International Journal of COPD Dovepresssubmit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Dovepress 625O r I g I n a l r e s e a r C h open access to scientific and medical research Background: Previous studies have relied on international spirometry criteria to diagnose COPD in patients with lung cancer without considering the effect lung cancer might have on spirometric results. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of COPD and emphysema at the time of primary lung cancer diagnosis and to examine factors associated with survival. Materials and methods: Medical records, pulmonary function tests, and computed tomography scans were used to determine the presence of COPD and emphysema in patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer at the University Hospital of North Norway in 2008-2010. Results: Among the 174 lung cancer patients, 69% had COPD or emphysema (39% with COPD, 59% with emphysema; male:female ratio 101:73). Neither COPD nor emphysema were significantly associated with lung cancer mortality, whereas patients with non-small-cell lung cancer other than adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma had a risk of lung cancer mortality that was more than four times higher than that of patients with small-cell lung cancer (hazard ratio [HR] 4.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56-11.25). Females had a lower risk of lung cancer mortality than males (HR 0.63, 95% CI 0.42-0.94), and patients aged $75 years had a risk that was twice that of patients aged ,75 years (HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.59-3.87). Low partial arterial oxygen pressure (4.0-8.4 kPa) increased the risk of lung cancer mortality (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.29-3.96). So did low partial arterial carbon dioxide pressure (3.0-4.9 kPa) among stage IV lung cancer patients (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.29-3.85). Several patients with respiratory failure had previously been diagnosed with COPD. Conclusion: The observed prevalence of COPD was lower than that in previous studies. Neither COPD nor emphysema were significantly associated with lung cancer mortality.

The consumption of free sugars is directly associated with adiposity and dental caries in early childhood; however, intake data in the first 2 years of life are limited. This cross-sectional analysis aims to identify major food sources of free sugars for Australian children aged 12-14 months and investigate factors associated with meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) Guideline for sugars intake. Three days of nonconsecutive dietary data were collected via a 24-hr recall and 2-day food record for 828 participants. Usual intake of energy, total sugars, and free sugars were estimated, along with food group contributions to free sugars. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with exceeding the WHO conservative recommendation that <5% of energy should come from free sugars. Mean free sugars intake was 8.8 (SD 7.7, IQR 3.7-11.6) g/day, contributing 3.6% (SD 2.8, IQR 1.6-4.8) of energy. Only 2.4% of participants exceeded the WHO recommendation that <10% of energy should come from free sugars, with 22.8% of participants exceeding the <5% recommendation. Children from households with greater socio-economic disadvantage (IRSAD <5, OR = 1.94) and in the lowest income bracket (OR = 2.10) were more likely to have intakes ≥5% of energy. Major food sources of free sugars were commercial infant foods (26.6%), cereal-based products (19.7%), namely, sweet biscuits (8.3%) and cakes (7.6%), followed by yoghurt (9.6%), and fruit and vegetable beverages (7.4%). These findings highlight the substantial contribution of infant foods to free sugars intakes and provide further evidence that dietary intakes are influenced by social determinants.

No abstract

A considerable excess mortality risk was observed in widowed men and women from immediately after the loss of a spouse and for the next 10 years.

ObjectiveTo determine the current prevalence of exposure to workplace noise and ototoxic chemicals, including co-exposures.MethodA cross-sectional telephone survey of nearly 5000 Australian workers was conducted using the web-based application, OccIDEAS. Participants were asked about workplace tasks they performed and predefined algorithms automatically assessed worker’s likelihood of exposure to 10 known ototoxic chemicals as well as estimated their full shift noise exposure level (LAeq,8h) of their most recent working day. Results were extrapolated to represent the Australian working population using a raked weighting technique.ResultsIn the Australian workforce, 19.5% of men and 2.8% of women exceeded the recommended full shift noise limit of 85 dBA during their last working day. Men were more likely to be exposed to noise if they were younger, had trade qualifications and did not live in a major city. Men were more likely exposed to workplace ototoxic chemicals (57.3%) than women (25.3%). Over 80% of workers who exceeded the full shift noise limit were also exposed to at least one ototoxic chemical in their workplace.ConclusionThe results demonstrate that exposures to hazardous noise and ototoxic chemicals are widespread in Australian workplaces and co-exposure is common. Occupational exposure occurs predominantly for men and could explain some of the discrepancies in hearing loss prevalence between genders.

Aims and research questions: This paper presents a new study addressing the issue of crosslinguistic influence in acquisition of referring expressions. The main research question is how to predict directionality of this influence in a dual language development. Methodology: The method is an elicited production task. We consider the phenomenon of direct object referring choices, i.e. noun, pronoun and null element, in a 'null-object'-'overtobject' language pair (Ukrainian and English). Data and Analysis: Participants of the experiment are 4-6-year-old Ukrainian-English bilinguals (N20) and Ukrainian monolinguals (N21). The data are analyzed in the statistical program R, utilizing the R-library function lme4. The results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) of each direct object type. Findings: Our data reveal that while there is no significant difference in Ukrainian object types in most of the age groups, there is a considerable amount of null object usage in English at the ages of four to five. Originality: The innovative nature of this study lies in: (i) the consideration of a licit object omission at a later stage of language development (from 4 to 6 years of age); (ii) the examination of an under-investigated language combination (i.e. English and Ukrainian); and (iii) the innovative approach to linguistic data analysis (e.g. comparing OR values). Implications: Our findings suggest that the directionality of influence in dual language acquisition depends on the developmental stage, language-specific means of syntax-pragmatics interaction, and extra-linguistic input-related factors. At the early stages of development, the null-object language is likely to influence the overt-object language, especially under conditions of limited exposure to the latter.

No abstract

Objectives To estimate the prevalence of tinnitus in Australian working people; to identify occupational and demographic factors associated with tinnitus. Design Cross‐sectional national telephone survey of self‐reported frequency and duration of tinnitus. Setting, participants Australian Workplace Exposure Survey (AWES) ‒ Hearing; 4970 currently employed people aged 18–64 years, recruited by random digit dialling, representative by sex of the workforce population, 7 June 2016 ‒ 20 March 2017. Main outcome measures Prevalence of occasional, intermittent, and constant tinnitus, and of any tinnitus, by occupational group, sex, and other demographic characteristics; estimated numbers of working people with constant or any tinnitus, by occupational group and sex. Results Of 4970 respondents, 1317 reported experiencing tinnitus (26.5%): 713 people had occasional tinnitus (14.3%), 259 intermittent tinnitus (5.2%), and 345 constant tinnitus (6.9%). The sample prevalence of constant tinnitus was greater among men (7.5%; 95% CI, 6.2–8.7%) than women (3.3%; 95% CI, 2.3–4.3%), and was higher in older age groups. After rake weighting our survey responses, we estimated that 2.4 million workers (24.8%; 95% CI, 23.2‒26.4%) experience tinnitus, including 529 343 with constant tinnitus (5.5%; 95% CI, 4.6–6.3%). The estimated prevalence of constant tinnitus was highest for automotive workers (16.7%; 95% CI, 9.5–23.8%), drivers (13.0%; 95% CI, 7.3–18.6%), farmers (12.1%; 95% CI, 5.9–18.4%), and workers in other trades (10.4%; 95% CI, 4.6–16.2%). Conclusions The prevalence of tinnitus in the Australian workforce is high, particularly in certain occupations. Workplace practices and conditions that increase the risk of tinnitus should be examined, and targeted workplace prevention strategies developed.