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Adipose tissue is considered an endocrine organ that secretes adipokines, which possibly mediate the effects of obesity on the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there are yet limited prospective data on the association between circulating adipokine levels and the risk of ischemic stroke. We aimed to examine the associations of 3 adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) with the risk of ischemic stroke.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent angiogenic factor and may play a role in the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions, the underlying mechanism of cardiovascular disease. However, there have been no prospective studies examining the relationship between HGF levels and risk of stroke.

Population-based case-control studies have found relationships between risk of prostate cancer and genetic polymorphisms in the CAG repeat and GGC repeat of the X-linked androgen receptor gene (AR) as well as the autosomal gene coding for glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTP1). This family-based study utilized the transmission disequilibrium test to examine whether there was evidence that these polymorphisms could account for familial aggregation of prostate cancer. Seventy-nine North American pedigrees were studied. Most of these families had 3 or more affected first-degree relatives. Genotype information was obtained on 578 individuals. The reconstruction combined transmission disequilibrium test (RC-TDT) was used to test for linkage. There was no evidence of linkage to the CAG and GGC repeat sequences in the AR gene or the pentanucleotide (ATAAA) repeat in the GSTP1 gene when each allele was analyzed separately or when alleles were grouped by repeat length. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that familial clustering of prostate cancer in high-risk families is attributable to these genetic variants. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Objective: To survey attitudes about abortion in a sample of physicians practicing in the Bronx, New York, identify factors associated with those attitudes, and investigate how attitudes about abortion influence willingness to do it.

Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the major causal factor of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The potential role of nutrition as an additional, independent risk factor for CIN has not been appropriately addressed in the context of HPV. This case-control study evaluated the etiologic role of HPV in terms of viral type and load and examined the association between CIN and plasma levels of micronutrients adjusting for HPV. Cases (n = 378) with histo-pathologically confirmed CIN and controls (n = 366) with no history of abnormal Pap smears were recruited from colposcopy and gynecology clinics, respectively. Risk of CIN was significantly increased among women who were infected with multiple HPV types (odds ratio [OR] = 21.06), a high viral load (OR = 13.08) and HPV 16 (OR = 62.49). After adjusting for HPV positivity and demographic factors, there was an inverse correlation between plasma α-tocopherol and risk of CIN (OR = 0.15). Plasma ascorbic acid was protective at a high level of ≥ 0.803 mg/ dl (OR = 0.46). CIN was not associated with plasma retinol and β-carotene levels. The effect of genital HPV infection on CIN development is highly influenced by oncogenic viral type and high viral load. Vitamins C and E may play an independent protective role in development of CIN that needs to be confirmed in prospective studies. Int. J. Cancer 78:594–599, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Although genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is well established as the etiologic agent for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN), little is known about the cofactors involved in the development of high-grade lesions or the progression of low-grade to high-grade lesions. In our study of HPV-infected women with CIN (163 CIN I, 51 CIN II and 44 CIN III), women with CIN II or III were compared with those with CIN I for risk factors associated with high-grade lesions. After controlling for age, education, ethnicity and frequency of Pap smear screening, infection with HPV 16, but not high viral load or infection with multiple types, was associated with high-grade lesions (OR for CIN II = 11.96, OR for CIN III = 23.74). Risk of CIN III, but not CIN II, increased with number of cigarettes smoked per day (ORs = 1.49 and 3.35 for ≤10 and >10 cigarettes per day, respectively) and decreased with frequency of condom use during sex (ORs = 0.60 and 0.32 for women who used condoms occasionally/sometimes and most/all of the time, respectively). There were no associations between high-grade lesions and plasma levels of micronutrients (retinol, β-carotene, α-tocopherol and reduced ascorbic acid). Our results indicate that infection with HPV 16 is associated with high-grade lesions. Additional cofactors, such as cigarette smoking, may be required as a carcinogen to advance HPV-infected cells toward neoplastic progression. Int. J. Cancer 78:281–285, 1998.© 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Women with histopathologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) were followed at 3-month intervals in a randomized double-blinded trial to evaluate the efficacy of β-carotene to cause regression of CIN. Questionnaire data, plasma levels of micronutrients, and a cervicovaginal lavage for human papillomavirus (HPV) detection were obtained at each visit, and an endpoint biopsy was performed at 9 months. Sixty-nine subjects had a biopsy endpoint evaluation; 9 of 39 (23%) subjects in the β-carotene group versus 14 of 30 (47%) in the placebo group had regression of CIN (P= 0.039). Independent risk factors for persistent CIN at 9 months included type-specific persistent HPV infection (OR = 11.38,P= 0.006) and continual HPV infection with a high viral load (OR = 14.25,P= 0.007) at baseline and 9 months, an initial diagnosis of ≥CIN II (OR = 6.74,P= 0.016), and older age (OR for ≥25 years = 4.10,P= 0.072). After controlling for these factors, the β-carotene and placebo groups did not differ in risk for having CIN at 9 months (OR = 1.53,P= 0.550). Resolution of baseline HPV infection was significantly correlated with non-high-risk HPV types (RR = 2.94,P= 0.015), age <25 years (RR = 2.62,P= 0.014), and douching after sexual intercourse (RR = 3.02,P= 0.012), but not with randomization group. Our data indicate that a large proportion of mild CIN lesions regress; age and HPV infection play an important role in the natural course of CIN; and repeated HPV testing may have a value in distinguishing women who need aggressive treatment for CIN versus those who do not. Supplementation of β-carotene does not appear to have a detectable benefit in treatment of CIN.