Epidemiology
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A recent meta-analysis concluded that there was no overall association between estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. However, several subsequent studies have suggested that long-term ERT could increase ovarian cancer risk. ⋯ Long duration of ERT use after menopause could increase the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.
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Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment throughout the world. An association of sun exposure with cortical cataract has been well established, but the association with nuclear cataract remains unclear. ⋯ This study provides new evidence to support a link between sun exposure and nuclear cataract. Risk was highest among those with high sun exposure at younger ages.
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It is well established that the incidence rates of first primary breast cancer have been increasing over time. In contrast, the incidence rates of second primary breast cancer are largely undocumented. This study describes the epidemiology of second primary breast cancer among a population-based cohort of 305,533 U.S. women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1973 and 1998. ⋯ The pattern of incidence rates for first and second primary breast cancer differ markedly over time and by age.
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There has been an apparent decline in sperm density during the last 5 decades in Denmark, a country in which women have among the highest rates of smoking in Europe. We examined semen quality and sex hormones in men in relation to their mothers' tobacco smoking during pregnancy. ⋯ High levels of smoking (> 10 cigarettes per day) during pregnancy may be a partial explanation for the apparent secular decline and the geographic differences in sperm counts.
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In the United States, more people kill themselves with firearms than with all other methods combined. A central question regarding the relation between firearms and suicide is whether the ready availability of firearms increases the suicide rate, rather than merely increasing the proportion of suicides from guns. ⋯ Where firearm ownership levels are higher, a disproportionately large number of people die from suicide.