bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trends in Canadian hospital standardised mortality ratios and palliative care coding 2004–2010: a retrospective database analysis
Authors: Chong Christopher AKY , Nguyen Geoffrey C , Wilcox M Elizabeth 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundThe hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR), anchored at an average score of 100, is a controversial macromeasure of hospital quality. The measure may be dependent on differences in patient coding, particularly since cases labelled as palliative are typically excluded.ObjectiveTo determine whether palliative coding in Canada has changed since the 2007 national introduction of publicly released HSMRs, and how such changes may have affected results.DesignRetrospective database analysis.SettingInpatients in Canadian hospitals from April 2004 to March 2010.Patients12 593 329 hospital discharges recorded in the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Discharge Abstract Database from April 2004 to March 2010.MeasurementsCrude mortality and palliative care coding rates. HSMRs calculated with the same methodology as CIHI. A derived hospital standardised palliative ratio (HSPR) adjusted to a baseline average of 100 in 2004–2005. Recalculated HSMRs that included palliative cases under varying scenarios.ResultsCrude mortality and palliative care coding rates have been increasing over time (p<0.001), in keeping with the nation's advancing overall morbidity. HSMRs in 2008–2010 were significantly lower than in 2004–2006 by 8.55 points (p<0.001). The corresponding HSPR rises dramatically between these two time periods by 48.83 points (p<0.001). Under various HSMR scenarios that included palliative cases, the HSMR would have at most decreased by 6.35 points, and may have even increased slightly.LimitationsInability to calculate a definitively comparable HSMR that include palliative cases and to account for closely timed changes in national palliative care coding guidelines.ConclusionsPalliative coding rates in Canadian hospitals have increased dramatically since the public release of HSMR results. This change may have partially contributed to the observed national decline in HSMR.
Onyx embolization for the endovascular treatment of infectious and traumatic aneurysms involving the cranial and cerebral vasculature
Authors: Jadhav Ashutosh P , Pryor Johnny C , Nogueira Raul G 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundOnyx is a liquid non-adhesive viscous embolic agent ideal for slow targeted injections which is currently approved for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations.MethodsWe performed a single-center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent off-label use of Onyx as the single embolic agent for the treatment of traumatic or infectious pseudoaneurysms involving the cerebral or cranial vasculature.ResultsA total of nine pseudoaneurysms treated by Onyx embolization were identified. Six of the pseudoaneurysms were post-surgical, one of the pseudoaneurysms was traumatic and two were infectious in nature. The mean pseudoaneurysm size was 5.9 mm (range 2–10 mm). Onyx-34 was used in all cases. Following treatment there was complete exclusion of all pseudoaneurysms including their inflow and outflow zones.ConclusionsOur experience demonstrates the efficacy and applicability of the use of Onyx in the treatment of complex traumatic and mycotic pseudoaneurysms involving the cerebral and cranial vascular tree.
Regeneration and stand development following a spruce budworm outbreak, spruce budworm inspired harvest, and salvage harvest
Authors: Spence C. Eiry , MacLean David A. 
Published: November 2012

Spruce budworm ( Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens)) (SBW) outbreaks are a major disturbance that influence stand dynamics and succession in balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) dominated forests of eastern Canada. We used stand and regeneration data collected from five plots in each of one immature and five mature stands before, during, and 30 years following the last major SBW outbreak in the Cape Breton Highlands to examine the role of stand and regeneration characteristics in shaping future stand development. Comparisons were also made between regeneration in four SBW outbreak stands versus two SBW salvage stands, with and without a subsequent precommercial thinning, and with 25 plots that underwent SBW emulation harvest. In mature unharvested balsam fir stands, species composition 30 years following the SBW outbreak was closely related to predisturbance species composition, and in immature fir stands, hardwood composition increased from 0% to 4%–27%. Species composition in harvested stands varied depending on whether intolerant hardwoods had been precommercially thinned, where thinned stands had 30% less hardwood 30 years postdisturbance than unthinned stands. Seedling density decreased by 17%–85% from 1979 to 1989 in all SBW outbreak stands, but average seedling height increased by 17%–500% as live canopy cover decreased from an average of 50% to 4%. Results suggest that advanced regeneration should be protected during harvest of balsam fir dominated stands, post-outbreak precommercial thinning will increase tree growth, and live tree retention can help develop late-seral structural characteristics in second-growth stands.
Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk Among Postmenopausal Women Following the Cessation of Hormone Therapy Use: The California Teachers Study
Authors: Horn-Ross Pamela L. , Canchola Alison J. , Bernstein Leslie , Clarke Christina A. , Lacey James V. , Neuhausen Susan L. , Reynolds Peggy , Ursin Giske 
Published: November 2012

AbstractBackground: Alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk, but its effect may be modified by hormone therapy (HT) use, such that exposure to both may be synergistic. Because many women stopped taking HT after mid-2002, it is important to quantify risks associated with alcohol consumption in the context of HT cessation, as these risks may be more relevant to cancer prevention efforts today.Methods: Among 40,680 eligible postmenopausal California Teachers Study cohort participants, 660 were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer before 2010. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: Increased breast cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption was observed among postmenopausal women who were current HT users [RR, 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–2.26 and RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.41–3.15 for &lt;20 and ≥20 g/d of alcohol], with risks being similar by HT preparation. Alcohol did not increase risk among women who had stopped using HT within 3 years or 3 to 4 years before completing the follow-up questionnaire or in the more distant past. Results were similar for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and ER+PR+ progesterone receptors positive (PR+) tumors; while power was limited, no increase in risk was observed for ER− tumors.Conclusions: Following the cessation of HT use, alcohol consumption is not significantly associated with breast cancer risk, although a nonsignificant increased risk was observed among women who never used HT.Impact: Our findings confirm that concurrent exposure to HT and alcohol has a substantial adverse impact on breast cancer risk. However, after HT cessation, this risk is reduced. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2006–13. ©2012 AACR.
HPV in Female Partners Increases Risk of Incident HPV Infection Acquisition in Heterosexual Men in Rural Central Mexico
Authors: Morales Rosalba , Parada Rocio , Giuliano Anna R. , Cruz Aurelio , Castellsagué Xavier , Salmerón Jorge , Lazcano-Ponce Eduardo 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Knowledge about the incidence, clearance, and factors associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in men is lacking, and much of what is available focuses on high-risk groups.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out with 504 heterosexual males from Mexico State, Mexico. Participants were monitored for 4 years at intervals of approximately 4 months, with a median total duration of follow-up of 19.8 months. The presence of cervical HPV in female sexual partners was evaluated as a risk factor. HPV DNA testing was conducted using the polymerase chain reaction technique. Risk factors associated with the incidence and clearance of HPV infection were evaluated through survival analysis.
Results: The cumulative incidence of infection with any HPV type at 12 months was 15% [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.12–0.20]. About 72% of men with incident HPV cleared the infection by 12 months. The presence of cervical HPV in a man's female sex partner was the main determinant for males acquiring HPV infection of any type [adjusted HR (AHR), 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1–3.8] and oncogenic HPV infection (AHR, 4.1; 95% CI, 2.1–8.0), while having a history of anal sexual relations with women was statistically associated with acquiring nononcogenic HPV (AHR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–2.9).
Conclusions and Impact: The incidence of genital HPV infection in this population is relatively low, with relatively quick acquisition and clearance rates. Cervical HPV infection in men's female sexual partners was the main risk factor for genital HPV infection in men. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1956–65. ©2012 AACR.
High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels and Cancer Mortality
Authors: Ko Young-Jin , Kwon Young-Min , Kim Kyae Hyung , Choi Ho-Chun , Chun So Hyun , Yoon Hyung-Jin , Goh Eurah , Cho Belong , Park Minseon 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an important inflammatory marker, and inflammation is known to be involved in the initiation and progression of cancer. We investigated the association between serum hs-CRP levels and all-cause mortality, cancer mortality, and site-specific cancer mortality in apparently cancer-free Koreans.
Methods: A total of 33,567 participants who underwent routine check-ups at a single tertiary hospital health-screening center between May 1995 and December 2006, and whose serum hs-CRP level data were available, were included in the study. Baseline serum hs-CRP levels were obtained and subjects were followed up for mortality from baseline examination until December 31, 2008.
Results: During an average follow-up of 9.4 years, 1,054 deaths, including 506 cancer deaths, were recorded. The adjusted HRs (aHR; 95% confidence interval [CI]) of subjects with hs-CRP ≥3 mg/L for all-cause and cancer-related mortality were 1.38 (1.15–1.66) and 1.61 (1.25–2.07) in men, and 1.29 (0.94–1.77) and 1.24 (0.75–2.06) in women, respectively, compared with subjects with hs-CRP ≤1 mg/L. Elevated hs-CRP was also associated with an increased risk of site-specific mortality from lung cancer for sexes combined (2.53 [1.57–4.06]).
Conclusions: This study suggests that elevated levels of hs-CRP in apparently cancer-free individuals may be associated with increased mortality from all-causes and cancer, in particular, lung cancer in men, but not in women.
Impact: As a marker for chronic inflammation, hs-CRP assists in the identification of subjects with an increased risk of cancer death. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2076–86. ©2012 AACR.
Time to First Cigarette and Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer Risk in Japan
Authors: Matsuo Keitaro , Gallus Silvano , Negri Eva , Kawakita Daisuke , Oze Isao , Hosono Satoyo , Ito Hidemi , Hatooka Shunzo , Hasegawa Yasuhisa , Shinoda Masayuki , Tajima Kazuo , La Vecchia Carlo , Tanaka Hideo 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Cigarette smoking is the major cause for upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancers. The time to first cigarette (TTFC) of the day is a distinct indicator of nicotine dependence, but scanty information is available on its possible relation with UADT cancers (oral, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, laryngeal, nasopharyngeal, and esophageal cancers).
Methods: This case–control study includes a total of 1,009 incident UADT cancer cases and 3,027 age- and sex-matched noncancer controls admitted to the Aichi Cancer Center (Nagoya, Japan) between 2001 and 2005. We estimated OR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for TTFC using logistic regression models after adjustment for several potential confounders.
Results: TTFC was inversely related to the risk of UADT cancer, and this association was consistent across subtypes of head and neck cancer and esophageal cancer. For all UADT cancers considered among ever smokers and after accurate allowance for smoking quantity and duration, besides other relevant covariates, compared with TTFC more than 60 minutes, the adjusted ORs were 1.40 (95% CI: 0.93–2.11) for 31 to 60 minutes, 1.76 (95% CI: 1.20–2.58) for 6 to 30 minutes, and 2.43 (95% CI: 1.64–3.61) for within 5 minutes. No significant heterogeneity was found in strata of sex, age, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, and occupation for overall and site-specific analysis.
Conclusion: Nicotine dependence, as indicated by the TTFC, is associated with increased risk of UADT cancers and is therefore an independent marker of exposure to smoking.
Impact: Our result indicates more detailed risk evaluation of UADT cancers that is enabled by the TTFC. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1986–92. ©2012 AACR.
Risk for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 3 or Worse in Relation to Smoking among Women with Persistent Human Papillomavirus Infection
Authors: Jensen Kirsten Egebjerg , Schmiedel Sven , Frederiksen Kirsten , Norrild Bodil , Iftner Thomas , Kjær Susanne K. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Smoking has been associated with cervical cancer. We examined whether smoking increases the risk for high-grade cervical lesions in women with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Methods: In a population-based cohort study, 8,656 women underwent a structured interview, and subsequently cervical cells were obtained for HPV DNA testing. Women with high-risk HPV infection and no prevalent cervical disease at baseline (n = 1,353) were followed through the Pathology Data Bank for cervical lesions for up to 13 years. Separate analyses of women with persistent high-risk HPV infection (n = 312) were also conducted. HRs for a diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or worse (CIN3+) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated in the two groups.
Results: Among high-risk HPV-positive women, an increased risk for CIN3+ was associated with long-term smoking (≥10 years) and heavy smoking (≥20 cigarettes/d). In the subgroup of women with persistent HPV infection, heavy smoking was also associated with a statistically significantly higher risk for CIN3+ than never smoking (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.05–3.22, adjusted for length of schooling, parity, and HPV type at baseline). The average number of cervical cytology screening tests per year during follow-up did not explain the differences in risk in relation to smoking (P = 0.4).
Conclusions: Smoking is associated with an increased risk for subsequent high-grade cervical lesions in women with persistent high-risk HPV infection.
Impact: Our study adds to the understanding of the role of smoking in the natural history of HPV and cervical carcinogenesis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1949–55. ©2012 AACR.
Telomere Length and Pancreatic Cancer: A Case–Control Study
Authors: Skinner Halcyon G. , Gangnon Ronald E. , Litzelman Kristin , Johnson Ruth A. , Chari Suresh T. , Petersen Gloria M. , Boardman Lisa A. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Telomeres, the ends of chromosomes, are critical for maintaining genomic stability and grow shorter with age. Shortened telomeres in pancreatic tissue play a key role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer, and shorter telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) have been associated with increased risk for several cancer types. We hypothesized that shorter blood telomeres are associated with higher risk for pancreatic cancer.
Methods: Telomere length was measured in PBLs using quantitative real-time PCR in 499 cases with pancreatic cancer and 963 cancer-free controls from the Mayo Clinic. ORs and confidence intervals (CI) were computed using logistic generalized additive models (GAM) adjusting for multiple variables.
Results: In multivariable adjusted models, we observed a significant nonlinear association between telomere length in peripheral blood samples and the risk for pancreatic cancer. Risk was lower among those with longer telomeres compared with shorter telomeres across a range from the 1st percentile to 90th percentile of telomere length. There was also some evidence for higher risk among those with telomeres in the longest extreme.
Conclusions: Short telomeres in peripheral blood are associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer across most of the distribution of length, but extremely long telomeres may also be associated with higher risk.
Impact: Although the temporality of this relationship is unknown, telomere length may be useful as either a marker of pancreatic cancer risk or of the presence of undetected pancreatic cancer. If telomere shortening precedes cancer incidence, interventions to preserve telomere length may be an effective strategy to prevent pancreatic cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2095–100. ©2012 AACR.
Prospective Study of Genomic Hypomethylation of Leukocyte DNA and Colorectal Cancer Risk
Authors: Huang Wen-Yi , Su L. Joseph , Hayes Richard B. , Moore Lee E. , Katki Hormuzd A. , Berndt Sonja I. , Weissfeld Joel L. , Yegnasubramanian Srinivasan , Purdue Mark P. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Systematic genome-wide reductions of methylated cytosine (5-mC) levels have been observed in colorectal cancer tissue and are suspected to play a role in carcinogenesis, possibly as a consequence of inadequate folate intake. Reduced 5-mC levels in peripheral blood leukocytes have been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma in cross-sectional studies.
Methods: To minimize disease- and/or treatment-related effects, we studied leukocyte 5-mC levels in prospectively collected blood specimens of 370 cases and 493 controls who were cancer-free at blood collection from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Leukocyte 5-mC level was determined by a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)/tandem mass spectrometry method and expressed as the relative amount of methyl to total cytosine residues, or %5-mC. We estimated the association between colorectal cancer risk and %5-mC categories by computing ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) through logistic regression modeling.
Results: We observed no dose-dependent association between colorectal cancer and%5-mC categories (lowest vs. highest tertile: OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.80–1.63; Ptrend = 0.51). However, among subjects whose 5-mC levels were at the highest tertile, we observed an inverse association between natural folate intake and colorectal cancer (highest tertile of natural folate vs. lowest: OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17–0.71; Ptrend = 0.003; Pinteraction = 0.003).
Conclusions: This prospective investigation show no clear association between leukocyte 5-mC level and subsequent colorectal cancer risk but a suggestive risk modification between 5-mC level and natural folate intake.
Impact: Adequate folate status may protect against colorectal carcinogenesis through mechanisms involving adequate DNA methylation in the genome. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2014–21. ©2012 AACR.
Fine-Mapping of IL16 Gene and Prostate Cancer Risk in African Americans
Authors: Batai Ken , Shah Ebony , Murphy Adam B. , Newsome Jennifer , Ruden Maria , Ahaghotu Chiledum , Kittles Rick A. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men in the United States, and its incidence and mortality rates are disproportionate among ethnic groups. Although genome-wide association studies of European descents have identified candidate loci associated with prostate cancer risk, including a variant in IL16, replication studies in African Americans (AA) have been inconsistent. Here we explore single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation in IL16 in AAs and test for association with prostate cancer.
Methods: Association tests were conducted for 2,257 genotyped and imputed SNPs spanning IL16 in 605 AA prostate cancer cases and controls from Washington, D.C. Eleven of them were also genotyped in a replication population of 1,093 AAs from Chicago. We tested for allelic association adjusting for age, global and local West African ancestry.
Results: Analyses of genotyped and imputed SNPs revealed that a cluster of IL16 SNPs were significantly associated with prostate cancer risk. The strongest association was found at rs7175701 (P = 9.8 × 10−8). In the Chicago population, another SNP (rs11556218) was associated with prostate cancer risk (P = 0.01). In the pooled analysis, we identified three independent loci within IL16 that were associated with prostate cancer risk. SNP expression quantitative trait loci analyses revealed that rs7175701 is predicted to influence the expression of IL16 and other cancer-related genes.
Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that IL16 polymorphisms play a role in prostate cancer susceptibility among AAs.
Impact: Our findings are significant given that there has been limited focus on the role of IL16 genetic polymorphisms on prostate cancer risk in AAs. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 2059–68. ©2012 AACR.
Prediagnostic Plasma Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate (Vitamin B6) Levels and Invasive Breast Carcinoma Risk: The Multiethnic Cohort
Authors: Lurie Galina , Wilkens Lynne R. , Shvetsov Yurii B. , Ollberding Nicholas J. , Franke Adrian A. , Henderson Brian E. , Kolonel Laurence N. , Goodman Marc T. 
Published: November 2012

Abstract
Background: Evidence from experimental and epidemiologic studies suggests that vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Methods: We examined the association of prediagnostic plasma concentrations of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP), an active form of vitamin B6, with postmenopausal breast cancer risk in a case–control study nested in the multiethnic cohort in Hawaii and Southern California, including 706 cases and 706 controls matched on date of birth, ethnicity, study site, date of blood draw, time of blood draw, hours of fasting before blood draw, and use of menopausal hormones. OR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using conditional logistic regression models.
Results: Women with plasma PLP concentrations in the highest quartile had a 30% reduced risk of invasive breast cancer (CI: 0.50–0.98) as compared with the women in the lowest PLP quartile (P for trend = 0.02). The association seemed to be limited in cases with hormone receptor-positive tumors (P for heterogeneity = 0.04); and remained unchanged in the analysis restricted to women with blood samples collected more than one year before cancer diagnosis (OR = 0.69; CI: 0.48–0.99; P for trend = 0.03).
Conclusions: These data suggest that higher circulating levels of vitamin B6 are associated with a reduced risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer.
Impact: These results, in combination with information from two other prospective studies, suggest a role for vitamin B6 in the prevention of postmenopausal breast cancer. Additional studies are needed to further investigate potential heterogeneity of the vitamin B6 association with breast cancer risk by tumor hormone receptor status. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(11); 1942–8. ©2012 AACR.