Environmental exposures and Long-COVID in a Prospective Population-Based Study in Catalonia (COVICAT study)

Headache has not been established as a risk factor for dementia. The aim of this study was to determine whether any headache was associated with subsequent development of vascular dementia (VaD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other types of dementia. This prospective population-based cohort study used baseline data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2) performed during 1995-1997 and, from the same Norwegian county, a register of cases diagnosed with dementia during 1997-2010. Participants aged ≥20 years who responded to headache questions in HUNT 2 were categorized (headache free; with any headache; with migraine; with non-migrainous headache). Hazard ratios (HRs) for later inclusion in the dementia register were estimated using Cox regression analysis. Of 51,383 participants providing headache data in HUNT 2, 378 appeared in the dementia register during the follow-up period. Compared to those who were headache free, participants with any headache had increased risk of VaD ( N = 63) (multivariate-adjusted HR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.8, P = 0.002) and of mixed dementia (VaD and AD ( N = 52)) (adjusted HR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.5, P = 0.018). There was no association between any headache and later development of AD ( N = 180). In this prospective population-based cohort study, any headache was a risk factor for development of VaD.

Coffee consumption can be protective owing to its chemical compounds or harmful because of thermal injury in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, evidence remains inconsistent, as different studies have reported results ranging from protective effects to a 3-fold increase in esophageal cancer risk with coffee consumption. The association may differ between individuals who prefer hot beverages and those who do not. To distinguish the effects of coffee from thermal injury, we examined the association between coffee consumption and ESCC according to beverage temperature preferences. This population-based prospective cohort study used data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study from 1990. Overall, 103,932 participants aged 40-69 y were included in the study. Coffee consumption and hot food or beverage preference were self-reported using baseline questionnaires. The incidence of ESCC until 2013 was identified through active surveillance of cancer registries. The association between coffee consumption and ESCC was assessed by stratification according to hot food or beverage preference. The joint association between the combination of coffee and hot food or beverage preference and ESCC risk was analyzed. During a mean follow-up of 18.7 y, 434 patients with ESCC were identified. Coffee consumption was not significantly associated with ESCC risk [hazard ratio (HR) for ≥3 cups/d: 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58, 1.20]. The associations were not statistically significant among those who preferred hot food or beverages (HR for ≥3 cups/d: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.48, 1.69) and those who did not (HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 0.80, 2.48). Joint association analysis revealed no clear association. The results were similar when ESCC cases diagnosed within the first 3 y of follow-up were excluded. This population-based prospective study did not find strong evidence supporting an association between coffee consumption and ESCC, either among individuals who preferred hot beverages or those who did not.

Background: Environmental hazards often accumulate in areas of low socioeconomic status. However, little is known about individual patterns of environmental exposure. We linked individual data from an ongoing cohort study with contextual exposure data to elucidate spatiotemporal patterns of exposure in an urban population. Methods: We used data from the population-based prospective Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study on 4814 randomly selected residents, aged 45-75 years at baseline, from the highly urbanized Ruhr Area in West-Germany. Residential history for a 10 year period before baseline examination was obtained from city registries for 3320 participants. We collected small-scale contextual social risk factors, including area-level unemployment rate, mean income, residential stability, population density, and percentage of elderly. Environmental physico-chemical exposures of interest were long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, proximity to traffic and chronic traffic noise. Individual socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were assessed repeatedly. Using bivariate and multivariate hierarchical analyses, we investigated spatiotemporal exposure variations in the study area and their associations with individual socio-economic status. Results: During the 10 years before baseline, participants with low education or with low income spent more time in exposed neighborhoods than participants with high education or high income. For example, participants in the lowest and highest income group lived 15.3% and 10.0%, respectively, of the 10 years before baseline at residences with high traffic noise exposure (>65 dB(A) 24h mean). Every year of high residential noise exposure was associated with a 3% (95% CI 0-5%) higher prevalence of hypertension. Conclusions: The accumulation of individual and contextual risk factors over time and across residential histories poses a risk for the development of chronic disease.

Serial home-based self-collection of anterior nasal swabs to detect Staphylococcus aureus carriage in a randomized population-based study in Germany

Long-term patterns of functional outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have not been well elucidated in population-based studies from low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to define long-term functional outcomes, associated prognostic factors, and recovery patterns for patients with acute ICH. We conducted a prospective population-based stroke incidence study in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with prospective follow-up. Multiple overlapping strategies were used to prospectively ascertain all strokes over 2 years. Patients were followed up at 28, 90, and 365 days. Associated factors of unfavorable outcome (defined as modified Rankin Scale scores, 3-6) and death at 365 days were identified using separate binary logistic regressions. Recovery pattern in terms of the proportions of patients with favorable outcomes (defined as modified Rankin Scale scores, 0-2) as the outcome was analyzed over time at 28, 90, and 365 days using generalized estimating equations with baseline covariates. A total of 1172 first-ever ICH cases were registered. Among these patients, 625 (56.4% of available modified Rankin Scale) cases had died and 853 (77.0%) had an unfavorable outcome at 365 days. The proportion of favorable outcomes increased from 12.1% at day 28 to 17.4% at day 90 and then to 23.0% at 1 year. Multivariable analysis revealed that older age, low socioeconomic status, absence of hypertension, hospital admission, neurosurgical intervention, and ICH severity, side, and intraventricular extension were independently associated with death/unfavorable outcome 365 days post-ICH. Most of these factors were also associated with the recovery pattern. The prognosis from ICH in low- and middle-income countries is dismal, with 56% of patients dead and 77% having an unfavorable functional outcome at 365 days, although there was a pattern of continuous recovery over this time period. These findings stress the importance of developing effective primary prevention and continuous active care for survivors to reduce the burden of ICH in low- and middle-income countries.

Zinc and heme iron intakes and risk of colorectal cancer: a population-based prospective cohort study in Japan

ObjectiveChronic musculoskeletal pain is common in older adults but the nature of its relationship with ageing is unclear. The objective for this study was to test the hypothesis that the onset of widespread pain would be associated with a decrease in healthy ageing.MethodsPopulation-based prospective cohort study. A “healthy ageing” index was constructed across biomedical, physical, psychosocial and lay components. Analysis was performed with 2949 adults aged 50 years and over who had complete index scores at baseline, 3 and 6-year follow-ups.ResultsAt three and six year follow-up, 365 (16.8%) and 259 (14.3%) experienced the onset of widespread pain. The onset of widespread pain during the six-year period was associated with a 25% and a 46% decrease in healthy ageing index scores; this decrease was independent of age, sex, education, social networks, smoking status, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity. The decrease in healthy ageing attenuated to 20% and 39% following adjustment for diagnosed musculoskeletal conditions and analgesic and non-steroidal use.ConclusionsThe onset of widespread pain was associated with a decrease in healthy ageing throughout the six-year period. When pain increased over time, the markers of unhealthy ageing increased also. Strong analgesia was associated with unhealthy ageing. Research could now usefully test whether early identification, improved treatment and prevention of pain prior to old age may facilitate healthy ageing.

Common mental disorders (CMD) and adverse social circumstances are widespread among mothers of infants and toddlers in resource-constrained settings. These can undermine early childhood development through compromised caregiving and insufficient access to essential resources. The aim was to examine the effect of maternal CMD and social adversity in the post-partum year on toddler's length-for-age index in a rural low-income setting. A population-based prospective cohort study of women in Ha Nam province, Vietnam who completed baseline assessments in either late pregnancy or 4-6 weeks post partum and were followed up, with their toddlers, 15 months later. CMD were assessed at both points by psychiatrist-administered Structured Clinical Interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Diagnoses. Anthropometric indices were calculated from toddler's age, sex, weight and length using World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Social adversities were assessed by study-specific questions and locally validated psychometric instruments. The hypothesized model of factors governing toddler's length-for-age Z score (LAZ) was tested using path analysis. In total, 211/234 (90.1%) mother-toddler pairs provided complete data. Baseline prevalence of CMD among women was 33.6% and follow-up was 18.5%. The mean LAZ among toddlers was -1.03 and stunting prevalence (LAZ < -2) was 15.6%. Maternal CMD at baseline were indirectly related to toddler LAZ via maternal CMD at follow-up (regression coefficient = -0.05, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.01). Maternal CMD at follow-up was associated significantly with toddler LAZ (regression coefficient = -0.15, 95% CI -0.28 to -0.05). Poorer quality of marital relationship, mothers' experiences of childhood abuse and <30 days dedicated post-partum care were associated indirectly with lower toddler LAZ via maternal CMD. Maternal post-natal CMD are associated with child growth measured by LAZ in this resource-constrained setting. Social adversities affect child growth indirectly through increasing the risk of maternal CMD. Interventions to reduce stunting in low-income settings may need to address maternal CMD and social adversities in order to improve impact.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses significant global health challenges, with its rising prevalence linked closely to lifestyle and dietary factors. The Portfolio Diet, a plant-based dietary regimen known to lower cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, may also offer protective effects against T2DM, though limited research has explored this potential association. This study investigates the relationship between adherence to the Portfolio Diet and T2DM risk within the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) during 8.9 years of follow-up, a population-based prospective study. This analysis included 2,188 T2DM-free adults, aged ≥ 21. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated and reliable FFQ, and adherence to the Portfolio Diet was evaluated through a Portfolio Diet Score (PDS) derived from the dietary intake data. Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors, were employed to assess the association between PDS and T2DM risk. Overall PDS were not statistically significantly associated with T2DM risk across the tertiles in fully adjusted models (HR = 0.91; 95%CI: 0.64-1.31, P trend = 0.610). Analysis of individual PDS components indicated an inverse association between nuts intake and T2DM risk in the highest tertile (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.51-0.99; P trend = 0.050). Other components, including plant protein, viscose fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and total phytosterols, did not show significant associations with T2DM risk in adjusted models. While overall adherence to the portfolio diet did not significantly reduce T2DM risk in this Middle Eastern cohort, nut consumption was inversely associated with T2DM incidence. These findings indicate that both region-specific dietary patterns and the weighting of components within the Portfolio Diet Score may affect its ability to capture associations with type 2 diabetes risk. Not applicable.

Evidence from animal models suggests that dietary fatty acids have both anticancer and tumor-promoting effects. Whether dietary fatty acids are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) in humans remains inconclusive. We investigated associations between dietary fatty acids and risk of CRC among 59 986 men who participated in the Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS), an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study. We identified 876 incident CRC cases in the SMHS during a mean follow-up of 9.8 years. Associations between dietary fatty acid intake and CRC risk were evaluated by Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. Consumption of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was not significantly associated with CRC risk. Multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for Quartile 4 vs Quartile 1 were 0.92 (0.74-1.14; Ptrend = 0.47) for SFA, 0.95 (0.79-1.16; Ptrend = 0.74) for MUFA and 1.18 (0.95-1.46; Ptrend = 0.21) for PUFA. No significant associations were found for total n-6 PUFA or total n-3 PUFA. Additionally, we performed a meta-analysis to summarize results from the present study and 28 reports from 26 additional cohorts, which supported the overall null association between dietary fatty acid intake and CRC risk among men. Docosahexanoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid were associated with 11% to 12% reduced risk, and linoleic acid a 19% increased risk, of CRC in the meta-analysis of combined sexes. In conclusion, this population-based prospective study and meta-analysis of cohort studies found little evidence that dietary fatty acid intake was associated with risk of CRC in men.

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors and Triple-negative Breast Cancer Survival: A Population-based Prospective Study.

Prospective population-based open-ended study. This paper is part of the Stockholm-Thessaloniki Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Study. To calculate incidence and evaluate the epidemiological profile of the incident population with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). The greater Thessaloniki region in Greece and the greater Stockholm region in Sweden. TSCI individuals, older than 15 years of age, who had survived the first 7 days post-trauma, were identified through an active surveillance system. The forms of the Nordic Spinal Cord Injury Registry were used. 87 individuals were injured in the greater Thessaloniki and 49 in the greater Stockholm region. Annual crude incidence was 33.6 per million for Thessaloniki and 19.5 per million for the Stockholm region. The leading causes of injury for the Thessaloniki region were transportation accidents (51%) and falls (37%), and those for the Stockholm region were falls (47%) and transportation accidents (23%). A significantly larger number of individuals of the Thessaloniki group were injured in transportation accidents. There was no significant difference between regions with regard to the type of resulting impairment. Incidence of TSCI was considerably higher in the Thessaloniki region as compared with that in the Stockholm region, probably chiefly reflecting differences in preventative measures with regard to driving.

Patent Foramen Ovale: Innocent or Guilty?: Evidence From a Prospective Population-Based Study

Background/Objectives: The prevalence of the diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme deficiency of a genetic origin has not been previously assessed. A prospective population-based study was conducted in a sample of 200 healthy newborns aimed to determine the prevalence of DAO enzyme deficiency caused by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants of the AOC1 gene. Methods: Genotyping was performed in oral mucosa samples collected around 2 days after birth. The four more frequent SNPs, c.47C>T (rs10156191), c.995C>T (rs1049742), c.1990C>G (rs10449793), and c.691G>T (rs2052129), were analyzed. Results: DAO deficiency was present in 132 newborns, with a prevalence of 66% (95% confidence interval [CI] 59-73%). The rs10449793 variant showed a prevalence of 46%, followed by rs10156191 with a prevalence of 42.5%, and rs2052129 with a prevalence of 39.5%. The variant rs1049742 showed the lowest prevalence (9.5%). The frequency of one, two, three, or four SNPs was 23%, 23.5%, 10.5%, and 9%, respectively. In all fours SNP variants, heterozygous carriers were more frequent than homozygous carriers (19% homozygosity). Differences in the prevalence of DAO deficiency between males (68%, 66/96) and females (63.4%, 66/104) were not found (p = 0.885). The prevalence in Caucasian newborns was 66.5% (123/185), as compared with 60% (9/15) in Latin Americans (p = 0.821). Conclusions: This study carried out in healthy newborns indicates that there is a high prevalence (66%) of DAO deficiency of a genetic origin in the general population.

Eclampsia in Italy: A prospective population-based study (2017-2020).