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N C Lee

Publications and source records attributed to N C Lee.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Review of human immunodeficiency virus infection in women in the United States.

In this review, available human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence data are presented for United States women attending clinics related to reproductive health and for women in other settings. At family planning clinics, prenatal clinics, and in delivery room settings (cord blood testing), studies that have not targeted women at high risk for HIV infection have shown prevalence rates ranging from 0-4.3%. Higher rates (greater than 1%) have been observed in more urban areas--Newark, New York City, Baltimore, Miami, and San Juan; rates at settings outside these areas have generally been below 1%. Filter-paper testing for maternal HIV antibodies from neonatal heel-stick specimens has been conducted statewide in Massachusetts and New York; prevalence rates were 0.3% in Massachusetts in 1987, and 0.2% in upstate New York and 1.3% in New York City in 1987-1988. Prevalence rates of female military applicants and female blood donors are below 0.03% and 0.1%, respectively, and have been relatively stable over time. Where age data are available, prevalence rates are near 0 in women below age 20 years, are higher for young adult and early middle-aged women, and decline thereafter. Studies have also been conducted using blood samples from women undergoing premarital testing for syphilis serology, from women attending sexually transmitted disease clinics and drug treatment centers, and from patients at sentinel hospital sites. Information on the prevalence of HIV infection in United States women is useful to identify specific populations at risk for HIV infection and to target and evaluate education and prevention efforts.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Knowledge about condoms and their use in less developed countries during a period of rising AIDS prevalence.

Apart from sexual abstinence and monogamous relationships between uninfected partners, the use of condoms is currently the only effective means available for preventing sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Worldwide data on people's knowledge about condoms and their use have not previously been studied in the context of prevention of HIV transmission. This paper presents survey data taken among women of reproductive age in the developing countries. The results show a wide range in the women's knowledge of condoms, which was poorest in sub-Saharan African countries, including those that are considered to have high HIV seroprevalence. Use of condoms was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and very low in some other countries with a high prevalence of HIV.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Oral contraceptives and cervical cancer risk in Costa Rica. Detection bias or causal association?

To examine the relationship between cervical cancer and oral contraceptive (OC) use, we analyzed data from a population-based, case-control study in Costa Rica. Women aged 25 to 58 years in whom cervical cancer was diagnosed and reported to the National Tumor Registry were examined as two separate case groups: invasive cervical cancer and carcinoma in situ (CIS). Controls were women aged 25 to 58 years identified through a national survey. Women who had used OCs had no increased risk of invasive cervical cancer compared with women who had never used OCs (relative risk, 0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 1.3). Women who had used OCs had an increased risk of CIS compared with those who had never used OCs (relative risk, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.2). However, further analyses indicated that this increased risk was confined to those who had recently used OCs. Also, the risk of CIS was not elevated in subgroups in which a history of cervical smears was not strongly linked to OC use. The elevated risk of CIS among OC users may therefore reflect a bias caused by enhanced detection of disease rather than a causal association.

Adult↗

Cervical cancer risk and use of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate in Costa Rica.

The relationship between cervical cancer and the use of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) was examined in a nationwide case-control study in Costa Rica. Cases were women ages 25-58 years of age with invasive squamous cell cancer (N = 149) or carcinoma in situ (CIS, N = 415) reported by the National Tumor Registry during 1982-84. Controls (N = 764) were randomly selected during a nationwide household survey. Using logistic regression, we adjusted for known risk factors for cervical cancer. DMPA use was associated with a risk of CIS of 1.1 (95% confidence interval 0.6-1.8) and a risk of invasive cancer of 1.4 (95% confidence interval 0.6-3.1). The slightly elevated risks observed may be the result of chance or a detection bias. One limitation of this study is that few women had used DMPA for longer than two years.

Adult↗

Hysterectomy, tubal sterilization, and the risk of breast cancer.

Studies suggest that hysterectomy and tubal sterilization may alter the function of the remaining ovaries. Conceivably, this effect could alter breast cancer risk. To investigate whether these surgeries affect breast cancer risk, the authors analyzed data collected between December 1, 1980, and April 30, 1983, in a population-based, case-control study of women aged 20-54 years, the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. Compared with never-sterilized women, women with hysterectomy and no remaining ovaries had a decreased risk of breast cancer (relative risk (RR) = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.6-0.8). Risk was lowest in women who had their surgery before age 40 years or 15 or more years in the past; surgery at an early age provided greater protection than surgery in the distant past. Hysterectomy with one or two remaining ovaries was also inversely associated with breast cancer risk (RR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.7-0.9), but no relation was found with age at surgery or time since surgery. Women with tubal sterilization had a slightly increased risk of breast cancer, which was of borderline statistical significance (RR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.0-1.3). However, no relation was found with age at surgery or time since surgery. The data suggest that hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy decreases the breast cancer risk in women aged less than 55 years, possibly by curtailing ovarian function at a critical period. However, neither hysterectomy without bilateral oophorectomy nor tubal sterilization appears to substantially alter breast cancer risk in women of this age.

Adult↗

The evaluation of the data collection process for a multicenter, population-based, case-control design.

This report details the methods the authors used to conduct the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a multicenter, population-based, case-control study of oral contraceptive use in relation to breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer diagnosed during 1980-1982. The authors have documented their methods and rationale, and the results of their data collection efforts as a practical guide for the planning and conduct of large case-control studies. They observed the following: 1) the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program is a useful epidemiologic resource for identifying cases from which to evaluate risk factors for cancer in the United States; 2) random digit dialing is an effective and efficient method for screening for eligible controls for a population-based study; 3) with the cooperation of community pathologists, histologic specimen slides can be retrieved and reviewed for diagnostic confirmation and histologic subclassification of cancer for greater than 95% of the cases interviewed; and 4) data reported during personal interviews of study participants can be validated by reviewing medical records for more than 75% of study participants who reported medical events that occurred during the 10 years before the beginning of the study.

Adult↗

The intrauterine device and pelvic inflammatory disease revisited: new results from the Women's Health Study.

To examine whether the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease associated with intrauterine device (IUD) use varies with a woman's sexual behavior, we analyzed data from the Women's Health Study, a hospital-based, case-control study carried out in the United States from 1976-1978. The cases were 657 women hospitalized with pelvic inflammatory disease; controls were 2566 women hospitalized with nongynecologic conditions. After controlling for confounding factors, we found no consistent differences in the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease associated with IUD use among women in different categories of gonorrhea history, frequency of intercourse, or number of recent sexual partners. However, among women with only one sexual partner, married and cohabiting women had little appreciable increased pelvic inflammatory disease risk associated with IUD use compared with those using no contraception, whereas previously and never-married women using IUDs had relative risk estimates of 1.8 and 2.6, respectively. These results suggest that women at low risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections have little increase in the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease from use of an IUD.

Adolescent↗