BACKGROUND:Paradoxically, some studies have found that high sun exposure, a well-known cause of melanoma, is associated with lower mortality among melanoma patients. In the Norwegian Women and Health cohort, we aimed to investigate associations between pre-diagnosis sun exposure and melanoma-specific and overall death, and the potential impact of unmeasured confounding and selection bias (conditioning on melanoma diagnosis) on any observed association between markers of high sun exposure and death. METHODS:We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) by Cox regression, observed covariate E-values, bias-adjusted HRs, and performed frailty analysis. RESULTS:Among 2234 patients with a first melanoma (311 deaths, 168 from melanoma; mean follow-up 8.0 years), we found significantly reduced risk of melanoma-specific (HR=0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.24-0.68) and overall (HR=0.49, 95%CI=0.33-0.72) death for ever- versus never-sunburn and a negative trend for cumulative number of sunburns (ptrend≤0.001), but not for sunbathing vacations (HR=0.69, 95%CI=0.37-1.27, melanoma-specific death). Neither the E-value approach nor bias-adjusted HRs suggested a large degree of unmeasured confounding for the sunburn-death association. However, frailty analysis suggested that selection may partly explain the association. CONCLUSION:While sunburns appear protective, this association might reflect unobserved heterogeneity in melanoma risk and selection bias, and the associations may not represent a true causal effect.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the association between low levels of benzene exposure (≤0.879 parts per million [ppm]-years) and risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) including its anatomical subsites. METHODS:Among 25,347 male workers in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) cohort with offshore work history (1965-1998), 455 CRC cases were diagnosed 1999-2021. We compared these with a subcohort (n = 2031) drawn from the full cohort. Work histories were linked to a previously developed industry-specific benzene job-exposure matrix (JEM). Cox regression for case-cohort analyses was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CRC, adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, red/processed meat intake, and physical activity. RESULTS:Risks of CRC increased with increasing benzene exposure. For all CRC, the HRs (95% CI) for the most exposed [quartile 4] vs. the unexposed were 1.32 (0.96 to 1.81, [0.177-0.879 ppm-years]; p-trend = 0.085) for cumulative, 1.52 (1.11 to 2.07, [17-34 years]; p-trend = 0.032) for duration, and 1.56 (1.15 to 2.12, [0.015-0.046 ppm]; p-trend = 0.005) for average intensity of benzene exposure. For right-sided colon cancer, the association was most evident for exposure duration (HR = 2.25 (1.33 to 3.80), quartile 4 [17-34 years] vs. unexposed; p-trend = 0.007). Sensitivity analyses showed consistent associations. CONCLUSION:This study found positive exposure-response associations between low-level benzene exposure and CRC risk in offshore petroleum workers. These findings add to emerging evidence that benzene can be associated with solid tumours including lung and bladder, which potentially has important occupational and public health implications.
Pre‐ and post‐diagnosis physical activity (PA) have been associated with decreased mortality and recurrence in cancer patients, but its effect is under‐studied in patients with cutaneous melanoma. We investigated the association between pre‐diagnosis PA (most recent level and long‐term trajectories) and melanoma‐specific, other‐cause, and overall mortality. Additionally, PA levels before and after a melanoma diagnosis were compared. We used information at recruitment and follow‐ups in the prospective population‐based Norwegian Women and Cancer cohort linked to the Cancer Registry of Norway. In total 1829 women were diagnosed with a first primary melanoma in 1991─2020, aged 34–93 years. We used Cox regression adjusted for age at diagnosis, education, smoking status, region of residence, melanoma thickness, and summary stage. Most recent pre‐diagnosis PA was non‐significantly associated with lower risk of melanoma‐specific mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.44─1.07, high vs. low) and significantly associated with other‐cause (HR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.28─0.89) and overall mortality (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.42─0.82). Four pre‐diagnosis PA trajectory classes were identified using a latent class mixed model (low, decreasing, moderate, and high). The PA trajectory classes were not significantly associated with melanoma‐specific mortality. However, significantly decreased risks of other‐cause (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.30─0.87) and overall mortality (HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.42─0.84) were found in the moderate versus low class. Only 275 patients reported both pre‐ and post‐diagnosis PA, and among those, 69% had a similar PA level before and after melanoma diagnosis. Our results suggest that pre‐diagnosis PA reduces mortality in middle‐aged Norwegian women with melanoma.
OBJECTIVES:Excess incidence of prostate cancer (PC) is frequently observed among firefighters; however, the association with specific occupational exposures of firefighting, as well as the influence of a medical surveillance bias, remains unclear. Our aim was to study PC risk within a firefighter cohort, applying indicators of exposures. METHODS:We used indicators of various firefighting exposures to examine PC risk among men in the Norwegian Fire Departments Cohort (N=4251). Incident PC cases, including clinical characteristics, were obtained from the Cancer Registry of Norway (1960-2021). Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) by cumulative exposure in tertiles (reference: lowest) for all, aggressive, and indolent PC, with adjustment for age and birth cohort. The cumulative incidence of PC across birth cohorts and diagnostic periods was examined. RESULTS:No clear associations emerged for any of the exposure indicators, although we observed an HR of 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-2.72] for aggressive PC in the highest tertile of fire exposure score and 1.31 (95% CI 0.60-2.89) for indolent PC in the highest tertile of inhalation score. Assessment of cumulative incidence demonstrated a greater number of diagnoses at younger ages after 1990, particularly for indolent and unclassifiable PC. CONCLUSIONS:We found little support for an association between firefighting exposures and PC risk. However, our study had few cases in analyses by clinical stage. Challenges in studies of firefighters' PC risk remain, including difficulties in exposure characterization and the unclear magnitude of a medical surveillance bias.
Background and Aims: Statins have traditionally been contraindicated during pregnancy; however, the risks associated with exposure to statins and other lipid-modifying agents (LMAs) in human pregnancies remain unclear. We aimed to examine the associations between exposure to LMAs across pregnancy and health outcomes in mother and offspring. Methods: We linked registry data for all pregnant women in Norway in 2005-2018 from national registries in Norway. Exposures were pregnancy-related (before, during or after pregnancy) prescription fillings of any LMA, any statin- or non-statin LMA, or subgroups of these. Primary outcomes were major congenital malformations and miscarriage, and secondary outcomes were offspring growth and preeclampsia. Results: In 2005-2018, 34778 pregnancies in Norway resulted in an offspring with a congenital malformation (4.3% of all 805368 pregnancies, omitting multiple births and chromosomal abnormalities). For pregnancies exposed to any type of LMA during first trimester, 22/340 exposed pregnancies developed a malformation (6.5%). For second and third trimester exposure, 3/78 (3.8%) and 2/56 (3.6%) developed a malformation, respectively. For pregnancies exposed 6-12 and 0-6 months before conception, 82/1228 (6.7%) and 70/1217 (5.6%) developed a malformation, respectively; also, for pregnancies exposed 0-6 and 6-12 months after birth, 58/772 (7.5%) and 84/1275 (6.6%) developed a malformation, respectively. Conclusions: In crude analyses, the prevalence of malformations seemed to be numerically higher for pregnancies exposed to LMAs across pregnancy, although confounding is likely, for example by diabetes mellitus. Drug safety analyses for all outcomes are ongoing and will be presented at the congress, including multivariable models and sensitivity analyses.
Importance Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) may occur with multiple primary tumors, metastasize, and cause death both in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. Objective To study the rates of second cSCC, metastasis, and death from cSCC in patients with and without organ transplant-associated immunosuppressive treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based, nationwide cohort study used Cancer Registry of Norway data from 47 992 individuals diagnosed with cSCC at 18 years or older between January 1, 1968, and December 31, 2020. Data were analyzed between November 24, 2021, and November 15, 2022. Exposures Receipt of a solid organ transplant at Oslo University Hospital between 1968 and 2012 followed by long-term immunosuppressive treatment. Main Outcomes and Measures Absolute rates of second cSCC, metastasis, and death from cSCC were calculated per 1000 person-years with 95% CIs. Hazard ratios (HRs) estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression were adjusted for age, sex, and year of first cSCC diagnosis. Results The study cohort comprised 1208 organ transplant recipients (OTRs) (median age, 66 years [range, 27-89 years]; 882 men [73.0%] and 326 women [27.0%]) and 46 784 non-OTRs (median age, 79 years [range, 18-106 years]; 25 406 men [54.3%] and 21 378 women [45.7%]). The rate of a second cSCC per 1000 person-years was 30.9 (95% CI, 30.2-31.6) in non-OTRs and 250.6 (95% CI, 232.2-270.1) in OTRs, with OTRs having a 4.3-fold increased rate in the adjusted analysis. The metastasis rate per 1000 person-years was 2.8 (95% CI, 2.6-3.0) in non-OTRs and 4.8 (95% CI, 3.4-6.7) in OTRs, with OTRs having a 1.5-fold increased rate in the adjusted analysis. A total of 30 451 deaths were observed, of which 29 895 (98.2%) were from causes other than cSCC. Death from cSCC was observed in 516 non-OTRs (1.1%) and 40 OTRs (3.3%). The rate of death from cSCC per 1000 person-years was 1.7 (95% CI, 1.5-1.8) in non-OTRs and 5.4 (95% CI, 3.9-7.4) in OTRs, with OTRs having a 5.5-fold increased rate in the adjusted analysis. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, OTRs with cSCC had significantly higher rates of second cSCC, metastasis, and death from cSCC than non-OTRs with cSCC, although most patients with cSCC in both groups died from causes other than cSCC. These findings are relevant for the planning of follow-up of patients with cSCC and for skin cancer services.
Background: Migrant studies have shown an increase in breast cancer incidence rates among immigrants moving from a breast cancer low-incidence to a high-incidence country. However, 30 years after immigration, it remains equivocal to what degree metabolic factors and ethnic disparities affect breast cancer development and treatment. Methods: Using Cox regression models, we examined the association between ethnicity and breast cancer development, and whether this association varied by pre-diagnostic metabolic profiles among 13 802 women, aged 20-75 years, participating in the population-based Oslo Ethnic Breast Cancer Study. Ethnicity was categorized into: women of Western European descent (reference population) and women of non-western ethnicity (ethnic minority). The ethnic minority women were further subclassified into three groups: 1) South Asian, 2) Middle East and North African, and 3) all other non-western origin women. We defined four pre-diagnostic unfavorable metabolic factors (above median body mass index (>24.6 kg/m2), waist:hip ratio (>0.79), triglyceride:HDL-cholesterol ratio (>0.73), and blood pressure (>96.5 mmHg)), which were combined to define three metabolic profiles: (0-2, 3, and 4 unfavorable metabolic factors). A total of 557 women developed invasive breast cancer during a mean 16.5 years of follow-up. Detailed medical records were obtained. Results: Among women with an unfavorable metabolic profile, South Asian women, compared with Western European women, had a 2.3 times higher breast cancer risk (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.18-4.49). Furthermore, the ethnic minority women, compared with the Western European women, were suggestively more likely to present with triple-negative breast cancer (OR 2.11, 95% CI 0.97-4.61), and less likely to complete all courses of planned taxane treatment (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08-0.82). No differences by ethnicity were observed in physicians’ decisions of planned breast cancer treatment, Conclusions: Our results support that metabolic factors, including body composition, serum lipids and blood pressure, are important when balancing breast cancer prevention and disease management among non-western women migrating from a breast cancer low-incidence to a high-incidence country. However, larger studies are needed. Citation Format: Trygve Lofterød, Hanne Frydenberg, Marit Veierød, Anne Karen Jenum, Jon B Reitan, Erik Wist, Inger Thune. The influence of metabolic factors, migration, and ethnic disparities on breast cancer risk and treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-14-08.
Abstract Background More than one third of Norwegian women and men between 20 and 40 years of age have elevated cholesterol concentration. Parental metabolic health around conception or during pregnancy may affect the offspring’s cardiovascular disease risk. Lipids are important for fetal development, but the determinants of cord blood lipids have scarcely been studied. We therefore aimed to describe the associations between maternal and paternal peri-pregnancy lipid and metabolic profile and newborn cord blood lipid and metabolic profile. Methods This study is based on 710 mother–father–newborn trios from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and uses data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN). The sample included in this study consisted of parents with and without self-reported hypercholesterolemia the last 6 months before pregnancy and their partners and newborns. Sixty-four cord blood metabolites detected by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were analyzed by linear mixed model analyses. The false discovery rate procedure was used to correct for multiple testing. Results Among mothers with hypercholesterolemia, maternal and newborn plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1, linoleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, alanine, glutamine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, creatinine, and particle concentration of medium high-density lipoprotein were significantly positively associated (0.001 ≤ q ≤ 0.09). Among mothers without hypercholesterolemia, maternal and newborn linoleic acid, valine, tyrosine, citrate, creatinine, high-density lipoprotein size, and particle concentration of small high-density lipoprotein were significantly positively associated (0.02 ≤ q ≤ 0.08). Among fathers with hypercholesterolemia, paternal and newborn ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 were significantly positively associated (q = 0.04). Among fathers without hypercholesterolemia, no significant associations were found between paternal and newborn metabolites. Sex differences were found for many cord blood lipids. Conclusions Maternal and paternal metabolites and newborn sex were associated with several cord blood metabolites. This may potentially affect the offspring’s long-term cardiovascular disease risk.
1Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway; 2Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 3Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 4Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; 5Oslo Ischemia Study, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 6Department of Chronic Diseases and Ageing, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; 7Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 8Department of Rheumatology, Dermatology and Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 9Department of Registration, Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway; 10QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia; 11CRUK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Purpose: Melanoma is the cancer with the most rapidly rising incidence rate in Norway. Although exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the major environmental risk factor, other factors may also contribute. Antidepressants have cancer inhibiting and promoting side effects, and their prescription rates have increased in parallel with melanoma incidence. Thus, we aimed to prospectively examine the association between use of antidepressants and melanoma by using nation-wide data from the Cancer Registry of Norway, the National Registry, the Norwegian Prescription Database and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Patient and Methods: All cases aged 18–85 with a primary cutaneous invasive melanoma diagnosed during 2007–2015 (n=12,099) were matched to population controls 1:10 (n=118,467) by sex and year of birth using risk-set sampling. We obtained information on prescribed antidepressants and other potentially confounding drug use (2004–2015). Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between overall and class-specific use of antidepressants and incident melanoma. Results: Compared with ≤1 prescription, ≥8 prescriptions of antidepressants overall were negatively associated with melanoma (RR 0.81 CI 0.75–0.87). Class-specific analyses showed decreased RRs for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (RR 0.82 CI 0.73–0.93) and mixed antidepressants (RR 0.77 CI 0.69–0.86). The negative association was found for both sexes, age ≥50 years, residential regions with medium and highest ambient UVR exposure, all histological subtypes, trunk, upper and lower limb sites and local disease. Conclusion: Use of antidepressants was associated with decreased risk of melanoma. There are at least two possible explanations for our results; cancer-inhibiting actions induced by the drug and less UVR exposure among the most frequent users of antidepressants.
PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to examine why Norway has the highest rate of mortality due to cutaneous melanoma (CM) in Europe. The Norwegian Malignant Melanoma Registry (NMMR) enables the study of clinical and histopathological characteristics of patients who die due to CM. RESULTS:The NMMR and the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry provided data on the clinical and histopathological factors as well as the date and cause of death, through June 2015 for all first invasive CMs diagnosed in 2008-2012 (n=8087). Cox regression was used to estimate associations between clinical and pathological factors and CM-specific death. Multiple imputation was used to handle missing data. RESULTS:The CMs were equally distributed between men (49.9%) and women (50.1%), and the median follow-up was 4.0 years (range: 0.08-7.5 years). Trunk was the most common anatomic site (48%), superficial spreading melanoma was the dominant melanoma subtype (68.2%), median Breslow thickness was 1.0 mm, ulceration was present in 23% of CMs, and 91.8% of cases were in a local clinical stage at diagnosis. Compared to women, men were diagnosed at a higher age, with thicker and more-often-ulcerated tumor, and more often were in advanced clinical stages. During follow-up, 1015 patients died due to CM, representing 52.8% of all deaths. The nodular subtype made up the dominant proportion of fatal CM cases (55.3% in women, 64.6% in men). Sex, age, anatomic site (trunk), T-stage, ulceration, clinical stage, and having a second primary CM were associated with increased risk of CM-specific death. CONCLUSION:Our data suggest that the high rate of mortality due to CM observed in Norway is attributable to the more advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Most high-risk cases occurred in male patients ≥70 years of age. Efforts to improve awareness and secondary prevention of CM, including warning signs of all melanoma subtypes, are required urgently and should be targeted toward men in particular.
Aim: It is not known to which extent familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) increases the risk for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The primary aim of this study was to investigate incidence of PAD relative to the total Norwegian population of about 5 million people in the period 2001-2009 in a large sample of genotyped FH patients stratified by sex and age groups.
Aim: It is not known if familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) increases the risk for diseases in the circulatory system (DCS) in a population were statin treatment is common. The primary aim of this study was to investigate incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) relative to the total Norwegian population of about 5 million people in the period 2001-2009 in a large sample of genotyped FH patients stratified by sex and age groups.
After the introduction of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test in the 1980s, a sharp increase in the incidence rate of prostate cancer was seen in the United States. The age-specific incidence patterns exhibited remarkable shifts to younger ages, and declining rates were observed at old ages. Similar trends were seen in Norway. We investigate whether these features could, in combination with PSA testing, be explained by a varying degree of susceptibility to prostate cancer in the populations. We analyzed incidence data from the United States’ Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program for 1973–2010, comprising 511,027 prostate cancers in men ≥40 years old, and Norwegian national incidence data for 1953–2011, comprising 113,837 prostate cancers in men ≥50 years old. We developed a frailty model where only a proportion of the population could develop prostate cancer, and where the increased risk of diagnosis due to the massive use of PSA testing was modelled by encompassing this heterogeneity in risk. The frailty model fits the observed data well, and captures the changing age-specific incidence patterns across birth cohorts. The susceptible proportion of men is \(39.9\,\%\,\left( {95\,\%\,{\text{CI}}\, 38.2, 41.6\,\% } \right)\) in the United States and \(30.4\,\%\, \left( {95\,\%\, {\text{CI}} \,28.9, 32.0\,\% } \right)\) in Norway. Cumulative incidence rates at old age are unchanged across birth cohort exposed to PSA testing at younger and younger ages. The peaking cohort-specific age-incidence curves of prostate cancer may be explained by the underlying heterogeneity in prostate cancer risk. The introduction of the PSA test has led to a larger number of diagnosed men. However, no more cases are being diagnosed in total in birth cohorts exposed to the PSA era at younger and younger ages, even though they are diagnosed at younger ages. Together with the earlier peak in the age-incidence curves for younger cohorts, and the strong familial association of the cancer, this constitutes convincing evidence that the PSA test has led to a higher proportion, and an earlier timing, of diagnoses in a limited pool of susceptible individuals.
BACKGROUND & AIMS:Customized nutrient supply is vital to ensure optimal growth among very low birth weight infants (birth weight < 1500 g). The supply of amino acids is especially important due to their impact on protein synthesis and growth. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of enhanced nutrition on growth, blood concentrations of amino acids, and explore possible associations between amino acid concentrations and common neonatal morbidities. We hypothesized higher amino acids levels and growth velocity among infants on enhanced nutrient supply. METHODS:This randomized controlled trial was performed in three university neonatal intensive care units in Oslo, Norway. Fifty very low birth weight infants were randomized to a control or intervention group. Within 24 h after birth, infants in the intervention group received enhanced supply of energy, amino acids, lipids, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A, whereas the control group received a standard nutrient supply. The intervention continued until 52 weeks postmenstrual age or until a body weight of 5.5 kg was reached. Amino acid analyses were performed at birth, day 3, 5 weeks of age and 5 months corrected age. Detailed information about nutrient intake, morbidities, blood amino acid concentrations and growth velocity were collected from 44 infants (6 infants excluded). High-performance liquid chromatography was used for amino acid analysis. RESULTS:The intervention group (n = 23) received higher supply of proteins, with higher blood concentrations of amino acids measured at 5 weeks of age, and improved growth velocity (mean 17.4 vs 14.3 g/kg/day, p < 0.001) at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, compared to the control group (n = 21). The correlation between concentrations of branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) and growth was stronger and more positive among infants: a) in the control group (correlation coefficient ≥ 0.68, p ≤ 0.004); b) born with birth weight appropriate for gestational age (correlation coefficient ≥ 0.53, p ≤ 0.009) and c) not diagnosed with septicemia (correlation coefficient ≥ 0.63, p ≤ 0.005). CONCLUSION:Enhanced nutrient supply to very low birth weight infants led to higher blood amino acid concentrations and improved growth. The correlations between amino acid concentrations and growth velocity were weaker in the intervention group as compared to the control group. This could reflect an upper threshold for protein synthesis and growth with our intervention, whereas a potential for further growth with increasing amino acid supply was possible for the control group. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO:NCT01103219.
Whether excess body weight influences colorectal cancer (CRC) survival is unclear. We studied pre-diagnostic body mass index (BMI) and weight change in relation to CRC-specific mortality among incident CRC cases within a large, Norwegian cohort.
Purpose To assess melanoma risk in relation to sunscreen use and to compare high- with low-sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreens in relation to sunbathing habits in a large cohort study. Materials and Methods We used data from the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study, a prospective population-based study of 143,844 women age 40 to 75 years at inclusion with 1,532,247 person-years of follow-up and 722 cases of melanoma. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the association between sunscreen use (never, SPF < 15, SPF ≥ 15) and melanoma risk by calculating hazard ratios and 95% CIs. The population attributable fraction associated with sunscreen use was estimated. Results Sunscreen users reported significantly more sunburns and sunbathing vacations and were more likely to use indoor tanning devices. SPF ≥ 15 sunscreen use was associated with significantly decreased melanoma risk compared with SPF < 15 use (hazard ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.83). The estimated decrease in melanoma (population attributable fraction) with general use of SPF ≥ 15 sunscreens by women age 40 to 75 years was 18% (95% CI, 4% to 30%). Conclusion Use of SPF ≥ 15 rather than SPF < 15 sunscreens reduces melanoma risk. Moreover, use of SPF ≥ 15 sunscreen by all women age 40 to 75 years could potentially reduce their melanoma incidence by 18%.
Background: Optimal nutrient supply to very low birth weight (VLBW: BW <1,500 g) infants is important for growth and neurodevelopment. Growth restriction is common among these infants and may be associated with neurocognitive impairments. Objectives: To compare an enhanced nutrient supply to a routine supply given to VLBW infants and to evaluate the effects on visual perception of global form and motion measured by visual event-related potentials (VERP). Methods: A total of 50 VLBW infants were randomized to an intervention group that received an increased supply of energy, protein, fat, essential fatty acids, and vitamin A or a control group that received standard nutritional care. At 5 months' corrected age the infants were examined using VERP to investigate the responses to global form and motion. VERP were analysed at the first (f1) and third (f3) harmonics of the stimulus frequency. Results: Data from 31 subjects were eligible for analysis. The motion VERP responses for the f1 and f3 components were stronger in the area near the posterior midline region in the intervention group compared to the controls in the group analyses (p = 0.02 and p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The results showed a more consistent response to global motion among infants receiving enhanced nutrition. The intervention may have improved visual perception of global motion.