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Abstract Background: We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A7 (UGT1A7) polymorphisms in the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The study included 165 patients with HCC, 134 with cirrhosis and 142 controls without liver disease, matched for age and hospital. All were men younger than 75 years. HCC and cirrhosis patients were stratified according to time since cirrhosis diagnosis. Results: We found a positive association between the UGT1A7*3/*3 genotype and HCC when the comparison was restricted to patients whose disease was of viral origin [OR = 3.4 (0.3–45)] but a negative association when it included only alcoholic patients [OR = 0.1 (0.02–0.6), p = 0.01]. Conclusion: Our study shows that UGT1A7 may play a role in hepatocellular carcinogenesis and that this role may differ according to the primary cause of the cirrhosis.

The purpose of this study was to report predictors and prevalence of home and workplace smoking bans in five European countries. We conducted a population-based telephone survey of 4,977 females, ascertaining factors associated with smoking bans. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were derived using unconditional logistic regression. A complete home smoking ban was reported by 59.5% of French, 63.5% of Irish, 61.3% of Italian, 74.4% of Czech and 87.0% of Swedish females. Home smoking bans were associated with younger age and being bothered by secondhand smoke, and among smokers, inversely associated with greater tobacco dependence. Among nonsmokers, bans were also related to believing smoking is harmful (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.11-1.30) and having parents who smoke (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.73). Workplace bans were reported by 92.6% of French, 96.5% of Irish, 77.9% of Italian, 79.1% of Czech and 88.1% of Swedish females. Workplace smoking bans were reported less often among those in technical positions (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.50-0.82) and among skilled workers (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.88) than among professional workers. Workplace smoking bans are in place for most workers in these countries. Having a home smoking ban was based on smoking behaviour, demographics, beliefs and personal preference.

Background: We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A7 (UGT1A7) polymorphisms in the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The study included 165 patients with HCC, 134 with cirrhosis and 142 controls without liver disease, matched for age and hospital. All were men younger than 75 years. HCC and cirrhosis patients were stratified according to time since cirrhosis diagnosis. Results: We found a positive association between the UGT1A7*3/*3 genotype and HCC when the comparison was restricted to patients whose disease was of viral origin [OR = 3.4 (0.3-45)] but a negative association when it included only alcoholic patients [OR = 0.1 (0.02-0.6), p = 0.01]. Conclusion: Our study shows that UGT1A7 may play a role in hepatocellular carcinogenesis and that this role may differ according to the primary cause of the cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work in the asphalt industry has been associated with nonmalignant respiratory morbidity and mortality, but the evidence is not consistent. A historical cohort of asphalt workers included 58,862 men (911,209 person-years) first employed between 1913 and 1999 in companies applying and mixing asphalt in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Norway. The relations between mortality from nonmalignant respiratory diseases (including the obstructive lung diseases: chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma) and specific chemical agents and mixtures were evaluated using a study-specific exposure matrix. Mortality from obstructive lung diseases was associated with the estimated cumulative and average exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and coal tar (p values of the test for linear trend = 0.06 and 0.01, respectively). The positive association between bitumen fume exposure and mortality from obstructive lung diseases was weak and not statistically significant; confounding by simultaneous exposure to coal tar could not be excluded. The authors lacked data on smoking and full occupational histories. In conclusion, exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, originating from coal tar and possibly from bitumen fume, may have contributed to mortality from obstructive lung diseases among asphalt workers, but confounding and bias cannot be ruled out as an explanation for the observed associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We conducted a case-control study to examine the risk of lung cancer in relation to GSTM1 polymorphism and cigarette smoking (primarily of black tobacco) in a French population.Methods: The 611 subjects were 301 incident lung cancer cases and 310 hospital controls. We were able to constitute a DNA bank for 547 subjects (89.5%) and gather detailed information on smoking history for all of them. Results presented here concern 247 cases and 254 controls.Results: Taking non- or light smokers as the reference category, we estimated odds ratios (OR) of 4.2 (95% CI: 2.6-6.7) and 5.2 (95% CI: 3.3-8.3) for the medium and heavy smokers respectively. On the other hand we estimated that the crude OR associating GSTM1 with lung cancer was 1.3 (95% CI: 0.9-1.8). Furthermore our data do not depart significantly from a multiplicative model of the combined effects of smoking and GSTM1 deficiency.Conclusions: We conclude that smoking and the GSTM1 gene are each a risk factor for lung cancer, and that their combined effect does not differ significantly from that of a multiplicative model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed at assessing the validity of job exposure matrix (JEM) for the retrospective evaluation of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) within the framework of population-based case-control studies, taking the evaluation of industrial hygiene experts as reference. For this purpose, we used a case-control study for which the different levels of exposure were assessed by such experts after case by case evaluation of all job periods reported by the subjects. The JEM was applied to this set of data so that we had, according to job periods, the experts' evaluation on the one hand, and the JEM evaluation on the other. JEM sensitivity and specificity of the matrix vary widely from 0.13 to 0.96 and 0.58 to 0.99 respectively, depending on whether the experts chose a narrow or wide definition of exposure and on the cutoff point chosen to dichotomize the JEM. We also computed, according to the sensitivity and specificity of the JEM, the odds ratio (OR) and relative efficiency (RE) given by the JEM for several hypothetical OR and frequencies of exposure among the controls. These calculations were made for different definitions of exposure by the experts and different cutoff points for the JEM. The results show a bias in the JEM's evaluation of the OR. In addition, the RE varies widely from very low values to high values (0.05-0.45) depending on the experts' definition of exposure and the cutoff point chosen for the matrix. Note, however, that all these calculations were made taking the experts' evaluation as the reference.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Occupational causes of respiratory cancers need to be further investigated: the role of occupational exposures in the aetiology of head and neck cancers remains largely unknown, and there are still substantial uncertainties for a number of suspected lung carcinogens. The main objective of the study is to examine occupational risk factors for lung and head and neck cancers. Methods/design ICARE is a multi-center, population-based case-control study, which included a group of 2926 lung cancer cases, a group of 2415 head and neck cancer cases, and a common control group of 3555 subjects. Incident cases were identified in collaboration with cancer registries, in 10 geographical areas. The control group was a random sample of the population of these areas, with a distribution by sex and age comparable to that of the cases, and a distribution by socioeconomic status comparable to that of the population. Subjects were interviewed face to face, using a standardized questionnaire collecting particularly information on tobacco and alcohol consumption, residential history and a detailed description of occupational history. Biological samples were also collected from study subjects. The main occupational exposures of interest are asbestos, man-made mineral fibers, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chromium and nickel compounds, arsenic, wood dust, textile dust, solvents, strong acids, cutting fluids, silica, diesel fumes, welding fumes. The complete list of exposures of interest includes more than 60 substances. Occupational exposure assessment will use several complementary methods: case-by-case evaluation of exposure by experts; development and use of algorithms to assess exposure from the questionnaires; application of job-exposure matrices. Discussion The large number of subjects should allow to uncover exposures associated with moderate increase in risks, and to evaluate risks associated with infrequent or widely dispersed exposures. It will be possible to study joint effects of exposure to different occupational risk factors, to examine the interactions between occupational exposures, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and genetic risk factors, and to estimate the proportion of respiratory cancers attributable to occupational exposures in France. In addition, information on many non-occupational risk factors is available, and the study will provide an excellent framework for numerous studies in various fields.