Total exposure and exposure rate effects for alcohol and smoking and risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis of case-control studies.

Although cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption increase risk for head and neck cancers, there have been few attempts to model risks quantitatively and to formally evaluate cancer site-specific risks. The authors pooled data from 15 case-control studies and modeled the excess odds ratio (EOR) to assess risk by total exposure (pack-years and drink-years) and its modification by exposure rate (cigarettes/day and drinks/day). The smoking analysis included 1,761 laryngeal, 2,453 pharyngeal, and 1,990 oral cavity cancers, and the alcohol analysis included 2,551 laryngeal, 3,693 pharyngeal, and 3,116 oval cavity cancers, with over 8,000 controls. Above 15 cigarettes/day, the EOR/pack-year decreased with increasing cigarettes/day, suggesting that greater cigarettes/day for a shorter duration was less deleterious than fewer cigarettes/day for a longer duration. Estimates of EOR/pack-year were homogeneous across sites, while the effects of cigarettes/day varied, indicating that the greater laryngeal cancer risk derived from differential cigarettes/day effects and not pack-years. EOR/drink-year estimates increased through 10 drinks/day, suggesting that greater drinks/day for a shorter duration was more deleterious than fewer drinks/day for a longer duration. Above 10 drinks/day, data were limited. EOR/drink-year estimates varied by site, while drinks/day effects were homogeneous, indicating that the greater pharyngeal/oral cavity cancer risk with alcohol consumption derived from the differential effects of drink-years and not drinks/day.

Dietary folates and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies.

Background Folate deficiency leads to DNA damage and inadequate repair, caused by a decreased synthesis of thymidylate and purines. We analyzed the relationship between dietary folate intake and the risk of several cancers. Patients and methods The study is based on a network of case-control studies conducted in Italy and Switzerland in 1991-2009. The odds ratios (ORs) for dietary folate intake were estimated by multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for major identified confounding factors. Results For a few cancer sites, we found a significant inverse relation, with ORs for an increment of 100 μg/day of dietary folate of 0.65 for oropharyngeal (1467 cases), 0.58 for esophageal (505 cases), 0.83 for colorectal (2390 cases), 0.72 for pancreatic (326 cases), 0.67 for laryngeal (851 cases) and 0.87 for breast (3034 cases) cancers. The risk estimates were below unity, although not significantly, for cancers of the endometrium (OR = 0.87, 454 cases), ovary (OR = 0.86, 1031 cases), prostate (OR = 0.91, 1468 cases) and kidney (OR = 0.88, 767 cases), and was 1.00 for stomach cancer (230 cases). No material heterogeneity was found in strata of sex, age, smoking and alcohol drinking. Conclusions Our data support a real inverse association of dietary folate intake with the risk of several common cancers.

The association between body mass index and patients' experiences with inpatient care.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between patients' body mass index (BMI) and their experiences with inpatient care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. Mail survey. SETTING: University Hospital of Geneva. PARTICIPANTS: Questionnaires were mailed to 2385 eligible adult patients, 6 weeks after discharge (response rate = 69%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients' experiences with care were measured using the Picker inpatient survey questionnaire. BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight. Main dependent variables were the global Picker patient experience (PPE-15) score and nine dimension-specific problem scores, scored from 0 (no reported problems) to 1 (all items coded as problems). We used linear regressions, adjusting for age, gender, education, subjective health, smoking and hospitalization, to assess the association between patients' BMI and their experiences with inpatient care. RESULTS: Of the patients, 4.8% were underweight, 50.8% had normal weight, 30.3% were overweight and 14.1% were obese. Adjusted analysis shows that compared with normal weight, obesity was significantly associated with fewer problematic items in the surgery-related information domain, and being underweight or overweight was associated with more problematic items in the involvement of family/friends domain. The global PPE-15 score was significantly higher (more problems) for underweight patients. CONCLUSIONS: Underweight patients, but not obese patients, reported more problems during hospitalization.

Testing demographic models of effective population size.

Due to practical difficulties in obtaining direct genetic estimates of effective sizes, conservation biologists have to rely on so-called 'demographic models' which combine life-history and mating-system parameters with F-statistics in order to produce indirect estimates of effective sizes. However, for the same practical reasons that prevent direct genetic estimates, the accuracy of demographic models is difficult to evaluate. Here we use individual-based, genetically explicit computer simulations in order to investigate the accuracy of two such demographic models aimed at investigating the hierarchical structure of populations. We show that, by and large, these models provide good estimates under a wide range of mating systems and dispersal patterns. However, one of the models should be avoided whenever the focal species' breeding system approaches monogamy with no sex bias in dispersal or when a substructure within social groups is suspected because effective sizes may then be strongly overestimated. The timing during the life cycle at which F-statistics are evaluated is also of crucial importance and attention should be paid to it when designing field sampling since different demographic models assume different timings. Our study shows that individual-based, genetically explicit models provide a promising way of evaluating the accuracy of demographic models of effective size and delineate their field of applicability.

Alfabetização de crianças caboverdianas em língua portuguesa como língua não materna : o ensino da leitura

abstract: Cape Verde is a country of bilingual characteristics, where coexist two languages: the mother tongue – the Creole of Cape Verde (CCV) or the Capeverdian Language (LCV) and the Non Maternal language – the Portuguese that is the official language and, therefore, the language used in the process of education and learning. This situation generates conflicts so much to linguistic level as to cultural level. The two languages presents some lexical resemblances, what drives, many times, to misconceptions and linguistics errors that complicate children in the learning, in particular, of reading that constitute the base for the learning of others knowledge. The learning of reading, in the Non Maternal language, requires a development of the oral language in Portuguese Language, which stimulates the reasoning of the child through playful exercises and cognitivists and construtivists approaches. In this way, the competences of phonological processing in the acquisition of the competences of reading are important for the discrimination of written text and favor the learning and the development of reading. The child, through the discovery, begins to elaborate concepts in the way to obtain a relation with the written language, by functional form. Adopting a methodology of case study and through questionnaires, direct observation and collect of documentary information, this dissertation presents and analyzes connected aspects to the literacy of capeverdian children in the beginning of the schooling and to the learning of reading as basic support for the learning of Non Maternal language. The subsidies collected by the study, presented in this dissertation will contribute for the education progress of reading and, also, for implement successfully the learning of reading of the students, developing to practical of reading and the expectations in uncover the multiplicity of the dimensions of experience in that domain and contribute for a relative comprehension of written and reading modes.

Alfabetização de Crianças Caboverdianas em Língua Portuguesa como Língua não Materna : o Ensino da Leitura

Cabo Verde é um país de características bilingue, onde coexistem duas línguas: a Língua Materna – o Crioulo de Cabo Verde (CCV) ou a Língua Caboverdiana (LCV) e a Língua Não Materna – o Português que é a língua oficial e, portanto, a língua utilizada no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem. Esta situação gera conflitos tanto a nível linguístico como a nível cultural. As duas línguas apresentam algumas semelhanças lexicais, o que conduz, muitas vezes, a equívocos e erros linguísticos que dificultam a criança na aprendizagem, em particular, da leitura que constitui a base para a aprendizagem de outros saberes. A aprendizagem da leitura, na Língua Não Materna, requer um desenvolvimento da linguagem oral em Língua Portuguesa, para que o raciocínio da criança seja estimulado através de exercícios lúdicos e abordagens cognitivistas e construtivistas. Deste modo, as competências de processamento fonológico na aquisição das competências da leitura são importantes para a discriminação do texto escrito e favorecem a aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento da leitura. A criança, através da descoberta, começa a elaborar conceitos no sentido de conseguir realizar de forma funcional a sua relação com a língua escrita. Adoptando uma metodologia de estudo de caso, e através de questionários, observação directa e recolha de informação documental, esta dissertação apresenta e analisa aspectos ligados à alfabetização de crianças caboverdianas no início da escolaridade e à aprendizagem da leitura como suporte básico para a aprendizagem da Língua Não Materna. Os subsídios recolhidos ao longo deste estudo, apresentados nesta dissertação contribuirão para fazer progredir o ensino da leitura e, também, para implementar com sucesso a aprendizagem da leitura por parte dos alunos, desenvolvendo a prática da leitura e as expectativas em descobrir a multiplicidade das dimensões da experiência nesse domínio e contribuir para uma relativa compreensão das competências do modo oral e do escrito.

Alfabetização de crianças caboverdianas em língua portuguesa como língua não materna : o ensino da leitura

abstract: Cape Verde is a country of bilingual characteristics, where coexist two languages: the mother tongue – the Creole of Cape Verde (CCV) or the Capeverdian Language (LCV) and the Non Maternal language – the Portuguese that is the official language and, therefore, the language used in the process of education and learning. This situation generates conflicts so much to linguistic level as to cultural level. The two languages presents some lexical resemblances, what drives, many times, to misconceptions and linguistics errors that complicate children in the learning, in particular, of reading that constitute the base for the learning of others knowledge. The learning of reading, in the Non Maternal language, requires a development of the oral language in Portuguese Language, which stimulates the reasoning of the child through playful exercises and cognitivists and construtivists approaches. In this way, the competences of phonological processing in the acquisition of the competences of reading are important for the discrimination of written text and favor the learning and the development of reading. The child, through the discovery, begins to elaborate concepts in the way to obtain a relation with the written language, by functional form. Adopting a methodology of case study and through questionnaires, direct observation and collect of documentary information, this dissertation presents and analyzes connected aspects to the literacy of capeverdian children in the beginning of the schooling and to the learning of reading as basic support for the learning of Non Maternal language. The subsidies collected by the study, presented in this dissertation will contribute for the education progress of reading and, also, for implement successfully the learning of reading of the students, developing to practical of reading and the expectations in uncover the multiplicity of the dimensions of experience in that domain and contribute for a relative comprehension of written and reading modes.

Alfabetização de crianças caboverdianas em língua portuguesa como língua não materna : o ensino da leitura

Cabo Verde é um país de características bilingue, onde coexistem duas línguas: a Língua Materna – o Crioulo de Cabo Verde (CCV) ou a Língua Caboverdiana (LCV) e a Língua Não Materna – o Português que é a língua oficial e, portanto, a língua utilizada no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem. Esta situação gera conflitos tanto a nível linguístico como a nível cultural. As duas línguas apresentam algumas semelhanças lexicais, o que conduz, muitas vezes, a equívocos e erros linguísticos que dificultam a criança na aprendizagem, em particular, da leitura que constitui a base para a aprendizagem de outros saberes. A aprendizagem da leitura, na Língua Não Materna, requer um desenvolvimento da linguagem oral em Língua Portuguesa, para que o raciocínio da criança seja estimulado através de exercícios lúdicos e abordagens cognitivistas e construtivistas. Deste modo, as competências de processamento fonológico na aquisição das competências da leitura são importantes para a discriminação do texto escrito e favorecem a aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento da leitura. A criança, através da descoberta, começa a elaborar conceitos no sentido de conseguir realizar de forma funcional a sua relação com a língua escrita. Adoptando uma metodologia de estudo de caso, e através de questionários, observação directa e recolha de informação documental, esta dissertação apresenta e analisa aspectos ligados à alfabetização de crianças caboverdianas no início da escolaridade e à aprendizagem da leitura como suporte básico para a aprendizagem da Língua Não Materna. Os subsídios recolhidos ao longo deste estudo, apresentados nesta dissertação contribuirão para fazer progredir o ensino da leitura e, também, para implementar com sucesso a aprendizagem da leitura por parte dos alunos, desenvolvendo a prática da leitura e as expectativas em descobrir a multiplicidade das dimensões da experiência nesse domínio e contribuir para uma relativa compreensão das competências do modo oral e do escrito.

Interaction between tobacco and alcohol use and the risk of head and neck cancer: pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium.

BACKGROUND: The magnitude of risk conferred by the interaction between tobacco and alcohol use on the risk of head and neck cancers is not clear because studies have used various methods to quantify the excess head and neck cancer burden. METHODS: We analyzed individual-level pooled data from 17 European and American case-control studies (11,221 cases and 16,168 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium. We estimated the multiplicative interaction parameter (psi) and population attributable risks (PAR). RESULTS: A greater than multiplicative joint effect between ever tobacco and alcohol use was observed for head and neck cancer risk (psi = 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-3.04). The PAR for tobacco or alcohol was 72% (95% confidence interval, 61-79%) for head and neck cancer, of which 4% was due to alcohol alone, 33% was due to tobacco alone, and 35% was due to tobacco and alcohol combined. The total PAR differed by subsite (64% for oral cavity cancer, 72% for pharyngeal cancer, 89% for laryngeal cancer), by sex (74% for men, 57% for women), by age (33% for cases <45 years, 73% for cases >60 years), and by region (84% in Europe, 51% in North America, 83% in Latin America). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that the joint effect between tobacco and alcohol use is greater than multiplicative on head and neck cancer risk. However, a substantial proportion of head and neck cancers cannot be attributed to tobacco or alcohol use, particularly for oral cavity cancer and for head and neck cancer among women and among young-onset cases.

Peru's contribution to the utilization of underexploited and potential fishery resources

estudia el potencial pesquero del mar peruano y su poco aprovechamiento de sus recursos.

Variaciones alimentarias en engraulis ringens y otros recursos pelágicos durante invierno-primavera de 1997

Analiza la dieta de anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), caballa (Scomber japonicus peruanus) y jurel (Trachurus picturatus murphyi) con el propósito de observar variaciones en su comportamiento alimentario por efecto del evento El Niño. Para la anchoveta se realizaron diluciones y recuentos de ítems en cada estómago; en caballa y jurel se calculó frecuencia de ocurrencia (%F), biomasa (%B) y abundancia (%N), con los cuales se determinó el Índice de Importancia Relativa (IRI). La ración diaria de alimentación se determinó mediante el modelo de SAINSBURY. Se ha observado incremento en la fracción zooplanctónica y presencia de peces dentro de la composición alimentaria de la anchoveta, estimándose su ración en 0,4428 g.día-1 que representa una disminución del 21,88% con respecto a los 0,5668 g.día-1 calculados en 1996 y de 1,71% con respecto a los 0,4505 g.día-1 de 1995. La caballa y el jurel han presentado una composición alimentaria basada en crustáceos planctónicos, similar a la observada durante el verano de 1997.

History of diabetes and risk of head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis from the international head and neck cancer epidemiology consortium.

BACKGROUND: A history of diabetes is associated with an increased risk of several types of cancers. Whether diabetes is a risk factor for head and neck cancer (HNC) has received little attention. METHODS: We pooled data from 12 case-control studies including 6,448 cases and 13,747 controls, and estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between diabetes and HNC, adjusted for age, education level, sex, race/ethnicity, study center, cigarette smoking, alcohol use and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: We observed a weak association between diabetes and the incidence of HNC overall (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.95-1.24). However, we observed a modest association among never smokers (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.22-2.07), and no association among ever smokers (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.83-1.11); likelihood ratio test for interaction p=0.001. CONCLUSIONS: A history of diabetes was weakly associated with HNC overall, but we observed evidence of effect modification by smoking status, with a positive association among those who never smoked cigarettes. Impact: This study suggests that glucose metabolism abnormalities may be a HNC risk factor in subgroups of the population. Prospective studies incorporating biomarkers are needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between diabetes and HNC risk, possibly providing new strategies in the prevention of HNC.