Jacqueline Clavel

Professional exposure to pesticides and Parkinson disease.

We studied the relation between Parkinson disease (PD) and professional exposure to pesticides in a community‐based case‐control study conducted in a population characterized by a high prevalence of exposure. Our objective was to investigate the role of specific pesticide families and to perform dose‐effect analyses.

Acute childhood leukaemia and environmental exposure to potential sources of benzene and other hydrocarbons; a case-control study

Aim: To analyse the association between potential environmental exposure to hydrocarbons and the risk of acute childhood leukaemia. Methods: A hospital based multicentre case control study, stratified on centre, age, and sex, with 280 leukaemia cases and 285 controls was carried out. Data were collected by a standardised interview of the mothers. Results: No clear association was seen between maternal occupational exposure to hydrocarbons during pregnancy and leukaemia, or between residential traffic density and leukaemia. There was an association between dwellings neighbouring a petrol station or a repair garage during childhood and the risk of childhood leukaemia (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.5 to 10.3), with a duration trend. The association, which appeared particularly strong for acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (OR 7.7, 95% CI 1.7 to 34.3), was not altered by adjustment for potential confounding factors. Conclusions: Results showed an association between acute childhood leukaemia and dwellings neighbouring auto repair garages and petrol stations, which are benzene emitting sources. These findings could be due to chance, although the strength of the association and the duration trend are arguments for a causal association.

Descriptive epidemiology of childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis in France, 2000-2004.

Childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare and poorly understood multisystemic disease. The French National Registry of Childhood Hematopoietic Malignancies (NRCH) has recorded LCH cases of all subtypes since 2000. The present study describes the data on LCH collected on a national scale over a 5‐year period.

Household exposure to pesticides and risk of childhood acute leukaemia

Objectives: To investigate the relation between childhood acute leukaemia and household exposure to pesticides. Methods: The study included 280 incident cases of acute leukaemia and 288 controls frequency matched on gender, age, hospital, and ethnic origin. The data were obtained from standardised face to face interviews of the mothers with detailed questions on parental occupational history, home and garden insecticide use, and insecticidal treatment of pediculosis. Odds ratios were estimated using unconditional regression models including the stratification variables parental socioeconomic status and housing characteristics. Results: Acute leukaemia was observed to be significantly associated with maternal home insecticide use during pregnancy (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.8) and during childhood (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4), with garden insecticide use (OR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.3 to 4.3), and fungicide use (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.0 to 6.2) during childhood. Insecticidal shampoo treatment of pediculosis was also associated with childhood acute leukaemia (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.3). Conclusion: The results reported herein support the hypothesis that various types of insecticide exposure may be a risk factor for childhood acute leukaemia. The observed association with insecticidal shampoo treatment of pediculosis, which has never been investigated before, requires further study.

S18Y polymorphism in the UCH-L1 gene and Parkinson's disease: evidence for an age-dependent relationship.

We studied the relationship between Parkinsons disease (PD) and the S18Y polymorphism in the UCH‐L1 gene and the effect on this relationship of age at onset, smoking, and pesticides. Patients requested free health coverage for PD to the Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA), the French health insurance organization for people whose work is related to agriculture. Controls requested reimbursement of health expenses to the MSA. A maximum of three controls were matched to each case. Analyses included participants with both parents born in Europe. There were no differences in S18Y genotypes between patients (n = 209; 67% SS, 32% SY, 1% YY) and controls (n = 488; 66% SS, 30% SY, 4% YY). The relationship between PD and S18Y was modified by age at onset (P = 0.03). The Y allele was inversely associated with PD for patients with onset before 61 years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29–0.99); there was no association for older patients (62–68 years: OR = 1.21; 95% CI, 0.67–2.20; >68 years: OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 0.67–2.31). Among patients, Y carriers had a later onset than noncarriers (P = 0.04). These findings were not modified or confounded by smoking and pesticides. In this community‐based case‐control study, carriers of the Y allele were at decreased risk of developing PD at a young age, independently of pesticides and smoking.

Genetic polymorphisms and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: GWAS of the ESCALE study (SFCE)

Genetic polymorphisms and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: GWAS of the ESCALE study (SFCE)

Cigar, pipe, and cigarette smoking and bladder cancer risk in European men.

AbstractObjective: Estimating the risk of bladder cancer from cigar and pipe smoking is complicated by a small number of non-cigarette smokers included in most relevant studies. Methods: We undertook a pooled analysis of the data on men from six published case–control studies from Denmark, France, Germany, and Spain, to assess the association between pipe and cigar smoking and bladder cancer, and to compare it with the risk from cigarette smoking. Complete history of tobacco smoking was ascertained separately for cigarettes, cigars, and pipe. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated after adjusting for age, study, and employment in high-risk occupations. Results: The pooled data set comprised 2279 cases and 5268 controls, of whom 88 cases and 253 controls smoked only cigars or pipe. The OR for pure cigarette smoking was 3.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9–4.2), that for pure pipe smoking was 1.9 (95% CI 1.2–3.1) and that for pure cigar smoking was 2.3 (95% CI 1.6–3.5). The increase in the OR of bladder cancer that was observed with duration of smoking was non-significantly lower for cigars than for cigarettes. Conclusion: Our results suggest that smoking of cigars and pipe is carcinogenic to the urinary bladder, although the potency might be lower than for cigarettes.

Association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes with Hodgkin's lymphoma in a familial study.

Background Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the major environmental factor associated with Hodgkins lymphoma (HL), a common lymphoma in young adults. Natural killer (NK) cells are key actors of the innate immune response against viruses. The regulation of NK cell function involves activating and inhibitory Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), which are expressed in variable numbers on NK cells. Various viral and virus-related malignant disorders have been associated with the presence/absence of certain KIR genes in case/control studies. We investigated the role of the KIR cluster in HL in a family-based association study. Methodology We included 90 families with 90 HL index cases (age 16–35 years) and 255 first-degree relatives (parents and siblings). We developed a procedure for reconstructing full genotypic information (number of gene copies) at each KIR locus from the standard KIR gene content. Out of the 90 collected families, 84 were informative and suitable for further analysis. An association study was then carried out with specific family-based analysis methods on these 84 families. Principal Findings Five KIR genes in strong linkage disequilibrium were found significantly associated with HL. Refined haplotype analysis showed that the association was supported by a dominant protective effect of KIR3DS1 and/or KIR2DS1, both of which are activating receptors. The odds ratios for developing HL in subjects with at least one copy of KIR3DS1 or KIR2DS1 with respect to subjects with neither of these genes were 0.44[95% confidence interval 0.23–0.85] and 0.42[0.21–0.85], respectively. No significant association was found in a tentative replication case/control study of 68 HL cases (age 18–71 years). In the familial study, the protective effect of KIR3DS1/KIR2DS1 tended to be stronger in HL patients with detectable EBV in blood or tumour cells. Conclusions This work defines a template for family-based association studies based on full genotypic information for the KIR cluster, and provides the first evidence that activating KIRs can have a protective role in HL.

Hairy cell leukaemia, occupation, and smoking

Summary The roles of farm practices, occupational exposures to organic solvents, and ionizing radiation in the risk of hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) were examined in a French hospital‐based multicentre case‐control study including 291 cases (229 men and 62 women) and 541 controls (425 men and 116 women). No positive association was observed with occupations involving exposure to organic solvents or with self‐declared exposures to solvents, but a significant association with self‐reported exposure to petrol or diesel was found for men (OR =1–5 CI95% [1–0–2–1]). No association with ionizing radiation was detected. Agriculture employment gave an odds ratio of 1–7 (CI95% [11–2–4]) for men and 2–7 (CI95% [1–1–6–7]) for women. Among men, the association seems to affect farmers rather than agricultural workers. Self‐declared exposure to pesticides or bovine cattle breeding was related to HCL risk in both genders. Finally, a significant negative association with smoking was observed in men, with an inverse exposure‐risk relationship odds ratios of 0–6, 0–5 and 0–2, respectively, for cumulative consumptions of <10, 10–23 and 24 pack‐years), contrasting with an odds ratios clearly <1 in women.

Childhood leukaemia close to high-voltage power lines - the Geocap study, 2002-2007

Background:High-voltage overhead power lines (HVOLs) are a source of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs), which are classified as possible risk factors for childhood acute leukaemia (AL). The study was carried out to test the hypothesis of an increased AL incidence in children living close to HVOL of 225–400 kV (VHV-HVOL) and 63–150 kV (HV-HVOL).Methods:The nationwide Geocap study included all the 2779 cases of childhood AL diagnosed in France over 2002–2007 and 30 000 contemporaneous population controls. The addresses at the time of inclusion were geocoded and precisely located around the whole HVOL network.Results:Increased odds ratios (ORs) were observed for AL occurrence and living within 50 m of a VHV-HVOL (OR=1.7 (0.9–3.6)). In contrast, there was no association with living beyond that distance from a VHV-HVOL or within 50 m of a HV-HVOL.Conclusion:The present study, free from any participation bias, supports the previous international findings of an increase in AL incidence close to VHV-HVOL. In order to investigate for a potential role of ELF-MF in the results, ELF-MF at the residences close to HVOL are to be estimated, using models based on the annual current loads and local characteristics of the lines.