Ikuko Kato, M.D.

Genetic polymorphisms in mediators of inflammation and gastric precancerous lesions
Canzian, Federico; Franceschi, Silvia; Plummer, Martyn; van Doorn, Leen-Jan; Lu, Yanhui; Gioia-Patricola, Lydie; Vivas, Jorge; Lopez, Gladys; Severson, Richard K; Schwartz, Ann G; Munoz, Nubia; Kato, Ikuko
2008 Apr;17(2):178-183, European journal of cancer prevention
Chronic inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori is a key process in gastric carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms in important mediators of H. pylori-induced inflammation may influence the risk of developing various grades of precancerous lesions. We studied the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (PTGS1 and PTGS2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2A), interferon gamma (IFNG) and its receptor (IFNGR1), and risk of gastric precancerous lesions in a Venezuelan population characterized by high rates of H. pylori infection. We found no association of precancerous lesions with SNPs in PTGS1 and in IFNG. A nonsynonymous SNP of NOS2A (Ser608Leu) and an SNP located in the promoter of IFNGR1 (C-56T) were associated with higher risk of atrophic gastritis [odds ratio (OR)=1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.01-1.86, and OR=1.49, 95% CI=1.01-2.19, respectively]. Two SNPs of PTGS2 were associated with risk of dysplasia (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.01-2.54, and OR=0.66, 95% CI=0.43-0.99). We conclude that genetic variability in the genes we studied does not play a major role in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis
— id: 95663, year: 2008, vol: 17, page: 178, stat: Journal Article,

Effectiveness of lidocaine infusion for status epilepticus in childhood: a retrospective multi-institutional study in Japan
Hattori, Hideji; Yamano, Tsunekazu; Hayashi, Kitami; Osawa, Makiko; Kondo, Kyoko; Aihara, Masao; Haginoya, Kazuhiro; Hamano, Shinichiro; Izumi, Tatsurou; Kaneko, Kenichiro; Kato, Ikuko; Matsukura, Makoto; Minagawa, Kimio; Miura, Toshio; Ohtsuka, Yoko; Sugai, Kenji; Takahashi, Takao; Yamanouchi, Hideo; Yamamoto, Hitoshi; Yoshikawa, Hideto
2008 Sep;30(8):504-512, Brain & development (Tokyo)
We evaluated the usefulness of intravenous lidocaine therapy for managing of status epilepticus (SE) during childhood in a retrospective multi-institutional study. Questionnaires were sent to 28 hospitals concerning patients admitted for SE who were managed with lidocaine, assessing patient characteristics, treatment protocols and efficacy. In 279 treated patients, 261 SE occurrences at ages between 1 month and 15 years were analyzed. SE was classified as showing continuous, clustered, or frequently repeated seizures. Considering efficacy and side effects in combination, the usefulness of lidocaine was classified into six categories: extremely useful, useful, slightly useful, not useful, associated with deterioration, or unevaluated. In 148 SE cases (56.7%), lidocaine was rated as useful or extremely useful. Multivariate analysis indicated lidocaine was to be useful in SE with clustered and frequently repeated seizures, and SE attributable to certain acute illnesses, such as convulsions with mild gastroenteritis. Efficacy was poor when SE caused by central nervous system (CNS) infectious disease. Standard doses (approximately 2mg/kg as a bolus, 2mg/kg/h as maintenance) produced better outcomes than lower or higher doses. Poor responders to the initial bolus injection of lidocaine were less likely to respond to subsequent continuous infusion than good initial responders. We recommend lidocaine for use in SE with clustered or frequently repeated seizures, and in SE associated with benign infantile convulsion and convulsions with mild gastroenteritis. Lidocaine should be initiated with a bolus of 2mg/kg. If SE is arrested by the bolus, continuous maintenance infusion should follow; treatment should proceed to different measures when SE shows a poor response to the initial bolus of lidocaine
— id: 95664, year: 2008, vol: 30, page: 504, stat: Journal Article,

Does use of alternative medicine delay treatment of head and neck cancer? A surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) cancer registry study
Kato, Ikuko; Neale, Anne Victoria
2008 Apr;30(4):446-454, Head & neck
BACKGROUND: The role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in cancer treatment is controversial. The aim of the study was to assess whether CAM use was associated with a delay in the initiation of conventional cancer treatment for head and neck cancer. METHODS: CAM usage data were collected by mailed questionnaire for 149 incident head and neck cancer patients who were identified through the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System. Time from cancer diagnosis to the start of conventional cancer treatment was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Overall 79% of the subjects reported use of at least 1 of the CAM items asked in the questionnaire. The time to conventional cancer treatment did not differ by prior CAM use intended to treat cancer (p =.209). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present registry-based study do not suggest that alternative therapy use in patients with head and neck cancer delays conventional cancer treatment
— id: 95667, year: 2008, vol: 30, page: 446, stat: Journal Article,

Fecal collection, ambient preservation, and DNA extraction for PCR amplification of bacterial and human markers from human feces
Nechvatal, Jordan M; Ram, Jeffrey L; Basson, Marc D; Namprachan, Phanramphoei; Niec, Stephanie R; Badsha, Kawsar Z; Matherly, Larry H; Majumdar, Adhip P N; Kato, Ikuko
2008 Feb;72(2):124-132, Journal of microbiological methods
Feces contain intestinal bacteria and exfoliated epithelial cells that may provide useful information concerning gastrointestinal tract health. Intestinal bacteria that synthesize or metabolize potential carcinogens and produce anti-tumorigenic products may have relevance to colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the USA. To facilitate epidemiological studies relating bacterial and epithelial cell DNA and RNA markers, preservative/extraction methods suitable for self-collection and shipping of fecal samples at room temperature were tested. Purification and PCR amplification of fecal DNA were compared after preservation of stool samples in RNAlater (R) or Paxgene (P), or after drying over silica gel (S) or on Whatman FTA cards (W). Comparisons were made to samples frozen in liquid nitrogen (N2). DNA purification methods included Whatman (accompanying FTA cards), Mo-Bio Fecal (MB), Qiagen Stool (QS), and others. Extraction methods were compared for amount of DNA extracted, DNA amplifiable in a real-time SYBR-Green quantitative PCR format, and the presence of PCR inhibitors. DNA can be extracted after room temperature storage for five days from W, R, S and P, and from N2 frozen samples. High amounts of total DNA and PCR-amplifiable Bacteroides spp. DNA (34%+/-9% of total DNA) with relatively little PCR inhibition were especially obtained with QS extraction applied to R preserved samples (method QS-R). DNA for human reduced folate carrier (SLC19A1) genomic sequence was also detected in 90% of the QS-R extracts. Thus, fecal DNA is well preserved by methods suitable for self-collection that may be useful in future molecular epidemiological studies of intestinal bacteria and human cancer markers
— id: 95666, year: 2008, vol: 72, page: 124, stat: Journal Article,

Exfoliated cells in stool: a source for reverse transcription-PCR-based analysis of biomarkers of gastrointestinal cancer
Yu, Ying Jie; Majumdar, Adhip P N; Nechvatal, Jordan M; Ram, Jeffrey L; Basson, Marc D; Heilbrun, Lance K; Kato, Ikuko
2008 Feb;17(2):455-458, Cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention
Because the colonic mucosa is in direct contact with digesta, luminal exposure to potentially carcinogenic or chemopreventive agents may be important in colorectal carcinogenesis, independently of the effects of systemic exposure through the circulation. To date, few biomarkers for luminal exposure have been identified, and isolation of reasonably good quality fecal human RNA remains difficult. In this study, we assessed the yield and quality of RNA extracted from 10 human stool samples after storage with several commercially available preservatives compared with stool samples immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. This study shows that careful design of primer pairs which amplify a short length of DNA is key to obtaining interpretable and reproducible results. Moreover, the use of commercially available RNA preservation kits enables investigators to collect usable fecal samples from large populations. Of all the preservative methods tested, RNAlater had the best performance in terms of overall quality, quantity, and level of genomic DNA contamination, and thus deserves further investigation
— id: 95665, year: 2008, vol: 17, page: 455, stat: Journal Article,

Efficacy of intravenous midazolam for status epilepticus in childhood
Hayashi, Kitami; Osawa, Makiko; Aihara, Masao; Izumi, Tatsuro; Ohtsuka, Yoko; Haginoya, Kazuhiro; Kato, Ikuko; Kaneko, Kenichiro; Sugai, Kenji; Takahashi, Takao; Hamano, Shin-Ichiro; Matsukura, Makoto; Miura, Hisao; Minagawa, Kimio; Yamano, Tsunekazu; Yamamoto, Hitoshi; Yamanouchi, Hideo; Yoshikawa, Hideto
2007 Jun;36(6):366-372, Pediatric neurology
A retrospective multicenter study was conducted, designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of midazolam for the treatment of status epilepticus. The subjects were 358 inpatients who received intravenous midazolam therapy for status epilepticus. The mean age was 48.6 +/- 46.5 months. The underlying disorder was epilepsy in 195 cases, and acute symptomatic diseases in 163 (encephalitis or encephalopathy in 88 cases). Midazolam was administered as a bolus dose (0.25 +/- 0.21 mg/kg), followed if necessary by continuous infusion (0.26 +/- 0.25 mg/kg/hr). The bolus injection was effective in 162 (56.6%) of the 286 cases. In the end, seizure suppression was obtained in 231 cases (64.5% of the total). The effectiveness of midazolam was lower in patients in whom midazolam was initiated more than 3 hours after seizure onset, and this tendency was particularly marked in the epilepsy group. During the treatment period, 10 patients died, but none of these deaths were associated with midazolam therapy. The incidence and types of adverse events were consistent with previously reported data. The present results indicate that midazolam is highly effective for the management of status epilepticus, if used sufficiently early after seizure onset
— id: 95671, year: 2007, vol: 36, page: 366, stat: Journal Article,

Polymorphisms in genes related to bacterial lipopolysaccharide/peptidoglycan signaling and gastric precancerous lesions in a population at high risk for gastric cancer
Kato, Ikuko; Canzian, Federico; Plummer, Martyn; Franceschi, Silvia; van Doorn, Leen-Jan; Vivas, Jorge; Lopez, Gladys; Lu, Yanhui; Gioia-Patricola, Lydie; Severson, Richard K; Schwartz, Ann G; Munoz, Nubia
2007 Jan;52(1):254-261, Digestive diseases & sciences
As Helicobacter pylori (HP) is a Gram-negative bacterium, we investigated the associations between several functional polymorphisms in genes involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling and the prevalence of various stages of gastric premalignant lesions in a Venezuelan population. The two NOD2 polymorphisms, del3020insC and Gly908Arg, were too infrequent to study their associations with gastric lesions. The risk of intestinal metaplasia (IM) was significantly increased among subjects with the CD14 T-260 allele compared to those without this allele. A similar, but nonsignificant increase in risk for dysplasia was observed among homozygotes of this allele. There was no association between TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism and any type of lesions, except for a slight nonsignificant increase in risk of IM associated with the AA genotype among subjects with a higher histological HP score. These results suggest that genetic polymorphisms in HP LPS signaling may be implicated in the development of intermediate stages of gastric premalignant lesions
— id: 72132, year: 2007, vol: 52, page: 254, stat: Journal Article,

Fruits, vegetables, and colon cancer risk in a pooled analysis of 14 cohort studies
Koushik, Anita; Hunter, David J; Spiegelman, Donna; Beeson, W Lawrence; van den Brandt, Piet A; Buring, Julie E; Calle, Eugenia E; Cho, Eunyoung; Fraser, Gary E; Freudenheim, Jo L; Fuchs, Charles S; Giovannucci, Edward L; Goldbohm, R Alexandra; Harnack, Lisa; Jacobs, David R Jr; Kato, Ikuko; Krogh, Vittorio; Larsson, Susanna C; Leitzmann, Michael F; Marshall, James R; McCullough, Marjorie L; Miller, Anthony B; Pietinen, Pirjo; Rohan, Thomas E; Schatzkin, Arthur; Sieri, Sabina; Virtanen, Mikko J; Wolk, Alicja; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Anne; Zhang, Shumin M; Smith-Warner, Stephanie A
2007 Oct 3;99(19):1471-1483, Journal of the National Cancer Institute
BACKGROUND: Fruit and vegetable intakes have been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer; however, in more recent studies associations have been less consistent. Statistical power to examine associations by colon site has been limited in previous studies. METHODS: Fruit and vegetable intakes in relation to colon cancer risk were examined in the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated separately in 14 studies using Cox proportional hazards model and then pooled using a random-effects model. Intakes of total fruits and vegetables, total fruits, and total vegetables were categorized according to quintiles and absolute cutpoints. Analyses were conducted for colon cancer overall and for proximal and distal colon cancer separately. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Among 756,217 men and women followed for up to 6 to 20 years, depending on the study, 5838 were diagnosed with colon cancer. The pooled multivariable RRs (95% CIs) of colon cancer for the highest versus lowest quintiles of intake were 0.91 (0.82 to 1.01, P(trend) = .19) for total fruits and vegetables, 0.93 (0.85 to 1.02, P(trend) = .28) for total fruits, and 0.94 (0.86 to 1.02, P(trend) = .17) for total vegetables. Similar results were observed when intakes were categorized by identical absolute cut points across studies (pooled multivariable RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.77 to 1.05 for 800 or more versus <200 g/day of total fruits and vegetables, P(trend) = .06). The age-standardized incidence rates of colon cancer for these two intake categories were 54 and 61 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. When analyzed by colon site, the pooled multivariable RRs (95% CIs) comparing total fruit and vegetable intakes of 800 or more versus less than 200 g/day were 0.74 (0.57 to 0.95, P(trend) = .02) for distal colon cancers and 1.02 (0.82 to 1.27, P(trend) = .57) for proximal colon cancers. Similar site-specific associations were observed for total fruits and total vegetables. CONCLUSION: Fruit and vegetable intakes were not strongly associated with colon cancer risk overall but may be associated with a lower risk of distal colon cancer
— id: 95668, year: 2007, vol: 99, page: 1471, stat: Journal Article,

In vitro production of bilirubin photoisomers by light irradiation using neoBLUE
Okada, Hitoshi; Abe, Tae; Etoh, Yoko; Yoshino, Shuji; Kato, Ikuko; Iwaki, Takuma; Okubo, Kensuke; Yasuda, Saneyuki; Kawada, Kou; Kusaka, Takashi; Namba, Masanori; Nishida, Tomoko; Imai, Tadashi; Isobe, Kenichi; Itoh, Susumu
2007 Jun;49(3):318-321, Pediatrics International
BACKGROUND: The light-emitting diode is used as one of the new light sources for phototherapy. NeoBLUE (Atom Medical, Tokyo, Japan) incorporates blue light-emitting diodes for the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The authors compared the in vitro efficacy of neoBLUE with conventional phototherapy devices. METHODS: The three light devices used included neoBLUE and two conventional phototherapy devices with six blue-white (BW) or six green (GR) fluorescent tubes. A bilirubin/human serum albumin solution (15 mg/dL) in 200 x 300 mm elliptical bag was irradiated with each three light device. The average light intensity of neoBLUE, BW and GR was 22.5, 10.2 and 2.6 microW/cm(2) per nm, respectively, for the irradiated area. Bilirubin photoisomers and native bilirubin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: In neoBLUE, BW and GR, the respective production rate of cyclobilirubin was 6.0, 3.7 and 3.9 x 10(-2) mg/dL/min, and the respective (4Z, 15E)-bilirubin/(4Z, 15Z)-bilirubin ratio after irradiation was 0.44, 0.33 and 0.12; the (4Z, 15Z)-bilirubin reduction rate at 20 min after irradiation was 60, 68 and 82%, respectively. The reduction rate of (4Z, 15Z)-bilirubin correlated with the (4Z, 15E)-bilirubin/(4Z, 15Z)-bilirubin ratio. CONCLUSION: Phototherapy using the neoBLUE under high level may be clinically more effective than therapy using the conventional light source from the results of the production rate of cyclobilirubin
— id: 95672, year: 2007, vol: 49, page: 318, stat: Journal Article,

[The present situation of children with psycho-motor disabilities and their parents]
Ozawa, Hiroshi; Kato, Ikuko; Ozaki, Hirohiko; Ishizuka, Takehiro; Arimoto, Kiyoshi; Kimiya, Satoshi
2007 Jul;39(4):279-282, No to hattatsu = Brain & development
We examined the present situation of children and adolescents with psycho-motor disabilities, and their parents by means of a questionnaire survey. The survey was conducted on the family members of outpatients, 116 males and 86 females. About half the patients were older than 15 years of age. The families of 128 patients did not use a home help service such as home nursing or a regional care service. Many family members had chronic ailments. The families of only 45 patients expressed that it would be better if their children would live in a care home in the future. We must develop a versatile system with social support and medical care for such cases
— id: 95670, year: 2007, vol: 39, page: 279, stat: Journal Article,

Helicobacter pylori cytotoxin-associated genotype and gastric precancerous lesions
Plummer, Martyn; van Doorn, Leen-Jan; Franceschi, Silvia; Kleter, Bernhard; Canzian, Federico; Vivas, Jorge; Lopez, Gladys; Colin, Didier; Munoz, Nubia; Kato, Ikuko
2007 Sep 5;99(17):1328-1334, Journal of the National Cancer Institute
BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with the development of gastric cancer. Although infection with an H. pylori strain containing the cytotoxin-associated (cag A) gene (a marker for a pathogenicity island) may increase the risk of atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer, the relationship of variants in pathogenic H. pylori genes to the severity and progression of precancerous lesions is not well defined. METHODS: Gastric biopsy specimens were obtained at enrollment from 2145 participants in a chemoprevention trial in Tachira State, Venezuela, and examined histologically to determine the severity of precancerous lesions. The presence of H. pylori DNA in gastric biopsies and the strain type according to presence or absence of the cagA gene were detected by polymerase chain reaction and specific probes. The relationship between H. pylori DNA and histologic diagnosis was analyzed by polytomous logistic regression. Rates of progression and regression of precancerous lesions were determined from biopsies from additional annual gastroscopies (mean follow-up = 3.5 years). All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: At enrollment, there was a strong association between cagA-positive H. pylori infection and the severity of gastric precancerous lesions, but cagA-negative H. pylori was associated only with chronic gastritis. Using individuals with normal mucosa or superficial gastritis as control subjects, the odds ratio for dysplasia was 15.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.42 to 37.2) in cagA-positive individuals compared with uninfected individuals and 0.90 (95% CI = 0.37 to 2.17) for individuals infected with cagA-negative H. pylori compared with uninfected individuals. Individuals infected with cagA-positive H. pylori appeared more likely to experience progression (and less likely to experience regression) of precancerous lesions than those infected with cagA-negative H. pylori, but the differences did not attain statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This large epidemiologic study shows a strong relationship between the presence of H. pylori DNA in gastric biopsies and the severity of precancerous lesions that is specific to cagA-positive strains. The association between H. pylori and gastric carcinoma may have been previously underestimated due to the poor accuracy of serologic H. pylori markers and lack of discrimination by cagA genotype
— id: 95669, year: 2007, vol: 99, page: 1328, stat: Journal Article,

Genetic polymorphisms in anti-inflammatory cytokine signaling and the prevalence of gastric precancerous lesions in Venezuela
Kato, Ikuko; Canzian, Federico; Franceschi, Silvia; Plummer, Martyn; van Doorn, Leen-Jan; Lu, Yanhui; Gioia-Patricola, Lydie; Vivas, Jorge; Lopez, Gladys; Severson, Richard K; Schwartz, Ann G; Munoz, Nubia
2006 Nov;17(9):1183-1191, Cancer causes & control. ccc
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of genetic polymorphisms in anti-inflammatory mediators, i.e., IL10, IL4 and IL4R on the prevalence of gastric precancerous lesions and their interactions with other environmental factors. METHODS: The study population consisted of 2,033 Venezuelan subjects known to have extremely high Helicobacter Pylori (HP) infection rates. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with these polymorphisms were estimated by multinominal logistic regression models for gastric precursor lesions. RESULTS: We found a 60% increase in risk of intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia combined (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-2.38) among the carriers of the IL10-1082 low activity allele. This increased risk was more pronounced for dysplasia than for IM. On the other hand, homozygotes with the low activity allele of the A398G polymorphism in the IL4R gene had a modest increase in risk of atrophic gastritis (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.05-2.21), compared with homozygotes of the high activity allele. There were no statistically significant synergetic interactions between these polymorphisms and environmental risk factors (low fruit intake, high starchy vegetable intake and cigarette smoking) for these lesions. CONCLUSION: While the results of the present study suggest roles of genetic variability in these anti-inflammatory mediators in different stages of gastric carcinogenesis, there is high likelihood that they were chance findings due to multiple comparisons
— id: 72133, year: 2006, vol: 17, page: 1183, stat: Journal Article,

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and levels of a lipid oxidation marker in plasma and nipple aspirate fluids
Kato, Ikuko; Chen, Gang; Djuric, Zora
2006 May;97(2):145-148, Breast cancer research & treatment
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are thought to reduce cancer risk by inhibiting cyclo-oxygenases, resulting in deceased formation of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress. We examined whether the level of one oxidative stress marker, 15-F(2t)-isoprostane, was affected by NSAID use in plasma and breast nipple aspirate fluids (NAF) of pre-menopausal women who were participating in a dietary intervention trial (n=121). Baseline levels of 15-F(2t)-isoprostane were lower in NSAID users than non-users in both NAF and plasma, although the differences did not persist after intervention. Over the duration of the study, information on NSAID use was collected five times, and average 15-F(2t)-isoprostane levels in both NAF and plasma exhibited a statistically significant trend for decreases with increased frequency of NSAID use. These results indicate that NSAID use can result in lower levels of 15-F(2t)-isoprostane, which may have implications for the effects of NSAID use on breast cancer risk
— id: 72136, year: 2006, vol: 97, page: 145, stat: Journal Article,

Nutritional predictors for cellular nipple aspirate fluid: Nutrition and Breast Health Study
Kato, Ikuko; Ren, Jianwei; Visscher, Daniel W; Djuric, Zora
2006 May;97(1):33-39, Breast cancer research & treatment
The presence of epithelial cells in breast nipple aspirate fluid (NAF), irrespective of abnormality, has been associated with increased risk of breast cancer in previous studies. We sought to investigate whether the presence of epithelial cells in NAF is associated with nutritional parameters among 71 healthy premenopausal women who participated in the Nutrition and Breast Health Study and provided any samples of NAF during the study. Total of 142 samples which were obtained over a 1-year period of intervention with low-fat and/or high vegetable-fruit diets were available for cytological evaluation. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the detection of epithelial cells in NAF were estimated by fitting generalized estimating equations models by quartile level of nutritional parameters. The probability of yielding epithelial cell-positive NAF progressively increased with increasing total fat intake (p=0.001). The OR for the highest quartile level of fat intake, compared with lowest, was 7.22 (95% CI 1.14-45.82). On the other hand, there were a marginally significant inverse association with total fiber intake as well as an weak inverse association with the number of servings of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the probability of detecting epithelial cells in NAF decreased with increasing plasma levels of lutein and alpha-carotene (p-values for linear trend; 0.001 and 0.049, respectively). The ORs for the highest versus lowest quartile levels are 0.17 (95% CI 0.04-0.65) and 0.19 (95% CI 0.04-0.91), respectively. These results are generally in support of roles of nutritional factors in breast cancer and thus further studies are warranted
— id: 72137, year: 2006, vol: 97, page: 33, stat: Journal Article,

Host-bacterial interaction in the development of gastric precancerous lesions in a high risk population for gastric cancer in Venezuela
Kato, Ikuko; van Doorn, Leen-Jan; Canzian, Federico; Plummer, Martyn; Franceschi, Silvia; Vivas, Jorge; Lopez, Gladys; Lu, Yanhui; Gioia-Patricola, Lydie; Severson, Richard K; Schwartz, Ann G; Munoz, Nubia
2006 Oct 1;119(7):1666-1671, International journal of cancer
Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection affects over 50% of the world's population. The prevalence is over 90% in populations at high risk for gastric cancer, but clinical outcomes of the infection are highly variable and thus host genetic factors have been suggested to play a role in its outcomes in addition to bacterial factors. In this study, we examined the effects of common functional genetic polymorphisms of several proinflammatory cytokines known to be overexpressed in HP-infected gastric mucosa on the risk of various stages of gastric premalignant lesions. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia were estimated by multinominal logistic regression analysis among 2,033 Venezuelan subjects. There was a significant effect of IL8 -251A allele on the prevalence of dysplasia (p = 0.021). The OR associated with the A-allele was 1.34 (95% CI: 0.82-2.18) for heterozygotes and 2.00 (95% CI: 1.13-3.56) for homozygotes, compared with the TT genotype. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant interaction between the number of A-alleles and HP cag A genotype (p = 0.009), suggesting that the A-allele increased the risk of dysplasia only when cag A was present. The OR for the AA compared with TT genotype was 3.22 (95% CI: 1.60-6.52) in this group. There were no associations with other proinflammatory cytokines studied, i.e., IL1 beta, IL6, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) and TNF alpha, or with other stages of premalignant lesions. The present study provides important evidence suggesting host-bacterial interactions in the development of gastric precancerous lesions
— id: 72135, year: 2006, vol: 119, page: 1666, stat: Journal Article,

A population-based study of colorectal cancer histology in the United States, 1998-2001
Stewart, Sherri L; Wike, Jennifer M; Kato, Ikuko; Lewis, Denise R; Michaud, Frances
2006 Sep 1;107(5 Suppl):1128-1141, Cancer
BACKGROUND: Histology is an important factor in the etiology, treatment, and prognosis of cancer. The purpose of this study was to descriptively characterize colorectal cancer (CRC) histology in the United States population. METHODS: Data from cancer registries in the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) or Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, representing 88% of the U.S. population, were used in the study. The analysis included 522,630 microscopically confirmed CRC cases diagnosed from 1998-2001. RESULTS: About 96% of CRCs were adenocarcinomas, approximately 2% were other specified carcinomas (including carcinoid tumors), about 0.4% were epidermoid carcinomas, and about 0.08% were sarcomas. The proportion of epidermoid carcinomas, mucin-producing carcinomas, and carcinoid tumors was greater among females. Several histologic patterns with regard to race and ethnicity existed, including a higher percentage of carcinoid tumors among most non-white populations. With respect to age, higher percentages of sarcomas, mucin-producing adenocarcinomas, signet ring cell tumors, and carcinoid tumors were found in individuals under age 40. Overall, adenocarcinomas were more likely to be diagnosed at regional stages with moderate differentiation. Compared with other adenocarcinomas, signet ring cell tumors were more often poorly differentiated and were at distant stage at diagnosis. Carcinoid tumors and sarcomas were mainly poorly differentiated and were at localized stage at diagnosis. Small cell carcinomas were more likely undifferentiated and were at distant stage at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: To date, this is the largest population-based study to analyze CRC histology in the United States. Distinct demographic and clinical patterns associated with different histologies may be helpful for future epidemiologic, laboratory, and clinical studies
— id: 72134, year: 2006, vol: 107, page: 1128, stat: Journal Article,

Personal and occupational exposure to organic solvents and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in women (United States)
Kato, Ikuko; Koenig, Karen L; Watanabe-Meserve, Hiroko; Baptiste, Mark S; Lillquist, Patricia P; Frizzera, Glauco; Burke, Jerome S; Moseson, Miriam; Shore, Roy E
2005 Dec;16(10):1215-1224, Cancer causes & control. ccc
OBJECTIVES: The authors assessed whether home and occupational exposure to organic solvents is associated with risk of NHL in women. METHODS: A population-based, incidence case-control study was conducted in upstate New York, involving 376 NHL cases and 463 population controls selected from the Medicare beneficiary files and State driver's license records. Exposure information was obtained by telephone interview. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using an unconditional logistic regression model, adjusting for a number of risk factors for NHL. RESULTS: Overall, history of exposure to organic solvents was not associated with the risk of NHL. A statistically significant increase in risk associated with occupational exposure was observed only for the subjects whose first exposure occurred before 1970 (OR=1.87, 95% CI 1.03-3.40). When occupational and home exposures to paint thinners/turpentine were combined and analyzed together, the risk of NHL associated with any exposure, compared to no exposure at either job or home, was a statistically significantly increased (OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.05-2.03). This observation was more pronounced for B-cell lymphoma and for low-grade lymphoma with ORs of 1.52 (95 CI: 1.08-2.14) and 2.20 (95% CI; 1.42-3.41), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this case-control study do support of a major role of organic solvents in the development of NHL among women currently living in the US. However, relatively intensive exposure in past occupations and use of paint thinners/turpentine may deserve further investigation
— id: 72139, year: 2005, vol: 16, page: 1215, stat: Journal Article,

Use of whole genome amplification to rescue DNA from plasma samples
Lu, Yanhui; Gioia-Patricola, Lydie; Gomez, Jorge Vivas; Plummer, Martyn; Franceschi, Silvia; Kato, Ikuko; Canzian, Federico
2005 Oct;39(4):511-515, Biotechniques
While DNA of good quality and sufficient amount can be obtained easily from whole blood, buccal swabs, surgical specimens, or cell lines, these DNA-rich sources are not always available. This is particularly the case in studies for which biological specimens were collected when genotyping assays were not widely available. In those studies, serum or plasma is often the only source of DNA. Newly developed whole genome amplification (WGA) methods, based on phi29 polymerase, may play a significant role in recovering DNA in such instances. We tested a total of 528 plasma samples kept in storage at -40 degrees C for approximately 10 years for 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the 5' exonuclease (TaqMan) assay. These specimens yielded undetectable levels of DNA following extraction with an affinity column but produced an average 52.7 microg (standard deviation of 31.2 microg) of DNA when column-extracted DNA was used as a template for WGA. This increased the genotyping success rate from 54% to 93%. There were only 3 disagreements out of 364 paired genotyping results for pre- and post-WGA DNAs, indicating an error rate of 0.82%. These results are encouraging for expanding the use of poor DNA resources in genotyping studies
— id: 72138, year: 2005, vol: 39, page: 511, stat: Journal Article,

Dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer: a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies
Park, Yikyung; Hunter, David J; Spiegelman, Donna; Bergkvist, Leif; Berrino, Franco; van den Brandt, Piet A; Buring, Julie E; Colditz, Graham A; Freudenheim, Jo L; Fuchs, Charles S; Giovannucci, Edward; Goldbohm, R Alexandra; Graham, Saxon; Harnack, Lisa; Hartman, Anne M; Jacobs, David R Jr; Kato, Ikuko; Krogh, Vittorio; Leitzmann, Michael F; McCullough, Marjorie L; Miller, Anthony B; Pietinen, Pirjo; Rohan, Thomas E; Schatzkin, Arthur; Willett, Walter C; Wolk, Alicja; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Anne; Zhang, Shumin M; Smith-Warner, Stephanie A
2005 Dec 14;294(22):2849-2857, JAMA
CONTEXT: Inconsistent findings from observational studies have continued the controversy over the effects of dietary fiber on colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: From 13 prospective cohort studies included in the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer, 725,628 men and women were followed up for 6 to 20 years across studies. Study- and sex-specific relative risks (RRs) were estimated with the Cox proportional hazards model and were subsequently pooled using a random-effects model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident colorectal cancer. RESULTS: During 6 to 20 years of follow-up across studies, 8081 colorectal cancer cases were identified. For comparison of the highest vs lowest study- and sex-specific quintile of dietary fiber intake, a significant inverse association was found in the age-adjusted model (pooled RR = 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.92). However, the association was attenuated and no longer statistically significant after adjusting for other risk factors (pooled multivariate RR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.86-1.03). In categorical analyses compared with dietary fiber intake of 10 to <15 g/d, the pooled multivariate RR was 1.18 (95% CI, 1.05-1.31) for less than 10 g/d (11% of the overall study population); and RR, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.85-1.17) for 30 or more g/d. Fiber intake from cereals, fruits, and vegetables was not associated with risk of colorectal cancer. The pooled multivariate RRs comparing the highest vs lowest study- and sex-specific quintile of dietary fiber intake were 1.00 (95% CI, 0.90-1.11) for colon cancer and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.72-1.01) for rectal cancer (P for common effects by tumor site = .07). CONCLUSIONS: In this large pooled analysis, dietary fiber intake was inversely associated with risk of colorectal cancer in age-adjusted analyses. However, after accounting for other dietary risk factors, high dietary fiber intake was not associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer
— id: 72087, year: 2005, vol: 294, page: 2849, stat: Journal Article,

Postmenopausal levels of sex hormones and risk of breast carcinoma in situ: results of a prospective study
Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Anne; Gu, Yian; Shore, Roy E; Koenig, Karen L; Arslan, Alan A; Kato, Ikuko; Rinaldi, Sabina; Kaaks, Rudolf; Toniolo, Paolo
2005 Mar 20;114(2):323-327, International journal of cancer
We report on a prospective study to assess the association of postmenopausal serum levels of sex hormones with subsequent risk of breast carcinoma in situ. We conducted a case-control study nested within the cohort of the New York University Women's Health Study, a large prospective study documenting a positive association of circulating levels of estrogens and androgens with invasive breast cancer. The study included 69 cases of incident in situ carcinoma and 134 individually matched controls. No statistically significant trend of increasing risk with increasing level of any of the hormones was observed. Odds ratios (95% CIs) for the highest tertile relative to the lowest were 1.10 (0.51-2.39) for estradiol, 0.95 (0.41-2.19) for estrone, 1.63 (0.69-3.88) for testosterone, 0.99 (0.44-2.24) for androstenedione, 0.99 (0.45-2.20) for dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and 0.81 (0.38-1.74) for sex hormone-binding globulin. Adjusting for potential confounders did not materially affect the results, nor did limiting the analysis to the 59 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ, the lesion thought to be the direct precursor of most invasive breast cancers. Our results are at variance with the positive associations observed in this same cohort with risk of invasive breast cancer. Possible explanations for our results include lack of power, an effect of sex hormones limited to the progression from in situ to invasive tumors, overrepresentation of indolent tumors or an effect of sex hormones on the induction of only a subset of in situ tumors, those that would develop into invasive tumors
— id: 51094, year: 2005, vol: 114, page: 323, stat: Journal Article,

Environmental factors in Helicobacter pylori-related gastric precancerous lesions in Venezuela
Kato, Ikuko; Vivas, Jorge; Plummer, Martyn; Lopez, Gladys; Peraza, Simon; Castro, Dennis; Sanchez, Victor; Cano, Elsa; Andrade, Olga; Garcia, Rita; Franceschi, Silvia; Oliver, Walter; Munoz, Nubia
2004 Mar;13(3):468-476, Cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention
Although Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection has been acknowledged to play an etiological role in gastric carcinogenesis, its relatively weak association particularly in developing countries suggests critical roles of cofactors. Among a population with an extremely high prevalence of HP infection ( approximately 95%) in Venezuela, we examined the relationship of household characteristics, smoking, alcohol drinking, dietary consumption, and plasma nutrient levels with the prevalence of three different stages of gastric precancerous lesions, chronic atrophic gastritis (AG; n = 337), intestinal metaplasia (IM; n = 551), and dysplasia (n = 157), in comparison with those without any of these lesions (n = 1154). Length of refrigerator use was marginally inversely associated with the prevalence of the precursor lesions studied. The association was most pronounced for AG followed by dysplasia. On the other hand, smoking status was a significant predictor for IM and dysplasia. Those smoking >/=>10 cigarettes/day had 1.8-fold risk of IM and 3.6-fold risk of dysplasia compared with never smokers. There were no associations with alcohol consumption. When six food groups known to be associated with stomach cancer risk in Venezuela were tested, the prevalence of these lesions progressively increased with increasing starchy vegetable consumption and decreasing fresh fruit/fruit juice consumption. The association with fruits was more evident for dysplasia and AG and that with starchy vegetables for IM and AG. However, there were no inverse associations with plasma antioxidant vitamins. These findings offer important public health implications in preventing progression of HP-associated gastric precancerous lesions in high-risk populations
— id: 72140, year: 2004, vol: 13, page: 468, stat: Journal Article,

Pesticide product use and risk of non-hodgkin lymphoma in women
Kato, Ikuko; Watanabe-Meserve, Hiroko; Koenig, Karen L; Baptiste, Mark S; Lillquist, Patricia P; Frizzera, Glauco; Burke, Jerome S; Moseson, Miriam; Shore, Roy E
2004 Sep;112(13):1275-1281, Environmental health perspectives
A population-based, incidence case-control study was conducted among women in upstate New York to determine whether pesticide exposure is associated with an increase in risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) among women. The study involved 376 cases of NHL identified through the State Cancer Registry and 463 controls selected from the Medicare beneficiary files and state driver's license records. Information about history of farm work, history of other jobs associated with pesticide exposure, use of common household pesticide products, and potential confounding variables was obtained by telephone interview. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using an unconditional logistic regression model. The risk of NHL was doubled (OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.21-3.71) among women who worked for at least 10 years at a farm where pesticides were reportedly used. When both farming and other types of jobs associated with pesticide exposure were combined, there was a progressive increase in risk of NHL with increasing duration of such work ((italic)p(/italic) = 0.005). Overall cumulative frequency of use of household pesticide products was positively associated with risk of NHL ((italic)p(/italic) = 0.004), which was most pronounced when they were applied by subjects themselves. When exposure was analyzed by type of products used, a significant association was observed for mothballs. The associations with both occupational and household pesticides were particularly elevated if exposure started in 1950-1969 and for high-grade NHL. Although the results of this case-control study suggest that exposure to pesticide products may be associated with an increased risk of NHL among women, methodologic limitations related to selection and recall bias suggest caution in inferring causation. Key words: case-control study, mothballs, NHL, pesticides
— id: 44747, year: 2004, vol: 112, page: 1275, stat: Journal Article,

Circulating enterolactone and risk of breast cancer: a prospective study in New York
Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, A; Adlercreutz, H; Shore, R E; Koenig, K L; Kato, I; Arslan, A A; Toniolo, P
2004 Jul 5;91(1):99-105, British journal of cancer
It has been proposed that phyto-oestrogens protect against breast cancer. Lignans are the main class of phyto-oestrogens in Western diets. We conducted a case-control study of breast cancer and serum levels of the main human lignan, enterolactone, nested within a prospective cohort study, the New York University Women's Health Study. Serum samples collected at enrollment and stored at -80 degrees C were used. Among 14 275 participants, 417 incident breast cancer cases were diagnosed a median of 5.1 years after enrollment. Cohort members individually matched to the cases on age, menopausal status at enrollment, serum storage duration and, if premenopausal, day of menstrual cycle were selected as controls. No difference in serum enterolactone was observed between postmenopausal cases (median, 14.3 nmol l(-1)) and controls (14.5 nmol l(-1)), whereas premenopausal cases had higher levels (13.9 nmol l(-1)) than their matched controls (10.9 nmol l(-1), P-value=0.01). In the latter group, the odds ratio for the highest vs the lowest quintile of enterolactone was 1.7 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8-3.4; P-value for trend=0.05) and after adjustment for known risk factors for breast cancer was 1.6 (95% CI, 0.7-3.4; P-value for trend=0.13). We observed a moderate positive correlation between serum enterolactone and serum sex hormone-binding globulin in postmenopausal women (r=0.29 in controls (P<0.001) and r=0.14 in cases (P=0.04)), but no correlation with oestrogens or androgens. These results do not support a protective role of circulating lignans, in the range of levels observed, in the development of breast cancer.British Journal of Cancer (2004) 91, 99-105. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6601893 www.bjcancer.com
— id: 43220, year: 2004, vol: 91, page: 99, stat: Journal Article,

Postmenopausal levels of oestrogen, androgen, and SHBG and breast cancer: long-term results of a prospective study
Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, A; Shore, R E; Koenig, K L; Akhmedkhanov, A; Afanasyeva, Y; Kato, I; Kim, M Y; Rinaldi, S; Kaaks, R; Toniolo, P
2004 Jan 12;90(1):153-159, British journal of cancer
We assessed the association of sex hormone levels with breast cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the cohort of 7054 New York University (NYU) Women's Health Study participants who were postmenopausal at entry. The study includes 297 cases diagnosed between 6 months and 12.7 years after enrollment and 563 controls. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)) for breast cancer for the highest quintile of each hormone and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) relative to the lowest were as follows: 2.49 (1.47-4.21), P(trend)=0.003 for oestradiol; 3.24 (1.87-5.58), P(trend)<0.001 for oestrone; 2.37 (1.39-4.04), P(trend)=0.002 for testosterone; 2.07 (1.28-3.33), P(trend)<0.001 for androstenedione; 1.74 (1.05-2.89), P(trend)<0.001 for dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS); and 0.51 (0.31-0.82), P(trend)<0.001 for SHBG. Analyses limited to the 191 cases who had donated blood five to 12.7 years prior to diagnosis showed results in the same direction as overall analyses, although the tests for trend did not reach statistical significance for DHEAS and SHBG. The rates of change per year in hormone and SHBG levels, calculated for 95 cases and their matched controls who had given a second blood donation within 5 years of diagnosis, were of small magnitude and overall not different in cases and controls. The association of androgens with risk did not persist after adjustment for oestrone (1.08, 95% CI=0.92-1.26 for testosterone; 1.15, 95% CI=0.95-1.39 for androstenedione and 1.06, 95% CI=0.90-1.26 for DHEAS), the oestrogen most strongly associated with risk in our study. Our results support the hypothesis that the associations of circulating oestrogens with breast cancer risk are more likely due to an effect of circulating hormones on the development of cancer than to elevations induced by the tumour. They also suggest that the contribution of androgens to risk is largely through their role as substrates for oestrogen production
— id: 42623, year: 2004, vol: 90, page: 153, stat: Journal Article,

Mortality of nuclear submariners in the US Navy
Friedman-Jimenez, G; Kato, I; Afanasyeva, Y; Shore, R
2003 JUN 1 ;157(11):S80-S80, American journal of epidemiology
— id: 55531, year: 2003, vol: 157, page: S80, stat: Journal Article,

Relationship between low doses of ionizing radiation and mortality of nuclear submariners in the US Navy
Friedman-Jimenez, G; Kato, I; Afanasyeva, Y; Shore, R
2003 JUN 1 ;157(11):S10-S10, American journal of epidemiology
— id: 55530, year: 2003, vol: 157, page: S10, stat: Journal Article,

History of antibiotic use and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)
Kato, Ikuko; Koenig, Karen L; Baptiste, Mark S; Lillquist, Patricia P; Frizzera, Glauco; Burke, Jerome S; Watanabe, Hiroko; Shore, Roy E
2003 Oct 20;107(1):99-105, International journal of cancer
A population-based, incidence case-control study was conducted among women in upstate New York to determine whether histories of certain infections and antibiotic use are associated with risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Our study involved 376 cases of NHL identified through the New York State Cancer Registry and 463 controls selected from the Medicare beneficiary files and state driver's license records. Information about use of common medications including antibiotics, history of selected infectious diseases and potential confounding variables was obtained by telephone interview. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using an unconditional logistic regression model. There was a progressive increase in risk of NHL with increasing frequency and duration of systemic antibiotic use, as assessed over the period of 2-20 years before the interview. The ORs for the highest exposure categories, >/=36 episodes and >/=366 days of use, were 2.56 (95% CI 1.33-4.94) and 2.66 (95% CI 1.35-5.27), respectively. These associations were primarily due to antibiotic use against respiratory infections and dental conditions. Moreover, the association with frequency of antibiotic use for respiratory infections was pronounced for marginal zone B-cell lymphoma and for respiratory tract lymphoma. Analyses by class of antibiotics did not suggest that a general cytotoxic effect of antibiotics was responsible for these increased risks. Although recall bias and selection bias remain potential concerns in our study, the results are generally consistent with the hypothesis that persistent infection/inflammation predisposes individuals to the development of NHL. However, a direct role of antibiotics in NHL induction has not been ruled out
— id: 38443, year: 2003, vol: 107, page: 99, stat: Journal Article,

Use of anti-inflammatory and non-narcotic analgesic drugs and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (United States)
Kato, Ikuko; Koenig, Karen L; Shore, Roy E; Baptiste, Mark S; Lillquist, Patricia P; Frizzera, Glauco; Burke, Jerome S; Watanabe, Hiroko
2002 Dec;13(10):965-974, Cancer causes & control. ccc
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether exposures to anti-inflammatory and non-narcotic analgesic drugs are associated with risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: A case-control study was conducted among women living in upstate New York. The study involved 376 cases of NHL identified through the New York State Cancer Registry and 463 controls randomly selected from the Medicare beneficiary files and New York State driver's license records. Information regarding use of common medications in the past 20 years and potential confounding variables was obtained by telephone interview. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using an unconditional logistic regression model. RESULTS: There were non-significant increases in risk associated with ever use of cortisone injections and oral cortisone (OR = 1.44 (CI 0.98-2.11) for injections and 1.21 (CI 0.73-2.00) for oral cortisone, although there was no clear dose-response relationship with either type. On the other hand, the risk of NHL progressively increased with the frequency of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and non-narcotic analgesic drugs (NSAID/NNAD) (p-value for trend 0.008). Women who used any of these medications daily for more than 10 years had an OR of 1.90 (CI 1.01-3.57), compared with those who used it less than once a month on average. The risk associated with long-term use was most pronounced for ibuprofen, intermediate for aspirin, and least for acetaminophen. CONCLUSIONS: Because the population-attributable risk associated with NSAID/NNAD use is potentially large, our results need to be verified in further epidemiologic studies
— id: 38444, year: 2002, vol: 13, page: 965, stat: Journal Article,

Aspirin and epithelial ovarian cancer
Akhmedkhanov A; Toniolo P; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Kato I; Koenig KL; Shore RE
2001 Dec;33(6):682-687, Preventive medicine
BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence suggests that chronic inflammation may influence ovarian carcinogenesis. The study objective was to examine the association between the commonly used anti-inflammatory drug aspirin and epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: The authors conducted a case-control study based in the New York University Women's Health Study cohort enrolled between 1985 and 1991 in New York City. After a median follow-up period of 12 years, 68 incident cases of epithelial ovarian cancer were identified. Data about regular aspirin use were collected during the 1994-1996 follow-up questionnaire. Using a case-control study design, 10 controls per case were randomly selected among study participants who matched the case by age and menopausal status. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to study the relationships between aspirin and epithelial ovarian cancer by generating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Relative to no aspirin use, the OR for epithelial ovarian cancer among women who reported aspirin use three or more times per week for a period of at least 6 months was 0.60 (95% CI 0.26, 1.38), after adjustment for age at menarche, parity, oral contraceptive use, and first-degree family history of breast cancer before age 50. Among recent, within the previous 5 years, users of aspirin, the adjusted OR was 0.36 (95% CI 0.11, 1.18). CONCLUSION: Although confidence intervals included unity, the observed risk estimates seem to be compatible with previous studies suggesting that regular aspirin use could be inversely associated with risk of epithelial ovarian cancer
— id: 26517, year: 2001, vol: 33, page: 682, stat: Journal Article,

Chemoprevention trials in men with prostate-specific antigen failure or at high risk for recurrence after radical prostatectomy: Application to efficacy assessment of soy protein
Bosland MC; Kato I; Melamed J; Taneja S; Lepor H; Torre P; Walden P; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Lumey LH
2001 Apr;57(4 Suppl 1):202-204, Urology
This article discusses the basic elements of chemoprevention trial designs using cohorts of men following radical prostatectomy who either have prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure indicative of recurrence or are at high risk for recurrence (positive surgical margins, extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion, positive lymph nodes, Gleason score of greater than or equal to 8, preoperative serum PSA less than 20 ng/mL). Two ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials with soy protein as intervention in these 2 populations are described. In the trial with men at high risk for recurrence, participants started intervention within 4 months after surgery and were followed for up to 2 years; primary endpoints were PSA failure rate and time-to-PSA failure. In the trial with men with PSA failure (PSA 0.1 to 2.0 ng/mL), participants received treatment for 8 months and the primary endpoint is rise in PSA over time. The strengths and limitations of these designs are discussed and interim experience using studies with soy protein as the intervention agent are summarized
— id: 18555, year: 2001, vol: 57, page: 202, stat: Journal Article,

Serum carotenoids and breast cancer
Toniolo P; Van Kappel AL; Akhmedkhanov A; Ferrari P; Kato I; Shore RE; Riboli E
2001 Jun 15;153(12):1142-1147, American journal of epidemiology
The consumption of vegetables and fruit may protect against many types of cancer, but research evidence is not compelling for breast cancer. Carotenoids are pigments that are present in most plants and have known antioxidant properties. Blood concentrations of carotenoids have been proposed as integrated biochemical markers of vegetable, fruit, and synthetic supplements consumed. In a case-control study (270 cases, 270 controls) nested within a cohort in New York during 1985-1994, the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene were measured in archived serum samples using liquid chromatography. There was an evident increase in the risk of breast cancer for decreasing beta-carotene, lutein, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. The risk of breast cancer approximately doubled among subjects with blood levels of beta-carotene at the lowest quartile, as compared with those at the highest quartile (odds ratio = 2.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29, 3.79). The risk associated with the other carotenoids was similar, varying between 2.08 (95% CI: 1.11, 3.90) for lutein and 1.68 (95% CI: 0.99, 2.86) for beta-cryptoxanthin. The odds ratio for the lower quartile of total carotenoids was 2.31 (95% CI: 1.35, 3.96). These observations offer evidence that a low intake of carotenoids, through poor diet and/or lack of vitamin supplementation, may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer and may have public health relevance for people with markedly low intakes
— id: 21175, year: 2001, vol: 153, page: 1142, stat: Journal Article,

Postmenopausal endogenous oestrogens and risk of endometrial cancer: results of a prospective study
Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Akhmedkhanov A; Kato I; Koenig KL; Shore RE; Kim MY; Levitz M; Mittal KR; Raju U; Banerjee S; Toniolo P
2001 Apr 6;84(7):975-981, British journal of cancer
We assessed the association of postmenopausal serum levels of oestrogens and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with endometrial cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the NYU Women's Health Study cohort. Among 7054 women postmenopausal at enrolment, 57 cases of endometrial cancer were diagnosed a median of 5.5 years after blood donation. Each case was compared to 4 controls matched on age, menopausal status at enrolment, and serum storage duration. Endometrial cancer risk increased with higher levels of oestradiol (odds ratio = 2.4 in highest vs lowest tertile, P for trend = 0.02), percent free oestradiol (OR = 3.5, P< 0.001), and oestrone (OR = 3.9, P< 0.001). Risk decreased with higher levels of percent SHBG-bound oestradiol (OR = 0.43, P = 0.03) and SHBG (OR = 0.39, P = 0.01). Trends remained in the same directions after adjusting for height and body mass index. A positive association of body mass index with risk was substantially reduced after adjusting for oestrone level. Our results indicate that risk of endometrial cancer increases with increasing postmenopausal oestrogen levels but do not provide strong support for a role of body mass index independent of its effect on oestrogen levels.
— id: 21217, year: 2001, vol: 84, page: 975, stat: Journal Article,

Risk of iron overload among middle-aged women
Kato I; Dnistrian AM; Schwartz M; Toniolo P; Koenig K; Shore RE; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Akhmedkhanov A; Riboli E
2000 May;70(3):119-125, International journal for vitamin & nutrition research
Iron overload, expressed as increased body iron stores, has been recognized as a potential hazard because it promotes the generation of oxygen radicals. We analyzed factors associated with serum ferritin levels (an indicator of body iron stores) among middle-aged women with a high prevalence of nutrient supplement use. Serum ferritin concentrations were determined on automated immunoassay for 487 healthy women with the mean age of 57 years who participated in the New York University Women's Health Study. The mean serum ferritin concentration in postmenopausal women was more than twice that in premenopausal women. Serum ferritin concentrations progressively increased with advancing age, but adjustment for menopausal status considerably weakened this association. Among non-dietary factors, nonwhite ethnicity, obesity and cigarette smoking were positively associated with serum ferritin concentrations. After adjustment for these factors and for menopausal status, serum ferritin levels were positively associated with meat intake and multivitamin use and inversely associated with breakfast cereal consumption. However, none of these lifestyle factors positively associated with serum ferritin levels had a significant impact on serum ferritin levels above 100 ng/ml (approximately equal to median concentration). Our results suggest that iron overload seems unlikely among middle aged women through their diet and nutritional supplements
— id: 34554, year: 2000, vol: 70, page: 119, stat: Journal Article,

Diet, smoking and anthropometric indices and postmenopausal bone fractures: a prospective study
Kato I; Toniolo P; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Shore RE; Koenig KL; Akhmedkhanov A; Riboli E
2000 Feb;29(1):85-92, International journal of epidemiology
OBJECTIVE: Bone fractures are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly in the US. The present study assesses the possible role of a number of risk factors for postmenopausal bone fractures. METHODS: We analysed the relationships of anthropometric, demographic and lifestyle factors with the risk of bone fracture among 6250 postmenopausal women in a prospective cohort study, the New York University Women's Health Study. RESULTS: After an average of 7.6 years of follow-up, 1025 new incident bone fractures were reported, including 34 hip and 159 wrist fractures (incidence rates; 71.6 and 334.7 per 105 woman-years, respectively). The risk of fracture increased with increasing age, body height and total fat intake, while it was significantly lower among obese and African American women. The relative risk among African Americans was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.32-0.63) compared with non-African Americans. Women taller than 170 cm had a 64% increase in risk of fractures, as compared with those under 155 cm. These associations were generally more pronounced when fractures were limited to those at the hip and wrist. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides an indication for a potential role of dietary fat in the development of postmenopausal fractures and further evidence to support protective effects of obesity, short stature and African American ethnicity
— id: 10348, year: 2000, vol: 29, page: 85, stat: Journal Article,

Psychotropic medication use and risk of hormone-related cancers: the New York University Women's Health Study
Kato I; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Toniolo PG; Akhmedkhanov A; Koenig K; Shore RE
2000 Jun;22(2):155-160, Journal of public health medicine
BACKGROUND: The use of psychotropic medications may increase the risk of hormone-related cancers in females through increased gonadotropin secretion, but the data from epidemiologic studies are limited to evaluate the hypothesis. METHODS: The association between the use of psychotropic medications and cancer incidence was studied in a prospective cohort study that involves 15,270 women who participated in mammographic screening. The relative risks (RR) and 95 per cent confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer associated with the use of psychotropic medications were estimated by the Cox's proportional hazard model. RESULTS: During an average of 7.3 years of follow-up, 1,130 incident cases of cancer were identified, including 566 breast, 67 endometrial and 47 ovarian cancers. The use of any type of psychotropic medication at baseline was associated with increased risks of breast [relative risk (RR) = 1.39, 95 per cent CI 1.11-1.74], endometrial (RR=1.71; 95 per cent CI 0.93-3.14) and ovarian (RR= 1.48, 95 per cent CI 0.69-3.16) cancers, whereas no increase in risk was observed for other cancers (RR = 1.06). When the subjects were divided by menopausal status at baseline, premenopausal women tended to have higher risk of all hormone-related cancers (RR = 1.73, 95 per cent CI 1.27-2.35) than postmenopausal women (RR=1.23, 95 per cent CI 0.94-1.62). The magnitude of the RR associated with the use of these medications did not change by length of follow-up. Analysis by type of medication did not find that the association was limited to specific types. CONCLUSION: The observed association needs to be confirmed in further studies based on more detailed medication history
— id: 34553, year: 2000, vol: 22, page: 155, stat: Journal Article,

Serum folate, homocysteine and colorectal cancer risk in women: a nested case-control study
Kato I; Dnistrian AM; Schwartz M; Toniolo P; Koenig K; Shore RE; Akhmedkhanov A; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Riboli E
1999 Apr;79(11-12):1917-1922, British journal of cancer
Accumulating evidence suggests that folate, which is plentiful in vegetables and fruits, may be protective against colorectal cancer. The authors have studied the relationship of baseline levels of serum folate and homocysteine to the subsequent risk of colorectal cancer in a nested case-control study including 105 cases and 523 matched controls from the New York University Women's Health Study cohort. In univariate analyses, the cases had lower serum folate and higher serum homocysteine levels than controls. The difference was more significant for folate (P < 0.001) than for homocysteine (P = 0.04). After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of colorectal cancer in the subjects in the highest quartile of serum folate was half that of those in the lowest quartile (odds ratio, OR = 0.52, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.27-0.97, P-value for trend = 0.04). The OR for the highest quartile of homocysteine, relative to the lowest quartile, was 1.72 (95% CI = 0.83-3.65, P-value for trend = 0.09). In addition, the risk of colorectal cancer was almost twice as high in subjects with below-median serum folate and above-median total alcohol intake compared with those with above-median serum folate and below-median alcohol consumption (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 0.92-4.29). The potentially protective effects of folate need to be confirmed in clinical trials
— id: 6090, year: 1999, vol: 79, page: 1917, stat: Journal Article,

Epidemiologic correlates of serum folate and homocysteine levels among users and non-users of vitamin supplement
Kato I; Dnistrian AM; Schwartz M; Toniolo P; Koenig K; Shore RE; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Akhmedkhanov A; Riboli E
1999 Sep;69(5):322-329, International journal for vitamin & nutrition research
Lower serum folate and higher serum homocysteine levels are known risk factors for various conditions. Thus, epidemiologic correlates with these measurements were studied for 256 multivitamin users and 230 non-users who were middle-aged women. Both serum folate and homocysteine levels increased with advancing age in both multivitamin users (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01) and non-users (P = 0.08 and P < 0.01). Among non-users, higher intake of vegetables, fruits, cold cereals and total protein were associated positively with serum folate and inversely with homocysteine levels. There were 25-74% increases in serum folate and 10-15% decreases in serum homocysteine between 1st and 4th quartiles of intake of these food/nutrients. In addition, 26% lower serum folate and 18% higher serum homocysteine were observed for those smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day compared with non-smokers. Among multivitamin users, body weight was correlated inversely with serum folate (P < 0.01) and positively with serum homocysteine levels (P = 0.04), while no correlates were found among lifestyle factors. Regular use of multivitamins increased serum folate about fourfold and decreased homocysteine twofold. These results suggest that multivitamin use can offset the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle on these serum markers, and that levels of serum folate and homocysteine can also be favorably influenced by healthier diet and abstinence from smoking
— id: 6221, year: 1999, vol: 69, page: 322, stat: Journal Article,

Iron intake, body iron stores and colorectal cancer risk in women: a nested case-control study
Kato I; Dnistrian AM; Schwartz M; Toniolo P; Koenig K; Shore RE; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Akhmedkhanov A; Riboli E
1999 Mar 1;80(5):693-698, International journal of cancer
Accumulated evidence suggests that increased body iron stores may increase the risk of colorectal cancer, possibly via catalyzing oxidation reactions. We examined the relationship between iron status and colorectal cancer in a case-control study nested within the New York University Women's Health Study cohort. For 105 incident cases of colorectal cancer with an average follow-up of 4.7 years and 523 individually matched controls, baseline levels of serum iron, ferritin, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and transferrin saturation were determined as indicators of body iron stores, and total iron intake was assessed based on their diet and supplement intake. Overall, there were no associations between the risk of colorectal cancer and any of these indices except for serum ferritin, which showed a significant inverse association. When analyzed by subsite, there was an increasing trend in risk of cancer of the proximal colon with increasing total iron intake (p-value for trend = 0.04). In addition, a significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer associated with higher total iron intake [odds ratio (OR) = 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-5.87] was observed among subjects with higher intake of total fat. Our results do not support a role of increased body iron stores in the development of colorectal cancer, but suggest that luminal exposure to excessive iron may possibly increase the risk in combination with a high fat diet
— id: 7363, year: 1999, vol: 80, page: 693, stat: Journal Article,

Comparison of active and cancer registry-based follow-up for breast cancer in a prospective cohort study
Kato I; Toniolo P; Koenig KL; Kahn A; Schymura M; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A
1999 Feb 15;149(4):372-378, American journal of epidemiology
The authors compared the relative effectiveness of two distinct follow-up designs in prospective cohort studies--the active approach, based on direct contact with study subjects, and the passive approach, based on record linkages with population-based cancer registries--utilizing available information from the New York University Women's Health Study (WHS) and the New York State Cancer Registry (NYSCR). The analyses were limited to breast cancer cases identified during the period 1985-1992, for which follow-up was considered reasonably complete by both the WHS and the NYSCR. Among 12,947 cohort members who reported a New York State address, 303 pathologically confirmed cases were identified through active follow-up and 284 through record linkage. Sixty-three percent of cancers were identified by both sources, 21% by the WHS only, and 16% by the NYSCR only. The agreement was appreciably better for invasive cancers. The percentage of cases identified only by the NYSCR was increased among subjects whose active follow-up was incomplete, as well as among nonwhites, obese patients, and parous patients. This suggests that relying on either type of follow-up alone may introduce certain biases in evaluating risk factors for breast cancer. Combining both approaches appears to be a better strategy in prospective cohort studies
— id: 7364, year: 1999, vol: 149, page: 372, stat: Journal Article,

Epidemiologic correlates with menstrual cycle length in middle aged women
Kato I; Toniolo P; Koenig KL; Shore RE; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A; Akhmedkhanov A; Riboli E
1999 Oct;15(9):809-814, European journal of epidemiology
While irregular menstruations have been associated with lower cumulative exposure to the ovarian steroids, shorter regular cycles have been postulated to increase the cumulative exposure. Epidemiological correlates with menstrual patterns were analyzed among 4900 premenopausal women aged 45 or younger from the New York University Women's Health Study. The length of regular menstrual cycles increased with increasing age at menarche, body mass index and parity, but decreased with age, nonwhite racial background and current smoking. The likelihood of irregular cycles increased with increasing age, body mass index and number of cigarettes smoked per day. With adjustment for age, body mass index and number of cigarettes smoked per day, the risk of irregular cycles was marginally positively associated with total fat intake
— id: 10358, year: 1999, vol: 15, page: 809, stat: Journal Article,

Onset of natural menopause - Response
Kato, I; Toniolo, P; Akhmedkhanov, A; Koenig, KL; Shore, R; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, A
1999 DEC ;52(12):1291-1292, Journal of clinical epidemiology
— id: 53844, year: 1999, vol: 52, page: 1291, stat: Journal Article,

Body fat distribution and obesity in pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer
Sonnenschein E; Toniolo P; Terry MB; Bruning PF; Kato I; Koenig KL; Shore RE
1999 Dec;28(6):1026-1031, International journal of epidemiology
BACKGROUND: Excessive body weight is known to increase the risk of postmenopausal, but not premenopausal breast cancer. Some studies have suggested that being overweight is protective against premenopausal breast cancer, but the evidence is not compelling. Much less is known about the role of body fat distribution in either pre- or postmenopausal breast cancer. METHODS: Breast cancer risk was examined in relation to body weight, height, Quetelet index (kg/m2), and waist/hip ratio (WHR) in the New York University Women's Health Study, a prospective cohort study. Cases were 109 premenopausal and 150 postmenopausal women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1985 and 1994. Non-cases were 8,157 cohort members free of breast cancer. RESULTS: Among premenopausal women, there was an increasing risk of breast cancer with increasing WHR. The relative risk (RR) of breast cancer increased to 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-3.1) in the upper quartile of WHR. The association was limited to subjects who had elevated Quetelet index, but not among those with lower weight. Overall, Quetelet index itself was not related to breast cancer risk in the premenopausal group, but there was a protective association among those ranking below the median WHR. In postmenopausal women, the RR for breast cancer increased to 2.36 (95% CI: 1.4-3.9) in the upper quartile of Quetelet index, but there was no association with WHR. Height was not associated with breast cancer in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that excessive body weight increases breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. On the contrary, in premenopausal women, excessive body weight may be protective among women who have a lower-body type of fat accumulation (low WHR). An upper-body fat accumulation (high WHR) is a predictor of breast cancer risk in premenopausal women, and this effect is especially pronounced among subjects who are overweight
— id: 10351, year: 1999, vol: 28, page: 1026, stat: Journal Article,

Serum autoantibodies recognizing 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine, an oxidized DNA base, as biomarkers of cancer risk in women
Frenkel K; Karkoszka J; Glassman T; Dubin N; Toniolo P; Taioli E; Mooney LA; Kato I
1998 Jan;7(1):49-57, Cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention
Human sera contain anti-5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU; an oxidized thymidine) autoantibodies (aAbs), which are significantly higher in chronic inflammatory diseases. The intent of this study was to establish whether anti-HMdU aAbs can serve as predictors of breast and colorectal cancer risk. Sera of 169 women were analyzed by ELISA. Women healthy at blood donation but who were diagnosed 0.5-6 years later with breast or colorectal cancer exhibited significantly increased anti-HMdU aAbs over the age-matched controls (P = 0.028 and P < 0.001, respectively). Subjects diagnosed with rectal cancer had the highest levels of anti-HMdU aAbs (44.80 +/- 11.50; n = 6) in comparison to colon (29.03 +/- 2.49; n = 33) and breast (35.86 +/- 8.55; n = 9) cancers. Individuals with benign breast disease also had elevated anti-HMdU aAb (35.12 +/- 8.77; n = 10), with a borderline statistical significance (P = 0.095), whereas those with benign gastrointestinal tract diseases had those titers (30.95 +/- 3.64; n = 8) significantly increased (P < 0.02). Anti-HMdU aAb levels in subjects with a family history of any cancer (23.57 +/- 2.86; n = 55) did not significantly differ from those of the controls (19.41 +/- 2.90; n = 48), but women with a family history of breast cancer (two primary relatives or one with a bilateral disease) showed increased levels (34.48 +/- 8.16; n = 8; P = 0.024). Ps for linear trend of age-adjusted odds ratios were 0.049 for breast and < 0.001 for colorectal cancers. Anti-HMdU aAb titers showed a remarkable stability over a period of 6 years, with a low (14%) intraindividual variance. Thus, elevated anti-HMdU aAb titers may be an early signal of cancer risk, because they were significantly increased in otherwise healthy women who had a family history of breast cancer; in those who had benign breast disease or benign gastrointestinal tract diseases; and, most importantly, in those who at 0.5-6 years after the initial blood donation developed breast or colorectal cancer
— id: 8027, year: 1998, vol: 7, page: 49, stat: Journal Article,

Prospective study of factors influencing the onset of natural menopause
Kato I; Toniolo P; Akhmedkhanov A; Koenig KL; Shore R; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A
1998 Dec;51(12):1271-1276, Journal of clinical epidemiology
Late or early menopause has been implicated in risk of several chronic diseases in women. To study factors influencing the onset of natural menopause, the authors analyzed the follow-up data of 4694 premenopausal women who enrolled in the New York University Women Study at ages 34-61. In an average of 5.4 years of observation, there were 2035 incidences of menopause, with the median age of 51.3 years. Current smokers experienced menopause 0.75 years earlier than never-smokers. Those who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day had a 40% increase in risk of earlier menopause. In contrast, women who had three or more children experienced menopause 0.86 years later than nulliparous women, and Jewish women, 0.66 years later than Catholic women. There was also a modest increase in the age at menopause with increasing body mass index. This prospective study provides solid epidemiologic evidence that several factors other than cigarette smoking have impact on the onset of natural menopause
— id: 6062, year: 1998, vol: 51, page: 1271, stat: Journal Article,

Effect of supplementation with chromium picolinate on antibody titers to 5-hydroxymethyl uracil
Kato I; Vogelman JH; Dilman V; Karkoszka J; Frenkel K; Durr NP; Orentreich N; Toniolo P
1998 Sep;14(6):621-626, European journal of epidemiology
Recent in vitro studies have shown that chromium (III) compounds such as chromium picolinate, a popular dietary supplement among people trying to lose weight, produce chromosome damage. We monitored levels of DNA damage in a chromium picolinate supplement trial by measuring antibodies titers to an oxidized DNA base, 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU), by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ten obese volunteer women completed a 8-week course of 400 micrograms chromium picolinate per day. In either absolute titers or percent of the baseline value, there were no changes in antibody titers at 4 or 8 weeks. The titers were very stable within individuals and those of one individual rarely crossed over others, which was reflected in an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.96-1.00). There were no effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in this period. The results of this trial suggest that chromium (III) picolinate in a dose typically used for nutrient supplementation dose not increase oxidative DNA damage, as measured by anti-HMdU antibody levels
— id: 7626, year: 1998, vol: 14, page: 621, stat: Journal Article,

Prospective study of diet and female colorectal cancer: the New York University Women's Health Study
Kato I; Akhmedkhanov A; Koenig K; Toniolo PG; Shore RE; Riboli E
1997 ;28(3):276-281, Nutrition & cancer
The relation between diet and female colorectal cancer was analyzed in a prospective study of 14,727 women aged 34-65 years, who were enrolled at mammographic screening clinics in New York and Florida from 1985 to 1991. They were followed through the end of 1994 (average 7.1 yrs) by a combination of direct contact through mail and telephone and record linkages with regional tumor registries, resulting in 100 incident cases of colorectal cancer. There was no overall positive or inverse association of colorectal cancer risk with intakes of total calories, total or subclasses of fat, carbohydrate, or dietary fiber, whereas there was an inverse association with total protein. Among major food groups, there was a progressive decline in risk of colorectal cancer with increasing intake of fish and shellfish (relative risk for 4th vs. 1st quartile = 0.49, 95% confidence interval = 0.27-0.89). A similar inverse association was also observed for consumption of dairy products, and this association was explained mainly by calcium, not by other nutrients, such as fat or protein. The results of the present study indicated that certain dietary components of fish or dairy products may protect against colorectal cancer, whereas the relations with red meat or total fat remained unclear
— id: 10362, year: 1997, vol: 28, page: 276, stat: Journal Article,

Jewish religion and risk of breast cancer
Toniolo PG; Kato I
1996 Sep 14;348(9029):760-760, Lancet
— id: 57370, year: 1996, vol: 348, page: 760, stat: Journal Article,

A nested case-control study of mammographic patterns, breast volume, and breast cancer (New York City, NY, United States)
Kato I; Beinart C; Bleich A; Su S; Kim M; Toniolo PG
1995 Sep;6(5):431-438, Cancer causes & control. ccc
The relations of Wolfe mammographic patterns, quantitative mammographic densities, and mammographically estimated breast size to breast cancer risk were investigated prospectively in a case-control study nested in the New York University Women's Health Study, a cohort of 14,291 women in New York City, NY (United States). The archived mammograms of 197 breast cancer cases who were identified during the first 5.5 years of the study and of 521 individually matched controls from the same cohort were retrieved and classified according to Wolfe parenchymal patterns and mammographic densities by two expert radiologists. Breast size and volume were estimated on the mammogram's cranio-caudal projection. In both premenopausal and postmenopausal subjects, the risk of breast cancer increased progressively with increasing density and percent density area. A significantly increased risk was found also for Wolfe pattern DY in premenopausal women and P2 pattern in postmenopausal subjects. In premenopausal women, mammographically determined breast volume and breast height also were associated positively with breast cancer risk. Although the results of the present study confirmed that mammographic parenchymal patterns and densities were important predictors of breast cancer risk, their practical use in screening seems limited due to the high prevalence of high risk patterns
— id: 56829, year: 1995, vol: 6, page: 431, stat: Journal Article,

Inter-observer variation in cytological and histological diagnoses of cervical neoplasia and its epidemiologic implication
Kato I; Santamaria M; De Ruiz PA; Aristizabal N; Bosch FX; De Sanjose S; Munoz N
1995 Sep;48(9):1167-1174, Journal of clinical epidemiology
Inter-observer variation in cytohistological diagnosis was assessed for 1506 cervical smears and 883 histological slides from four case-control studies on cervical neoplasia. The kappa statistic among a panel of three cytopathologists was highest for diagnosis of invasive cancer (0.70 for cytology and 0.74 for histology), followed by normal/inflammatory in cytology (0.68) and CIN III in histology (0.58). There was also nearly perfect agreement between the final panel diagnoses and the original diagnoses made by local cytopathologists, except for those of CIN III. Inter-observer variation in diagnosis for CIN III was inversely associated with age, number of children (in histology) and sexual activity (in cytology). However, the odds ratios for CIN III calculated by each cytopathologist's diagnosis were not different from each other for any etiologic factor. These results indicate that the diagnoses of invasive cancer and of normal/inflammatory changes are highly reproducible and that the inter-observer variation does not have much impact on the etiologic risk estimates
— id: 56767, year: 1995, vol: 48, page: 1167, stat: Journal Article,

Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric carcinoma among Japanese Americans in Hawaii
Nomura A; Stemmermann GN; Chyou PH; Kato I; Perez-Perez GI; Blaser MJ
1991 Oct 17;325(16):1132-1136, New England journal of medicine
BACKGROUND. Helicobacter pylori are gram-negative spiral bacteria that are associated with chronic gastritis, a known precursor of gastric carcinoma. Persons at high risk for gastric carcinoma have been shown to have a high prevalence of H. pylori infection. METHODS. We studied the relation of H. pylori infection and gastric carcinoma in a cohort of Japanese American men living in Hawaii. The 5908 men were enrolled and examined from 1967 to 1970. By 1989, 109 cases of pathologically confirmed gastric carcinoma had been identified. The store serum of each patient with gastric carcinoma and of each matched control subject were tested for the presence of serum IgG antibody to H. pylori. RESULTS. Ninety-four percent of the men with gastric carcinoma and 76 percent of the matched control subjects had a positive test for H. pylori antibodies, for an odds ratio of 6.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 2.1 to 17.3). As the level of antibody to H. pylori increased, there was a progressive increase in the risk of gastric carcinoma (P for trend = 0.0009). The association was strong even for men in whom the diagnosis was made 10 or more years after the serum sample was obtained (odds ratio, 10.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.5 to 44.8). CONCLUSIONS. Infection with H. pylori is strongly associated with an increased risk of gastric carcinoma. However, most persons infected with H. pylori will never have gastric carcinoma. Therefore, other factors that increase the risk of gastric carcinoma among persons infected with H. pylori need to be identified
— id: 19237, year: 1991, vol: 325, page: 1132, stat: Journal Article,

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) core antigens: synthesis in Escherichia coli and immunoreactivity with human sera
Ghrayeb, J; Kato, I; McKinney, S; Huang, J J; Chanda, P K; Ho, D D; Sarangadharan, M G; Chang, T W; Chang, N T
1986 Apr;5(2):93-99, DNA
Fragments of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) proviral DNA carrying the gene for the core antigen (gag) was cloned in the plasmid REV. Several of the recombinants direct high levels of synthesis of the antigens. One clone, pG1, produced a hybrid protein containing 13 amino acid residues of the carboxyl terminus of the 17 kD virion protein, the entire p24, the major core protein of HTLV-III, and 74 amino acid residues of the amino terminal of the 15 kD core ribonucleoprotein. A second clone, pG2, was similar to pG1 except that it contained no p17 sequences and was missing the amino-terminal 77 amino acid residues of the p24. A third clone, pG3, was similar to pG2, except that all but 56 amino acids of the carboxyl terminus of p24 were removed. All three proteins were found to be strongly immunoreactive with anti-HTLV-III antibodies present in sera from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC). In addition, pG1 and pG2, but not pG3, reacted with a monoclonal antibody (M26) specific for the p24 virion core protein. Whereas all three reacted with an anti-p15 monoclonal antibody, none of the clones reacted with an anti-p17 monoclonal antibody. These results provide direct evidence to support the predicted assignment of the coding region of the gag gene of HTLV-III. The product from pG2 was purified and was found to be potentially useful for the detection of anti-p24 antibodies in sera from patients with AIDS or ARC and from individuals at risk from AIDS
— id: 108056, year: 1986, vol: 5, page: 93, stat: Journal Article,