Case-control study of decaffeinated coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer.

The relationship between decaffeinated coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer was examined using data from a hospital-based case-control study of individuals aged 20-80 years in 18 hospitals in 6 United States cities, from January 1981 to December 1984. Among the males, 127 cases and 371 controls were examined, while for females, the figures were 111 and 325 for cases and controls, respectively. Decaffeinated coffee use was not associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in males (odds ratio = 0.7 for 3 or more cups/day; 95% confidence interval = 0.4-1.4). For females, an elevated risk was seen for drinkers of 1-2 cups/day (odds ratio = 1.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.0-2.7), but this finding was of borderline significance and elevation in risk was not found for drinkers of 3 or more cups/day (odds ratio = 0.9; 95% confidence interval = 0.4-1.9). Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer in both males and females. Factors examined and not found to be related to pancreatic cancer included education, occupation, religion, marital status, alcohol drinking, saccharin use, height, weight 5 years before hospitalization, history of previous diseases, and residence.

Bladder cancer in nonsmokers.

Potential risk factors for bladder cancer were studied in a series of 76 male and 76 female bladder cancer cases and 238 male and 254 female controls who reported never having smoked. Risk factors included usual occupation, smoking by the spouse, sidestream smoke exposure at home and at work and in transportation, coffee drinking (caffeinated and decaffeinated), artificial sweetener use, body mass index, and a history of diabetes and high blood pressure. No association was found with spouse's smoking or reported sidestream smoke exposure, coffee drinking, artificial sweetener use, or a number of other variables; however, there was some indication that several occupations were overrepresented in the cases. A positive association was found with snuff use in women, but the numbers were small (three cases and one control). Restriction of the study to lifetime nonsmokers permitted the assessment of potential risk factors in the absence of potential confounding and interactive effects of smoking. The study had adequate statistical power to detect moderately small elevated risks due to the main factors examined.

An epidemiologic study of the relationship between postural asymmetry in the teen years and subsequent back and neck pain.

This epidemiologic study examined the relationship between postural discrepancies in the posterior plane and the subsequent development of back and neck pain. The study population comprised women who were members of the graduating classes of 1957, 1958, and 1959 of an eastern U.S. women's college. Information on postural asymmetry was gathered from two sources: (1) measurements made from posture pictures taken early in the freshman year of college and obtained from each woman in the study, and (2) subjective evaluations made by the physical education department faculty at the time of examination. Information on the development of back and neck disorders and associated risk factors during the subsequent 25 years was obtained by a postal questionnaire. Three parameters of postural asymmetry were examined from the posture picture measurements: elevation of one shoulder, elevation of one hip, and deviation of the spine from the midline of the body. None of these parameters nor the physical education department evaluations was associated with a subsequent report of low-back pain, mid-back pain, or neck pain.

A case-control study of diesel exhaust exposure and bladder cancer.

The relationship between bladder cancer and employment in occupations involving exposure to diesel exhaust was examined using data from a hospital-based case-control study of men aged 20 to 80 years in 18 hospitals in six U.S. cities, from January 1981 to May 1983. In this analysis, 194 cases and 582 controls were compared according to occupation, smoking history, alcohol and coffee consumption, and various demographic variables. No difference was found in the proportion of bladder cancer cases employed in occupations with exposure to diesel exhaust compared to controls. This relationship did not change after taking smoking habits into account. Bladder cancer cases were significantly more likely to be current smokers of cigarettes than were controls.

An epidemiologic study of the carpal tunnel syndrome in an adult female population.

The relationships between certain reproductive, demographic, and medical variables and the carpal tunnel syndrome were examined using data from a hospital-based case-control study of women ages 45 to 74 years in the New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, areas from 1977 to 1979. Characteristics of 40 carpal tunnel syndrome cases and 1,043 controls from hospital surgical services were compared. A history of diabetes was associated with an increased frequency of occurrence of the carpal tunnel syndrome, a finding consistent with clinical observation. Recent weight gain and use of estrogen replacement therapy were identified as possible risk factors; this provides some support for the theory that fluid retention in the soft tissues of the carpal tunnel is etiologically involved, although these results are preliminary and further research must be carried out to refute or support these findings. The negative association of the carpal tunnel syndrome with height and a history of varicose veins and the positive association with age at menopause cannot be explained and need verification.