To examine gender differences in obtaining free alcohol, high-risk drinking, and consequences. Web-based surveys were administered annually (2003-2005) to random samples of undergraduates (N=10,729). Gender, race, age under 21, sorority/fraternity membership, lower disposable income, and relationship status were significant predictors of obtaining free alcohol. Frequent obtainers had greater odds of ...

Dystocia, the presence of abnormal labor, is the most common indication for cesarean delivery. Risk factors for dystocia include abnormalities of expulsatile forces during labor, fetal factors, and maternal pelvic size abnormalities. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic size on the risk of cesarean ...

Multiple determinant factors are involved in the occurrence and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Human papillomavirus (HPV) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphism were identified as important factors. This study examined the associations between the development of Kazakh ESCC and the determinant factors including HLA-DRB1*0901, 1501; DQB1*0301, 0602; ...

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the condylar volume in subjects with different mandibular divergence and skeletal class using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and analysis software. Materials and methods For 94 patients (46 females and 48 males; mean age 24.3 +/- 6.5 years), resultant rendering reconstructions ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalences of overweight and obesity and their association with physical activity pattern among adolescents in northern Iran. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Babol, northern Iran. SUBJECTS: A representative sample of 1200 adolescents aged 12-17 years was recruited. All selected ...

The objective of this study was to investigate road traffic crash injuries and fatalities. Cases of 3902 road traffic injuries (1709 drivers, 891 passengers, 376 pedestrians and 926 motorcyclists) and 1564 road traffic fatalities (RTFs; 1222 males and 342 females) were collected from 2005 to 2008 using the database of ...

SummaryA total of 3961 married couples from six major geographical areas representing the South Sinai governorates in Egypt were studied to assess the rate of consanguineous marriage. The population of six selected areas (St Catherines, Nuweiba, Abu Rudeis, Ras Sudr, El Tor and Abu Zenima) were subdivided into Bedouin, urban ...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the individual association between BMI and level of serum uric acid (SUA) among the very elderly Chinese population. METHODS: A survey was conducted on 870 long-lived subjects (aged ≥90years). Subjects were divided into four groups according to quartile of BMI (<16.6, 16.6-18.9, 18.9-21.1, ≥21.1kg/m(2)) and to classification ...

The postoperative effect on penile length after radical prostatectomy has been the subject of studies with conflicting results. We analyzed self-perceived penile shortening, quality of life and self-esteem after radical prostatectomy. In this cross-sectional study of a cohort of 1411 men who underwent a radical prostatectomy at Karolinska University Hospital ...

Low childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked with insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in adulthood. Our aim was to examine if maternal and paternal education, as indicators of childhood SES, equally contributed to increased HOMA-IR in later life. Of 5,115 adults from the Coronary Artery Disease Risk Development in Young Adults ...

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were introduced to the market in 2006 and 2007. The present pilot study was designed to examine the incidence of genital warts in the population up to 23 y of age in the county of Stockholm before the start of mass HPV vaccination. Methods: Data ...

Purpose: To evaluate the relation between cone photoreceptor packing density and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness within the central 15 deg. Methods: Individual differences for healthy subjects in cone packing density and ONL thickness were examined in 8 younger subjects and 8 older ones, mean age 27.2 vs. 56.2 yr. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Ethnic differences in the association between central obesity and raised albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) have not been investigated. Our aim was to determine whether the association between central obesity, defined by the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and ACR differed between subjects of Hindustani-Surinamese, African-Surinamese and Dutch origin. METHODS: In total, ...

OBJECTIVE: To examine neighborhood-level influences on tuberculosis (TB) incidence in a multilevel population-based sample.DESIGN: All incident TB cases in Washington State, United States (n = 2161), reported between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2008 were identified. Multivariate Poisson analysis was used at the ZIP Code™ tabulation area (ZCTA) level, ...

ABSTRACT: Study Design. A cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal study on the anthropometric parameters and growth pattern of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) girls.Objective. To investigate the growth pattern of AIS girls with different severities using cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal data set in comparison with age-matched healthy controls.Summary of Background Data. AIS ...

BACKGROUND: The present study examines (i) if the level of vigorous physical activity (VPA) at age 15 predicts low VPA at ages 19 and 27 and (ii) whether the observed prediction pattern differs by childhood socio-economic position (SEP). In this way, prediction analyses are applied to study tracking behaviour. METHODS: ...

Purpose:  To evaluate the association between telomere length and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods:  Circulating leucocyte telomere length and the proportion of telomeres <5 kb were analysed in blood DNA samples taken from 121 patients with exudative AMD (83%), large drusen (14%) or central geographic atrophy (3%). Controls consisted of 77 ...

Abstract Background. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity is a widely-used surrogate marker for liver injury. However, mild elevation of serum ALT is frequently observed in apparently healthy individuals, making it sometimes challenging to interpret whether this laboratory abnormality is medically benign or serious. To obtain a better understanding of the ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes that are strongly related to cervical cancer are harbored in the prepuce of the circumcised tissue of prepubertal boys in the period just before active sexual life. METHODS: The present study enrolled 30 healthy boys (age range 4-11 years, mean ...

To investigate the relationship between cluster of differentiation (CD)36 gene variant rs1761667 (G>A) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Egyptian patients. This case-control study was conducted on MetS patients attending Suez Canal University Hospital, Egypt from November 2010 to October 2011. Peripheral blood was collected from 100 patients ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of mid-aged Colombian women using the Cervantes Scale (CS). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1,739 healthy women aged 40 to 59 years were asked to simultaneously fill out the CS and a questionnaire containing ...

A genome-wide association study identified that LRP2 rs2544390 in intron 1 was associated with serum uric acid (SUA) levels among Japanese, as well as polymorphisms of SLC22A12, ABCG2, and SLC2A9. This study aimed to confirm the association of rs2544390 C/T with SUA, as well as another LRP2 polymorphism (rs3755166 G/A) ...

BACKGROUND: The rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been reported to be higher in blacks compared to whites. Non-O blood groups have also been associated with a significantly higher VTE risk. Given that a higher proportion of blacks have O blood group, one might have expected that black individuals would ...

Little is known about the functions of miRNAs in human longevity. Here, we present the first genome-wide miRNA study in long-lived individuals (LLI) who are considered a model for healthy aging. Using a microarray with 863 miRNAs we compared the expression profiles obtained from blood samples of 15 centenarians and ...

To evaluate the relationship between changes in fecundity rates and maternal age and the impact of maternal age on low birth weight (LBW) rates in a developed region in southern Brazil. A time series study evaluating birth weight and maternal ages through the born alive information system (SINASC) in Porto ...

BackgroundFew studies have assessed genital HPV concordance and factors associated with concordance among asymptomatic heterosexual couples.MethodsGenotyping for HPV was conducted with male and female sex partners, ages 18-70, from Tampa, Florida. Eligibility included no history of HPV-associated disease. Type-specific positive concordance (partners with ≥1 genotype in common) and negative concordance ...

Rapid evolution has led to a large diversity in the sizes and morphology of male genitals across taxa, but the mechanisms driving this evolution remain controversial. In this study, we investigated the function of male genital sclerites in the adzuki bean beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis) and compared the length and morphology ...

AIMS: The aim of the study was to examine alcohol consumption patterns in New Zealand couples and the associations of these patterns with time spent drinking together and the level of satisfaction with the relationship. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of New Zealand residents aged 18-70 on ...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is steadily increasing. There is little empirical evidence for the development of obesity in Austria. Therefore, the present study investigated long-term trends in the prevalence of obesity across different age and educational groups in Austrian adults. METHODS: Self-reported data were derived from five nationally representative ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of age on the outcomes of nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt splenic trauma (BST). STUDY DESIGN: The records of patients with BST, from July 2000 to December 2010 at a level I trauma center, were retrospectively reviewed using NTRACS ...

In puppies weaning is a high risk period. Fecal changes are frequent and can be signs of infection by digestive pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites) and indicators of nutritional and environmental stress. The aim of this study was to define a pathological fecal score for weaning puppies, and to study the ...

To define the bone's amount that should be removed during an acromioplasty has always been a challenge. We aimed to verify the correlations between scapular dimensions and acromial thickness, assess the differences between the two genders, investigate the relationship between acromial type and thickness. We examined 500 dried scapulae, measuring ...

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of risk factors is particularly useful to prevent or manage pelvic floor dysfunction but although a number of such factors have been proposed, results remain inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of aging on the incidence of posterior pelvic floor disorders in women ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the sex and age distribution of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) autoimmunity using data derived from clinical service laboratory testing of 56 464 patient samples. DESIGN: Observational analysis. SETTING: Mayo Clinic Neuroimmunology Laboratory. Patients  Between October 1, 2005, and January 4, 2011, 56 464 patients were tested for AQP4-IgG; 2960 (5.2%) patients ...

The objectives were to prospectively assess determinants of apolipoproteins B (ApoB), A1 (ApoA1), and the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio in 797 healthy black and white schoolgirls from mean ages 10 to 19. There was prospective 9-year follow-up, with measures of ApoB at mean ages 10, 12, 14, 16 and 19, ApoA1 at ...

The single nucleotide polymorphism, rs2866164, in the MTP gene, has been associated with human longevity but has not been validated by subsequent longevity studies. Using our population of Ashkenazi Jews, we find that the MTP CC genotype is significantly overrepresented in centenarians and their offspring, as compared with controls (p ...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between complement factor H Y402H polymorphism and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) development in a cohort of Turkish patients. Methods: A total of 182 individuals, including 95 individuals with unrelated late age-related macular degeneration and 87 age-matched healthy individuals as ...

BackgroundHigher total serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations have been associated with better cognitive function mainly in cross-sectional studies in adults. It is unknown if the associations of different forms of 25(OH)D (25(OH)D(3) and 25(OH)D(2)) are similar.MethodsProspective cohort study (n=3171) with serum 25(OH)D(3) and 25(OH)D(2) concentrations measured at mean age of ...

Sperm chromatin fragmentation is associated with subfertility, but its relationship with age progression in young bulls is poorly understood. The objective was to assess sperm chromatin fragmentation during the early post-pubertal development of 20 tropical composite bulls, using a sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and sperm-bos-halomax (SBH). Bulls were subjected ...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the risk factors for diabetes mellitus (DM) in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODOLOGY: Multilevel sampling identified 200 households (444 adults aged≥20 years) from 20 neighbourhoods in the city of Bukavu, and 90 households (255 adults aged≥20 years) from 10 ...

CONTEXT: In men, obesity and the metabolic syndrome are accompanied by decreased testosterone levels, but little is known about the associations between visceral adipose tissue (VAT), VAT-related inflammation and sex steroids. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relative impact of VAT, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and interleukine-6 (IL-6), a marker of ...

BackgroundIn cross-sectional and some cohort studies with shorter follow-up, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has been associated with longer life. We sought to examine the relationship between HDL-C and death before age 90 in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS).Methods and ResultsOf PHS enrollees who had blood collected at PHS II baseline ...

Background: Community-based lid surgery for trachomatous trichiasis (TT) is provided in 8 local government areas (LGAs) of Sokoto state since 2003 as part of a trachoma control programme. This study aims to assess the impact of community-based lid surgery on the magnitude of TT in 3 LGAs of Sokoto state. ...

Background and Aims:  To date, data on the effects of anti-Helicobacter therapy on the improvement of atrophic gastritis (AG) and intestinal metaplasia (IM) have been conflicting. This study was performed to investigate whether eradication of H. pylori could lead to the improvement of AG and IM, and the prognostic factors associated ...

: While population-based seroprevalence studies of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) are widespread, seroincidence studies are largely limited to select or high-risk populations. The US military offers a potential population to derive national seroincidence rate estimates for young adults (ages 18-29). : We used banked, ...

In China, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by an increasing prevalence during aging. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin in elderly chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and study the factors related to the sustained virologic response (SVR). The medical ...

BACKGROUND: Studies reporting on resilience (capacity to overcome life adversity) and the menopausal transition are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To assess resilience and related factors in mid-aged Ecuadorian women. METHOD: This was a cross sectional study in which 904 women aged 40-59 completed the 14-item Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (WYRS) and ...

Common polymorphisms of the Cholestryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) gene may predict lower risk of cognitive decline. We investigated the association of cognitive function with CETP genotype in a population-based cohort of 4135 persons aged 35-82 years. Cognitive function was measured with the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT; worst score, ...

Early menopausal age is associated with risk of cardiovascular events including myocardial infraction, stroke, and increased mortality. Relations between menopausal age and atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been investigated. We examined the association between menopausal age and AF. Framingham Heart Study women ≥60 years old without prevalent AF and natural ...

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal growth associations with genetic variants identified for adult BMI may provide insights into the timing of obesity susceptibility. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to explore associations of known BMI loci with measures of body size from birth to adulthood. DESIGN: A total of 2537 individuals from a longitudinal British ...