Fasting blood glucose, glycaemic control and prostate cancer risk in the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: Diabetic men have lowered overall risk of prostate cancer (PCa), but the role of hyperglycaemia is unclear. In this cohort study, we estimated PCa risk among men with diabetic fasting blood glucose level. METHODS: Participants of the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (FinRSPC) were linked to laboratory database for information on glucose measurements since 1978. The data were available for 17,860 men. Based on the average yearly level, the men were categorised as normoglycaemic, prediabetic, or diabetic. Median follow-up was 14.7 years. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for prostate cancer overall and separately by Gleason grade and metastatic stage. RESULTS: In total 1,663 PCa cases were diagnosed. Compared to normoglycaemic men, those men with diabetic blood glucose level had increased risk of PCa (HR 1.52; 95% CI 1.31-1.75). The risk increase was observed for all tumour grades, and persisted for a decade afterwards. Antidiabetic drug use removed the risk association. Limitations include absence of information on lifestyle factors and limited information on BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Untreated diabetic fasting blood glucose level may be a prostate cancer risk factor.Peer reviewe

Review of the fish market in Finland

In this paper Finnish fish market is described on the basis of the compiled official fisheries statistics and studies carried out by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. The total fish consumption in Finland was about 320 000 tonnes in 1996, FIM 1 400 million in value. One half of the fish was used for human consumption and the other half as feed for fur animals. Baltic herring (Clupea harengus) and rainbow trout (Oncorynchus mykiss) are the most important species to Finnish consumers. In 1996, the Finns consumed 30.4 kg fish in ungutted weight per capita, of which these two species covered nearly one half. There are over 200 fish wholesale and processing companies in Finland, most of them are very small. In 1995, 30 000 tonnes of fish, mainly Baltic herring and rainbow trout, were used for processing. In 1992, there were some 250 specialized fish retail stores. However, nowadays the most important shopping places for fresh and processed fish are self-service shops and supermarkets

Microarray Analysis of the in Vivo Effects of Hypophysectomy and Growth Hormone Treatment on Gene Expression in the Rat*

Complementary DNA microarrays containing 3000 different rat genes were used to study the consequences of severe hormonal deficiency (hypophysectomy) on the gene expression patterns in heart, liver, and kidney. Hybridization signals were seen from a majority of the arrayed complementary DNAs; nonetheless, tissue-specific expression patterns could be delineated. Hypophysectomy affected the expression of genes involved in a variety of cellular functions. Between 16-29% of the detected transcripts from each tissue changed expression level as a reaction to this condition. Chronic treatment of hypophysectomized animals with human GH also caused significant changes in gene expression patterns. The study confirms previous knowledge concerning certain gene expression changes in the above-mentioned situations and provides new information regarding hypophysectomy and chronic human GH effects in the rat. Furthermore, we have identified several new genes that respond to GH treatment. Our results represent a first step toward a more global understanding of gene expression changes in states of hormonal deficiency