Light at night and lung cancer risk:A worldwide interdisciplinary and time-series study

Background:Light at night(LAN)has become a concern in interdisciplinary research in recent years.This global interdisciplinary study aimed to explore the exposure-lag-response association between LAN exposure and lung cancer incidence.Methods:LAN data were obtained from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System.Data of lung cancer incidence,socio-demographic index,and smoking prevalence of populations in 201 countries/territories from 1992 to 2018 were collected from the Global Burden of Disease Study.Spearman correlation tests and population-weighted linear regression analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between LAN exposure and lung cancer incidence.A distributed lag nonlinear model(DLNM)was used to assess the exposure-lag effects of LAN exposure on lung cancer incidence.Results:The Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.286-0.355 and the population-weighted linear regression correlation coefficients were 0.361-0.527.After adjustment for socio-demographic index and smoking preva-lence,the Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.264-0.357 and the population-weighted linear regression correlation coefficients were 0.346-0.497.In the DLNM,the maximum relative risk was 1.04(1.02-1.06)at LAN exposure of 8.6 with a 2.6-year lag time.After adjustment for socio-demographic index and smoking prevalence,the maximum relative risk was 1.05(1.02-1.07)at LAN exposure of 8.6 with a 2.4-year lag time.Conclusion:High LAN exposure was associated with increased lung cancer incidence,and this effect had a specific lag period.Compared with traditional individual-level studies,this group-level study provides a novel paradigm of effective,efficient,and scalable screening for risk factors.

Research Progress on the Relationship among Circadian Rhythm, Melatonin and Aging

It is generally believed that aging is a gradual decline in the efficiency of our biological metabolism, which eventually leads to the deterioration of individual physiological function and the development of a series of age-related degenerative diseases.The circadian clock machinery orchestrates the normal metabolism of the organism in order to assure that individual growth,development and reproduction are adapted to the changes of diurnal environmental variations. The circadian rhythm in the elderly is attenuated with age and is accompanied by the onset of metabolic syndrome, the accumulation of genomic or epigenomic instability, the decline of metabolic tissue homeostasis and the change of natural feeding behavior. Existing results corroborate that light at night(LAN) and melatonin inhibition affect genomic integrity and normal metabolic function. In several animal models,LAN accelerated aging by inhibiting melatonin production in the pineal gland and promoting age-related carcinogenesis. This paper reviews the effects of the circadian rhythm on aging and discusses the complex relationship among circadian rhythms, melatonin and aging in different models of organisms, which may provide clues for prolonging human life and maintaining health.