Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is common in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and may be associated with metabolic and endocrine disorders in PCOS. The aim of this meta-analysis is ...to assess the associations of serum vitamin D levels with metabolic and endocrine dysregulations in women with PCOS, and to determine effects of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic and hormonal functions in PCOS patients. The literature search was undertaken through five databases until 16 January 2015 for both observational and experimental studies concerning relationships between vitamin D and PCOS. A total of 366 citations were identified, of which 30 were selected (n = 3182). We found that lower serum vitamin D levels were related to metabolic and hormonal disorders in women with PCOS. Specifically, PCOS patients with VDD were more likely to have dysglycemia (e.g., increased levels of fasting glucose and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR)) compared to those without VDD. This meta-analysis found no evidence that vitamin D supplementation reduced or mitigated metabolic and hormonal dysregulations in PCOS. VDD may be a comorbid manifestation of PCOS or a minor pathway in PCOS associated metabolic and hormonal dysregulation. Future prospective observational studies and randomized controlled trials with repeated VDD assessment and better characterization of PCOS disease severity at enrollment are needed to clarify whether VDD is a co-determinant of hormonal and metabolic dysregulations in PCOS, represents a consequence of hormonal and metabolic dysregulations in PCOS or both.
Purpose
Shift work, short sleep duration, employment as a flight attendant, and exposure to light at night, all potential causes of circadian disruption, have been inconsistently associated with ...breast cancer (BrCA) risk. The aim of this meta-analysis is to quantitatively evaluate the combined and independent effects of exposure to different sources of circadian disruption on BrCA risk in women.
Methods
Relevant studies published through January 2014 were identified by searching the PubMed database. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using fixed- or random effects models as indicated by heterogeneity tests. Generalized least squares trend test was used to assess dose–response relationships.
Results
A total of 28 studies, 15 on shift work, 7 on short sleep duration, 3 on flight attendants, and 6 on light at night were included in the analysis. The combined analysis suggested a significantly positive association between circadian disruption and BrCA risk (RR = 1.14; 95 % CI 1.08–1.21). Separate analyses showed that the RR for BrCA was 1.19 (95 % CI 1.08–1.32) for shift work, 1.120 (95 % CI 1.119–1.121) for exposure to light at night, 1.56 (95 % CI 1.10–2.21) for employment as a flight attendant, and 0.96 (95 % CI 0.86–1.06) for short sleep duration. A dose–response analysis showed that each 10-year increment of shift work was associated with 16 % higher risk of BrCA (95 % CI 1.06–1.27) based on selected case–control studies. No significant dose–response effects of exposure to light at night and sleep deficiency were found on BrCA risk.
Conclusions
Our meta-analysis demonstrates that circadian disruption is associated with an increased BrCA risk in women. This association varied by specific sources of circadian disrupting exposures, and a dose–response relationship remains uncertain. Therefore, future rigorous prospective studies are needed to confirm these relationships.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate occupational and non-occupational mortality among Mexican immigrants in the South Eastern United States. The construction industry has the highest ...burden of occupational fatalities in the USA of all industries, and foreign-born Hispanic workers are disproportionately affected.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from 3,093 death certificates maintained by the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were used to compare occupational-related deaths among construction industry occupations, and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between manners of death not related to occupation and employment in the construction industry.
Findings
The proportion of Mexican immigrants who died from occupational injuries is higher among all construction workers (SMR = 1.31), roofers (SMR = 2.32) and carpenters (SMR = 2.25) than other workers. Among the population in this analysis suicide adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.63 and death from natural causes (aOR = 0.70) were inversely related to work in the construction industry.
Research limitations/implications
Interventions to reduce occupational fatalities among Mexican migrant construction workers should target roofers and carpenters. Future research should further investigate the industry’s association with suicide and natural death.
Originality/value
This is one of the first analyzes that investigated associations between construction industry employment and non-occupational fatalities among immigrants. The analysis provides evidence that a large portion of the Mexican immigrant population is used in the construction industry (38%) and face elevated risks for occupational fatalities and the results of this investigation should encourage greater surveillance of occupational illness and injury among foreign-born immigrants who work in construction, as well as other high-risk industries.
We aimed to examine how public health policies influenced the dynamics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) time-varying reproductive number (
) in South Carolina from February 26, 2020, to January ...1, 2021.
COVID-19 case series (March 6, 2020, to January 10, 2021) were shifted by 9 d to approximate the infection date. We analyzed the effects of state and county policies on
using EpiEstim. We performed linear regression to evaluate if per-capita cumulative case count varies across counties with different population size.
shifted from 2-3 in March to <1 during April and May.
rose over the summer and stayed between 1.4 and 0.7. The introduction of statewide mask mandates was associated with a decline in
(-15.3%; 95% CrI, -13.6%, -16.8%), and school re-opening, an increase by 12.3% (95% CrI, 10.1%, 14.4%). Less densely populated counties had higher attack rates (
< 0.0001).
The
dynamics over time indicated that public health interventions substantially slowed COVID-19 transmission in South Carolina, while their relaxation may have promoted further transmission. Policies encouraging people to stay home, such as closing nonessential businesses, were associated with
reduction, while policies that encouraged more movement, such as re-opening schools, were associated with
increase.
Mercury is a metal with widespread distribution in aquatic ecosystems and significant neurodevelopmental toxicity in humans. Fish biomonitoring for total mercury has been conducted in South Carolina ...(SC) since 1976, and consumption advisories have been posted for many SC waterways. However, there is limited information on the potential reproductive impacts of mercury due to recreational or subsistence fish consumption.
To address this issue, geocoded residential locations for live births from the Vital Statistics Registry (1995-2005, N = 362,625) were linked with spatially interpolated total mercury concentrations in fish to estimate potential mercury exposure from consumption of locally caught fish. Generalized estimating equations were used to test the hypothesis that risk of low birth weight (LBW, <2,500 grams) or preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks clinical gestation) was greater among women living in areas with elevated total mercury in fish, after adjustment for confounding. Separate analyses estimated term LBW and PTB risks using residential proximity to rivers with fish consumption advisories to characterize exposure.
Term LBW was more likely among women residing in areas in the upper quartile of predicted total mercury in fish (odds ratio OR = 1.04; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.00-1.09) or within 8 kilometers of a river with a 'do not eat' fish advisory (1.05; 1.00-1.11) compared to the lowest quartile, or rivers without fish consumption restrictions, respectively. When stratified by race, risks for term LBW or PTB were 10-18% more likely among African-American (AA) mothers living in areas with the highest total fish mercury concentrations.
To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between fish total mercury concentrations and adverse reproductive outcomes in a large population-based sample that included AA women. The ecologic nature of exposure assessment in this study precludes causal inference. However, the results suggest a need for more detailed investigations to characterize patterns of local fish consumption and potential dose-response relationships between mercury exposure and adverse reproductive outcomes, particularly among AA mothers.
This randomized controlled trial (RCT: NCT02633748) examined effectiveness of an abbreviated mindfulness program on psychosocial symptoms, behaviors, and inflammation.
Cancer survivors (
= 36) ...underwent a 4-week mindfulness intervention compared to a breathing control. Data included psychosocial questionnaires, anthropometrics, actigraphy, and blood draws. Clinic visits occurred at baseline, post-intervention, and a 3-month post-follow-up.
Compared to baseline, the intervention arm displayed reductions in sedentary time and perceived stress and improvements in subjective sleep quality, and daily steps at post-follow-up.
An abbreviated mindfulness intervention in feasible in cancer survivors and signs of efficacy warrant further mindfulness studies among this population.
Fish from the Great Lakes contain polychlorinated biphenyls（PCBs）which have been shown to disrupt endocrine function and mimic thyroid hormones,but they also contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids ...that may offer protection against endocrine cancers.The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Lake Ontario fish consumption and the estimated consumption of PCBs and omega-3 fatty acids on the risk of thyroid cancer in a group of sport fishermen.Anglers from the New York State Angler Cohort Study were followed for cancer incidence from 1991–2008.Twenty-seven cases of incident thyroid cancer and 108 controls were included in the analyses.Total estimated fish consumption,estimated omega-3 fatty acid consumption,and estimated PCB consumption from Lake Ontario fish were examined for an association with the incidence of thyroid cancer,while matching on sex,and controlling for age and smoking status.Results from logistic regression indicate no significant associations between fish consumption,short-term estimated omega-3 fatty acids,or estimated PCB consumption from Great Lakes fish and the development of thyroid cancer,but it was suggested that long-term omega-3 fatty acid from Great Lakes fish may be protective of the development of thyroid cancer.In conclusion,fish consumption,with the possible concomitant PCBs,from the Great Lakes does not appear to increase the risk of thyroid cancer in New York anglers.Further research is needed in order to separate the individual health effects of PCBs from omega-3 fatty acids contained within the fish.
The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII)TM, which was developed to characterize the inflammatory potential of a person's diet, has been shown to be associated with inflammatory conditions such as cancer. ...The present study aimed to investigate the association between DII scores and colorectal adenoma (CRA), a pre-cancerous condition.
Responses to baseline dietary questionnaires were used calculate DII scores. In a cross-sectional study design, the association between DII scores and CRA prevalence was determined in men and women separately using logistic regression models.
Ten cancer screening centres across the USA.
Participants were those included in the screening arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.
Among the 44 278 individuals included in these analyses, men with diets in the most inflammatory quartile of DII scores had higher odds of all types of CRA (advanced, non-advanced and multiple (>1)) compared with those with diets in the least inflammatory quartile of DII scores. In fully adjusted models, compared with those with DII scores in quartile 1 (least inflammatory), males with DII scores in quartile 3 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1·28; 95 % CI 1·12, 1·47) and quartile 4 (aOR=1·41; 95 % CI 1·23, 1·62) were more likely to have prevalent distal CRA. Higher DII scores, representing a more inflammatory diet, also were weakly associated with a higher prevalence of CRA in women.
Implementing an anti-inflammatory diet may be an effective means of primary prevention of CRA, especially in men.
We conducted a voluntary survey among ethnically and socioeconomically diverse women. About half of the respondents reported experiencing at least one health issue; over half were interested in ...attending a mindfulness class to reduce stress. Our study suggests interest in participating in a mindfulness intervention, primarily among those with more health issues.
Aim
The purpose of the current study is to examine the dietary patterns in a diverse cohort of individuals and to see if the identified dietary patterns predict the prevalence of adenoma in a ...cross‐sectional study.
Methods
Factor analysis was used to derive both sex‐ and population subgroup‐specific dietary patterns among participants in the screening arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between identified factor scores and colorectal adenoma (CRA) in sex‐specific subgroups.
Results
Three diet patterns were observed in this cohort: ‘Fruits and vegetables’, ‘Western’ and ‘Sweet and salty’. Foods that loaded on each factor were similar between the racial subgroups. In men, being in the highest quintile of ‘Western’ dietary scores was associated with higher odds of any (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.42), advanced (aOR = 1.32; 95% CI = 1.07–1.63) or multiple (>1; aOR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.17–1.94) adenoma, compared to those in the lowest quintile. These results were most notably seen in Caucasian men. In women, having a ‘Fruits and vegetable’ score in the highest quintile was associated with lower odds of multiple adenoma (>1; aOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.28–1.00).
Conclusions
Of the three dietary factors, the ‘Western’ diet pattern was most strongly associated with prevalent CRA in Caucasian men. Further research is needed to examine the association between dietary factor scores and adenomas in the proximal colon, where there are larger racial disparities in prevalence.
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