Epidemiology
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A large follow-up study in Denmark showed a two-fold higher incidence of malignant melanoma in patients with Parkinson disease than in the general population. Using a population-based case-control approach, we investigated the prevalence of malignant melanoma, skin carcinoma, and other cancers before a first hospitalization or outpatient visit for Parkinson disease. ⋯ Our finding of an increased prevalence of malignant melanoma and skin carcinoma before the diagnosis of Parkinson disease weakens the suggested hypothesis that these cancers are caused by the treatment of Parkinson disease. The finding of a decreased prevalence of smoking-related cancers preceding Parkinson disease is consistent with the well-known higher risk of Parkinson disease among nonsmokers.
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Biography Historical Article
A conversation with John Pemberton. Interview by David Gunnell.
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Maternal cigarette smoking has been causally associated with an increased risk for stillbirth. Preliminary reports suggest an increased risk for stillbirth with smokeless tobacco use during pregnancy. ⋯ Smokeless tobacco use during pregnancy increases stillbirth risk, with a risk at least as great as that associated with maternal cigarette smoking.
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Restricted fetal growth has been associated with increased blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease in later life. These associations may be due to processes during fetal development with long-term consequences for metabolic and cardiovascular function (the fetal origins hypothesis). However, it has also been hypothesized that common genetic factors could underlie both restricted fetal development and disease risk (the fetal insulin hypothesis). ⋯ Associations between offspring birth characteristics and parents' mortality could, at least in part, reflect genetic factors that influence both birth weight and cardiovascular disease risk.
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Preliminary data suggest that common genetic variation in immune response genes can contribute to the risk for spontaneous preterm birth and possibly small-for-gestational age (SGA). ⋯ Our results suggest that common genetic variants in proinflammatory cytokine genes could influence the risk for spontaneous preterm birth. Selected TNF/LTA haplotypes were associated with spontaneous preterm birth in both African-American and white subjects. Our data do not support an inflammatory etiology for SGA.