Impact of mTOR gene polymorphisms and gene-tea interaction on susceptibility to tuberculosis

BACKGROUND mTOR gene is a key component of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway,and its dysregulation is associated with various diseases.Several studies have demonstrated that tea drinking is a protective factor against tuberculosis(TB).This study was designed to explore five single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)of mTOR in the Han population of China to determine how their interactions with tea drinking affect susceptibility to TB.AIM To investigate if the polymorphisms of mTOR gene and the gene-tea interaction are associated with susceptibility to TB.METHODS In this case-control study,503 patients with TB and 494 healthy controls were enrolled by a stratified sampling method.The cases were newly registered TB patients from the county-level centers for disease control and prevention,and the healthy controls were permanent residents from Xin'ansi Community,Changsha city.Demographic data and environmental exposure information including tea drinking were obtained from the study participants.We genotyped five potentially functional SNP sites(rs2295080,rs2024627,rs1057079,rs12137958,and rs7525957)of mTOR gene and assessed their associations with the risk of TB using logistic regression analysis,and marginal structural linear odds models were used to estimate the gene-environment interactions.RESULTS The frequencies of four SNPs(rs2295080,rs2024627,rs1057079,and rs7525957)were found to be associated with susceptibility to TB(P<0.05).Genotypes GT(OR 1.334),GG(OR 2.224),and GT+GG(OR 1.403)at rs2295080;genotypes CT(OR 1.562)and CT+TT(OR 1.578)at rs2024627,genotypes CT(OR 1.597),CC(OR 2.858),and CT+CC(OR 1.682)at rs1057079;and genotypes CT(OR 1.559)and CT+CC(OR 1.568)at rs7525957 of mTOR gene were significantly more prevalent in TB patients than in healthy controls.The relative excess risk of interaction between the four SNPs(rs2295080,rs2024627,rs1057079,and rs7525957)of mTOR genes and tea drinking were found to be-1.5187(95%CI:-1.9826,-1.0547,P<0.05),-1.8270(95%CI:-2.3587,-1.2952,P<0.05),-2.3246(95%CI:-2.9417,-1.7076,P<0.05)and-0.4235(95%CI:-0.7756,-0.0714,P<0.05),respectively,which suggest negative interactions.CONCLUSION The polymorphisms of mTOR(rs2295080,rs2024627,rs1057079,and rs7525957)are associated with susceptibility to TB,and there is a negative interaction between each of the four SNPs and tea drinking.

Cancer Risk Due to the Natural Radioactivity in Cigarette Tobacco

Thirty-one samples of cigarettes have been collected from local markets of different types of origins. The samples were selected according to a survey distributed to smokers by paper and digital survey to see the most heavily traded among smokers and in addition to a number of questions to see how the awareness and the culture of smokers in diseases caused by smoking and considered this study the first survey in Iraq. The aim of this research is to assess the number of cancer cases due to cigarette smoking. Through the use of High-Purity Germanium system (HPGe) (efficiency 40%) we determinated the radionuclides in cigarette tobacco. The average values were (14.86 ± 3.76, 10.84 ± 3.13, 1050.64 ± 47.57) Bq/kg for Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40, respectively, and the excess lifetime of cancer risk values ranged from 0.54 to 130 at average of 76 per million person per year. Raeq values varied from 18.50 to 87.21.4 Bq/kg with an average value of 39.51 Bq/kg for tobacco samples. The annual effective dose (HE) varies from 16.38 μSv/y to 44.69 μSv/y with an average value of 24.97 μsv/y. The Annual Gonadal Dose Equivalent (AGDE) varies from 0.3 to 0.64 (mSv/y) with an average value of 0.42 for all tobacco samples under investigation.

Investigation of the Radiological Risk of Farmlands and the Transfer Factor from Soil to Crops in Jalingo and Wukari L.G.A of Taraba State, Nigeria

The activity concentrations of radionuclides, absorbed dose rate, excess lifetime cancer risk, and soil-to-plant transfer factor have been evaluated in soil and crop samples from Jalingo and Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. The activity concentrations were determined with the aid of High Purity Germanium detector. The absorbed dose and excess lifetime cancer risk were evaluated and forecasted for 60 years using the ResRad off-site model. The average activity concentration of 40K, 232Th, and 238U in the soil samples were 633.13, 141.15, and 71.20 Bq·kg-1 respectively, for the Jalingo study area, and while that of the Wukari study area was;199.21, 87.23, and 25.37 Bq·kg-1 respectively. The average soil-to-plant transfer factors for 40K, 232Th, and 238U were 0.51, 0.10, and 0.27 respectively for the Jalingo study area while that of Wukari are 0.40, 0.57, and 0.74 respectively. The mean annual effective dose equivalent for the study area is higher than the world average of 0.07 mS·vy-1. The excess lifetime cancer risk for the study areas has values that are higher than the safety limit. The ResRed model showed that direct radiation from the crops is the major contributor to excess cancer risk among other pathways. The radiological hazard indices reveal health risks to farmers, especially in the Jalingo area.

Low-dose ionizing radiation exposure and risk of leukemia: results from 1950-1995 Chinese medical X-ray workers’ cohort study and meta-analysis

Background:It has been well-established that acute radiation exposures increase the risk of leukemia.However,it is still unknown whether these leukemia risk estimates could be extrapolated to occupational populations who receive repeated low-dose radiation exposure.The purpose of this study was to estimate quantified associations between low-dose radiation exposures and leukemia.Methods:The Chinese medical X-ray worker study(CMXW)included 27,011 medical X-ray workers employed at major hospitals in 24 provinces in China from 1950 to 1980,and a control population of 25,782 physicians matched by hospital,who were unexposed to X-ray equipment.Poisson regression models were used to esti-mate the excess relative risk(ERR)and excess absolute risk(EAR)for the incidence of leukemia associated with cumulative doses.A meta-analysis of the published literature on low-dose occupational radiation exposure and leukemia risk was also conducted.Results:The incidence rates of leukemia in X-ray workers and the control group were 6.70 and 3.39 per 100,000 person-years,respectively.Among X-ray workers,the average cumulative red bone marrow dose was 0.046 Gy.We found a positive relationship between 2-year lagged cumulative red bone marrow dose and risk of leukemia excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)(ERR=0.66 per 100 mGy,90%CI:0.09,1.53;EAR=0.29 per 104 PY-100 mGy,90%CI:0.07,0.56).The excess risk was largely driven by myeloid leukemia(ERR=1.06 per 100 mGy,90%CI:0.22,2.51).Based on the meta-analysis,the pooled ERR at 100 mGy was 0.19(95%CI:0.08,0.31).Conclusion:This study provides strong evidence of a positive and linear doseresponse relationship between cu-mulative red bone marrow dose and the incidence of non-CLL leukemia.

Health Effects of Radiation Exposure to Human Sensitive Organs across Some Selected Mining Sites of Plateau State,Nigeria

The association of radiation with matter,being it from external means(i.e.external sources)or from internal pollution of the body by toxic substances,can pose biological hazard which may show the clinical symptoms later.The nature and extent of these symptoms and the time they take to appear are a function of the amount of radiation absorbed and the rate at which it is received.This study aimed at assessing the health effects of radiation exposure to human sensitive organs across some selected mining sites of Plateau State Nigeria.Finding of this study have revealed that the mean Dorgan values for the lungs,ovaries,bone marrow,testes,kidney,liver and whole body for different mining points of Plateau State are 0.29 mSv/y,0.26 mSv/y,0.31 mSv/y,0.36 mSv/y,0.28 mSv/y,0.21 mSv/y and 0.30 mSv/y respectively.From the findings presented,it can be concluded that the background radiation in Plateau State is not an issue of health concern in regards to sensitive organs and may not course immediate health effect except when accumulated over long period of time which may cause cancer to the indoor members on approximately seventy years of exposure.

Toxicity of Radon-222 in Groundwater across Keana in Nasarawa,Nigeria

The most common supply of freshwater for drinking,irrigation,and other domestic uses is groundwater;however,because of increased radon concentrations brought on by mining activities,its quality is still a severe concern.Using a liquid scintillation detector,this study investigated the radon content,its related toxicity,and its risk to human health in the groundwater of the Keana in Nasarawa,Nigeria.Ten(10)borehole samples and five(5)well samples totaling fif­teen(15)groundwater samples were taken.The results showed that the average radon concentration in water samples from Keana was 2.25 Bq/L.The mean annual effective dosage(ingestion)for adults and children in Keana was 0.016 mSv/y and 0.027 mSv/y,respectively.In Keana,the additional lifetime cancer risk per adult was 5.65×10^(-5),and per child,it was 8.79×10^(-5).The study’s radon concentration was lower than the benchmark of 11.1 Bq/L established in 1991 by the Nigerian Standard Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency.The results of this study indicate that the level of radon is safe;as a result,people can continue farming and other activities.To reduce the risk of cancer,however,more research could be done in the area.Further research should be done by looking at additional sources in the study area in order to cover the entire zone.Further investigation should be carried out both during the dry and wet seasons because radon concentrations in groundwater alter over time due to dilution by recharge from rainfall.

Ambient Air Particulate Matter and Hospital Admissions for Chronic Kidney Disease in China:A Nationwide Case-Crossover Study

Incident chronic kidney disease(CKD)may be accelerated(could be indicated by repeated admissions to the hospital)by environmental triggers such as ambient particulate matter(PM).Additionally,hospital admission is a sensitive proxy reflecting the disease burden.However,the association of PM exposure with hospital admissions for CKD is still unknown,let alone the excess risks(ERs)in hospital admissions for CKD due to high PM level exposure.In this study,a two-stage time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted to investigate the association of ambient air PM exposure with hospital admission for CKD in 282 Chinese cities of prefecture-level or above during 2013–2017.City-specific associations of single and cumulative 0–3 days lagged exposure to fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5))and inhalable particles(PM_(10))with hospital admissions for total CKD and its subtypes were evaluated by the conditional logistic regression model,then were pooled using the random-effect model.A total of 3,490,416 hospital admissions for CKD were identified.We found that per interquartile range(IQR)increment in PM_(2.5) at lag02 and per IQR increment in PM_(10) at lag03 were associated with increases of 2.36%(95%CI:1.58%,3.14%)and 2.87%(95%CI:1.91%,3.85%)in hospital admissions for total CKD,respectively.Compared to control concentrations(PM_(2.5):35μg/m^(3);PM_(10):50μg/m^(3)),the largest ERs in hospital admissions for total CKD were 2.63%(95%CI:2.15%–3.11%)and 4.45%(95%CI:3.85%–5.06%)in association with exposure to heavily excessive PM_(2.5)(≥75μg/m^(3))and PM_(10)(≥150μg/m^(3)),respectively.Moreover,the attributable fractions(AFs)for CKD admissions were 2.83%for PM_(2.5) and 3.46%for PM_(10) during the study period.These findings suggested that exposure to PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) is associated with substantially increased risk and burden of CKD admissions.

Rapid reduction of air pollution and short-term exposure risks in China

With the continuous control of anthropogenic emissions,China’s air quality has improved significantly in recent years.Given this background,research on how the short-term exposure risks caused by air pollution in China have changed is insufficient.This study utilized hourly concentration data from ground observation stations and the official air quality guidelines of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China and the World Health Organization as standards to systematically investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics and short-term exposure risks of air pollution in China from 2015 to 2022.The results indicate that various atmospheric pollutants except for ozone showed a decreasing trend yearly.Nationwide,both single pollutant air pollution days(SAPDs)and multiple pollutant air pollution days(MAPDs)showed varying degrees of reduction within 15 and 25 days,respectively.SAPD was dominated mainly by excessive PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)pollutants,while MAPD was dominated mainly by excessive pollutant combinations,including PM_(2.5)+PM_(10),CO+PM_(2.5)+PM_(10),and SO_(2)+PM_(2.5)+PM_(10).As the concentration of atmospheric pollutants decreased,the total excess risk(ER)decreased yearly from 2015 to 2022,but there were significant regional differences.Now,the ER is less than 0.25%in southern China,in the range of 0.25%-0.5%in the North China Plain and some cities in the northeast,and higher than 1%in the northwest.Particulate matter is currently the primary pollutant posing short-term exposure risk in China,especially due to the impact of sandstorm weather.This study indicates that China’s atmospheric cleaning action is significantly beneficial for reducing health risks.

Sex disparity of lung cancer risk in non-smokers:a multicenter population-based prospective study based on China National Lung Cancer Screening Program

Background: Non-smokers account for a large proportion of lung cancer patients, especially in Asia, but the attention paid to them is limited compared with smokers. In non-smokers, males display a risk for lung cancer incidence distinct from the females-even after excluding the influence of smoking;but the knowledge regarding the factors causing the difference is sparse. Based on a large multicenter prospective cancer screening cohort in China, we aimed to elucidate the interpretable sex differences caused by known factors and provide clues for primary and secondary prevention.Methods: Risk factors including demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, family history of cancer, and baseline comorbidity were obtained from 796,283 Chinese non-smoking participants by the baseline risk assessment completed in 2013 to 2018. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the sex difference in the risk of lung cancer, and the hazard ratios (HRs) that were adjusted for different known factors were calculated and compared to determine the proportion of excess risk and to explain the existing risk factors.Results: With a median follow-up of 4.80 years, 3351 subjects who were diagnosed with lung cancer were selected in the analysis. The lung cancer risk of males was significantly higher than that of females;the HRs in all male non-smokers were 1.29 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.38) after adjusting for the age and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.28-1.50) after adjusting for all factors, which suggested that known factors could not explain the sex difference in the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers. Known factors were 7% (|1.29-1.38|/1.29) more harmful in women than in men. For adenocarcinoma, women showed excess risk higher than men, contrary to squamous cell carcinoma;after adjusting for all factors, 47% ([1.30-1.16]/[1.30-1]) and 4% ([7.02-6.75]/[7.02-1])) of the excess risk was explainable in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The main causes of gender differences in lung cancer risk were lifestyle factors, baseline comorbidity, and family history.Conclusions: Significant gender differences in the risk of lung cancer were discovered in China non-smokers. Existing risk factors did not explain the excess lung cancer risk of all non-smoking men, and the internal causes for the excess risk still need to be explored;most known risk factors were more harmful to non-smoking women;further exploring the causes of the sex difference would help to improve the prevention and screening programs and protect the non-smoking males from lung cancers.