Related Risk Factors (relate + risk_factor)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Gender differences in unipolar depression: an update of epidemiological findings and possible explanations

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2003
C. Kuehner
Objective: To give an update on epidemiological findings on sex differences in the prevalence of unipolar depression and putative risk factors. Material and methods: Systematic review of the literature. Results: Recent epidemiological research yields additional evidence for a female preponderance in unipolar depression, holding true across different cultural settings. Current explanations include artefacts, genetic, hormonal, psychological and psychosocial risk factors. Rather consistently, intrapsychic and psychosocial gender role related risk factors have been identified which may contribute to the higher depression risk in women. Gender role aspects are also reflected in endocrine stress reactions and possibly influence associated neuropsychological processes. Conclusion: There is a need for more integrative models taking into account psychological, psychosocial, and macrosocial risk factors as well as their interactions, which also connect these factors with physiological and endocrine responses. Furthermore, it is conceivable that across the life span, as well as across cultural settings, individual risk factors will add with varying emphasis to the higher prevalence of depression in women. [source]


First positive reactions to cannabis constitute a priority risk factor for cannabis dependence

ADDICTION, Issue 10 2009
Yann Le Strat
ABSTRACT Aim To assess the association between first reactions to cannabis and the risk of cannabis dependence. Design A cross-sectional population-based assessment in 2007. Setting A campus in a French region (Champagne-Ardennes). Participants A total of 1472 participants aged 18,21 years who reported at least one life-time cannabis consumption, of 3056 students who were screened initially [the Susceptibility Addiction Gene Environment (SAGE) study]. Measurements Positive and negative effects of first cannabis consumptions, present cannabis dependence and related risk factors were assessed through questionnaires. Findings The effects of first cannabis consumptions were associated dose-dependently with cannabis dependence at age 18,21 years, both according to the transversal approach of the SAGE study and to the prospective cohort of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) assessed at the age of 25 years. Participants of the SAGE study who reported five positive effects of their first cannabis consumption had odds of life-time cannabis dependence that were 28.7 (95% confidence interval: 14.6,56.5) higher than those who reported no positive effects. This association remains significant after controlling for potentially confounding factors, including individual and familial variables. Conclusions This study suggests an association between positive reactions to first cannabis uses and risk of life-time cannabis dependence, this variable having a central role among, and through, other risk factors. [source]


Alcohol abuse in a metropolitan city in China: a study of the prevalence and risk factors

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2004
Zhang Jiafang
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the prevalence of alcohol abuse in modern China and to explore the risk factors that may be associated with alcohol abuse. Design A face-to-face interview was carried out in a random sample with 2327 respondents. Setting Respondents were selected randomly from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, between May and June 2002. Participants Fifteen,65-year-old urban Chinese adults. Measurements Scores for alcohol abuse and related risk factors were the main measures. Findings (1) Nearly 15% of urban Chinese adults aged 15,65 were alcohol abusers. (2) Deviant drinking habits of mother, schoolmates, colleagues or friends all had a negative impact on the respondent's alcohol drinking behaviours, and higher economic status, current smokers, being male and being older were identified as risk factors related to alcohol abuse. In particular, if a drinker's mother used alcohol frequently then this drinker was more likely to become an alcohol abuser than those drinkers whose mothers did not use alcohol frequently (P = 0.0001). Fathers' drinking behaviours do not have a significant impact on the alcohol abusers. Conclusions In addition to common risk factors such as economic status, deviant peers' and fellows' drinking behaviours and negative attitudes to alcohol drinking, maternal alcohol drinking habit influenced significantly the offspring's drinking habits. Therefore, efficient intervention and education of healthy drinking habits in early motherhood is necessary for Chinese women. [source]


Personal and non-occupational risk factors and occupational injury/illness

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2006
Brian N. Craig PhD
Abstract Background The materials handling industry performs is an essential function in the world economy, however, it is plagued with occupationally related injuries and illnesses. Understanding the risk factors may assist this industry in alleviating these injuries and illnesses, as well as their associated costs. Methods Forty-eight personal and non-occupational risk factors were measured and evaluated for statistically significant relationships with occupational injury in 442 volunteer manual material handlers who worked for three different companies, at nine US locations, with 15 different job descriptions. OSHA 200 logs were used to ascertain evidence of occupational injury within this population for 1 year after the testing and measurement was completed. Results Higher occurrences of injury were significantly associated with six risk factors in the univariate model (odds ratios 1.51,4.00). The significantly (P,<,0.05) related risk factors in the univariate model were aerobic power, smoking status, perceived fitness level, fishing/hunting as a hobby, speed limit obeyance, and witnessing or being involved in a violent fight. In the multivariate analysis, five risk factors (aerobic power, smoking status, percent body fat, body mass index, and sit-and-reach measured flexibility) were significantly (P,<,0.05) associated with occupational injury. Odds ratios in the multivariate analysis varied from 1.42 to 10.11. Conclusion Evidence of an association of occupational injury occurrence with certain risk factors presented in personal and non-occupational univariate and multivariate models is shown. In industry, effective injury reduction programs should go beyond traditional methods of job-related ergonomic risk factors and include personal factors such as smoking, weight control, and alcohol abuse. Am. J. Ind. Med. 49:249,260, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The psychological impact of forced displacement and related risk factors on Eastern Congolese adolescents affected by war

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 10 2010
Cindy Mels
Background:, While the current knowledge base on the mental health effects of displacement is mainly limited to refugees residing in industrialised countries, this paper examines the impact of war-induced displacement and related risk factors on the mental health of Eastern Congolese adolescents, and compares currently internally displaced adolescents to returnees and non-displaced peers. Methods:, Data were collected from a community sample of 819 adolescents aged 13 to 21 years, attending one of 10 selected schools across the Ituri district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Respondents completed culturally adapted self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms (using the Impact of Event Scale , Revised) and internalising and externalising behaviour problems (by means of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist , 37 for Adolescents). Associated factors studied were age, sex, parental death, exposure to war-related violence and daily stressors. Results:, Internally displaced persons (IDPs) reported highest mean scores for the IES-R and the HSCL-37A internalising scale, followed by returnees, while non-displaced adolescents scored significantly lower. However, ANCOVA tests showed that posttraumatic stress and internalising symptoms were mainly associated with traumatic exposure and daily stressors and not with displacement status. Externalising problem scores were associated with traumatic exposure, daily stressors and displacement. Remarkably, death of father was associated with fewer externalising problems. Sex was differently associated with internalising and externalising problems through traumatic and daily stressors. Conclusions:, As IDPs are highly exposed to violence and daily stressors, they report most psychological distress, when compared to returnees and non-displaced peers. The distinct mental health outcomes for returned youngsters illustrate how enhancing current socio-economic living conditions of war-affected adolescents could stimulate resilient outcomes, despite former trauma or displacement. [source]


The prevalence and related risk factors of anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese pregnant women in Shanghai

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Yong-Xia QIAO
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression of the pregnant women during the prenatal period, and provide information for further epidemiological study. Methods: With ethics committee approval, a total of 527 recruited pregnant women from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji University Medical School were selected at four hospitals that affiliated to the University. By applying a self-designed questionnaire for hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale, we evaluated anxious and depressive symptoms in these women. Results: The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression in these Chinese pregnant women during prenatal period were 6.8% and 4.8%, respectively, whereas the co-prevalence rate of both anxiety and depression was 3.4%, and anxiety and/or depression 15.0%. The relationship between the prevalence rate of anxiety/depression and the age distribution was proven negatively correlated (,2 = 1.478, P = 0.016) by the trend chi-squared test. Among all three groups, the prevalence rate of anxiety and depression was highest in the group of below 20 years old, lowest in the group of over 30 years old, and in-between in the group of 20 to 30 years old. Logistic regression analysis showed that lower age was a risk factor (odds ratio (OR) = 10.094, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.418~71.838). Meanwhile, poor educational background (OR = 1.929, 95%CI: 1.101~3.379) was a relevant risk factor as well. Conclusions: We suggest that introduction of psychological health instruction programs for pregnant women, especially the younger ones, should be strengthened. Besides, the essential intervention measures may be applied if necessary. [source]


In this issue: Biotechnology Journal 9/2010

BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 9 2010
Article first published online: 10 SEP 2010
Linking obesity and colorectal cancer Sung and Bae, Biotechnol. J. 2010, 5, 930,941 Obesity is known as one of the most closely related risk factors of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, due to the complicated nature of the diet, it has been very difficult to provide clear explanations and molecular mechanisms for the role of dietary components in carcinogenesis. Nutrigenomics has become a powerful tool to study the relationships between food components and genes. It includes nutrigenetics (dealing with genetic variations related to phenotypic changes in response to diet), nutritional epigenomics and nutritional transcriptomics/proteomics/metabolomics. This review summarizes data on genes, proteins and metabolites that are related to either obesity or CRC and candidate molecules that may link obesity and CRC. The application of bioinformatics helps to perform large-scale network analysis to study cause-effect relationships between dietary components and CRC in the future. Hepatoprotective effects of oleuropein Kim et al., Biotechnol. J. 2010, 5, 950,960 Oleuropein, an active constituent of olive leaf, has a variety of pharmacological activities associated with its capacity to scavenge reactive oxygen species and has a protective effect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in vivo. To gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of its hepatoprotective action the group of Taesun Park (Seoul, Korea) fed mice with a high fat diet supplemented with oleuropein. Then, liver tissue was subjected to DNA microarray analysis. Oleuropein in high fat diet reduced the mRNA level of regulators of hepatic fatty acid uptake and transport. The expression of a number of genes involved in oxidative stress responses, detoxification of lipid peroxidation products and proinflammatory cytokine genes were reduced, while highly regulated transcription factors were implicated in the lipogenesis, inflammation, insulin resistance and fibrosis, underlying the multifactorial effect of oleuropein on NAFLD. Genetic variations in obesity and diabetes Varma et al., Biotechnol. J. 2010, 5, 942,949 Obesity is a state of metabolic deregulation and a leading cause for development of type 2 diabetes, which are complex polygenic diseases. Here, authors from the National Centre of Toxicological Research at the FDA (Jefferson, Arizona, USA) used a data mining approach to evaluate the role of carbohydrate metabolic pathway genes in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Data from public databases were used to map the position of these genes to known quantitative trait loci (QTL) and to find sequence and structural genetic variants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The results demonstrated that a majority of carbohydrate metabolic pathways genes are associated with QTL for obesity and many for type 2 diabetes. This data mining approach can establish a strategy for interpreting an individual's risk factor for disease development, instead of population attributable risks. [source]


Linking obesity to colorectal cancer: Application of nutrigenomics

BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 9 2010
Professor Mi-Kyung Sung
Abstract Diet is one of the most affective environmental factors in cancer development. Due to complicated nature of the diet, it has been very difficult to provide clear explanations for the role of dietary components in carcinogenesis. However, as high-throughput omics techniques became available, researchers are now able to analyze large sets of gene transcripts, proteins, and metabolites to identify molecules involved in disease development. Bioinformatics uses these data to perform network analyses and suggest possible interactions between metabolic processes and environmental factors. Obesity is known as one of the most closely related risk factors of colorectal cancer (CRC). Metabolic disturbances due to a positive energy balance may trigger and accelerate CRC development. In this review, we have summarized reports on genes, proteins and metabolites that are related to either obesity or CRC, and suggested candidate molecules linking obesity and CRC based on currently available literature. Possible application of bioinformatics for a large scale network analysis in studying cause-effect relationship between dietary components and CRC are suggested. [source]