Search

Purpose: To investigate diabetic retinopathy (DR) as a potential marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults with type 1 diabetes attending the Danish DR‐screening programme and non‐diabetes adults. Methods: In this registry‐based matched case–cohort study, we identified 16 547 adults with type 1 diabetes, who were registered in the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy (DiaBase). Each case was age‐ and sex‐matched by five non‐diabetes individuals (n = 82 399), and odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for incident and upcoming CVD in multivariable models. Results: Adults with type 1 diabetes (median age 44.5 years, 57.6% male) were more likely to have prevalent CVD (OR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.20–1.38) and to develop CVD within 5 years (HR 1.19; 95% CI, 1.08–1.30) as compared to non‐diabetes control. However, adults without DR were less likely to develop CVD (HR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.72–0.97) compared to the reference population. For adults with type 1 diabetes, there was an increasing risk for incident CVD for increasing levels of DR (HR 1.33, 1.95, 1.71 and 2.39 for DR‐levels 1–4, respectively). Patients with CVD at the time of the first screening had a higher risk to develop DR during follow‐up (HR 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02–1.49). Conclusion: In a nationwide matched case–cohort study adjusted for potential confounders, DR was identified as an independent marker of prevalent and incident CVD in type 1 diabetes with increasing risk demonstrated for higher levels of DR. Likewise, CVD also independently predicted the risk of incident DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD) face long diagnostic delays. Prescription medication use may provide insights into early signs and symptoms, which may help facilitate timely diagnosis. Methods: In a register-based nested case-control study, we examined medication use for everyone diagnosed with YOAD in a Danish memory clinic during 2016–2020 compared to cognitively healthy controls. Prescription medication use were grouped into 13 overall categories (alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood forming organs, cardiovascular system, dermatologicals, genitourinary system and sex hormones, systemic hormonal preparations, antiinfectives for systemic use, antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, musculo-skeletal system, nervous system, antiparasitic products, respiratory system, and sensory organs). Further stratifications were done for predetermined subcategories with a use-prevalence of at least 5% in the study population. Conditional logistic regression produced odds ratios, which given the use of incidence-density matching is interpretable as incidence rate ratios (IRRs). The association between prescription medication use and subsequent YOAD diagnosis was examined in the entire 10-year study period and in three time-intervals. Results: The study included 1745 YOAD cases and 5235 controls. In the main analysis, several overall categories showed significant associations with YOAD in one or more time-intervals, namely blood and blood forming organs and nervous system. Prescription medication use in the nervous system category was increased for YOAD cases compared to controls already 10->5 years prior to diagnosis (IRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05–1.31), increasing to 1.57 (95% CI 1.39–1.78) in the year preceding diagnosis. This was largely driven by antidepressant and antipsychotic use, and especially prominent for first-time users. Conclusions: In this study, medication use in several categories was associated with YOAD. Onset of treatment-requiring psychiatric symptoms such as depression or psychosis in mid-life may serve as potential early indicators of YOAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Patients with young onset Alzheimer’s disease (YOAD) face long diagnostic delays. Prescription medication use may provide insights into early signs and symptoms, which may help facilitate timely diagnosis. Methods In a register-based nested case-control study, we examined medication use for everyone diagnosed with YOAD in a Danish memory clinic during 2016–2020 compared to cognitively healthy controls. Prescription medication use were grouped into 13 overall categories (alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood forming organs, cardiovascular system, dermatologicals, genitourinary system and sex hormones, systemic hormonal preparations, antiinfectives for systemic use, antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents, musculo-skeletal system, nervous system, antiparasitic products, respiratory system, and sensory organs). Further stratifications were done for predetermined subcategories with a use-prevalence of at least 5% in the study population. Conditional logistic regression produced odds ratios, which given the use of incidence-density matching is interpretable as incidence rate ratios (IRRs). The association between prescription medication use and subsequent YOAD diagnosis was examined in the entire 10-year study period and in three time-intervals. Results The study included 1745 YOAD cases and 5235 controls. In the main analysis, several overall categories showed significant associations with YOAD in one or more time-intervals, namely blood and blood forming organs and nervous system. Prescription medication use in the nervous system category was increased for YOAD cases compared to controls already 10->5 years prior to diagnosis (IRR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05–1.31), increasing to 1.57 (95% CI 1.39–1.78) in the year preceding diagnosis. This was largely driven by antidepressant and antipsychotic use, and especially prominent for first-time users. Conclusions In this study, medication use in several categories was associated with YOAD. Onset of treatment-requiring psychiatric symptoms such as depression or psychosis in mid-life may serve as potential early indicators of YOAD.

INTRODUCTION: Early symptoms in young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD) may be misinterpreted, causing delayed diagnosis. This population‐based study aimed to map morbidity prior to YOAD diagnosis. METHODS: In a register‐based incidence density matched nested case‐control study, we examined hospital‐diagnosed morbidity for people diagnosed with YOAD in Danish memory clinics during 2016‐2020 compared to controls in a 10‐year period. Conditional logistic regression produced incidence rate ratios (IRRs). RESULTS: The study included 1745 cases and 5235 controls. YOAD patients had a higher morbidity burden in the year immediately before dementia diagnosis, for certain disorders up to 10 years before. This was especially evident for psychiatric morbidity with the highest increased IRRs throughout the entire period and IRR 1.43 (95% confidence interval 1.14–1.79) in the 5–10‐years before dementia diagnosis. DISCUSSION: YOAD patients display a different pattern of morbidity up to 10 years prior to diagnosis. Awareness of specific alterations in morbidity may improve efforts toward a timely diagnosis. Highlights: Retrospective, nested case‐control study of young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD).YOAD cases had a higher morbidity burden than controls.YOAD cases had a higher psychiatric morbidity burden up to 10 years before diagnosis.Altered morbidity patterns could serve as an early warning sign of YOAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Improving oxygenation and ventilation in drowning patients early in the field is critical and may be lifesaving. The critical care interventions performed by physicians in drowning management are poorly described. The aim was to describe patient characteristics and critical care interventions with 30-day mortality as the primary outcome in drowning patients treated by the Danish Air Ambulance. Methods This retrospective cohort study with 30-day follow-up identified drowning patients treated by the Danish Air Ambulance from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2021. Drowning patients were identified using a text-search algorithm (Danish Drowning Formula) followed by manual review and validation. Operational and medical data were extracted from the Danish Air Ambulance database. Descriptive analyses were performed comparing non-fatal and fatal drowning incidents with 30-day mortality as the primary outcome. Results Of 16,841 dispatches resulting in a patient encounter in the six years, the Danish Drowning Formula identified 138 potential drowning patients. After manual validation, 98 drowning patients were included in the analyses, and 82 completed 30-day follow-up. The prehospital and 30-day mortality rates were 33% and 67%, respectively. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics severity scores from 4 to 7, indicating a critical emergency, were observed in 90% of the total population. They were significantly higher in the fatal versus non-fatal group (p

Background: Improving oxygenation and ventilation in drowning patients early in the field is critical and may be lifesaving. The critical care interventions performed by physicians in drowning management are poorly described. The aim was to describe patient characteristics and critical care interventions with 30-day mortality as the primary outcome in drowning patients treated by the Danish Air Ambulance. Methods: This retrospective cohort study with 30-day follow-up identified drowning patients treated by the Danish Air Ambulance from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2021. Drowning patients were identified using a text-search algorithm (Danish Drowning Formula) followed by manual review and validation. Operational and medical data were extracted from the Danish Air Ambulance database. Descriptive analyses were performed comparing non-fatal and fatal drowning incidents with 30-day mortality as the primary outcome. Results: Of 16,841 dispatches resulting in a patient encounter in the six years, the Danish Drowning Formula identified 138 potential drowning patients. After manual validation, 98 drowning patients were included in the analyses, and 82 completed 30-day follow-up. The prehospital and 30-day mortality rates were 33% and 67%, respectively. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics severity scores from 4 to 7, indicating a critical emergency, were observed in 90% of the total population. They were significantly higher in the fatal versus non-fatal group (p < 0.01). At least one critical care intervention was performed in 68% of all drowning patients, with endotracheal intubation (60%), use of an automated chest compression device (39%), and intraosseous cannulation (38%) as the most frequently performed interventions. More interventions were generally performed in the fatal group (p = 0.01), including intraosseous cannulation and automated chest compressions. Conclusions: The Danish Air Ambulance rarely treated drowning patients, but those treated were severely ill, with a 30-day mortality rate of 67% and frequently required critical care interventions. The most frequent interventions were endotracheal intubation, automated chest compressions, and intraosseous cannulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim was to identify changes in healthcare utilization prior to a young-onset Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Methods: In a retrospective incidence density matched nested case–control study using national health registers, we examined healthcare utilization for those diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's disease in Danish memory clinics during 2016–2018 compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Negative binomial regression analysis produced contact rate ratios. Results: The study included 1082 young-onset Alzheimer's disease patients and 3246 controls. In the year preceding diagnosis, we found increased contact rate ratios for all types of contacts except physiotherapy. Contact rate ratios for contacts with a general practitioner were significantly increased also > 1–5 and > 5–10 years before diagnosis. The highest contact rate ratios were for psychiatric emergency contacts (8.69, 95% CI 4.29–17.62) ≤ 1 year before diagnosis. Interpretation: Results demonstrate that young-onset Alzheimer's disease patients have increased healthcare utilization from 5 to 10 years prior to diagnosis. Awareness of specific alterations in health-seeking behaviour may help healthcare professionals provide timely diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare-disease registries can be useful for studying the associations between environmental exposures and disease severity, but often require the addition of a healthy comparison control group. Defining a surrogate control group, matched and balanced on potentially confounding variables, would allow for the comparison of exposure distributions with cases from a registry. In the present study, we assess whether controls selected externally, using stratification score (SS) matching, can serve as effective proxies for internal controls. In addition, we use methyl paraben (MEPB) to compare the estimated associations between an externally matched sample and case-control frequencies in a cohort with internally matched controls. We started with 225 eligible cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE), 241 internal controls from CHARGE, and 265 external controls from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles 2005-2016. We calculated the SSs using demographic covariates and matched 1:1 using a caliper method without a replacement. The distribution of the covariates and the mean squared error of the paired differences (MSEpaired) in the SSs between the internal and external group were similar (MSEpaired = 0.007 and 0.011, respectively). The association between MEPB and ASD compared to the controls was similar between the externally matched SS pairs and the original frequency matched cohort. Controls selected externally, via SS matching, can provide a comparable bias reduction to that provided by the internal controls, and therefore may be a useful strategy in situations when the internal controls are not available.

Adrian Salinas Fredricson,1,2 Carina Krüger Weiner,1,2 Johanna Adami,3 Annika Rosén,4,5 Bodil Lund,2,6 Britt Hedenberg-Magnusson,2,7 Lars Fredriksson,2,7 Aron Naimi-Akbar1,2,8 1Public Dental Services, Folktandvården Stockholm, Eastmaninstitutet, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stockholm, Sweden; 2Division of Oral Diagnostics and Rehabilitation, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden; 4Department of Clinical Dentistry, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; 5Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; 6Medical Unit for Reconstructive Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 7Public Dental Services, Folktandvården Stockholm, Eastmaninstitutet, Department of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Stockholm, Sweden; 8Health Technology Assessment-Odontology (HTA-O), Malmö University, Malmö, SwedenCorrespondence: Adrian Salinas Fredricson, Eastmaninstitutet Käkkirurgi, Dalagatan 11, Stockholm, 102 31, Sweden, Email adrian.salinas-fredricson@regionstockholm.sePurpose: There is a well-known association between mental and behavioral disorders (MBD) and temporomandibular disorder (TMD), although the association has not been established in population-based samples. This study aimed to investigate this relationship using national population-based registry data.Patients and Methods: This case–control study used prospectively collected data from Swedish national registries to investigate exposure to MBD and the probability of developing TMD in all Swedish citizens with hospital-diagnosed or surgically treated TMD between 1998 and 2016. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression adjusted for educational level, living area, country of birth, musculoskeletal comorbidity, and history of orofacial/neck trauma.Results: A statistically significant association between MBD and TMD was found for mood affective disorders (OR 1.4), neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (OR 1.7), behavioral syndromes associated with psychological disturbances and physical factors (OR 1.4), disorders of adult personality and behavior (OR 1.4), disorders of psychological development (OR 1.3), behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence (OR 1.4), and unspecified mental disorder (OR 1.3). The association was stronger for TMD requiring surgery, with the strongest association in patients with disorders of psychological development (OR 2.9). No significant association was found with schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders, or mental retardation.Conclusion: The findings indicate an increased probability of TMD among patients with a history of certain MBD diagnoses, and a stronger association with TMD requiring surgery, specifically repeated surgery. This highlights the need for improved preoperative understanding of the impact of MBD on TMD, as TMD and chronic pain itself may have a negative impact on mental health.Keywords: TMD, registry-based, case-control, epidemiology, TMJ surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery

Study Design.: An observational multicenter study. Summary of Background Data.: Return to work (RTW) is increasingly used to assess the standard, benefit, and quality of health care. Objective.: The aim of this study was to evaluate sick leave patterns among patients undergoing surgery for cervical radiculopathy and identify predictors of successful RTW using two nationwide databases. Materials and Methods.: Data from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery (NORspine) and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration were linked on an individual level. We included patients between 18 and 60 years of age registered in NORspine from June 2012 through December 2019 that were temporarily out of the labor force for medical reasons at the time of surgery. We assessed types and grades of sickness benefits before and after surgery and conducted logistic regression analyses. Results.: Among 3387 patients included in the study, 851 (25.1%) received temporary benefits one year before surgery. The proportion of recipients increased steadily towards surgery. Postoperatively the medical benefit payment decreased rapidly, and half of the patients had already returned to work by four months. The rate of RTW reached a plateau at one year. By the end of the third year, 2429 patients (71.7%) had returned to work. The number of sick days, categorized as 90 or less, during the year before surgery had the most powerful association with RTW at two years (odds ratio: 4.54, 95% CI: 3.42–6.03, P <0.001). Improvement in neck-related disability was the second strongest predictor (odds ratio: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.69–2.78, P <0.001). Conclusion.: RTW after cervical radiculopathy surgery occurs primarily during the first year. The strongest predictor of RTW was fewer sick days before surgery. The clinical improvement after surgery had a lesser impact. Level of Evidence.: 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for persons with kidney failure. However, those on hemodialysis still face a poor quality of life and a short life expectancy. High-quality research evidence from large randomized controlled trials is needed to identify interventions that improve the experiences, outcomes, and health care of persons receiving hemodialysis. With the support of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and its Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, the Innovative Clinical Trials in Hemodialysis Centers initiative brought together Canadian and international kidney researchers, patients, health care providers, and health administrators to participate in a workshop held in Toronto, Canada, on June 2 and 3, 2018. The workshop served to increase knowledge and awareness about the conduct of innovative, pragmatic, cluster-randomized registry trials embedded into routine hemodialysis care and provided an opportunity to discuss and build support for new trial ideas. The workshop content included structured presentations, facilitated group discussions, and expert panel feedback. Partnerships and promising trial ideas borne out of the workshop will continue to be developed to support the implementation of future large-scale trials.

Introduction: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) yield the highest level of evidence but are notoriously difficult to perform in surgery. Surgical RCTs may be hampered by slow accrual, the surgical learning curve, and lack of financial support. Alternative RCT designs such as stepped-wedge randomized controlled trials (SW-RCTs), registry-based randomized controlled trials (RB-RCTs), and trials-within-cohorts (TwiCs) may overcome several of these difficulties. This review provides an overview of alternative RCT designs used in surgical research. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central for surgical SW-RCTs, RB-RCTs, and TwiCs. A surgical RCT was defined as a randomized trial that studied interventions in patients undergoing general surgery, regardless of the affiliation of the corresponding author. Exponential regression analysis was performed to assess time trends. Results: Overall, 41 surgical RCTs using alternative designs were identified, including 17 published final RCT reports and 24 published protocols of ongoing RCTs. These included 25 SW-RCTs (61%), 13 RB-RCTs (32%), and 3 TwiCs (7%). Most of these RCTs were performed in Europe (63%) and within gastrointestinal/oncological surgery (41%). The total number of RCTs using alternative designs exponentially increased over the last 7 years (P <0.01), with 95% (n=39/41) of the total number published within this time frame. The most reported reasons for using alternative RCT designs were avoidance of contamination for SW-RCTs and generalizability of the trial population for RB-RCTs and TwiCs. Conclusions: Alternative RCT designs are increasingly used in surgical research, mostly in Europe and within gastrointestinal/oncological surgery. When adequately used, these alternative designs may overcome several difficulties associated with surgical RCTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aimi-Akbar1,2,81Public Dental Services, Folktandvården Stockholm, Eastmaninstitutet, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stockholm, Sweden; 2Division of Oral Diagnostics and Rehabilitation, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden; 4Department of Clinical Dentistry, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; 5Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; 6Medical Unit for Reconstructive Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 7Public Dental Services, Folktandvården Stockholm, Eastmaninstitutet, Department of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Stockholm, Sweden; 8Health Technology Assessment-Odontology (HTA-O), Malmö University, Malmö, SwedenCorrespondence: Adrian Salinas Fredricson, Eastmaninstitutet Käkkirurgi, Dalagatan 11, Stockholm, 102 31, Sweden, Email [email protected] Purpose: There is a well-known association between mental and behavioral disorders (MBD) and temporomandibular disorder (TMD), although the association has not been established in population-based samples. This study aimed to investigate this relationship using national population-based registry data. Patients and Methods: This case–control study used prospectively collected data from Swedish national registries to investigate exposure to MBD and the probability of developing TMD in all Swedish citizens with hospital-diagnosed or surgically treated TMD between 1998 and 2016. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression adjusted for educational level, living area, country of birth, musculoskeletal comorbidity, and history of orofacial/neck trauma. Results: A statistically significant association between MBD and TMD was found for mood affective disorders (OR 1.4), neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (OR 1.7), behavioral syndromes associated with psychological disturbances and physical factors (OR 1.4), disorders of adult personality and behavior (OR 1.4), disorders of psychological development (OR 1.3), behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence (OR 1.4), and unspecified mental disorder (OR 1.3). The association was stronger for TMD requiring surgery, with the strongest association in patients with disorders of psychological development (OR 2.9). No significant association was found with schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders, or mental retardation. Conclusion: The findings indicate an increased probability of TMD among patients with a history of certain MBD diagnoses, and a stronger association with TMD requiring surgery, specifically repeated surgery. This highlights the need for improved preoperative understanding of the impact of MBD on TMD, as TMD and chronic pain itself may have a negative impact on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify diagnostic opportunities, we investigated healthcare-seeking behaviour among patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) within 28 weeks before diagnosis., Methods: We conducted a population-based, nationwide matched nested case-control study (Denmark, 2009-2021). As cases, we included all Danish residents with LNB (positive Borrelia burgdorferi intrathecal antibody index test and cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis). We randomly selected controls from the general population and matched 10:1 on date of birth and sex. Exposures were assignment of diagnostic codes for symptoms, contact to medical specialties, medical wandering, and undergoing diagnostic procedures. We calculated the weekly and 3-month proportions of individuals with exposures and calculated absolute risk differences with corresponding 95% CI., Results: We included 1056 cases with LNB and 10 560 controls. Within 3 months before diagnosis, the most frequent assigned symptoms were pain (difference: 13.0%, 95% CI: 10.9-15.1). Cases with LNB exhibited increased contact with most specialties, particularly general practitioners (difference: 48.7%, 95% CI: 46.0-51.4), neurology (difference: 14.3%, 95% CI: 11.7-16.8), and internal medicine (difference: 11.1%, 95% CI: 8.7-13.5), and medical wandering (difference: 17.1%, 95% CI: 14.3-20.0). Common diagnostic procedures included imaging of the brain (difference: 10.2, 95% CI: 8.3-12.1), the spine (difference: 8.8%, 85% CI: 7.0-10.6), and the abdomen (difference: 7.2%, 95% CI: 5.4-9.1). The increase in healthcare-seeking behaviour was observed ≤12 weeks preceding diagnosis., Discussion: Pain appears to be an ambiguous symptom of LNB, potentially contributing to delays in establishing the correct diagnosis. It would be difficult to identify patients with LNB more effectively as the increased healthcare-seeking behaviour preceding diagnosis is distributed across many medical specialties., (Copyright © 2024 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

• Patients with COE have difficulties in education and entering the workforce. • Patients with COE without additional disabilities have lower college graduation rates but stable employment. • Income is generally lower, but patients without additional disabilities reach comparable income levels. This study explored the association of childhood-onset epilepsy (COE) with educational attainment, adulthood employment, and income. A population-based cohort of 312 children with COE was identified from Tampere University Hospital, Finland. Population Register Center formed a matched random population sample of 1248 children without COE as a reference cohort. The two cohorts were linked to the Statistics Finland database to obtain information on educational attainment, employment status, and income. Fisher's exact test was used to compare employment and graduation. Independent samples t -test was used for analyzing graduation grades and the Mann-Whitney test was used for analyzing yearly income. Results were stratified by sex and disability. During a follow-up of 25 years, a substantially higher proportion of the patients never entered the workforce, 37 % (109/312) compared with 4 % (44/1248) for the referents without COE (p < 0.001). A two-fold difference was observed for COE patients without other disabilities (7.7 %, 13/169, p = 0.01). No clear difference was found in long-term employment between the COE without disabilities and the referents (67 %, 114/169 versus 74 %, 920/1248, p = 0.087). The patients with COE had worse lower secondary school graduation grade averages (7.36 vs 7.6, p = 0.004) and graduation rates (64 % vs 98 %, p < 0.001), the patients without disabilities had similar results to referents (7.43, p = 0.07, 98 %). Of the patients with COE, 18 % graduated from college compared to 38 % of the referents (p < 0.001). The median income was lower in males and females with COE of all ages compared to the referents. The COE patients without additional mental or physical disabilities had income comparable to the healthy referents. 143 patients (46 %) had additional disabilities. Patients with COE have lower educational attainment, stable employment, and income. Patients without disabilities also have an increased risk of unemployment, but those capable of entering the workforce have stable careers with earnings comparable to the rest of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We aimed to investigate readmission risks following infections in dementia, identify the types of infections behind the risks, and highlight the reasons for readmissions. Methods: Acute inpatient hospital admissions for infections in Danish residents were included from 1 January 2000, or age 65 years. Primary outcomes were 7‐day readmissions risk ratios (RRs; risk following infection index admissions of people with dementia relative to those without dementia), risks by infection site, and reasons for readmission. Secondary outcomes were 30‐ and 90‐day readmission risks. Competing risk of death was estimated. Results: Seven‐day readmission RR was increased in all age groups and was highest in the youngest patients (women RR: 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22–1.53; men RR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.12–1.35). RRs decreased with increasing age and longer follow‐up. The most notable common readmissions were for infections and dehydration in dementia. Conclusions: We conclude that there is a substantially increased readmission risk in people with dementia than in those without dementia, particularly within 7 days, and for the youngest in the cohort. Readmission risks were higher for infection index admissions than for admissions for causes other than infection, and readmissions were mostly due to infections. Our findings highlight the burden of infections in people with dementia and call for in‐depth investigations of determinants related to readmission risks, to inform public policy and identify avenues for interventions that can decrease or prevent potentially avoidable readmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To inform researchers of central considerations and limitations when applying biochemical laboratory-generated registry data in clinical and public health research., Study Design and Setting: After review of literature on registry-based studies and the utilization of clinical laboratory registry data, relevant paragraphs and their applicability toward the creation of considerations for the use of biochemical registry data in research were evaluated. This led to the creation of an initial ten considerations. These were elaborated, edited, and merged after several read-throughs by all authors and discussed thoroughly under influence by the authors' personal experiences with laboratory databases and research registries in Denmark, leading to the formulation of five central considerations with corresponding items and illustrative examples., Results: We recommend that the following considerations should be addressed in studies relying on biochemical laboratory-generated registry data: why are biochemical laboratory data relevant to examine the hypothesis, and how were the variable(s) utilized in the study? What were the primary indications for specimen collection in the study population of interest? Were there any pre-analytical circumstances that could influence the test results? Are data comparable between producing laboratories and within the single laboratory over time? Is the database representative in terms of completeness of study populations and key variables?, Conclusion: It is crucial to address key errors in laboratory registry data and acknowledge potential limitations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest regarding the study presented in this paper. K.A.D. is now an employee of Novo Nordisk A/S., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Early symptoms in young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD) may be misinterpreted, causing delayed diagnosis. This population-based study aimed to map morbidity prior to YOAD diagnosis., Methods: In a register-based incidence density matched nested case-control study, we examined hospital-diagnosed morbidity for people diagnosed with YOAD in Danish memory clinics during 2016-2020 compared to controls in a 10-year period. Conditional logistic regression produced incidence rate ratios (IRRs)., Results: The study included 1745 cases and 5235 controls. YOAD patients had a higher morbidity burden in the year immediately before dementia diagnosis, for certain disorders up to 10 years before. This was especially evident for psychiatric morbidity with the highest increased IRRs throughout the entire period and IRR 1.43 (95% confidence interval 1.14-1.79) in the 5-10-years before dementia diagnosis., Discussion: YOAD patients display a different pattern of morbidity up to 10 years prior to diagnosis. Awareness of specific alterations in morbidity may improve efforts toward a timely diagnosis., Highlights: Retrospective, nested case-control study of young onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD). YOAD cases had a higher morbidity burden than controls. YOAD cases had a higher psychiatric morbidity burden up to 10 years before diagnosis. Altered morbidity patterns could serve as an early warning sign of YOAD., (© 2024 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Purpose: Cutaneous melanoma is among the fastest growing malignancies in Norway and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is the primary environmental risk factor. Immunomodulating drugs can increase skin photosensitivity and suppress immune responses, and by such mechanisms influence melanoma risk. We, therefore, aimed to examine the associations between use of immunomodulating drugs and melanoma risk, at a nationwide population level. Patients and Methods: In the Cancer Registry of Norway, we identified all cases aged 18– 85 with a first primary cutaneous melanoma diagnosed in 2007– 2015 (n=12,106). These were matched to population controls from the Norwegian National Registry 1:10 (n=118,564), on sex and year of birth using risk set sampling. Information on prescribed drugs (2004– 2015) was obtained by linkage to the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between use of immunomodulating drugs (immunosuppressants and corticosteroids) and melanoma risk, adjusted for ambient UVR and other drug use. Results: Compared with ≤ 1 prescription, use of ≥ 8 prescriptions of immunosuppressants was associated with increased risk of melanoma (RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.27, 1.77). Similar associations were found for subgroups of immunosuppressants: drugs typically prescribed to organ transplant recipients (OTRs) (RR 2.02, 95% CI 1.35, 3.03) and methotrexate (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.04, 1.55). Similar results were found for high levels of cumulative doses and across all histological subtypes. Use of corticosteroids was not associated with melanoma risk. Conclusion: We found a positive association between use of immunosuppressants and melanoma risk, with the highest risk seen for drugs prescribed to OTRs. Knowledge about this risk increase is important for physicians and users of these drugs, for intensified surveillance, awareness and cautious sun exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating the prevalence rates of mental disorders is important for developing prevention, treatment, and research plans. Given that survey-based and registry-based prevalence rates of mental disorders each have pros and cons yet complement one another, it is important to consider both assessments when investigating the prevalence rates of mental disorders. However, no study has utilized actual treatment data of patients with mental disorders when investigating the treatment gap. The results of the Survey of Mental Disorders in Korea from 2006, 2011, and 2016 and data from the National Health Insurance Database were used to compare survey-based and registry-based prevalence rates for 17 disorders, as well the prevalence rates for each sex. The survey-based prevalence rate was higher for 10 years in Korea. However, the registry-based prevalence rate continuously increased. By 2016 the two rates were comparable. For alcohol use and nicotine use disorders, the survey-based prevalence rate was consistently higher than the registry-based prevalence rate, while the registry-based prevalence rate was higher for schizophrenia. Mood disorder rates were similar between the two types. Most anxiety disorders had a higher survey-based prevalence rate, except for panic disorder. Men had a higher survey-based prevalence rate, whereas women had a higher registry-based prevalence rate of mental disorders. Korea's registry-based prevalence rate of mental disorders has consistently increased due to various efforts in the field. However, there is still room for improvement, especially in mental health literacy. Therefore, each disorder and patient sex needs to be considered separately when planning education and campaigns. • It is important to consider both the survey-based and registry-based prevalence rates to obtain an overview of the epidemiology of mental disorders. • In South Korea, the registry-based prevalence rate is generally higher than the survey-based prevalence rate, however, the gap between two rates are narrowing. • There needs to be an effort to encourage the public to seek help for mental disorders in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this registry‐based cohort study, we estimated the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related anogenital premalignancies and cancer in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) compared to a nontransplanted comparison cohort. We identified all first‐time RTRs in Denmark during 1990–2015 in a nationwide nephrology register. For each RTR, we randomly selected 50 age‐ and sex‐matched non‐RTRs from the background population. The study population was followed for diagnoses of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile and anal intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2–3 (IN2/3) and cancer for up to 27 years. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of anogenital IN2/3 and cancer in RTRs vs. non‐RTRs by Cox regression separately for men and women using age as underlying timescale, adjusting for income, education, HPV vaccination and immunocompromising conditions. We included 4,261 RTRs and 213,673 non‐RTRs. RTRs had increased hazard of cervical (HR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.7–2.8), vaginal (HR = 35.0, 95% CI: 13.9–87.7), vulvar (HR = 16.4, 95% CI: 10.4–25.8), penile (HR = 21.9, 95% CI: 11.1–43.5) and anal (women: HR = 51.1, 95% CI: 28.0–93.1; men: HR = 39.0, 95% CI: 16.7–91.1) IN2/3. The HRs of anogenital cancers were also increased at most sites. The HR of anogenital IN2/3 in female RTRs tended to be higher during graft function than during dialysis. In female RTRs aged <40 years at transplantation, 10–15% had cervical IN2/3 and 5–12% had vaginal/vulvar/anal IN2/3 within 20 years after transplantation, compared to 4–8 and 0.2–0.4%, respectively, of female non‐RTRs. In conclusion, RTRs had substantially higher risk of HPV‐related anogenital premalignancies and cancer than non‐RTRs. What's new? Kidney transplant recipients are vulnerable to infections resulting from immunosuppressive treatments. As these patients live longer with their new organs, they also develop more cancer, especially cancers caused by viruses. Here, the authors investigated the rate of HPV‐related premalignancies in renal transplant recipients. Using data from Danish registries, they identified 4,200 renal transplant recipients and 210,000 randomly selected age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Looking at incidence of anogenital intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer over 27 years, they found that transplant recipients had substantially higher risk of developing lesions than healthy controls, and would potentially benefit from more vigilant screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Melanoma is the cancer with the most rapidly rising incidence rate in Norway. Although exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major environmental risk factor, other factors may also contribute. Antidepressants have cancer inhibiting and promoting side effects, and their prescription rates have increased in parallel with melanoma incidence. Thus, we aimed to prospectively examine the association between use of antidepressants and melanoma by using nation-wide data from the Cancer Registry of Norway, the National Registry, the Norwegian Prescription Database and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Patient and Methods: All cases aged 18– 85 with a primary cutaneous invasive melanoma diagnosed during 2007– 2015 (n=12,099) were matched to population controls 1:10 (n=118,467) by sex and year of birth using risk-set sampling. We obtained information on prescribed antidepressants and other potentially confounding drug use (2004– 2015). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between overall and class-specific use of antidepressants and incident melanoma. Results: Compared with ≤ 1 prescription, ≥ 8 prescriptions of antidepressants overall were negatively associated with melanoma (RR 0.81 CI 0.75– 0.87). Class-specific analyses showed decreased RRs for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (RR 0.82 CI 0.73– 0.93) and mixed antidepressants (RR 0.77 CI 0.69– 0.86). The negative association was found for both sexes, age ≥ 50 years, residential regions with medium and highest ambient UVR exposure, all histological subtypes, trunk, upper and lower limb sites and local disease. Conclusion: Use of antidepressants was associated with decreased risk of melanoma. There are at least two possible explanations for our results; cancer-inhibiting actions induced by the drug and less UVR exposure among the most frequent users of antidepressants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: The workplace is a potentially important arena for prevention of type 2 diabetes and the first step is to identify occupations where the disease is common and/or risk is high. Therefore, our aim was to analyse incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes across all occupational groups in Sweden. Methods: This nationwide study included all Swedish citizens born between 1937 and 1979 and gainfully employed between 2001 and 2013 (N = 4,550,892), and followed for a diagnosis of diabetes from 2006 to 2015 (n = 201,717) through national registers. Prevalence in 2013 (mean age 51 years; range 35–67) and age-standardised incidence (per 1000 person-years) were analysed across the 30 most common occupations among men and women. Information on BMI, physical fitness and smoking was obtained through the National Conscription (mean age 18) and Medical Birth Registers (mean age 29). Results: Prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 5.2% in men and 3.2% in women; in men it was highest among motor vehicle drivers (8.8%) and in women it was highest among manufacturing workers (6.4%). Incidence varied dramatically across occupational groups. In men, it was highest among manufacturing workers (9.41) and professional drivers (9.32) and lowest among university teachers (3.44). In women, incidence was highest in manufacturing workers (7.20) and cleaners (6.18) and lowest in physiotherapists (2.20). We found major differences in the prevalence of being overweight and smoking and in the level of physical fitness across these occupational groups even at young ages. Conclusions/interpretation: Professional drivers, manufacturing workers and cleaners have a threefold increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared with university teachers and physiotherapists. These differences most likely reflect dramatic differences in the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors. If workplace interventions could reduce weight and increase physical activity among employees in these occupations, major health gains may be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Registry-based, Pharmacoepidemiology, Real-world, Observational. [Extracted from the article]

An association between hematological cancers and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has previously been suggested, but the risk of IBD in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) is unknown. We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study using Danish registries, to estimate the risk of IBD in individuals diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera, myelofibrosis or unclassifiable MPN during 1994–2013. MPN patients were matched 1:10 with sex- and age-matched comparisons. Everyone was followed until a diagnosis of IBD, death/emigration, or 31 December 2013. The risk of IBD overall and according to MPN subtype was calculated using Cox regression and presented as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Of 8207 MPN patients followed for 45,232 person-years, 80 were diagnosed with IBD (61 ulcerative colitis, 19 Crohn’s disease). The rate of IBD per 1000 person-years was 1.8 (95% CI:1.4–2.2) in patients vs. 0.8 (95% CI:0.7–0.8) in comparisons, and the absolute 10-year risk of IBD was 0.8% (95% CI:0.6–1.0) in patients vs. 0.4% (95% CI:0.4–0.5) in comparisons. The HR of IBD was 2.4 (95% CI:2.1–2.9) with similar HRs for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. MPN subtype risks varied from 2.1 (95% CI:1.6–2.7) to 2.8 (95% CI:2.1–3.7). Our unselected cohort study showed a more than 2-fold increased risk of IBD in MPN patients.

Background: Identification of socially vulnerable cancer patients in the health care system is difficult. Only little is known concerning changes in the patients' social circumstances during the trajectory. Such knowledge is valuable regarding the identification of socially vulnerable patients in the health care system. The objective of this study was to use administrative data to identify population-based characteristics of socially vulnerable cancer patients and investigate how social vulnerability changed during the cancer trajectory., Methodology: A registry-based social vulnerability index (rSVI) was applied to each cancer patient prior to their diagnosis, and used to assess changes in social vulnerability after the diagnosis., Results: A total of 32,497 cancer patients were included. Short-term survivors (n = 13,994) died from cancer from one to three years after the diagnosis, and long-term survivors (n = 18,555) survived at least three years after the diagnosis. 2452 (18 %) short-term survivors and 2563 (14 %) long-term survivors were categorized as socially vulnerable at diagnosis, of these 22 % and 33 % changed category to not socially vulnerable during the first two years after the diagnosis, respectively. For patients changing status of social vulnerability, several social and health-related indicators changed, which is in line with the complexity of the multifactorial social vulnerability. Less than 6 % of the patients categorized as not vulnerable at diagnosis, changed to become vulnerable during the following two years., Conclusion: During the cancer trajectory, social vulnerability may change in both directions. Surprisingly, more patients, who were categorized as socially vulnerable when their cancer was diagnosed, changed status to not socially vulnerable during follow-up. Future research should attempt to increase knowledge on identifying cancer patients, who experience deterioration after the diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Although congenital abnormalities in the male reproductive tract are common, their causes remain poorly understood. We studied associations between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (pregestational hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia) and the genital anomalies, cryptorchidism (undescended testes), and hypospadias (ventrally displaced urethral meatus).Methods: We established a population of 1,073,026 Danish boys born alive between 1 January 1978 and 31 December 2012. By means of Cox regression analyses, we estimated hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for cryptorchidism and hypospadias according to type and severity of hypertensive disorder. Further, we used restricted cubic spline analyses to investigate the association between gestational age at onset of severe and moderate preeclampsia and the two genital anomalies.Results: We found associations between pregestational hypertension and cryptorchidism (HR: 1.3; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.6) and hypospadias (HR: 1.7; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.3), whereas gestational hypertension was only associated with cryptorchidism (HR: 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.4). Boys of mothers with preeclampsia had the highest occurrence of cryptorchidism and hypospadias, increasing with preeclampsia severity. Women with HELLP syndrome faced the highest risk of having a child with both cryptorchidism (HR: 2.1; 95% CI = 1.4, 3.2) and hypospadias (HR: 3.9; 95% CI = 2.5, 6.1). Further, the occurrence increased with early onset of preeclampsia diagnosis.Conclusions: These findings support the hypotheses that preeclampsia and genital anomalies share common etiologic factors and that placental dysfunction and androgen deficiency in early pregnancy are important in the etiology of male genital anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Studies show a high level of mental health problems among refugee children. This study examined whether a subset of refugee children living in Denmark accessed psychiatric healthcare services more than those born in the country.Methods: This study compared 24,427 refugee children from Asia, The Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and former Yugoslavia, who obtained residency in Denmark between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2010 with 146,562 Danish-born children, matched 1:6 on age and sex. The study looked at contacts with psychiatric hospitals as well as psychologists and psychiatrists in private practice.Results: Between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 2012, 3.5 % of the refugee children accessed psychiatric healthcare services compared to 7.7 % of the Danish-born children. The rate ratio of having any first-time psychiatric contact was 0.42 (95 % CI 0.40-0.45) among refugee boys and 0.35 (95 % CI 0.33-0.37) among refugee girls, compared to Danish-born children. Figures were similar for those accessing private psychologists or psychiatrists, emergency room, inpatient and outpatient services.Conclusions: Refugee children used fewer psychiatric healthcare services than Danish-born children. This may indicate that refugee children experience barriers in accessing psychiatric healthcare systems and do not receive adequate assessment of their mental health and subsequent referral to specialist services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hysterectomy on benign indications is associated with an increased risk for adverse health effects. However, little is known about the association between hysterectomy and subsequent cancer occurrence later in life. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of hysterectomy on the incidence of cancer. In this population-based cohort study, we used data on 111,595 hysterectomized and 537,9843 nonhysterectomized women from nationwide Swedish Health Care registers including the Inpatient Register, the Cancer Register and the Cause of Death Register between 1973 and 2009. Hysterectomy with or without concomitant bilateral salpingo-ophorectomy (BSO) performed on benign indications was considered as exposure and incidence of primary cancers was used as outcome measure. Rare primary cancers (<100 cases for the two groups combined) were excluded from analysis. A marginal risk reduction for any cancer was observed for women with previous hysterectomy and for those with hysterectomy and concurrent BSO (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.91-0.95 and HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.87-0.96, respectively). Compared to nonhysterectomized women, significant risks were observed for thyroid cancer (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.45-2.14). For both hysterectomy and hysterectomy with BSO, an association with brain cancer was observed (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.32-1.65 and HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.15-1.83, respectively). Hysterectomy, with or without BSO, was not associated with breast, lung or gastrointestinal cancer. We conclude that hysterectomy on benign indications is associated with an increased risk for thyroid and brain cancer later in life. Further research efforts are needed to identify patient groups at risk of malignancy following hysterectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Denmark, the need for monitoring of clinical quality and patient safety with feedback to the clinical, administrative and political systems has resulted in the establishment of a network of more than 60 publicly financed nationwide clinical quality databases. Although primarily devoted to monitoring and improving quality of care, the potential of these databases as data sources in clinical research is increasingly being recognized. In this review, we describe these databases focusing on their use as data sources for clinical research, including their strengths and weaknesses as well as future concerns and opportunities. The research potential of the clinical quality databases is substantial but has so far only been explored to a limited extent. Efforts related to technical, legal and financial challenges are needed in order to take full advantage of this potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive factors have been shown to influence cancer risk. Several pathological conditions during pregnancy have also been associated with subsequent altered cancer risk in the mother. Hyperemesis gravidarum (hyperemesis) is an early pregnancy condition characterized by severe nausea and vomiting resulting in weight loss and metabolic disturbances. Studies have reported associations between hyperemesis and cancer, but results are inconsistent. In this nested case-control study we linked the population-based medical birth registries and cancer registries in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in order to examine overall cancer risk and risk of specific cancer types in women with a history of hyperemesis, using conditional logistic regression. In total, 168,501 cases of cancer in addition to up to 10 cancer-free controls per case were randomly sampled, matched on year of birth and birth registry ( n = 1,721,626). Hyperemesis was defined through the International Classification of Diseases. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders. Hyperemesis was inversely associated with overall cancer risk with adjusted relative risk (aRR) of 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99), with cancer in the lungs (aRR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44-0.81), cervix (aRR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49-0.91) and rectum (aRR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.29-0.78). Thyroid cancer was positively associated with hyperemesis (aRR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06-1.99) and risk increased with more than one hyperemetic pregnancy (aRR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.23-2.63). Hormonal factors, in particular human chorionic gonadotropin, are likely to be involved in mediating these effects. This study is the first to systematically address these associations and provides valuable knowledge on potential long-term consequences of hyperemesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown associations between increases in outdoor air pollution and all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular and respiratory related mortality. The majority of studies has used the routine monitoring network and thus has not been able to characterize the small-scale variation in daily averages and peak concentrations within urban settings. To address possible short term impact on mortally by air pollution we used a time-stratified case-crossover design to estimate associations of traffic-related air pollution and wood burning and daily mortality during a period of 10 years among residents above 50 years of age in Oslo, Norway. A dispersion model was used to assess short-term air pollution for daily (24-h) averages and peak concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO) from exhaust and particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM) from exhaust and wood-burning at residential neighbourhood level for each individual. We found an overall increased risk from exposure at the lag of 0-5 days before the day of death for both pollutants. The excess risk was highest for PM with a 2.8 % (95 % confidence interval: 1.2-4.4) increase per 10 μg per cubic meter change in daily exposure. Short-term traffic-related air pollution was associated with increased risk for mortality among individuals above 50 years of age, especially for circulatory outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of histologic grade on survival of ovarian serous cancer in Denmark during nearly 30years. Methods: Using the nationwide Danish Pathology Data Bank, we evaluated 4317 women with ovarian serous carcinoma in 1978–2006. All pathology reports were scrutinized and tumors classified as either low-grade serous carcinomas (LGSC) or high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC). Tumors in which the original pathology reports were described as well-differentiated were classified as LGSC, and those that were described as moderately or poorly differentiated were classified as HGSC. We obtained histologic slides from the pathology departments for women with a diagnosis of well-differentiated serous carcinoma during 1997–2006, which were then reviewed by expert gynecologic pathologists. Data were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis with follow-up through June 2009. Results: Women with HGSC had a significantly increased risk of dying (HR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.6–2.3) compared with women with LGSC while adjusting for age and stage. Expert review of 171 women originally classified as well-differentiated in 1997–2006 were interpreted as LGSC in 30% of cases, whereas 12% were interpreted as HGSC and 50% as serous borderline ovarian tumors (SBT). Compared with women with confirmed LGSC, women with SBT at review had a significantly lower risk of dying (HR=0.5; 95% CI: 0.22–0.99), and women with HGSC at review had a non-significantly increased risk of dying (HR=1.6; 95% CI: 0.7–3.4). Conclusions: A binary grading system is a significant predictor of survival for ovarian serous carcinoma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: Cervical cancer causes over 4000 deaths yearly in the United States, although highly preventable through vaccination, screening, and early treatment. We aimed to determine demographic correlates for cervical cancer in North Carolina to identify target populations for interventions and to create a framework for state-level analyses. Method: Data on all reported invasive cervical cancer cases from 1998 to 2007 were obtained from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates were estimated using population data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Results: Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates varied greatly by county and were inversely associated with county prosperity. Hispanic women had the highest incidence rate, black women the highest mortality rate, although white women accounted for most cases. Incidence rates remained fairly steady above age 35 and mortality rates steadily increased with age. A later stage at diagnosis was more common for older women and for women without private insurance. Conclusion: Registry-based assessment illustrates the economic, racial, and age disparities associated with cervical cancer. This localized focus on demographic correlates is an important step toward eliminating this preventable disease and offers a template for cervical cancer prevention programs in other states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]