Lifetime principal occupation and risk of cognitive impairment among the elderly

We used a nested case-control design with study participants sampled from two cohorts, for a total of 2,198 elderly people 65 years or older and completed cognitive tests between 1993 and 1997, to assess the association between an individual's lifetime principal occupation and the subsequent risk of cognitive impairment. Cases consisted of 290 older adults with impaired cognitive functioning. For each case, two controls with comparable age (within 5 years) and sex frequencies were randomly sampled from the seniors free of cognitive impairment. Occupational data were collected through interviews. Individual's job content was coded into one of the occupational categories or the occupation-based social classes. Compared to those who were former legislators, government administrators, or business executives and managers, a significantly elevated risk of cognitive impairment was estimated for those who were employed as agriculture/animal husbandry/forestry/fishing workers (odds ratio (OR)=3.2), craft and related trades workers (OR=2.2), plant and machine operators and assemblers (OR=14.7), workers of elementary occupations (OR=3.2), or housekeepers (OR=2.6). We also observed health inequalities in the risk of cognitive impairment across social classes with a significant dose-response trend in which unskilled blue-collar workers had the highest risk. After adjustment for education, we still observed an inverse relationship between risk of cognitive impairment and occupational class. This may mean that lifetime longest-held occupation is more intimately involved in the causal pathways leading to cognitive impairment. Further studies that collect information on specific work hazards would help make specific interpretations of the observed effect of lifetime longest-held occupation in early adulthood on risk of cognitive decline in late life.     

老年人日常活动能力与睡眠质量及其交互作用对认知功能的影响

目的 探究我国老年人日常活动能力、睡眠质量及其交互作用对认知功能的影响。方法 基于2018年中国老年健康影响因素跟踪调查（CLHLS）数据,运用logistic回归模型进行危险因素分析。结果 控制相关变量后,多因素logistic回归结果显示,日常活动能力受损（OR = 3.941,95%CI:3.464～4.484）、睡眠障碍（OR = 1.370,95%CI:1.167～1.608）是老年人发生认知功能障碍的影响因素。交互作用结果显示,日常活动受损与睡眠障碍对认知功能障碍的发生具有相加交互作用（OR = 5.492,95%CI:4.380～6.888）,RERI（95%CI） = 1.261（0.092～2.430）,AP（95%CI） = 0.230（0.057～0.402）,S（95%CI） = 1.390（1.052～1.837）。结论 同时存在日常活动能力受损和睡眠障碍会增加老年人认知障碍的发生风险,通过有效措施提高老年人的睡眠质量和日常活动能力可有助于降低认知障碍的发生风险。     

The association of personal and neighborhood socioeconomic indicators with subclinical cardiovascular disease in an elderly cohort. The cardiovascular health study

There has been recent interest in determining whether neighborhood characteristics are related to the cardiovascular health of residents. However, there are no data regarding the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and prevalence of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly. We related personal SES (education, income, and occupation type) and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics (a block-group score summing six variables reflecting neighborhood income and wealth, education, and occupation) to the prevalence of subclinical CVD (asymptomatic peripheral vascular disease or carotid atherosclerosis, electrocardiogram or echocardiogram abnormalities, and/or positive responses to Rose Questionnaire claudication or angina pectoris) among 3545 persons aged 65 and over, without prevalent CVD, in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Sixty percent of participants had at least one indicator of subclinical disease. Compared to those without, those with subclinical disease had significantly lower education, income, and neighborhood scores and were more likely to have blue-collar jobs. After adjustment for age, gender, and race, those in the lowest SES groups had increased prevalence of subclinical disease compared with those in the highest SES groups (OR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.21, 1.86 for income; OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.18, 1.69 for education; OR = 1.39; 95% CI 1.16, 1.67 for block-group score). Those reporting a blue-collar lifetime occupation had greater prevalence of subclinical disease relative to those reporting a white-collar occupation (OR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.02-1.59). After adjustment for behavioral and biomedical risk factors, all of these associations were reduced. Neighborhood score tended to remain inversely associated with subclinical disease after adjustment for personal socioeconomic indicators but associations were not statistically significant. Personal income and blue-collar occupation remained significantly associated with subclinical disease after simultaneous adjustment for neighborhood score and education. Personal and neighborhood socioeconomic indicators were associated with subclinical disease prevalence in this elderly cohort. These relationships were reduced after controlling for traditional CVD risk factors.     

老年慢性病患者社会化住院现状调查及影响因素分析

目的 调查老年慢性病患者社会化住院现状及其影响因素。方法 便利抽样某三甲医院于2018年1月 - 2019年1月收治866例老年慢性病患者作为调查对象,logistic回归分析其影响因素。结果 866例老年慢性病患者符合“社会化住院”标准人数252例,比例为29.09%,住院阶段转科室（OR = 4.403,95%CI:2.855～6.789）、入院时ADL水平（OR = 1.478,95%CI:1.151～1.897）、达到出院标准ADL水平（OR = 1.359,95%CI:1.074～1.718）、年龄（OR = 1.128,95%CI:1.084～1.173）、家庭人均收入（OR = 2.484,95%CI:1.990～3.101）、医院获得性感染（OR = 2.078,95%CI:1.301～3.320）、入院途径（OR = 2.222,95%CI:1.424～3.467）、合并其他慢性病（OR = 3.743,95%CI:2.373～5.902）、抑郁（OR = 2.336,95%CI:1.485～3.674）、焦虑（OR = 2.272,95%CI:1.471～3.509）、认知障碍（OR = 1.970,95%CI:1.230～3.156）、病程（OR = 1.121,95%CI:1.057～1.189）、公费（OR = 3.116,95%CI:1.041～ 9.326）、新农合（OR = 0.376,95%CI:0.142～ 0.991）、自费（OR = 0.117,95%CI:0.029～0.473）均是“社会化住院”的显著影响因素（P＜0.05）。结论 老年慢性病患者“社会化住院”程度较高,其受到入院途径、医院内感染、生理、心理、精神状态、对他人依赖程度、经济收入和医保类型影响。     

Risk of cognitive impairment in relation to elevated exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Occupational exposure to power-frequency electromagnetic fields (PF-EMF) has been suspected of being associated with adverse neurological outcomes. We performed a case-control study to assess the relationship between exposure to PF-EMF and the risk of cognitive impairment, an indication of certain adverse neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Among 2198 elderly individuals aged 65 years or older, 290 persons with score-based cognitive impairment were compared with 580 sex-matched controls to assess the risk of cognitive impairment in relation to PF-EMF exposure. Participants who were former electrical workers or living within 100 meters of high-voltage transmission lines were considered to have higher exposure. Compared with background exposure, the risk was equal or close to unity for participants with higher exposure from a previous occupation (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7 to 2.3), higher residential exposure (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.3 to 2.6), or higher exposure in both occupation and residential environments (OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.2 to 4.6). Our findings provide little support for the link between PF-EMF and cognitive impairment. Nevertheless, the study results do not preclude the possible association between PF-EMF and any specific neurodegenerative disease previously investigated.     

A case-control study of parental occupation, leukemia, and brain tumors in an industrial city in Taiwan

We conducted a case-control study in an industrial city in Taiwan to determine whether parents of newly diagnosed patients who were younger than 30 years old with leukemia or brain tumors or the patients themselves were more likely to have been employed in certain occupations or industries. Job histories were collected for parents (and for subjects if they worked) on 103 newly diagnosed cases of leukemia, 74 newly diagnosed cases of brain tumors, and 417 controls matched for age and sex. All jobs since the age of 16 that the subjects held for more than 6 months, a total of approximately 4,000 jobs, were coded for occupation and industry according the standard four-digit system used in Taiwan. Matched-pair analyses were performed comparing cases and controls among all jobs held by subjects and both parents using four-digit occupation and industry codes. Separate analyses also were performed for parental jobs held during the preconception, perinatal, and postnatal periods. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for subject smoking, parental smoking, and exposure to medical radiation. Certain industry and occupation four-digit codes were significantly associated with increased odds ratios of childhood tumors. Including work during any or all periods, leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 16.03, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.77-145.5), and (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.08, 95% CI = 1.12-14.8), whereas brain tumors were more common in children of mothers who had worked (1) in electronic parts and components manufacturing (adjusted OR 13.78, 95% CI = 1.47-129.0) and 2) as textile and garment workers (adjusted OR 7.25, 95% CI = 1.42-37.0), as well as in subjects who had worked with certain electronic parts and components (adjusted OR 28.67, 95% CI = 2.88-285.6). Leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked in the preconception period (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 12.17, 95% CI = 1.36-109.2), (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.08, 95% CI = 1.12-14.8), (3) as electronic equipment assemblers (adjusted OR 4.56, 95% CI = I 1.05-19.9), and (4) as certain other assemblers (adjusted OR 10.24, 95% CI = 1.02-102.6). In addition, leukemias were more common in children of fathers who had worked in the perinatal period (1) as wood treaters (adjusted OR 13.08, 95% CI = 1.36-125.5) and (2) as building finishers and related trades workers (adjusted OR 4.51, 95% CI = 1.04-19.6). Brain tumors were more common in children of mothers who had worked in the preconception period (1) in electronic parts and components manufacturing (adjusted OR 11.81, 95% CI = 1.20-116.3), and (2) as textile and garment workers (adjusted OR 7.25, 95% CI = 1.18-31.0).     

社区老年人久坐行为与睡眠质量对认知功能的影响

目的 了解久坐行为与睡眠质量对社区老年人认知功能的影响。方法 采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数量表、国际体力活动问卷短卷、简易精神状态量表及一般资料调查表,于2019年12月按照分层整群抽样法,从济南市随机抽取1 091名老年人开展问卷调查。结果 调整人口学变量后,二元logistic 回归分析结果显示,存在久坐行为的社区老年人患认知功能障碍的风险为非久坐行为者的1.880倍（OR值 = 1.880, 95 % CI = 1.267～2.790）,存在睡眠障碍的老年人发生认知功能障碍的风险为无睡眠障碍者的2.160倍（OR值 = 2.160,95 % CI = 1.391～3.356）。交互作用分析结果显示,久坐行为与睡眠障碍对老年人认知功能障碍患病率具有负相乘交互作用OR值（95%CI） = 0.414（0.174～0.984）。结论 久坐行为与睡眠障碍是老年人认知功能的危险因素,且二者存在相乘交互作用。     

Influence of income on the association between cognitive impairment and polypharmacy: Bambuí Project

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy and the influence of income on the association between medication use and cognitive impairment among elderly people. METHODS: Out of the 1,606 baseline members of the Bambuí cohort of elderly people, which started in 1997, 1,554 took part in the study. The Mini-Mental State Examination was applied to all the participants. The association between cognitive impairment and polypharmacy was tested by means of multivariate ordinal regression, performed for the whole population and for each of the income strata. RESULTS: The prevalence of polypharmacy (two or more medications consumed) was 70.4% and the number of medications used presented an independent negative association with cognitive impairment (OR=0.72; 95% CI: 0.55;0.95). When this was stratified according to personal income (<2 minimum monthly salaries versus >or= 2 minimum monthly salaries), a negative association was observed between medication use and cognitive impairment among elderly people with lower income (OR=0.64; 95% CI: 0.48;0.86), but not among those with higher income (OR=1.74; 95% CI: 0.81;3.74). CONCLUSIONS: With regard to the association between cognitive impairment and number of medications consumed, the results indicate social inequality in the use of medications. It is possible that these elderly people are not consuming the medicines needed for appropriate treatment of their health problems.     

Folate and vitamin B-12 status in relation to anemia, macrocytosis, and cognitive impairment in older Americans in the age of folic acid fortification

BACKGROUND: Historic reports on the treatment of pernicious anemia with folic acid suggest that high-level folic acid fortification delays the diagnosis of or exacerbates the effects of vitamin B-12 deficiency, which affects many seniors. This idea is controversial, however, because observational data are few and inconclusive. Furthermore, experimental investigation is unethical. OBJECTIVE: We examined the relations between serum folate and vitamin B-12 status relative to anemia, macrocytosis, and cognitive impairment (ie, Digit Symbol-Coding score < 34) in senior participants in the 1999-2002 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. DESIGN: The subjects had normal serum creatinine concentrations and reported no history of stroke, alcoholism, recent anemia therapy, or diseases of the liver, thyroid, or coronary arteries (n = 1459). We defined low vitamin B-12 status as a serum vitamin B-12 concentration < 148 pmol/L or a serum methylmalonic acid concentration > 210 nmol/L-the maximum of the reference range for serum vitamin B-12-replete participants with normal creatinine. RESULTS: After control for demographic characteristics, cancer, smoking, alcohol intake, serum ferritin, and serum creatinine, low versus normal vitamin B-12 status was associated with anemia [odds ratio (OR): 2.7; 95% CI: 1.7, 4.2], macrocytosis (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.01, 3.3), and cognitive impairment (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.6, 3.8). In the group with a low vitamin B-12 status, serum folate > 59 nmol/L (80th percentile), as opposed to < or = 59 nmol/L, was associated with anemia (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.5, 6.6) and cognitive impairment (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1, 6.1). In the normal vitamin B-12 group, ORs relating high versus normal serum folate to these outcomes were < 1.0 (P(interaction) < 0.05), but significantly < 1.0 only for cognitive impairment (0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.9). CONCLUSION: In seniors with low vitamin B-12 status, high serum folate was associated with anemia and cognitive impairment. When vitamin B-12 status was normal, however, high serum folate was associated with protection against cognitive impairment.     

重庆市主城区居民无偿献血KAP状况调查及影响因素研究

目的 了解重庆市主城区居民无偿献血相关知识、态度和行为（KAP）现状,分析其影响因素,为提高居民无偿献血积极性提供针对性建议。方法 根据知信行理论自行设计调查问卷,采用方便抽样方法对重庆市主城9区居民进行抽样调查。结果 年龄、学历、职业、献血史是居民无偿献血知识认知情况的影响因素,≤19岁（OR = 3.804,95% CI:1.739～8.325）、20～29岁（OR = 2.725,95% CI:1.532～4.846）、本科/大专（OR = 2.356,95% CI:1.469～3.779）、硕士及以上学历（OR = 3.597,95% CI:1.771～7.305）、有献血史（OR = 4.272,95% CI:2.898～6.298）居民对无偿献血知识认知程度更高,个体工商户（OR = 0.500,95% CI:0.305～0.820）、农民/农民工（OR = 0.300,95% CI:0.143～0.628）、离/退休（OR = 0.286,95% CI:0.087～0.934）居民认知程度较低;学历、献血史是居民无偿献血态度的影响因素,居民献血意愿随学历呈现逐渐增高的趋势,有献血史居民（OR = 1.443,95% CI:1.028～2.025）献血意愿更强;职业是居民无偿献血行为的影响因素,农民/农民工（OR = 0.352,95% CI:0.147～0.847）献血率较低。结论 重庆市居民无偿献血知识认知较高,献血意愿较强,但献血行为有待改善。     

Impact of diabetes on cognitive function among older Latinos: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Type 2 diabetes, which is highly prevalent in older Mexican Americans, may influence cognitive functioning. We examined the association of diabetes with decline in global cognitive function and memory function over a 2-year period. METHODS: Study subjects were derived from an existing cohort of Latinos aged 60 and over in the SALSA project (n=1,789). Statistical analysis was conducted using logistic regression and a generalized estimating equation (GEE). RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis indicated that baseline diabetes was a significant predictor of major cognitive impairment in Modified Mini Mental State Exam (3MSE) (OR=1.68, 95% CI=1.21, 2.34) and word-list test (OR=1.31, 95% CI=0.99, 1.75). GEE analysis showed that there was no significant difference between diabetic and nondiabetic subjects in change of cognitive scores over 2 years (3MSE, mean=-0.58, 95% CI=-1.48, 0.32; word-list test, mean=-0.10, 95% CI=-0.32, 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: More diabetic complications were associated with major cognitive decline among diabetic subjects. Research on long-term impact of treatment for type 2 diabetes is warranted.     

Disparities in the prevalence of cognitive delay: how early do they appear?

Cognitively delayed children are at risk for poor mental and physical health throughout their lives. The economically disadvantaged and some race/ethnic groups are more likely to experience cognitive delay, but the age at which delays first emerge and the underlying mechanisms responsible for disparities are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine when sociodemographic disparities in cognitive functioning emerge, and identify predictors of low cognitive functioning in early childhood. Data were from 7308 singleton and 1463 multiple births in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study‐Birth Cohort (ECLS‐B), a nationally representative cohort of children born in the USA in 2001. Multiple logistic regression analyses examined associations between sociodemographic characteristics and low cognitive functioning at 9 and 24 months, and tested whether gestational and birth‐related factors mediate these associations. Sociodemographic characteristics were statistically significant predictors of low cognitive functioning among singletons at 24 months, including the three lowest quintiles of socio‐economic status [lowest quintile, odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI][1.7, 4.1]], non‐white race/ethnicity (African American OR = 1.8 [95% CI 1.3, 2.5], Hispanic OR = 2.3 [95% CI 1.6, 3.2]), and gender (male OR = 2.1, [95% CI 1.7, 2.5]). Gestational and birth characteristics associated with low cognitive function at 9 months included very low and moderately low birthweight (OR = 55.0 [95% CI 28.3, 107.9] and OR = 3.6 [95% CI 2.6, 5.1]), respectively, and very preterm and moderately preterm delivery (OR = 3.6 [95% CI 2.0, 6.7] and OR = 2.4 [95% CI 1.7, 3.5]), respectively, but they had weaker effects by 24 months (ORs for birthweight: 3.7 [95% CI 2.3, 5.9] and 1.8 [95% CI 1.4, 2.3]; ORs for preterm: 1.8 [95% CI 1.1, 2.9] and 0.9 [95% CI 0.7, 1.3]). Results for multiple births were similar. Sociodemographic disparities in poor cognitive functioning emerged by 24 months of age, but were not mediated by gestational or birth characteristics. Further investigation of processes whereby social disadvantage adversely affects development prior to 24 months is needed.     

A population-based case-control study of occupation and renal cell carcinoma risk in Iowa

A case-control study involving 406 incident cases and 2,434 controls was conducted in Iowa to examine the association between occupational exposures and renal cell carcinoma risk. After adjusting for major confounders, an increased risk was observed for men among mechanics and repairers (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-2.9); assemblers (OR 2.5, 95% CI = 0.8-7.6); automotive dealership and service station employees (OR 1.9, 95% CI = 0.9-3.9); wholesale traders of durable goods (OR 1.5, 95% CI = 0.7-3.2); farm product vendors (OR 4.4, 95% CI = 1.3-15.5); service organization managers (OR 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-5.1); financial specialists (OR 2.7, 95% CI = 1.0-7.6); sales occupation supervisors (OR 1.8, 95% CI = 1.0-3.3); guards (OR 5.4, 95% CI = 1.4-20.7); and general farm workers (OR 1.9, 95% CI = 1.0-3.7). Among women, an increased risk was found for employees in depository institutions (OR 3.6, 95% CI = 1.1-11.3); colleges and universities (OR 7.6-95% CI = 2.3-25.6); and retail, including those in grocery stores (OR 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-4.7). Our results indicate that occupational exposures may increase the risk of renal cell carcinoma.     

A 3-year follow-up study of social, lifestyle and health predictors of cognitive impairment in a Chinese older cohort

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal data on the older population in the Asian setting are limited. This paper reports the factors associated with the development of cognitive impairment (CI) in a cohort of Chinese elderly aged > or =70 years. METHODS: The study cohort comprising 2030 subjects aged > or =70 years was assembled in 1991-1992 and followed for 36 months. Baseline information on cognitive function, as well as a number of social and health variables were obtained through face-to-face interview at the respondent's place of residence. The outcome variable was the development of CI among 988 cohort members who were initially free from CI, and who could be contacted at the 36-month follow-up. The instrument used to assess CI was based on the information/orientation part of the Clifton Assessment Procedure for the elderly (CAPE), using a cut-off point of 7. RESULTS: Of the men, 6.7%, but 22.2% of women had CI at 3-year follow-up. The age-adjusted annual incidence of CI was 1.52% in men, and 6.37% in women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that women had a 2.5-fold increased risk of having CI, compared with men. The risk increased by about 1.5-fold with every 5-year increase in age. Slow gait time, as assessed by the 16-foot walk, was a predictor of CI in both sexes (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03 per second increase, 95% CI : 1.0-1.07). Men residing in institutions had a 4.4-fold increased risk of having CI (95% CI : 1.7-11.1) compared with those residing in community, while the OR among women was 2.5 (95% CI : 1.3-4.9). Among women, no formal education increased the risk of having CI by 3.2-fold (95% CI : 1.8-5.5). Income dependency also increased the risk of CI by about fourfold, and no exercise at baseline was associated with a twofold increased risk of CI. Incident stroke during follow-up also increased the risk of CI (OR = 8.4, 95% CI : 1.2-59.4). CONCLUSIONS: Older age and female sex were independent factors associated with CI. No formal education, slow gait time and institutionalization increased the risk of CI in both sexes. While education had a stronger effect in women, institutionalization had a stronger effect in men. Financial dependency, lack of exercise and incident stroke played a significant role in women.     

骨质疏松与认知障碍关系的Meta分析

目的 系统评价骨质疏松与认知障碍的关系,为认知障碍患者的预防提供循证支持。方法 计算机全面检索Embase,Web of Science,PubMed,Cochrane Library,知网,中国生物医学文献数据库,万方,维普等数据库中关于认知障碍与骨质疏松关系的队列研究及病例-对照研究,时限均自建库至2021年4月23日。所得数据采用RevMan 5.3结合Stata 15.1软件进行Meta分析。结果 最终纳入7篇文献,共77417个患者。纳入文献均为中高等质量水平。Meta分析结果显示:与对照组相比,骨质疏松组认知障碍的发病率更高（OR=1.97,95% CI:1.37～2.82,P<0.001）。同时,亚组分析结果显示,不同性别［男性（OR=1.68,95% CI:1.22～2.32,P=0.001）、女性（OR=1.76,95% CI:1.28～2.42,P<0.001）］、年龄［老年（OR=1.77,95% CI:1.26～2.50,P=0.001）、中年（OR=2.38,95% CI:1.43～3.97,P=0.001）］、测量部位［腰椎（OR=2.18,95% CI:1.49～3.20,P<0.001）、股骨颈（OR=2.41,95% CI:1.23～4.73,P=0.010）］、认知障碍严重程度［痴呆（OR=2.22,95% CI:1.63～3.03,P<0.001）］、国家［亚洲（OR=2.31,95% CI:1.61～3.30,P<0.001）］下,认知障碍与骨质疏松症呈正关联。结论 骨质疏松与认知障碍的风险增加有关。     

Characteristics of non-participants in comprehensive health examinations ("Otasha-kenshin") among an urban community dwelling elderly: basic research for prevention of the geriatric syndrome and a bed-ridden state

PURPOSE: The present study was conducted to identify the characteristics of non-participants in secondary comprehensive health examinations among community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: The subjects were 728 men and 984 women aged 70 years and over who had participated in comprehensive health examinations in 2002. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the characteristics associated with non-participation in comprehensive health examinations after 2 years (in 2004). RESULTS: The rates of participation in follow-up health examinations were 66.3% for men and 67.3% for women. Logistic regression analysis showed that male non-participants had low cognitive function (odds ratio (OR) = 2.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-4.49), low education (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.22-2.22), and suffered from health problems (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.27-2.59), and that female non-participants had low cognitive function (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.13-3.59), tended to be smokers (OR = 2.05, 95%, CI = 1.13-3.72), and had no hobby (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.50-0.92). CONCLUSION: Poor cognitive function, health problems, and unfavorable lifestyle factors are related to non-participation in comprehensive health examinations. PROPOSAL: It is necessary to devise various approaches to encourage participation of such individuals.     

Prognostic factors for cognitive development of very low birth weight premature children

OBJECTIVE: Very low birth weight premature children often show cognitive development abnormalities. There is scarce information about the outcome of these children at preschool age in Brazil.The objective of the study is to describe the cognitive development of a population of premature newborns and to assess possible prognostic factors for abnormalities. METHODS: A cohort study was conducted in a preschool children population whose subjects were very low birth weight premature babies born between January 1991 and September 1993. WPPSI-R Test was used for cognitive evaluation and it was applied by psychologists. Two cut-offs were set to describe abnormality: scores below 1 and 2 standard deviations (SD). RESULTS: Seventy-nine children aged 4 and 5 years were studied. The mean full WIPPSI-R score was 75.6 (+/-11.9). The incidence of abnormal 1 and 2 SD full score was 77.2% and 32.9%, respectively. After adjusting for the method of delivery, small for gestational age (OR=6.19, 95% CI 1.60-23.86), abnormal cerebral ultrasound exam (OR=5.90, 95% CI 1.04-9.83) and male sex (OR=3.20, 95% CI 1.32-26.35) were predictors of full score <70. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the literature, these children showed a more severe cognitive development impairment. Small for gestational age, abnormal cerebral ultrasound exam and male sex were prognostic factors for worse outcome.     

Maternal occupational risk factors for oral clefts. Occupational Exposure and Congenital Malformation Working Group

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the role of maternal exposures at work during pregnancy in the occurrence of oral clefts. METHODS: The occupational exposures of 851 women (100 mothers of babies with oral clefts and 751 mothers of healthy referents) who worked during the first trimester of pregnancy were studied. All the women were part of a multicenter European case-referent study conducted using 6 congenital malformation registers between 1989 and 1992. In each center, the mother's occupational history, obtained from an interview, was reviewed by industrial hygienists who were blinded to the subject's status and who assessed the presence of chemicals and the probability of exposure. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated by a multivariate analysis including maternal occupation or occupational exposures during the first trimester of pregnancy and possible confounding factors such as center of recruitment, maternal age, urbanization, socioeconomic status, and country of origin. RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding factors, cleft palate only was significantly associated with maternal occupation in services such as hairdressing [OR 5.1, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0-26.0] and housekeeping (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.2). The analysis suggests that the following occupational exposures are associated with orofacial clefts: aliphatic aldehydes (OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.8-5.9) and glycol ethers (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.9-3.3) for cleft lip with or without cleft palate and lead compounds (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.3-12.2), biocides (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0-6.0), antineoplastic drugs (OR 5.0, 95% CI 0.8-34.0), trichloroethylene (OR 6.7, 95% CI 0.9-49.7), and aliphatic acids (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.5-22.8) for cleft palate only. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the limited number of subjects, these results must be interpreted with caution. However, they point out some chemicals already known or suspected as reproductive toxins.     

老年人认知功能障碍患病情况调查及影响因素分析

目的了解社区养老和机构养老老年人的认知功能障碍情况,探讨相关影响因素,为防治认知功能障碍提供科学依据。方法调查对象为545名广州市部分社区长者饭堂的用餐老年人和广州市、佛山市、中山市、清远市四地市养老院的入住老年人,对老年人的一般健康情况和认知功能(MoCA)进行问卷调查,对认知功能的影响因素进行Logistic回归分析。结果养老院老年人认知功能障碍的风险高于社区养老的老年人。养老院老年人(OR=3.099,95%CI:1.601,6.001)、年龄75岁以上(OR=2.050,95%CI:1.132,3.714)是老年人认知障碍的危险因素;学历与老年人的认知障碍呈负相关,高中或大学以上学历老年人认知功能障碍的风险低于文盲老年人(OR=0.292,95%CI:0.124,0.691)。结论应多关注社区养老和机构养老老年人的认知功能情况,及早发现认知功能障碍人群并进行干预,以减少认知功能障碍的进展性损害。     

The Bambuí Project: a population-based study of factors associated with regular utilization of dental services in adults

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bambuí, Minas Gerais, to identify factors associated with regular use of dental services. Participants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire and previously validated questions. 999/1,221 (81.8%) randomly selected individuals aged > 18 years participated in the Bambuí dental survey. Of these, 654 out of 656 individuals who had at least one natural tooth and had visited a dentist during their lifetime participated in the study. Results adjusted by multiple logistic regression showed that regular use of dental services was significantly related to having > 8 and 4-7 years of schooling (OR = 9.90; 95% CI = 2.90-33.77 and OR = 3.87; 95% CI = 1.11-13.51, respectively), having a preference for restorative treatment rather than extraction (OR = 4.91; 95% CI = 2.23-10.79), having no present need of dental treatment (OR = 4.87; 95% CI = 3.17-7.49), and belief that visiting the dentist prevents tooth decay and gum disease (OR = 1.73; 95% CI = 1.13-2.65). The results show that regular use of dental services was related to factors distributed in the Andersen and Newman model (1973) explaining use of dentistry services.