Health salience: reclaiming a concept from the lost and found.
(9/2291)
This paper describes development of a new measure to assess one dimension of health motivation, the salience of health concerns. The new, five-item, measure was administered to 578 women as part of a larger investigation examining the determinants of exercise and calcium consumption. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. Data were analyzed separately for premenopausal and menopausal women, allowing us to cross-validate our findings in two independent samples. Our findings suggest that the new measure has many desirable psychometric properties. It is internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85 and 0.86 for premenopausal and menopausal women, respectively). For both samples, factor analysis revealed that over 60% of the total item variance was explained by a single underlying factor. All factor loadings exceeded 0.74. The measure also correlated in predictable ways with measures of other health beliefs, differentiated among women in different stages of change with respect to exercise and calcium consumption, and discriminated between women on the basis of their information-seeking behavior. We discuss the potential applications of this new measure in future research. Hopefully, the measure will facilitate research on the role that health salience plays in the behavior change process. (+info)
Measurement of prostate-specific antigen in detection of benign or malignant breast disease in women.
(10/2291)
Using a highly sensitive chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay, we have evaluated the measurement of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a potential diagnostic test for differentiation between women with breast cancer and those with benign breast disease. In a controlled study consisting of 284 women with well-documented patient files and matched for age and long-term place of residence, serum samples collected from 90 women with histologically confirmed breast cancer, 94 women with benign breast disease and 100 controls were analysed. Serum total PSA levels in benign breast disease and cancer patients are not statistically different from those of healthy controls. Total PSA levels decrease with age in normal controls and breast cancer patients but not in those with benign breast disease. The total PSA concentration decreases after menopause in healthy women, though not in patients with breast cancer or benign breast disease. Total PSA bore no relation to the histological type or grade of the tumour or the disease stage of the breast cancer patients. In benign breast disease, all mastopathy patients had normal total PSA, whereas elevation of the values was observed in 7% of fibroadenoma patients. Our results show that serum total PSA cannot be used to distinguish between healthy women and/or women with breast cancer or benign breast disease. (+info)
Reproductive characteristics and the age at inception of the perimenopause in a British National Cohort.
(11/2291)
Data from a British national cohort of women born in 1946 were used to investigate the hypothesis that the rate of depletion of oocyte numbers is associated with the age at which a woman reaches the inception of the perimenopause. Menopausal status was obtained using an annual questionnaire, sent to the cohort since the age of 47 years, and risk factor information from contacts with the survey throughout earlier life. Parous women entered the perimenopause later than nulliparous women. Those with the most children had the latest perimenopause, where the estimated hazard ratio for women having four or more children compared with those having none was 0.56 (95% confidence interval 0.39-0.81). Women who had a unilateral oophorectomy reached perimenopause earlier then those who had not (hazard ratio = 1.96, 95% confidence interval 1.15-3.35). There was some evidence that early age at menarche and short menstrual cycles were associated with an earlier perimenopause. No relation was observed with oral contraceptive pill use. Results provided some support for the hypothesis under consideration, while estimates of the median age at inception of the perimenopause due to these factors ranged from 46 to 50 years, which is an important variation with respect to later health. (+info)
Fragile X premutation is a significant risk factor for premature ovarian failure: the International Collaborative POF in Fragile X study--preliminary data.
(12/2291)
The preliminary results of an international collaborative study examining premature menopause in fragile X carriers are presented. A total of 760 women from fragile X families was surveyed about their fragile X carrier status and their menstrual and reproductive histories. Among the subjects, 395 carried a premutation, 128 carried a full mutation, and 237 were noncarriers. Sixty-three (16%) of the premutation carriers had experienced menopause prior to the age of 40 compared with none of the full mutation carriers and one (0.4%) of the controls. Based on these preliminary data, there is a significant association between fragile X premutation carrier status and premature menopause. (+info)
Serum galactosyl hydroxylysine as a biochemical marker of bone resorption.
(13/2291)
BACKGROUND: Serum-based biochemical markers of bone resorption may provide better clinical information than urinary markers because direct comparison with serum markers of bone formation is possible and because the within-subject variability of serum markers may be lower. We describe a method for the measurement of free beta-1-galactosyl-O-hydroxylysine (Gal-Hyl) in serum. METHODS: The assay used preliminary ultrafiltration of serum, dansylation, and separation by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection. Healthy subjects were recruited from population-based studies of bone turnover. RESULTS: The within-run (n = 15) and between-run (n = 15) CVs were 7% and 14%, respectively, at a mean value of 48 nmol/L. In women and pubertal girls, serum free Gal-Hyl correlated with urine free Gal-Hyl (r = 0.84; P <0.001). Serum Gal-Hyl was higher during puberty and increased after menopause. The fractional renal clearance of free Gal-Hyl relative to that of creatinine was 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.98). Serum free Gal-Hyl decreased by 36% (SE = 4%) in 14 patients with mild Paget disease treated with an oral bisphosphonate, and this decrease was significantly (P <0. 001) greater than that seen for either serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (9%; SE = 4%) or serum C-terminal telopeptide of collagen I (19%; SE = 8%). CONCLUSION: Serum free Gal-Hyl may be useful as a serum marker of bone resorption. (+info)
Protection against atherosclerosis by estrogen is independent of plasma cholesterol levels in LDL receptor-deficient mice.
(14/2291)
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient (LDLR-/-) mice consuming a high fat diet were used to assess the effect of endogenous and exogenous estradiol (E2) on atherosclerosis. Sexually mature female mice were ovariectomized (OVX) and implanted with subcutaneous, slow-release pellets designed to release 6 microg/day of exogenous 17beta-estradiol (17beta-E2 ), 17alpha-estradiol (17alpha-E2 ), or placebo (E2- deficient). Sham-operated control female (endogenous E2 ) and male mice were studied as controls. Aortic atherosclerotic lesion area was reduced by physiologic amounts of both endogenous and exogenous E2 compared to E2-deficient female mice. Although plasma cholesterol levels were reduced by exogenous E2 despite the absence of the LDL receptor, endogenous E2 was not associated with any cholesterol changes. In contrast, only 17alpha-E2 was associated with decreased fasting triglyceride. In subgroup analyses matched for time-averaged plasma total cholesterol, aortic lesion area was reduced by the presence of estradiol (E2 ). E2 protected LDLR-/- female mice from atherosclerosis and this protection was independent of changes in plasma cholesterol levels. (+info)
Risk factors for breast cancer in Japan, with special attention to anthropometric measurements and reproductive history.
(15/2291)
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer incidence has increased rapidly in Japan recently, but there have been only a few studies on the risk factors for breast cancer in Japan. A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the roles of anthropometric and reproductive factors in the etiology of breast cancer in Osaka. METHODS: Based on information from a self-administered questionnaire at Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, body mass index, body weight and height were compared between 376 cases and 430 controls, together with other factors such as age at menarche, age at first delivery and family history of breast cancer by menopausal status. Logistic regression analysis was employed for adjusting confounding factors and estimating odds ratios with their 95% confidence interval for breast cancer. RESULTS: A body mass index of >25 was significantly associated with the risk among post-menopausal women (age-adjusted odds ratio: 1.90, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-3.24) as compared with the risk for a body mass index of < or = 20. A weight of > or =58 kg showed significantly increased risk compared with a weight of < or = 47 kg among post-menopausal women (1.83, 1.10-3.01), while height of > or = 159 cm showed a significantly elevated risk than height of < or = 149 cm among pre-menopausal women (2.51, 1.17-5.39). Age at menarche of < or = 13 years resulted in a higher risk of breast cancer among post-menopausal women, while age at first delivery of > or = 28 years was associated with the risk among pre-menopausal women. Family history of breast cancer was associated with the risk for breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results were all very consistent with findings observed in western countries. (+info)
Industrialization, electromagnetic fields, and breast cancer risk.
(16/2291)
The disparity between the rates of breast cancer in industrialized and less-industrialized regions has led to many hypotheses, including the theory that exposure to light-at-night and/or electromagnetic fields (EMF) may suppress melatonin and that reduced melatonin may increase the risk of breast cancer. In this comprehensive review we consider strengths and weaknesses of more than 35 residential and occupational epidemiologic studies that investigated the association between EMF and breast cancer. Although most of the epidemiologic data do not provide strong support for an association between EMF and breast cancer, because of the limited statistical power as well as the possibility of misclassification and bias present in much of the existing data, it is not possible to rule out a relationship between EMF and breast cancer. We make several specific recommendations for future studies carefully designed to test the melatonin-breast cancer and EMF-breast cancer hypotheses. Future study designs should have sufficient statistical power to detect small to moderate associations; include comprehensive exposure assessments that estimate residential and occupational exposures, including shift work; focus on a relevant time period; control for known breast cancer risks; and pay careful attention to menopausal and estrogen receptor status. (+info)