Intimate Care Products and Incidence of Hormone-Related Cancers: A Quantitative Bias Analysis.

Purpose: Intimate care products may contain substances associated with increased risk of hormone-related cancers. The relationship between genital talc use and ovarian cancer, in particular, has been well studied, but concerns about recall bias and exposure misclassification have precluded conclusions. We examined the association between intimate care products and female hormone-related cancers, accounting for potential biases, using data from a US-based cohort study.

Air Pollutants and Risk of Parkinson's Disease among Women in the Sister Study.

Background: Air pollutants may contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease (PD), but empirical evidence is limited and inconsistent.

Objectives: This study aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of PD with ambient exposures to fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter () and nitrogen dioxide ().

Methods: We analyzed data from 47,108 US women from the Sister Study, enrolled from 2003-2009 (35-80 years of age) and followed through 2018.

Association of Redlining and Natural Environment with Depressive Symptoms in Women in the Sister Study.

Background: Improving mental health is recognized as an important factor for achieving global development goals. Despite strong evidence that neighborhood greenery promotes better mental health, there are environmental justice concerns over the distribution of neighborhood greenery. Underlying these concerns are present-day consequences of historical discriminatory financial investment practices, such as redlining which was established by the U.

Polygenic risk score for Parkinson's disease and olfaction among middle-aged to older women.

Introduction: Olfactory impairment and Parkinson's disease (PD) may share common genetic and environmental risk factors. This study investigates the association of a PD polygenic risk score (PRS) with olfaction, and whether the associations are modified by environmental exposures of PM, NO, or smoking.

Methods: This analysis included 3358 women (aged 50-80) from the Sister Study with genetic data and results from the Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT) administered in 2018-2019.

Association of genital talc and douche use in early adolescence or adulthood with uterine fibroids diagnoses.

Background: Genital talc and douching are practices that can involve exposure to chemical compounds linked to certain gynecologic cancers. However, it is unclear if they are associated with fibroid risk or age at fibroid diagnosis among women.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early-adolescence genital talc use and douching on prevalence of fibroids diagnosed before the age of 35 and 50 years among Black/African American and non-Hispanic White women.

Ambient Air Pollutants and Olfaction among Women 50-79 Years of Age from the Sister Study.

Background: Poor olfaction is common in older adults and may have profound adverse implications on their health. However, little is known about the potential environmental contributors to poor olfaction.

Objective: We investigated ambient fine particulate matter [PM in aerodynamic diameter ()] and nitrogen dioxide () in relation to poor olfaction in middle-aged to older women.

Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and poor olfaction in women.

Background: It is unclear whether regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with poor olfaction in older adults.

Methods: We selected 4020 participants, aged 50 to 79 years in 2018, from 36,492 eligible participants in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Sister Study, according to their self-reported olfaction status. Of these, 3406 women completed the 12-item Brief Smell Identification Test.

Parkinson's Disease Case Ascertainment in the Sister Study: A Cohort for Environmental Health Research.

Background: Large prospective studies are essential for investigating the environmental causes of Parkinson's disease (PD), but PD diagnosis via clinical exams is often infeasible in such studies.

Objective: To present case ascertainment strategy and data collection in a US cohort of women.

Methods: In the Sister Study (n = 50,884, baseline ages 55.

Assessment of Self-reported Sense of Smell, Objective Testing, and Associated Factors in Middle-aged and Older Women.

Importance: Poor olfaction is common in older adults and signifies multiple adverse health outcomes, but it often goes unrecognized.

Objective: To characterize the self-awareness of poor olfaction in women, including its prevalence, associated factors, reporting reliability, validity against an objective test, and factors associated with validity.

Design, Setting, And Participants: These cross-sectional survey data and a case-control subsample were taken from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Sister Study.

Early-life exposures and age at thelarche in the Sister Study cohort.

Background: Early age at breast development (thelarche) has been associated with increased breast cancer risk. Average age at thelarche has declined over time, but there are few established risk factors for early thelarche. We examined associations between pre- and postnatal exposures and age at thelarche in a US cohort of women born between 1928 and 1974.

The association between douching, genital talc use, and the risk of prevalent and incident cervical cancer.

While human papillomavirus is the primary cause of cervical cancer, other factors may influence susceptibility and response to the virus. Candidates include douching and talcum powder applied in the genital area. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate confounder-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the Sister Study (2003-2009), a US cohort of women aged 35-74.

Early-life Farm Exposure and Ovarian Reserve in a US Cohort of Women.

Background: In a previous exploratory study, we reported lower concentrations of the ovarian reserve biomarker anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in adulthood with prenatal farm exposure. We now examine this association as well as childhood farm exposure using enrollment data from the Sister Study, a large US cohort of women.

Methods: We collected prenatal and childhood farm exposure data by questionnaire and telephone interview.

Types and spatial contexts of neighborhood greenery matter in associations with weight status in women across 28 U.S. communities.

Excess body weight is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. Studies have identified neighborhood greenery as supportive of healthy weight. However, few have considered plausible effect pathways for ecosystem services (e.

Genital powder use and risk of uterine cancer: A pooled analysis of prospective studies.

When powder is applied to the genital area, it has the potential to reach internal reproductive organs and promote carcinogenesis by irritating and inflaming exposed tissues. Although many studies have considered the association between genital powder use and ovarian cancer risk, the relationship between genital powder use and uterine cancer is less well-studied. We pooled data from four large, prospective cohorts (the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II, the Sister Study and the Women's Health Initiative - Observational Study).

Pubertal timing and breast cancer risk in the Sister Study cohort.

Background: Earlier age at menarche is an established risk factor for breast cancer. While age at menarche has been fairly stable over the past half-century, age at breast development (thelarche) has continued to decrease. Recently, earlier age at thelarche and a longer time between thelarche and menarche (pubertal tempo) were shown to be associated with increased breast cancer risk.

Perinatal and postnatal exposures and risk of young-onset breast cancer.

Background: Perinatal factors have been associated with some adult health outcomes, but have not been well studied in young-onset breast cancer. We aimed to evaluate the association between young-onset breast cancer and perinatal exposures and to explore etiologic heterogeneity in the relationship between associated perinatal factors and estrogen receptor status of the tumor.

Methods: We addressed this in a sister-matched case-control study.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Relationship Between Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Suboptimal Sleep Dimensions Among Adult Women: Findings from the Sister Study.

Background: Traumatic childhood experiences (TCEs) are associated with poor adulthood sleep, but racial/ethnic disparities have not been well-studied. We investigated the TCE-adulthood sleep relationship among non-Hispanic (NH)-White, NH-Black, and Hispanic/Latina women.

Method: Women enrolled in the Sister Study from 2003 to 2009 reported the following TCEs in a follow-up interview (2008-2012): natural disasters; major accidents; household dysfunction; and sexual, physical, and psychological/emotional abuse.

How do natural features in the residential environment influence women's self-reported general health? Results from cross-sectional analyses of a U.S. national cohort.

Background: The relationship between health and human interaction with nature is complex. Here we conduct analyses to provide insights into potential health benefits related to residential proximity to nature.

Objectives: We aimed to examine associations between measures of residential nature and self-reported general health (SRGH), and to explore mediation roles of behavioral, social, and air quality factors, and variations in these relationships by urbanicity and regional climate.

Association of Powder Use in the Genital Area With Risk of Ovarian Cancer.

Importance: The relationship between use of powder in the genital area and ovarian cancer is not established. Positive associations reported in case-control studies have not been confirmed in cohort studies.

Objective: To estimate the association between use of powder in the genital area and ovarian cancer using prospective observational data.

Perineal Talc Use, Douching, and the Risk of Uterine Cancer.

Background: Perineal talc use and douching could affect the risk of uterine cancer through several possible pathways, including inflammation response, microbiota changes, or endocrine disruption. Two previous cohort studies of the association between talc use and uterine cancer have reported weak positive associations, but we know of no previous evaluations of the relationship between douching and uterine cancer.

Methods: Using a large prospective cohort, we examined the relationship between incident uterine cancer and self-reported use of talc or douche using Cox proportional hazards models.

Traumatic childhood experiences and multiple dimensions of poor sleep among adult women.

Study Objectives: Exposure to traumatic childhood experiences (TCEs) may contribute to poor sleep in adulthood. Previous studies have been limited to mainly investigating physical and sexual abuse and did not consider betrayal trauma, or whether the victim regarded the perpetrator as someone socially close to them, the age group at occurrence, and trauma-related distress/anxiety.

Methods: We used a large cohort of US women, 35-74 years old, enrolled in the Sister Study from 2003 to 2009.

Mother's age at delivery and daughters' risk of preeclampsia.

Background: Some cardiovascular disease risk factors are associated with both risk of preeclampsia and having been born to a younger or older mother. We examined whether mother's age at delivery predicts a primiparous daughter's risk of preeclampsia.

Methods: The analysis included 39 803 Sister Study participants (designated as "daughters") born between 1930 and 1974.

The Sister Study Cohort: Baseline Methods and Participant Characteristics.

Background: The Sister Study was designed to address gaps in the study of environment and breast cancer by taking advantage of more frequent breast cancer diagnoses among women with a sister history of breast cancer and the presumed enrichment of shared environmental and genetic exposures.

Objective: The Sister Study sought a large cohort of women never diagnosed with breast cancer but who had a sister (full or half) diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods: A multifaceted national effort employed novel strategies to recruit a diverse cohort, and collected biological and environmental samples and extensive data on potential breast cancer risk factors.

Validity of self-reported breast cancer characteristics in a nationwide cohort of women with a family history of breast cancer.

Background: Women may have incomplete understanding of a breast cancer diagnosis, leading to inaccurate reporting in epidemiological studies. However, it is not feasible to obtain consent for medical records from all women participating in a study. Therefore, it is important to determine how well self-reported breast cancer characteristics correspond with what is found in medical records, but few studies have evaluated agreement of self-reported breast cancer characteristics with abstracted medical records.