“…Interestingly, while many studies reported that peptic ulcers were more frequent in the spring and/or autumn and less frequent in summer [1], other data presented an opposite seasonal trend with the highest incidences/peaks of peptic ulcers in the winter [4,10,11] 2 and/or summer [5,8], and the lowest in the Autumn [4,8,11]. Moreover, the number of peaks in the fluctuation curves varied from one peak [4,10] to two peaks [2,12], or even 3 peaks [6,8,13]. On the other hand, although a large number of studies discovered a strong seasonal variation of peptic ulcers [2,4,7,11,12], many others reported a weak seasonal variation, where the seasonal differences were not statistically significant [5,14,15].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 95%
“…Unlike the seasonal variation reported by Sonnenberg et al in 1992, Palmas et al reported another pattern in 1984, where the seasonality of active duodenal ulcers in Turin, Italy from 1970 to 1981 is characterized by 'a small peak in July, a sharp decline in August, and an October peak extending through November' [9]. Interestingly, while many studies reported that peptic ulcers were more frequent in the spring and/or autumn and less frequent in summer [1], other data presented an opposite seasonal trend with the highest incidences/peaks of peptic ulcers in the winter [4,10,11] 2 and/or summer [5,8], and the lowest in the Autumn [4,8,11]. Moreover, the number of peaks in the fluctuation curves varied from one peak [4,10] to two peaks [2,12], or even 3 peaks [6,8,13].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Existing data suggests that the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers may be associated not with H. pylori infection [38], but with a vast variety of environmental factors, such as climate [15,39,40], work/occupation [41,42], air pollution [43], regional and ethnic differences [38], industrialization [38], vacation/holidays [44], immigration [45], religion [7], smoking and alcohol abuse [8], lifestyle and recreational habits [10]. Numerous studies have found that these environmental factors may induce psychological stress, resulting in peptic ulcers [43,[46][47][48].…”
Background: The seasonal variation of peptic ulcers is a rhythmic phenomenon reported worldwide, exhibiting diverse patterns and controversies. Unfortunately, it has remained an unresolved mystery for more than 90 years. Numerous studies have found that this phenomenon was closely associated with multiple environmental factors, but the underlying mechanism has never been elucidated. Objectives: This study aims to elucidate the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers and identify the role of environmental factors in the disease. Methods: Based on a recently identified etiology of peptic ulcers, two inverse operations in calculus, differentiation and integration, are iterated to analyze the existing data. First, the fluctuation curve in the seasonal variation is differentiated twice into the monthly incidences caused by multiple individual environmental factors, and the fluctuation curve due to each individual environmental factor is generated separately. Second, the monthly incidences caused by the individual environmental factors are integrated twice to reproduce the fluctuation curves in the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers. Results: The differentiations of the fluctuation curves in the season variation reveal a parallel relationship between the psychological impacts of each individual environmental factor and the monthly incidences of peptic ulcers. The integrations of the monthly incidences caused by 3 environmental factors reproduce the fluctuation curves in 3 representative seasonal patterns of peptic ulcers but make the parallel relationships invisible. Discussion: The parallel relationships revealed a causal role of environmental factors in peptic ulcers, whereas the reproduction of the fluctuation curves elucidated that multiple environmental factors cause the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers by Superposition Mechanism. The regional differences in environmental factors result in the diverse patterns, as well as the controversy questioning the seasonality of peptic ulcers. Significantly, the data analyses exemplify the application of a new concept, Superposition Mechanism, which might be an indispensable methodological complement to life science and medicine.
“…Interestingly, while many studies reported that peptic ulcers were more frequent in the spring and/or autumn and less frequent in summer [1], other data presented an opposite seasonal trend with the highest incidences/peaks of peptic ulcers in the winter [4,10,11] 2 and/or summer [5,8], and the lowest in the Autumn [4,8,11]. Moreover, the number of peaks in the fluctuation curves varied from one peak [4,10] to two peaks [2,12], or even 3 peaks [6,8,13]. On the other hand, although a large number of studies discovered a strong seasonal variation of peptic ulcers [2,4,7,11,12], many others reported a weak seasonal variation, where the seasonal differences were not statistically significant [5,14,15].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 95%
“…Unlike the seasonal variation reported by Sonnenberg et al in 1992, Palmas et al reported another pattern in 1984, where the seasonality of active duodenal ulcers in Turin, Italy from 1970 to 1981 is characterized by 'a small peak in July, a sharp decline in August, and an October peak extending through November' [9]. Interestingly, while many studies reported that peptic ulcers were more frequent in the spring and/or autumn and less frequent in summer [1], other data presented an opposite seasonal trend with the highest incidences/peaks of peptic ulcers in the winter [4,10,11] 2 and/or summer [5,8], and the lowest in the Autumn [4,8,11]. Moreover, the number of peaks in the fluctuation curves varied from one peak [4,10] to two peaks [2,12], or even 3 peaks [6,8,13].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Existing data suggests that the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers may be associated not with H. pylori infection [38], but with a vast variety of environmental factors, such as climate [15,39,40], work/occupation [41,42], air pollution [43], regional and ethnic differences [38], industrialization [38], vacation/holidays [44], immigration [45], religion [7], smoking and alcohol abuse [8], lifestyle and recreational habits [10]. Numerous studies have found that these environmental factors may induce psychological stress, resulting in peptic ulcers [43,[46][47][48].…”
Background: The seasonal variation of peptic ulcers is a rhythmic phenomenon reported worldwide, exhibiting diverse patterns and controversies. Unfortunately, it has remained an unresolved mystery for more than 90 years. Numerous studies have found that this phenomenon was closely associated with multiple environmental factors, but the underlying mechanism has never been elucidated. Objectives: This study aims to elucidate the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers and identify the role of environmental factors in the disease. Methods: Based on a recently identified etiology of peptic ulcers, two inverse operations in calculus, differentiation and integration, are iterated to analyze the existing data. First, the fluctuation curve in the seasonal variation is differentiated twice into the monthly incidences caused by multiple individual environmental factors, and the fluctuation curve due to each individual environmental factor is generated separately. Second, the monthly incidences caused by the individual environmental factors are integrated twice to reproduce the fluctuation curves in the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers. Results: The differentiations of the fluctuation curves in the season variation reveal a parallel relationship between the psychological impacts of each individual environmental factor and the monthly incidences of peptic ulcers. The integrations of the monthly incidences caused by 3 environmental factors reproduce the fluctuation curves in 3 representative seasonal patterns of peptic ulcers but make the parallel relationships invisible. Discussion: The parallel relationships revealed a causal role of environmental factors in peptic ulcers, whereas the reproduction of the fluctuation curves elucidated that multiple environmental factors cause the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers by Superposition Mechanism. The regional differences in environmental factors result in the diverse patterns, as well as the controversy questioning the seasonality of peptic ulcers. Significantly, the data analyses exemplify the application of a new concept, Superposition Mechanism, which might be an indispensable methodological complement to life science and medicine.
“…Existing data suggests that seasonal variation may not be associated with H. pylori infection 9 , but with multiple environmental/social factors, such as climate 28,29,30 , work/ occupation stress 31,32 , air pollution 33 , regional and ethnic differences 9 , industrialization 9 , vacation/holidays 34 , immigration 35 , religion 7 , smoking and alcohol abuse 8 , and lifestyle and recreational habits 36 . Notably, the key factors, which were believed to determine the seasonal variations, were found to be regionally different 5,8,10 .…”
Section: The Impacts Of Seasonal Change On Human Societymentioning
Although 13 etiological theories, including the most recent Theory of Helicobacter pylori, have been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers, the seasonal variation of the disease has remained an unsolved mystery for ≥90 years. Additionally, the major characteristics and observations/phenomena of peptic ulcers have never been fully understood. To address these challenges, a recently published Complex Causal Relationship with its accompanying methodologies was applied to analyze the existing data. Peptic ulcers were identified as a psychosomatic disease triggered by psychological stress, where Helicobacter pylori plays a secondary role in only the late phase of ulceration. This etiology addresses all the characteristics, observations/phenomena, controversies, and mysteries of peptic ulcers in a series of 6 articles. This fourth article focuses exclusively on the seasonal variation of peptic ulcers. The seasonal changes on the earth periodically alter multiple environmental/social factors, each of which induces psychological stress in a proportion of individuals and result in a monthly incidence of peptic ulcers. The superposition of the monthly incidences caused by climate, work, and vacation reproduces 3 typical fluctuation curves of the seasonal variation. Further discussion suggests that surrounding psychological stress, multiple environmental and social factors, such as tradition, climate, industry, vacation, and well-being policies, work together to cause the diversity of the seasonal variation. A full understanding of the seasonal variation suggests that peptic ulcers are not an infectious disease caused by Helicobacter pylori, but a psychosocial disease associated with multiple environmental/social factors, further validating the etiology identified by the Complex Causal Relationship.
“…Levenstein's multivariable analysis in 2015 also found that life stressors, such as socioeconomic status, increased risk for peptic ulcers regardless of H. pylori infection and NSAIDs use [27]. Other studies found that peptic ulcers were caused not by H. pylori [28], but by environmental factors, such as climate [29,30], occupation [31,32], air pollution [33], regional and ethnic differences [28], industrialization [28], vacation/holidays [34], immigration [35], religion [36], smoking and alcohol abuse [37], lifestyle, and recreational habits [38]. However, the role of environmental factors in peptic ulcers remains unknown, and how they cause the birthcohort phenomenon has never been elucidated.…”
Background: In 1962, Susser and Stein observed that the mortality rates of peptic ulcers in England and Wales increased markedly in the 1910s, maintained at a high level during the 1910s-1940s, and began to decline steadily since the early 1950s. They termed this epidemic pattern a birth-cohort phenomenon, but its mechanism has never been elucidated. Susser and Stein speculated that the occurrences of extraordinary social environmental factors roughly fit the fluctuations, but the role of environmental factors in peptic ulcers has never been identified. Objectives: This study aims to elucidate the mechanism of the birth-cohort phenomenon of peptic ulcers and identify the role of environmental factors in the disease. Methods: Starting from an etiology identified recently, this study uses the two inverse operations in calculus, differentiation, and integration, to analyze the existing data. First, a fluctuation curve in the birth-cohort phenomenon is differentiated into multiple annual mortality rates caused by individual environmental factors. Second, these annual mortality rates are integrated to reproduce the fluctuation curve in the birth-cohort phenomenon. Results: The differentiation reveals a parallel relationship between the psychological impacts of environmental factors and the mortality rates of peptic ulcers, whereas the integration reproduces a representative fluctuation curve in the birth-cohort phenomenon. The successive occurrences of multiple social environmental factors from the 1910s to 1940s maintained the increase in mortality rates, while the sustained improvements in living environments explained the steady decline of the mortality rates from the early 1950s. Conclusion: The parallel relationship suggests a causal role of environmental factors in peptic ulcers, whereas the reproduction of a representative fluctuation curve indicates that multiple environmental factors caused the birth-cohort phenomenon by Superposition Mechanism. Significantly, this study challenges the current reductionist approach used to study disease in modern medicine by demonstrating the effectiveness of an opposite methodological concept focused on integration.
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