Pediatric-Onset Relapsing Polychondritis With Otolaryngeal Manifestations.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune disease that can present with various clinical manifestations. Among the affected sites, the ear, nose, and throat cartilages are frequently involved, often leading to subtle and episodic symptoms that can be challenging to diagnose. A high index of suspicion is necessary for the early identification of these subtle signs, which can aid in early diagnosis and prompt management.

The Upper Midwest Health Study: gliomas and occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents.

Objectives: Occupational exposure to chlorinated aliphatic solvents has been associated with an increased cancer risk, including brain cancer. However, many of these solvents remain in active, large-volume use. We evaluated glioma risk from non-farm occupational exposure (ever/never and estimated cumulative exposure) to any of the six chlorinated solvents--carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene or 1,1,1--trichloroethane-among 798 cases and 1175 population-based controls, aged 18-80 years and non-metropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Upper Midwest Health Study: industry and occupation of glioma cases and controls.

Background: Understanding glioma etiology requires determining which environmental factors are associated with glioma. Upper Midwest Health Study case-control participant work histories collected 1995-1998 were evaluated for occupational associations with glioma. "Exposures of interest" from our study protocol comprise our a priori hypotheses.

The Upper Midwest Health Study: a case-control study of pesticide applicators and risk of glioma.

Background: An excess incidence of brain cancer in farmers has been noted in several studies. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health developed the Upper Midwest Health Study (UMHS) as a case-control study of intracranial gliomas and pesticide uses among rural residents. Previous studies of UMHS participants, using "ever-never" exposure to farm pesticides and analyzing men and women separately, found no positive association of farm pesticide exposure and glioma risks.

Exposure to farm crops, livestock, and farm tasks and risk of glioma: the Upper Midwest Health Study.

Some studies of brain cancer have found an excess risk for farmers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health previously found no increased glioma risk for ever (vs. never) being exposed to pesticides on a farm among 798 cases and 1,175 population-based controls (adult (ages 18-80 years) nonmetropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin).

The Upper Midwest Health Study: a case-control study of primary intracranial gliomas in farm and rural residents.

Since several studies indicated that farmers and agricultural workers had an excess risk of brain cancer, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health initiated the Upper Midwest Health Study to examine risk of intracranial glioma in the non-metropolitan population. This population-based, case-control study evaluated associations between gliomas and rural and farm exposures among adults (ages 18 to 80) in four upper midwestern states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin). At diagnosis/selection, participants lived in non-metropolitan counties where the largest population center had fewer than 250,000 residents.

Mortality and exposure response among 14,458 electrical capacitor manufacturing workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Background: We expanded an existing cohort of workers (n = 2,588) considered highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at two capacitor manufacturing plants to include all workers with at least 90 days of potential PCB exposure during 1939-1977 (n = 14,458). Causes of death of a priori interest included liver and rectal cancers, previously reported for the original cohort, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), melanoma, and breast, brain, intestine, stomach, and prostate cancers, based on other studies.

Methods: We ascertained vital status of the workers through 1998, and cumulative PCB exposure was estimated using a new job exposure matrix.

Gliomas and farm pesticide exposure in men: the upper midwest health study.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health evaluated farm pesticide exposure and glioma risk in a study that included 457 glioma cases and 648 population-based controls, all adult men (18-80 yr old) and nonmetropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Multiple logistic regressions were used to control for farm residence, age, age group, education, and exposure to other pesticides. No associations were found between glioma and 12 specific pesticides.

Mortality among workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in an electrical capacitor manufacturing plant in Indiana: an update.

An Indiana capacitor-manufacturing cohort (n=3,569) was exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 1957 to 1977. The original study of mortality through 1984 found excess melanoma and brain cancer; other studies of PCB-exposed individuals have found excess non-Hodgkin lymphoma and rectal, liver, biliary tract, and gallbladder cancer. Mortality was updated through 1998.

Gliomas and farm pesticide exposure in women: the Upper Midwest Health Study.

An excess incidence of brain cancer in male farmers has been noted in several studies, but few studies have focused on women. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Upper Midwest Health Study evaluated effects of rural exposures for 341 female glioma cases and 528 controls, all adult (18-80 years of age) nonmetropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. On average, controls lived longer on farms than did cases.

Reproductive factors and risk of glioma in women.

Objective: Glioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, responsible for 75% of adult primary malignant brain tumors, yet aside from its association with ionizing radiation, its etiology is poorly understood. Sex differences in brain tumor incidence suggest that hormonal factors may play a role in the etiology of these tumors, but few studies have examined this association in detail. The objective of this study was to explore the role of reproductive factors in the etiology of glioma in women.

Mortality patterns among workers exposed to styrene in the reinforced plastic boatbuilding industry: an update.

Background: Mortality was updated through 1998 for 5,204 workers exposed to styrene between 1959 and 1978 at two reinforced plastic boatbuilding plants. The a priori hypothesis: leukemia and lymphoma excesses would be found.

Methods: Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) used Washington State and U.

Industries and cancer.

Epidemiologic evidence on the relationship between selected industries and cancer is reviewed. This article will focus on several industries which have not been covered elsewhere in this volume, briefly describe current research on cancer in the agricultural and construction industries, and discuss surveillance data on cancer mortality in relation to industry listed on US death certificates. Employment in the rubber industry has been associated with bladder cancer, leukemia, stomach, and lung cancer and is considered by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to have 'sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.

Pesticide prioritization for a brain cancer case-control study.

The incidence of brain cancer is rising in the United States while the causes remain largely unknown. Epidemiologic studies indicate that individuals working in agriculture have an increased risk of brain cancer. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is conducting a case-control study of incident brain cancer cases in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to evaluate the risk associated with several environmental exposures, in particular agricultural pesticides.