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Biomedical subjects

M Thamm

Publications and source records attributed to M Thamm.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

DDT (dicophane) and postmenopausal breast cancer in Europe: case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine any possible links between exposure to DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)ethylene), the persistent metabolite of the pesticide dicophane (DDT), and breast cancer. DESIGN: Multicentre study of exposure to DDE by measurement of adipose tissue aspirated from the buttocks. Laboratory measurements were conducted in a single laboratory. Additional data on risk factors for breast cancer were obtained by standard questionnaires. SETTING: Centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain. SUBJECTS: 265 postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 341 controls matched for age and centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Adipose DDE concentrations. RESULTS: Women with breast cancer had adipose DDE concentrations 9.2% lower than control women. No increased risk of breast cancer was found at higher concentrations. The odds ratio of breast cancer, adjusted for age and centre, for the highest versus the lowest fourth of DDE distribution was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 1.21) and decreased to 0.48 (0.25 to 0.95; P for trend = 0.02) after adjustment for body mass index, age at first birth, and current alcohol drinking. Adjustment for other risk factors did not materially affect these estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The lower DDE concentrations observed among the women with breast cancer may be secondary to disease inception. This study does not support the hypothesis that DDE increases risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in Europe.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Association between toenail selenium and risk of acute myocardial infarction in European men. The EURAMIC Study. European Antioxidant Myocardial Infarction and Breast Cancer.

The association between selenium status and risk of acute myocardial infarction was examined in a multicenter case-control study in 10 centers from Europe and Israel in 1991-1992. Selenium in toenails was assessed for 683 nonfatal male cases with first acute myocardial infarction and 729 controls less than 70 years of age. Median toenail selenium content was 0.553 microgram/g for cases and 0.590 microgram/g for controls. After adjustment for age, center, and smoking, the odds ratio for myocardial infarction in the highest quintile of selenium as compared with the lowest was 0.63 (95 percent confidence interval 0.37-1.07, p for trend = 0.08). The observed inverse trend was somewhat stronger when the authors adjusted for vitamin E status (p = 0.05). Analysis stratified for smoking habits showed an inverse association in former smokers (odds ratio for the 75th-25th percentile contrast = 0.63 (95 percent confidence interval 0.43-0.94)), but not in current smokers (odds ratio = 0.97 (0.71-1.32)) or in those who had never smoked (odds ratio = 1.55 (0.87-2.76)). Analysis stratified by center showed a significant inverse association between selenium levels and risk of myocardial infarction for Germany (Berlin) only (75th to 25th percentile odds ratio = 0.62 (95 percent confidence interval 0.42-0.91)), which was the center with the lowest selenium levels. It appears that the increased risk of acute myocardial infarction at low levels of selenium intake is largely explained by cigarette smoking; selenium status does not appear to be an important determinant of risk of myocardial infarction at the levels observed in a large part of Europe.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1997

Adipose tissue trans fatty acids and breast cancer in the European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer.

To investigate the relationship between trans fatty acids and postmenopausal breast cancer in European populations differing greatly in their dietary fat intakes, a case control study using adipose tissue stores of trans fatty acids as a biomarker of exposure was conducted. Subjects included 698 postmenopausal incident cases of primary breast cancer and controls randomly drawn from local population and patient registries, ages 50-74 Concentrations of individual trans fatty acids in gluteal fat biopsies were measured in these women. The adipose concentration of trans fatty acids showed a positive association with breast cancer. The covariate-adjusted association with breast cancer. The covariate-adjusted OR was 1.40 (95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.93) for the difference between the 75th and 25th percentiles of total adipose trans. The adjusted OR for trans in the lowest tertile of polyunsaturated fatty acid reached 3.6 (2.2, 6.1). These associations were not attributable to differences in age, body mass index, exogenous hormone use, or socioeconomic status. These findings suggest an association of adipose stores of trans fatty acids with postmenopausal breast cancer in European women. They require confirmation in other populations, with concomitant consideration of the potential roles of dietary saturated and monounsaturated fats.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Alcohol intake and risk of breast cancer: the euramic study.

To evaluate the association of alcohol intake with the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, we analyzed the data from an international case-control study conducted in five European countries (FRG, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain). Information on alcohol intake was available in 315 cases and 364 controls. Medians for the tertiles of alcohol intake among current drinkers were 1.7, 6.0, and 20.0 g/day. Adjusted relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) of breast cancer for each tertile of intake in current drinkers, compared to never drinkers, were 1.00 (0.60-1.67), 1.01 (0.60-1.73), and 1.18 (0.69-2.03). The adjusted relative risk for ex-drinkers was 1.73 (1.07-2.79). Among both current drinkers and ex-drinkers, the relative risk was higher for those with body mass index above the median compared to those with body mass index below the median. These results do not support a dose-response effect of alcohol on breast cancer risk, although consumption levels were too low to exclude increased risk with high regular intake. Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of developing breast cancer among ex-drinkers and the potential interaction between body mass index and alcohol drinking.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1996

Tissue antioxidants and postmenopausal breast cancer: the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC).

Antioxidants may protect against free radical mediated carcinogenesis. Epidemiological studies have not confirmed this hypothesis for breast cancer, possibly because of methodological limitations. Time-integrated exposure of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in adipose tissue, and selenium in toenails was investigated in a case-control study among postmenopausal women, ages 50-74 years, from five European countries. The study group comprised 347 incident breast cancer cases and 374 controls. Mean antioxidant levels, adjusted for age and center, did not significantly differ for alpha-tocopherol (cases were 4.5% higher than controls), beta-carotene (3.0% lower), or selenium (1.8% lower). Odds ratios for highest versus lowest tertiles of exposure, adjusted for potential confounders, were 1.15 (95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.77), 0.74 (0.45-1.23), and 0.96 (0.63-1.47), respectively, without evidence for a decreasing trend. No statistically significant interactions were observed. Moreover, a provisional antioxidant score, indicating whether concentrations were above the median for zero, one, two, or all three antioxidants, yielded odds ratios of 1.00 (reference; all below median), 1.58, 1.58, and 1.21, respectively (chi2 for association = 4.00; P = 0.26). These results do not support the hypothesis that antioxidants are important determinants of this hormone-related malignancy among postmenopausal women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1992

Pet birds as an independent risk factor for lung cancer: case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that exposure to pet birds increases risk of developing lung cancer. DESIGN: Case-control study. Computerised interviews were used to assess previous exposure to pets and other risk factors for lung cancer. SETTING: Three major hospitals treating respiratory disease in former West Berlin. SUBJECTS: All people newly diagnosed as having primary malignant neoplasm of the trachea, bronchi, or lung who were 65 or younger and control subjects matched for age and sex from the general population of former West Berlin. 279 cases and 635 controls qualified for the study; 239 cases and 429 controls participated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio of developing lung cancer according to whether or not pet birds were kept and the duration of keeping pet birds. RESULTS: In addition to the risk of lung cancer imposed by smoking, passive smoking, and occupational exposure to carcinogens, an increased relative risk of 2.14 (95% confidence interval 1.35 to 3.40) was found among people exposed to pet birds. The adjusted odds ratio for exposures longer than 10 years was 3.19 (1.48 to 8.21). CONCLUSIONS: Avian exposure seems to carry a risk of lung cancer. Until the pathogenesis is understood, long term exposure to pet birds in living areas should be avoided, especially among people at high risk of developing lung cancer.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDE) concentration in adipose tissue in women from five European cities.

To identify the determinants of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDE) in adipose tissue in subjects who participated in a cross-sectional study, we analyzed fatty acids, antioxidants, and p,p'-DDE in aspirates of adipose tissue of 328 postmenopausal women from 5 European countries. The overall mean of p,p'-DDE concentration was 1.66 microg/g of fatty acids (95% confidence interval = 1.46, 1.88). In a multiple-regression analysis, the main predictors of log10(p,p'DDE) were center of recruitment (p < .0001), adipose arachidic acid (p = .001), and adipose retinol (p = .04). These factors explained 14.9% of the overall variability of log10(p,p'-DDE). In our subjects, adipose tissue p,p'DDE concentrations were only weakly related with biomarkers reflecting intake of fish and other foods. This result is consistent with the notion that p,p'-DDE exists in different foods and, given the widespread contamination of the food chain, is relatively evenly distributed among foods.

Adipose Tissue↗