Association of Catalase Genotype with Oxidative Stress in the Predication of Colorectal Cancer:Modification by Epidemiological Factors

Objective This paper aims to assess the interaction between common variations in catalase（CAT） polymorphic gene and environmental factors for antioxidant defense enzyme in modulating individual susceptibility to colorectal cancer（CRC）.Methods A case-control study with 880 colorectal cancer cases and 848 controls was conducted to investigate whether variations in the catalase（CAT） gene,one of the genes involved in scavenging oxidative stress,influenced susceptibility to CRC.Results The interaction between life style and genotypes as well as with their effects on colorectal cancer was deduced from the present study.Significant difference（P=0.01） was identified in the distribution of CAT genotype between the colorectal cancer cases and the controls.The CRC cases had significantly lower mean activity than the controls（P〈0.01）.Correlation analyses revealed statistically significant correlations between CAT activity and CAT genotype（P〈0.01）.Conclusion The risk of CRC was associated with smoking,low vegetable consumption,high pork and poultry consumptions,and low or high BMI.This is the first study reporting an association of polymorphism CAT-21A〉T with colorectal cancer.Low CAT activity was associated with an increased risk of CRC;however,no evidence was found to support an association between CAT-21A〉T polymorphism and CRC risk.

Epidemiological Characteristics and Risk Factors of the Pertussis in Infants < 12 Months of Age in Tianjin, China

The epidemiologic characteristics of 631 infant pertussis cases 〈 12 months, which accounted for 57.42% of the total cases, were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology in Tianjin, between 2010 and 2015. The incidence of infants was 104.66/100,000, which was 118 times higher than in other age groups （P 〈 0.001）. The primary type of pertussis simultaneously presented in households was adult-to-infant （70.51%）. The parents were identified as the source of infection in 80.18% of cases for infants. The positive rate of placental antibody transfer was 31.06% and 3.13% for 3-month-old infants. Infants presented the highest age-specific pertussis incidence. The most important reason was parents were the important sources of infection, and secondly the lower level of antibodies in neonates and the rapid waning of maternal antibody titer.

Epidemiological studies of migration and environmental risk factors in the inflammatory bowel diseases

Inflammatory bowel diseases(IBD)are idiopathic chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract well known to be associated with both genetic and environmental risk factors.Permissive genotypes may manifest into clinical phenotypes under certain environmental influences and these may be best studied from migratory studies.Exploring differences between first and second generation migrants may further highlight the contribution of environmental factors towards the development of IBD.There are few opportunities that have been offered so far.We aim to review the available migration studies on IBD,evaluate the known environmental factors associated with IBD,and explore modern migration patterns to identify new opportunities and candidate migrant groups in IBD migration research.

Novel milestones for early esophageal carcinoma:From bench to bed

Esophageal cancer(EC)is the seventh most common cancer worldwide,and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)accounts for the majority of cases of EC.To effectively diagnose and treat ESCC and improve patient prognosis,timely diagnosis in the initial phase of the illness is necessary.This article offers a detailed summary of the latest advancements and emerging technologies in the timely identification of ECs.Molecular biology and epigenetics approaches involve the use of molecular mechanisms combined with fluorescence quanti-tative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR),high-throughput sequencing technology(next-generation sequencing),and digital PCR technology to study endogenous or exogenous biomolecular changes in the human body and provide a decision-making basis for the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of diseases.The invest-igation of the microbiome is a swiftly progressing area in human cancer research,and microorganisms with complex functions are potential components of the tumor microenvironment.The intratumoral microbiota was also found to be connected to tumor progression.The application of endoscopy as a crucial technique for the early identification of ESCC has been essential,and with ongoing advancements in technology,endoscopy has continuously improved.With the advancement of artificial intelligence(AI)technology,the utilization of AI in the detection of gastrointestinal tumors has become increasingly prevalent.The implementation of AI can effectively resolve the discrepancies among observers,improve the detection rate,assist in predicting the depth of invasion and differentiation status,guide the pericancerous margins,and aid in a more accurate diagnosis of ESCC.

High Risk Factors of Pancreatic Carcinoma

Over the past decades, cancer has become one of the toughest challenges for health professionals. The epidemiologists are increasingly directing their research efforts on various malignant tumor worldwide. Of note, incidence of cancers is on the rise more quickly in developed countries. Indeed, great endeavors have to be made in the control of the life-threatening disease. As we know it, pancreatic cancer（PC） is a malignant disease with the worst prognosis. While little is known about the etiology of the PC and measures to prevent the condition, so far, a number of risk factors have been identified. Genetic factors, pre-malignant lesions, predisposing diseases and exogenous factors have been found to be linked to PC. Genetic susceptibility was observed in 10% of PC cases, including inherited PC syndromes and familial PC. However, in the remaining 90%, their PC might be caused by genetic factors in combination with environmental factors. Nonetheless, the exact mechanism of the two kinds of factors, endogenous and exogenous, working together to cause PC remains poorly understood. The fact that most pancreatic neoplasms are diagnosed at an incurable stage of the disease highlights the need to identify risk factors and to understand their contribution to carcinogenesis. This article reviews the high risk factors contributing to the development of PC, to provide information for clinicians and epidemiologists.

Yellow Vein Mosaic Disease in Okra(Abelmoschus esculentus L.):An Overview on Causal Agent,Vector and Management

Okra(Abelmoschus esculentus L.)belongs to the Malvaceae family and is one of the most essential and popular vegetables globally.It is rich in proteins,carbohydrates,and vitamins.Abiotic and biotic factors threaten okra productivity.Okra yellow vein mosaic disease(OYVMD)is the most destructive disease of okra.The causal agent,[i.e.,Okra yellow vein mosaic virus(OYVMV)]of this disease belongs to the family Geminiviridae and genus Begomovirus.OYVMV is a monopartite with additional ssDNA molecule.This virus has two components DNA-A for protein coding and DNA-B for symptoms induction.Whitefly transmits OYVMV in persistent manner.Characteristic symptoms of OYVMV infected okra plants are chlorosis,dwarfing,and yellowing of veins and fruits.High temperatures with moderate rainfall enhance the development of OYVMV disease and the whitefly population.However,high humidity with low temperature and rainfall has no significant role in developing the OYVMD and whitefly population.Moreover,the virus also affects the secondary metabolites in the infected okra plants.The virus can be managed through various strategies including the application of plant defense activators,the development of resistant varieties and by controlling its vector via pesticides and plant extracts.Various plant defense activators such as monopotassium phosphate(KH2PO),salicylic acid,benzoic acid,and citric acid enhance resistance in okra against OYMVD.In addition,the resistance to OYMVD can also be achieved by successfully incorporating high yielding but resistant cultivars of acceptable quality.In this review,we have discussed history,economic impact,symptomology,disease development under a natural environment,genetics and management of OYVMV.

Quality of life after liver transplantation:State of the art

Quality of life(QoL) after deceased donor liver transplantation is increasingly recognized as a major outcome parameter. We reviewed recent publications in this rapidly evolving field in order to summarize recent achievements in the field and to define opportunities and perspectives for research and improvement of patient care. QoL does improve after liver transplantation according to a typical pattern. During the first year, there is a significant improvement in QoL. After one year, the improvement does stabilise and tends to decline slightly. In addition to the physical condition, different psychological parameters(such as depression, anxiety, sexual function) and sociodemographic elements(professional state, sex, marital state) seem to impact QoL. Opportunities for further research are the use of dedicated questionnaires and identification of influencing factors for QoL.

Epidemiological Investigation of Risk Factors of the Pregnant Women with Early Spontaneous Abortion in Beijing

Objective： To determine the risk factors of the pregnant women with early spontaneous abortion in Beijing. Methods： A total of 34,417 cases of pregnant women were participated in the survey from January 2000 to December 2013. A questionnaire was informed to each woman. The content of questionnaire includes four parts： general condition, obstetrical history, past history and family history, and living environment and habits. The mental condition was evaluated with Self-Rating Anxiety Scale（SAS） and Self-Rating Depression Scale（SDS）. Results： A total of 32,296 questionnaires were collected. The spontaneous abortion rate in the total sample was 3.0%. There was no significant difference between the normal pregnancy group and spontaneous abortion group in terms of general condition, obstetrical and past history（P〉0.05）. Significant differences between the two groups were found in terms of decoration during pregnancy, keeping pets, near mobile communication base station within 100 m around the residence, drinking during pregnancy, having a cold during pregnancy and SAS（P〈0.05）. Having a cold during pregnancy, decoration during pregnancy, near mobile communication base station within 100 m around the residence, keeping pets and high SAS were determined the independent risk factors of spontaneous abortion by Logistic regression analysis. Conclusions： Having a cold during pregnancy, decoration, keeping pets, near mobile communication base station within 100 m around the residence and high SAS are the independent risk factors of spontaneous abortion in Beijing.

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and lung cancer:A systematic review

AIM： To review evidence relating passive smoking to lung cancer risk in never smokers, considering various major sources of bias.METHODS： Epidemiological prospective or case-control studies were identifed which provide estimates of relative risk （RR） and 95%CI for never smokers for one or more of seven different indices of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke （ETS）： The spouse; household; workplace; childhood; travel; social and other; and total. A wide range of study details were entered into a database, and the RRs for each study, including descriptions of the comparisons made, were entered into a linked database. RRs were derived where necessary. Results were entered, where available, for all lung cancer, and for squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma. “Most adjusted” results were entered based on results available, adjusted for the greatest number of potential confounding variables. “Least adjusted” results were also entered, with a preference for results adjusted at least for age for prospective studies. A pre-planned series of fxed-effects and random-effects meta-analyses were conducted. Overall analyses and analyses by continent were run for each exposure index,with results for spousal smoking given by sex, and results for childhood exposure given by source of ETS exposure. For spousal exposure, more extensive analyses provide results by various aspects of study design and defnition of the RR. For smoking by the husband （or nearest equivalent）, additional analyses were carried out both for overall risk, and for risk per 10 cigarettes per day smoked by the husband. These adjusted for uncontrolled confounding by four factors （fruit, vegetable and dietary fat consumption, and education）, and corrected for misclassification of smoking status of the wife. For the confounding adjustment, estimates for never smoking women were derived from publications on the relationship of the four factors to both lung cancer risk and at home ETS exposure, and on the correlations between the factors. The bias due to misclassifcation was calculated on the basis that the proportion of ever smokers denying smoking is 10% in Asian studies and 2.5% elsewhere, and that those who deny smoking have the same risk as those who admit it. This approach, justifed in previous work, balances higher true denial rates and lower risk in deniers compared to non-deniers.RESULTS： One hundred and two studies were identifed for inclusion, published in 1981 onwards, 45 in Asia, 31 in North America, 21 in Europe, and fve elsewhere. Eighty-fve were of case-control design and 17 were prospective. Significant （P 〈 0.05） associations were noted, with random-effects of （RR = 1.22, 95%CI： 1.14-1.31, n = 93） for smoking by the husband （RR = 1.14, 95%CI： 1.01-1.29, n = 45） for smoking by the wife （RR = 1.22, 95%CI： 1.15-1.30, n = 47） for workplace exposure （RR = 1.15, 95%CI： 1.02-1.29, n = 41） for childhood exposure, and （RR = 1.31, 95%CI： 1.19-1.45, n = 48） for total exposure. No signifcant association was seen for ETS exposure in travel （RR = 1.34, 95%CI： 0.94-1.93, n = 8） or in social situations （RR = 1.01, 95%CI： 0.82-1.24, n = 15）. A signifcant negative association （RR = 0.78, 95%CI： 0.64-0.94, n = 8） was seen for ETS exposure in childhood, specifically from the parents. Significant associations were also seen for spousal smoking for both squamous cell carcinoma （RR = 1.44, 95%CI： 1.15-1.80, n = 24） and adenocarcinoma （RR = 1.33,95%CI： 1.17-1.51, n = 30）. Results generally showed marked heterogeneity between studies. For smoking by either the husband or wife, where 119 RR estimates gave an overall estimate of （RR = 1.21, 95%CI： 1.14-1.29）, the heterogeneity was highly significant （P 〈 0.001）, with evidence that the largest RRs were seen in studies published in 1981-89, in small studies （1-49 cases）, and for estimates unadjusted by age. For smoking by the husband, the additional analyses showed that adjustment for the four factors reduced the overall （RR = 1.22, 95%CI： 1.14-1.31） based on 93 estimates to （RR = 1.14, 95%CI： 1.06-1.22）, implying bias due to uncontrolled confounding of 7%. Further correction for misclassification reduced the estimate to a marginally non-signifcant （RR = 1.08, 95%CI： 0.999-1.16）. In the fully adjusted and corrected analyses, there was evidence of an increase in Asia （RR = 1.18, 95%CI： 1.07-1.30, n = 44）, but not in other regions （RR = 0.96, 95%CI： 0.86-1.07, n = 49）. Studies published in the 1980’s, studies providing dose-response data, and studies only providing results unadjusted for age showed elevated RRs, but later published studies, studies not providing dose-response data, and studies adjusting for age did not. The pattern of results for RRs per 10 cigs/d was similar, with no signifcant association in the adjusted and corrected results （RR = 1.03, 95%CI： 0.994-1.07）.CONCLUSION： Most, if not all, of the ETS/lung cancer association can be explained by confounding adjustment and misclassifcation correction. Any causal relationship is not convincingly demonstrated.

Modifying the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale(6–18 years)to a Chinese Context:An Exploratory Factor Analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the autism spectrum rating scale（ASRS）. We recruited 1,625community-based children and 211 autism spectrum disorder（ASD） cases from 4 sites, and the parents of all participants completed the Chinese version of the ASRS. A robust weighted least squares means and variance adjusted estimator was used for exploratory factor analysis. The3-factor structure included 59 items suitable for the current sample. The item reliability for the modi？ed Chinese version of the ASRS（MC-ASRS） was excellent. Moreover,with 60 as the cut-off point, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the MC-ASRS had excellent discriminate validity, comparable to that of the unmodi？ed Chinese version（UC-ASRS）, with area under the curve values of 0.952（95% CI： 0.936–0.967） and 0.948（95% CI：0.930–0.965）, respectively. Meanwhile, the con？rm factor analysis revealed that MC-ASRS had a better construct validity than UC-ASRS based on the above factor solution in another children sample. In conclusion, the MC-ASRS shows better ef？cacy in epidemiological screening for ASD in Chinese children.