ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9183-4796
Current Organisations
University of Salford
,
Rigshospitalet
,
Danish Medicines Agency
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-11-2019
Abstract: What is the risk of death among men with oligospermia, unspecified male factor and azoospermia in the years following fertility treatment? No significantly elevated risk was observed among men with oligospermia and unspecified male factor, while an increased risk was found among men with azoospermia. Previous studies have shown associations between male factor infertility and risk of death, but these studies have relied on internal reference groups and the risk of death according to type of male infertility is not well characterized. In this prospective record-linkage cohort study, we identified men who had undergone medically assisted reproduction (MAR) between 1994 and 2015. Data was linked to the Danish causes of death register and sociodemographic registers through personal identification numbers assigned to all Danish citizens at birth. Men that had undergone MAR in Denmark (MAR Cohort n = 64 563) were identified from the Danish IVF register, which includes data on whether infertility was due to male factor. For each man in the MAR cohort, five age-matched men who became fathers without fertility treatment were selected from the general population (non-MAR fathers n = 322 108). Men that could not adequately be tracked in the Danish CPR register (n = 1259) and those that were censored prior to study entry (n = 993) were excluded, leaving a final population of 384 419 men. Risk of death was calculated by Cox regression analysis with age as an underlying timeline and adjustments for educational attainment, civil status and year of study entry. The risk of death was compared among men with and without male factor infertility identified from the IVF register (internal comparisons) as well as to the non-MAR fathers (external comparison). The risk of death between the MAR cohort (all men, regardless of infertility) and the non-MAR fathers was comparable [hazard ratio (HR), 1.07 95% CI, 0.98–1.15]. When the MAR cohort was limited to infertile men, these men were at increased risk of death [HR, 1.27 95% CI, 1.12–1.44]. However, when stratified by type of male factor infertility, men with azoospermia had the highest risk of death, which persisted when in both the internal [HR, 2.30 95% CI, 1.54–3.41] and external comparison [HR, 3.32 95% CI, 2.02–5.40]. No significantly elevated risk of death was observed among men with oligospermia [HR, 1.14 95% CI, 0.87–1.50] and unspecified male factor [HR, 1.10 95% CI, 0.75–1.61] compared with the non-MAR fathers. The same trends were observed for the internal comparison. Duration of the follow-up was limited and there is limited generalizability to infertile men who do not seek fertility treatment. Using national health registers, we found an increased risk of death among azoospermic men while no increased risk was found among men with other types of infertility. For the azoospermic men, further insight into causal pathways is needed to identify options for monitoring and prevention. This study is part of the ReproUnion collaborative study, co-financed by the European Union, Interreg V ÖKS. C.G.’s research stay at Stanford was funded by grants from the University of Copenhagen, Kong Christian den Tiendes Fond, Torben og Alice Frimodt Fond and Julie Von Müllen Fond. M.E. is an advisor for Sandstone and Dadi. All other authors declare no conflict of interests. Not relevant.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 02-08-2019
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 05-2020
DOI: 10.1289/EHP5818
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2005.06.006
Abstract: Organochlorines (OCs) are ubiquitously present in the environment, and food of animal origin is currently reported as the major source of exposure. Carcinogenicity in animals raises concern, and OCs may also be a risk factor for both neurological and immunological effects. Our primary objective was to study predictors of adipose tissue levels of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Danish women. We showed that adipose tissue concentrations of DDE and PCBs were consistently positively associated with age and the consumption of fish with a high fat content, while total lifetime duration of lactation had an inverse relationship. The direction of the association with body mass index (BMI) depended on the OC studied. The consumption of meat, fruit, lean fish, medium-fat-content fish, poultry, and eggs was not associated with OC concentrations in our study. We classified fish according to fat percentage, which seems more relevant than considering only total fish consumption. When PCBs were sub ided according to their chemical structure, similar results were obtained for the mono-, di-, and tri-ortho PCBs, indicating that PCBs can be treated as a homogenous group when studying predictors of concentrations in humans. In conclusion, the present study shows that age, lactation, and BMI are consistent predictors of human adipose tissue concentrations of DDE and PCBs and that dietary factors other than fish with a high fat content are not important predictors of these concentrations.
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 08-2021
DOI: 10.1289/EHP8090
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2016.02.036
Abstract: It has been suggested that air pollution may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes but data on particulate matter with diameter <2.5μm (PM2.5) are inconsistent. We examined the association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and diabetes incidence. We used the Danish Nurse Cohort with 28,731 female nurses who at recruitment in 1993 or 1999 reported information on diabetes prevalence and risk factors, and obtained data on incidence of diabetes from National Diabetes Register until 2013. We estimated annual mean concentrations of PM2.5, particulate matter with diameter <10μm (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at their residence since 1990 using a dispersion model and examined the association between the 5-year running mean of pollutants and diabetes incidence using a time-varying Cox regression. Of 24,174 nurses 1137 (4.7%) developed diabetes. We detected a significant positive association between PM2.5 and diabetes incidence (hazard ratio 95% confidence interval: 1.11 1.02-1.22 per interquartile range of 3.1μg/m(3)), and weaker associations for PM10 (1.06 0.98-1.14 per 2.8μg/m(3)), NO2 (1.05 0.99-1.12 per 7.5μg/m(3)), and NOx (1.01 0.98-1.05 per 10.2μg/m(3)) in fully adjusted models. Associations with PM2.5 persisted in two-pollutant models. Associations with PM2.5 were significantly enhanced in never smokers (1.24 1.09-1.42), and augmented in obese (1.25 1.06-1.47) and subjects with myocardial infarction (1.32 0.86-2.02), but without significant interaction. Fine particulate matter may the most relevant pollutant for diabetes development among women, and non-smokers, obese women, and heart disease patients may be most susceptible.
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Date: 31-01-2023
Abstract: Evidence on the long-term and general health of males with gynecomastia is lacking. To assess health before and following a diagnosis of gynecomastia. A register-based cohort study of 140 574 males, of which 23 429 were diagnosed with incident gynecomastia and age- and calendar-matched (1:5) to 117 145 males without gynecomastia from the background population. Males with gynecomastia were stratified into males without (idiopathic) or with a known preexisting risk factor (disease/medication). Cox and logistic regression models investigated associations of disease risk according to International Classification of Diseases 10th revision sections following and before gynecomastia diagnosis. A total of 16 253 (69.4%) males in the cohort were identified with idiopathic gynecomastia. These males had a statistically significant higher risk of future disease across all included disease chapters (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19-1.89), with endocrine diseases representing the greatest disease risk (HR, 1.89 95% CI, 1.76-2.03). The highest subchapter disease risk was observed for disorders of the endocrine glands (odds ratio [OR], 7.27 95% CI, 6.19-8.54). Similarly, the ORs of comorbidities were higher across all included disease sections (OR, 1.05-1.51), except for psychiatric disease (OR, 0.72 95% CI, 0.68-0.78), with the highest association with musculoskeletal/connective tissue (OR, 1.51 95% CI, 1.46-1.57) and circulatory (OR, 1.36 95% CI, 1.29-1.43) diseases. The presence of idiopathic gynecomastia is an important first clinical symptom of an underlying disease and a significant predictor of future disease risk. These findings should stimulate more awareness among health care providers to increase identification of gynecomastia and its causes in males.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-07-2011
DOI: 10.1038/GENE.2011.51
Abstract: The first common genetic factor identified for pediatric asthma by genome-wide association is the chromosome 17q21 locus, harbouring the ORMDL3 gene. ORMDL3 is involved in facilitation of endoplasmic reticulum-mediated inflammatory responses, believed to underlie its asthma association. We investigated associations between the rs7216389 polymorphism in the 17q21 locus affecting ORMDL3 expression and the risk for recurrent wheeze and interactions with exposure to tobacco smoke and furred pets during pregnancy and infancy using a birth cohort of 101,042 infants. Rs7216389 was significantly associated with recurrent wheeze risk among 18-month-old infants. There was a 1.35-fold higher risk of recurrent wheeze among homozygous variant allele carriers compared with homozygous wild-type allele carriers. There was significant interaction between rs7216389 and domestic furred pets, with a positive association between pets and wheeze among homozygous wild-type carriers and a negative association among homozygous variant allele carriers. There was no interaction between rs7216389 and tobacco smoke exposure.
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1289/EHP.1103573
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 17-04-2015
DOI: 10.1111/INA.12202
Abstract: Several studies have reported poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in day care centers (DCCs), and other studies have shown that children attending them have an increased risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between ventilation in DCCs and sick leave among nursery children. Data on child sick leave within an 11-week period were obtained for 635 children attending 20 DCCs. Ventilation measurements included three proxies of ventilation: air exchange rate (ACR) measured with the decay method, ACR measured by the perfluorocarbon tracer gas (PFT) method, and CO2 concentration measured over a 1-week period. All but two DCCs had balanced mechanical ventilation system, which could explain the low CO2 levels measured. The mean concentration of CO2 was 643 ppm, exceeding 1000 ppm in only one DCC. A statistically significant inverse relationship between the number of sick days and ACR measured with the decay method was found for crude and adjusted analysis, with a 12% decrease in number of sick days per hour increase in ACR measured with the decay method. This study suggests a relationship between sick leave among nursery children and ventilation in DCCs, as measured with the decay method.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 22-04-2021
Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Date: 05-2017
Abstract: The association between male infertility and increased risk of certain cancers is well studied. Less is known about the long-term risk of nonmalignant diseases in men with decreased fertility. A systemic literature review was performed on the epidemiologic evidence of male infertility as a precursor for increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause mortality. PubMed and Embase were searched from January 1, 1980, to September 1, 2016, to identify epidemiological studies reporting associations between male infertility and the outcomes of interest. Animal studies, case reports, reviews, studies not providing an accurate reference group, and studies including infertility due to vasectomy or malignancy were excluded. The literature search resulted in 2,485 references among which we identified seven articles fulfilling the eligibility criteria. Of these, four articles were prospective (three on risk of mortality, one on risk of chronic diseases) and three were cross-sectional relating male infertility to the Charlson Comorbidity Index. The current epidemiological evidence is compatible with an association between male infertility and risk of chronic disease and mortality, but the small number of prospective studies and insufficient adjustment of confounders preclude strong statements about male infertility as precursor of these outcomes.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 24-03-2009
DOI: 10.1021/ES803029B
Abstract: Traffic is one of the major sources of harmful airborne particles worldwide. To relate exposure to adverse health effects it is important to determine the deposition probability of the inhaled particles in the human respiratory tract. The size-dependent deposition of 12-580 nm particles was measured with a novel setup in 9 healthy subjects breathing by mouth on the windward side of a busy street in Copenhagen, Denmark. The aerosol was characterized both at the curbside and, to obtain the background concentration, at rooftop level. Particle hygroscopicity, a key parameter affecting respiratory tract deposition, was also measured at the same time of exposure. The total deposition fraction of the curbside particles in the range 12-580 nm was 0.60 by number, 0.29 by surface area, and 0.23 by mass. The deposition fractions of the "traffic exhaust" contribution, calculated as the hydrophobic fraction of the curbside particles, was 0.68, 0.35, and 0.28 by number, surface area, and mass, respectively. The deposited amount of traffic exhaust particles was 16 times higher by number and 3 times higher by surface area compared to the deposition of residential biofuel combustion particles investigated previously (equal inhaled mass concentrations). This was because the traffic exhaust particles had both a higher deposition probability and a higher number and surface area concentration per unit mass. To validate the results, the respiratory tract deposition was estimated by using the well-established ICRP model. Predictions were in agreement with experimental results when the effects of particle hygroscopicity were considered in the model.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-04-2016
DOI: 10.1038/SREP24571
Abstract: Polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs) were introduced in the late 1920s and used until the 1970s when they were banned in most countries due to evidence of environmental build-up and possible adverse health effects. However they still persist in the environment, indoors and in humans. Indoor air in contaminated buildings may confer airborne exposure markedly above background regional PCB levels. To date, no epidemiological studies have assessed the health effects from exposure to semi-volatile PCBs in the indoor environment. Indoor air PCBs are generally less chlorinated than PCBs that are absorbed via the diet, or via past occupational exposure therefore their health effects require separate risk assessment. Two separate cohorts of in iduals who have either attended schools (n = 66,769 26% exposed) or lived in apartment buildings (n = 37,185 19% exposed), where indoor air PCB concentrations have been measured were created. An in idual estimate of long-term airborne PCB exposure was assigned based on measurements. The cohorts will be linked to eight different national data sources on mortality, school records, residential history, socioeconomic status, and chronic disease and reproductive outcomes. The linking of indoor air exposures with health outcomes provides a dataset unprecedented worldwide. We describe a project, called HESPERUS (Health Effects of PCBs in Residences and Schools), which will be the first study of the long term health effects of the lower-chlorinated, semi-volatile PCBs in the indoor environment.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-04-2008
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-08-2017
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 19-10-2021
Abstract: We examined the association of long‐term exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise with incident heart failure (HF). Using data on female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort (aged years), we investigated associations between 3‐year mean exposures to air pollution and road traffic noise and incident HF using Cox regression models, adjusting for relevant confounders. Incidence of HF was defined as the first hospital contact (inpatient, outpatient, or emergency) between cohort baseline (1993 or 1999) and December 31, 2014, based on the Danish National Patient Register. Annual mean levels of particulate matter with a diameter .5 µm since 1990 and NO 2 and road traffic noise since 1970 were estimated at participants' residences. Of the 22 189 nurses, 484 developed HF. We detected associations with all 3 pollutants, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.17 (95% CI, 1.01–1.36), 1.10 (95% CI, 0.99–1.22), and 1.12 (95% CI, 0.99–1.26) per increase of 5.1 µg/m 3 in particulate matter with a diameter .5 µm, 8.6 µg/m 3 in NO 2 , and 9.3 dB in road traffic noise, respectively. We observed an enhanced risk of HF incidence for those exposed to high levels of the 3 pollutants however, the effect modification of coexposure was not statistically significant. Former smokers and nurses with hypertension showed the strongest associations with particulate matter with a diameter .5 µm ( P effect modification .05). We found that long‐term exposures to air pollution and road traffic noise were independently associated with HF.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-11-2011
DOI: 10.1038/JES.2011.39
Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides are ubiquitously present in the environment and suspected of carcinogenic, neurological and immunological effects. Our objective was to identify determinants of adipose tissue levels of organochlorine pesticides experienced by a general Danish population. Adipose tissue was collected upon enrolment of 245 randomly selected persons from a prospective cohort of 57,053 persons enrolled between 1993 and 1997. We examined geography, gender, age, lactation, body mass index (BMI) and intake of nine dietary groups and tap water drinks, as potential determinants of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorocyclohexane, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor and oxychlordane. Living in Copenhagen city and age at enrolment showed positive associations with all compounds. BMI was positively associated with all compounds except cis-nonachlor. Fatty-fish consumption showed positive associations with cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, DDT and dieldrin and fruit and vegetables were inversely associated with dieldrin. Determinant estimates of trans-nonachlor were similar to estimates of total chlordanes while cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane seemed to differ. This is one of the first studies of organochlorine pesticides predictors in adipose tissue and contributes to the ongoing debate about exposure sources of these compounds. Single determinants varied among the in idual compounds, even within related chlordane residues, suggesting that organochlorine pesticides should not be treated as a homogenous group.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2019
Abstract: Is exposure to gestational stress in the critical time window for the normal differentiation and growth of male reproductive tissue associated with male reproductive function in offspring in later life? Exposure to stressful life events (SLEs) in early, but not late gestation, are associated with reduced adult male reproductive function, consistent with the hypothesis that events during early prenatal life programme adult male reproductive function. Animal studies suggest that gestational stress may impact on the reproductive function of male offspring, but human evidence is sparse. Using a prospective longitudinal cohort, we examined the association between number and type of maternal stressors during pregnancy in both early and late gestation and reproductive function in 643 male Generation 2 (offspring) at age 20 years. Mothers and their male Generation 2 (offspring) from The Raine Study participated. Mothers prospectively reported SLEs during pregnancy recorded at gestational weeks 18 and 34 using a standardized 10-point questionnaire. The 643 male Generation 2 (offspring) underwent testicular ultrasound examination and semen analysis and provided serum for reproductive hormone analysis. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine associations. Of 643 recruited males, 407 (63%) were exposed to at least one SLE in early gestation. Fewer SLEs were reported in late gestation (n = 343, 53%). Maternal SLE exposure in early gestation was negatively associated with total sperm count (β = -0.31, 95% CI -0.58 -0.03), number of progressive motile sperm (β = -0.15, 95% CI -0.31 0.00) and morning serum testosterone concentration (β = -0.04, 95% CI -0.09 -0.00). No similar effects of maternal SLE exposure in late pregnancy were detected. The large s le size and an objective detailed direct assessment of adult male reproductive function with strict external quality control for sperm quality, as well as detailed prospectively collected information on prenatal SLEs in two distinct time windows of pregnancy reported by the women in early and late gestation along with other risk factors, imply minimal possibility of recall, information bias and selection bias. When assessing our results, we adjusted for a priori chosen confounders, but residual confounding or confounding by factors unbeknown to us cannot be ruled out. It is not possible to measure how SLEs impacted differently on the mother's experience or perception of stress. Resilience (coping) gradients may alter cortisol levels and thus modify the associations we observed and the mothers' own perception of stress severity may have provided a more precise estimate of her exposure. Our findings suggest that exposure to SLEs in early, but not late gestation, are associated with reduced adult male reproductive function. Improved support for women with exposure to SLEs during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester, may improve the reproductive health of their male offspring in later life. Intervention studies of improved pregnancy support could provide more insight into this association and more information is needed about the potential specific epigenetic mechanisms underlying this association. The male fertility sub-study was funded by NHMRC Grant 634 457. The core management of the Raine Study is funded by University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Telethon Kids Institute, Women and Infants Research Foundation, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Notre Dame Australia and Raine Medical Research foundation. Dr Bräuner's salary was supported by Læge Sofus Carl Emil Friis og Hustru Olga Doris Friis foundation in Denmark. All authors declare no competing interests. N/A.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 23-02-2023
DOI: 10.3390/LIFE13030618
Abstract: Background: Maternal exposure to cigarette smoke in pregnancy may play a role in the development of testicular cancer in offspring. An updated and comprehensive systematic review of the available evidence is needed. Objective: To identify and evaluate current evidence on maternal exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy and testicular cancer in offspring. Methods: A systematic search of English peer-reviewed original literature in PubMed through a block search approach. Publications were considered if assessing maternal exposure to cigarette smoke and the risk of testicular cancer in offspring. Results: Among the 636 identified records, 14 publications were eligible for review and 10 for meta-analysis. Quality assessment of the publications was conducted. Most included publications were case-control studies (n = 11, 79%), while the remaining were ecological studies (n = 3, 21%). Completeness of reporting was high, but more than half were considered subject to potential bias. The trend synthesis showed that half (n = 7) of the included publications demonstrated a higher risk of testicular cancer in the sons of mothers exposed to cigarette smoke during pregnancy. The meta-analysis generated an overall summary risk estimate of 1.00 (95% CI: 0.88 1.15) (n = 10 publications), with a lower risk for seminoma (0.79, 95% CI: 0.59 1.04) and nonseminoma (0.96, 95% CI: 0.74 1.26) (n = 4 publications). Conclusions: This systematic review did not provide evidence of an association between maternal exposure to cigarette smoke and risk of testicular cancer in offspring. An overall positive trend was suggested, but it had low statistical precision. The methodological limitations across publications encourage further research based on valid exposure data.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2004
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-04-2021
DOI: 10.1002/IJC.33563
Abstract: The association between oophorectomy and risk of breast cancer in the general population is uncertain. The aim of our study was to determine the breast cancer rate in women from the general population after oophorectomy (performed before/after menopause), and whether this varies by use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), hysterectomy, body mass index (BMI) and shift work. The study included 24 409 female nurses (aged ≥45 years) participating in the Danish Nurse Cohort. Nurses were followed from cohort entry until date of breast cancer, death, emigration or end of follow‐up at 31 December 2018, whichever came first. Poisson regression with log‐transformed person‐years as the offset examined the association between oophorectomy and breast cancer (all ages and stratified by menopausal status at time of oophorectomy). The potential modifying effect of HRT use, hysterectomy, BMI and shift work on the associations was estimated. During 502 463 person‐years of follow‐up, 1975 (8.1%) nurses were diagnosed with breast cancer. Bilateral oophorectomy was associated with a reduced breast cancer rate compared to nurses with preserved ovaries, adjusted rate ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.79 (0.64 0.99). Similar associations (magnitude and direction) were detected for unilateral oophorectomy and when stratifying according to menopausal status at time of oophorectomy, but without statistical significance. Unilateral and bilateral oophorectomy is associated with a reduced breast cancer rate in women from the general population. This association is not modified by use of HRT, hysterectomy, BMI or shift work.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 14-08-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-08-2017
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-2013
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-03-2021
Abstract: Is there an association between prenatal exposure to stressful life events and age at menarche, and does childhood BMI mediate this association? Girls exposed to prenatal stress had a slightly earlier age at menarche, but this association did not show a dose-response effect and was not mediated by childhood offspring BMI. Prenatal stress may impact on reproductive function in females including age at menarche, but human data are very limited. High childhood BMI is known to be associated with earlier age at menarche. Only one small study has measured the association between maternal stress and age at menarche and reported that childhood BMI mediated the association between maternal stress and earlier age at menarche. However, neither maternal stress nor age at menarche was prospectively recorded and the study was limited to 31 mother–daughter pairs. The Raine Study is a large prospective population-based pregnancy cohort study (n = 1414 mother–daughter pairs) continuously followed from prenatal life through to adolescence. In the present study, we examined the association between exposure to maternal stressful life events during early, late and total gestation and age at menarche in offspring using 753 mother–daughter pairs with complete case information. Mothers prospectively reported stressful life events during pregnancy at 18 and 34 weeks using a standardized 10-point questionnaire. Exact date of menarche was assessed using a purpose-designed questionnaire at 8, 10, 14 and 17 years of age. Complete information on exposure, outcome and confounding variables was obtained from 753 mothers–daughter pairs. Multivariate linear regression complete case analysis was used to examine associations between maternal stressful life event exposure and age at menarche. Potential selection bias was evaluated using multiple imputations (50 datasets). The mediating effects of offspring childhood BMI (ages 5, 8, or 10 years) on these associations were measured in separate sub-analyses. Most (580/753, 77%) daughters were exposed to at least one prenatal stressful life event. Exposure to maternal stressful life events during the entire pregnancy was associated with a non-linear earlier age at menarche. Exposure to one event and two or more psychological stressful events was associated with a 3.5 and 1.7-month earlier onset of puberty, respectively when compared to the reference group with no exposure maternal stressful life events. The estimates from multiple imputation with 50 datasets were comparable with complete case analysis confirming the existence of an underlying effect. No separate significant effects were observed for exposure during early or late gestation. The association between prenatal stressful events and age at menarche was not mediated by childhood BMI in the offspring. Stressful life events may have affected pregnant women in different ways and self-perceived maternal stress severity may have provided a more precise estimate of gestational psychological stress. The observed non-linear U-shape of the association between maternal psychological stress and age at menarche did not reflect a dose-response. This suggests that the first exposure to prenatal stress exerts a greater effect on fetal reproductive development. A potential mechanism is via dramatic initial activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis following the first stressful life event which is greater than that observed following subsequent exposure to two or more maternal stressful life events. Whilst we adjusted for a priori chosen confounders, we cannot exclude residual confounding or confounding by factors we did not include. Maternal age at menarche was not available so the effects of familial history/genetics could not be assessed. There was a large loss due to the number of girls with no information on date of menarche and missing confounder information implying risk of selection bias and multiple imputation analyses did not fully exclude this risk (similar direction but slightly weaker estimate magnitude). Menarche is a sentinel reproductive event and earlier age at menarche carries implications for psychological, social and reproductive health and for long-term risk of common non-communicable diseases. Understanding the factors regulating age at menarche has extensive health implications. This is the first population-based cohort study in humans to demonstrate that prenatal psychological stress might directly modify age at menarche. Dr. Bräuner and Trine Koch’s salaries were supported by Doctor Sofus Carl Emil Friis and spouse Olga Doris Friis foundation, The Danish Cancer Society (Kræftens Bekæmpelse, RP15468, R204-A12636, Denmark) and The Danish Health Foundation (Helsefonden, F-22181-23, Denmark). Martha Hickey was funded by NHMRC Practitioner Fellowships. The funding bodies played no role in the design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of data in the writing of the manuscript or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Dr. Hart has received personal fees in his function as the Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia and received educational sponsorship grants from MSD, Merck-Serono and from Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Dr Hart has also received personal fees from Shareholders in Western IVF outside the submitted work. NA.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2015.11.005
Abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitously present in the environment and are suspected of carcinogenic, neurotoxic and immunotoxic effects. Significantly higher plasma concentrations of the congener PCB 28 occur in children compared to adults. Exposure in schools may contribute to this difference. To determine whether increased blood plasma concentrations of PCB 28 in Danish school children and mothers are associated with living in homes or attending schools constructed in the PCB period (1959-1977). PCB 28 was analyzed in plasma s les from 116 children aged 6-11years and 143 mothers living in an urban and a rural area in Denmark and participating in the European pilot project DEMOCOPHES (Demonstration of a study to COordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale). In Denmark, PCBs were used in construction in the period 1950-1977, and year of construction or renovation of the homes and schools was used as a proxy for indoor PCB exposure. Linear regression models were used to assess the association between potential PCB exposure from building materials and lipid adjusted concentrations of PCB 28 in plasma, with and without adjustment for potential confounders. Among the 116 children and 143 mothers, we were able to specify home construction period in all but 4 children and 5 mothers leaving 111 children and 138 mothers for our analyses. The median lipid adjusted plasma PCB 28 concentration was 3 (range: 1-28) ng/g lipid in the children and 2 (range: 1-8) ng/g lipid in the mothers. Children living in homes built in the PCB period had significantly higher lipid adjusted plasma PCB 28 concentrations compared to children living in homes built before or after the PCB period. Following adjustment for covariates, PCB 28 concentrations in children were 40 (95% CI: 13 68) percent higher than concentrations of children living in homes constructed at other times. Furthermore, children attending schools built or substantially refurbished in the PCB period also had significantly higher (46%, 95% CI: 22 70) PCB 28 concentrations compared to children attending schools constructed before or after the PCB period, while their mothers had similar concentrations. Adjustment for the most prevalent congener, PCB 153, did not change this effect of home or school construction. When both home and school construction year were included in the models, the increase in lipid adjusted plasma PCB 28 for children living in or attending schools from the PCB period was no longer statistically significant. The in idual effect of home and school construction periods could not be evaluated further with the available data. Our results suggest that PCB exposure in the indoor environment in schools and homes constructed during the PCB period may contribute significantly to children's plasma PCB 28 concentration. Efforts to minimize PCB exposure in indoor environments should be considered.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-02-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ANDR.13161
Abstract: Anogenital distance (AGD), the distance between the anus and genitals, is in rodents a well‐established marker of early androgen action and has been suggested to be so in humans as well. Thus, a link between human AGD and semen quality and potentially fecundity may exist. The aim of this study was to assess the association between AGD and male factor infertility and among proven fertile men also time to pregnancy (TTP). All included men were recruited from and examined at Copenhagen University Hospital ‐ Rigshospitalet, Denmark ( N = 388). Men with impaired semen quality were included from infertile couples ( N = 128), and men with naturally conceived pregnant partners were invited to participate when their partners had their routine second trimester examination ( N = 260). All men underwent a physical examination, completed a questionnaire (including TTP for the fertile men), delivered a semen s le and had a blood s le drawn. The primary exposure was AGD AS measured from the centre of the anus to the posterior base of the scrotum. Associations between AGD and fertility status as well as between AGD and TTP among the fertile men were calculated using multiple logistic regression adjusted for covariates. AGD did not show a statistically significant association with fertility status. In adjusted logistic regression models, the odds of infertility per 1 cm increase in AGD AS were 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88 1.19). Among fertile men, a 1‐cm increase in AGD AS was associated with an 8% non‐statistically significantly reduced odds of having a longer ( months) TTP (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.76–1.11). Our study showed that the clinical application of AGD as a predictor of fertility and fecundity seems to be limited as no associations were observed between AGD and fertility status, nor was the decreased risk of experiencing a longer TTP with longer AGD AS statistically significant.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2023
DOI: 10.1002/JBM4.10750
Abstract: Fragility fractures, resulting from low‐energy trauma, occur in approximately 1 in 10 Danish women aged 50 years or older. Bilateral oophorectomy (surgical removal of both ovaries) may increase the risk of fragility fractures due to loss of ovarian sex steroids, particularly estrogen. We investigated the association between bilateral oophorectomy and risk of fragility fracture and whether this was conditional on age at time of bilateral oophorectomy, hormone therapy (HT) use, hysterectomy, physical activity level, body mass index (BMI), or smoking. We performed a cohort study of 25,853 female nurses (≥45 years) participating in the Danish Nurse Cohort. Nurses were followed from age 50 years or entry into the cohort, whichever came last, until date of first fragility fracture, death, emigration, or end of follow‐up on December 31, 2018, whichever came first. Cox regression models with age as the underlying time scale were used to estimate the association between time‐varying bilateral oophorectomy (all ages, /≥51 years) and incident fragility fracture (any and site‐specific [forearm, hip, spine, and other]). Exposure and outcome were ascertained from nationwide patient registries. During 491,626 person‐years of follow‐up, 6600 nurses (25.5%) with incident fragility fractures were identified, and 1938 (7.5%) nurses had a bilateral oophorectomy. The frequency of fragility fractures was 24.1% in nurses who were years at time of bilateral oophorectomy and 18.1% in nurses who were ≥51 years. No statistically significant associations were observed between bilateral oophorectomy at any age and fragility fractures at any site. Neither HT use, hysterectomy, physical activity level, BMI, nor smoking altered the results. © 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 16-07-2019
Abstract: Epidemiological studies suggest that road traffic noise increases the risk of stroke. Similar effects may be expected from wind turbine noise ( WTN ) exposure, but epidemiological evidence is lacking. The present study investigated the association between long‐term exposure to WTN and the risk for stroke. First‐ever stroke in 28 731 female nurses in the Danish Nurse Cohort was identified in the Danish National Patient register until the end of 2013. WTN , traffic noise, and air pollution exposures were estimated for all historic and present residential addresses between 1982 and 2013. Time‐varying Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine the associations between the 11‐, 5‐, and 1‐year rolling means of WTN levels and stroke incidence. Of 23 912 nurses free of stroke at the cohort baseline, 1097 nurses developed stroke by the end of follow‐up. At the cohort baseline, 10.3% of nurses were exposed to WTN (≥1 turbine within a 6000‐meter radius of the residence) and 13.3% in 2013. Mean baseline residential noise levels among exposed nurses were 26.3 dB (A). No association between long‐term WTN exposure and stroke incidence was found. The adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs for the 11‐, 5‐, and 1‐year running mean residential WTN exposures preceding stroke diagnosis, comparing nurses with residential WTN levels above and below 20 dB (A) were 1.09 (0.90–1.31), 1.08 (0.89–1.31) and 1.08 (0.89–1.32), respectively. This comprehensive cohort study lends no support to an association between long‐term WTN exposure and stroke risk.
Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)
Date: 12-10-2020
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2019
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-01-2023
DOI: 10.3390/LIFE13020278
Abstract: Asthma is driven by an inflammatory response that may impact testicular function. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between self-reported asthma and testicular function (semen parameters, reproductive hormone levels), and determined whether potential further inflammation due to self-reported allergy modified this association. A total of 6177 men from the general population completed a questionnaire including information on doctor-diagnosed asthma or allergy, had a physical examination, delivered a semen s le, and had a blood s le drawn. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed. A total of 656 (10.6%) men reported having ever been diagnosed with asthma. Generally, self-reported asthma was consistently associated with a poorer testicular function however, few estimates were statistically significant. Specifically, self-reported asthma was associated with statistically significant lower total sperm count [median: 133 vs. 145 million adjusted β (95% CI): −0.18 (−0.33 to −0.04) million on cubic-root-transformed scale] and borderline statistically significant lower sperm concentration compared with no self-reported asthma. The association between asthma and total sperm count was of similar magnitude among men with and without allergy. In conclusion, men with self-reported asthma had poorer testicular function than men without asthma. However, the cross-sectional design of the study limits ascertainment of causality.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 09-12-2010
DOI: 10.1021/ES102489C
Abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitously present in the environment and suspected of carcinogenic, neurological, and immunological effects. Our purpose was to identify predictors of adipose tissue levels of mono-, di-, and tri-ortho-substituted PCBs experienced by a general population and to establish whether predictors vary according to substitution group. In this study of 245 randomly selected persons from a prospective Danish cohort of 57,053 persons, we examined geographical area, age, lactation, BMI, and intake of eight major dietary groups as potential determinants of adipose concentrations of mono-, di-, and tri-ortho-substituted PCBs by linear regression analyses. Lactation, BMI, and intake of fruit, vegetables, and dairy products showed negative associations with PCB concentrations in adipose tissue in all models, and living in Copenhagen city, age, and consumption of fish (particularly fatty fish) were positively associated. The associations between several of the predictors and mono-ortho-substituted PCBs tended to differ from the associations found for di- and tri-ortho-substituted PCBs. In conclusion, geography, age, lactation, BMI, and consumption of fatty fish consistently predicted the concentration of PCBs in adipose tissue. Our results indicate that predictors of PCBs varied according to substitution group, suggesting that ortho-substituted groups should be analyzed separately.
Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)
Date: 06-04-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-11-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12940-021-00802-2
Abstract: Road traffic noise has been linked to increased risk of ischemic heart disease, yet evidence on stroke shows mixed results. We examine the association between long-term exposure to road traffic noise and incidence of stroke, overall and by subtype (ischemic or hemorrhagic), after adjustment for air pollution. Twenty-five thousand six hundred and sixty female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort recruited in 1993 or 1999 were followed for stroke-related first-ever hospital contact until December 31st, 2014. Full residential address histories since 1970 were obtained and annual means of road traffic noise (L den [dB]) and air pollutants (particulate matter with diameter 2.5 μm and 10 μm [PM 2.5 and PM 10 ], nitrogen dioxide [NO 2 ], nitrogen oxides [NOx]) were determined using validated models. Time-varying Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) for the associations of one-, three-, and 23-year running means of L den preceding stroke (all, ischemic or hemorrhagic), adjusting for stroke risk factors and air pollutants. The World Health Organization and the Danish government’s maximum exposure recommendations of 53 and 58 dB, respectively, were explored as potential L den thresholds. Of 25,660 nurses, 1237 developed their first stroke (1089 ischemic, 148 hemorrhagic) during 16 years mean follow-up. For associations between a 1-year mean of L den and overall stroke incidence, the estimated HR (95% CI) in the fully adjusted model was 1.06 (0.98–1.14) per 10 dB, which attenuated to 1.01 (0.93–1.09) and 1.00 (0.91–1.09) in models further adjusted for PM 2.5 or NO 2 , respectively. Associations for other exposure periods or separately for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were similar. There was no evidence of a threshold association between L den and stroke. Long-term exposure to road traffic noise was suggestively positively associated with the risk of overall stroke, although not after adjusting for air pollution.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1080/08958370802304735
Abstract: Particulate air pollution is associated with increased risk of pulmonary diseases and detrimental outcomes related to the cardiovascular system, including altered vessel functions. This study's objective was too evaluate the effects of ambient particle exposure on the blood-gas permeability, lung function and Clara cell 16 (CC16) protein release in healthy young subjects. Twenty-nine nonsmokers participated in a randomized, two-factor crossover study with or without biking exercise for 180 min and with 24-h exposure to particle-rich (6169-15,362 particles/cm(3) 7.0-11.6 microg/m(3) PM(2.5) 7.5-15.8 microg/m(3) PM(10-2.5)) or filtered (91-542 particles/cm(3)) air collected above a busy street. The clearance rate of aerosolized (99m)Tc-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ((99m)Tc-DTPA) was measured as an index for the alveolar epithelial membrane integrity and permeability of the lung blood-gas barrier after rush-hour exposure. Lung function was assessed using body plethysmography, flow-volume curves, and measurements of the diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide. CC16 was measured in plasma and urine as another marker of alveolar integrity. Particulate matter exposure had no significant effect on the epithelial membrane integrity using the methods available in this study. Exercise increased the clearance rate of (99m)Tc-DTPA indicated by a 6.8% (95% CI: 0.4-12.8%) shorter half-life and this was more pronounced in men than women. Neither particulate matter exposure nor exercise had an effect on the concentration of CC16 in plasma and urine or on the static and dynamic volumes or ventilation distribution of the lungs. The study thus demonstrates increased permeability of the alveolar blood-gas barrier following moderate exercise, whereas exposure to ambient levels of urban air particles has no detectable effects on the alveolar blood-gas barrier or lung function.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2018.10.011
Abstract: Growing evidence supports the concept that traffic noise exposure leads to long-term health complications other than annoyance, including cardiovascular disease. Similar effects may be expected from wind turbine noise exposure, but evidence is sparse. Here, we examined the association between long-term exposure to wind turbine noise and incidence of myocardial infarction (MI). We used the Danish Nurse Cohort with 28,731 female nurses and obtained data on incidence of MI in the Danish National Patient and Causes of Death Registries until ultimo 2013. Wind turbine noise levels at residential addresses between 1982 and 2013 were estimated using the Nord2000 noise propagation model, as the annual means of a weighted 24-hour average (L Of 23,994 nurses free of MI at cohort baseline, 686 developed MI by end of follow-up in 2013. At the cohort baseline (1993 or 1999), 10.4% nurses were exposed to wind turbine noise (≥1 turbine within a 6000-m radius of the residence) and 13.3% in 2013. Mean baseline residential noise levels among exposed nurses were 26.3 dB, higher in those who developed MI (26.6 dB) than among those who didn't develop MI (26.3 dB). We found no association between wind turbine noise and MI incidence: adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing nurses with 11-years mean residential noise levels of 29.9 dB, to non-exposed nurses were 0.89 (0.64-1.25), 1.20 (0.82-1.77), 1.38 (0.95-2.01), and 0.88 (0.53-1.28), respectively. Corresponding HR (95% CI) for the linear association between 11-year mean levels of wind turbine noise (per 10 dB increase) with MI incidence was 0.99 (0.77-1.28). Similar associations were observed when considering the 5- and 1-year running means, and with no evidence of dose-response. The results of this comprehensive cohort study lend little support to a causal association between outdoor long-term wind-turbine noise exposure and MI. However, there were only few cases in the highest exposure groups and our findings need reproduction.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-10-2008
Abstract: Particulate air pollution is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events although the involved mechanisms are poorly understood. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of controlled exposure to ambient air fine and ultrafine particles on microvascular function and biomarkers related to inflammation, haemostasis and lipid and protein oxidation. Twenty-nine subjects participated in a randomized, two-factor crossover study with or without biking exercise for 180 minutes and with 24 hour exposure to particle rich (number concentrations, NC: 11600 ± 5600 per cm 3 , mass concentrations: 13.8 ± 7.4 μg/m 3 and 10.5 ± 4.8 μg/m 3 for PM 10-2.5 and PM 2.5 , respectively) or particle filtered (NC: 555 ± 1053 per cm 3 ) air collected above a busy street. Microvascular function was assessed non-invasively by measuring digital peripheral artery tone following arm ischemia. Biomarkers included haemoglobin, red blood cells, platelet count, coagulation factors, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor α, lag time to copper-induced oxidation of plasma lipids and protein oxidation measured as 2-aminoadipic semialdehyde in plasma. No statistically significant differences were observed on microvascular function or the biomarkers after exposure to particle rich or particle filtered air. This study indicates that exposure to air pollution particles at outdoor concentrations is not associated with detectable systemic inflammation, lipid or protein oxidation, altered haemostasis or microvascular function in young healthy participants.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00750A
Abstract: Organochlorine pesticides are present in the environment and suspected of causing serious health effects. Diet has been the main exposure source, but indoor source release is gaining focus. Within a monitoring study of polychlorinated biphenyls of Danish buildings built during the 1960s and 1970s, we coincidently determined extreme levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) levels in two of ten random s les. This raises concern and further large scale investigations are warranted to confirm this.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2006
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2006.05.008
Abstract: Effects of tetracycline residues from pig manure slurry on the prevalence of tetracycline-resistant bacteria and the tetracycline resistance gene, tet(M), were studied in soil microcosms. Four types of soil microcosms were established for a period of 152 days, supplemented with combinations of pig manure slurry and a tetracycline-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, CG110, containing the tetracycline resistance gene tet(M) (on the conjugative transposon, Tn916). The prevalence of both tetracycline-resistant aerobic bacteria and tetracycline-resistant enterococci declined rapidly until day 45 where no significant differences in the levels of tetracycline-resistant bacteria in any of the four types of microcosms could be detected. tet(M) could be detected in microcosms supplemented with either pig manure slurry and/or E. faecalis CG110 (tet(M)) for the whole period (152 days). tet(M) could be detected longer than tetracycline-resistant enterococci could be isolated (limit of detection 100 CFU/g soil) probably due to viable but not culturable (VBNC) bacteria with tet(M), horizontal gene transfer of tet(M) to indigenous soil bacteria or presence of "free" DNA. The concentration of chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline were almost stable through out the experimental period, but the tetracycline concentrations had no effect on prevalence of tetracycline-resistant bacteria. The presented microcosm approach simulated natural farmland conditions well and supported results from previous field studies.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-09-2013
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 05-2015
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-67144-4_4
Abstract: Public health relies on technologies to produce and analyse data, as well as effectively develop and implement policies and practices. An ex le is the public health practice of epidemiology, which relies on computational technology to monitor the health status of populations, identify disadvantaged or at risk population groups and thereby inform health policy and priority setting. Critical to achieving health improvements for the underserved population of people living with rare diseases is early diagnosis and best care. In the rare diseases field, the vast majority of diseases are caused by destructive but previously difficult to identify protein-coding gene mutations. The reduction in cost of genetic testing and advances in the clinical use of genome sequencing, data science and imaging are converging to provide more precise understandings of the 'person-time-place' triad. That is: who is affected (people) when the disease is occurring (time) and where the disease is occurring (place). Consequently we are witnessing a paradigm shift in public health policy and practice towards 'precision public health'.Patient and stakeholder engagement has informed the need for a national public health policy framework for rare diseases. The engagement approach in different countries has produced highly comparable outcomes and objectives. Knowledge and experience sharing across the international rare diseases networks and partnerships has informed the development of the Western Australian Rare Diseases Strategic Framework 2015-2018 (RD Framework) and Australian government health briefings on the need for a National plan.The RD Framework is guiding the translation of genomic and other technologies into the Western Australian health system, leading to greater precision in diagnostic pathways and care, and is an ex le of how a precision public health framework can improve health outcomes for the rare diseases population.Five vignettes are used to illustrate how policy decisions provide the scaffolding for translation of new genomics knowledge, and catalyze transformative change in delivery of clinical services. The vignettes presented here are from an Australian perspective and are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to provide insights into how a new and emerging 'precision public health' paradigm can improve the experiences of patients living with rare diseases, their caregivers and families.The conclusion is that genomic public health is informed by the in idual and family needs, and the population health imperatives of an early and accurate diagnosis which is the portal to best practice care. Knowledge sharing is critical for public health policy development and improving the lives of people living with rare diseases.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVINT.2019.104915
Abstract: The potential health effects related to wind turbine noise (WTN) have received increased focus during the past decades, but evidence is sparse. We examined the association between long-term exposure to wind turbine noise and incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). First ever hospital admission of AF amongst 28,731 female nurses in the Danish Nurse Cohort were identified in the Danish National Patient register until ultimo 2013. WTN levels at residential addresses between 1982 and 2013 were estimated using the Nord2000 noise propagation model, as the annual means of L 1430 nurses developed AF by end of follow-up in 2013. Mean (standard deviation) baseline residential noise levels amongst exposed nurses were 26.3 (6.7) dB and slightly higher in those who developed AF (27.3 (7.31) dB), than those who didn't (26.2 (6.6)). We observed a 30% statistically significant increased risk (95% CI: 1.05-1.61) of AF amongst nurses exposed to long-term (11-year running mean) WTN levels ≥20 dB(A) at night compared to nurses exposed to levels <20 dB(A). Similar effects were observed with day (HR 1.25 95% CI: 1.01-1.54), and evening (HR 1.25 95% CI: 1.01-1.54) noise levels. We found suggestive evidence of an association between long-term exposure to WTN and AF amongst female nurses. However, interpretation should be cautious as exposure levels were low.
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Date: 16-07-2021
Abstract: The incidence of many hormone-dependent diseases, including testicular cancer, has sharply increased in all high-income countries during the 20th century. This is not fully explained by established risk factors. Concurrent, increasing exposure to antiandrogenic environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in fetal life may partially explain this trend. This systematic review assessed available evidence regarding the association between environmental EDC exposure and risk of testicular cancer (seminomas and nonseminomas). Following PRISMA guidelines, a search of English peer-reviewed literature published prior to December 14, 2020 in the databases PubMed and Embase® was performed. Among the 279 identified records, 19 were eligible for quality assessment and 10 for further meta-analysis. The completeness of reporting was high across papers, but over 50% were considered subject to potential risk of bias. Mean age at diagnosis was 31.9 years. None considered effects of EDC multipollutant mixtures. The meta-analyses showed that maternal exposure to combined EDCs was associated with a higher risk of testicular cancer in male offspring [summary risk ratios: 2.16, (95% CI:1.78-2.62), 1.93 (95% CI:1.49-2.48), and 2.78 (95% CI:2.27-3.41) for all, seminoma, and nonseminoma, respectively]. Similarly, high maternal exposures to grouped organochlorines and organohalogens were associated with higher risk of seminoma and nonseminoma in the offspring. Summary estimates related to postnatal adult male EDC exposures were inconsistent. Maternal, but not postnatal adult male, EDC exposures were consistently associated with a higher risk of testicular cancer, particularly risk of nonseminomas. However, the quality of studies was mixed, and considering the fields complexity, more prospective studies of prenatal EDC multipollutant mixture exposures and testicular cancer are needed.
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Date: 2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/IJC.33776
Abstract: Worldwide, colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer and third cause of cancer death in women. Estrogen exposure has been inversely associated with colorectal cancer. Oophorectomy reduces circulating estrogen, but the effect on colorectal cancer remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to examine the association between unilateral and bilateral oophorectomy and subsequent risk of colorectal cancer, and whether this association varied by menopausal status at time of oophorectomy, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at baseline, hysterectomy and baseline body mass index (BMI). The study included 25 698 female nurses (aged ≥45 years) participating in the Danish Nurse Cohort. Nurses were followed from baseline until date of colorectal cancer, death, emigration or end of follow‐up at December 31, 2018, whichever came first. We examined the association between oophorectomy and colorectal cancer (all ages and stratified by menopausal status). The potential modifying effects of hysterectomy, HRT use at baseline and BMI were investigated. During 542 140 person‐years of follow‐up, 863 (3.4%) nurses were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Bilateral oophorectomy was associated with a 79% increased colorectal cancer rate, adjusted rate ratio (aRR) (95% confidence interval [CI]): 1.79 (1.33‐2.42). Effect estimates following unilateral oophorectomy also showed higher rate of colorectal cancer, although less pronounced and nonstatistically significant (aRR) (95% CI): 1.25 (0.86‐1.82). Similar results were seen when stratifying by menopausal status. The association was not modified by baseline HRT use, hysterectomy or BMI. Oophorectomy was associated with increased rate of colorectal cancer, with highest rates among women with bilateral oophorectomy.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 31-01-2022
DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001943
Abstract: Globally, dementia disproportionally affects women, which is not fully explained by higher female longevity. Oophorectomy at any age leads to the permanent loss of ovarian sex steroids, potentially increasing the risk of dementia. We aimed to investigate the association between oophorectomy and dementia and whether this was conditional on age at oophorectomy, hysterectomy or use of hormone therapy (HT). A prospective study of 24,851 female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort. Nurses were followed from age 60 years or entry into the cohort, whichever came last, until date of dementia, death, emigration or end of follow-up (December 31, 2018), whichever came first. Poisson regression models with log-transformed person-years as offset were used to estimate the associations. During 334,420 person-years of follow-up, 1,238 (5.0%) nurses developed dementia and 1,969 (7.9%)/ 1,016 (4.1%) contributed person-time after bilateral-/unilateral oophorectomy. In adjusted analyses, an 18% higher rate of dementia was observed following bilateral oophorectomy (aRR 1.18: 95% CI, 0.89-1.56) and 13% lower rate (aRR 0.87: 95% CI, 0.59-1.23) following unilateral oophorectomy compared to nurses who retained their ovaries. Similar effects were detected after stratification according to age at oophorectomy. No statistically significant modifying effects of hysterectomy or HT were detected ( P interaction ≥0.60). Bilateral, but not unilateral, oophorectomy was associated with an increased rate of incident dementia. We were unable to establish whether this association was conditional on hysterectomy or HT use. Although an increase in dementia after bilateral oophorectomy is biologically plausible, limited statistical power h ers the precision of the estimates.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ANDR.12835
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.CANLET.2008.02.030
Abstract: There is growing concern that air pollution exposure increases the risk of lung cancer. The mechanism of action is related to particle-induced oxidative stress and oxidation of DNA. Humans exposed to urban air with vehicle emissions have elevated levels of oxidized guanine bases in blood cells and urine. Animal experimental studies show that pulmonary and gastrointestinal exposure is associated with elevated levels of oxidized guanines in the lung and other organs. Collectively, there is evidence indicating that exposure to traffic-related air pollution particles is associated with oxidative damage to DNA and this might be associated with increased risk of cancer.
Publisher: American Thoracic Society
Date: 15-02-2008
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1289/EHP4389
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0578
Abstract: Background: An association between air pollution and breast cancer risk has been suggested, but evidence is sparse and inconclusive. Methods: We included 22,877 female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort who were recruited in 1993 or 1999 and followed them for incidence of breast cancer (N = 1,145) until 2013 in the Danish Cancer Register. We estimated annual mean concentrations of particulate matter with diameter & .5 μg/m3 (PM2.5) and & μg/m3 (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at nurses' residences since 1990 using an atmospheric chemistry transport model. We examined the association between the 3-year running mean of each pollutant and breast cancer incidence using a time-varying Cox regression. Results: We found no association between breast cancer and PM2.5 (HR, 0.99 95% confidence interval, 0.94–1.10 per interquartile range of 3.3 μg/m3), PM10 (1.02 0.94–1.10 per 2.9 μg/m3), or NO2 (0.99 0.93–1.05 per 7.4 μg/m3). Conclusions: Air pollution is not associated with breast cancer risk. Impact: Exposure to air pollution in adulthood does not increase the risk of breast cancer, but more data on the effects of early exposure, before first birth, are needed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 26(3) 428–30. ©2016 AACR.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 25-04-2022
Abstract: Globally, the ages at pubertal onset for girls and boys have been decreasing during recent decades, partly attributed to excess body fat accumulation. However, a growing body of literature has recognized that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may play an important role in this global trend, but the association has not yet been fully established. EDCs can interfere with normal hormone function and metabolism and play a role in pubertal onset. We aimed to systematically identify and evaluate the current evidence on the timing of pubertal onset in girls and boys following prenatal or postnatal exposures to xenobiotic EDCs. Following PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic literature search of original peer-reviewed publications in the PubMed database through a block search approach using a combination of index MeSH and free text search terms. Publications were considered if they covered biomarkers of prenatal or postnatal exposures to xenobiotic EDCs (European Commission’s list of category 1 EDCs) measured in maternal or child biospecimen and pubertal onset defined by the progression of the following milestones (and assessed in terms of the following measures): menarche (age), thelarche (Tanner staging) and pubarche (Tanner staging), in girls, and genital stage (Tanner staging), testicular volume (ml) and pubarche (Tanner staging), in boys. The literature search resulted in 703 references, of which we identified 52 publications fulfilling the eligibility criteria for the qualitative trend synthesis and 23 publications for the meta-analysis. The qualitative trend synthesis provided data on 103 combinations of associations between prenatal or postnatal exposure to EDC compounds groups and puberty outcomes and the meta-analysis enabled 18 summary risk estimates of meta-associations. Statistically significant associations in the qualitative trend synthesis suggested that postnatal exposure to phthalates may be associated with earlier thelarche and later pubarche. However, we did not find consistent evidence in the meta-analysis for associations between timing of pubertal onset in girls and boys and exposures to any of the studied xenobiotic EDCs. We were not able to identify specific pre- or postnatal windows of exposure as particularly critical and susceptible for effects of EDCs. Current evidence is subject to several methodological challenges and inconsistencies and evidence on specific exposure-outcome associations remains too scarce to firmly confirm EDC exposure as a risk factor for changes in age of pubertal onset in the general child population. To create a more uniform foundation for future comparison of evidence and to strengthen pooled studies, we recommend the use of more standardized approaches in the choice of statistical analyses, with exposure transformations, and in the definitions and assessments of puberty outcomes. The impact of mixtures of EDC exposures on the association also remains unestablished and would be valuable to elucidate for prenatal and postnatal windows of exposure. Future large, longitudinal epidemiological studies are needed to clarify the overall association.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.153057
Abstract: Long-term road traffic noise exposure is linked to cardio-metabolic disease morbidity, whereas evidence on mortality remains limited. We investigated association of long-term exposure to road traffic noise with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. We linked 22,858 females from the Danish Nurse Cohort (DNC), recruited into the Danish Register of Causes of Death up to 2014. Road traffic noise levels since 1970 were modelled by Nord2000 as the annual mean of a weighted 24 h average (L During follow-up (mean 17.4 years), 3902 nurses died: 1622 from cancer, 922 from CVDs (289 from stroke), 338 from respiratory diseases (186 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 114 from lower respiratory tract infections [ALRIs]), 234 from dementia, 95 from psychiatric disorders, and 79 from diabetes. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for all-cause mortality from fully-adjusted models were 1.06 (1.01, 1.11) and 1.09 (1.03, 1.15) per 10 dB of 5-year and 23-year mean L Among the female nurses from the DNC, we observed that long-term exposure to road traffic noise led to premature mortality, independently of air pollution, and its adverse effects may extend well beyond those on the cardio-metabolic system to include respiratory diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2016
Abstract: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide affecting more than 300 million people. Symptoms are often non-specific and include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Asthma may be highly variable within the same in idual over time. Although asthma results in death only in extreme cases, the disease is associated with significant morbidity, reduced quality of life, increased absenteeism, and large costs for society. Asthma can be diagnosed based on report of characteristic symptoms and/or the use of several different diagnostic tests. However, there is currently no gold standard for making a diagnosis, and some degree of misclassification and inter-observer variation can be expected. This may lead to local and regional differences in the treatment, monitoring, and follow-up of the patients. The Danish National Database for Asthma (DNDA) is slated to be established with the overall aim of collecting data on all patients treated for asthma in Denmark and systematically monitoring the treatment quality and disease management in both primary and secondary care facilities across the country. The DNDA links information from population-based disease registers in Denmark, including the National Patient Register, the National Prescription Registry, and the National Health Insurance Services register, and potentially includes all asthma patients in Denmark. The following quality indicators have been selected to monitor trends: first, conduction of annual asthma control visits, appropriate pharmacological treatment, measurement of lung function, and asthma challenge testing second, tools used for diagnosis in new cases and third, annual assessment of smoking status, height, and weight measurements, and the proportion of patients with acute hospital treatment. The DNDA will be launched in 2016 and will initially include patients treated in secondary care facilities in Denmark. In the nearby future, the database aims to include asthma diagnosis codes and clinical data registered by general practitioners and specialised practitioners as well.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-06-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ANDR.13063
Abstract: Infertility affects 15%–25% of all couples during their reproductive life span. It is a significant societal and public health problem with potential psychological, social, and economic consequences. Furthermore, infertility has been linked to adverse long‐term health outcomes. Despite the advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques available, approximately 30% of infertile couples do not obtain a live birth after fertility treatment. For these couples, there are no further options to increase their chances of a successful pregnancy and live birth. Three overall questions will be studied: (1) What are the risk factors and natural life courses of infertility, early embryonic loss, and adverse pregnancy outcomes? (2) Can we develop new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for fecundity and treatment success? And (3) what are the health characteristics of women and men in infertile couples at the time of fertility treatment and during long‐term follow‐up? ReproUnion Biobank and Infertility Cohort (RUBIC) is established as an add‐on to the routine fertility management at Copenhagen University Hospital Departments in the Capital Region of Denmark and Reproductive Medicine Centre at Skåne University Hospital in Sweden. The aim is to include a total of 5000 couples equally distributed between Denmark and Sweden. The first patients were enrolled in June 2020. All eligible infertile couples are prospectively asked to participate in the project. Participants complete an extensive questionnaire and undergo a physical examination and collection of biospecimens (blood, urine, hair, saliva, rectal swabs, feces, semen, endometrial biopsies, and vaginal swabs). After the cohort is established, the couples will be linked to the Danish and Swedish national registers to obtain information on parental, perinatal, childhood, and adult life histories, including disease and medication history. This will enable us to understand the causes of infertility and identify novel therapeutic options for this important societal problem.
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 08-2007
DOI: 10.1289/EHP.9984
Publisher: Medical Journals Sweden AB
Date: 05-12-2018
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 11-2021
DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001873
Abstract: Bilateral oophorectomy permanently reduces endogenous estrogen exposure and may increase cardiovascular mortality in women. This study aimed to investigate the association between bilateral oophorectomy and cardiovascular mortality and whether this association was conditional on hysterectomy or on the use of hormone therapy at the time of study entry. A prospective cohort study of 25,338 female nurses aged ≥ 45 years within the Danish Nurse Cohort. Nurses were enrolled in 1993 or 1999 and followed until death, emigration, or end of follow-up on December 31, 2018, whichever came first. Exposure was bilateral oophorectomy. Outcome was cardiovascular mortality. Associations were estimated using Poisson regression models with log person-years as the offset. A total of 2,040 (8.1%) participants underwent bilateral oophorectomy. During a mean follow-up of 21.2 (SD: 5.6) years, 772 (3.0%) nurses died from cardiovascular disease. In adjusted analyses, a 31% higher rate of cardiovascular mortality was observed after bilateral oophorectomy (aMRR 1.31 95% CI, 0.88-1.96) compared with women who retained their ovaries. No evidence of effect modification by use of hormone therapy at baseline or by hysterectomy on the association between bilateral oophorectomy and cardiovascular mortality was observed. Bilateral oophorectomy may be associated with cardiovascular mortality in women, but the estimate was not statistically significant. Additionally, we were unable to make firm conclusions regarding the possible modifying role of hormone therapy and hysterectomy on this potential association. Additional studies are needed to replicate this work.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-09-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-05-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: Environmental Health Perspectives
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1289/EHP.1408198
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-07-2013
DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2013.809703
Abstract: Exposure to PCBs may be an etiologic factor for breast cancer. The cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzymes are involved in estrogen metabolism and PCB metabolism, both of which may relate to breast cancer susceptibility. Polymorphisms in genes regulating these enzymes control efficiency. Our objective was to assess whether CYP1B1 and COMT gene polymorphisms modulate the effect of PCBs in breast cancer risk, among postmenopausal Danish women. Neither CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphisms nor adipose tissue PCBs were independently associated with breast cancer risk. When assessing the independent effect of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism, we observed reduced risk for breast cancer amongst hormone replacement therapy using women who were homozygous carriers of the variant allele compared with those carrying the wild-type variant (RR = 0.41 95% CI: 0.29-0.89). We found no statistically significant interactions between any of the PCB groups and CYP1B1 or COMT polymorphisms on the risk of breast cancer.
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Date: 07-07-2020
Abstract: Gynecomastia, the proliferation of mammary glandular tissue in the male, is a frequent but little-studied condition. Available prevalence data are based on selected patient populations or autopsy cases with their inherent bias. The objective of this work is to evaluate the age-related incidence and secular trends in gynecomastia in the general population. An observational, 20-year national registry study was conducted. This population-based study used nationwide registry data. Participants included all Danish males (age 0-80 years) with a first-time diagnosis of gynecomastia. All Danish males (age 0-80 years) were followed up for incident diagnosis of gynecomastia in the Danish National Patient Registry from 1998 to 2017 using the International Codes of Diseases, 10th revision, and the Danish Health Care Classification System. Age-specific incidence rates were estimated. The hypothesis tested in this study was formulated prior to data collection. Overall, a total 17 601 males (age 0-80 years) were registered with an incident diagnosis of gynecomastia within the 20-year study period, corresponding to 880 new cases per year and an average 20-year incidence of 3.4 per 10 000 men (age 0-80 years). The average annual incidence was 6.5/10 000 in postpubertal males age 16 to 20 years and 4.6/10 000 in males age 61 to 80 years, with a respective 5- and 11-fold overall increase in these 2 age groups over the 20-year period. The incidence of gynecomastia has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, implying that the endogenous or exogenous sex-steroid environment has changed, which is associated with other adverse health consequences in men such as an increased risk of prostate cancer, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, or cardiovascular disorders.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 24-01-2022
DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001913
Abstract: Depression is a leading cause of disability globally and affects more women than men. Ovarian sex steroids are thought to modify depression risk in women and interventions such as bilateral oophorectomy that permanently change the sex steroid milieu may increase the risk of depression. This study aimed to investigate the associations between unilateral and bilateral oophorectomy and depression over a 25-year period (1993-2018) and whether this varied by age at oophorectomy or use of menopausal hormone therapy. Twenty-five thousand one hundred eighty-eight nurses aged ≥45 years from the Danish Nurse Cohort were included. Nurses with depression prior to baseline were excluded. Poisson regression models, with log-transformed person-years as offset, were used to assess the associations between oophorectomy and incident depression. Nurses who retained their ovaries were the reference group. Compared with nurses with retained ovaries, bilateral oophorectomy was associated with a slightly higher rate of depression (rate ratio [RR], 1.08 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-1.23), but without statistical significance. However, when stratified by age at oophorectomy, compared with nurses with retained ovaries, bilateral oophorectomy at age ≥51 years was associated with higher rates of depression (RR 1.16 95% CI, 1.00-1.34), but not bilateral oophorectomy at age years (RR 0.86 95% CI, 0.69-1.07) P value for difference in estimates = 0.02. No association between unilateral oophorectomy and depression was observed. In this cohort of Danish female nurses, bilateral oophorectomy at age ≥51 years, but not at younger ages, was associated with a slightly higher rate of depression compared with those who retained their ovaries.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2012.05.012
Abstract: High-level occupational radon exposure is an established risk factor for lung cancer. We assessed the long-term association between residential radon and lung cancer risk using a prospective Danish cohort using 57,053 persons recruited during 1993-1997. We followed each cohort member for cancer occurrence until 27 June 2006, identifying 589 lung cancer cases. We traced residential addresses from 1 January 1971 until 27 June 2006 and calculated radon at each of these addresses using information from central databases regarding geology and house construction. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for lung cancer risk associated with residential radon exposure with and without adjustment for sex, smoking variables, education, socio-economic status, occupation, body mass index, air pollution and consumption of fruit and alcohol. Potential effect modification by sex, traffic-related air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke was assessed. Median estimated radon was 35.8 Bq/m(3). The adjusted IRR for lung cancer was 1.04 (95% CI: 0.69-1.56) in association with a 100 Bq/m(3) higher radon concentration and 1.67 (95% CI: 0.69-4.04) among non-smokers. We found no evidence of effect modification. We find a positive association between radon and lung cancer risk consistent with previous studies but the role of chance cannot be excluded as these associations were not statistically significant. Our results provide valuable information at the low-level radon dose range.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 04-02-2013
DOI: 10.1111/INA.12021
Abstract: Radon-222 gas arises from the radioactive decay of radium-226 and has a half-life of 3.8 days. This gas percolates up through soil into buildings, and if it is not evacuated, there can be much higher exposure levels indoors than outdoors, which is where human exposure occurs. Radon exposure is classified as a human carcinogen, and new Danish homes must be constructed to ensure indoor radon levels below 100 Bq/m(3). Our purpose was to assess how well 200 newly constructed single detached homes perform according to building regulations pertaining to radon and identify the association between indoor radon in these homes and municipality, home age, floor area, floor level, basement, and outer wall and roof construction. Median (5-95 percentile) indoor radon levels were 36.8 (9.0-118) Bq/m(3) , but indoor radon exceeded 100 Bq/m(3) in 14 of these new homes. The investigated variables explained nine percent of the variation in indoor radon levels, and although associations were positive, none of these were statistically significant. In this study, radon levels were generally low, but we found that 14 (7%) of the 200 new homes had indoor radon levels over 100 Bq/m(3). More work is needed to determine the determinants of indoor radon.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 13-06-2016
Abstract: Ground level ozone arises primarily from traffic, it is a powerful oxidant and its primary target organ is the lung. Most epidemiological studies reporting the health effects of ozone have estimated in idual exposure from measurements obtained from outdoor monitors but surrogates of personal exposure may not adequately reflect personal exposures. Also, the main focus has been on infants and children. Our purpose was to assess associations between urban background ozone and indoor residential ozone levels as well as to investigate the effects of indoor residential ozone on lung function in 51 elderly non-smokers. Indoor ozone was measured passively in homes, while urban background outdoor ozone was monitored continuously at a fixed monitoring station located on the roof of the 20-m high university H.C. Ørsteds c us building in a park area. Lung function was measured at baseline as well as on three consecutive occasions, for each subject. The mean residential ozone levels were 1.33 ppb, and mean outdoor urban background levels were 27 ppb. Outdoor urban background ozone levels were not consistently associated with residential ozone. No significant changes in lung function were detected in association with residential ozone among healthy participants. In this study, we were unable to detect significant changes in lung function in association with increased levels of residential ozone amongst healthy elderly non-smokers.
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Date: 02-2017
DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-17-0937
Abstract: Background: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematologic malignancy in the world. Involvement of organochlorines has been proposed in disease etiology. No study has investigated organochlorine exposure in relation to survival after a NHL diagnosis. Methods: In a survivor cohort consisting of 232 NHL cases from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort, we examined the association between adipose tissue organochlorine concentrations [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides] and subsequent survival, using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: We found no statistically significant association between organochlorine concentrations and subsequent survival. If anything, there was a nonsignificant tendency toward an inverse association with PCBs, but not pesticides. Conclusions: In conclusion, the current study does not support an increased risk of death among NHL patients with high tissue concentrations of organochlorines. Impact: This is the first study to investigate adipose organochlorine concentrations and survival after a NHL diagnosis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 27(2) 224–6. ©2017 AACR.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVRES.2019.03.001
Abstract: Studies have suggested that traffic noise is associated with markers of obesity. We investigated the association of exposure to road traffic noise with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in the Danish Nurse Cohort. We used data on 15,501 female nurses (aged >44 years) from the nationwide Danish Nurse Cohort who, in 1999, reported information on self-measured height, weight, and waist circumference, together with information on socioeconomic status, lifestyle, work and health. Road traffic noise at the most exposed façade of the residence was estimated using Nord2000 as the annual mean of a weighted 24-h average (L We did not observe associations between road traffic noise (per 10 dB increase in the 1-year mean L Our results suggest that road traffic noise exposure in nurses with particular susceptibilities, such as those with job strain, or living in urban areas, may lead to increased BMI, a marker of adiposity.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-02-2008
Abstract: The comet assay is popular for assessments of genotoxicity, but the comparison of results between studies is challenging because of differences in experimental procedures and reports of DNA damage in different units. We investigated the variation of DNA damage in mononuclear blood cells (MNBCs) measured by the comet assay with focus on the variation related to alkaline unwinding and electrophoresis time, number of cells scored, as well as the putative benefits of transforming the primary end points to common units by the use of reference standards and calibration curves. Eight experienced investigators scored pre-made slides of nuclei differently, but each investigator scored constantly over time. Scoring of 200 nuclei per treatment was associated with the lowest residual variation. Alkaline unwinding for 20 or 40 min and electrophoresis for 20 or 30 min yielded different dose-response relationships of cells exposed to gamma-radiation and it was possible to reduce the variation in oxidized purines in MNBCs from humans by adjusting the level of lesions with protocol-specific calibration curves. However, there was a difference in the level of DNA damage measured by different investigators and this variation could not be reduced by use of investigator-specific calibration curves. The mean numbers of lesions per 10(6) bp in MNBCs from seven humans were 0.23 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14-0.33] and 0.31 (95% CI: 0.20-0.55) for strand breaks (SBs) and oxidized guanines, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate that inter-investigator difference in scoring is a strong determinant of DNA damage levels measured by the comet assay.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2020.105104
Abstract: PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in reproductive age women. The origins of PCOS are unknown but experimental and limited human evidence suggests that greater prenatal exposure to androgens may predispose to PCOS. Experimental evidence suggests that maternal stressors may affect reproductive function in the offspring via changes in prenatal androgen exposure. In this present study, we aim to investigate whether maternal stressful life events during pregnancy are associated with polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM) or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescent offspring. In a large population-based pregnancy cohort study (The Raine Study) continuously followed from prenatal life through to adolescence we examined the association between maternal stressful life events during pregnancy in both early and late gestation, and subsequent circulating concentrations of ovarian and adrenal androgens, PCOM and PCOS in the normal menstrual cycle of offspring age 14-16 years. Maternal stressful life events were prospectively recorded during pregnancy at 18 and 34 weeks using a 10-point questionnaire. Female offspring (n = 223) completed a questionnaire about their menstrual cycles, underwent a clinical examination for hirsutism (Ferriman-Gallwey score) and transabdominal pelvic ultrasound examination to determine ovarian morphology according to standardized criteria for classification of PCOM. Plasma s les were obtained at day 2-6 of the normal menstrual cycle for measurement of androgens. PCOM was defined according to the international consensus definition, 2003 and the evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of PCOS, 2018. PCOS was diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria and National Institute of Health (NIH) criteria. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between maternal stressful life event exposure and ovarian morphology (PCOM), circulating ovarian and adrenal androgens (clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism (hirsutism)) and presence of PCOS. Of 223 recruited adolescent girls, 78 (35.9%) and 68 (31.3%) had PCOM by the 2003 and 2018 criteria respectively, while 66 (29.6%) and 37 (16.6%) had PCOS, using Rotterdam and NIH criteria, respectively. Most girls (141/223, 63.2%) were exposed to at least one stressful life event in early gestation and around half (121/223, 54.3%) were exposed to at least one stressful life event in late gestation. Maternal stressful life events in early gestation were associated with a statistically significant lower prevalence of PCOM when applying the 2003 criteria [adjusted odds ratio [aOR] and 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.74 (95% CI: 0.55 0.99)], and a similar association was detected when applying the 2018 PCOM criteria (aOR, 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50 0.95)]. Maternal stressful life events in early gestation were also associated with lower circulating concentrations of testosterone (β = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.09 -0.004) and androstenedione (β = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.10 -0.002) in the offspring. No similar effects for PCOM or circulating androgens were detected in late gestation. No statistically significant associations between maternal stressful life events in early or late gestation with PCOS (neither Rotterdam nor NIH criteria) in adolescence were detected. The prospective collection of maternal stressful life events during both early and late gestation and direct measurement of PCOM, PCOS and circulating androgens in adolescence and key co-variates implies minimal possibility of recall, information bias and selection bias. Maternal exposure to stressful life events in early gestation is associated with significantly reduced circulating ovarian and adrenal androgen concentrations in adolescence (testosterone and androstenedione), and an indication of fewer cases of polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM) defined by the 2003 international consensus definition and by the 2018 international evidence-based guideline, but has no effect on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diagnosed using either Rotterdam or NIH criteria.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-07-2010
DOI: 10.1007/S10552-010-9608-4
Abstract: In a recent population-based case-control study using 2,400 cases of childhood cancer, we found a statistically significant association between residential radon and acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk. Traffic exhaust in the air enhances the risk association between radon and childhood leukemia. We included 985 cases of childhood leukemia and 1,969 control children. We used validated models to calculate residential radon and street NO(x) concentrations for each home. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the effect of radon on childhood leukemia risk within different strata of air pollution and traffic density. The relative risk for childhood leukemia in association with a 10(3) Bq/m(3)-years increase in radon was 1.77 (1.11, 2.82) among those exposed to high levels of NO(x) and 1.23 (0.79, 1.91) for those exposed to low levels of NO(x) (p(interaction,) 0.17). Analyses for different morphological subtypes of leukemia and within different strata of traffic density showed a non-significant pattern of stronger associations between radon and childhood leukemia within strata of higher traffic density at the street address. Air pollution from traffic may enhance the effect of radon on the risk of childhood leukemia. The observed tendency may also be attributed to chance.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-09-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2016
DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S99494
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2007
DOI: 10.1080/08958370601051677
Abstract: Airborne ultrafine particles (diameter <100 nm) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been associated with adverse health effects. The respiratory-tract deposition of these particles is fundamentally influenced by their hygroscopicity: their ability to grow by condensation of water in the humid respiratory system. Ambient particles are typically hygroscopic, to varying degrees. This article investigates the influence of hygroscopicity, exercise level, gender, and intersubject variability on size-dependent deposition of fine and ultrafine particles during spontaneous breathing. Using a novel and well-characterized setup, respiratory-tract deposition in the range 12-320 nm has been measured for 29 healthy adults (20 men, 9 women). Each subject completed four sessions: rest and light exercise on an ergometer bicycle while inhaling both hydrophobic (diethylhexylsebacate) and hygroscopic (NaCl) particles. The deposited fraction (DF) based on dry diameters was two to four times higher for the hydrophobic ultrafine particles than for the hygroscopic. The DF of hygroscopic ultrafine particles could be estimated by calculating their equilibrium size at 99.5% relative humidity. The differences in average DF due to exercise level and gender were essentially less than 0.03. However, the minute ventilation increased fourfold during exercise and was 18-46% higher for the men than for the women. Consequently the deposited dose of particles was fourfold higher during exercise and considerably increased for the male subjects. Some in iduals consistently had a high DF in all four sessions. As an ex le, the results show that an average person exposed to 100-nm hydrophobic particles during exercise will receive a 16 times higher dose than a relaxed person exposed to an equal amount of hygroscopic (NaCl) particles.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.MRFMMM.2008.04.001
Abstract: Particulate matter from wood smoke may cause health effects through generation of oxidative stress with resulting damage to DNA. We investigated oxidatively damaged DNA and related repair capacity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and measured the urinary excretion of repair products after controlled short-term exposure of human volunteers to wood smoke. Thirteen healthy adults were exposed first to clean air and then to wood smoke in a chamber during 4h sessions, 1 week apart. Blood s les were taken 3h after exposure and on the following morning, and urine was collected after exposure, from bedtime until the next morning. We measured the levels of DNA strand breaks (SB), oxidized purines as formamidopyrimidine-DNA-glycosylase (FPG) sites and activity of oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) in PBMC by the comet assay, whereas mRNA levels of hOGG1, nucleoside diphosphate linked moiety X-type motif 1 (hNUDT1) and heme oxygenase 1 (hHO1) were determined by real-time RT-PCR. The excretion of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-oxoguanine (8-oxoGua) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in urine was measured by high performance liquid chromatography purification followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The morning following exposure to wood smoke the PBMC levels of SB were significantly decreased and the mRNA levels of hOGG1 significantly increased. FPG sites, hOGG1 activity, expression of hNUDT1 and hHO1, urinary excretion of 8-oxodG and 8-oxoGua did not change significantly. Our findings support that exposure to wood smoke causes systemic effects, although we could not demonstrate genotoxic effects, possibly explained by enhanced repair and timing of s ling.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 13-10-2017
Abstract: Gender, possibly due to the influence of gonadal hormones, is presumed to play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), but no studies have evaluated whether male infertility is associated with MS. To study the association between male factor infertility and prevalent as well as incident MS. Our cohort was established by linkage of the Danish National in vitro fertilization (IVF) registry to The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry and consisted of 51,063 men whose partners had undergone fertility treatment in all public and private fertility clinics in Denmark between 1994 and 2015. With a median age of 34 years at baseline, 24,011 men were diagnosed with male factor infertility and 27,052 did not have male factor infertility and made up the reference group. Men diagnosed with male factor infertility had a higher risk of prevalent (odds ratio (OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04–2.51) and incident MS (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.28, 95% CI 0.76–2.17) when compared to the reference group. This nationwide cohort study has shown, for the first time, an association between male infertility and MS which may be due to underlying common etiologies such as hypogonadism, shared genetics, or a joint autoimmune component.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-12-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41574-021-00598-8
Abstract: A severe decline in child births has occurred over the past half century, which will lead to considerable population declines, particularly in industrialized regions. A crucial question is whether this decline can be explained by economic and behavioural factors alone, as suggested by demographic reports, or to what degree biological factors are also involved. Here, we discuss data suggesting that human reproductive health is deteriorating in industrialized regions. Widespread infertility and the need for assisted reproduction due to poor semen quality and/or oocyte failure are now major health issues. Other indicators of declining reproductive health include a worldwide increasing incidence in testicular cancer among young men and alterations in twinning frequency. There is also evidence of a parallel decline in rates of legal abortions, revealing a deterioration in total conception rates. Subtle alterations in fertility rates were already visible around 1900, and most industrialized regions now have rates below levels required to sustain their populations. We hypothesize that these reproductive health problems are partially linked to increasing human exposures to chemicals originating directly or indirectly from fossil fuels. If the current infertility epidemic is indeed linked to such exposures, decisive regulatory action underpinned by unconventional, interdisciplinary research collaborations will be needed to reverse the trends.
Publisher: European Respiratory Society (ERS)
Date: 13-05-2021
DOI: 10.1183/13993003.04594-2020
Abstract: While air pollution has been linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), evidence on the role of environmental noise is just emerging. We examined the associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence. We defined COPD incidence for 24 538 female nurses from the Danish Nurse Cohort (age years) as the first hospital contact between baseline (1993 or 1999) and 2015. We estimated residential annual mean concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter .5 µm (PM 2.5 ) since 1990 and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) since 1970 using the Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model/Urban Background Model/Air Geographic Information System modelling system, and road traffic noise (L den ) since 1970 using the Nord2000 model. Time-varying Cox regression models were applied to assess the associations of air pollution and road traffic noise with COPD incidence. 977 nurses developed COPD during a mean of 18.6 years’ follow-up. We observed associations with COPD for all three exposures with HRs and 95% CIs of 1.19 (1.01–1.41) per 6.26 µg·m −3 for PM 2.5 , 1.13 (1.05–1.20) per 8.19 µg·m −3 for NO 2 and 1.15 (1.06–1.25) per 10 dB for L den . Associations with NO 2 and L den attenuated slightly after mutual adjustment, but were robust to adjustment for PM 2.5 . Associations with PM 2.5 were attenuated to null after adjustment for either NO 2 or L den . No potential interaction effect was observed between air pollutants and noise. Long-term exposure to air pollution, especially traffic-related NO 2 , and to road traffic noise were independently associated with COPD.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: No location found
No related grants have been discovered for Elvira Bräuner.