Jeanette M. Buckholz

Relationship between breast cancer risk factors and mammographic breast density in the Fernald Community Cohort

Background:We investigated associations of known breast cancer risk factors with breast density, a well-established and very strong predictor of breast cancer risk.Methods:This nested case–control study included breast cancer-free women, 265 with high and 860 with low breast density. Women were required to be 40–80 years old and should have a body mass index (BMI) <35 at the time of the index mammogram. Information on covariates was obtained from annual questionnaires.Results:In the overall analysis, breast density was inversely associated with BMI at mammogram (P for trend<0.001), and parity (P for trend=0.02) and positively associated with alcohol consumption (ever vs never: odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.4–2.8). Alcohol consumption was positively associated with density, and the association was stronger in women with a family history of breast cancer (P<0.001) and in women with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) history (P<0.001). Parity was inversely associated with density in all subsets, except premenopausal women and women without a family history. The association of parity with density was stronger in women with HRT history (P<0.001).Conclusion:The associations of alcohol and parity with breast density appear to be in reverse direction, but stronger in women with a family history of breast cancer and women who ever used HRT.

Medical monitoring: a beneficial remedy for residents living near an environmental hazard site.

Objective: People living close to an environmental hazard site may suffer health harms from real or perceived contaminant exposures. In class-action litigation, medical monitoring is a potential remedy that has been allowed in some jurisdictions but not others. From 1952 to 1989, a US Department of Energy uranium metal plant near Fernald, Ohio, released ionizing radiation and uranium particulates into the surrounding community. Methods: Settlement of litigation between nearby residents and the Department of Energy resulted in an 18-year medical monitoring program (N = 9775), which focused on general health promotion rather than effects of uranium. Results: Participation was higher than projected; decreases in common risk factors (cholesterol and blood pressure) and deaths from cancer have been observed. Conclusions: These data support the appropriateness of comprehensive medical monitoring as a remedy for people affected by defined sources of environmental contaminants.

Headache Disorders May Be a Risk Factor for the Development of New Onset Hypothyroidism.

To determine whether headache disorders are a risk factor for the development of new onset hypothyroidism.

Association of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Uranium Exposure in a Community Living Near a Uranium-Processing Plant: A Nested Case–Control Study

To explore the hypothesis that cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) would be found more frequently in community members with high prior uranium exposure in the Fernald Community Cohort (FCC).

Association of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Uranium Exposure in a Community Living Near a Uranium-Processing Plant: A Nested Case-Control Study: Uranium Exposure and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

To explore the hypothesis that cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) would be found more frequently in community members with high prior uranium exposure in the Fernald Community Cohort (FCC).

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is Associated with Uranium Exposure in a Community Living Near a Uranium Processing Plant: A Nested Case-Control Study

To explore the hypothesis that cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) would be found more frequently in community members with high prior uranium exposure in the Fernald Community Cohort (FCC).