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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for retinal detachment or tear (RD/T), and follow up two studies that found increased risk from work-related heavy lifting. Methods: We conducted a casecontrol study including 200 cases of RD/T and 415 controls. Participants completed a questionnaire covering general health, vision, and physical exertion. Multiple logistic regression and propensity score matching was used to control confounding and estimate independent effects. Results: RD/ T risk was increased by one lifting measure: current regular lifting of more than 30 lbs (>13.6 kg). In the population aged less than 65 years, the odds ratio comparing those with/without heavy lifting was 1.81, 95% confidence interval = 1.08 to 3.04. Conclusion: Occupational heavy lifting may represent a risk factor for RD/T, but further research is needed in populations with frequent heavy physical exertion to more precisely quantify the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to metalworking fluids has been previously associated with prostate cancer mortality in a cohort of autoworkers. Our objective was to further explore this finding in a study of prostate cancer incidence in the same cohort, with reduced misclassification of outcome.Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study in the General Motors cohort of autoworkers. Incident cases of prostate cancer (n = 872) were identified via the Michigan Cancer Registry from 1985 through 2000. Controls were selected using incidence-density sampling with 5:1 ratio. Using cumulative exposure (mg/m-years) as the dose metric, we first examined varying lengths of lags (0-25 years). Then, we evaluated consecutive windows of exposure: 25 or more years before risk age, and fewer than 25 years. We used penalized splines to model the relative risk as a smooth function of exposure, and adjusted for race and calendar year of diagnosis in a Cox model.Results: Risk of prostate cancer increased with exposure to soluble and straight fluids 25 years or more before risk age but not with exposure in the last 25 years. The relationship with soluble fluids was piecewise linear, with a small increase in risk at lower exposures followed by a steeper rise. By contrast, the relationship with straight fluids was linear, with a relative risk of 1.12 per 10mg/m-years of exposure (95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.20).Conclusions: Exposure to oil-based fluids, soluble and straight, is modestly associated with prostate cancer risk among autoworkers, with a latency period of at least 25 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between intelligence quotient (IQ) measured at ages 18 to 20 and onset of smoking, and the association between IQ and smoking cessation., Methods: Data on IQ, smoking, mental health, and social background among 49,321 Swedish men born 1949 to 51, collected at conscription for military service in 1969, were used. The association between IQ and smoking cessation was investigated among those 694 members of the full cohort also interviewed in the Swedish Level of Living Conditions study 1981 to 2002., Results: Lower IQ measured at ages 18 to 20 was weakly associated with increased prevalence of smoking, independently of indicators of mental illness and social misbehavior measured in late adolescence. By contrast, smoking cessation later in life among those who smoked at ages 18 to 20 was not associated with IQ. Among smokers, lower IQ was significantly associated with a lower level of smoking after adjusting for other factors., Conclusion: Low IQ was associated with an increased prevalence of smoking in adolescence. However, the main part of this association disappeared after adjustment for measures of mental health and social function in early life. IQ was not associated with likelihood of quitting smoking.

Background: A number of studies have shown possible associations between occupational exposures, particularly solvents, and lymphomas. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to solvents and lymphomas (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) in a large population-based, multicenter, case-control study in Italy., Methods: All newly diagnosed cases of malignant lymphoma in men and women age 20 to 74 years in 1991-1993 were identified in 8 areas in Italy. The control group was formed by a random sample of the general population in the areas under study stratified by sex and 5-year age groups. We interviewed 1428 non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases, 304 Hodgkin disease cases, and 1530 controls. Experts examined the questionnaire data and assessed a level of probability and intensity of exposure to a range of chemicals., Results: Those in the medium/high level of exposure had an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with exposure to toluene (odds ratio = 1.8; 95% confidence interval = 1.1-2.8), xylene 1.7 (1.0-2.6), and benzene 1.6 (1.0-2.4). Subjects exposed to all 3 aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, and xylene; medium/high intensity compared with none) had an odds ratio of 2.1 (1.1-4.3). We observed an increased risk for Hodgkin disease for those exposed to technical solvents (2.7; 1.2-6.5) and aliphatic solvents (2.7; 1.2-5.7)., Conclusion: This study suggests that aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons are a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and provides preliminary evidence for an association between solvents and Hodgkin disease.

Purpose: To determine whether cumulative daily average wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, over one or two preceding days, is a better measure for predicting cases of exertional heat illness (EHI) than current daily average WBGT, which is the standard heat index used by the Marine Corps; and to identify the most accurate index of heat stress to prevent and predict future cases of EHI., Methods: A case-crossover study was conducted in male and female Marine Corps recruits in basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC. Weather measurements were obtained for 2069 cases of EHI during 1979-1997 and for randomly selected control periods before and after each EHI episode., Results: The risk of EHI increased with WBGT (OR = 1.11 degrees F(-1); 95% CI, 1.10-1.13). EHI risk was associated not only with the WBGT at the time of the event (OR = 1.10 degrees F(-1); 95% CI, 1.08-1.11) but with the previous day's average WBGT as well (OR = 1.03 degrees F(-1); 95% CI, 1.02-1.05). Alternative combinations of WBGT components were identified that better predicted EHI risk., Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for a cumulative effect of previous day's heat exposure on EHI risk in these Marine Corps recruits. A simple index for use in predicting EHI risk is proposed that includes the dry-bulb temperature and the relative humidity.