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Biomedical subjects

S Graham

Publications and source records attributed to S Graham.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Diet and cancer of the esophagus.

The reported dietary, alcohol consumption and smoking habits of 147 Roswell Park Memorial Institute white male patients diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus were compared with the reports of 264 white males of comparable ages with diagnoses other than cancer. Overall frequency of vegetable an fruit consumption was associated with lower risk; persons reporting fruit and/or vegetable consumption 31-40 times a month had significantly greater risk than those who reported consumption 81 times a month or more. Calculated indexes of vitamin A and vitamin C intake were similarly related to reduction in risk. Dose-response gradients were observed for frequency of vegetable and/or fruit consumption, as well as for vitamin A and C intake. The putative protective effect of vegetable and fruit intake remained evident after controlling for its possible association with smoking and drinking. Previously reported associations of smoking, alcohol use and social class, as measured by type of occupation, were replicated in these data. The findings of this investigation in instances of colon, lung, bladder, oral, and laryngeal cancers, and with evidence of tumor inhibition by vegetable properties in animals. Interpretation of the findings is limited by the difficulties of retrospective assessment of dietary intake and by possible confounding by other factors known to be related to esophageal cancer.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1981

On the distortion of risk estimates in multiple exposure level case-control studies.

The impact of error in assessing exposure to hypothesized pathogens on distortion of the appearance of relative risk is considered in the case-control study design. We assume there is a true dose-response relationship which links exposure to disease status. We also assume that multiple categories are used to classify levels of exposure, and that the errors which occur are those between adjacent exposure categories. The findings suggest that, if the pattern of errors is random, even though they are numerous, the resulting bias in risk will not be severe enough to mask a substantial risk increment. A large and consistent understatement of exposure by cases, and/or consistent overstatement of exposure by controls, can effectively mask even a strong pattern of risk enhancement. To produce the appearance of risk where there is none would require a substantial error in the opposite direction among the cases and controls.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1981

Dietary factors in the epidemiology of cancer of the larynx.

Interviews were carried out with 374 male patients at Roswell Park Memorial Institute with cancer of the larynx and 381 controls with diseases other than of the digestive or respiratory system and other than neoplasms. As have other investigators, the authors found a high risk associated with smoking as well as a risk associated with alcohol ingestion. In addition, the study found that males ingesting low amounts of vitamin A in their diet had approximately twice the risk of those ingesting large amounts. The same was true for vitamin C. All of these relationships were significant, and risk increased in dose-response fashion with decreases in ingestion of the above-mentioned dietary constituents. When the risks associated with vitamins A and C were examined controlling for smoking and drinking, the risk enhancement associated with low ingestion persisted. The findings on nutrients are consistent with results of studies on animals and tissue cultures. Nevertheless, the sparse epidemiologic replication, the difficulties with the methods, and the complexity of the field demand substantial further inquiry on these relationships.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1981

A genetic analysis of melanoma--polygenic inheritance as a threshold trait.

A total of 214 melanoma patients and 193 age- and sex-matched controls, interviewed at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute during the years 1974--1978, provided information regarding 1134 and 1043 New York State first order relatives (parents, offspring and siblings). The vital information provided was checked against the records of the New York State Tumor Registry to find cases of melanoma among relatives. Five cases of melanoma were found among the 1027 New York State relatives of melanoma index cases alive during the period 1949--1978, inclusive. No cases of melanoma were found among New York State relatives of controls. The expected number of melanomas among a cohort of relatives of identical sex and age composition for the interval was 0.625 cases, giving a ratio of observed to expected of 8.0. A similar analysis, restricted to parent-offspring pairs, yielded a ratio of observed to expected of 12.7. A search for additional melanoma cases among second degree relatives of familial index cases yielded no further affected relatives. The incidence of melanoma among relatives of melanoma cases and in a comparable general population were used to estimate the heritability of liability to melanoma as a polygenic trait. A heritability estimate of 0.49 was obtained, using parent-offspring data, indicating that nearly half of the variability in liability to melanoma in this population may be attributed to the additive action of many genes, each with small effect. Pending the replication of these findings, the 12-fold increase in incidence of melanoma among parents and offspring of melanoma cases suggests the importance of counseling and surveillance of relatives of affected individuals by the clinician.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Diet and cancer.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1980

Spouse-subject interviews and the reliability of diet studies.

Recently published data suggest relationships between ingestion of a number of food items and risk of cancer of the stomach, bowel and mouth. This engenders concern over the accuracy of such data. To study this, dietary interviews of 158 males in the Western New York Study of Cancer Epidemiology are compared to their spouses' estimates of the husband's dietary histories as taken in separate interviews. Respondents were asked to estimate the frequency with which the males consumed each of several foods. For analysis, the frequency estimates were assembled into categories similar to those used in recent epidemiologic analysis: 5-7 times per week, 1-4 times per week, 1-3 times per month and less than once per month. Generally, 60-80% of respondents pairs agree exactly on the frequency of consumption for individual food items. Over 90% of spouse and respondent food frequency estimates are within one frequency category of each other. Radical disagreements between spouses are rare; generally, in less than 2% of spouse pairs does one member estimate the maximum frequency category, and the other minimum frequency category. The authors suggest therefore that, although diet histories are not precisely replicable, they must be adequate to reveal gross differences between cases and controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Creative capabilities of learning-disabled and normal students.

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Figural Form A) and Sounds and Images were administered to 26 learning-disabled and 30 average students in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Significant differences between the two groups were noted on all measures except fluency. Although learning-disabled students produced an equivalent number of relevant creative responses in comparison to their average peers, they were less able to generate new ideas and change their initial approach.

Child↗
PubMed1979

Genital cancer in wives of penile cancer patients.

We identified the wives or ex-wives of 227 males of the 256 reported with cancer of the penis to the New York State Cancer Registry from Upstate New York from 1960-64. Utilizing the Registry, death certificates, hospital and physician records, we ascertained those wives who developed cancer at any site from 1951-1975. We generated expected numbers of cases of cancer at each site by applying the age specific incidence rates experienced by women of a specific age in a specific year designated by the age of the wife of the index case in each year, estimating withdrawals from age-specific death rates. Thus, our expected numbers are based on the experience of the women in Upstate New York with traits like those of spouses of the men in the same population with cancer of the penis. We found significantly more cases of cancer of the cervix than expected. This was not true for other sites of cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Restriction-fragment map of the temperate Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPO2.

The endonucleases BglI, BglII, EcoRI, SalI, SmaI, and XbaI were used to fragment the phage SPO2 DNA. Electrophoretic analysis using ethidiumbromide agarose gels showed the phage to have nine BglI sites, one BglII site, four EcoRI sites, one SalI site, one SmaI site, and six XbaI sites. Using partial digestions, multiple endonuclease digestion, and autoradiography the fragments were sized and ordered into a circular map of 23 Md. Such an analysis locates the endonuclease sites, indicates which endonucleases are potentially useful in cloning with SPO2, and allows insertions and/or deletions in the SPO2 DNA to be characterized.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1979

Isolation and characterization of viable deletion mutants of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPO2.

Spontaneous deletion mutants of the bacteriophage SPO2, which are viable and retain their temperate character, were isolated using a heat-EDTA enrichment step. They were identified by endonuclease digestion and agarose-gel electrophoresis of phage DNA. Two of the nine mutants were characterized in detail. Both mutants have a 2.3 Md deletion removing the single BglII site and two of the XbaI fragments. The deletion extends 1.0 Md to one side of the former BglII site and 1.3 Md on the other side. This region of the SPO2 genome is non-essential for either lysogeny or viable phage production and thus is a suitable region for the insertion of exogenous DNA fragments.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1979

Dietary risk factors in human bladder cancer.

Retrospective data on dietary habits, employment history and tobacco use were obtained from 569 bladder cancer patients and 1025 age-matched controls admitted to Roswell Park Memorial Institute. Sex-adjusted relative risks revealed increases in risk for lower levels of an index of vitamin A intake. A similar pattern of risk elevation was associated with infrequent milk and carrot intake. Some elevation of risk was found for heavy coffee drinking but the apparent protective effect for milk consumption was not found to be a spurious result of lower coffee intake. Neither was the role of vitamin A explained by its relationship with smoking or employment in high risk occupations. Some association of bladder cancer with infrequent consumption of cruciferous vegetables was also observed. The findings of this investigation are consistent with tumor inhibition by retinoids in animal studies and the low risk associated with vitamin A in epidemiologic studies of lung cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Vitamin A and lung cancer.

Retrospective dietary and smoking data were gathered by interview of 292 white male patients with lung cancer and 801 control patients with nonrespiratory, nonneoplastic diseases at Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York. A computed index of vitamin A intake was used to differentiate lung cancer patients from controls. Lung cancer patients had lower values than did controls. The reduced relative risk (RR) of lung cancer associated with vitamin A was most evident among men who smoked heavily. For them, a dose-response relationship increasing to an RR of 2.4 for low values of the index was observed. Frequency of daily milk drinking was lower among patients with lung cancer. Lower RR was found among the men who smoked heavily and frequently consumed carrots. These findings are consistent with evidence from animal studies on inhibition of tumor incidence by retinoids and with previous findings in prospective and retrospective epidemiologic studies.

Diet↗