Common community acquired infections and subsequent risk of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Emerging evidence supports a role for immune-related factors in the causation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Using the population-based U.S. SEER-Medicare database, we identified 10,171 elderly CLL patients and 122,531 frequency-matched controls to evaluate several community acquired infections associated with subsequent CLL risk. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for gender, age, race, calendar year, and number of physician claims. We found increased CLL risk following Medicare claims for sinusitis (OR=1.11; 95%CI=1.05–1.17), pharyngitis (OR=1.15; 1.08–1.22), bronchitis (OR=1.14; 1.08–1.19), pneumonia (OR=1.17; 1.11–1.24), influenza (OR=1.10; 1.01–1.19), cellulitis (OR=1.08; 1.02–1.14), and herpes zoster (OR=1.26; 1.15–1.37). Associations with pneumonia and cellulitis remained significant when the 5-year period before diagnosis/control was excluded. CLL risk increased with increasing severity/frequency of pneumonia (p=0.005), cellulitis (p<0.001), and herpes zoster (p<0.001). Our findings suggest that common infections may play a role in CLL etiology. Alternatively, the associations might reflect an underlying immune disturbance present several years prior to CLL diagnosis

Young Bisexual People’s Experiences of Sexual Violence: A Mixed-Methods Study

Bisexual people are at an increased vulnerability for sexual victimization in comparison to heterosexual people, as well as gay and lesbian people. As the majority of first sexual violence experiences happen prior to age 25 for bisexual women, young bisexual people are particularly vulnerable. Despite consistent evidence of this health disparity, little is known about what factors might increase young bisexual people’s risk for sexual victimization, or how they access support post-victimization. The current study addresses this gap through a mixed-method investigation of young bisexual people’s experiences of sexual violence with a sample of 245 bisexual people age 18–25. Quantitative results indicate that bisexual stigma significantly predicts a greater likelihood of reporting an experience of sexual violence. Qualitative findings support that while not all participants felt bisexual stigma related to their experience of sexual violence, some felt negative bisexual stereotypes were substantial factors. Interview participants found connecting with other survivors, particularly LGBTQ + and bisexual survivors, to be beneficial. Some participants encountered barriers to accessing support, such as discrimination in schools. Sexual violence researchers should consider bisexual stigma as an important factor, and support services the potential positive impact of bisexual-specific survivor support

Differences in Rape Acknowledgement and Mental Health Outcomes across Transgender, Non-binary, and Cisgender Bisexual Youth

The purpose of this study was to document the rates of rape acknowledgment (labeling rape as rape rather than using a minimizing label) and the corresponding mental health correlates using the minority stress framework in a unique and vulnerable sample: racially diverse sexual and gender minority young adults. Participants were 245 young adults who identified their sexual orientation as under the bisexual umbrella. A total of 159 of these participants (65.2%) identified their gender identity as nonbinary. All participants completed a series of online questionnaires regarding their sexual victimization history, mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), and constructs relevant to minority stress theory (level of outness, internalized bisexual negativity, connection to LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning] community). Rape acknowledgment was significantly greater among gender nonbinary participants (79.9%) than among trans and cisgender male participants (17.9%). Lack of rape acknowledgment was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Outness was significantly associated with greater rape acknowledgment. Despite the highly increased vulnerability for sexual violence among sexual and gender minorities, very little is understood about the mechanisms of this increased vulnerability or their unique needs for recovery. The results of this study strongly suggest the importance of a minority stress framework for understanding this increased vulnerability and for designing sexual violence prevention and recovery interventions for sexual and gender minority populations

Psychosocial factors and their association with reflux oesophagitis, Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma

We appreciate the contributions made by the study participants and their families. We would like to thank the clinicians who were contacted throughout the study period and their secretaries for administrative support. We acknowledge the contribution of Miss Siobhan Reynolds, Ms Majella Gallagher, Ms Carol Anderson and Mr. Martin McAnaespie and Dr. Damian McManus. Thanks to the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and National Cancer Registry Ireland for their support and involvement in the research. The FINBAR study group members include Johnston BT, Watson RGP, McGuigan J, Ferguson HR (Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, County Antrim, United Kingdom), Murphy SJ (Craigavon Hospital, Northern Ireland), JV Reynolds (St James” Hospital, Dublin, Ireland) and H Comber (National Cancer Registry of Ireland, Cork, Ireland).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Low knowledge and awareness of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) among general practitioners

Acknowledgements The authors would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers of the WONCA Europe 2017 conference and the General Practitioners/Trainee’s for participating in this study. Funding At the time of writing, Dr Charlene McShane was in receipt of a Cancer Research UK Population Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (C51094/A18267)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Changes in the Demographic and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Thyroid Cancer : A Population-Based Investigation in Algeria, 1993-2013

Peer reviewedPostprintPublisher PD

Service and clinical impacts of reader bias in breast cancer screening : a retrospective study

Acknowledgements iCAIRD Radiology Collaboration: Corri Black, Alison D. Murray and Katie Wilde, University of Aberdeen. James D. Blackwood, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Claire Butterly and John Zurowski, University of Glasgow. Jon Eilbeck and Colin McSkimming, NHS Grampian. Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd. – SHAIP platform. We would like to acknowledge the support of the Grampian Data Safe Haven (DaSH) facility within the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science and the associated financial support of the University of Aberdeen, and NHS Research Scotland (through NHS Grampian investment in DaSH). Funding This work is supported by the Industrial Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research in Digital Diagnostics (iCAIRD). iCAIRD was funded by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) [project number: 104690]. The funders were not involved in the study’s design; the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

On theorems of Jackson and Bernstein type in the complex plane

We consider best polynomial approximation to functions analytic in a Jordan domain D and continuous on . We relate theorems of Jackson and Bernstein type to the Hölder continuity of the exterior conformal mapping functions for D .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41343/1/365_2005_Article_BF02075464.pd