scholarly journals O6E.5 Occupation and risk of amyotrophic laterals sclerosis (ALS) in denmark

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A60.2-A60
Author(s):  
Aisha Dickerson ◽  
Johnni Hansen ◽  
Marianthi-Anna Kiumourzoglou ◽  
Aron Specht ◽  
Ole Gredal ◽  
...  

IntroductionAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare and complex neurodegenerative disease, which is highly fatal. It is known that 5%–10% of ALS cases are hereditary, but apart from this the causes for sporadic of ALS are unknown. Some evidence, however, suggests that manifestation and progression may be associated with certain occupational exposures, e.g. exposure to formaldehyde, lead and military service. The aim of this study is to survey the occupational risk of ALS in Denmark based on nationwide registries.MethodsWe identified 1826 ALS cases who were 25 years old or less in 1964 and diagnosed from 1982 to 2013 from the Danish National Patient Registry, which cover all hospitals in Denmark. We matched 100 ALS free population controls to each case based on birth year and sex. Information on demographic data were obtained from the national Population Register and linked by the unique personal indentifier, assigned to all residents, to the Danish Pension Fund (DPF) to determine individual employment history from 1964. All employees in Denmark are compulsory members of DPF. Conditional logistic regression models were uses for estimation of odds ratios OR and their 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for socioeconomic status, marital status and residential location.ResultsWe observed increased OR of ALS among men who worked in e.g. agriculture, hunting, forestry or fishing (OR=1.2; 1.0–1.5). There was also a positive association for men employed in construction (OR=1.2; 1.1–1.4). In women, no significant increases were observed, but a protective association was seen with employment in the cleaning industry (OR=0.7; 0.5–0.9).ConclusionsOur study shows various occupations with exposure to toxicants, such as diesel exhaust and lead, and strenuous physical activity associated with increased odds of ALS in men. Future studies should have a particular focus on gathering detailed information on physical exertion and exposure to specific chemicals.

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 630-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisha S Dickerson ◽  
Johnni Hansen ◽  
Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou ◽  
Aaron J Specht ◽  
Ole Gredal ◽  
...  

ObjectivesSeveral manuscripts have proposed associations between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and occupational toxicant exposures—not to mention physical activity and trauma/injury. Some have also reported associations in investigations of specific occupations. Using data from a prospective Danish cohort study, we investigated the association between employment in certain industries and ALS diagnosis.MethodsWe identified 1826 ALS cases who were 25 years old or less in 1964 and diagnosed from 1982 to 2013 from the Danish National Patient Registry then matched 100 population controls to each case based on birth year and sex. Demographic data were linked to the Danish Pension Fund to determine occupation history. Conditional logistic regression models were adjusted for socioeconomic status, marital status and residential location at the index date.ResultsThere was an increase in odds of ALS among men who worked in agriculture, hunting, forestry or fishing (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.21; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.45). There was also a positive association for men employed in construction (aOR=1.21; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.39). In women, a protective association was seen with employment in the cleaning industry (aOR=0.69; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.93).ConclusionsOur study shows various occupations with exposure to toxicants, such as diesel exhaust and lead, and strenuous physical activity associated with increased odds of ALS in men. Future studies should have a particular focus on gathering detailed information on physical exertion and toxicant exposures specific to certain job tasks.


2019 ◽  
pp. oemed-2018-105469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisha S Dickerson ◽  
Johnni Hansen ◽  
Aaron J Specht ◽  
Ole Gredal ◽  
Marc G Weisskopf

ObjectivesPrevious research has indicated links between lead (Pb) exposure and increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this study, we evaluated the association between occupational Pb exposures and ALS.MethodsALS cases were ascertained through the Danish National Patient Registry from 1982 to 2013 and age and sex-matched to 100 controls. Using complete employment history since 1964 from the Danish Pension Fund, cumulative Pb exposure was estimated for each subject via a Danish job exposure matrix. Associations were evaluated using conditional logistic regression analyses and stratified by sex.ResultsFor men with >50% probability of exposure, there was an increase in odds of ALS for exposures in the 60th percentile or higher during any time 5 years prior to diagnosis (aOR: 1.35; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.76) and 10 years prior to diagnosis (aOR: 1.33; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.72). No significant associations were observed in women, and there were no linear trends seen for Pb exposures for either sex.ConclusionsOur study indicates an association between consistently higher occupational Pb exposures and ALS. These findings support those of previously reported associations between ALS and specific occupations that commonly experience Pb exposure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Amadou ◽  
Delphine Praud ◽  
Thomas Coudon ◽  
Aurélie M. N. Danjou ◽  
Elodie Faure ◽  
...  

AbstractMolecular studies suggest that cadmium due to its estrogenic properties, might play a role in breast cancer (BC) progression. However epidemiological evidence is limited. This study explored the association between long-term exposure to airborne cadmium and risk of BC by stage, grade of differentiation, and histological types at diagnosis. A nested case–control study of 4401 cases and 4401 matched controls was conducted within the French E3N cohort. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based metric demonstrated to reliably characterize long-term environmental exposures was employed to evaluate airborne exposure to cadmium. Multivariable adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression models. There was no relationship between cadmium exposure and stage of BC. Also, no association between cadmium exposure and grade of differentiation of BC was observed. However, further analyses by histological type suggested a positive association between cadmium and risk of invasive tubular carcinoma (ITC) BC [ORQ5 vs Q1 = 3.4 (95% CI 1.1–10.7)]. The restricted cubic spline assessment suggested a dose–response relationship between cadmium and ITC BC subtype. Our results do not support the hypothesis that airborne cadmium exposure may play a role in advanced BC risk, but suggest that cadmium may be associated with an increased risk of ITC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 797-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne E Visser ◽  
James P K Rooney ◽  
Fabrizio D’Ovidio ◽  
Henk-Jan Westeneng ◽  
Roel C H Vermeulen ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between physical activity (PA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in population-based case–control studies in three European countries using a validated and harmonised questionnaire.MethodsPatients with incident ALS and controls were recruited from five population-based registers in The Netherlands, Ireland and Italy. Demographic and data regarding educational level, smoking, alcohol habits and lifetime PA levels in both leisure and work time were gathered by questionnaire, and quantified using metabolic equivalent of task scores. Logistic regression models adjusting for PA-related factors were used to determine the association between PA and ALS risk, and forest plots were used to visualise heterogeneity between regions.Results1557 patients and 2922 controls were included. We found a linear association between ALS and PA in leisure time (OR 1.07, P=0.01) and occupational activities (OR 1.06, P<0.001), and all activities combined (OR 1.06, P<0.001), with some heterogeneity between regions: the most evident association was seen in the Irish and Italian cohorts. After adjustment for other occupational exposures or exclusion of patients with a C9orf72 mutation, the ORs remained similar.ConclusionWe provide new class I evidence for a positive association between PA and risk of ALS in a large multicentre study using harmonised methodology to objectively quantify PA levels, with some suggestions for population differences.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 716
Author(s):  
Catherine Philippe ◽  
Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi ◽  
Laurent Naudon ◽  
Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo ◽  
Serge Hercberg ◽  
...  

Gut microbiota metabolizes tryptophan into indole, which can influence brain and behavior. Indeed, some oxidized derivatives of indole, formed in the liver, have neuroactive properties, and indole overproduction by the gut microbiota induces an anxio-depressive phenotype in rodents. The aim of this study was to investigate in humans whether there was a relationship between recurrent depressive symptoms and indole production by the gut microbiota. A case-control study was conducted in 45–65-year-old women, who were participants in the observational prospective NutriNet-Santé Study. Cases were defined as having two Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scales (CES-D) scores ≥ 23 at a two-year interval (recurrent depressive symptoms, n = 87). Each case was matched with two controls (two CES-D <23; n = 174). Urinary excretion of 3-indoxylsulfate, the major final metabolite of indole, was used as a biomarker of indole production by the gut microbiota. Conditional logistic regression models for paired data showed a positive association between urinary 3-indoxylsulfate concentrations, grouped in tertiles, and recurrent depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 2.46, p for trend = 0.0264 in the final model adjusted for confounding factors). This association suggested that indole production by the gut microbiota may play a role in the onset of mood disorders in humans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngsu Lee ◽  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Seung Jun Lee

Purpose As social media platforms become increasingly popular among service firms, many US hospitals have been using social media as a means to improve their patients’ experiences. However, little research has explored the implications of social media use within a hospital context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a hospital’s customer engagement through social media and its association with customers’ experiential quality. Also, this study examines the role of a hospital’s service characteristics, which could shape the nature of the interactions between patients and the hospital. Design/methodology/approach Data from 669 hospitals with complete experiential quality and demographic data were collected from multiple sources of secondary data, including the rankings of social media friendly hospitals, the Hospital Compare database, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) cost report, the CMS impact file, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics database and the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Specifically, the authors designed the instrumental variable estimate to address the endogeneity issue. Findings The empirical results suggest a positive association between a hospital’s social media engagement and experiential quality. For hospitals with a high level of service sophistication, the association between online engagement and experiential quality becomes more salient. For hospitals offering various services, offline engagement is a critical predictor of experiential quality. Research limitations/implications A hospital with more complex services should make efforts to engage customers through social media for better patient experiences. The sample is selected from databases in the US, and the databases are cross-sectional in nature. Practical implications Not all hospitals may be better off improving the patient experience by engaging customers through social media. Therefore, practitioners should exercise caution in applying the study’s results to other contexts and in making causal inferences. Originality/value The current study delineates customer engagement through social media into online and offline customer engagement. This study is based on the theory of customer engagement and reflects the development of mobile technology. Moreover, this research may be considered as pioneering in that it considers the key characteristics of a hospital’s service operations (i.e., service complexity) when discovering the link between customers’ engagement through a hospital’s social media and experiential quality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Farhadnejad ◽  
Karim Parastouei ◽  
Hosein Rostami ◽  
Parvin Mirmiran ◽  
Fereidoun Azizi

Abstract Background In the current study, we aimed to investigate the association of dietary inflammation scores (DIS) and lifestyle inflammation scores (LIS) with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a prospective population-based study. Methods A total of 1625 participants without MetS were recruited from among participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study(2006–2008) and followed a mean of 6.1 years. Dietary data of subjects were collected using a food frequency questionnaire at baseline to determine LIS and DIS. Multivariable logistic regression models, were used to calculate the odds ratio (ORs) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of MetS across tertiles of DIS and LIS. Results Mean ± SD age of individuals (45.8 % men) was 37.5 ± 13.4 years. Median (25–75 interquartile range) DIS and LIS for all participants was 0.80 (− 2.94, 3.64) and 0.48 (− 0.18, − 0.89), respectively. During the study follow-up, 291 (17.9 %) new cases of MetS were identified. Based on the age and sex-adjusted model, a positive association was found between LIS (OR = 7.56; 95% CI 5.10–11.22, P for trend < 0.001) and risk of MetS, however, the association of DIS and risk of MetS development was not statistically significant (OR = 1.30;95% CI 0.93–1.80, P for trend = 0.127). In the multivariable model, after adjustment for confounding variables, including age, sex, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, and energy intake, the risk of MetS is increased across tertiles of DIS (OR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.09–2.33, P for trend = 0.015) and LIS(OR = 8.38; 95% CI 5.51–12.7, P for trend < 0.001). Conclusions The findings of the current study showed that greater adherence to LIS and DIS, determined to indicate the inflammatory potential of diet and lifestyle, are associated with increased the risk of MetS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0049
Author(s):  
Alicia Unangst ◽  
Kevin Martin ◽  
Anthony Mustovich ◽  
Jaime Chisholm

Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Following lower extremity surgery patients are often required to utilize assistive devices in order to perform activities of daily living. As technology and assistive devices continue to improve, providers are faced with selecting a device that is safe while providing high patient satisfaction and a quick return to actives. The purpose of the current study was to compare physical exertion and subject preference between a hands-free single crutch and standard axillary crutches in foot and ankle patients. Methods: A prospective, randomized crossover study was performed using 35 orthopedic foot and ankle patients from within one treatment facility. Each participant had demographic data and heart rate recorded. The patients were then randomized to an assistive device. All participants completed a 6-minute walk test (6MWT); immediately following each 6MWT heart rate, self-selected walking velocity (SSWV), perceived exertion using OMNI Rating of Perceived Exertion (OMNI-RPE) and perceived dyspnea using Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale was obtained. The patients then completed another 6MWT using the other assistive device and was asked the same questions. After completing both 6MWTs participants were asked which assistive device they would prefer to use. Results: A total of 35 patients were included with a median age of 32-year-old. The hands-free crutch was preferred by 86% of participants. Regression analysis was used to test if factors such as gender, height, weight, BMI predicted patient preference of iWalk vs. Crutch. None of these factors were found to be significant. Student t-tests and ANOVAs were performed separately for dyspnea, fatigue ratings, distance (meters) and heart rate between iWalk and crutch all were found to be significant (p<0.05, p=1.13e-11, p=2.29e-13, p=5.21e-05, respectively). The axillary crutch group had higher SSWV (0.8 vs 0.77m/s) but was not found to be significant. Neither group had any falls, however, 58% of axillary participants complained of axillary/hand pain while the hands-free group had 14% complain of proximal strap discomfort. Conclusion: Patients preferred the hands-free crutch while reporting lower perceived dyspnea and fatigue. The hands-free group demonstrated lower physiologic demand, which correlated with patient perception.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Valeris-Chacin ◽  
Maria Pieters ◽  
Haejin Hwang ◽  
Timothy J. Johnson ◽  
Randall S. Singer

Infection with Campylobacter species is one of the leading causes of bacterial diarrhea in humans in the US. Chickens, which become colonized on the farm, are important reservoirs of this bacterium. Campylobacter can establish itself in the broiler house via a variety of sources, can survive in the litter of the house, and possibly persist over successive flock cycles. However, the role of the broiler litter microbiome on Campylobacter persistence is not clear. A matched case-control study was conducted to determine whether the broiler litter microbiome composition was associated with Campylobacter isolation within the broiler house. Flocks were classified as cases when either Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli was isolated in boot sock samples, or as controls otherwise. Case and control flocks were matched at the broiler house level. Composite broiler litter samples were collected and used for DNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene V4 region sequencing. Reads were processed using the DADA2 pipeline to obtain a table of amplicon sequence variants. Alpha diversity and differential bacterial relative abundance were used as predictors of Campylobacter isolation status in conditional logistic regression models adjusting for flock age and sampling season. Beta diversity distances were used as regressors in stratified PERMANOVA with Campylobacter isolation status as predictor, and broiler house as stratum. When Campylobacter was isolated in boot socks, broiler litter microbiome richness and evenness were lower and higher, respectively, without reaching statistical significance. Campylobacter isolation status significantly explained a small proportion of the beta diversity (genus-level Aitchison dissimilarity distance). Clostridium and Anaerostipes were positively associated with Campylobacter isolation status, whereas Bifidobacterium, Anaerosporobacter, and Stenotrophomonas were negatively associated. Our results suggest the presence of bacterial interactions between Campylobacter and the broiler litter microbiome. The negative association of Campylobacter with Bifidobacterium, Anaerosporobacter, and Stenotrophomonas in litter could be potentially exploited as a pre-harvest control strategy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 1712
Author(s):  
Brinda Prasanna Kumar ◽  
Adarsh E. ◽  
Sahana G.

Background: It is well established that maternal body mass index (BMI) and haemoglobin (Hb) level has an impact on foetal growth. Various studies have concluded that intrauterine growth as reflected by the Ponderal index (PI) is strongly influenced by various maternal factors. Therefore, we undertake this study to address the evidence gap to establish the strength of association between maternal nutritional status as indicated by her pre-pregnancy BMI and haemoglobin levels and neonatal PI.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional, observational study was conducted that included 236 normal newborns and their mothers. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect relevant socio-demographic data and obstetric history. Details regarding the maternal pre-pregnancy weight were collected from antenatal records, maternal height was measured and BMI was calculated. Neonatal birth weight and recumbent length was measured. PI was calculated and co-related with the maternal BMI and haemoglobin values.Results: 11.9% of the mothers were underweight and 51.3% had normal BMI. Majority of the mothers (62.7%) had normal Hb levels and 0.4% were found to have severe anemia (Hb <7 mg/dl). We saw a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) between BMI and birth weight, BMI and PI that is, with decrease in BMI there was a significant decrease in the birth weight and PI of the newborn. There was no significant correlation between haemoglobin level and PI.Conclusions: Our study showed a positive association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and birth weight, BMI and PI. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status of the mother have a direct impact on the foetal growth outcomes.


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