, although not fully significant, prevalence of regurgitation (adjusted PRR 1.22, CI 95% 0.97,1.54). Flute and double-reed instrument players seem to carry a higher risk of reflux symptoms. Conclusions, Wind instrument players reported a prevalence of typical reflux symptoms higher than other instrument players. [source] Research on psychosomatic complaints by senior high school students in Tokyo and their related factorsPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 1 2001Yuriko Takata MC Abstract The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationships between psychosomatic complaints of senior high school students in Tokyo and the cognition they receive from their fathers, mothers, friends, teachers, and schoolwork and between their complaints and lifestyle habits. The subjects were 168 first-grade students (58 males and 110 females) at a Tokyo Metropolitan senior high school. In June 1996, a collective survey was carried out, using questionnaires. Moreover, I conducted a longitudinal study to investigate the variation of their complaints over the 3 years at the school. The females had more psychosomatic complaints than the males. There was the relationship between their psychosomatic complaints and the cognition they receive from their fathers, mothers and teachers, the relationship between their psychosomatic complaints and their schoolwork, the relationship between their psychosomatic complaints and their ingestion conditions at meals, or sleeping hours. As for the their complaints, they had more complaints at admission than at the completion of their first grade and at graduation. [source] Previous induced abortions and the risk of very preterm delivery: results of the EPIPAGE studyBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Caroline Moreau Objectives To evaluate the risk of very preterm birth (22,32 weeks of gestation) associated with previous induced abortion according to the complications leading to very preterm delivery in singletons. Design Multicentre, case-control study (the French EPIPAGE study). Setting Regionally defined population of births in France. Sample The sample consisted of 1943 very preterm live-born singletons (<33 weeks of gestation), 276 moderate preterm live-born singletons (33,34 weeks) and 618 unmatched full-term controls (39,40 weeks). Methods Data from the EPIPAGE study were analysed using polytomous logistic regression models to control for social and demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits during pregnancy and obstetric history. The main mechanisms of preterm delivery were classified as gestational hypertension, antepartum haemorrhage, fetal growth restriction, premature rupture of membranes, idiopathic preterm labor and other causes. Main outcome measures Odds ratios for very preterm birth by gestational age and by pregnancy complications leading to preterm delivery associated with a history of induced abortion. Results Women with a history of induced abortion were at higher risk of very preterm delivery than those with no such history (OR + 1.5, 95% CI 1.1,2.0); the risk was even higher for extremely preterm deliveries (<28 weeks). The association between previous induced abortion and very preterm delivery varied according to the main complications leading to very preterm delivery. A history of induced abortion was associated with an increased risk of premature rupture of the membranes, antepartum haemorrhage (not in association with hypertension) and idiopathic spontaneous preterm labour that occur at very small gestational ages (<28 weeks). Conversely, no association was found between induced abortion and very preterm delivery due to hypertension. Conclusion Previous induced abortion was associated with an increased risk of very preterm delivery. The strength of the association increased with decreasing gestational age. [source] Subjective memory decline in healthy community-dwelling elders.ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2010What does this complain mean? Balash Y, Mordechovich M, Shabtai H, Merims D, Giladi N. Subjective memory decline in healthy community-dwelling elders. What does this complain mean? Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 121: 194,197. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Munksgaard. Objectives,,, Subjective feelings of memory decline are fairly common among the elderly. The causes of this are heterogeneous, and may be related to both affective and cognitive disorders. We attempted to explore the associations between subjective and cognitive measures. Materials and Methods,,, Healthy subjects were studied. They completed questionnaires regarding memory difficulties and lifestyle habits, the Geriatric Depression scale (GDS), and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cognitive functions were tested using the Mini-Mental State Exam and supplemented with NeuroTrax, a computerized neurophysiological battery. Univariate logistic regression model was applied to estimate odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals of associations. Results,,, Of 341 consecutive non-depressed subjects, 257 participants (75.4%) reported subjective memory decline (SMD). Subjects with and without SMD did not differ in age, gender, education, marital status, employment and life-style. Subjects with SMD had elevated GDS scores (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.003,1.29), white anxiety level showed a tendency to be increased (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.99,1.06). Comparison of cognitive performance has not revealed differences in cognitive domains between subjects with and without SMD. Conclusions,,, SMD in healthy elderly people is associated with sub-clinical depression even among those without objectively measured cognitive decline. [source] Predictors of weight loss during radiotherapy in patients with stage I or II head and neck cancerCANCER, Issue 9 2010Alice Nourissat MD Abstract BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to identify predictors of weight loss during radiotherapy (RT) in patients with stage I or II head and neck (HN) cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted as part of a phase 3 chemoprevention trial. A total of 540 patients were randomized. The patients were weighed before and after RT. Their baseline characteristics, including lifestyle habits, diet, and quality of life, were assessed as potential predictors. Predictors were identified using multiple linear regressions. The reliability of the model was assessed by bootstrap resampling. A receiver operating characteristics curve was generated to estimate the model's accuracy in predicting critical weight loss (,5%). RESULTS: The mean weight loss was 2.2 kg (standard deviation, 3.4). Five factors were associated with a greater weight loss: all HN cancer sites other than the glottic larynx (P<.001), higher pre-RT body weight (P<.001), stage II disease (P = .002), dysphagia and/or odynophagia before RT (P = .001), and a lower Karnofsky performance score (P = .028). There was no association with pre-RT lifestyle habits, diet, or quality of life. The bootstrapping method confirmed the reliability of this predictive model. The area under the curve was 71.3% (95% confidence interval, 65.8-76.9), which represents an acceptable ability of the model to predict critical weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: These results could be useful to clinicians for screening patients with early stage HN cancer treated by RT who require special nutritional attention. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||