Disease burden in offspring is associated with changing paternal demographics in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Average paternal age in the United States has increased substantially in the last few decades. Children of advanced age fathers have a higher incidence of early onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the number of population adjusted cases of early-onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease in children attributable to increasing paternal age in the United States. METHODS: Paternal age in the United States from 1972 to 2015 was collected using the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Population attributable fraction and paternal age-specific cumulative incidence rates of several cancers and neuropsychiatric disorders were obtained from peer-reviewed publications. Paternal age-specific birth rates were correlated with paternal age-specific cumulative incidence rates to determine the number of attributable cases of disease caused by advancing age of fathers in the United States. RESULTS: The 2015 birth cohort in the United States is estimated to expect 9.2% more cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed before 16 years of age (157 additional cases), 13.2% more cases of embryonal tumors in children <5 years of age (209 additional cases), and 13.0% more cases of breast cancer in females younger than 40 years old (424 additional cases) compared to the 1972 birth cohort. We can estimate to expect 10.5% more cases of schizophrenia diagnosed before 21 years of age (2864 additional cases), 6.3% more cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adolescents <17 years of age (2934 additional cases), 4.5% more cases of anorexia nervosa (AN) in females 8-30 years old (620 additional cases), and 9.2% more cases of bipolar disorder in young patients 16-25 years old (252 additional cases) in the 2015 birth cohort compared to the 1972 birth cohort. CONCLUSION: Increasing paternal age in the United States is associated with a substantial increase in the number of cases of early-onset cancer and neuropsychiatric disease in offspring.

Neurobehavioral complaints of symptomatic persons exposed to Pfiesteria piscicida or morphologically related organisms.

Over the next year, additional persons in Maryland may be at risk for exposure of toxic Pfiesteria or morphologically related organisms. These persons may present with a variety of memory and other behavioral complaints. This paper examines the kinds of complaints that persons with a documented Pfiesteria-related syndrome have compared to a nonexposed control group. The exposed group was more likely to report difficulties with concentration, forgetfulness, prospective memory, and information overload as well as feelings of confusion, bewilderment, and uncertainty as direct effects of toxin exposure. The exposed group was also more likely to report feeling uneasy, on edge, nervous, and shaky, which is probably a reaction to their newly acquired cognitive deficits and uncertainty about their recovery. In contrast, retrograde memory loss, disturbances of language or social behavior, depression, anger, hostility, or diminished activity levels are not symptoms that exposed persons are likely to report.

Psychologic adjustment of watermen with exposure of Pfiesteria piscicida.

Preliminary study of the psychologic adjustment of watermen with exposure to Pfiesteria piscicida was conducted on watermen with the most severe exposures and their occupationally matched controls. Participants in the exposed group were seven symptomatic recreational and commercial fishermen who had direct exposure to the Pocomoke River or other estuarial waters on Maryland's Eastern Shore before, during, and/or after periods of documented fish kills and Pfiesteria activity. The control group included eight commercial fishermen who worked on the ocean side of the Eastern Shore and had no reported exposure to estuaries with documented Pfiesteria activity. Both exposed symptomatic and nonexposed watermen completed the Profile of Mood States to assess depression, anxiety, and other relevant mood states as part of their participation in the larger investigation of the human health effects of Pfiesteria piscicida. Preliminary results suggest that both exposed symptomatic and nonexposed watermen are psychologically healthy and exhibit what psychologists refer to as the classic Iceberg Mood Profile. The Iceberg Profile is characterized by endorsement of symptoms suggestive of high energy, enthusiasm and positive mood (e.g., lively, active, energetic, cheerful, vigorous, etc.) and relative minimization of symptoms suggestive of negative or depressed mood (e.g., tense, anxious, restless, grouchy, forgetful). Therefore, the Pfiesteria-related symptom complex documented in the exposed watermen cannot be explained by functional or psychiatric factors and is probably due to exposure.

A critical review of the Pfiesteria hysteria hypothesis.

Mass hysteria or mass psychogenic illness is the spread of the belief of an illness (symptoms and the origins of the symptoms) through a population. The characteristics of mass psychogenic illness were reviewed and compared to the recent outbreak of human illness in the Pocomoke region in Maryland in the summer of 1997. The findings suggest that the nature of the symptoms complex--the onset and recovery course; the absence of secondary gain or job-related stress for most of the symptomatic persons; the predominance of males in the symptomatic group; and the baseline emotional stability of all persons examined--are inconsistent with the reported features of psychogenic illness in response to unknown environmental or chemical toxins. Although there may be individuals who exhibited hypochondriacal, hysterical, or other functionally based reactions, the recent outbreak of Pfiesteria-related illness probably does not represent an episode of mass psychogenic illness.

Racial differences in body type preferences of men for women.

OBJECTIVE: Research indicates that African-American women have a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, a markedly lower prevalence of eating disorders, and greater satisfaction with their bodies than Euro-American women. One potential contributing explanation for this difference may be differential body type preferences between the men in the two communities. METHOD: Sixty-three African-American and 116 Euro-American men were asked to rank, in order of attractiveness, a series of silhouettes of women of varying sizes. Additionally, they answered questions concerning their current relationships. RESULTS: Euro-Americans chose significantly thinner figures, and reported wishing their girlfriends would lose weight significantly more often than African-Americans. DISCUSSION: These differential preferences may translate into greater pressure within the Euro-American community for women to be thin than in the African-American community; however, a small effect size suggests that factors other than race contribute to men's body type preferences.