American Journal of Epidemiology

Question: Discuss about the American journal of epidemiology? Answer: Statement of the problem or issue: It is found that night work can influence the possibility or risk via suppression of melatonin release. From the job histories of Quebec, Montreal and Canada between 1979 and 1985 it is found that most of the men who are working in night hours are prone to develop cancer. Methods: The design and data collection method used in this study was taken from other researches, such as work of Siemiatycki et al. 1987 and Parent et al. 2007. However, he did not mention the detail of the method in this research paper. To conduct the research male patients were selected, who are aged between 35-70 years from Montreal area, who diagnosed with cancer. The researchers interviewed 3730 patients among the 4576 cancer patients successfully. 11 types of cancers were detected, which may include cancer in the bladder, prostate, colon, lung, kidney, esophagus, and stomach. The researchers from the general population using electoral lists recruited controls. The process was maintained through an ongoing and active registration process. 533 people were interviewed among control population of 740. The interviews required 30 minutes to 2 hours, which consists of questions about lifestyle and sociodemographiccharacteristics of the participants. The researchers performed statistical anal ysis based on the collected data. The results of this study were presented in different tables, which are easy to understand to the readers. Hypothesis: There were no hypotheses presented by the researchers. Conclusions: From this research, it can be concluded that the release of melatonin is suppressed in night work, which increases the risk of developing cancer in both male and female. However, the researchers managed to identify and describe the epidemiology of each type of cancer with significant evidence. Other things to consider discussing include: Although the researchers emphasize on the development of cancer among male patients, it would be better if they also include research on women, which may be helpful to provide an opportunity to compare and contrast between the effect of night work and development of cancer between men and women. Is the purpose of the article made clear in the introduction? The researchers wrote a very clear and crisp introduction, where they mentioned the purpose of the article very clearly as well as managed to provide an overview of the topic. Is all of the discussion relevant? The paragraph dedicated to discussion, consists of very depth analysis of the results found from the research. The researchers divided the discussion section based on different prior studies, which is very helpful to grab the attention of the readers. Has the author cited pertinent literature directly related to the topic? While reviewing the article, it is found that the researchers cited each theory, models, or important information from related literature. What ideas (if any) have been overemphasized or underemphasized? Why do you think this? After reviewing the article, I found that the researchers overemphasized the risk faced by men while working in night shifts. From other researches, it is observed that women faced equal threat from cancer while working in night shift but underemphasized by the researchers in this article. What sections (if any) of the manuscript should be expanded, condensed, or omitted? The discussion part is unnecessary elaborated by the researchers, which could be omitted to prepare a better solution. Is any of the author's statements clear or ambiguous and if ambiguous how would you address it? While there is a substantial body of experimental and epidemiologic evidence that points to an association between night work and breast cancer, the hypothesis remains controversial, with disagreement about the potential role of bias, chance, or confounding." While reviewing the article, I found this statement at the beginning of the discussion part is ambiguous since the researchers did not mention about breast cancer in other section of the article. Has the author been objective in his or her discussion of the topic? From the article, it is found that the author has been objective in his or her discussion of the topic. How does the objective of the research contribute to the field of epidemiology and what other fields does it contribute to? The objectives are very precise to contribute to the field of epidemiology. Apart from epidemiology, the objectives do not contribute in any other fields. Any other thought? Your thoughts? I think the researchers emphasized more on the threat of cancers faced by men, but it would be better if they can also focus on the threats faced by women. Summary This article was published in American journal of epidemiology in 2012. According to the researchers, most of the men who worked in night shifts are prone to develop cancer. In this article, the researchers consulted 3730 patients in from Montreal area and based on the interview they interpreted their result. The result showed that late work in night could cause 11 different types of cancer among men. References Parent, M. ., El-Zein, M., Rousseau, M. C., Pintos, J., Siemiatycki, J. (2012). Night work and the risk of cancer among men.American journal of epidemiology,176(9), 751-759.