Is the rate of biological aging,as measured by age at diagnosis of cancer,socioeconomically patterned?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hypothesis that biological aging, as measured by age at diagnosis of some common cancers, is socioeconomically patterned. DESIGN: A cross sectional analysis of the association between an area based measure of material deprivation and age at diagnosis of four common cancers (breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers). A further analysis, restricted to breast and colorectal cancer, adjusted for stage and grade of cancer at diagnosis. SETTING: The Northern and Yorkshire cancer registry and information service, Northern and Yorkshire region, UK. PARTICIPANTS: All people living in the Northern and Yorkshire region diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer in 1986-1995. All people living in the Northern and Yorkshire region diagnosed with breast or colorectal cancer in 1998-2000 with data on stage and grade of cancer at diagnosis. MAIN RESULTS: There was evidence that greater material deprivation was associated with younger age at diagnosis of cancer in prostate (beta coefficient -0.073), colorectal (women: -0.042; men: -0.063), and lung cancer (women: -0.214; men: -0.161). The opposite association was found in women with breast cancer (0.149). Adjusting for stage and grade at incidence, where possible, had little effect on the magnitude of the beta coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: Age at diagnosis of some common cancers seems to be socioeconomically patterned with people from more deprived areas being diagnosed with prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers earlier in life. The opposite was seen in women with breast cancer. Further work is required to investigate the socioeconomic distribution of more accurate measures of biological aging.     

Occurrence of Selected Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-Hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153) in Sewage Sludge and Effluent Samples of a Wastewater-Treatment Plant in Cape Town,South Africa

The reuse of treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as alternative water source for sport-field or landscape irrigation, agricultural, and other industrial purposes is growing significantly. Similarly, the application of treated sludge (biosolid) to agricultural soils is now being considered globally as the most economic means of sludge disposal. However, the presence of emerging organic contaminants in these matrices, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are potential endocrine disruptors, portends a high health risk to humans and the environment in general. In this study, effluent and sewage sludge samples collected from a WWTP were analysed for some selected PBDE congeners (BDE congeners 28, 47, 99 100 153 154 183, and 209) as well as BB-153 using a high-capillary gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. The sum of the eight PBDE congeners ranged from 369 to 4370, 19.2 to 2640, and 90.4 to 15,100 ng/l for raw water, secondary effluent, and final effluent, respectively. A similar result was observed for sewage sludge samples, which ranged between 13.1 and 652 ng/g dry weight (dw). The results obtained for BB-153 were generally lower compared with those found for most PBDE congeners. These ranged from ND to 18.4 ng/l and ND to 9.97 ng/g dw for effluents and sewage sludge, respectively. In both matrices, BDE 47 and 209 congeners were found to contribute significantly to the overall sum of PBDEs. The reuse of the treated effluent, particularly for agricultural purposes, could enhance the possibility of these contaminants entering into the food chain, thus causing undesirable health problems in exposed subjects.     

Is the quality of asthma prescribing, as measured by the general practice ratio of corticosteroid to bronchodilator, associated with asthma morbidity?

The objective of this study was to determine whether the quality of asthma prescribing in general practice is associated with the severity of asthma patients' symptoms. Cross-sectional survey of asthma-like symptoms in patients prescribed antiasthma therapy was used. The setting was two general practices with contrasting ratios of corticosteroid to bronchodilator (high vs. low). The main outcome measures were: patient symptoms score and patient characteristics (age, gender, diagnosis, smoking, social class, and deprivation status). Patients on antiasthma therapy from the practice with the low corticosteroid to bronchodilator ratio had a higher mean symptom score (20.1, 95% CI 18.6, 21.7) than patients on antiasthma therapy from the practice with the high corticosteroid to bronchodilator ratio (13.2, 95% CI 11.8, 14.5). The mean difference in patient symptom score between the two practices was 7.0 (95% CI 4.9, 9.0); this changed little after adjustment for potential confounders. The quality of prescribing, as measured by the practice ratio of corticosteroid to bronchodilator, appears to be an important factor in the outcome of asthma care. The ratio of corticosteroid to bronchodilator in a general practice is one indicator of the quality of prescribing for asthma.     

The incidence of varicella and herpes zoster in Massachusetts as measured by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) during a period of increasing varicella vaccine coverage, 1998–2003

Background  

The authors sought to monitor the impact of widespread varicella vaccination on the epidemiology of varicella and herpes zoster. While varicella incidence would be expected to decrease, mathematical models predict an initial increase in herpes zoster incidence if re-exposure to varicella protects against reactivation of the varicella zoster virus.     

Contact, epidemics, and the body as agents of change: a study of AIDS among the Xokléng indians in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Based on an analysis of AIDS cases among the Xokléng Indians in 1988, this article relates the illness phenomenon to socio-cultural disruptions and transformations in this indigenous group's universe, focusing on the history of their contact with Brazilian national society. The analysis and interpretation of this relationship are based on anthropological theories about the centrality of the body, corporeality, and degenerative bodily processes in Brazilian indigenous societies, according to which the body, society, and macro-situational elements are articulated by social praxis, and should thus be related in socio-anthropological studies of health-illness phenomena. The article briefly describes the history of epidemics emerging from contact and attempts to relate them to specific historical contexts. Ethnomedical categories, cosmology, and Xokléng concepts of corporeality are related to their social organization, which are thus connected to the AIDS cases. The latter are presented with a special focus on the relationship between their emergence and the changes occurring in the Xokléng world with the construction of a dam bordering on their land.     

Suicide: a disturbing factor in the ‘development model’ of Kerala,India

Aim  

To report the prevalence and causes of suicide in Kerala, which is a well-developed Indian state in terms of better demographic and health indicators.     

Short-Term Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion of 2,2′,5-Tri-, 2,2′,4,4′-Tetra-, and 3,3′,4,4′-Tetrachlorobiphenyls in Prepubertal Rats

The excretion and tissue retention of three ¹⁴C-labeled lower chlorinated biphenyls were examined in prepubertal male and female Sprague-Dawley rats following IV administration. Urine and feces were collected individually at different time intervals up to 72 h for pharmacokinetic analyses. After 72 h, different organs were removed and extracted in acetone:hexane (1:1, v/v) to determine radioactivity. Within the first 10 h after dosing, 2,2′,5-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB 18) was rapidly excreted in urine (8–18% of the administered dose), whereas only 0.6–0.8% of 2,2′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 47) and 0.3–0.8% 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 77) were found in urine during this time period. The half-life of elimination was shortest for PCB 18 (37.5 to 49.2 h). The half-lives for PCB 47 and PCB 77 were 351 to 672 h and 152 to 186 h, respectively. The cumulative total excretion (urinary + fecal) of PCB 18 within 72 h was 51–62%, of PCB 77 was 22–25%, and of PCB 47 was 7–10%. No parent PCBs were detected in urine. PCB 47 accumulated preferentially in adipose tissues (subcutaneous fat > mesenteric fat); relatively high levels of PCB 47 were also found in adrenals, ovaries, lungs, liver, and skin. The highest concentration of PCB 77 was found in serum, followed by adipose tissues. Very low concentrations of PCB 18 were found in most tissues; the highest being found in serum, followed by ovaries and adrenal glands. This study suggests that prepubertal rats retain higher short-term serum levels and have lower excretion rates than adult rats. Received: 3 February 1998/Accepted: 16 August 1998     

Prospects for the elimination of leprosy as a public health problem in the State of Paraná, Brazil

Leprosy, an endemic contagious/infectious disease, is still a public health problem in most States of Brazil, despite an important decrease in the prevalence rate in recent years. The current study aims to analyze the prospects for the elimination of leprosy in the State of Paraná, based on detection and prevalence rates for the years 2000 to 2005, in addition to data on gender, age, clinical form, operational classification, and number of skin lesions. Data were obtained from the Reportable Diseases Information System (SINAN) and the Tabnet software. Leprosy detection and prevalence rates in Paraná remained unaltered during the study period. The leprosy detection rates were high or very high in the majority of the health districts in the State. In terms of prevalence, eight health districts had reached the goal of eliminating the disease. In conclusion, the State of Paraná is close to reaching the goal of eliminating leprosy. Based on the study results, actions are recommended to eliminate the disease as a public health problem.     

Factors determining the accumulation of pentachlorophenol — a precursor of dioxins in bottom sediments of the Gulf of Gdańsk (Baltic Sea)

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) and its derivatives are considered to be the precursors of dioxins, thus their concentrations in environmental compartments remain relatively correlated. Unlimited production and usage of PCP in recent decades may have posed a potential ecological threat to marine ecosystems due to uncontrolled discharge of this contaminant into the Vistula River and finally into the Gulf of Gdańsk. Since there are no data on PCP concentration in sediments of the southern part of the Baltic Sea, the level of contamination has been examined and possible influence of sediment properties in the Gulf of Gdańsk on the accumulation intensification has been investigated. The study has resulted in the evaluation of an efficient analytical procedure characterized by a low detection limit (LOD<1 ng g^?1 d.w.). Instrumental analyses have been supplemented with Microtox® bioassay in order to assess the sediment toxicity. The obtained concentrations in collected samples varied from below the LOD in sandy sediments to 179.31 ng g^?1 d.w. in silty sediments, exceeding the PNEC value of 25 ng g^?1 d.w. (Predicted No Effect Concentration) estimated for the Baltic Sea (Muir & Eduljee 1999). It has been proven that properties of sediments from the Gulf of Gdańsk, including pH, Eh of bottom water, the content of water and organic matter, affect the rate of PCP accumulation. High toxicity has been recorded in the bottom sediments of the Gdańsk Deep but no statistically significant correlation between PCP concentration and the sediment toxicity has been observed. Analysis of PCP concentration distribution in sediment cores revealed that the surface layer is the most polluted one, which indicates a continuous inflow of PCP from the Vistula River. Horizontal PCP distribution in the sediment from the Gdańsk Deep reveals variability similar to that observed for highly chlorinated dioxins (Niemirycz & Jankowska 2011).     

Residues of p,p′-DDE and mercury in lake trout as a function of age

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) of known age from 1 to 12 years were taken from Cayuga Lake in central New York State in 1991 and p,p-DDE and mercury were determined in their flesh. The concentrations of p,p-DDE and mercury increased significantly (p<0.001) with increasing age of the fish. The concentration of p,p-DDE also increased significantly (p<0.001) with increasing fat content. The concentrations of p,p-DDE were much lower than those found in Cayuga Lake trout of similar age captured in 1978.     

The ingredients in Saengshik,a formulated health food,inhibited the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase as anti-diabetic function

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

We investigated total 26 ingredients of Saengshik which will be commercially produced as an anti-diabetic dietary supplement.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Thirteen vegetables, nine cereals, three legumes and one seed were extracted with aqueous ethanol for 2 h at 60℃, and evaluated for their inhibitory effects against α-amylase and α-glucosidase and for total phenolic and flavonoid contents.

RESULTS

All ingredients inhibited α-amylase activity except cabbage. Strong inhibitory activity of α-amylase was observed in leek, black rice, angelica and barley compared with acarbose as a positive control. Stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase activity was found in small water dropwort, radish leaves, sorghum and cabbage than acarbose. All Saengshik ingredients suppressed α-glucosidase activity in the range of 0.3-60.5%. Most ingredients contained total phenols which were in the range of 1.2-229.4 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dried extract. But, total phenolic contents were not observed in carrot, pumpkin and radish. All ingredients contained flavonoid in the range of 11.6-380.7 mg catechin equivalent/g dried extract.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that Saengshik containing these ingredients would be an effective dietary supplement for diabetes.     

Factors associated with objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time of 5–6-year-old children in the STEPS Study

Background: The factors associated with preschool-aged children’s physical activity (PA) remains unclear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine how different factors were associated with preschool-aged children’s objectively measured PA and sedentary time. Methods: The study population was 5–6-year-old children (n?=?140) and their parents (n?=?138) from the STEPS Study in Turku in Southwest Finland in 2013–2014. PA and sedentary time were measured objectively by accelerometers from children and parents and body mass index with Tanita scale. Other factors (siblings, day care, organized PA and parents’ education) were collected with questionnaires. Linear models were conducted. Results: Child’s PA was positively associated with mother’s PA and day care attendance. Child’s sedentary time was positively associated with mother’s sedentary time. Father’s PA and sedentary time were associated with respective variables in children, but only among fathers with high education. Conclusion: Parental role modelling is essential in developing child’s physically active and less sedentary lifestyle.