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PubMed2006

Asthma prevalence among US adults, 1998-2000: role of Puerto Rican ethnicity and behavioral and geographic factors.

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed asthma prevalence among US adults by age, gender, race, Puerto Rican ethnicity, and other demographic, behavioral, health, and geographic variables. We hypothesized that high prevalences would be observed among Puerto Ricans and in the Northeast census region. METHODS: We used data from the 1998 through 2000 US National Health Interview Surveys. Information on lifetime history of asthma and asthma in the past year was collected from 95615 adults. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and odds ratios from logistic regression. RESULTS: Of US adults, 8.9% had ever been diagnosed with asthma, and 3.4% had experienced an episode in the past 12 months. Asthma diagnosis rates were highest among Puerto Ricans (17.0%) and lowest among Mexican Americans (3.9%); rates were 9.6% and 9.2% among non-Hispanic Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites, respectively. Geographically, asthma prevalence was highest in the West (10.5%) and lowest in the Northeast (8.6%). Puerto Ricans in all regions had high asthma rates. CONCLUSIONS: final logistic regression model included race/ethnicity, obesity, poverty, female gender, and cigarette smoking. Higher asthma rates were confirmed among Puerto Ricans but not in the Northeast region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The influence of time, sex and geographic factors on levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate in human serum over the last 25 years.

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are important perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in various applications. Recently, it has been shown that these chemicals are widespread in the environment, wildlife and humans. But the kinds of factors that affect their levels in serum are unclear, and it is also not clear whether exposure to them is increasing or not. To investigate the impacts of time, geographical location and sex on the levels of these chemicals, we measured PFOS and PFOA concentrations in human sera samples collected both historically and recently in Miyagi, Akita and Kyoto Prefectures in Japan. The PFOS and PFOA levels in sera [Geometric Mean (Geometric Standard Deviation)] (microg/L) in 2003 ranged from 3.5 (2.9) in Miyagi to 28.1 (1.5) in Kyoto for PFOS and from 2.8 (1.5) to 12.4 (1.4) for PFOA. Historical samples collected from females demonstrated that PFOS and PFOA concentrations have increased by factors of 3 and 14, respectively, over the past 25 yr. There are large sex differences in PFOS and PFOA concentrations in serum at all locations. Furthermore, there are predominant regional differences for both PFOS and PFOA concentrations. In Kyoto the concentrations of PFOA in dwellers who had lived in the Kinki area for more than 2 yr were significantly higher than in people who had recently moved into the area, in both sexes. This finding suggests that there are sources of PFOA in the Kinki area that have raised the PFOA serum levels of its inhabitants. Further studies are needed to elucidate these sources in the Kinki area of Japan.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Geographic factors and plasma selenium in uremia and dialysis.

The importance of selenium (Se) as an essential trace element for man has been increasingly recognized. Blood Se levels in chronic uremic patients are frequently reported to be lower than in controls. Definitive determination of the Se status in uremic patients, however, is hampered by the wide range of blood Se content in humans from different parts of the world. The present study was designed to assess and compare the Se status in two European populations from Rostock (Germany) and Chieti (Italy). Plasma Se levels were evaluated in healthy controls, chronic renal failure nondialyzed patients (CRF) and hemodialysis patients (HD). All Se determinations were performed in a single laboratory. The Se concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.005) in Italian healthy controls than in German healthy controls. In contrast, Se levels were similar in both CRF and HD patients from both cities. In both countries, the Se concentration in CRF and HD patients was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in their corresponding controls, but no difference between CRF and HD was found. CRF and HD patients from the two countries showed quite similar laboratory and anthropometric data. In CRF patients in Chieti, a significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation between plasma Se and serum creatinine was found. In both HD groups, the length of time on HD and type of membrane dialyzer used did not influence the Se status. A significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) between Se levels and the protein catabolic rate was found in both HD groups. Uremia seems to be a strong factor which overrules the difference in Se levels that is present in healthy adults from different European countries. Uremia in itself may influence and level the Se concentration in patients with geographic diversity.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Effect of the geographic factor and technological regimen on thyroid hormone levels in Camborough hybrid pigs].

Qualitative analyses were carried out of the thyroid hormones (T-3, T-4, and FT-4 indices) with a total of 380 pigs of the Camborough hybrid at the age of one to four months, raised at the nucleus base of a swine-breeding complex. Analyzed was the effect of the technologic regime, the geographic location of swine-breeding complexes, and the economic purpose of the animals on the quantitative changes in the indices studied. Based on the statistical analysis the reliable intervals of the physiologic values of the T-3, T-4, and FT-4 under the conditions of the individual complexes were found to be 0.52-0.82, 0.7-1.8: 0.62-1.1, 0.61-0.99, and 0.74-1.26; 5-12, 3.6-8.9, 3.16, 2.0-10.0, and 3.8-7.7 ng/100 ml; 0.60-1.3, 0.7-1.17, 0.69-1.18, 0.73-1.03, and 0.86-1.13.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1995

Occupational and geographical factors in the epidemiology of malignant mesothelioma.

In most industrialised countries mortality from malignant mesothelioma has risen steeply since about 1950 and is likely to go on doing so well into the next century. This increase, which has lagged behind the level of asbestos use by some 30 or more years, is most evident in men but less clear in women. Amphibole asbestos fibre types, crocidolite in particular, carry the greatest risk and chrysotile the least. Studies in chrysotile miners and millers, in whom the overall frequency of mesothelioma is low suggest the risk is mainly determined by the presence of contamination with amphibole fibres in the tremolite series. There is wide variation in mesothelioma incidence geographically and occupationally. Regions with the highest rates are those where crocidolite is mined; within countries, dockyard areas are most affected, probably because of amphibole use for insulation in naval ships. Occupations at high risk, apart from crocidolite miners and millers, include shipyard and insulation workers and those employed in construction trades. Data on exposure-response are scanty although occupational cohort studies suggest that risk is related to both duration and intensity of exposure. More specific confirmation of an exposure-response relationship has been obtained from lung fibre analysis in a limited number of case-referent studies.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The newborn infant in the Aosta Valley: preliminary statistical analysis of various ethnic and geographic factors].

We have examined 976 new-born babies in Aosta Valley retrospectively, in order to determine which risk factors were significantly linked with the high incidence of: hospitalization and infants with below average neonatal and placental weight. The new-borns of native mothers have been compared with those of immigrant mothers, and also the new-borns of parents living in mountains have been compared with those of parents living in town. Results have shown new-born babies of native mother are at a disadvantage, especially regarding: the neonatal and placental average weight and the incidence of small for gestational age infants (SGA). No statistically significant difference has been found from the geographical point of view. Our results have stimulated a desire for deeper knowledge concerning the ethnical distribution of our neonatal sample and the maternal anamnesis before delivery: these are the two problems we are presently concerning ourselves with.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed2000

Environmental and geographical factors contributing to watershed contamination with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a waterborne parasite which infects cattle and produces life-threatening zoonosis in people with impaired immune systems. Digital maps of 100-year floodplain boundaries, land use/cover, and livestock operations were used to select and characterize cattle farms in the floodplain area in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Over 21% of the cattle farms were located within 100-year floodplain boundaries. On average, a single farm comprised 12.8 ha of pasture (including buildings and farmyard) at risk of inundation. In all farms cattle had unlimited access to the creek. Manure samples collected from closed-in calf pens, cow/heifer yard runoff, and cattle paths through the creek were tested for C. parvum. On 64% of the farms (n=50) at least one sample was positive for C. parvum, and 44% of the farms had oocysts in all manure samples. Concentration varied from 90 to 371 oocysts/g and was significantly higher (P<0.02) in calf samples than in manure from cow and cow/heifer.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2004

The relationship of ecological and geographic factors to gambling behavior and pathology.

The current study examined the effect of neighborhood disadvantage and gambling availability on gambling participation and pathology. A national telephone survey included 2631 US adults. Census data was used to characterize the respondent's neighborhood, and the distance from the respondent's home to gambling facilities was calculated. Logistic and linear regressions were performed to predict gambling participation and pathology. Results showed that the neighborhood disadvantage was positively related to frequency of gambling and problem/pathological gambling. The presence of a casino within 10 miles of the respondent's home was positively related to problem/pathological gambling. The permissiveness of gambling laws was positively related to any gambling in the past year, as well as frequent gambling. These results were interpreted to mean that the ecology of disadvantaged neighborhoods promotes gambling pathology, and that availability of gambling opportunities promotes gambling participation and pathology.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Influence of geographical factors in the distribution of pathogenic zymodemes of Entamoeba histolytica: identification of zymodeme XIV in India.

Stocks of Entamoeba histolytica isolated and maintained in a variety of culture media, both axenic and polyxenic, were compared with each other and with strains previously characterized. The present stocks were isolated from subjects living in various cities in India. Using the enzyme patterns of: E C 5319 glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI); E C 11140 L-malate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (oxaloacetate decarboxylating) (ME): E C 2751 phosphoglucomutase (PGM); and E C 2711 hexakinase (HK), developed after electrophoresis, three zymodemes were identified in 54 individual isolations of E. histolytica. Most importantly only one zymodeme associated with pathogenicity occurred, identified 28 times, among the collection, one of which was from a liver abscess.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Epidemiological and geographic factors in diabetes.

Both non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus (IDDM) show a wide variation in incidence and prevalence in different populations. The prevalence of NIDDM varies from close to zero in some populations to 40-50% in the adults of Nauru (Pacific) and in the Pima Indians (North America). The incidence of IDDM in children under 16 years ranges from around 30/100,000 children per year in Finland and other Northern European countries to less than 1/100,000 per year in Japanese children. Many genetic and environmental factors combine to produce this variation. Among the suggestions made for NIDDM are the 'thrifty genotype' and, more recently, the 'thrifty phenotype' hypotheses of Neel and of Hales and Barker respectively. Genetic and environmental factors in IDDM in children have combined to create an apparent gradient of decreasing incidence from northern to southern European countries but with at least one local 'hot spot': the island of Sardinia. The factors responsible for this pattern, and the increasing incidence over time, require further clarification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Host and geographical factors influence the thermal niche of enteric bacteria isolated from native Australian mammals.

The thermal profiles of 118 bacterial strains, representing six species of the family Enterobacteriaceae, isolated from a variety of native Australian mammals were determined under in vitro conditions. Each of the bacterial species had a unique thermal profile and differed in their minimum or maximum temperature for growth and in their response to changing temperatures. The taxonomic classification of the host from which the bacterial strains were isolated explained a significant amount of the variation in thermal profile among strains of a species. Host effects were detected at all taxonomic levels: order, family, genus, and species. The locality (State or Territory) or climate zone from which the strain was collected explained a significant amount of the variation in the thermal profile of Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Genetically similar strains, as determined by allozyme profiles, had similar thermal profiles for the bacterial species Hafnia alvei and Escherichia coli. The results of this study indicate that there are potentially many aspects of host biology that may determine the thermal profile of these bacteria.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

Influence of ethnic and geographic factors on the classic photoparoxysmal response in the electroencephalogram of epilepsy patients.

The classic photoparoxysmal response (CPPR) on photic stimulation in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 128 patients with chronic epilepsy, constituting three different ethnic groups, was investigated. All patients were referred for routine clinical EEG investigation. There was a significantly higher occurrence in whites (2.7%, of 72 of 2,657) as compared with blacks (0.1%, 1 of 848) and subjects of "mixed race" (0.9%, 55 of 5,958). Interictal abnormalities and the range of responses were similar in the two main ethnic groups. There was no evidence of a seasonal association with CPPR. We conclude that genetic rather than environmental factors influence the CPPR.

Adolescent↗