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Biomedical subjects

D T Janerich

Publications and source records attributed to D T Janerich.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Familial clustering of neural tube defects and gastric cancer.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine whether producing an offspring with a neural tube defect (NTD) is associated with the development of unusual patterns of cancer among the parents in subsequent years. Mothers and fathers who had a child with an NTD in Upstate New York from 1945 to 1955 were followed through 1979 and compared to a control group of parents with normal offspring. Overall mortality and site-specific cancer incidence were not significantly different for case parents versus control parents, with the exception of gastric cancer, which occurred significantly more frequently in case parents. The finding of a familial association between NTDs and gastric cancer, coupled with a parallel decline in rates of these two diseases, suggests a common aetiology, perhaps related to dietary factors.

Adult↗

Maternal age at birth and risk of breast cancer in daughters.

Data from a large case-control study of breast cancer were examined to test the hypothesis that maternal age at the birth of female offspring is related to the incidence of breast cancer in daughters. Participants were between the ages of 20 and 54 at the time of the study. Based on results for 2,492 parous women who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer and 2,687 parous controls from the general population, a 15-year increase in maternal age was found to be associated with a 29% increase in the risk of breast cancer in daughters. Adjustment for the daughter's age, her own reproductive history, and other potential confounding factors yielded an estimate of 25% for this increase in risk (95% CI, 8% to 46%). The corresponding increase among 499 nulliparous cases and 457 nulliparous controls was 7%, which was not statistically significantly different in magnitude from the increase among parous women. These findings provide evidence for perinatal influences on the subsequent incidence of breast cancer during adulthood. Although specific mechanisms cannot be inferred directly, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that mutations in the genes of the human egg or sperm play a role in the etiology of breast cancer in female offspring.

Adult↗

Hypertension, pregnancy, and risk of breast cancer.

We investigated the relationship between hypertension and breast cancer using data from a large case-control study of women younger than 55 years. Among nulliparous women, there was little evidence of an association between hypertension and breast cancer. Among parous women, hypertension reduced the risk of breast cancer if it had been diagnosed at any time in their lives before the end of the most recent pregnancy (odds ratio = 0.73; 95% confidence interval = 0.59-0.92). Several earlier studies indicate that there is an association between hypertension during pregnancy and elevated levels of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein. Thus, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that maternal exposure to alpha-fetoprotein during pregnancy protects women against the subsequent occurrence of breast cancer.

Adult↗

Epidemiologic evidence of perinatal influence in the etiology of adult cancers.

Using data from 5489 cancer patients and 2647 patients without cancer we investigated whether parental age at the birth of the patient or the patient's rank within his sibship was related to the risk of cancer during adulthood. An increase of 10 years in maternal age was associated with an increase of 24% for the incidence of breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.24%; 95% CI = 1.09-1.41); the corresponding increase for paternal age was 19% (odds ratio = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.07-1.33). There was some evidence that the age of each parent may make an independent contribution to the risk of breast cancer. For certain types of genito-urinary cancers, the risk was higher when the parents were relatively young at the birth of the patient. These cancers included tumors arising in the prostate (odds ratios = 0.71 and 0.55 for maternal and paternal ages, respectively), testis (odds ratios = 0.57 and 0.52), penis (odds ratios = 0.37 and 0.45), kidney (odds ratios = 0.66 and 0.60), and bladder (odds ratio = 0.79 and 0.85). The associations for cancer of the prostate and bladder were stronger among patients who were diagnosed at a relatively young age. No statistically significant effects were found for birth order relative to adult cancers. The authors conclude that environmental factors that affect the parents or that operate in the perinatal period may have stronger influences on the incidence of adult cancers than have been previously recognized.

Adult↗

Lung cancer in relation to residence in census tracts with toxic-waste disposal sites: a case-control study in Niagara County, New York.

Nine selected census tracts containing 12 toxic-waste disposal sites with known or suspected lung carcinogens were identified in Niagara County, New York. Analysis of death certificates of 339 lung cancer cases (decedents) and 676 controls who died of other causes excluding respiratory diseases in 1978-1981 showed no association between death from lung cancer and residence in the selected census tracts (odds ratio = 0.95; 95% confidence interval = 0.65-1.38). Analysis of mail questionnaires from surrogate respondents for 209 lung cancer decedents and 417 controls showed no significant association between lung cancer and a history of ever having resided in the selected census tracts (age-adjusted odds ratio = 1.17; 95% CI = 0.78-1.76) and no significant interaction between such residence and cigarette smoking. Duration of residence in the selected census tracts did not differ between cases and controls. The limitations of this low-cost study design, in terms of response rates and potential misclassification of exposure, were discussed along with its value in interim studies of potentially hazardous dumpsites (prior to more intensive case-control or other studies using better exposure data).

Adult↗

Multiple births and maternal risk of breast cancer.

Data from the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a large nationwide population-based case-control study conducted in the United States in 1980-1982, were analyzed to investigate whether pregnancies ending in a multiple birth affect the risk of subsequent breast cancer. The cases were 3,918 parous women who were aged 20-54 years and newly diagnosed with breast cancer; controls were 4,047 parous women selected randomly from the same geographic areas as the cases. Multiple births were reported by 118 cases and 161 controls. After adjustment for other reproductive variables, having a multiple last birth was found to be protective against breast cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.85), whereas having a multiple birth prior to the last birth was not (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.79-1.57). To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first investigation to report such a protective effect, and thus the finding warrants replication. One mechanism that might account for the effect involves the increased output of alpha-fetoprotein by multiple fetal livers.

Adult↗

Pilot study to detect early pregnancy and early fetal loss.

A 6-month pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of detecting early pregnancy and early fetal loss in a population of healthy women. To ascertain early pregnancy, monthly 3-day morning urine specimens were collected during each woman's late luteal phase. A specific human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-radioimmunoassay, using antibodies against the unique carboxy-terminal portion of beta-hCG, was used to determine pregnancy as early as 9 days fetal developmental age. Eight pregnancies have been reported on a clinical basis, one of which ended in a spontaneous abortion. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of detecting early pregnancy and early fetal loss, and an epidemiological study is now being planned to estimate the rate of fetal loss in a large population to establish a baseline for early pregnancy loss.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Maternal factors in congenital limb-reduction defects.

Various maternal characteristics were examined in case-control studies of limb-reduction defects among live births in Upstate New York (i.e., New York State exclusive of New York City). In a study using birth records of 305 cases and 915 controls born in 1970-81, mean birth weight and gestation length were significantly lower in cases than in controls, and certain pregnancy complications (i.e., abnormal vaginal bleeding and diabetes mellitus) were reported more often in cases than in controls. Several subgroups of defects (i.e., isolated defects vs. multiple, long-bone defects vs. other) were also compared with their respective controls. The subgroup with multiple (including nonskeletal) defects had the lowest mean birth weight and length of gestation. In an interview study of 108 cases and 108 controls born in 1968-74, a history of maternal use of thyroid medication was a significant risk factor; possible explanations for this association are discussed.

Adult↗

Health effects associated with exposure to radioactively contaminated gold rings.

This study was designed to assess the health risks associated with exposure to radioactively contaminated gold rings. A group of 135 exposed individuals, who were identified through a statewide jewelry screening program, were studied to determine the frequency of carcinoma and other skin problems on the ring finger. Severity of skin problems increased with increasing length of wear. Forty-one of the exposures were associated with mild to severe skin problems. Nine of the individuals studied were diagnosed as having histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinomas at the site of exposure. The incidence of skin cancer on the ring finger was eleven times that expected for men and forty-five times that expected for women. These data indicate that physicians who have patients with skin lesions of the ring finger should be aware of the possibility of exposure to a radioactive gold ring.

Adult↗

Forecasting cancer trends to optimize control strategies.

Population projections and age-stratified cancer rates were used to forecast the trends for cancer occurrence for the United States during the coming decades: A progressive increase in the number of new cases is already predetermined by the high birth rate that occurred during the middle part of the century, and it will lead to nearly a doubling in the number of cases in about 4 decades. The demographic circumstances that determine the per capita costs of cancer are likely to worsen, because expected population trends will produce a deteriorating per capita economic base. Furthermore, the high costs of emerging treatment technologies are likely to magnify the deterioration ever further. Development of methods for cancer trend forecasting can provide a sound and accurate foundation for planning a comprehensive national strategy for optimal partitioning of research resources between the need for development of new treatments and the need for new research directed toward primary preventive measures.

Adolescent↗

Ectopic pregnancies in upstate New York.

Data on ectopic pregnancies reported to the New York State Department of Health for upstate residents for the years 1971 through 1979 were analyzed by maternal age, race, and gravidity. Trends in the rate of ectopic pregnancies were also examined for this time period. The rate of ectopic pregnancies per 1,000 conceptions increased with increasing maternal age and was higher for nonwhite women compared with white women. There was a slight increase in the rate of ectopic pregnancies with increasing gravidity, but this was due in part to the interaction of age with gravidity. The rate of ectopic pregnancies per 1,000 conceptions increased by 217% from 1971 to 1979. This trend differed within subgroups of maternal age, race, and gravidity. The percentage of increase was greater for women 30 years of age or older compared with women 30 years of age or younger, greater for white women compared with nonwhite women, and greater for women with three or more previous pregnancies compared with women with fewer previous pregnancies.

Adolescent↗

Maternal exposure to exogenous sex hormones in relation to birth weight of offspring.

Birth weight was analyzed among singleton live births (N = 665) in Upstate New York in 1974 to women who used oral contraceptives (OC) in comparison to live births to women who used no contraceptives (N = 716), within 11 months prior to last menstrual period (LMP). In addition, birth weight was examined among live births to women who received hormone support therapy (N = 97) and hormone pregnancy tests (N = 75) during pregnancy. There was no evidence for a reduction in mean birth weight, or an increase in frequency of lower weights, among births to OC users, including those who stopped using OC within 2 months of LMP. Generally similar findings held within three maternal age groups (less than 25, 25-29, and 30-39 years). There was no evidence for a reduction in birth weight among offspring of women who received hormone pregnancy tests. Mean birth weight was relatively low among male and female births to women who received hormone therapy for "threatened abortion," but this may reflect the selection of women for such treatment rather than an effect of exogenous hormones on fetal growth.

Birth Weight↗

Maternal characteristics and hypospadias: a case-control study.

Various characteristics were compared among mothers of 99 singleton male live births (in Upstate New York, 1970-1974) with hypospadias and mothers of 99 singleton male live births, matched for maternal age, race, and residence. Maternal (and paternal) education, maternal height and weight, and the frequency of maternal diseases did not differ between cases and controls. Mean age at menarche was significantly later, but delayed menarche (16 years) was not more frequent, in case vs. control mothers. In the latest year during which the mother was neither pregnant nor taking oral contraceptives, menstrual cycles were significantly more often asymptomatic in case vs. control mothers, implying a higher frequency of anovulatory cycles in case mothers. This suggests the need for further studies on menstrual symptoms. Among case-control pairs with a previous pregnancy, the first pregnancy was less likely to have resulted in a male fetus in case vs. control mothers. Maternal use of exogenous sex hormones (oral contraceptives, hormone therapy, and hormone pregnancy tests) during the index pregnancy did not differ significantly between cases and controls, but the relative risk of 3.50 for hormone pregnancy tests (seven cases vs. two controls) was noteworthy in view of the results of previous studies.

Adult↗