In a cross-sectional study of an Afrikaner community (n = 2,722 men and n = 3,173 women aged 25-64 years), family history of coronary heart disease (CHD) was associated with an adverse risk factor profile and with prevalent CHD. Men with myocardial infarction (MI) and a family history of CHD had higher total minus high density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC-HDLC) levels than men with MI but no CHD family history. In preliminary multiple regression analyses, family history of CHD appeared to exert its effect partly independently of known risk factors and partly dependently through age, TC minus HDLC, and HDLC. Even though their association with MI was weakened after entering family history into the models, the reversible risk factors (particularly TC minus HDLC, HDLC, and uric acid levels) continued to contribute to CHD. For MI in men, there was an interaction between family history of CHD and TC minus HDLC, to the extent that raised TC minus HDLC levels were adverse only in the presence of a positive CHD family history. The findings suggest coinheritance of high blood cholesterol and increased susceptibility to CHD. If confirmed in prospective studies, the interaction between family history and TC minus HDLC will have implications for cholesterol screening and management.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Distribution and movement of sludge-derived trace metals in selected Nigerian soils.

Use of metal-rich sewage sludge as soil fertilizer may result in trace- metal contamination of soils. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of long-term sludge application on trace-metal (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni) distribution and potential bioavailability in Nigerian soils under a tropical wet-dry climate. Total metal analyses, sequential chemical fractionation, and DTPA extractions were carried out on samples of control and sludge-amended pedons in Nigeria (a Rhodic Kandiustult and two Rhodic Kandiustalfs from Nigeria, respectively). The sewage sludge applied to the soils contained higher levels of Zn and Cu than Pb and Ni. The control pedon contained low levels of all four metals. Soil enrichment factors (EF) were calculated for each metal in the sludge-amended pedons. Compared with the control soil, the sludge-amended pedons showed elevated levels of Zn and Cu, reflecting the trace-metal composition of the sewage sludge. Zinc and Cu in the sludge-amended soils were strongly enriched at all depths in the profile, indicating that they had moved below the zone of sludge application. The sequential extraction and DTPA analyses indicated that the sludge-amended soils contained more readily extractable and bioavailable metal ions than the unamended soil.

Agriculture↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between asthma and air pollution in Helsinki.

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Air Pollutants↗