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Biomedical subjects

M Zack

Publications and source records attributed to M Zack.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Perinatal measles infection and subsequent Crohn's disease.

Although the aetiology of Crohn's disease is unknown, morphological and epidemiological studies have implicated measles virus as a potential component cause, particularly when exposure occurs in utero or early in life. An increased incidence of Crohn's disease among people born during measles epidemics would support this hypothesis. We identified all individuals born in four counties in central Sweden in 1945-54 who had had Crohn's disease diagnosed before the age of 30 years. Yearly reports compiled in these counties revealed that five measles epidemics had affected all four counties during the trial period. After adjusting for monthly differences in the number of livebirths in the four counties, we calculated the expected number of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis born during the 3-month period after the peaks of the epidemics. The number of people with Crohn's disease significantly exceeded that expected: 57 versus 39.0 (standardised incidence ratio 1.46, 95% CI 1.11-1.89). For patients with ulcerative colitis, the observed number (42) was close to that expected (46.8). Our results strengthen the hypothesis that measles is related to Crohn's disease and that the perinatal period is a time of vulnerability.

Adult↗

Risk of cancer following partial gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease.

The relative risk of developing cancer after partial gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease, expressed as the standardized incidence ratio, was examined in a population-based cohort comprising 6459 patients operated on between 1950 and 1958. Follow-up to 1983 revealed 1112 patients with cancer versus 1128 expected cases (relative risk 1.0 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.9-1.1)). The overall risk increased over time; it was higher in younger than in older patients but was not related to sex, surgical procedure (Billroth I or II gastrectomy) or diagnosis at operation (duodenal or stomach ulcer). There was an increased risk for lung cancer (relative risk 1.5 (95 per cent c.i. 1.2-1.7)), for oesophageal cancer in patients operated on for stomach ulcer (relative risk 2.2 (95 per cent c.i. 1.0-4.2)) and for cancer of the biliary tract in men (relative risk 1.9 (95 per cent c.i. 1.2-2.9)) and in those operated on for duodenal ulcer (relative risk 1.7 (95 per cent c.i. 1.0-2.8)). The overall risk for genital cancer in women was unchanged but decreased with increasing duration of follow-up and age. Cancers of the nervous system occurred less frequently than expected (relative risk 0.5 (95 per cent c.i. 0.3-0.8)), while the risk for cancer of the buccal cavity, lymphatic and haematopoietic systems, pancreas, breast, prostate, kidney and bladder was unchanged.

Adult↗

Mortality among patients with partial gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease.

Partial gastrectomy for benign ulcer disease may influence future risk of death, eg, through changes in life-style or metabolism. To reveal such possible long-term effects, we analyzed a population-based cohort of 6459 patients operated on from 1950 through 1958 and followed through 1985. We found a lower overall mortality than in the general Swedish population (standardized mortality ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.97). Mortality was decreased among those with duodenal ulcers, Billroth II operations, and older age at operation but increased as time passed after operation. Mortality was significantly (P < 0.05) increased from tuberculosis, alcoholism, emphysema, stomach ulcer, intestinal obstruction, gallbladder or biliary disease, suicide, and accidental falls but decreased from ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Preoperative selection of healthy patients and the probable increased prevalence of risk factors for ulcer disease (smoking, alcoholism, and lower socioeconomic status) in this cohort explain most of these findings. Apart from intestinal obstruction, gallbladder or biliary tract diseases, and tuberculosis, the surgical procedure did not appear to increase mortality beyond one year after operation.

Adult↗

Response outcomes affect the retention of behavioral tolerance to alcohol: information and incentive.

Twenty-four male undergraduates acquired tolerance during three sessions where they received moderate doses of alcohol (0.62 g/kg) and repeatedly performed a motor skill task with immediate knowledge of results (KR) on each trial. Subjects were assigned to one of four groups (n = 6) before a retention test session where two groups received alcohol and two expected alcohol but received a placebo. The effect on tolerance retention of withholding KR was tested in alcohol group A. The effect of an incentive in the absence of KR was examined in the other alcohol group (AM) that was offered a delayed monetary reward for nonimpaired performance. Both alcohol groups failed to retain tolerance and their impairment did not differ. The effect of substituting the incentive for KR on a drug-compensatory response to placebo was examined in group PM by comparing its performance to group PC where KR was continued. A compensatory response (i.e., performance superior to drug-free baseline) was displayed by the PC group but not by group PM. Thus, despite a monetary incentive to perform well, tolerance to alcohol and a compensatory response to placebo were both disrupted by withholding KR. The results were interpreted in terms of the information about performance conveyed by KR.

Adult↗

Maternal and perinatal risk factors for Wilms' tumor: a nationwide nested case-control study in Sweden.

This report describes maternal and perinatal risk factors for Wilms' tumor analyzed in a case-control study nested in a nationwide cohort in Sweden. The Swedish National Cancer Registry ascertained 110 cases from among successive birth cohorts from 1973 through 1984, identified by the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, the latter based on medical records. From the Birth Registry, we matched 5 controls without cancer to each case by sex and date of birth. Wilms'-tumor children were more likely to have mothers who had been exposed to penthrane (methoxyflurane) anesthesia during delivery than mothers of controls (odds ratio (OR) = 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 5.1); this excess risk was higher in females than males and increased with age at diagnosis. Wilms'-tumor cases were also more likely to have had physiologic jaundice (OR = 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 5.0). Higher parity of the mother decreased the risk of Wilms' tumor among females (OR = 0.7; 95% CI 0.5 to 1.0). We were unable to confirm the reported increased risks of Wilms' tumor for those with high birth weights or with a maternal history of hypertension or fluid retention during pregnancy, nor did we find any association with mother's age at delivery, previous stillbirth, previous live birth, gestational length or height of the child.

Anesthesia, Obstetrical↗

Survival and causes of death in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based study.

Relative survival up to December 31, 1986 was analyzed for all patients diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 2,509) and Crohn's disease (CD) (n = 1,469) within the Uppsala Region, Sweden 1965-1983. After 10 years survival was 96% of that expected for UC and CD. Patients with ulcerative proctitis, left-sided colitis, and pancolitis at diagnosis had relative survival rates of 98%, 96%, and 93% respectively. Survival did not differ by extent at diagnosis for patients with CD. After including prevalent cases, 684 deaths occurred compared with 481.1 expected deaths [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) = 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-1.5]. Inflammatory bowel disease was the main reason for this excess mortality. Colorectal cancer increased mortality (50 deaths observed vs. 15.2 expected). Death from other cancers were not greater than expected. Obstructive respiratory diseases, especially bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma increased mortality SMR = 1.5 (95% CI = 1.1-2.2) in UC. Cerebrovascular disease mortality occurred less often than expected (SMR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5-1.0). Mortality for other diseases and groups of diseases was close to that expected.

Cause of Death↗

Is there clustering of inflammatory bowel disease at birth?

Evidence points to possible cohort effects in inflammatory bowel disease, the possible role of perinatal infection as a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease, and the occurrence of clusters of Crohn's disease. This evidence suggests the value of searching for birth date clustering among cases of inflammatory bowel disease. The authors looked for clustering by birth date and maternal residence at birth in a population-based series of 845 Crohn's disease patients and 1,330 ulcerative colitis patients born from 1924 through 1957 and diagnosed in the Uppsala Health Care Region, Sweden, until the end of 1983. Over this period, 43% of persons with Crohn's disease had been born within 6 days of another case, compared with 36% of controls simulated to account for monthly variation in births (p = 0.0002). The number of pairs of inflammatory bowel disease cases whose births occurred in the same county (close in space) and whose birth dates were also close in time was statistically significantly greater than expected for most birth dates 23-57 days apart. Results after 1944, when ascertainment was more complete, generally corroborate these findings and suggest some seasonality in the birth dates of ulcerative colitis cases. Results from the entire study period and after 1944 thus provide evidence for clustering by birth (including seasonality) among Crohn's disease cases and also, to a lesser extent, among ulcerative colitis cases.

Causality↗

Maternal and perinatal risk factors for childhood leukemia.

This report describes an exploratory population-based study of maternal and perinatal risk factors for childhood leukemia in Sweden. The Swedish National Cancer Registry ascertained 411 cases in successive birth cohorts from 1973 through 1984 recorded in the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. Using the latter, we matched five controls without cancer to each case by sex and month and year of birth. Mothers of children with leukemia were more likely to have been exposed to nitrous oxide anesthesia during delivery than mothers of controls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0, 1.6]. Children with leukemia were more likely than controls to have Down's syndrome (OR = 32.5; 95% CI = 7.3, 144.0) or cleft lip or cleft palate (OR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.0, 24.8); to have had a diagnosis associated with difficult labor but unspecified complications (OR = 4.5; 95% CI = 1.1, 18.2) or with other conditions of the fetus or newborn (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1, 2.1), specifically, uncomplicated physiological jaundice (OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.9); or to have received supplemental oxygen (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.3, 1.3, 4.9). Because multiple potential risk factors were analyzed in this study, future studies need to check these findings. We did not confirm the previously reported higher risks for childhood leukemia associated with being male, having a high birth weight, or being born to a woman of advanced maternal age.

Child↗

Extracolonic malignancies in inflammatory bowel disease.

A population-based cohort with inflammatory bowel disease consisting of 4776 patients (3121 with ulcerative colitis and 1655 with Crohn's disease) was followed for 1 to 50 years for the occurrence of malignant neoplasms. Two hundred eighty-three cancers were observed versus 189.1 expected (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] = 1.5, 95% confidence limits [CL] 1.3 to 1.7). One hundred seventy-eight extracolonic cancers were observed versus 168.8 expected (SIR = 1.1, 95% CL 0.9 to 1.2). In Crohn's disease and extensive ulcerative colitis, observed cases were close to those expected but in ulcerative proctitis, the relative risk of extracolonic cancers was close to significantly increased (SIR = 1.3, 95% CL 1.0 to 1.7). Squamous skin cancers after Crohn's disease (SIR = 5.5, 95% CL 2.0 to 11.9) and connective tissue cancers after ulcerative colitis (SIR = 4.0, 95% CL 1.0 to 10.2) were significantly increased. Those having extensive ulcerative colitis at diagnosis had an increased risk of brain cancers (SIR = 2.4, 95% CL 1.0 to 4.6). Patients with extensive ulcerative colitis had lower than expected risk of breast cancer (SIR = 0.4, 95% CL 0.1 to 1.0).

Brain Neoplasms↗

Ulcerative proctitis in central Sweden 1965-1983. A population-based epidemiological study.

Ulcerative proctitis has by tradition been regarded as a subgroup of ulcerative colitis. Population-based epidemiological studies of ulcerative proctitis are, however, virtually nonexistent. In an epidemiological study of inflammatory bowel disease in the Uppsala Health Care Region, 1065 cases of ulcerative proctitis were diagnosed from 1965 through 1983. Males predominated, with the male to female ratio 1.4:1. Annual incidence rates were higher in urban than in rural areas. The annual incidence rates increased threefold from 2.8 per 10(5) to 6.6 per 10(5) during the period, affecting all age groups over 14 years of age, in both urban and rural areas and in both sexes. Differences in temporal trends and certain other epidemiological characteristics between ulcerative proctitis and extensive ulcerative colitis suggest that ulcerative proctitis is a specific disease whose etiology differs from that of extensive ulcerative colitis.

Adolescent↗

The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease: a large, population-based study in Sweden.

Previous population-based incidence studies of inflammatory bowel disease are limited by small numbers, short duration, or inadequate case-finding. To address these problems, we identified all persons with confirmed ulcerative colitis (n = 2509) or Crohn's disease (n = 1469) in the Uppsala Health Care Region from 1965 to 1983. Age-specific incidence rates by sex were slightly greater for males with ulcerative colitis and females with Crohn's disease. Incidence rates for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease were higher in urban than rural areas. The annual incidence rate of ulcerative colitis increased from less than 7 per 100,000 to more than 12 per 100,000 during the study period, while the rate for Crohn's disease remained between 5 and 7 per 100,000. The increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis was the result of a marked increase in the number of patients with ulcerative proctitis. Analyses by 5-year birth cohorts suggest that those born from 1945 through 1954 were at higher risk for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and that this effect was accounted for by those born in the first half of the year. The seasonality in the cohort effect, combined with the urban preponderance of disease, suggests that environmental causes may be involved in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Adolescent↗

Risk factors for extensive ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis: a population based case-control study.

To examine socioeconomic factors, dietary and other personal habits, and medical history as risk factors for ulcerative colitis, we studied 167 (98%) of all prevalent cases of ulcerative colitis diagnosed in Uppsala county from 1945 to 1964 and 167 age and sex matched population controls. Ulcerative colitis patients were less likely than controls to be current cigarette, pipe, or cigar smokers (odds ratio (OR) = 0.44; 95% confidence limits (CL) = 0.25-0.78), but more likely to have symptoms induced by drinking milk (OR = 4.63; 95% CL = 2.15-9.93). Patients with ulcerative colitis do not differ in most of the socioeconomic, dietary and personal habits compared with the background population.

Adolescent↗

Ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer. A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of colorectal cancer is increased among patients with ulcerative colitis. The magnitude of this increase in risk and the effects of the length of follow-up, the extent of disease at diagnosis, and age at diagnosis vary substantially in different studies. METHODS: To provide accurate estimates of the risk of colorectal cancer among patients with ulcerative colitis, we studied a population-based cohort of 3117 patients given a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis from 1922 through 1983 who were followed up through 1984. RESULTS: Ninety-two cases of colorectal cancer occurred in 91 patients. As compared with the expected incidence, the incidence of colorectal cancer in the cohort was increased (standardized incidence ratio [ratio of observed to expected cases] = 5.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 4.6 to 7.0). Less extensive disease at diagnosis was associated with a lower risk; for patients with ulcerative proctitis, the standardized incidence ratio was 1.7 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.8 to 3.2); for those with left-sided colitis, 2.8 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 4.4); and for those with pancolitis (extensive colitis, or inflammation of the entire colon), 14.8 (95 percent confidence interval, 11.4 to 18.9). Age at diagnosis and the extent of disease at diagnosis were strong and independent risk factors for colorectal cancer. For each increase in age group at diagnosis (less than 15 years, 15 to 29 years, 30 to 39 years, 40 to 49 years, 50 to 59 years, and greater than or equal to 60 years), the relative risk of colorectal cancer, adjusted for the extent of disease at diagnosis, decreased by about half (adjusted standardized incidence ratio = 0.51; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.56). The absolute risk of colorectal cancer 35 years after diagnosis was 30 percent for patients with pancolitis at diagnosis and 40 percent for those given this diagnosis at less than 15 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Close surveillance and perhaps even prophylactic proctocolectomy should be recommended for patients given a diagnosis of pancolitis, especially those who are less than 15 years of age at diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

Increased risk of large-bowel cancer in Crohn's disease with colonic involvement.

A cohort of 1655 patients with Crohn's disease diagnosed during 1983 in the Uppsala health care region, Sweden, was followed up with respect to the occurrence of colorectal cancer to the end of 1984. 12 colorectal cancers were diagnosed, yielding an increased overall risk of 2.5. The relative risk was similar for males and females. Duration of follow-up did not affect risk. Relative risk for disease of the terminal ileum only was 1.0; for terminal ileum and parts of colon 3.2; and for colon alone 5.6. Patients in whom Crohn's disease was diagnosed before age 30 with any colonic involvement at diagnosis had a higher relative risk (20.9) than those diagnosed at older ages (2.2).

Adult↗

Hip fractures in women with breast cancer.

The authors investigated whether the incidence of first hip fracture, an indicator of osteoporosis, is lower in breast cancer patients, who are assumed to have higher levels of endogenous estrogens, than in other women. A population-based Swedish cohort comprising 9,673 women with invasive breast cancer diagnosed from 1958 through 1983 was followed up with respect to the occurrence of a first hip fracture during the period 1965-1983. Overall, the number of observed acute fractures (n = 387) was slightly higher than expected (n = 348.6) (standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.2). Risk for trochanteric fractures was slightly higher than expected (SIR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4), but risk for cervical fractures was not (SIR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.9-1.1). Risk for trochanteric fracture decreased with increasing age at breast cancer diagnosis, reaching standardized incidence ratios close to unity after the age of 70 years. Duration of follow-up appeared to be unrelated to the risk of either type of fracture. The authors conclude that the incidence of first hip fracture is not lower in breast cancer patients than in other women.

Adult↗