2024-03-29T06:47:48Zhttp://open-archive.highwire.org/handler
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4012015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
LEVIN'S ATTRIBUTABLE RISK STATISTIC FOR ANALYTIC STUDIES AND VITAL STATISTICS
MARKUSH, ROBERT E.
REVIEWS AND COMMENTARY
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/401
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Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4072015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
CORRELATIONS OF INCIDENCE RATES FOR SELECTED CANCERS IN THE NINE AREAS OF THE THIRD NATIONAL CANCER SURVEY
WINKELSTEIN, W.
SACKS, S. T.
ERNSTER, V. L.
SELVIN, S.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Incidence data from the Third National Cancer Survey were used to study geographic variation in the occurrence of nine common cancers of non-sexual sites and five sexual sites. It was hypothesized that cancers which varied together across the nine survey communities might have common etiologic factors. The variation was measured by a series of rank and product-moment correlation coefficients in order to summarize the association between pairs of cancers in white males and in white females. The most notable findings were the high correlations between the incidence rates for the three gastrointestinal sites (stomach, colon, and rectum) and bladder cancer in both men and women and the high correlation between three female sexual sites (breast, corpus, and ovary). These two clusters are also correlated with one another. A number of other substantial correlations between pairs of cancers were observed and discussed. These associations suggest possible common etiologic agents, despite the fact that the individual secular trends for some of these cancers differ.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/407
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Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4202015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF AGE AND ULTRAVIOLET EFFECTS ON THE INCIDENCE OF SKIN CANCER AMONG WHITES IN THE UNITED STATES
FEARS, THOMAS R.
SCOTTO, JOSEPH
SCHNEIDERMAN, MARVIN A.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
That sunlight leads to skin cancer has been generally accepted for nearly a century. Physical data are, for the first time, available which support this hypothesis. The authors have found that a simple power relationship can be used to describe the data and that the form of this power function suggests that the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer is related to cumulative lifetime ultraviolet (UV) exposure and that the risk of melanoma skin cancer is related to annual UV exposure. The authors emphasize that skin cancer risk also depends on location-specific demographic variables other than ultraviolet radiation.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/420
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4282015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
BREAST CANCER AND FERTILITY TRENDS IN CANADA
WIGLE, DONALD T.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The age-standardized breast cancer mortality rate for Canadian females increased only slightly during the period 1941–1971. In contrast, the age-standardized breast cancer incidence rate for Saskatchewan females more than doubled during the same period. In the interval 1954–1973 there were significant increases in the age-specific mortality rates for females 50–64 years old and in the age-specific incidence rates for five of the six age groups in the 45 to 74 year range. Breast cancer mortality rates during 1970–1972 varied considerably by province. Age-specific rates in the 30–69 year range were significantly and negatively correlated with the proportions by province of married women first married at age 15–19. In Canada and Saskatchewan, respectively, the age-specific breast cancer mortality and incidence rates for females 40–59 years old were significantly and negatively correlated with cohort fertility rates at age 20–24. These data support the hypothesis that early pregnancy protects against breast cancer. The sharp decline in fertility rates since 1960 may result in an increased incidence of breast cancer in the future.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/428
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4392015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
THE RISING FREQUENCY OF HYSTERECTOMY: ITS EFFECT ON UTERINE CANCER RATES
LYON, JOSEPH L.
GARDNER, JOHN W.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The number of hysterectomies performed in the United States increased approximately 60% between 1965 and 1973, far in excess of population growth. This has altered the population at risk for uterine malignancies, and published incidence rates do not correct for this effect. Using US data, the authors developed correction factors to estimate the actual population at risk, and they applied them to uterine cancer rates. Correction for hysterectomy increased incidence and mortality rates for uterine cancer by 20–45% in any year and changed the time trend by as much as 30% from 1960 to 1973. This effect was greater for endometrial than cervical cancer, and future studies on uterine cancer occurrence should consider prevalence of hysterectomized women in the population.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/439
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4442015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
BLOOD PRESSURE IN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST VEGETARIANS
ARMSTRONG, BRUCE
VAN MERWYK, ANTHONY J.
COATES, HARVEY
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The blood pressures (BP) in 418 vegetarian Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) volunteers in Western Australia were compared with those in 290 non-vegetarian volunteers in Narrogin, a Western Australian country town. The mean systolic and diastolic BPs in the SDAs, adjusted for age, sex, height and weight (128.7/76.2 mm of mercury) were significantly less than those in the Narrogin residents (139.3/84.5). It appeared unlikely that these differences could be explained by differences in alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee or egg consumption, socioeconomic status or physical activity. There was, however, a gradient toward increasing BP with increasing egg intake in SDAs, and SDAs who drank tea or coffee had a higher mean diastolic BP than those who did not (mean difference of 4.2 mm of mercury). The possibility that selective bias or unmeasured environmental differences might explain the difference in BP between the two groups is discussed.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/444
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4502015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
SUNLIGHT AND CATARACT: AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATION
HILLER, RITA
GIACOMETTI, LUIGI
YUEN, KAREN
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Cataract prevalence data from two large U.S. sources were divided according to small geographic areas for which average annual sunlight hours were determined from a map prepared by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Several noncataract disease controls were chosen from the same geographic locations (separately for each data set). It was found that the cataract-to-control ratios for persons aged 65 years or older were significantly larger in locations with large amounts of sunlight compared to those in locations with small amounts (<it>P</it> <.05). Discussion of sgme possible biases in the data leads to the conclusion that the biases, if they exist, are probably not large. The authors believe, however, that more research should be done before the association between sunshine and cataract is considered established.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/450
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4602015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
ANENCEPHALUS AND DRINKING WATER COMPOSITION
ELWOOD, J. MARK
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The mortality rate (stillbirths and infant deaths) from anencephalus from 1950–1969 in 36 cities of over 50, 000 population in Canada showed a negative association (<it>r</it> = −.39) with the concentration of magnesium in water sampled at domestic taps. The mortality rates showed negative associations with mean income and longitude, and a multiple regression model using the three factors showed significant effects of each and accounted for 69% of the intercity variation in rates. There were no significant associations seen with water calcium concentration or total hardness. Income, magnesium and longitude were also negatively associated with mortality rates from spina bifida, hydrocephalus, other congenital abnormalities, and total stillbirth and infant death rates, but the association with magnesium was significant only for total stillbirths. The negative association of anencephalus mortality and magnesium levels was also seen in a sample of 14 smaller towns in Ontario.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/460
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4692015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
TICK-BORNE RELAPSING FEVER: AN INTERSTATE OUTBREAK ORIGINATING AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
BOYER, KENNETH M.
MUNFORD, ROBERT S.
MAUPIN, GARY O.
PATTISON, CHARLES P.
FOX, MARSHALL D.
BARNES, ALLAN M.
JONES, WALLIS L.
MAYNARD, JAMES E.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
During the 1973 summer season, 27 employees and 35 overnight guests at the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, acquired febrile illnesses compatible with relapsing fever. Sixteen cases were confirmed by finding <it>Borrelia</it> spirochetes in peripheral blood smears or inoculated Swiss mice. Retrospective surveys of 278 employees and 7247 guests at the park revealed that acquisition of illness was significantly associated with the persons sleeping in rustic log cabins and acquiring bites of “unknown” insects. From rodent nesting materials found in the walls and attics of cabins where cases had occurred, infective <it>Ornithodoros hermsi</it> ticks were recovered. Exceptional activity of ticks in human populations appeared to have resulted from a decreased population of the ticks' usual rodent hosts. Vector control activities consisted of spraying the cabins with residual insecticide, removing nesting materials, and “rodent proofing.” This outbreak, the largest yet identified in North America, extends the known range of a principal vector and establishes the North Rim as an endemic source of tick-borne relapsing fever.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/469
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Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4802015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
EARLY ACQUISITION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS ANTIBODY IN SEVERAL ISOLATED MELANESIAN POPULATIONS
LANG, D. J.
GARRUTO, R. M.
GAJDUSEK, D. C.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Significant differences among diverse human populations have been found in the seroepidemiology of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The present report documents a very high rate of early acquisition of antibody to CMV and EBV among three remote populations living in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the New Hebrides, respectively. These three genetically distinct populations, living in widely different ecologies and social settings, each had the same pattern of early acquisition of infection with both viruses. It is suggested that spread of CMV and EBV is determined by patterns of interpersonal contact as well as by the prevalence of virus-shedders. The large number of handlers of each infant in these studied groups appears directly related to the early acquisition of these viruses.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/480
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Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4882015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
BIAS DUE TO MISCLASSIFICATION IN THE ESTIMATION OF RELATIVE RISK
COPELAND, KAREN T.
CHECKOWAY, HARVEY
McMICHAEL, ANTHONY J.
HOLBROOK, ROBERT H.
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Lack of bias in the estimation of relative effect in epidemiologic studies depends on the internal validity of the study. This paper conveys in graphic and tabular form the direction and magnitude of bias due to misclassification of study subjects. A series of computer-generated graphs shows that the departure of the estimate of effect (relative risk or odds ratio) from its true value is a function of sensitivity and specificity (measures of classification validity), disease frequency, and exposure frequency. The discussion of bias emphasizes misclassification of the “outcome” variable; i.e., disease occurrence in a cohort study and exposure rate in a case-control study. Examples are used to illustrate that the magnitude of the bias can be large under circumstances which occur readily in epidemiologic research. When misclassification is equal for the two compared groups, the estimate is biased toward the null value, and in some instances beyond; when differential misclassification-occurs (as in selective recall in case-control studies) the bias can be in either direction, and may be great. Formulas are derived to estimate the underlying true value of the relative risk or odds ratio using the investigator's observations together with the estimated sensitivity and specificity of the classification procedure.
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/488
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Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4962015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
RE: "ESTIMABILITY AND ESTIMATION IN CASE-REFERENT STUDIES"
Halperin, Max
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/496
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/4982015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
THE AUTHOR REPLIES
Miettinen, Olli
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/498
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/5022015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
ON THE NEED FOR GENERAL LAWS OF MORTALITY IN EPIDEMIOLOGY
Lilienfield, David E.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/502
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press
oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amjepid:105/5/5032015-05-11HighWireOUPamjepid:105:5
RE: "NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION WITH HIGHLY RESISTANT PROTEUS RETTGERI. REPORT OF AN EPIDEMIC"
Finley, Richard
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Oxford University Press
1977-05-01 00:00:00.0
TEXT
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http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/105/5/503
en
Copyright (C) 1977, Oxford University Press