Smokeless tobacco and risk of head and neck cancer: evidence from a case-control study in New England.

Current studies suggesting that smokeless tobacco use increases the risk of head and neck cancer are hampered by small numbers. Consequently, there remains uncertainty in the magnitude and significance of this risk. We examined the relationship between smokeless tobacco use and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a population-based case-control study with 1,046 cases and 1,239 frequency-matched controls.

Regular dental visits are associated with earlier stage at diagnosis for oral and pharyngeal cancer.

Purpose: Oral and pharyngeal cancer patients diagnosed at an advanced stage experience increased morbidity and mortality relative to those with localized disease. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of dental insurance status and regularity of dental visits on early detection of oral and pharyngeal cancer.

Methods: We examined the relationship of dental insurance and frequency of dental visits with stage at diagnosis among 441 oral and pharyngeal cancer cases from a population-based study of head and neck cancer.

Cross-validation of the PAI Negative Distortion Scale for feigned mental disorders: a research report.

A major strength of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is its systematic assessment of response styles, including feigned mental disorders. Recently, Mogge, Lepage, Bell, and Ragatz developed and provided the initial validation for the Negative Distortion Scale (NDS). Using rare symptoms as its detection strategy for feigning, the usefulness of NDS was examined via a known-groups comparison.

Peripheral blood immune cell methylation profiles are associated with nonhematopoietic cancers.

Background: Blood leukocytes from patients with solid tumors exhibit complex and distinct cancer-associated patterns of DNA methylation. However, the biologic mechanisms underlying these patterns remain poorly understood. Because epigenetic biomarkers offer significant clinical potential for cancer detection, we sought to address a mechanistic gap in recently published works, hypothesizing that blood-based epigenetic variation may be due to shifts in leukocyte populations.

Allergies and risk of head and neck cancer.

Background: Individuals with allergies have a heightened Th2 (T helper 2) immunity, which may provide advantages in controlling tumor growth. Inverse associations have been reported among individuals with allergies and risk of brain and pancreatic cancers.

Methods: We examined the relationship between allergies and risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in a population-based case-control study with 1,014 cases and 1,193 frequency-matched controls.

The effectiveness of substance use measures in the detection of full and partial denial of drug use.

Appraisals of substance abuse often constitute a key component of psychological assessments affecting both diagnostic and treatment issues. Because of negative consequences, many substance users engage in outright denials and marked minimization regarding their drug use. Psychological measures, especially those with transparent items, are highly vulnerable to this denial.

DNA methylation arrays as surrogate measures of cell mixture distribution.

Background: There has been a long-standing need in biomedical research for a method that quantifies the normally mixed composition of leukocytes beyond what is possible by simple histological or flow cytometric assessments. The latter is restricted by the labile nature of protein epitopes, requirements for cell processing, and timely cell analysis. In a diverse array of diseases and following numerous immune-toxic exposures, leukocyte composition will critically inform the underlying immuno-biology to most chronic medical conditions.

Key epigenetic changes associated with lung cancer development: results from dense methylation array profiling.

Epigenetic alterations are a common event in lung cancer and their identification can serve to inform on the carcinogenic process and provide clinically relevant biomarkers. Using paired tumor and non-tumor lung tissues from 146 individuals from three independent populations we sought to identify common changes in DNA methylation associated with the development of non-small cell lung cancer. Pathologically normal lung tissue taken at the time of cancer resection was matched to tumorous lung tissue and together were probed for methylation using Illumina GoldenGate arrays in the discovery set (n = 47 pairs) followed by bisulfite pyrosequencing for validation sets (n = 99 pairs).

A case-control study of polymorphisms in xenobiotic and arsenic metabolism genes and arsenic-related bladder cancer in New Hampshire.

Arsenic is associated with bladder cancer risk even at low exposure levels. Genetic variation in enzymes involved in xenobiotic and arsenic metabolism may modulate individual susceptibility to arsenic-related bladder cancer. Through a population-based case-control study in NH (832 cases and 1191 controls), we investigated gene-environment interactions between arsenic metabolic gene polymorphisms and arsenic exposure in relation to bladder cancer risk.

Analysis of the Distribution and Temporal Trends of Grade and Stage in Urothelial Bladder Cancer in Northern New England from 1994 to 2004.

We investigate the distribution of bladder tumor category and stage in Northern New England by geographic region, smoking status and over time. 1091 incident bladder cancer cases from the New England Bladder Cancer Study (NEBCS), a large population-based case-control study carried out in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (2001-2004), and 680 bladder cancer cases from previous case-control studies in New Hampshire (1994-2000) were used in the analysis. Of 1091 incident bladder cancer cases from the NEBCS, 26.

Vitamin or mineral supplement intake and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium.

To investigate the potential role of vitamin or mineral supplementation on the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), we analyzed individual-level pooled data from 12 case-control studies (7,002 HNC cases and 8,383 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. There were a total of 2,028 oral cavity cancer, 2,465 pharyngeal cancer, 874 unspecified oral/pharynx cancer, 1,329 laryngeal cancer and 306 overlapping HNC cases. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for self reported ever use of any vitamins, multivitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and calcium, beta-carotene, iron, selenium and zinc supplements were assessed.

History of Parvovirus B19 infection is associated with a DNA methylation signature in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) likely has a multistep etiology, with initial genetic aberrations occurring early in life. An abnormal immune response to common infections has emerged as a plausible candidate for triggering the proliferation of pre-leukemic clones and the fixation of secondary genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations. We investigated whether evidence of infection with a specific common myelotropic childhood virus, parvovirus B19 (PVB19), relates to patterns of gene promoter DNA methylation in ALL patients.

Nutrient-based dietary patterns and the risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium.

Background: The association between dietary patterns and head and neck cancer has rarely been addressed.

Patients And Methods: We used individual-level pooled data from five case-control studies (2452 cases and 5013 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. A posteriori dietary patterns were identified through a principal component factor analysis carried out on 24 nutrients derived from study-specific food-frequency questionnaires.

Gene-environment interactions of novel variants associated with head and neck cancer.

Background: A genome-wide association study for upper aerodigestive tract cancers identified 19 candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We used these SNPs to investigate the potential gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) risk.

Methods: The 19 variants were genotyped using Taqman assays among 575 cases and 676 controls in our population-based case-control study.

Diet and the risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium.

We investigated the association between diet and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk using data from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium. The INHANCE pooled data included 22 case-control studies with 14,520 cases and 22,737 controls. Center-specific quartiles among the controls were used for food groups, and frequencies per week were used for single food items.

Genetic associations of surfactant protein D and angiotensin-converting enzyme with lung disease in preterm neonates.

Objective: To replicate genetic associations with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in genes related to surfactant deficiency, inflammation and infection, and the renin-angiotensin system.

Study Design: We examined eight candidate genes for associations with RDS and BPD in 433 preterm birth (PTB-<37 weeks) infants (251 with RDS and 134 with BPD). Both case-control and family-based analyses were performed in preterm (<37 weeks) and very preterm birth (VPTB-<32 weeks) infants.

SLC39A2 and FSIP1 polymorphisms as potential modifiers of arsenic-related bladder cancer.

Arsenic is a carcinogen that contaminates drinking water worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that both exposure and genetic factors may influence susceptibility to arsenic-induced malignancies. We sought to identify novel susceptibility loci for arsenic-related bladder cancer in a US population with low to moderate drinking water levels of arsenic.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors and DNA methylation at the LINE-1 repeat region in peripheral blood from Samoan Islanders.

Lower levels of LINE-1 methylation in peripheral blood have been previously associated with risk of developing non-communicable conditions, the most well-explored of these being cancer, although recent research has begun to link altered LINE-1 methylation and cardiovascular disease. We examined the relationship between LINE-1 methylation and factors associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases through quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing in DNA from peripheral blood samples from participants of the Samoan Family Study of Overweight and Diabetes (2002-03). The sample included 355 adult Samoans (88 men and 267 women) from both American Samoa and Samoa.

A case-control study of asphalt and tar exposure and lung cancer in minorities.

Objectives: Considerable controversy surrounds the carcinogenic potential of asphalt and tar. Since minority individuals may have had relatively high historical exposures, we investigated asphalt and tar exposure and lung cancer risk among African Americans and Latino Americans.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study of lung cancer among African Americans and Latino Americans in the San Francisco Bay area (422 cases, 894 controls).

The relationship between tumor MSLN methylation and serum mesothelin (SMRP) in mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) remains a cancer of poor prognosis. It is hoped that implementation of effective screening biomarkers will lead to earlier diagnoses and improved outcomes. Serum-measured soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) has been demonstrated to have excellent specificity for MPM, but poor sensitivity precludes its use as a screening biomarker.

An examination of male and female odds ratios by BMI, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx in pooled data from 15 case-control studies.

Background: Greater tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption and lower body mass index (BMI) increase odds ratios (OR) for oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal cancers; however, there are no comprehensive sex-specific comparisons of ORs for these factors.

Methods: We analyzed 2,441 oral cavity (925 women and 1,516 men), 2,297 oropharynx (564 women and 1,733 men), 508 hypopharynx (96 women and 412 men), and 1,740 larynx (237 women and 1,503 men) cases from the INHANCE consortium of 15 head and neck cancer case-control studies. Controls numbered from 7,604 to 13,829 subjects, depending on analysis.

Integrative DNA methylation and gene expression analyses identify DNA packaging and epigenetic regulatory genes associated with low motility sperm.

Background: In previous studies using candidate gene approaches, low sperm count (oligospermia) has been associated with altered sperm mRNA content and DNA methylation in both imprinted and non-imprinted genes. We performed a genome-wide analysis of sperm DNA methylation and mRNA content to test for associations with sperm function.

Methods And Results: Sperm DNA and mRNA were isolated from 21 men with a range of semen parameters presenting to a tertiary male reproductive health clinic.