Search

BackgroundClinical studies have shown that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can increase insulin resistance and blood pressure. The epidemiologic evidence for an association of PM2.5 exposure with the incidence of type 2 diabetes or hypertension is inconsistent. Even a modest association would have great public health importance given the ubiquity of exposure and high prevalence of the conditions.MethodsWe used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident type 2 diabetes and hypertension associated with exposure to PM2.5 in a large cohort of African American women living in 56 metropolitan areas across the US, using data from the Black Women's Health Study. Pollutant levels were estimated at all residential locations over follow-up with a hybrid model incorporating land use regression and Bayesian Maximum Entropy techniques.ResultsDuring 1995 to 2011, 4,387 cases of diabetes and 9,570 cases of hypertension occurred. In models controlling for age, questionnaire cycle, and metro area, there were positive associations with diabetes (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.24) and hypertension (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.12) per interquartile range of PM2.5 (2.9 μg/m). Multivariable HRs, however, were 0.99 (95% CI = 0.90, 1.09) for diabetes and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.93, 1.06) for hypertension.ConclusionsOur results provide little support for an association of PM2.5 with diabetes or hypertension incidence.

Background: Clinical studies have shown that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can increase insulin resistance and blood pressure. The epidemiologic evidence for an association of PM2.5 exposure with the incidence of type 2 diabetes or hypertension is inconsistent. Even a modest association would have great public health importance given the ubiquity of exposure and high prevalence of the conditions.Methods: We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident type 2 diabetes and hypertension associated with exposure to PM2.5 in a large cohort of African American women living in 56 metropolitan areas across the US, using data from the Black Women's Health Study. Pollutant levels were estimated at all residential locations over follow-up with a hybrid model incorporating land use regression and Bayesian Maximum Entropy techniques.Results: During 1995 to 2011, 4,387 cases of diabetes and 9,570 cases of hypertension occurred. In models controlling for age, questionnaire cycle, and metro area, there were positive associations with diabetes (HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.24) and hypertension (HR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00, 1.12) per interquartile range of PM2.5 (2.9 μg/m). Multivariable HRs, however, were 0.99 (95% CI = 0.90, 1.09) for diabetes and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.93, 1.06) for hypertension.Conclusions: Our results provide little support for an association of PM2.5 with diabetes or hypertension incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statins affect the proliferation, survival, and migration of cancer cells, and it is thought that they may have chemopreventive properties in humans. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between statin use and various types of cancer in our hospital-based case-control surveillance study.Data were collected from patients ages 40-79 years who were admitted to participating hospitals in 3 centers in Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore from 1991 to 2005. Nurses administered questionnaires to obtain information on medication use and other factors. We compared patients who had any of 10 types of cancer (a total of 4913 patients) with controls admitted for noncancer diagnoses (3900 patients). The following cancers were examined individually: female breast (n = 1185), prostate (n = 1226), colorectal (n = 734), lung (n = 464), bladder (n = 240), leukemia (n = 254), pancreas (n = 220), kidney (n = 226), endometrial (n = 220), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 144). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals among regular statin users compared with never-users.Odds ratios were compatible with 1.0 for all cancer types. For the 4 largest cancer sites (breast, prostate, colorectum, and lung), odds ratios did not vary significantly by duration of statin use.Statins are among the most commonly used medications, and durations of use are increasing. The present data do not support either positive or negative associations between statin use and the occurrence of 10 cancer types. Cancer incidence should continue to be monitored among statin users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]