Dysplastic nevi as risk markers of sporadic (nonfamilial) melanoma. A case-control study.

The melanoma risk associated with dysplastic nevi outside the context of familial melanoma was studied by the case-control method. One hundred five newly diagnosed incident melanoma cases with negative family histories for familial melanoma and 181 controls (frequency matched for race, age, and sex) were studied by personal interview and cutaneous examination. The prevalence of dysplastic nevi was 41 (39%) of 105 in the cases and 13 (7%) of 181 in the controls. The odds ratio for dysplastic nevi by multiple logistic regression analysis simultaneously correcting for age, sex, eye color, hair color, actinic damage, freckles, and total number of nondysplastic nevi was 6.8 (95% confidence interval, 2.7, 16.9). This study supports the significance of dysplastic nevi as markers of increased risk for nonfamilial melanoma.

Changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in men and women after a program of moderate exercise.

Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and other lipids and lipoproteins of 24 men and 37 women were measured before and after a 10-week exercise program. The program involved three sessions of aerobic exercise each week, with 15-20 minutes of activity at 70% of maximal heart rate. Men and women had significantly different lipid patterns in response to exercise, despite equivalent increases in maximal oxygen uptake. Men showed a 5.1% increase in HDL cholesterol, a 6% decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and a 12.4% increase in the HDL/LDL ratio. In contrast, women showed a 1% decrease in HDL cholesterol, a 4.3% decrease in LDL cholesterol, and no significant change in HDL/LDL ratio. The number of sessions attended correlated positively with HDL/LDL changes in men and correlated negatively with HDL/LDL changes in women. These findings suggest that moderate exercise may have different effects on men and women.