Geographic Trends of Tobacco-Related Cancers in Cyprus

BACKGROUND: Causal relationships have been previously established between smoking and various cancers. In Cyprus, 39 % of men and 14 % of women reported daily smoking in 2008. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of tobacco-related cancers to all other cancers by district and rural-urban classification to understand the impact of tobacco in Cyprus. METHODS: Data on lung, urinary bladder, oral, pharyngeal, head/neck, and laryngeal cancers were obtained from the Cyprus Cancer Registry (1998-2008). There were 3,635 patients with tobacco-related cancers and 18,780 with non-tobacco cancers. Univariate analysis comparing tobacco-related cancers and all other cancers were conducted with regards to age at diagnosis, age groups, sex, smoking status, disease stage, and rural/urban status, with a p-value of 0.05 considered significant. Smoking prevalence, lung cancer, and bladder cancer rates of Cyprus were also compared to a number of other European countries. RESULTS: Patients with tobacco-related cancers were older than those with non-tobacco cancers (mean age 67.2 ± 12.4 vs. 62.4 ± 17.1, p \u3c 0.0001). Among those with tobacco-related cancers, 80.1 % were male compared to 45.4 % males with other cancer types. The proportion of ever smokers was higher among males compared to females in urban and rural districts. Sub-districts 41 (Age Adjusted Rate (AAR) 41.9, 95 % CI: 35.7-48.1), 60 (AAR 40.3, 95 % CI: 35.2-45.3), and 50 (AAR 36.3, 95 % CI: 33.8-38.7) had the highest rates of tobacco-related cancers. The overall tobacco-related cancer rate was the highest among males in urban districts (AAR 60.8, 95 % CI: 58.2-63.5). Among tobacco-related cancers, lung cancer had the highest overall AAR (17.9 per 100,000) while head and neck cancer had the lowest overall AAR (5.3 per 100,000). Additionally, even though Cypriot males aged 65-69 years old exhibited higher smoking prevalence than other European countries, the overall lung and bladder cancer rates were lower in Cyprus. CONCLUSION: Despite the high proportion of smokers in Cyprus, cancer rates are low compared to other countries. Future in-depth measurements of relevant risk factors and smoking exposure can help understand this phenomenon and provide insights for cancer prevention

Antiphopholipid antibodies and functional activated protein C resistance in patients with breast cancer during anthracycline-based chemotherapy administered through an intravenous port-catheter device

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Changing Patterns of lung, liver, and head and neck non-AIDS-defining cancers relative to HIV status in Tanzania between 2002-2014

Abstract Background Tanzania, like other low-income countries, has an increasing cancer burden that remains underestimated. Infection-associated malignancies, particularly HIV-infection, represent a great proportion of cancer burden in Tanzania and throughout Africa. Availability of HIV treatment and improved survival of HIV patients are suggested factors related to increasing prevalence of non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs). This study examined patterns of NADCs and proportions of HIV-positivity at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI). Methods We reviewed logbooks of all ORCI patients diagnosed and/or treated for lung, liver, and head and neck cancers during 2002–2014. The number of total cancers diagnosed at ORCI during this period was used to calculate proportions of NADCs. We abstracted medical records to obtain demographic and clinical profiles and HIV status information for 1127 patients diagnosed or treated during 2010–2014. Trends in numbers and proportions of NADCs were analyzed using Joinpoint regression. Characteristics of NADC patients were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Results NADCs diagnosed at ORCI increased by 33.8% from 2002 to 2014 while the proportion of NADCs relative to all cancers significantly decreased from 6.8% in 2002 to 5.6% in 2014 (APC = -2.74%). Numbers and proportions of lung and liver cancers increased compared to all cancer diagnoses from 2002 to 2014. The number of head and neck cancers increased while decreasing proportionally compared to all cancer diagnoses from 2002 to 2014. Among patients with pathologically confirmed NADCs between 2010 and 2014, HIV prevalence showed a non-statistically significant decrease from 8.1 to 7.1% (APC = -3.77%). Conclusions Absolute numbers of lung, liver, and head and neck cancers increased at ORCI by 1/3 since 2002. Improving survivorship of HIV patients and varying immunodeficiency status may have contributed to the increasing number of NADCs. Total cancer diagnoses nearly doubled during this period, leading to a smaller relative proportion of NADCs diagnosed in 2014 compared to 2002. Late- stage diagnosis and short survival of NADCs included this study may explain possible underestimation and smaller increase in proportion of these particular NADCs compared to other NADCs studied in Tanzania. The slight decrease in proportion of HIV-positive NADC patients during 2010–2014 may suggest increasing patient longevity and more effective HIV management in Tanzania.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134744/1/13027_2016_Article_106.pd

The Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS): initial experiences in lesion detection compared with conventional handheld B-mode ultrasound: a pilot study of 50 cases

The idea of an automated whole breast ultrasound was developed three decades ago. We present our initial experiences with the latest technical advance in this technique, the automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) ACUSON S2000™. Volume data sets were collected from 50 patients and a database containing 23 women with no detectable lesions in conventional ultrasound (BI-RADS®-US 1), 13 women with clearly benign lesions (BI-RADS®-US 2), and 14 women with known breast cancer (BI-RADS®-US 5) was created. An independent examiner evaluated the ABVS data on a separate workstation without any prior knowledge of the patients’ histories. The diagnostic accuracy for the experimental ABVS was 66.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.9–79.1). The independent examiner detected all breast cancers in the volume data resulting in a calculated sensitivity of 100% in the described setting (95% CI: 73.2%–100%). After the ABVS examination, there were a high number of requests for second-look ultrasounds in 47% (95% CI: 30.9–63.5) of the healthy women (with either a clearly benign lesion or no breast lesions at all in conventional handheld ultrasound). Therefore, the specificity remained at 52.8% (95% CI: 35.7–69.2). When comparing the concordance of the ABVS with the gold standard (conventional handheld ultrasound), Cohen’s Kappa value as an estimation of the inter-rater reliability was κ = 0.37, indicating fair agreement. In conclusion, the ABVS must still be regarded as an experimental technique for breast ultrasound, which definitely needs to undergo further evaluation studies

Interferon gamma: is it a co-player in the pathogenesis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome

Introduction: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), the most common form of NS in childhood, was considered 4 decades ago as a systemic disorder of T cells, mediated through its released cytokines. To date, the exact incriminated cytokine or immunological mediator is not properly defined. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is thought to have a role in the provocation of the T cell mediated INS relapse, through promotion of T helper1 (Th1) differentiation and suppression of regulatory T cells (Treg). Aim of the study: to evaluate the immunopathogenic role of IFN-γ in children with steroid sensitive idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) through monitoring the changes in its levels with disease course. Methods: This study included twenty-five newly diagnosed children with SSINS. They were all given full dose prednisolone, evaluated at initial diagnosis and at full remission as regards the serum level of IFN-γ. Results: Serum levels of IFN-γ were lowermost at time of diagnosis and increased with remission on corticosteroids. Conclusions: this study points to a role for the lower serum IFN-γ at diagnosis, in the immunopathogenesis of INS than at remission and the rise in its serum level might be a marker of remission induction, however this awaits confirmation in larger scale studies. Studies on renal biopsy specimens are needed to determine the exact renal in situ levels and effects of IFN-

Reliability of Medical Records in Diagnosing Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Egypt

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, aggressive breast cancer diagnosed clinically by the presence of diffuse erythema, peau d\u27orange, and edema that arise quickly in the affected breast. This study evaluated the validity of medical records in Gharbiah, Egypt in identifying clinical signs/symptoms of IBC. For 34 IBC cases enrolled in a case-control study at the Gharbiah Cancer Society and Tanta Cancer Center, Egypt (2009-2010), we compared signs/symptoms of IBC noted in medical records to those recorded on a standardized form at the time of IBC diagnosis by clinicians participating in the case-control study. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of medical records as compared to the case-control study for recording these signs/symptoms. We also performed McNemar\u27s tests. RESULTS: In the case-control study, 32 (94.1%) IBC cases presented with peau d\u27orange, 30 (88.2%) with erythema, and 31 (91.2%) with edema. The sensitivities of the medical records as compared to the case-control study were 0.8, 0.5, and 0.2 for peau d\u27orange, erythema, and edema, respectively. Corresponding specificities were 1.0, 0.5, and 1.0. p values for McNemar\u27s test were CONCLUSION: Medical records lacked information on signs/symptoms of IBC, especially erythema and edema, when compared to the case-control study. Deficient medical records could have implications for diagnosis and treatment of IBC and proper documentation of cases in cancer registries

Bisphenol A-associated epigenomic changes in prepubescent girls: a cross-sectional study in Gharbiah, Egypt

Abstract Background There is now compelling evidence that epigenetic modifications link adult disease susceptibility to environmental exposures during specific life stages, including pre-pubertal development. Animal studies indicate that bisphenol A (BPA), the monomer used in epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, may impact health through epigenetic mechanisms, and epidemiological data associate BPA levels with metabolic disorders, behavior changes, and reproductive effects. Thus, we conducted an environmental epidemiology study of BPA exposure and CpG methylation in pre-adolescent girls from Gharbiah, Egypt hypothesizing that methylation profiles exhibit exposure-dependent trends. Methods Urinary concentrations of total (free plus conjugated) species of BPA in spot samples were quantified for 60 girls aged 10 to 13. Genome-wide CpG methylation was concurrently measured in bisulfite-converted saliva DNA using the Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip (N = 46). CpG sites from four candidate genes were validated via quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing. Results CpG methylation varied widely among girls, and higher urinary BPA concentrations were generally associated with less genomic methylation. Based on pathway analyses, genes exhibiting reduced methylation with increasing urinary BPA were involved in immune function, transport activity, metabolism, and caspase activity. In particular, hypomethylation of CpG targets on chromosome X was associated with higher urinary BPA. Using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, we identified a number of candidate genes in our sample that previously have been associated with BPA-related expression change. Conclusions These data indicate that BPA may affect human health through specific epigenomic modification of genes in relevant pathways. Thus, epigenetic epidemiology holds promise for the identification of biomarkers from previous exposures and the development of epigenetic-based diagnostic strategies.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112909/1/12940_2013_Article_648.pd

High Proportion of Inflammatory Breast Cancer in the Population-Based Cancer Registry of Gharbiah, Egypt

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72192/1/j.1524-4741.2009.00755.x.pd

Investigating Sulforaphane’s anti-virulence and anti-quorum sensing properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

BackgroundP. aeruginosa, a significant bacterium, can cause severe illness and resistance to antibiotics. Quorum sensing (QS) systems regulate virulence factors production. Targeting QS could reduce bacteria pathogenicity and prevent antibiotic resistance. Cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties.AimWe aimed to examine the inhibitory influences of sulforaphane, at a sub-inhibitory concentration (¼ minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC), on virulence and QS in P. aeruginosa.Materials and methodsThe sulforaphane’s anti-virulence actions at sub-inhibitory concentrations were explored in vitro and in vivo. A sub-MIC concentration of sulforaphane was combined with anti-pseudomonal drugs, and the results of this combination were assessed. The virtual affinity of sulforaphane for the receptors of QS was studied, and its effect on the expression of QS genes was quantified.ResultsSulforaphane significantly decreased the biofilm formation, motility, ability to withstand oxidative stress, and the synthesis of virulence extracellular enzymes such as proteases, hemolysins, and elastase, as well as other virulence factors like pyocyanin. In addition, sulforaphane lessened the severity of P. aeruginosa infection in mice. Sulforaphane reduced the antipseudomonal antibiotics’ MICs when used together, resulting in synergistic effects. The observed anti-virulence impacts were attributed to the ability of sulforaphane to inhibit QS via suppressing the QS genes’ expression.ConclusionSulforaphane shows promise as a potent anti-virulence and anti-QS agent that can be used alongside conventional antimicrobials to manage severe infections effectively. Furthermore, this study paves the way for further investigation of sulforaphane and similar structures as pharmacophores for anti-QS candidates