• Title/Summary/Keyword: epidemiology

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Prediction Models for Solitary Pulmonary Nodules Based on Curvelet Textural Features and Clinical Parameters

  • Wang, Jing-Jing;Wu, Hai-Feng;Sun, Tao;Li, Xia;Wang, Wei;Tao, Li-Xin;Huo, Da;Lv, Ping-Xin;He, Wen;Guo, Xiu-Hua
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.10
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    • pp.6019-6023
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    • 2013
  • Lung cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, usually appears as solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) which are hard to diagnose using the naked eye. In this paper, curvelet-based textural features and clinical parameters are used with three prediction models [a multilevel model, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method, and a support vector machine (SVM)] to improve the diagnosis of benign and malignant SPNs. Dimensionality reduction of the original curvelet-based textural features was achieved using principal component analysis. In addition, non-conditional logistical regression was used to find clinical predictors among demographic parameters and morphological features. The results showed that, combined with 11 clinical predictors, the accuracy rates using 12 principal components were higher than those using the original curvelet-based textural features. To evaluate the models, 10-fold cross validation and back substitution were applied. The results obtained, respectively, were 0.8549 and 0.9221 for the LASSO method, 0.9443 and 0.9831 for SVM, and 0.8722 and 0.9722 for the multilevel model. All in all, it was found that using curvelet-based textural features after dimensionality reduction and using clinical predictors, the highest accuracy rate was achieved with SVM. The method may be used as an auxiliary tool to differentiate between benign and malignant SPNs in CT images.

ADPRT Val762Ala and XRCC1 Arg194Trp Polymorphisms and Risk of Gastric Cancer in Sichuan of China

  • Wen, Yuan-Yuan;Pan, Xiong-Fei;Loh, Marie;Tian, Zhi;Yang, Shu-Juan;Lv, Si-Han;Huang, Wen-Zhi;Huang, He;Xie, Yao;Soong, Richie;Yang, Chun-Xia
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.2139-2144
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    • 2012
  • Objective: Gastric cancer remains a major health problem in China. We hypothesized that XRCC1 Arg194Trp and ADPRT Val762Ala may be associated with risk. Methods: We designed a multicenter 1:1 matched case-control study of 307 pairs of gastric cancers and controls between October 2010 and August 2011. XRCC1 Arg194Trp and ADPRT Val762Ala were sequenced, and demographic data as well as lifestyle factors were collected using a self-designed questionnaire. Results: Individuals carrying XRCC1 Trp/Trp or Arg/Trp variant genotype had a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer (OR, 1.718; 95% CI, 1.190-2.479), while the OR for ADPRT Val762Ala variant genotype (Ala/Ala or Val/Ala) was 1.175 (95% CI, 0.796-1.737). No gene-gene or gene-environment interactions were found. In addition, family history of cancer and drinkers proportion were higher among cases than among controls (P<0.05). Conclusions: XRCC1 194 Arg/Trp or Trp/Trp genotype, family history of cancer, and drinking are suspected risk factors of gastric cancer from our study. Our findings may offer insight into further similar large gene-environment and gene-gene studies in this region.

Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection, Cervical Cancer, and HPV Vaccine and its Correlates among Medical Students in Southwest China: a Multi-center Cross-sectional Survey

  • Wen, Ying;Pan, Xiong-Fei;Zhao, Zhi-Mei;Chen, Feng;Fu, Chun-Jing;Li, Si-Qi;Zhao, Yun;Chang, Hong;Xue, Qing-Ping;Yang, Chun-Xia
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.14
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    • pp.5773-5779
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    • 2014
  • Background: Since cervical cancer can be prevented and controlled through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, it is important to train health care providers and provide them with appropriate knowledge. This study aimed to understand the level of HPV related knowledge among medical students and correlates in Southwest China in order to address any potential gap in their knowledge base. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical students in six selected universities across Southwest China based on a pretested questionnaire regarding HPV infection, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccines. Results: We successfully surveyed 1, 878 medical students, of whom 32.1% were males and 67.9% were females. Their mean age was 20.8 (standard deviation: 1.3) years. 91.8% of them were ethnic Han Chinese, and 43.8% were students in clinical medicine. While 76.5% had heard of HPV only 48.8% knew that the prevention of cervical cancer was possible through HPV vaccination. Only 42.9% of the male and 49.2% of the female students correctly answered over 10 out of 22 questions on HPV related knowledge. Female students appeared to know more about HPV and HPV vaccination (OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.11-1.75). In addition, the student knowledge improved with the grade (p<0.001). University courses were the most selected source of knowledge about HPV vaccination (66.4%). 83.6% of males and 91.4% of females were willing to have more HPV related education by experts (p<0.001). Only 10.1% of the students acknowledged that people had asked for their advice regarding HPV vaccination. Conclusions: Our survey indicates that medical students from Southwest China have poor knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination, but are willing to receive more relevant information. Targeted education should be incorporated into school courses to inform these future health care providers and ensure success of programs for cervical cancer control and prevention.

Clinical Risk Factor Analysis for Breast Cancer: 568,000 Subjects Undergoing Breast Cancer Screening in Beijing, 2009

  • Pan, Lei;Han, Li-Li;Tao, Li-Xin;Zhou, Tao;Li, Xia;Gao, Qi;Wu, Li-Juan;Luo, Yan-Xia;Ding, Hui;Guo, Xiu-Hua
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.9
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    • pp.5325-5329
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    • 2013
  • Objectives: Although there are many reports about the risk of breast cancer, few have reported clinical factors including history of breast-related or other diseases that affect the prevalence of breast cancer. This study explores these risk factors for breast cancer cases reported in Beijing in 2009. Materials and Methods: Data were derived from a Beijing breast cancer screening performed in 2009, of 568,000 women, from 16 districts of Beijing, all aged between 40 and 60 years. In this study, multilevel statistical modeling was used to identify clinical factors that affect the prevalence of breast cancer and to provide more reliable evidence for clinical diagnostics by using screening data. Results and Conclusion: Those women who had organ transplants, compared with those with none, were associated with breast cancer with an odds ratio (OR)=65.352 [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.488-503.165] and those with solid breast mass compared with none had OR=1.384 (95% CI: 1.022-1.873). Malignant tendency was strongly associated with increased risk of breast cancer, OR=207.999(95% CI: 151.950-284.721). The risk of breast cancer increased with age, $OR_1$=2.759 (95% CI: 1.837-4.144, 56-60 vs. 40-45), $OR_2$=2.047 (95% CI: 1.394-3.077, 51-55 vs. 40-45), $OR_3$=1.668 (95% CI: 1.145-2.431). Normal results of B ultrasonic examination show a lower risk among participants, OR= 0.136 (95% CI: 0.085-0.218). Those women with ductal papilloma compared with none were associated with breast cancer, OR=6.524 (95% CI: 1.871-22.746). Therefore, this study suggests that clinical doctors should pay attention to these high-risk factors.

Variants of Inflammnation-related Genes and the Risk of Gallstones and Biliary Tract Cancer: A population-baged Study in China

  • Hsing, Ann W.;Sakoda, Lori;Chen, Jin-Bo;Rashid, Asif;Wang, Bin-Shen;Shen, Ming-Chang;Chen, Eric;Rosenberg, Phillip;Zhang, Mingdong;Andreotti, Gabriella;Welch, Robert;Yeager, Meredith;Fraumeni Jr. Joseph F.;Gao, Yu-Tang;Stephen J. Chanock
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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    • 2006.11a
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    • pp.32-33
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    • 2006
  • There is compelling evidence that chronic inflammation predisposes to biliary tract cancer. Previously we found that aspirin use and variants in the PTGS2 gene, both of which are closely linked to inflammation, were associated with biliary tract cancer risk in a population-based study in China. To test the inflammation hypothesis further, we examined the associations of variants in 20 genes involved in the inflammation pathway with risk of biliary tract cancer and stones in a large population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China. We genotyped 56 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)from 20 inflammation genes in 411 biliary tract cancer cases (237 gallbladder cancers, 127 extrahepatic bile duct cancers, and 47 ampullary cancers), 895 subjects with biliary stones, and 786 population controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cls) for the association of individual SNPs and haplotypes with biliary stones and biliary tract cancer risk. Of the 56 SNPs examined, 20 showed some associations with biliary cancer and stones. Specifically, variants of the IL8, IL8RB, RNASEL, TGF-beta, and TNF-alpha genes were associated with gallstone risk, while variants in the IL1A, IL10, VEGF, and RNASEL genes were associated with gallbladder cancer risk. Adjustment for multiple comparisons did not materially change these results. Of the 10 genes with multiple SNPs, we inferred halotypes; only one haplotype in the IL8RBgene was associated with gallstones. The haplotype frequency was significantly different between bile dict cancer cases and control (p=0.007). A haplotype comprising 3 SNPs in the IL8RB gene (rs2230054, rs1126579, rs1126580) was associated with a 54% increased risk of bile duct stones (95% CI 1.14-2.07, p=0.02), relative to the most frequent haplotype. In summary, common variants in immune-related genes influencing inflammatory responeses were associated with gallstones and biliary tract cancer, lending further support to the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of biliary stones and biliary tract cancer. Future larger studies with more complete gene coverage are needed to confirm these results.

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Shift Work and Occupational Stress in Police Officers

  • Ma, Claudia C.;Andrew, Michael E.;Fekedulegn, Desta;Gu, Ja K.;Hartley, Tara A.;Charles, Luenda E.;Violanti, John M.;Burchfiel, Cecil M.
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.25-29
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    • 2015
  • Background: Shift work has been associated with occupational stress in health providers and in those working in some industrial companies. The association is not well established in the law enforcement workforce. Our objective was to examine the association between shift work and police work-related stress. Methods: The number of stressful events that occurred in the previous month and year was obtained using the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers aged 27-66 years. Work hours were derived from daily payroll records. A dominant shift (day, afternoon, or night) was defined for each participant as the shift with the largest percentage of total time a participant worked (starting time from 4:00 AM to 11:59 AM, from 12 PM to 7:59 PM, and from 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM for day, afternoon, and night shift, respectively) in the previous month or year. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to examine the number of total and subscale (administrative/professional pressure, physical/psychological danger, or organizational support) stressful events across the shift. Results: During the previous month and year, officers working the afternoon and night shifts reported more stressful events than day shift officers for total stress, administrative/professional pressure, and physical/psychological danger (p < 0.05). These differences were independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and police rank. The frequency of these stressful events did not differ significantly between officers working the afternoon and night shifts. Conclusion: Non-day shift workers may be exposed to more stressful events in this cohort. Interventions to reduce or manage police stress that are tailored by shift may be considered.

Associations Between Body Fat Percentage and Fitness among Police Officers: A Statewide Study

  • Violanti, John M.;Ma, Claudia C.;Fekedulegn, Desta;Andrew, Michael E.;Gu, Ja K.;Hartley, Tara A.;Charles, Luenda E.;Burchfiel, Cecil M.
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.36-41
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    • 2017
  • Background: Police work is generally sedentary although there may be situations that require physical endurance and strength, such as foot chases and arresting suspects. Factors such as excessive body fat can impede an officer's physical ability to deal with such occurrences. Our objective was to examine associations between officers' body fat percentage (BF%) and performance on a standardized fitness protocol. Methods: Data were obtained from fitness screening among 1,826 male and 115 female officers in a large US police agency. The screening consisted of a 2.4-km run, push-ups, sit-ups, and sit-and-reach test. Sex-specific body fat percentages were estimated from skinfold thickness measured using calipers. Linear regression models were used to examine unadjusted and adjusted mean scores of fitness tests across BF% tertiles. Results: The prevalence of overall fitness was 4.3 times greater in male officers and 3.6 times greater in female officers having the lowest BF% tertile compared with the highest tertile (30.3% vs 7.1% and 46.0% vs 12.8%, respectively). BF% was linearly and positively associated with the time of 2.4-km run (p < 0.001), and linearly and inversely associated with the number of push-ups (p < 0.001), sit-ups (p < 0.001), and the distance of sit-and-reach (p < 0.001) in men. Similar associations were observed in women with the exception of sit-and-reach (p = 0.122). Associations were independent of age, race/ethnicity, rank, and duty station. Conclusion: Overall, BF% was inversely associated with fitness levels in male and female officers. Future longitudinal studies should be initiated to explore the potentially causal relationship between BF% and fitness in law enforcement officers.