Time-dependent association of total serum cholesterol and cancer incidence in a cohort of 172,210 men and women: a prospective 19-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between serum cholesterol and cancer incidence remains controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated the association of total serum cholesterol (TSC) with subsequent cancer incidence in a population-based cohort of 172 210 Austrian adults prospectively followed up for a median of 13.0 years. Cox regression, allowing for time-dependent effects, was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of TSC with cancer. RESULTS: We observed pronounced short-term associations of TSC and overall cancer incidence in both men and women. For malignancies diagnosed shortly (<5 months) after baseline TSC measurement, the highest TSC tertile (>235.0 mg/dl in men and >229.0 in women) compared with the lowest tertile (<194.0 mg/dl in men and <190.0 in women) was associated with a significantly lower overall cancer risk [HR = 0.58 (95% CI 0.43-0.78, P(trend) = 0.0001) in men, HR = 0.69 (95% CI 0.49-0.99, P(trend) = 0.03) in women]. However, after roughly 5 months from baseline measurement, overall cancer risk was not significantly associated with TSC. The short-term inverse association of TSC with cancer was mainly driven by malignancies of the digestive organs and lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue. CONCLUSION: The short-term decrease of cancer risk seen for high levels of TSC may largely capture preclinical effects of cancer on TSC.

The role of serum uric acid as an antioxidant protecting against cancer: prospective study in more than 28 000 older Austrian women.

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that serum uric acid (SUA), via its antioxidant properties may protect against carcinogenesis. However, few epidemiological investigations have addressed this association and previous findings are inconsistent. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively investigated the relation of SUA levels to subsequent cancer mortality in a large cohort of 28613 elderly Austrian women with a median follow-up of 15.2 years. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were calculated to evaluate SUA as an independently related factor to fatal cancer events. RESULTS: High SUA (>5.41 mg/dL) was independently associated with increased risk of total cancer mortality (p<0.0001); the adjusted hazard ratio for the highest versus lowest quartile of SUA was 1.27 (1.08-1.48). SUA levels were further positively related to deaths from malignant neoplasms of breast and female genital organs (P = 0.02) and nervous system and unspecified sites (P = 0.02). We found no evidence for an inverse relationship between SUA levels and risk of total or site-specific cancer mortality. CONCLUSION: Our results are contrary to the proposed antioxidant and protective effect of SUA against cancer and rather suggest high SUA concentrations to be associated with outcome possibly reflecting more serious prognostic indication.

Clostridium difficile colitis in solid organ transplantation--a single-center experience.

Clostridium difficile (CD) is one of the most common causes of diarrhea in solid organ transplantation (SOT). Between 1996 and 2005, a total of 2474 solid organ transplants were performed at our institution, of which 43 patients developed CD-associated diarrhea. There were 3 lung, 3 heart, 20 liver, 8 kidney-pancreas, 6 kidney, 1 composite tissue, and 2 multivisceral recipients. Onset of CD infection ranged from 5 to 2453 days posttransplant. All patients presented with abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. Toxins A and B were detected using rapid immunoassay or enzyme immunoassay. Treatment consisted of reduction of immunosuppression, fluid and electrolyte replacement, metronidazole (n=20), oral vancomycin (n=20), and a combination of metronidazole and vancomycin (n=2). Toxic megacolon was seen in five patients. Two of them had colonoscopic decompression, and the remaining three required colonic resection. One of these patients died due to multiorgan failure after cured CD enteritis. The remaining patients were discharged with well-functioning grafts and all are currently alive. CD colitis was a rare complication prior to 2000; 38 of the 43 cases occurred thereafter. We conclude that CD colitis represents a severe complication following SOT. Recently, a dramatic increase in the incidence of this complication has been observed. The development of life-threatening toxic megacolon must be considered in solid organ recipients.

Determinants of health-related quality of life in coronary artery disease patients: a prospective study generating a structural equation model.

The authors used structural equation modeling to test a conceptual model of HRQL in coronary artery disease. The model, which included biomedical factors and individual and environmental characteristics, was tested in a multicenter group of 465 patients at three timepoints (baseline evaluation of chest pain and 1- and 3-month follow-ups). A satisfactory fit was obtained for the model over time. Depression and anxiety symptoms exerted the most significant influence on HRQL. HRQL and the mediating factors were found to be distinct phenomena. The authors concluded that mediating factors, especially depression and anxiety symptoms, should be taken into consideration in clinical routine if HRQL is regarded as a clinical outcome.

Recent trends and sociodemographic distribution of cardiovascular risk factors: results from two population surveys in the Austrian WHO CINDI demonstration area.

OBJECTIVE: The major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are well established; however, only a few studies report on recent trends in risk factor profiles. This study analyses the sociodemographic distribution of risk factors and gives an account of their changes from 1991 to 1999. METHODS: Two cross-sectional population surveys as part of the CINDI (Countrywide Integrated Noncommunicable Diseases Intervention) program of the World Health Organization were performed in 1991 and 1999 in the province of Vorarlberg (Austria). The surveys included a standardized interview and a medical examination. 1863 persons aged 25 to 64 years in 1991 and 1550 persons in 1999 participated in the interview section of the surveys. From these, 1446 in 1991 and 841 persons in 1999 underwent medical examination. Prevalence of overweight and obesity, mild and severe hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, regular smoking and lack of physical activity were estimated. Framingham risk functions were calculated to compare overall risk for coronary heart disease. RESULTS: In women, prevalence of overweight including obesity increased from 34% in 1991 to 41% in 1999. Almost 50% of the male population were estimated to be overweight or obese in 1991 and 1999. Hypertension showed a favorable trend and decreased substantially in both genders. Hypercholesterolemia decreased only in men, from 27% to 21%. In 1999, women aged 55-64 showed a prevalence of over 50% in highly elevated cholesterol. Hypertriglyceridemia decreased in men from 21% to 18%, in women it remained almost unchanged. Total prevalence of smoking did not change from 1991 to 1999. 34% of the men and 24% of the women reported to smoke more than one cigarette daily. In women under 45 years of age, regular smoking increased slightly and reached a prevalence of over 30%. Less educated people and people of non-national origin had significantly higher risk factor levels. The risk functions did not reveal a significant difference in 10 year risk for coronary heart disease between the two surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing levels in hypertension and in male hypercholesterolemia showed favorable developments in risk factor prevalence. Preventive measures should concentrate on reducing overweight in older people and smoking in young women as well as on intensifying the care for less educated people and people of non-national origin.

[Pregnancy onset without corpus luteum function?]. / Eintritt einer Gravidität ohne Corpus-luteum-Funktion?

Within five years, a patient had five abortions and one biochemical pregnancy with two different partners. After the fourth pregnancy, she underwent a heterologous immune stimulation. The karyotypes of all three partners were normal. On her first visit, a subclinical hypothyroidism was detected and substitution with 50 micrograms L-thyroxine was started. Before further endocrinological, virological, or anatomical investigation, the patient conceived spontaneously for the seventh time. Even though the beta-HCG-levels rose adequately and the sonographic development was according to time, serum-progesterone could not be detected before the eighth week of pregnancy and sufficient levels were found from the 15th week onwards. The patient received a hormonal substitution therapy with Gravibinon 250 mg i.m. twice a week up to the 15th week of gestation. She finally delivered a 3800 g healthy boy.

ACTH secreting pituitary adenoma in an infant of 18 months. Immunohistochemical, electron-microscopic, and in-vitro studies.

An 18-month old infant with Cushing's disease due to an ACTH producing pituitary tumor is presented. The case showed typical clinical and morphological sings of hypercortisolism. The infant died of pulmonary thromboembolism after transsphenoidal partial adenomectomy. The adrenals were diffusely hyperplastic. The pituitary adenoma was classified as an undifferentiated mucoid cell adenoma with sparse granulation by light microscopy. Immunoenzymatic studies demonstrated ACTH not only in granulated adenoma cells. Ultrastructurally the cells were only differentiated as typical ACTH cells or so-called follicular cells in small areas. Most of them were undifferentiated, showing pleomorphism of the relatively sparse organelles. In-vitro experiments using suspensions of adenoma cells showed a distinct enhancement of ACTH secretion after arginine-vasopressin and a further decrease ultrastructurally in the number of secretory granules. No effect of ACTH levels and no alterations of the ultrastructure were observed after cortisol. The case is representative of typical hypothalamic-hypophyseal Cushing's disease with an undifferentiated pituitary adenoma secreting ACTH in part autonomously. This constellation of Cushing's syndrome is extremely rare at the age of one year. Our case is the second one reported in the literature.

Qualitative and semiquantitative calcium cytochemistry in B cells of mice treated with cyproheptadine and mannoheptulose.

The effect of cyproheptadine (CPH) and D-mannoheptulose (MH) on the function and the histo- (GBHA-method) and ultracytochemical (pyroantimonate method) calcium handling by pancreatic B cell were studied in mice. Intraperitoneal injection of CPH (45 mg/kg) or MH (1500 mg/kg) produced a hyperglycaemic syndrome, which was accompanied by decreased plasma insulin levels. CPH and MH also abolished glucose-induced insulin release. CPH led to a decrease of about 30 to 40% in the histochemical calcium content of islets as revealed by semi-quantitative microdensitometry, while MH did not change the calcium content of the islets. The ultracytochemical distribution pattern of calcium-rich precipitates were identical in CPH and MH treated B cells. The subcellular calcium deposits were predominantly located in the cytoplasmic matrix, but were rarely seen in granule halos and along the cell membranes. In contrast, glucose stimulation of the B cells resulted in an accumulation of the precipitates along the cell membranes and in the secretory granules. The results suggest that CPH and MH inhibit insulin release by either directly or indirectly interfering with the normal calcium handling by the B cell.