Influenza vaccination in 22 developed countries: an update to 1995.

This study expands and updates through 1995 our earlier report on influenza vaccine use in 18 developed countries. Five of the six countries with high levels of vaccine use in 1992 (> or = 130 doses/1000 population) showed little change or slight declines over the subsequent 3 years. The exception was the United States, where a new federal program for vaccination reimbursement for the elderly helped to increase vaccine distribution from 144 to 239 doses/1000 population.

Heritability for Alzheimer's disease: the study of dementia in Swedish twins.

Background: Alzheimer's disease has been thought to have familial and sporadic forms, and several genetic defects have been identified that chiefly explain early-onset familial cases. In this study, our purpose was to detect all cases of dementia in an established twin registry and to estimate total extent of genetic contribution to liability to Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: At the first stage, members of the registry were screened for dementia, using in-person or telephone mental status testing.

Cancer in twins: genetic and nongenetic familial risk factors.

Background: Familial clustering has been observed for cancers that occur at specific sites. Most findings, which leave little doubt about the involvement of a heritable (i.e.

Cancer in banana plantation workers in Costa Rica.

Background: Costa Rica has population and disease registries with potential value for epidemiological research. Pesticides have been intensively used on banana plantations, for example dibromochloropropane (DBCP). This study was planned to examine the quality of the cancer and civil registries and the feasibility of record linkages, and to explore cancer patterns among a highly exposed group.

Glioma and occupational exposure in Sweden, a case-control study.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyse whether any job titles, industrial codes, and certain occupational exposures were associated with an increased risk of glioma.

Methods: A population based case-control study of incident primary brain tumours in adults was carried out in Uppsala, Sweden in the period 1987-90. The study included 192 cases of glioma and 192 matched controls.

Estimating exposure in studies of residential magnetic fields and cancer: importance of short-term variability, time interval between diagnosis and measurement, and distance to power line.

Validity of exposure assessment methods has been a major concern in epidemiologic studies of magnetic field exposure and cancer. We conducted a study to evaluate the relative importance of distance to power lines and calculated historical magnetic fields when estimating past magnetic field exposure. Another goal was to compare results based on various estimates of magnetic field exposure, to assess the importance of short-term variability in magnetic fields, time between diagnosis and measurement, and sources of magnetic field exposure.

How to evaluate interaction between causes: a review of practices in cardiovascular epidemiology.

To increase the knowledge of interaction or synergy between risk factors in an important task in medical research. Still, current literature in cardiovascular epidemiology reflects major misconceptions as how to evaluate interaction. This paper presents Rothman's model of causation from which strict empirical criteria of interaction can be derived.

Survival and cause-specific mortality in inflammatory bowel disease: a population-based cohort study.

Background & Aims: A population-based cohort study of 1251 subjects with Crohn's disease and 1547 subjects with ulcerative colitis, diagnosed in Stockholm between 1955 and 1984, was performed to examine the survival, changes in survival over time, and cause-specific mortality.

Methods: The cohort of patients was followed up in the National Cause-of-Death register until 1990. National mortality rates were used for comparisons.

Effect of twinship on incidence of cancer of the testis, breast, and other sites (Sweden).

It has been suggested that cancers of the testis and breast are associated with exposure to estrogens and other hormones in utero. Twin pregnancies have higher levels of pregnancy-associated hormones than singleton pregnancies, and these levels may be higher in dizygotic than in monozygotic twin pregnancies. Through a large population-based study of twins, we assessed the hypothesis that levels of pregnancy-associated hormones have etiologic importance for cancers of the testis, breast, and other sites.

Magnetic fields and childhood cancer--a pooled analysis of two Scandinavian studies.

To test the hypothesis that exposure to magnetic fields, of the type generated by high voltage installations, increases cancer incidence in children, the original data from two case-control studies were pooled. The Swedish study was based on children living within 300 m from transmission lines, and the Danish study on the total population of Denmark. In both these studies, national cancer registries were used to identify cases of leukaemia, lymphoma or central nervous system tumour.

Total hip replacement and cancer. A cohort study.

The incidence of cancer after hip replacement was studied in the 1.6 million inhabitants of Stockholm County, Sweden. A cohort of 10,785 individuals who had had hip replacement between 1974 and 1988 was followed from the date of operation to the first malignant tumour, to death, or to the end of 1989.

Influenza vaccination in 18 developed countries, 1980-1992.

Influenza continues to be an important cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. Although influenza vaccine is widely recommended for older high-risk individuals, no studies have compared its use in different countries. We gathered information on influenza vaccine distribution in 18 developed countries for the period 1980-1992.

Childhood leukemia and residential exposure to weak extremely low frequency magnetic fields.

There is no known mechanism by which magnetic fields of the type generated by high voltage power lines can play a role in cancer development. Nevertheless, epidemiologic research has rather consistently found associations between residential magnetic field exposure and cancer. This is most evident for leukemia in children.

Crohn's disease and cancer: a population-based cohort study.

Background/aims: To study the association between Crohn's disease and cancer, we performed a population-based study of 1251 subjects with Crohn's disease diagnosed in Stockholm from 1955 to 1984 and followed in both the National Cancer Register and the National Cause-of-Death Register until 1989.

Methods: For comparisons, regional cancer incidence rates in Stockholm County were used together with individually computed person-years at risk in the Crohn's disease cohort.

Results: Overall, 69 malignancies occurred among 67 individuals as compared with 59.

Magnetic fields, leukemia, and central nervous system tumors in Swedish adults residing near high-voltage power lines.

We conducted a case-control study to test the hypothesis that exposure to magnetic fields of the type generated by high-voltage power lines increases the incidence of leukemia and central nervous system tumors in adults. The study was based on people who, between 1960 and 1985, had lived on a property in Sweden located within 300 meters of 220 or 400 kilovolt power lines. We identified a total of 325 leukemia cases and 223 cases of central nervous system tumor.

Use of oral moist snuff and inflammatory bowel disease.

We examined the association between oral moist snuff use and inflammatory bowel disease in a case-control study based on the population in Stockholm County. The relative risk (RR) associated with ever use of moist snuff was 2.1 (95% CI: 1.

Magnetic fields and cancer in children residing near Swedish high-voltage power lines.

A case-control study was conducted to test the hypothesis that exposure to magnetic fields of the type generated by high-voltage power lines increases cancer incidence in children. The study base consisted of everyone under age 16 years who had lived on a property located within 300 meters of any of the 220 and 400 kV power lines in Sweden during the period 1960-1985. Subjects were followed from their entry into the study base through 1985.

Acute myeloid leukemia among petrol station attendants.

The risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) within different occupations was studied, using occupational information obtained from the Swedish 1970 census. Follow-up in the Swedish Cancer Register was carried out from 1971 to 1984. Among male petrol station attendants, 10 cases were observed versus 2.