Prevalence study of primary dystonia in Iceland.

In Iceland, the crude prevalence for all types of primary dystonia was 37.1/10(5) (confidence interval, 30.4-44.9). Focal dystonia had the highest prevalence (31.2/10(5)), followed by segmental (3.1/10(5)), multifocal (2.4/10(5)) and generalized dystonia (0.3/10(5)). Cervical dystonia was the most common focal dystonia (11.5/10(5)), followed by limb dystonia (8.0/10(5)), laryngeal dystonia (5.9/10(5)), blepharospasm (3.1/10(5)), and oromandibular dystonia (2.8/10(5)). The male:female ratio for all patients was 1:1.9 (P=0.0007), and females outnumbered males in all subtypes except oromandibular dystonia. Mean age of onset for all patients was 42.7 years (range, 3-82 years). This prevalence of primary dystonia is higher than in most reported studies, possibly because of more complete ascertainment but the relative frequencies of dystonia subtypes is similar.     

Mortality and suicide rates of involuntarily committed patients

The mortality and suicide rates for involuntarily committed patients in Denmark are presented. Two cohorts of psychiatric patients committed to a mental hospital from January 1, 1971 to December 31, 1975 (8322 people) and January 1, 1981 to December 31, 1985 (5253 people) have been followed. The standard mortality rate (SMR) in relation to the total Danish population were 4.9 (4.5–5.4) and 5.2 (4.7–5.8), respectively, for the two cohorts, during the first year after involuntarily commitment to a mental hospital. During the same period, the SMR for suicide among the committed patients were 44.9 (37.1–53.9) and 30.9 (24.2–38.9), respectively. The crude suicide rates among the committed patients during the first year after the commitment were 14.3 and 14.0, respectively, per 1000 years, unchanged between the cohorts. Short length of stay in hospital (< 14 days), a nonpsychotic main diagnosis, male sex, and age 35 years or more were equally related to high risk of suicide in the 1971 cohort as evaluated to proportional hazard methods (Cox regression), and short length of stay and commitment on the danger indication provided the most information in relation to high suicidal risk in the 1981 cohort. Methodological problems and the reasons for the results are discussed.     

海南省钩端螺旋体病地理流行病学研究 Ⅰ.自然地理、动物地理区划和流行概况

本文简介海南岛的自然地理、啮齿动物地理区划和社会经济（包括人口数、性别年龄分布、人工植被、耕作习惯等）与钩端螺旋体病发生或流行有关的自然因素．扼要报告自1958─1991年以来各年度该病的发病率与病死率，比较了50─90年代总的发病态势是低→高→低，并略作了分析。     

Intake of unsaturated fatty acids and HDL cholesterol levels are associated with manifestations of atopy in adults

BACKGROUND: The increase in allergic diseases is still unexplained. It was hypothesized that the intake of unsaturated fatty acids is a contributing cause of this development. We investigated the relationship between serum cholesterol levels, intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and manifestations of atopy in a population-based setting. METHODS: A nested case-control study was performed within the population of the 3rd MONICA survey in Augsburg (Germany). The serum levels of total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 1537 adults (aged 28-78 years, response 61.4%) and the estimated intake of PUFA in a subset of 139 men were compared with the frequency of a doctor's diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR), atopic eczema (AE) and allergic sensitization as measured by skin prick and Radio Allergo Sorbent Test. FINDINGS: In bivariate analyses, we obtained a negative linear association between total and LDL cholesterol levels and the frequency of AR and sensitization, which was no longer significant after adjustment for important confounders. In contrast, positive linear associations were found between HDL cholesterol levels and AR and AE and, furthermore, between the intake of PUFA and allergic sensitization in men (P<0.01). After adjustment, an increasing risk for atopic diseases with increasing levels of HDL cholesterol and an increasing risk for allergic sensitization with increasing intakes of PUFA remained statistically significant. INTERPRETATION: There is indication that HDL cholesterol also plays a role in the complex interaction of fat intake, metabolism and the manifestation of atopy in adults. These findings may contribute to the understanding of time trends and regional differences of allergies.     

Male suicides and alcohol consumption in the former USSR

A significant decline (34.5%) in the suicide rate occurred in 1984–1988 throughout the USSR. The decline was observed shortly after the introduction of strict restrictions on the sale of alcohol. We tested the hypothesis that the restrictive alcohol policy in the first years of perestroika (June 1985) caused the fall in suicide rates in the former USSR. Data on alcohol consumption, violent death caused by external injury and poisoning (n= 916,315), death due to accidental alcohol poisoning (n= 77,837), suicide (n= 192,305) and death undetermined whether accidentally or purposely (n= 54,253) were analyzed for all former Soviet republics for 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1990. Men were chosen for the analysis, since men are more prone to abuse alcohol than women. Regression analysis with alcohol consumption as the independent variable and suicide rates and violent death rates as dependent variables shows that suicide and alcohol consumption were positively correlated as were violent death and alcohol consumption. In the republics with high alcohol consumption (Slavic and Baltic), suicide rates were also high. In the Caucasian republics, low alcohol consumption was associated with low suicide rates. For most republics, alcohol seems to explain more than 50% of suicides. Alcohol also has considerable explanatory value for violent death. Thus, a restrictive alcohol policy might be a way to reduce suicide and violent death.     

新疆食管癌的分布

我们回顾调查了1974～1976年新疆恶性肿瘤死亡情况,发现新疆居民食管癌死亡病例最小年龄出现在15岁年龄组,男女性比值为1.2。食管癌的民族分布特点是,哈萨克族居民最高,调整死亡率达68.88/10万,其他民族依次为蒙古、维吾尔、汉、柯尔克孜和塔吉克族。塔吉克族的食管癌调整死亡率仅为5.13/10万,食管癌地区分布特点是北疆高于南疆,最高的是北疆托里县,其食管癌调整死亡率达90.75/10万,最低的是南疆于田县,仅2.07/10万。     

Cigarette smoking and acne in adolescents: results from a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the association between smoking and acne have reported conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between smoking and acne among school-going adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Smoking was defined as smoking > 3 cigarettes daily for 6 months or more. We defined acne as having > 20 retentional and/or inflammatory facial acne lesions. Multivariate (proportional) logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounding variables. RESULTS: Of the 594 participants, 36.2% had acne. Acne sufferers were less likely to smoke (18.1 vs. 23.7%, P = 0.10). In girls, smoking was significantly associated with lower prevalence of acne (adjusted OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.82). Smoking, daily cigarette consumption and duration of smoking appeared to be protective in the development of inflammatory acne in girls. No significant associations between acne and smoking variables were detected among boys. Limitations: although this study suggests a significant negative association between smoking and inflammatory acne in girls, it does not prove causality. This association did show a trend for linear relationship. Because of the unexpected differences between boys and girls, sample size may have affected our results. CONCLUSION: The anti-inflammatory effects of smoking may inhibit the development of papulopustular acne in girls more than in boys. However, smoking should not be considered a therapeutic option for acne. Additional studies that consider possible differences across age, gender and type of acne are needed to clarify the association between smoking and acne.