Publications by authors named "Morgenstern H"

Introduction: The relations between coffee and tea consumption and head and neck cancer (HNC) incidence are unclear. With increasing global HNC burden, this study aims to examine the association between coffee, tea, and HNC.

Methods: A pooled analysis of 9548 HNC cases and 15,783 controls from 14 individual-level case-control studies was conducted from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium.

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The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic role of body mass index (BMI) on survival from head and neck cancer (HNC). We performed a pooled analysis of studies included in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival and HNC-specific survival, and we stratified the results according to cancer site.

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Rationale & Objective: Case-mix adjusted hemodialysis mortality has decreased since 1998. Many factors that influence mortality may have contributed to this trend, and these associations may differ by continental region. We studied changes in hemodialysis facility practices over time and their potential role in mediating changes in patient survival.

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Background: Cocaine is an illegal recreational drug used worldwide, yet little is known about whether cocaine inhalation (smoking/snorting) increases the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: The analyses were conducted by pooling data from three case-control studies with 1639 cases and 2506 controls from the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Epidemiologic data, including cocaine use histories, were obtained in face-to-face interviews.

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Fine particulate matter (PM ) contains carcinogens similar to those generated by tobacco smoking, which may increase the risks of developing smoking-related cancers, such as upper aerodigestive track (UADT) cancers, for both smokers and never-smokers. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the relation between ambient PM exposure and risk of UADT cancers. A population-based case-control study involving 565 incident UADT cancer cases and 983 controls was conducted in Los Angeles County from 1999 to 2004.

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Illicit drug use has become a global epidemic, yet it is unclear if drug smoking increases the risk of tobacco-related cancers. We aimed to evaluate hypothesized associations between smoking three drugs - opium, phencyclidine (PCP) and crack cocaine and lung and upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers. A population-based case-control study with 611 lung cancer cases (50% male), 601 UADT cancers cases (76% male), and 1,040 controls (60% male) was conducted in Los Angeles County (1999-2004).

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  • Inflammation may negatively impact long-term kidney function, and proinflammatory diets could increase the risk of progression to kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • A study involving over a thousand adults with CKD found that those consuming a proinflammatory diet had a higher risk of developing KFRT, with inflammation serving as a partial mediator of this relationship.
  • The results suggest that modifying diets to reduce inflammation could be an effective strategy for preventing the progression of CKD to KFRT.
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  • The study analyzed data from the INHANCE consortium to compare the effects of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on head and neck cancer risk in less developed and more developed countries.
  • It found that the risk profiles associated with smoking and alcohol use vary between these country types, with specific cancers showing different patterns of risk.
  • The research highlights how factors like industrialization and economic development influence the relationship between lifestyle habits (smoking and drinking) and head and neck cancer incidence.
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  • The study investigated the link between fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and the risk of developing end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in a diverse group of US adults, considering factors like chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • Researchers analyzed data from a large health survey, tracking 14,725 adults over time, to determine how varying levels of FV consumption impacted ESKD risk while adjusting for demographics and health factors.
  • Findings revealed that lower FV intake was significantly associated with a higher risk of ESKD, particularly among individuals with CKD, suggesting that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help prevent kidney disease.
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  • Hypokalemia, defined as serum potassium levels below 4 mEq/l, is linked to higher rates of peritonitis and mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis, with notable variations internationally.
  • The study analyzed data from 7 countries and over 7,400 patients, finding that risk factors for hypokalemia included certain health indicators, treatment methods, and demographics, especially in Thailand and among black patients in the U.S.
  • Persistent hypokalemia significantly increases the risk of peritonitis by 80% and mortality by 40%, highlighting the need for further research on its mechanisms and how to address modifiable risk factors.
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This cross-sectional study examines whether removal of the Black race coefficient from a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equation is associated with a change in the estimated prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general Black population and among Black veterans in the US.

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Introduction: The relationship between Body-Mass-Index (BMI) and lung cancer prognosis is heterogeneous. We evaluated the impact of sex, smoking and race on the relationship between BMI and overall survival (OS) in non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Data from 16 individual ILCCO studies were pooled to assess interactions between BMI and the following factors on OS: self-reported race, smoking status and sex, using Cox models (adjusted hazard ratios; aHR) with interaction terms and adjusted penalized smoothing spline plots in stratified analyses.

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Background: Reproducibility of clinical and epidemiologic research is important to generalize findings and has increasingly been scrutinized. A recently published randomized trial, PIVOTAL, evaluated high vs low intravenous iron dosing strategies to manage anemia in hemodialysis patients in the UK. Our objective was to assess the reproducibility of the PIVOTAL trial findings using data from a well-established cohort study, the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

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  • Since 2003, US guidelines have recommended ACE inhibitors or ARBs as primary treatment for adults with hypertension and significant albuminuria (≥300 mg/g).
  • A study of over 20,000 adults from national health surveys showed stable albuminuria rates but no consistent increase in ACE inhibitor/ARB use from 2001 to 2018, specifically among those with and without diabetes.
  • Approximately 1.6 million adults with albuminuria are not receiving ACE inhibitor/ARB therapy, indicating a persistent gap in effective care for those with hypertension.
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  • The study explored the relationship between glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with lung cancer risk, finding limited research on this topic.
  • Data was collected from a case-control study in Los Angeles involving 593 lung cancer patients and 1,026 controls, examining dietary habits through food frequency questionnaires.
  • Results showed that higher dietary GI was linked to an increased risk of lung cancer, particularly for adenocarcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma, but no clear connection was found between GL and lung cancer.
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  • Kidney disease is a widespread and costly condition, with a new national system (VA-REINS) set up to track and analyze chronic kidney disease (CKD) among US veterans.
  • In fiscal year 2014, 1.1 million veterans were identified with CKD using strict definitions, and 2.5 million with more lenient criteria, revealing significant prevalence among VA users.
  • The VA invested around $18 billion in CKD care, largely for patients at stage 3, and aims to use VA-REINS for better disease management and improved patient care quality.
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Background: Decisions about dialysis for advanced kidney disease are often strongly shaped by sociocultural and system-level factors rather than the priorities and values of individual patients. We examined international variation in the uptake of conservative approaches to the care of patients with advanced kidney disease, in particular discontinuation of dialysis.

Methods: We employed an observational cohort study design using data collected from patients maintained on long-term hemodialysis between 1996 and 2015 in facilities across 12 developed countries participating in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).

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Background: Alcohol is a well-established risk factor for head and neck cancer (HNC). This study aims to explore the effect of alcohol intensity and duration, as joint continuous exposures, on HNC risk.

Methods: Data from 26 case-control studies in the INHANCE Consortium were used, including never and current drinkers who drunk ≤10 drinks/day for ≤54 years (24234 controls, 4085 oral cavity, 3359 oropharyngeal, 983 hypopharyngeal and 3340 laryngeal cancers).

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Rationale & Objective: Previous studies of inflammation and anemia management in hemodialysis (HD) patients may be biased due to patient differences. We used a self-matched longitudinal design to test whether new inflammation, defined as an acute increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) level, reduces hemoglobin response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) treatment.

Study Design: Self-matched longitudinal design.

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Background: Anemia at hemodialysis (HD) initiation is common. Correcting low hemoglobin (Hgb) before HD initiation may improve survival by avoiding potential harms of chronic anemia, high doses of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and intravenous (IV) iron in the early HD period, and/or rapid Hgb rise.

Methods: We included 4604 incident HD patients from 21 countries in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study Phases 4-5 (2009-15).

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Rationale & Objective: Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) have been reported to have the highest rates of incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) compared with other races in the United States. However, these estimates were likely biased upward due to the exclusion of nearly half the NHPI population that reports multiple races in the US Census. We sought to estimate the incidence rate of ESKD, including individuals reporting multiple races, and describe the clinical characteristics of incident cases by race and location.

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Background: To better understand the relation between sleep problems and CKD, we examined temporal trends in the prevalence of self-reported sleep problems in adults in the United States and their associations with CKD and all-cause mortality.

Methods: Using data from 27,365 adult participants in five biannual National Health and Examination Surveys (2005-2006 through 2013-2014), we studied five self-reported sleep problems-trouble sleeping, sleep disorder, nocturia (urinating ≥2 times/night), inadequate sleep (<7 hours/night), and excessive sleep (>9 hours/night)-plus a composite index. We conducted three types of analysis: temporal trends in the prevalence of each sleep measure by CKD status, using model-based standardization; cross-sectional analysis of associations between four CKD measures and each sleep measure, using logistic regression; and survival analysis of the association between each sleep measure and mortality, using Cox regression.

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Introduction: We aimed to estimate the effects of a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC) or esophageal cancer on the risk of Barrett's esophagus (BE) and identify variants in cancer genes that may explain the association.

Methods: Men scheduled for screening colonoscopy were recruited to undergo upper endoscopy. Cases and noncases were screenees with and without BE, respectively.

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Purpose: Due to complex medical profiles, adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) may have a heightened risk for early development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and accelerated CKD progression to advanced stages and kidney failure. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of advanced CKD for adults with NDDs and compare the incidence rate to adults without NDDs.

Patients And Methods: Data were used from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart to conduct this retrospective cohort study.

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