Dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes in childhood and throughout adulthood and mammographic density in a British birth cohort

We examined the role of dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes in childhood and throughout adulthood in relation to mammographic density using data from a nationally representative cohort of 1161 women followed up since their birth in 1946. Dietary intakes at the age of 4 years were determined by 24-h recalls and at the ages of 36, 43 and 53 years by 5-day food records. After adjusting for known risk factors and confounders, no evidence of a relationship between dietary calcium or vitamin D intakes and mammographic density approximately at the age of 50 years was found, except for a cross-sectional relationship between dietary calcium intake at the age of 53 years and breast density in women who were post-menopausal at the time of mammography, with those in the top fifth of the distribution of calcium intake having a 0.53 s.d. lower percent breast density than those in the lowest fifth (P-value <0.01 for linear trend)

Survival from breast cancer among South Asian and non-South Asian women resident in South East England

Ethnic differences in breast cancer survival have been observed in the USA but have not been examined in Britain. We aimed to investigate such differences between South Asian (i.e. those with family roots in the Indian subcontinent) and non-South Asian (essentially British-native) women in England. Primary breast cancer cases incident in 1986 -1993 and resident in South East England were ascertained through the Thames Cancer and Registry and followed up to the end of 1997. Cases of South Asian ethnicity were identified on the basis of their names by using a previously validated computer algorithm. A total of 1037 South Asian and 50 201 non-South Asian breast cancer cases were included in the analysis; 30% of the South Asian (n=312) and 44% (n=22 201) of the non-South Asian cases died during follow-up. South Asian cases had a higher relative survival than non-South Asians throughout the follow-up period. The 10-year relative survival rates were 72.6% (95% confidence interval: 69.0, 75.9%) and 65.2% (64.5, 65.8%) for South Asians and non-South Asians, respectively. The excess mortality rates experienced by South Asians were 82% (72, 94%) of those experienced by non-South Asians (P=0.004). The magnitude of this effect was slightly reduced with adjustment for differences in age at diagnosis, but was strengthened with further adjustment for differences in stage at presentation and socioeconomic deprivation (excess mortality rates in South Asians relative to non-South Asians=72% (63, 82%), P&<0.001). These findings indicate that the higher survival from breast cancer in the first 10 years after diagnosis among South Asian was not due to differences in age at diagnosis, socioeconomic deprivation or disease stage at presentation

Uso de iodóforo tópico em feridas crônicas: revisão da literatura

La investigación trata de una revisión de la literatura a cerca de la utilización del yodo tópico y/o compuestos en el tratamiento de las heridas crónicas. Se buscaran los ensayos clínicos en el Cochrane. Catorce (n=24) publicaciones estaban de acuerdo con los criterios de inclusión, y fueran analizadas según las características de las revistas y ensayos y clasificadas como: yodo versus otros agentes tópicos (7/ 50%); yodo versus curativos (6/ 42,9%) y yodo versus sin yodo (1/ 7,1%). Fueran obtenidos resultados favorables a la utilización del yodo y/o compuestos en 50% de los artículos analizados. Cuanto a las tendencias de los resultados, 6 de 8 publicaciones, a cerca de la de cicatrización de las heridas y prevención de infección, fueran favorables; 4 de 5 fueran no favorables solamente para la cicatrización, y el resultado del único trabajo con indicación del uso para tratamiento de infección de herida fue no favorable.Trata-se de revisão de literatura relacionada ao uso de iodóforos tópicos no tratamento de feridas crônicas. Os ensaios clínicos foram localizados por meio da Base de Dados Cochrane de Revisões Sistemáticas e Registro Cochrane Central de Ensayos Controlados. Quatorze (58,3%), dentre 24 artigos, atenderam os critérios de inclusão, analisados quanto às características dos periódicos e dos estudos e classificados em três grupos: iodóforo versus outros agentes tópicos (7 ou 50%); iodóforo versus coberturas (6 ou 42,9%) e iodóforo versus sem iodóforo (1 ou 7,1%). Resultados favoráveis à utilização dos iodóforos ocorreram em 50% dos artigos analisados. Quanto às tendências dos resultados, seis, dentre oito artigos, que tratavam de cicatrização de feridas e prevenção de infecção, foram favoráveis; quatro, dentre cinco, foram desfavoráveis somente para a cicatrização e no único ensaio em que houve indicação do seu uso para tratamento de infecção de ferida o resultado foi desfavorável.This study aimed to do a review of the literature regarding the use of topic iodine and/or compounds in the treatment of chronic wounds. The clinical trials were searched in the Cochrane database. Fourteen (58.3%) among 24 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The articles were analyzed regarding journal and study characteristics and classified into three groups: Iodine versus other topic agents (7/ 50%); Iodine versus different dressings (6/ 42.9%); Iodine versus without Iodine (1/ 7.1%). Favorable results for the use of Iodine or similar product occurred in 50% of the analyzed studies. Six out of 8 trials showed favorable results for healing and infection prevention/ treatment; 4 out of 5 were not favorable when the healing objective was investigated and 1 study for infection treatment showed no favorable result

The spatial distribution of radiodense breast tissue: a longitudinal study

Introduction Mammographic breast density is one of the strongest known markers of susceptibility to breast cancer. To date research into density has relied on a single measure ( for example, percent density (PD)) summarising the average level of density for the whole breast, with no consideration of how the radiodense tissue may be distributed. This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of density within the breast using 493 mammographic images from a sample of 165 premenopausal women (similar to 3 medio-lateral oblique views per woman).Methods Each breast image was divided into 48 regions and the PD for the whole breast ( overall PD) and for each one of its regions ( regional PD) was estimated. The spatial autocorrelation ( Moran's I value) of regional PD for each image was calculated to investigate spatial clustering of density, whether the degree of clustering varied between a woman's two breasts and whether it was affected by age and other known density correlates.Results The median Moran's / value for 165 women was 0.31 (interquartile range: 0.26, 0.37), indicating a clustered pattern. High-density areas tended to cluster in the central regions of the breast, regardless of the level of overall PD, but with considerable between-woman variability in regional PD. The degree of clustering was similar between a woman's two breasts (mean within-woman difference in Moran's / values between left and right breasts = 0.00 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.01, 0.01); P = 0.76) and did not change with aging (mean within-woman difference in I values between screens taken on average 8 years apart = 0.01 (95% CI = -0.01, 0.02); P = 0.30). Neither parity nor age at first birth affected the level of spatial autocorrelation of density, but increasing body mass index (BMI) was associated with a decrease in the degree of spatial clustering.Conclusions This study is the first to demonstrate that the distribution of radiodense tissue within the breast is spatially autocorrelated, generally with the high-density areas clustering in the central regions of the breast. The degree of clustering was similar within a woman's two breasts and between women, and was little affected by age or reproductive factors although it declined with increasing BMI