Collaborative Molecular Epidemiology Study of Metabolic Dysregulation, DNA Methylation, and Breast Cancer Risk Among Nigerian Women: MEND Study Objectives and Design

PURPOSE To elucidate the role of metabolic dysregulation and associated DNA methylation changes on breast cancer risk and aggressive subtypes among Nigerian women. We describe the design and methods of a collaborative molecular epidemiology study of breast cancer in Nigerian hospitals. METHODS The Mechanisms for Novel and Established Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women of Nigerian Descent (MEND) study was designed as a matched case-control study of 350 patients, age 18 to 75 years, with newly diagnosed, treatment-naive breast cancer and 350 age-matched healthy controls from surrounding geographic areas. Patients with breast cancer seen for initial diagnosis at four large tertiary hospitals in southwest Nigeria and one affiliated private hospital were recruited. Healthy female controls were selected from a cohort of 4,000 healthy women recruited as part of the Human Heredity and Health (H3) in Africa Chronic Kidney Disease Case-Control Study in Nigeria. Tumor and adjacent normal tissue, and blood and saliva samples were collected for molecular and epigenetic assays. RESULTS Although recruitment is ongoing, a total of 416 patients have been recruited to date, with tumor and blood samples obtained from at least 310 patients. Data on age-matched (6 months) controls have also been obtained and harmonized. Lipid assays for 350 pathologically verified cases and 350 age-matched controls is underway, and pathologic characterization of tumors (including immunohistochemistry for subtyping) is ongoing. Data on DNA methylation for tumors and adjacent normal tissue are expected by the end of the study period. CONCLUSION The MEND study will provide a unique, high-quality source of data to evaluate the contribution of metabolic dysregulation such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome to the biology of breast cancer among Nigerian women and foster collaborative studies relevant for women of African descent globally. J Global Oncol. (C) 2019 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Fogarty International Center [K01TW010271]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Collaborative Molecular Epidemiology Study of Metabolic Dysregulation, DNA Methylation, and Breast Cancer Risk Among Nigerian Women: MEND Study Objectives and Design

PURPOSE To elucidate the role of metabolic dysregulation and associated DNA methylation changes on breast cancer risk and aggressive subtypes among Nigerian women. We describe the design and methods of a collaborative molecular epidemiology study of breast cancer in Nigerian hospitals. METHODS The Mechanisms for Novel and Established Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women of Nigerian Descent (MEND) study was designed as a matched case-control study of 350 patients, age 18 to 75 years, with newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve breast cancer and 350 age-matched healthy controls from surrounding geographic areas. Patients with breast cancer seen for initial diagnosis at four large tertiary hospitals in southwest Nigeria and one affiliated private hospital were recruited. Healthy female controls were selected from a cohort of 4,000 healthy women recruited as part of the Human Heredity and Health (H3) in Africa Chronic Kidney Disease Case-Control Study in Nigeria. Tumor and adjacent normal tissue, and blood and saliva samples were collected for molecular and epigenetic assays. RESULTS Although recruitment is ongoing, a total of 416 patients have been recruited to date, with tumor and blood samples obtained from at least 310 patients. Data on age-matched (± 6 months) controls have also been obtained and harmonized. Lipid assays for 350 pathologically verified cases and 350 age-matched controls is underway, and pathologic characterization of tumors (including immunohistochemistry for subtyping) is ongoing. Data on DNA methylation for tumors and adjacent normal tissue are expected by the end of the study period. CONCLUSION The MEND study will provide a unique, high-quality source of data to evaluate the contribution of metabolic dysregulation such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome to the biology of breast cancer among Nigerian women and foster collaborative studies relevant for women of African descent globally

Association of Body Composition with Odds of Breast Cancer by Molecular Subtype: Analysis of the Mechanisms for Established and Novel Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women (MEND) Study

BACKGROUND: The association between obesity and breast cancer (BC) has been extensively studied among US, European and Asian study populations, with often conflicting evidence. However, despite the increasing prevalence of obesity and associated conditions in Africa, the continent with the highest age-standardized BC mortality rate globally, few studies have evaluated this association, and none has examined in relation to molecular subtypes among African women. The current analysis examines the association between body composition, defined by body mass index (BMI), height, and weight, and BC by molecular subtype among African women. METHODS: We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between measures of body composition and BC and molecular subtypes among 419 histologically confirmed cases of BC and 286 healthy controls from the Mechanisms for Established and Novel Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women of Nigerian Descent (MEND) case-control study. RESULTS: Higher BMI (aOR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.95) and weight (aOR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.98) were associated with reduced odds of BC in adjusted models, while height was associated with non-statistically significant increased odds of BC (aOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.28). In pre/peri-menopausal, but not post-menopausal women, both higher BMI and weight were significantly associated with reduced odds of BC. Further, higher BMI was associated with reduced odds of Luminal A, Luminal B, and HER2-enriched BC among pre/peri-menopausal women, and reduced odds of triple-negative BC among post-menopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: Higher BMI and weight were associated with reduced odds of BC overall and by molecular subtype among West African women. Larger studies of women of African descent are needed to definitively characterize these associations and inform cancer prevention strategies

Zinc oxide based dye sensitized solar cell using eosin – Y as photosensitizer

A zinc oxide based Dye sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) has been fabricated, using Eosin-Y as the dye adsorbed on a nanocrystalline zinc oxide - fluorine doped tin oxide electrode, for the sensitization of the large band gap semiconductor. The absorption spectrum of Eosin-Y showed high absorption of visible light between 450 and 600 nm wavelength. The SEM image of the annealed zinc oxide film revealed a uniform, porous and small round shaped grains. These are in favour of the solar energy conversion device. The short circuit photocurrent density (Jsc), the open circuit photovoltage (Voc) and the fill factor (FF) of the solar cell using Eosin-Y were obtained to be 7.243513 x 10-2 mA/cm2, 4.325767 x 10+2 mV and 3.769144 x 10-1. The efficiency of 1.2431 x 10-2 % was achieved due to a high series resistance of 4.2175 x 102 Ohms cm-2.Keywords: Dye sensitized, Eosin-Y, Absorption, Electrolyte, Photoanode, Zinc Oxid

Heterogeneous Wireless Networks: A Survey of Interworking Architectures

A vast majority of current wireless cellular networks are deployed using the homogeneous deployment scenario. The homogeneous cellular system is essentially a network base stations and user terminals with standards power level profiles and similar technical characteristics. All base stations in the network are similar and carefully planned for compatibility. This deployment scenario is complex, rigid, and expensive. Hence the need for a more flexible, cost-effective and ubiquitous deployment model capable of broadband delivery. This need informed the advent of heterogeneous networks, which allow for the deployment of non-homogeneous base stations, with the attendant advantage of improved spectral efficiency per unit area. One of the most important features of next generation networks is the roaming possibility of end user equipments across different access networks. The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) makes this experience achievable, it also describes other different mobility management solutions and compares the suitability of SIP for roaming across General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) and wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). We present in this paper an overview of the various wireless networking implementations vis-à-vis interworking architectures. The paper also discusses the three generic interworking architectures for WLAN 802.11 and 3GPP networks among others