PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F E Speizer

Publications and source records attributed to F E Speizer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Electric blanket use and breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study.

Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) have been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer, and electric blankets represent an important source of exposure to EMFs. The authors examined the relation between electric blanket use and invasive breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study. On the biennial questionnaire in 1992, 87,497 women provided information on this exposure during three consecutive time periods. In a prospective analysis with 301,775 person-years of follow-up through 1996 (954 cases), the relative risk for any electric blanket use was not elevated (relative risk (RR) = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 1.24) after controlling for breast cancer risk factors. There was a weak association between breast cancer and electric blanket use at least 16 years before diagnosis and long-term use in age-adjusted analyses but not in multivariate models. In a retrospective analysis of 1,318,683 person-years of follow-up (2,426 cases), the multivariate relative risk associated with use before disease follow-up began was null (RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.16). Similar results were obtained in analyses stratified by menopause and restricted to estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. While 95% confidence intervals for these estimates did not exclude small risks, overall, results did not support an association between breast cancer risk and exposure to EMFs from electric blankets.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Polymorphic repeat in AIB1 does not alter breast cancer risk.

STATEMENT OF FINDINGS: We assessed the association between a glutamine repeat polymorphism in AIB1 and breast cancer risk in a case-control study (464 cases, 624 controls) nested within the Nurses' Health Study cohort. We observed no association between AIB1 genotype and breast cancer incidence, or specific tumor characteristics. These findings suggest that AIB1 repeat genotype does not influence postmenopausal breast cancer risk among Caucasian women in the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Prospective study of talc use and ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Perineal talc use has been associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer in a number of case-control studies; however, this association remains controversial because of limited supporting biologic evidence and the potential for recall bias or selection bias in case-control studies. In this study, we conducted a prospective analysis of perineal talc use and the risk of ovarian cancer. METHODS: The Nurses' Health Study is a prospective study of 121 700 female registered nurses in the United States who were aged 30-55 years at enrollment in 1976. Talc use was ascertained in 1982 by use of a self-administered questionnaire: after exclusions, 78 630 women formed the cohort for analysis. Three hundred seven epithelial ovarian cancers subsequently diagnosed in this cohort through June 1, 1996, were confirmed by medical record review and met inclusion criteria. Proportional hazards models by use of pooled logistic regression were used to derive relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: In 1982, 40.4% (n = 31 789) of the cohort reported ever using talc, and 14.5% (n = 11 411) reported ever using talc daily. We observed no overall association with ever talc use and epithelial ovarian cancer (multivariate RR = 1.09; 95% CI = 0.86-1.37) and no increase in risk of ovarian cancer with increasing frequency of use. There was a modest elevation in risk for ever talc use and invasive serous ovarian cancer (multivariate RR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.02-1.91). The risk of epithelial ovarian cancer for talc users was not greater among women who had never had a tubal ligation (multivariate RR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.71-1.32). CONCLUSION: Our results provide little support for any substantial association between perineal talc use and ovarian cancer risk overall; however, perineal talc use may modestly increase the risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Prospective study of alcohol consumption and the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between alcohol consumption and the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: We conducted a prospective study among female nurses between 1980 and 1994 and among male health professionals between 1986 and 1994. We included 32764 women and 29488 men who were 50 years or older, without a diagnosis of AMD or cancer at baseline, and added additional subjects to the analysis as they reached 50 years of age. Their alcohol intake was assessed at baseline and updated during follow-up evaluations using a validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. After separate analyses for women and men, pooled estimates of the relationship of alcohol to the risk of AMD were calculated. RESULTS: Age-related macular degeneration associated with a visual acuity loss of 20/30 or worse, including the early and dry and wet types, was diagnosed in 298 women (from 697498 person-years of follow-up) and 153 men (229 180 person-years) by 1994, the end of follow-up. After controlling for age, smoking, and other risk factors, the pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for AMD compared with nondrinkers were 1.0 (0.7-1.2) for drinkers who consumed 0.1 to 4.9 g/d of alcohol; 0.9 (0.6-1.4) for 5 to 14.9 g/d; 1.1 (0.7-1.7) for 15 to 29.9 g/d; and 1.3 (0.9-1.8) for 30 g/d or more. Among women, there was a suggestion of a modest increased risk of the disease in drinkers who consumed 30 g/d or more (RR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0-2.4); this was limited to an increased risk of the early and dry form (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.4). No specific type of alcohol provided protection against AMD. CONCLUSION: This prospective study does not support an inverse relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and risk of AMD.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Diesel exhaust exposure and lung cancer: adjustment for the effect of smoking in a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The extent that cigarette smoking may confound the relationship between diesel exhaust exposure and lung cancer was assessed in a retrospective cohort study of 55,395 U.S. railroad workers followed from 1959 to 1976. METHODS: The relative risk (RR) of lung cancer due to diesel exhaust was indirectly adjusted using job-specific smoking data from a case-control study of railroad workers who died between 1981-1982 and from a survey of 514 living workers from an active railroad in 1982. Adjustment factors were developed based on the distribution of job-specific smoking rates. RESULTS: The unadjusted RR for lung cancer was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.14-2. 20) for workers aged 40-44 in 1959, who experienced the longest possible duration of exposure, and the smoking adjusted RR was 1.44 (1.01-2.05). CONCLUSIONS: After considering differences in smoking rates between workers exposed and unexposed to diesel exhaust in a relatively large blue-collar cohort, there were still elevated risks of lung cancer in workers in jobs with diesel exhaust exposure.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed2000

Snoring and risk of cardiovascular disease in women.

OBJECTIVES: To examine prospectively the association between snoring and incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. BACKGROUND: Whether snoring increases risk of CVD remains unclear; most previous studies have been small, not prospective and limited to men. METHODS: Seventy-one thousand seven hundred seventy-nine female nurses 40 through 65 years of age and without previously diagnosed CVD or cancer at baseline in 1986 were followed up for eight years. Frequency of snoring was assessed using mailed questionnaires at baseline. RESULTS: During eight years of follow-up, we documented 1,042 incident cases of major CVD events (644 coronary heart disease [CHD] and 398 stroke). Compared with nonsnorers, the age-adjusted relative risks (RRs) of CVD were 1.46 (95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.74) for occasional snorers and 2.02 (1.62 to 2.53) for regular snorers. The age-adjusted RRs of CHD were 1.43 (1.15 to 1.77) for occasional snorers and 2.18 (1.65 to 2.87) for regular snorers. The age-adjusted RRs of stroke were 1.60 (1.21 to 2.12) and 1.88 (1.29 to 2.74), respectively. After further adjustment for smoking, body mass index (BMI) and other covariates, the positive association between snoring and CVD was attenuated but remained statistically significant (RRs of CVD were 1.20 [1.01 to 1.43] for occasional snorers and 1.33 [1.06-1.67] for regular snorers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggested that snoring is associated with a modest but significantly increased risk of CVD in women, independent of age, smoking, BMI and other cardiovascular risk factors. While further study is needed to elucidate the biological mechanism underlying this association, snoring may help clinicians identify individuals at higher risk for CVD.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A prospective study of alcohol consumption and cataract extraction among U.S. women.

PURPOSE: Alcohol consumption has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cataract in some, but not all analytic studies. To date, no prospective analysis of the relationship between alcohol consumption and cataract has been conducted in women. METHODS: We examined the association between alcohol consumption and cataract extraction in a prospective cohort of female registered nurses. In 1980, 50,461 women were included and others were added as they became 45 years of age for a total of 77,466 women. Information on alcohol consumption and incidence of senile cataract extraction was ascertained during 12 years of follow-up with biennial questionnaires. RESULTS: We observed 1468 cases of cataract extraction in 761,036 person-years of follow-up. Compared to nondrinkers, those consuming alcohol were not at increased risk of cataract, even up to 25 grams or more per day (2 or more drinks). Results remained unchanged after controlling for cataract risk factors including cigarette smoking, body mass index, and diabetes. When risk was examined for specific cataract subtypes only, those in the highest category of consumption had a multivariate relative risk of 1.10 for nuclear cataracts and 1.50 for posterior subcapsular cataracts only. CONCLUSIONS: These prospective data suggest that there is no substantial overall increased risk of senile cataract due to alcohol intake. The possibility that alcohol consumption leads to a modest increased risk of posterior subcapsular type opacities requiring extraction merits further exploration.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Intake of specific carotenoids and risk of lung cancer in 2 prospective US cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Carotenoids may reduce lung carcinogenesis because of their antioxidant properties; however, few studies have examined the relation between intakes of individual carotenoids and lung cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relation between lung cancer risk and intakes of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and beta-cryptoxanthin in 2 large cohorts. DESIGN: During a 10-y follow-up period, 275 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in 46924 men; during a 12-y follow-up period, 519 new cases were diagnosed in 77283 women. Carotenoid intakes were derived from the reported consumption of fruit and vegetables on food-frequency questionnaires administered at baseline and during follow-up. The data were analyzed separately for each cohort and the results were pooled to compute overall relative risks (RRs). RESULTS: In the pooled analyses, alpha-carotene and lycopene intakes were significantly associated with a lower risk of lung cancer; the association with beta-carotene, lutein, and beta-cryptoxanthin intakes were inverse but not significant. Lung cancer risk was significantly lower in subjects who consumed a diet high in a variety of carotenoids (RR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.94 for highest compared with lowest total carotenoid score category). Inverse associations were strongest after a 4-8-y lag between dietary assessment and date of diagnosis. In subjects who never smoked, a 63% lower incidence of lung cancer was observed for the top compared with the bottom quintile of alpha-carotene intake (RR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.77). CONCLUSION: Data from 2 cohort studies suggest that several carotenoids may reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Novel germline mutations in the PTEN tumour suppressor gene found in women with multiple cancers.

Germline mutations in PTEN can predispose people to Cowden syndrome (CS) and Bannayan-Ruvalcaba-Riley (BRR) syndrome, rare, autosomal dominantly inherited neoplastic disorders. To determine whether germline mutations in PTEN contribute to genetic predisposition to multiple primary tumours within the general population, we conducted a nested case-control study, among 32 826 members of the prospective Nurses' Health Study cohort; cases were women with more than one primary tumour at different anatomical sites. We screened all nine exons of PTEN and flanking intronic splice sites for all 103 eligible cases using SSCP and sequencing. We observed two novel germline heterozygous missense mutations in exon 5 in five of the cases; three were V119L and two were V158L. Neither mutation was observed in 115 controls free of diagnosed cancer (p = 0.02). Both mutants showed partial tumour suppressor activity when compared to wild type PTEN when transfected into a PTEN null breast cancer cell line. The phenotype was cell line specific suggesting that genetic background affects growth suppression activity of the mutants. These data provide evidence that germline mutations in PTEN may be a more frequent predisposing factor for cancers in women than previously suggested.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

Maximal and partial expiratory flow rates in a population sample of 10- to 11-yr-old schoolchildren. Effect of volume history and relation to asthma and maternal smoking.

The effect of volume history on forced expiratory flow rates has been reported to differ between patients with asthma and healthy persons, and it has been hypothesized that the peripheral airway inflammation of patients with asthma may underlie this difference. There are no published data, however, on the distribution of such volume history effects or the relation of these effects to airways disease in children. We obtained combined partial and maximal forced expiratory flow-volume curves on 1,834 children, age 10-11 yr, in eight communities in the United States and Canada. The effect of a deep inhalation on forced expiratory flow rates at low lung volumes was quantitated by the ratio of V (30) during a maximal expiratory maneuver (V (30M)) to V (30) during a partial expiratory maneuver (V (30P)). The V (30M)/V (30P) ratio was slightly higher among girls than boys (1.26 versus 1.18, p = 0.0001) indicating that a deep inhalation increased V (30) slightly more among girls than among boys. The V (30M)/V (30P) ratio was related to neither history of asthma nor to maternal smoking. In contrast, most spirometric indices from either the maximal or the partial expiratory flow-volume curve were lower in association with a history of asthma or a report of maternal smoking. The ratio of FEF(25-75)/FVC was particularly consistent as a measurement that discriminated both of these effects in boys and girls. These results suggest that the measurement of volume history effects offers no benefits for epidemiological studies of childhood respiratory disease whereas spirometric indices such as the FEF(25-75)/FVC ratio are quite sensitive to the effects of asthma and environmental tobacco smoke exposure on the airways.

Asthma↗
PubMed2000

Gender-related differences in severe, early-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Men have higher prevalence rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than women, which has been attributed to the historically higher rates of cigarette smoking in males. However, the increased rates of cigarette smoking in females within the last several decades have been associated with steadily increasing rates of COPD in women. As part of a study of the genetics of severe, early-onset COPD, we assembled a group of 84 probands with severe, early-onset COPD (without severe alpha(1)-antitrypsin deficiency) and 348 of their first-degree relatives. We found a markedly elevated prevalence (71.4%) of females among the early-onset COPD probands. Among the entire group of first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands, univariate analysis demonstrated similar spirometric values and bronchodilator responsiveness in males and females; however, among current or ex-smokers, female first-degree relatives had significantly lower FEV(1)/ FVC (81.4 +/- 17.2% in females versus 87.0 +/- 12.9% in males, p = 0.009) and significantly greater bronchodilator responsiveness (expressed as percentage of baseline FEV(1)) (7.7 +/- 9.4% pred in females versus 4.1 +/- 6.4% pred in males, p = 0.002). Female smoking first-degree relatives were significantly more likely to demonstrate profound reductions in FEV(1) (< 40% pred) than male smoking first-degree relatives (p = 0. 03). Multivariate analysis, performed with generalized estimating equations, demonstrated that current or ex-smoking female first-degree relatives had significantly greater risk of FEV(1) < 80% pred (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.03- 3.54), FEV(1) < 40% pred (OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.08-11.71), and bronchodilator response greater than 10% of baseline FEV(1) (OR 4.74, 95% CI 1.91-11.75). These results suggest that women may be more susceptible to the development of severe COPD.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A prospective study of plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 and binding protein-3 and risk of colorectal neoplasia in women.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is an important mitogen, and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) has opposing effects. Acromegalics, who have abnormally elevated levels of IGF-1, are at increased risk of colorectal tumors. Recent studies have found that IGF-1 levels correlate with risk of prostate cancer and colorectal cancer in men, premenopausal breast cancer in women, and lung cancer in men and women. We examined whether prediagnostic plasma levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 influence risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma in women. From 1989 to 1990, a total of 32,826 women from the Nurses' Health Study provided blood specimens that were archived in liquid nitrogen. During 6 years of follow-up from 1989 to 1994, we documented 79 new cases of colorectal cancer, 90 cases of intermediate/late-stage adenoma (> or =1 cm or tubulovillous/villous histology), and 107 cases of early-stage adenoma (<1 cm and tubular histology). After matching controls (2:1 for cancers and 1:1 for adenomas) to cases by age, month of blood draw, fasting status, and indication for endoscopy (for adenoma controls), plasma IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were measured. Controlling for IGFBP-3 level, relative to women in the low tertile of IGF-1, those in the high tertile were at elevated risk of intermediate/late-stage colorectal neoplasia adenoma [multivariate relative risk (RR), 2.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.76-9.76] and cancer (RR, 2.18; 95% CI, 0.94-5.08). Controlling for IGF-1 level, relative to women in the low tertile of IGFBP-3, women in the high tertile of IGFBP-3 were at lower risk of intermediate/late-stage colorectal adenoma (RR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.09-0.85) and cancer (RR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.83). Neither IGF-1 nor IGFBP-3 had any appreciable relation with early-stage adenoma. These analyses indicate that high levels of circulating IGF-1 and particularly low levels of IGFBP-3 are associated independently with an elevated risk of large or tubulovillous/villous colorectal adenoma and cancer.

Adenoma↗
PubMed2000

Intakes of fruits, vegetables, and related nutrients and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among women.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is etiologically related to suppressed immune status, and certain nutrients found in fruits and vegetables have been associated with increased immune responses. However, limited information exists on associations between intake of fruits, vegetables, and related nutrients and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma risk. We thus examined these associations among 88,410 women in the Nurses' Health Study cohort who were aged 34-60 years in 1980 and provided dietary information in 1980. During 14 years of follow-up, we documented 199 incident cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Higher intake of fruits and vegetables was associated with a lower risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (P for trend = 0.02); the multivariate relative risk (RR) was 0.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38-1.02] for women who consumed greater than or equal to six servings per day as compared with those consuming less than three servings per day. When fruits and vegetables were examined separately, intake of vegetables rather than fruits was most clearly associated with a reduced risk (P for trend = 0.02 for vegetables; P for trend = 0.16 for fruits); compared with those consuming less than one serving per day, the multivariate RRs were 0.62 (95% CI, 0.35-1.07) for women who consumed greater than or equal to three servings per day of vegetables and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.44-1.12) for women who consumed this amount of fruits. Higher intake of cruciferous vegetables was also associated with a decreased risk (P for trend = 0.03); the multivariate RR was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.40-1.11) for women who consumed greater than or equal to five servings per week as compared with those consuming less than two servings per week. These associations were slightly attenuated when we additionally adjusted for intake of beef, pork, or lamb as a main dish. Intake of dietary fiber from vegetable sources was related to a reduced risk; the multivariate RR was 0.54 (95% CI, 0.34-0.87) for women in the highest quintile as compared with those in the lowest quintile (P for trend = 0.01), and it was slightly attenuated with additional adjustment for saturated and trans unsaturated fats. However, we observed no associations between intakes of specific dietary carotenoids, vitamins A, C, E, and folate, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma risk. Higher intake of vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, may reduce the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among women.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Plasma 1,25-dihydroxy- and 25-hydroxyvitamin D and adenomatous polyps of the distal colorectum.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] inhibits proliferation and promotes differentiation of human colon cancer cell lines. Epidemiological findings, although not entirely consistent, suggest an inverse relationship between vitamin D intake and colorectal cancer and adenoma, colorectal cancer precursor lesions. We evaluated the relationship of plasma 1,25(OH)2D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with distal colorectal adenoma among 326 matched case and control pairs (nested in the prospective Nurses' Health Study), who provided blood in 1989-1990 and who underwent endoscopy in 1989-1996. Plasma vitamin D metabolite concentrations were determined blindly by RIA. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from multiple conditional logistic regression models. Mean plasma 1,25(OH)2D and 25(OH)D levels did not significantly differ (P = 0.3 and 0.7, respectively) between cases (31.6 +/- 8.4 pg/ml and 26.4 +/- 10.6 ng/ml, respectively) and controls (32.2 +/- 8.6 pg/ml and 26.8 +/-10.2 ng/ml, respectively). However, women whose plasma 1,25(OH)2D concentration was below 26.0 pg/ml (a level typically considered to be below normal) were at increased risk of distal colorectal adenoma (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.03-2.40). Compared with the lowest 1,25(OH)2D quartile, women in the second (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.41-1.02), third (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.50-1.30), or upper (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.43-1.15) quartiles were at a statistically nonsignificant lower risk of adenoma. The relationship was stronger for large/villous adenoma and among those with consistent vitamin D intake over the 10 years prior to blood draw. Compared with women in the lowest quartile, for plasma 25(OH)D, women in the second (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.41-1.00) and third (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36-0.95) quartiles were at a statistically significantly lower risk of distal colorectal adenoma, but there was no difference in risk in the top quartile (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.66-1.66). We conclude that women who have low levels of circulating 1,25(OH)2D may be at higher risk of distal colorectal adenomas, but additional study is warranted.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1999

Waist circumference, waist:hip ratio, and risk of breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study.

This study examined prospectively the associations of waist circumference and waist:hip circumference ratio with risk of breast cancer. A total of 47,382 US registered nurses who reported their waist and hip circumferences in 1986 were followed up through May 1994 for identification of incident cases of breast cancer. During 333,097 person-years of follow-up, 1,037 invasive breast cancers were diagnosed. In proportional hazards analyses, waist circumference was nonsignificantly related to risk of premenopausal breast cancer but was significantly associated with postmenopausal breast cancer after adjustment for established breast cancer risk factors (for the highest quintile of waist circumference vs. the lowest, relative risk (RR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 1.72). When the analysis was limited to postmenopausal women who had never received hormone replacement therapy, a stronger positive association was found (RR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.85). After the data were further controlled for body mass index, the positive association was only slightly attenuated (RR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.12, 2.99). Among past and current postmenopausal hormone users, no significant associations were found. Similar but slightly weaker associations were observed between waist:hip ratio and breast cancer risk. These data suggest that greater waist circumference increases risk of breast cancer, especially among postmenopausal women who are otherwise at lower risk because of never having used estrogen replacement hormones.

Abdomen↗