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Biomedical subjects

L Raymond

Publications and source records attributed to L Raymond.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Alcohol, beer and cancer of the pancreas.

The relationship between total alcohol consumption and intake of beer, wine and spirits and the risk of cancer of the pancreas was re-assessed in a pooled analysis of 3 case-control studies of pancreatic cancer from Italy, France and Switzerland, providing a total data-set of 494 cases and 1,704 controls. Logistic regression was used to obtain relative risks adjusted for study, age, sex, smoking and socio-economic status. Relative to non-drinkers, the risk estimates for subsequent levels of alcohol consumption were close to unity, and there was no evidence of a trend in risk with dose: the point estimate for more than 8 drinks per day was 0.8 (95% Confidence Interval, CI = 0.5-1.3). Likewise, no consistent association was observed for consumption of wine, beer or spirits: the relative risks for the highest consumption levels were 1.0 for wine, 0.9 for beer and 0.9 for spirits. No significant interaction was observed with study centre, sex or smoking habits. Given the large size of the data-set, of the consistency and the replication of findings across the 3 different studies, and of the elevated alcohol consumption of these populations, the present analysis gives reassuring evidence on the alcohol and pancreatic cancer issue in relation to total consumption of alcohol, of beer and of other alcoholic beverages.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Relative survival and the estimation of net survival: elements for further discussion.

The methods of calculation of survival corrected for independent cause of death are discussed, and a maximum likelihood method is proposed and illustrated by survival of colon cancer patients in Geneva. The methods which are at present favoured for doing such calculations are subject to various biases when estimating net survival if the populations are heterogeneous for life expectancy. The proposed maximum likelihood approach would eliminate these biases by enabling relevant adjustment for covariates which influence survival. The routine use of such methods would permit better comparison of survival within and between populations.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

[Risk factors of cancer of the pancreas from analytic epidemiologic studies].

The main case control studies and over 30 cohort studies of pancreatic cancer, performed during the period 1973-1988 are reviewed. For each type of risk factor a table is given which summarizes the conclusions of the various studies. The multifactorial etiology of this cancer is reflected by the number of different exposures studied. In our opinion, the effects of tobacco are indisputable even though they have not been systematically described in all studies. Cigarette smoking is associated with two-fold increase in risk. The effect of different forms of smoking, such as filter utilization, pipe, colour of tobacco, etc. on the risk are unclear. The effect of alcohol is less important although this needs to be confirmed. Tobacco use was not controlled in many studies where a positive results was obtained for alcohol. The same confounding effect has perhaps biased the results of several studies carried out for coffee drinkers. While not definitively confirmed, the elevated risk associated with coffee drinking appears to be plausible. Results on other dietary factors have not been widely reported. However, a positive association has been found for consumption of meat and fat and a negative one for vegetables and fruits. In some cases, these results are amplified by a dose-response effect. Further nutritional studies are required in order to resolve this question. Previous medical conditions have also been considered, in particular diseases of the pancreas, i.e. diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis. The results are not consistent, as causes and effects are not easy to detect. However, positive results for diabetes mellitus are more convincing than those for other conditions. Potential effects of work-related exposure have been analysed by many researchers although no firm conclusions can be drawn upon review of those results. Among the suspected risks, one has to consider the chemical industry and industrial exposure in oil refinery, aluminium reduction, and coke transformation. Occupations involving contact with dyes, paint and thinners could also be in the risk group.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1990

[Chromosome abnormalities of human gametes].

Human newborns carrying chromosomal abnormalities are the survivors of a considerably larger cohort of affected conceptions. A direct cytogenetic study of these conceptuses would imply their destruction. Moreover, the ability to determine the parental origin of an additional or missing chromosome is limited from a methodological point of view. The cytogenetic study of human gametes provides information on these mechanisms. Several large-scale studies on sperm complements of normal men give an estimated abnormality rate of 10%. Our results concerning four carriers of reciprocal translocations show no evidence for a selection against abnormal sperm. Since about 30% of the recovered eggs fail to become fertilized in IVF programs, human oocytes have become available for large cytogenetic studies. Analysis of oocytes II provides information on the first meiotic non-disjunction rate. In our sample of 405 karyotypes, the rate of aneuploidy was 27%. No relationship was established between this frequency and the mode of stimulation of ovulation. No increase was observed with maternal aging.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[The risk of suicide in cancer patients derived from a cancer registry].

The incidence of suicide among cancer patients has been examined in several previous epidemiological studies, which have suggested an increased risk especially in the period following diagnosis. The role of factors which may modulate the risk, such as individual patient characteristics or that of cancer (site, prognosis or type of treatment), have not been systematically studied and available results are often contradictory. In Geneva, the existence of a tumor registry, which follows patients continuously until the cause of death is known, has enabled us to conduct a cohort study on all incident cases of cancer registered for the years 1970 to 1983. The risk of suicide (SMR) was found to be significantly elevated for both sexes in the first two years following diagnosis. Thereafter, the risk diminished, and for the entire 15 year period considered, the risk remained significantly elevated only for women. The effect of variables which may have modulated the risk was examined through a logistic regression analysis comparing cases and controls selected from the same cohort. The risk was significantly lower for married patients. No difference between sex was observed, but the risk of suicide appeared to be increased in the elderly, as well as in foreigners, and to be reduced in upper socio-economic classes. Risk could be higher with neoplasms of the digestive tract and lower with those of the breast. Because incidence of suicide is relatively low, studies may lack statistical power to detect a moderately increased risk. Nonetheless, these results confirm part of previous results and contribute further to the study of this problem.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Disability, mortality, and incidence of cancer among Geneva painters and electricians: a historical prospective study.

The 1916 painters and the 1948 electricians who resided in the Canton of Geneva at the time of the 1970 census were identified and followed up to 1984. During the study period 121 disability pensions were awarded to painters and 59 to electricians. Age standardised incidence of disability per 1000 man-years at risk was higher among painters than among electricians for all neuropsychiatric causes (1.23/1000 and 0.68/1000, respectively) and for all other causes (5.50/1000 and 3.41/1000, respectively). No case of presenile dementia was diagnosed among painters. There was inadequate evidence to indicate that the higher risk of neuropsychiatric disability for painters might have been due to their occupational exposure to organic solvents. A possible toxic effect of these substances on the central nervous system was confounded with alcoholism which was associated with disability from neuropsychiatric disease in 12 of 20 painters and in only one of 10 electricians. Mortality and incidence of cancer were assessed among both cohorts and compared with the expected figures calculated from Geneva rates. Among painters there was a significant increase in overall mortality (O = 254, E = 218.5), in mortality from all cancers (O = 96, E = 75.4), and in incidence from all cancers (O = 159, E = 132.0). For the specific cancer sites, there was a significant excess risk for lung cancer (mortality: O = 40, E = 23.0), which was possibly related to occupational exposure to asbestos and to zinc chromate, although cigarette smoking was not controlled. The significant excesses of biliary tract cancer and of bladder cancer were in accordance with previous observations among painters from other countries. There was also a significant increase in incidence from testicular cancer (O=5, E=1.6), which has not been reported before. For causes of death other than cancer the excesses for alcoholism (O=5, E=0.8). for liver cirrhosis (O=14, E=8.8), for motor vehicle accidents (O=12, E=5.9), and for cerebrovascular disease when allowing for ten years of latency (O=8, E=4.0), were consistent with a probable increased risk of alcohol abuse. Among electricians overall mortality was similar to that expected (O=137, E=139.0). No significant excess risk was found for all cancers or for any specific cancer site. Because of the small number of expected deaths the statistical power was low for the assessment of a possible risk for leukaemia or for brain tumour.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Cancer of the larynx/hypopharynx, tobacco and alcohol: IARC international case-control study in Turin and Varese (Italy), Zaragoza and Navarra (Spain), Geneva (Switzerland) and Calvados (France).

A case-control study on larynx and hypopharynx cancer was carried out in 6 populations including the city of Turin and the province of Varese (Italy), the provinces of Navarra and Zaragoza (Spain), the canton of Geneva (Switzerland), and the département of Calvados (France). This report presents an analysis of the risk associated with alcohol and tobacco consumption based on 1,147 male cases and 3,057 male population controls. Special attention was given to the study of the risk at various sites of larynx and hypopharynx. The effect of tobacco is similar for all sites and the risk associated with ever smoking is on the order of 10. The risks from alcohol drinking depend on site. They are similar for epilarynx and hypopharynx (RR = 4.3, for more than 80 g/day) and lower for endolarynx (RR = 2.1, for more than 80 g/day). For all sites the risk decreases after quitting (RR = 0.3 after 10 years); exclusive use of filter cigarettes is protective (RR = 0.5 relative to smokers of plain cigarettes only) as is exclusive use of blond tobacco (RR = 0.5 relative to smokers of black tobacco only). Inhalation increases the risk of endolaryngeal cancer but not that of hypopharynx or epilarynx. The relative risks for joint exposure to alcohol and tobacco are consistent with a multiplicative model.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Identification of sterol acceptors that stimulate cholesterol efflux from human spermatozoa during in vitro capacitation.

The nature of cholesterol-binding proteins acting upon human spermatozoa during in vitro capacitation was determined by measuring the efflux of [3H]cholesterol and of [3H]cholesteryl sulfate from labeled spermatozoa. Efflux of [3H]sterols was stimulated when the labeled gametes were incubated in Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with female serum or follicular fluid. Upon centrifugation of capacitated spermatozoa and application of the supernatant to density-gradient ultracentrifugation for lipoprotein analysis, both [3H]cholesterol and [3H]cholesteryl sulfate were found to be carried by very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), as well as the albumin fraction (d greater than 1.21) in serum. When the capacitation medium was supplemented with follicular fluid, the [3H]sterols were bound to HDL's and to the albumin fraction; when the latter fraction was analysed by molecular sieve chromatography, 60-70% of the radioactivity eluted in fractions with a mean molecular weight corresponding to that of human serum albumin. Sperm cholesterol efflux was also stimulated when serum or follicular fluid was added to a simplified medium (50 mM Tris-HCl, 0.56% NaCl, pH 7.8); efflux of [3H]cholesterol from labeled gametes progressed in a time-dependent manner, but was low in the absence of serum components. The [3H]cholesterol/cholesterol ratios were higher in the albumin and HDL fractions, indicating some degree of specificity of these sterol acceptors. It was observed that follicular fluid albumin has a [3H]sterol binding capacity that is 2-3-fold higher than that of serum albumin. Commercial human serum albumin also promoted sperm cholesterol efflux. These results provide new information concerning those components of follicular fluid which may play a role in human sperm capacitation and provide further support for the concept that loss of cholesterol from the sperm plasma membrane is an important component of the capacitation process.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1988

[Prognostic factors in survival after cancer: epidemiological model].

Quality of care assessment is one of the principal issues considered when studying the survival of cancer patients. Survival rates based on hospital series ("clinical survival") essentially aim at evaluating the impact of therapy, taking into account the stage of the tumor. When, on the other hand, survival rates refer to a demographically defined population ("epidemiologic survival") they depend not only on quality of therapy but also on differentials in access to health services which in turn condition partly the stage at time of diagnosis and therapy selection. Since these patterns of access can vary according to socio-cultural characteristics, the epidemiologist is tempted to focus the prognostic analysis of survival on these characteristics. In a cancer registry setting, clinical indicators (stage of the lesions, type of health care institution and therapy) must not be neglected. Rather, these must be analyzed both as co-factors of survival and as phenomena to be explained in their own right. Issues relating to this topic are discussed using the example of breast cancer in Geneva.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Multivariate analysis of dietary patterns in 939 Swiss adults: sociodemographic parameters and alcohol consumption profiles.

A dietary survey of 939 Swiss adults, randomly selected from the population of Geneva and its surrounding communities, was performed according to the history method. A factor analysis, using average weekly intakes for 33 food variables, reveals three principal components of the diet: satiating capacity, healthfulness and culinary complexity. These characteristics, together with the energy content of the diet, were analysed for differences according to sex, age, relative weight index, birthplace, marital status and occupation. All of these sociodemographic variables influence some dimension of dietary habits. Alcohol consumption is positively associated with satiating, protein rich diets, but energy intake from foods does not significantly differ between various groups of abstainers and drinkers. Although the energy contribution of alcoholic beverages is globally additive, we suggest that cultural and societal norms may modulate the relationship of alcohol and diet.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A comparative study of smoking, drinking and dietary habits in population samples in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. II. Tobacco smoking.

This paper describes the smoking habits of six populations in France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. A total of 2,965 men and 2,369 women have been interviewed. The proportion of ever smoking men is almost the same (75 to 80%) everywhere but in Geneva and Calvados a higher proportion of smokers quitted the habit (over 30%). In females, on the contrary, the prevalences of ever smokers is higher in Torino (42%) and Geneva (36%) than in Spain (25%) and Calvados (19%). Young females, however, tend to smoke more and intercountry differences tend to disappear. In both sexes successive generations begin to smoke earlier. Exclusive use of black tobacco is still very high in Calvados (90%) and Navarra (80%) whilst it tends to disappear in Italy (30%). Plain cigarettes decrease everywhere, especially in Spain and Varese, but they are still smoked by the majority of men in Calvados. The results suggest that the tobacco epidemic is still increasing in those areas where it began more recently.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A comparative study of smoking, drinking and dietary habits in population samples in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. I. Study design and dietary habits.

Diet, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and occupational histories have been investigated in stratified random samples of the adult population in 6 areas in France (departement of Calvados), Italy (province of Varese and city of Torino), Spain (provinces of Navarra and Zaragoza) and Switzerland (canton of Geneva), to be used as a reference group in a case-control study on cancer of the larynx and hypopharynx. Out of a total of 8,074 sampled subjects, 5,564 could be interviewed. Sampling procedures are described, and reasons for non-response are analysed. Everywhere the intake of the 4 energy providing nutrients (particularly alcohol) was much greater in men than in women. In both sexes, total caloric intake was higher in Calvados and in Italy than elsewhere. There were wide inter-area variations in the consumption of butter + milk products and oils, resulting in a polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio ranging from 0.27 in Calvados to 0.54-0.65 in Spain. Among nutrients suggested to be involved in cancer aetiology, inter-area differences in daily intake were up to 3-fold for carotene and smaller for vitamin C and fibre. The proportion of lipids, fibres, vitamin C and carotene provided by different foods varied widely between areas, thus suggesting that in etiological cancer studies consideration should be given not only to nutrients but also to foods providing them.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

A comparative study of smoking, drinking and dietary habits in population samples in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. III. Consumption of alcohol.

Individual present and life time intake of aethanol has been studied in population samples of six areas of Italy (Torino, Varese), Spain (Navarra, Zaragoza), Switzerland (Geneva) and France (Calvados); 2,965 men and 2,369 women were interviewed. Abstinent men were no more than 4% except in Zaragoza (11.5%); 49 to 61% drank between 20 and 80 g. aethanol a day and 21 to 26% more than 80 g. (36% in Navarra). Women drank much less and were more often abstinent: 50 to 94% of them did not drink or drank less than 20 g. a day. Wine was the most commonly consumed beverage (over 60% of total alcohol intake), except in Calvados where cider was still largely consumed (over 30%). Such differences in drinking habits by sex and region are of major public health importance. They do not appear in national sales statistics which must be complemented by surveys on individuals.

Adult↗