Constitutional Factors and Irradiation as Risk Factors for Thymoma: A European Case-Control Study.

Little is known about the aetiology of thymoma. This study aims to identify medical risk factors for thymoma as a systematic approach to new hypotheses on the aetiology of this disease. A European multi-centre case-control study was conducted from 1995 to 1997, including incident cases aged 35-69 years with thymoma.

Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption as risk factors for thymoma - A European case-control study.

Purpose: Hardly anything is known about the aetiology of thymoma. This paper presents data regarding tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption in relation to thymoma from the first case-control study performed on this rare tumour.

Methods: A European multi-centre case-control study including incident cases aged 35-69 years with thymoma between 1995 and 1997, was conducted in seven countries.

Is there a relationship between anaesthesia and dementia?

Background: Long-term cognitive problems are common among elderly patients after surgery, and it has been suggested that inhalation anaesthetics play a role in the development of dementia. This study aims to investigate the hypothesis that patients with dementia have been more exposed to surgery and inhalational anaesthetics than individuals without dementia.

Methods: Using 457 cases from a dementia-registry and 420 dementia-free controls, we performed a retrospective case-control study.

Body dysmorphic disorder in female Swedish dermatology patients.

Background: Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are highly distressed and impaired owing to perceived defects in their physical appearance that are not noticeable to others. They are frequently concerned about their skin and often present to dermatologists rather than psychiatrists. However, BDD patients attending dermatology clinics may be at risk of not receiving an appropriate assessment and beneficial treatment.

Increased Cancer Incidence in the Local Population Around Metal-Contaminated Glassworks Sites.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine mortality causes and cancer incidence in a population cohort that have resided in close proximity to highly metal-contaminated sources, characterized by contamination of, in particular, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb).

Methods: Data from Swedish registers were used to calculate standardized mortality and cancer incidence ratios. An attempt to relate cancer incidence to metal contamination levels was made.

Alterations in high-density lipoprotein proteome and function associated with persistent organic pollutants.

There is a growing body of evidence that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the mechanisms remain unclear. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) acts protective against CVD by different processes, and we have earlier found that HDL from subjects with CVD contains higher levels of POPs than healthy controls. In the present study, we have expanded analyses on the same individuals living in a contaminated community and investigated the relationship between the HDL POP levels and protein composition/function.

Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder among Swedish women: a population-based study.

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by a highly distressing and impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in appearance. Patients with BDD present to both psychiatric and non-psychiatric physicians. A few studies have assessed BDD prevalence in representative samples of the general population and have demonstrated that this disorder is relatively common.

Persistent organic pollutants distribution in lipoprotein fractions in relation to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are lipophilic environmental toxins that have been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentrations of POPs in human high and low/very low-density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL/VLDL) and the possible association with CVD and cancer occurrence in individuals living in a contaminated area. Lipoproteins from 28 individuals (7 healthy controls, 8 subjects with cancer, 13 subjects with CVD) were isolated and the fraction-specific concentration of 20 different POPs was analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry.

A cross-sectional study of victimisation of bullying among schoolchildren in Sweden: background factors and self-reported health complaints.

Aim: To examine background factors for bullying and associations between bullying victimisation and health problems.

Methods: A cross-sectional study on all pupils in grades 7 and 9 in a Swedish county was conducted in 2011 (n=5248). Data have been analysed with bi- and multivariate models.

Validation of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire in a community sample of Swedish women.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by a distressing and impairing preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance. Patients with the disorder present to both psychiatric and non-psychiatric physicians. A few studies have assessed BDD prevalence in the general population and have shown that the disorder is relatively common.

Occupational exposure to chlorinated and petroleum solvents and mycosis fungoides.

Objective: To evaluate the potential association between occupational exposure to chlorinated and petroleum solvents and mycosis fungoides (MF).

Methods: A questionnaire on lifetime job history was administered to 100 patients diagnosed with MF and 2846 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated as the measure of the association between exposure to each specific solvent and MF.

Child physical abuse and concurrence of other types of child abuse in Sweden-Associations with health and risk behaviors.

Objective: To examine the associations between child physical abuse executed by a parent or caretaker and self-rated health problems/risk-taking behaviors among teenagers. Further to evaluate concurrence of other types of abuse and how these alone and in addition to child physical abuse were associated with bad health status and risk-taking behaviors.

Methods: A population-based survey was carried out in 2008 among all the pupils in 2 different grades (15 respectively 17 years old) in Södermanland County, Sweden (n=7,262).

Health effects and exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals in a contaminated community.

Environmental measurements carried out by local authorities during the 1970s, 80s and 90s in an area contaminated by hundreds of years of industrial activities have revealed high levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in soil, vegetables, root crops, berries and mushrooms. In 1972, a large quantity of oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was accidentally spilled into the river running through the village. To investigate the possible health effects of exposure from local sources, all cancer diagnoses, registered in 1960-2003 for individuals living in the study area, were collected from the regional cancer register of southeast Sweden.

Prevalence and characteristics of child physical abuse in Sweden - findings from a population-based youth survey.

Aim: To examine prevalence rates of child physical abuse perpetrated by a parent/caretaker, abuse characteristics and the extent of disclosures.

Methods: A population-based survey was carried out in 2008 amongst all the pupils in three different grades (n = 8494) in schools in Södermanland County, Sweden. The pupils were asked about their exposure to violence and their experiences of parental intimate-partner violence.

Lifetime history of abuse, suffering and psychological health.

Background: In a representative Swedish sample, we investigated lifetime prevalence of physical, sexual and psychological abuse of women and their current suffering. The relationship between current suffering from abuse and psychological health problems was also studied.

Method: The study was cross-sectional and population-based.

Cohort mortality study of Swedish pulp and paper mill workers-nonmalignant diseases.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine mortality among pulp and paper mill workers according to the main mill pulping process, department, and gender, particular reference being given to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems.

Methods: The cohort of 18 163 men and 2 291 women employed between 1939 and 1999 and with >1 year of employment was followed for mortality from 1952 to 2001 (acute myocardial infarction from 1969). Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by comparing the observed number of deaths with the expected number for the entire Swedish population.

Genetic variation in proteins of the cryopyrin inflammasome influences susceptibility and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (the Swedish TIRA project).

Objectives: The genetic background to RA is incompletely understood. As new cytokine-targeted therapies emerge, early predictors of disease severity are becoming increasingly important. The inflammasomes are essential regulators of cytokine production.

The association between ill-health and abuse: a cross-sectional population based study.

The lifetime prevalence of physical, sexual and psychological abuse was studied cross-sectionally in a representative sample of Swedish women. The association between the three kinds of abuse and ill-health, and the relation between magnitude of abuse and various health problems were also investigated. The Abuse Screening Inventory (ASI), measuring experiences of physical, sexual and psychological abuse and including questions on health and social situation, was sent by mail to 6,000 women, randomly selected from the population register.

Prevalence and correlates of insufficient calcium intake in a Swedish population.

Objective: To examine associations between calcium intake in the diet, lifestyle factors, and forearm bone mineral density (BMD) in order to identify population subgroups for targeting by screening programs.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 15% of the inhabitants aged 20-79 years from 2 Swedish municipalities, and the subsample from one of the municipalities was invited to measurement of BMD. The survey response rate was 74% (n = 1,112/1,510) and participation in BMD measurements was 68% (n = 448/659).

Cancer incidence and mortality in a Swedish rubber tire manufacturing plant.

Background: A classification of 12 work categories was used to evaluate the cancer incidence and mortality among a cohort of Swedish rubber tire workers.

Methods: Cancer incidence and mortality in the cohort was compared with expected values from national rates. Standardized incidence and mortality ratios were calculated for the total cohort, for sub-cohorts and with the inclusion of a latency requirement.

Somatization in abused women.

Background: The association between abuse and somatization has been less systematically investigated than other abuse-related outcomes. Moreover, such studies have given inconsistent results. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between somatization and lifetime exposure to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.

Cardiovascular mortality among Swedish pulp and paper mill workers.

Background: Malignant diseases but also cardiovascular and respiratory disorders and diabetes mellitus have been associated with work in pulp and paper production. The present cohort focuses on cardiovascular mortality in relation to various exposures in this industry.

Methods: The cohort, followed-up for mortality, includes 7,107 workers, 6,350 men and 757 women, from three major old mills in the middle of Sweden.

Mortality in a Swedish rubber tire manufacturing plant: occupational risks or an "unhealthy worker" effect?

Background: In this cohort study a classification of 12 work categories, with specified common exposures, is used to evaluate the mortality among workers in a Swedish rubber tire plant.

Methods: Mortality among the cohort members is compared with expected values from national rates. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated for the total cohort, for sub-cohorts and with the inclusion of a latency requirement.

Occupational sun exposure and mycosis fungoides: a European multicenter case-control study.

Objective: We sought to study the association between occupational sun exposure and mycosis fungoides (MF), a peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Subjects And Methods: A European multicenter case-control study including seven rare cases (one being MF) was conducted between 1995 and 1997. From the 118 accepted cases, 104 were interviewed, of which 76 were definite cases.