Influence of exercise activity on quality of life in long-term breast cancer survivors.

Background: Behavioral and lifestyle factors may influence quality of life (QOL) outcomes in breast cancer survivors.

Methods: Information on QOL (Short Form-36, SF-36), lifestyle and survivorship was collected during telephone interviews with 374 breast cancer patients, diagnosed between 1983 and 1988 at ages 40 years or younger and interviewed, on average 13.2 years following diagnosis.

Induced abortion, miscarriage, and breast cancer risk of young women.

Early studies of breast cancer raised substantial concern regarding risk associated with induced abortion and miscarriage. Literature reviews suggest that study findings depend heavily on the comparison group and that the use of parous women as a reference group for nulliparous women may artificially inflate risk. To examine the individual effects of induced abortion and miscarriage on breast cancer risk of parous and nulliparous women, 744 patients < or =40 years of age and diagnosed from 1983-1988 were matched by parity, age, and race with controls living in the same neighborhood in Los Angeles County.

Risk factors associated with moderate and serious injuries attributable to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, Los Angeles, California.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use emergency department data to estimate levels of morbidity and risk factors due to earthquake-related mechanisms of injury subsequent to an urban night-time earthquake.

Methods: Data were abstracted from 4190 medical records for the month of January, 1994. Injuries attributable to the earthquake were identified through emergency department and medical records.