Biomedical subjects

R B Hayes

Publications and source records attributed to R B Hayes.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

Mortality of U.S. embalmers and funeral directors.

The causes of mortality of 3,649 white and 397 non-white male U.S. embalmers and funeral directors, who had died between 1975 and 1985, were examined in a proportional mortality study. Non-significant excesses were found for malignancies of the buccal cavity and pharynx (PMR = 120) and for nasopharyngeal cancer (PMR = 216). No sinonasal cancers were observed, while 1.7 were expected. A statistically significant excess of colon cancer (PMR = 127) was found and a non-significant excess of brain and other CNS cancer was noted among whites only (PMR = 123). Statistically significant excesses of malignancies of the lymphatic and hematopoietic systems were found in whites (PMR = 131) and non-whites (PMR = 241). Myeloid leukemia (PMR = 157) and leukemia of other and unspecified cell types (PMR = 228) were in excess, while no excess of lymphatic leukemia was noted. Elevations in risk were also found for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis. Non-whites showed a marked excess of multiple myeloma (PMR = 369). Chronic nephritis was in excess among whites (PMR = 215) and non-whites (PMR = 257). No excess of cirrhosis of the liver was found. Excesses of malignancies of the lymphatic and hematopoietic systems could not be directly related to job held in the funeral industry. Further case-control studies are planned to rule out the possibility that the observed associations are artifactual, by assessing the association between specific work practices and disease risk.

Aged↗

PubMed1990

A case-control study of prostatic cancer in Kyoto, Japan: sexual risk factors.

A case-control study on prostatic cancer was conducted in Kyoto, Japan, from 1981-1984, including 100 patients with prostatic cancer (PC) and age, hospital, and date-of-admission matched controls of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and general hospital patients. Analysis of several sexual factors obtained through a self-administered questionnaire revealed the following observations: 1) cancer patients had fewer sex partners before marriage (relative risk, RR = 0.35; 95% confidence interval: 0.13-0.93) than the hospital controls; 2) they had more vigorous sexual activities in the third (RR = 2.89; 1.01-8.28) and fourth decades of life (RR = 2.26: 1.03-4.95) than hospital controls, but no significantly different sexual activities from controls in other decades; 3) they had less frequent orgasms (RR = 2.55; 1.11-5.83) than BPH controls or (RR = 4.96: 1.78-13.9) hospital controls, and sexual intercourse appeared to be less satisfactory (RR = 2.08: 1.05-4.13) than that of hospital controls; and 4) they had less frequent episodes of sexually transmitted diseases (RR = 0.36: 0.16-0.83) than BPH controls. Marital status, fertility, ejaculation, masturbation, nocturnal emission, contraceptive use, and wife's episodes of sexually transmitted disease were not linked to prostatic cancer risk.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed1990

Occupation and risk for testicular cancer: a case-control study.

A case-control study of 271 testicular cancer cases aged 18-42, including 60 seminomas and 206 other germinal cell tumours, and 259 controls was carried out to study the association between occupation and testicular cancer risk. Study subjects were identified at three medical centres, two of which treat military personnel. Controls were men diagnosed with a cancer other than of the genital tract. Associations were identified between professional employment (administrators, teachers and other professionals) and risk for testicular seminoma, OR = 2.8 (95% Cl: 1.4-5.4) and between employment in production work and risk for other germinal cell tumours, OR = 1.8 (95% Cl: 1.1-2.7). No specific occupations within these broad groups were responsible for observed increases. Self-reported exposure to microwave and other radio waves was associated with an excess risk for both seminomas and other germinal cell tumours. However, an assessment of radio wave exposure based on job title did not support this finding. Although testicular cancer has been increasing in recent decades among young males, occupational factors did not appear to account for a substantial proportion of testicular cancer occurrence in the population studied.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Mortality experience of haematite mine workers in China.

The mortality risk of iron ore (haematite) miners between 1970 and 1982 was investigated in a retrospective cohort study of workers from two mines, Longyan and Taochong, in China. The cohort was limited to men and consisted of 5406 underground miners and 1038 unexposed surface workers. Among the 490 underground miners who died, 205 (42%) died of silicosis and silicotuberculosis and 98 (20%) of cancer, including 29 cases (5.9%) of lung cancer. The study found an excess risk of non-malignant respiratory disease and of lung cancer among haematite miners. The standardised mortality ratio for lung cancer compared with nationwide male population rates was significantly raised (SMR = 3.7), especially for those miners who were first employed underground before mechanical ventilation and wet drilling were introduced (SMR = 4.8); with jobs involving heavy exposure to dust, radon, and radon daughters (SMR = 4.2); with a history of silicosis (SMR = 5.3); and with silicotuberculosis (SMR = 6.6). No excess risk of lung cancer was observed in unexposed workers (SMR = 1.2). Among current smokers, the risk of lung cancer increased with the level of exposure to dust. The mortality from all cancer, stomach, liver, and oesophageal cancer was not raised among underground miners. An excess risk of lung cancer among underground mine workers which could not be attributed solely to tobacco use was associated with working conditions underground, especially with exposure to dust and radon gas and with the presence of non-malignant respiratory disease. Because of an overlap of exposures to dust and radon daughters, the independent effects of these factors could not be evaluated.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between formaldehyde exposure and cancer.

Over 30 epidemiologic studies have evaluated cancer risks associated with formaldehyde exposure. Excesses were reported for several sites, leukemia and cancers of the nasal cavities, nasopharynx, lung, and brain generating the greatest interest. The excesses of leukemia and brain and colon cancer found among professionals may not be related to formaldehyde exposure, since similar excesses were not observed among industrial workers. Inconsistencies among and within studies impede assigning formaldehyde a convincing causal role for the excesses of lung cancer found among industrial workers. A causal role for formaldehyde is the most probable for cancers of the nasopharynx and, to a less extent, the nasal cavities. Evidence of exposure-response relationships, the fact that direct contact with formaldehyde may occur at these upper respiratory sites, and the consistency of these findings with experimental studies make this assumption highly probable.

Brain Neoplasms↗

PubMed1989

Lung cancer risk, occupational exposure, and the debrisoquine metabolic phenotype.

The risk of lung cancer in smokers was examined based on the debrisoquine metabolic phenotype and on exposure to occupational lung carcinogens, specifically asbestos and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Extensive metabolizers of debrisoquine are at a 4-fold increased risk for lung cancer compared to poor metabolizers, after adjustment for age, sex, and smoking (pack-years), when only occupationally unexposed subjects are considered. Increased risk related to the debrisoquine metabolic phenotype was greatest for squamous and small cell histologies, and least for the adenocarcinoma subtype. Men with a history of exposure to occupational carcinogens had significantly increased risk of lung cancer (relative risk = 2.8), after adjustment for age and smoking. Considering the combined effect of the high risk extensive metabolizers debrisoquine metabolic phenotype and likely occupational exposure to asbestos, the relative excess risk for lung cancer was 18-fold. This finding is consistent with a synergism in risk between the ability to extensively metabolize debrisoquine and occupational exposure to lung carcinogens in male smokers. Debrisoquine phenotyping has potential for identifying carcinogen-exposed workers at high risk of lung cancer.

Asbestos↗

PubMed1989

Time dependency in human cancer.

The concept of latency period has developed in chronic disease epidemiology by analogy with the incubation period associated with infectious diseases. We discuss the use of the concept of mean latency period to describe the temporal development of cancer and the underlying conceptual and methodologic problems. The respective roles of age at diagnosis, age at start of exposure, duration of exposure, and years since exposure in modifying cancer risks are considered. Multistep models for the development of cancer are illustrated, and their use and limitations for interpreting temporal associations in cancer development are discussed. Rather than trying to define exposure-disease relationships as being characterized by a long or a short latency period, it seems more promising to study the temporal sequence of disease development as a multistep process.

Cohort Studies↗

PubMed1989

Cancer mortality among a cohort of chromium pigment workers.

A study of mortality among 1,879 male workers employed in a New Jersey chromium pigment factory was carried out, with follow-up from 1940 to 1982. Vital status of 1,737 (92%) of the eligible cohort members was determined. For all malignant neoplasms, 101 deaths were observed while 108.8 were expected, SMR = 93 (standardized mortality ratio; n.s.). For the entire study group, no significant excess was observed for respiratory cancer or cancer at other sites. However, the total number of years of employment in the factory and the total number of years of exposure to chromate dusts were both statistically significantly (p less than .05, for trend) associated with an increased risk for lung cancer. The excess risk for lung cancer associated with duration of exposure to chromate dusts was, however, only clearly apparent for subjects followed for 30 years or more after initial employment. For this group, the SMRs were 81, 139, 201, and 321 for the subjects with 0 years, less than 1 year, 1-9 years, and 10+ years of exposure to chromate dusts (p less than .01, for trend), respectively. The risk for digestive cancer was only weakly associated with exposure to chromate dusts.

Chromium↗

PubMed1989

Lung cancer in motor exhaust-related occupations.

The association between employment in motor exhaust-related occupations and the risk for lung cancer was examined in 2,291 male cases of lung cancer and 2,570 controls in data pooled from three U.S. case control studies carried out by the National Cancer Institute between 1976 and 1983. Most analyses were limited to subjects providing direct, in-person interviews, including 1,444 cases and 1,893 controls. For those providing direct interviews and employed 10 years or more in motor exhaust-related (MER) occupations, the age, smoking, and study area adjusted odds ratio (OR) for lung cancer was 1.5 (95% CI = 1.2-1.9). Risk was elevated for truck drivers (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1-1.9) and for other MER occupations (OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-2.0). The odds ratios associated with MER employment of 10+ years were 1.6 (95% CI = 1.2-2.1) for whites and 1.4 (95% CI = 0.9-2.1) for nonwhites; 1.2 (95% CI = 0.7-2.0) [corrected] for those with possible exposure to other recognized or reported lung carcinogens; and 1.6 (95% CI 1.2-2.1) for those without such exposure. The 50% excess risk for lung cancer associated with employment in motor exhaust-related occupations could not be explained by greater use of cigarettes or by other occupational exposures among these workers.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Case-control study of prostatic cancer in Kyoto, Japan: demographic and some lifestyle risk factors.

Demographic risk factors for prostatic cancer were examined in a case-control study of 100 triplets of prostatic cancer patients and age-, hospital-, and admission date-matched control series of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and general hospital patients. A higher risk of prostatic cancer was associated with the following factors: 1) long-term occupation in transport or communication (relative risk [RR] = 4.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-20.5) as compared with hospital controls; 2) the wife having a lower educational level (RR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.02-3.45) as compared with hospital controls; 3) no past episode of hypertension as compared with BPH controls (RR = 2.30, 95%CI: 1.27-4.15); 4) having several sisters (more than four) as compared with both BPH and hospital controls (RR = 3.82, 95%CI: 1.35-10.8 and RR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.08-8.03 respectively); 5) dense body hair as compared with hospital controls (RR = 4.28, 95%CI: 1.19-15.4). No significant links were found with blood type, daily drug use, head hair, skin color, body type, smoking habits, religion, body weight, and mental characteristics.

Aged↗

PubMed1989

Mortality after nasopharyngeal radium irradiation for eustachian tube dysfunction.

Cause-specific mortality of 2,510 persons treated before 1965 by nasopharyngeal radium irradiation (average exposure, 1,200 mg/min), followed to 1985, was compared to that of 2,199 nonexposed comparison subjects. No excess was found for the exposed group in overall mortality, cancer mortality, or in mortality of cancer of specific sites. A marginal excess (p = .07) of malignancies of the lymphatic and hematopoietic system was noted in exposed males only. Only one brain cancer (0.2 per 10(4) person-years) was identified in the exposed group, and two (10.3 per 10(4) person-years) in the nonexposed group.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Nonmalignant respiratory disease among hematite mine workers in China.

The mortality risk of nonmalignant respiratory disease among hematite workers in the Longyan and Taochong mines of China was investigated in a retrospective cohort study covering the period 1970-1982. The cohort was limited to men and consisted of 5406 underground miners, of whom 1335 (25%) were diagnosed as having silicosis. Among those with silicosis, 560 (42%) were diagnosed as having silicotuberculosis. Among the 490 underground miners who died, 278 (57%) died of nonmalignant respiratory disease. The relative risk for death due to nonmalignant respiratory disease for stage III silicotics compared to nonsilicotics was almost 100-fold. High dust exposure was associated with a statistically significant increase in risk of death due to nonmalignant respiratory disease (relative risk 5.3). The relative risk associated with jobs with high dust exposure before the introduction of industrial hygiene controls was 7.7, and the corresponding value for after their introduction was 2.3. There is a need for continued close monitoring of industrial hygiene in these mines.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Proportion of lung cancers in males, due to occupation, in different areas of the USA.

Occupational data from 5 case-control studies in the United States involving 2,973 male cases and 3,210 controls were analyzed to estimate the percentage of lung cancer attributable to well-known and suspected lung carcinogens. The studies were conducted in areas heterogeneous in terms of industrial activities. The percentage of lung cancers attributable to occupations entailing potential exposure to well-recognized carcinogens ranged, by study area, from 3 to 17%. The further inclusion of occupational groups with suspect carcinogenic exposures changed these estimates very little. Exclusion of data derived from next-of-kin interviews influenced the estimates of attributable risks, but not in a systematic fashion. The estimates also varied according to ethnic group, smoking status and birth cohort, with higher values in non-whites, non-smokers and among members of more recent birth cohorts. Possible errors in exposure classification, which may make these estimates conservative, are discussed.

Humans↗

PubMed1988

Serum retinol and prostate cancer.

Levels of retinol, beta carotene, and alpha tocopherol were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in serum from subjects with clinical prostatic cancer (n = 94), focal prostatic cancer (n = 40), benign prostatic hyperplasia (n = 130), and from hospital controls (n = 130). Levels of beta carotene and alpha tocopherol varied for prostatic cancer patients by disease stage and by the period in the treatment sequence when blood was collected. This made any assessment of their association with prostatic cancer risk difficult. The mean level of serum retinol was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) in prostatic cancer patients than in the controls. For serum retinol this difference did not appear to be attributable to age, stage of disease, period in which the blood was collected, or to several other potentially confounding factors. When the serum retinol level was considered in quintile classes, there was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) trend of increased prostatic cancer risk associated with decreasing serum retinol levels.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1988

Review of occupational epidemiology of chromium chemicals and respiratory cancer.

Several epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between cancer risk and employment in chromium producing and using industries. Strong and consistent associations have been found between employment in the primary chemical producing industry and the risk for respiratory cancer. Workers employed in chromate pigment production and possibly spray painters of chromate pigment paints appear to be at excess risk of respiratory cancer. Chrome platers may also be at excess risk, although the evidence is limited. A few studies indicate that chromium alloy welding may also be an exposure source of concern. Some studies of ferrochromium alloy workers have shown an excess risk for respiratory cancer, although the risk may in part be due to concomitant exposures. The evidence indicates that the hexavalent form of chromium is the primary agent of chromium carcinogenesis. Solubility and other characteristics of chromium compounds may also play a role in determining risk.

Carcinogens↗

PubMed1988

A case-control study of prostatic cancer with reference to dietary habits.

A case-control study of prostatic cancer which consisted of 100 patients with prostatic cancer, matched for hospital, age (+/- 3 yr) and hospital admission date (+/- 3 months) to patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and hospital controls, was conducted from 1981 to 1984. Low daily intake of beta-carotene (RR = 2.13: 95% confidence interval, 1.20-3.77) and of vitamin A (RR = 1.94: 1.10-3.43), as compared to the intake of those substances by BPH controls, were factors significantly correlated with the development of prostatic cancer. Low daily intake of beta-carotene (RR = 2.13: 1.20-3.77), as compared with hospital controls, were significantly correlated with prostatic cancer development. Infrequent intake of bread (RR = 2.40: 1.31-4.38), intended to represent a westernized diet, and of spinach (RR = 1.96: 1.01-7.73), a typical green and yellow vegetable, as compared to BPH controls and infrequent intake of spinach (RR = 4.55: 1.82-11.11) as compared to by hospital controls, were significant risk factors for prostatic cancer. Intake of carbohydrates, protein, fat, total calories, fibers, vitamin B and vitamin C were not correlated with the development of prostatic cancer.

Aged↗

PubMed1987

Tobacco use and sinonasal cancer: a case-control study.

The risk for sinonasal cancer associated with tobacco use was examined in a case-control study in males diagnosed between 1978 and 1981 in the Netherlands. Of the 116 cases of sinonasal cancer and 259 controls identified, interviews were completed for 92 (79%) of the cases and 195 (75%) of the controls. Ever-users of cigarettes had a moderately elevated risk for sinonasal cancer. The association was strongest for squamous cell carcinoma among recent users of tobacco (RR = 3.1, P less than 0.05, one-sided). For recent tobacco users, there was also a trend in risk associated with the amount of cigarette use (P less than 0.05, one-sided). Associations between tobacco use and adenocarcinoma were inconsistent, and no positive associations were found for the other histologic types, largely undifferentiated tumours. The study findings indicate that tobacco use, and in particular recent tobacco use, is associated with the development of squamous cell sinonasal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1987

Occupational cancer risk associated with the storage and bulk handling of agricultural foodstuff.

The cancer mortality experience of 2649 Swedish grain millers was followed during the period from 1961 to 1979. Although the overall cancer incidence was not elevated, the risk of primary liver cancer was significantly elevated for this group (standard incidence ratio = 238). The Swedish data is compared to the cancer mortality experience of workers in the Netherlands and the United States who are also involved in the bulk handling and storage of agricultural foodstuffs (e.g., peanuts, grains). The varying occupational exposures in this international comparison help establish etiologic hypotheses in the absence of comprehensive exposure information. Agents of potential concern include metabolic products of fungal contaminants (e.g., aflatoxins) and pesticides used to protect grain from insect infestation.

Agriculture↗