Can Global Variation of Nasopharynx Cancer Be Retrieved from the Combined Analyses of IARC Cancer Information (CIN) Databases?

BACKGROUND: The international nasopharynx cancer (NPC) burdens are masked due to the lack of integrated studies that examine epidemiological data based on up-to-date international disease databases such as the Cancer Information (CIN) databases provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). METHODS: By analyzing the most recently updated NPC epidemiological data available from IARC, we tried to retrieve the worldwide NPC burden and patterns from combined analysis with GLOBOCAN2008 and the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) databases. We provide age-standardized rates (ASR) for NPC mortality in 20 highest cancer registries from GLOBOCAN2008 and the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality databases, respectively. However, NPC incidence data can not be retrieved since it is not individually listed in CI5 database. The trend of NPC mortality was investigated with Joinpoint analysis in the selected countries/regions with high ASR. RESULTS: GLOBOCAN 2008 revealed that the highest NPC incidence rates in 2008 were in registries from South-Eastern Asia, Micronesia and Southern Africa with Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore ranking the top 3. WHO mortality database analysis revealed that China Hong Kong, Singapore and Malta ranks the top 3 regions with the highest 5-year mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: NPC mortality rate is about 2-3 times higher in male than that in female, and shows decrease tendency in those selected countries/regions during the analyzed periods. However, the integrated analyses of the current IARC CIN databases may not be suitable to retrieve epidemiological data of NPC. Much effort is required to improve the local cancer entry and regional death-reporting systems so as to aid similar studies

Superdiversity in Music Education

Globalization has changed the social, cultural, and linguistic diversity in societies all over the world (Blommaert, J & Rampton, B. Diversities, 13(2), 1–22 (2011)). As new technologies have rapidly developed alongside increased forms of transnational flow, so have new forms of language, art, music, communication, and expression. This rapid and varied blending of cultures, ideas, and modes of communication is what Vertovec (2007) describes as super-diversity—diversity within diversity. In this narrative, I explore the theoretical and methodological pluralism that has aided my research in diverse settings, drawing from post-structuralism, critical theory, sociolinguistics, complexity theory, and discourse analysis—specifically Scollon and Scollon’s (Scollon, R & Scollon, W S. Discourses in place: Language in the material world. London: Routledge (2003), 10.4324/9780203422724; Scollon, R & Scollon, W S. Nexus analysis: Discourse and the emerging internet. New York: Routledge (2004)) recommendations for nexus analysis and Blommaert’s theoretical principles and concepts of ethnography, globalization, and superdiversity (Blommaert, J. Discourse. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press (2005), 10.1017/CBo9780511610295; Blommaert, J. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press (2010), 10.1017/CBO9780511845307; Blommaert, J. Ethnography, superdiversity and linguistic landscapes: Chronicles of complexity. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters (2013)). I promote a need to develop a robust toolkit for music education that (1) better analyzes how we position and are positioned as part of larger groups and practices operating within multiple layers of social, cultural, and historical context, and (2) better advocates for equitable practices and inclusive spaces in our field

Can Global Variation of Nasopharynx Cancer Be Retrieved from the Combined Analyses of IARC Cancer Information (CIN) Databases?

BACKGROUND: The international nasopharynx cancer (NPC) burdens are masked due to the lack of integrated studies that examine epidemiological data based on up-to-date international disease databases such as the Cancer Information (CIN) databases provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). METHODS: By analyzing the most recently updated NPC epidemiological data available from IARC, we tried to retrieve the worldwide NPC burden and patterns from combined analysis with GLOBOCAN2008 and the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) databases. We provide age-standardized rates (ASR) for NPC mortality in 20 highest cancer registries from GLOBOCAN2008 and the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality databases, respectively. However, NPC incidence data can not be retrieved since it is not individually listed in CI5 database. The trend of NPC mortality was investigated with Joinpoint analysis in the selected countries/regions with high ASR. RESULTS: GLOBOCAN 2008 revealed that the highest NPC incidence rates in 2008 were in registries from South-Eastern Asia, Micronesia and Southern Africa with Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore ranking the top 3. WHO mortality database analysis revealed that China Hong Kong, Singapore and Malta ranks the top 3 regions with the highest 5-year mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: NPC mortality rate is about 2-3 times higher in male than that in female, and shows decrease tendency in those selected countries/regions during the analyzed periods. However, the integrated analyses of the current IARC CIN databases may not be suitable to retrieve epidemiological data of NPC. Much effort is required to improve the local cancer entry and regional death-reporting systems so as to aid similar studies

Transcription factor AP-1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Alterations in activity and expression during Human Papillomavirus infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region of India. A substantial proportion of esophageal carcinoma is associated with infection of high-risk HPV type 16 and HPV18, the oncogenic expression of which is controlled by host cell transcription factor Activator Protein-1 (AP-1). We, therefore, have investigated the role of DNA binding and expression pattern of AP-1 in esophageal cancer with or without HPV infection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventy five histopathologically-confirmed esophageal cancer and an equal number of corresponding adjacent normal tissue biopsies from Kashmir were analyzed for HPV infection, DNA binding activity and expression of AP-1 family of proteins by PCR, gel shift assay and immunoblotting respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A high DNA binding activity and elevated expression of AP-1 proteins were observed in esophageal cancer, which differed between HPV positive (19%) and HPV negative (81%) carcinomas. While JunB, c-Fos and Fra-1 were the major contributors to AP-1 binding activity in HPV negative cases, Fra-1 was completely absent in HPV16 positive cancers. Comparison of AP-1 family proteins demonstrated high expression of JunD and c-Fos in HPV positive tumors, but interestingly, Fra-1 expression was extremely low or nil in these tumor tissues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Differential AP-1 binding activity and expression of its specific proteins between HPV - positive and HPV - negative cases indicate that AP-1 may play an important role during HPV-induced esophageal carcinogenesis.</p

DNA methylation subgroups and the CpG island methylator phenotype in gastric cancer: A comprehensive profiling approach

10.1186/1471-230X-14-55BMC Gastroenterology141-BGMA

Low density of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells is associated with increased risk of relapse in squamous cell cervical cancer

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the primary in situ cellular immune response in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. A study of 102 women treated for stage IB and IIA disease, between 1990 and 2000, was performed. Paraffin-embedded cervical tissue processed at the time of diagnosis was immunostained for CD3+ (T cells), CD4+ (T helper/regulatory T cells) and CD8+ (cytotoxic T cells) cells. Immune cell profile densities were estimated using stereology. Both intra- and peritumoural cell densities were estimated. Using Cox's proportional hazards regression modelling we found an increase in cell density to decrease the risk of relapse for all three cell types. The density of peritumoural CD3+ cells seems to have the strongest potential for predicting relapse. An increase in CD3+ cell density from 795 to 2043 cells per mm2 (25–75 percentile) reduced the hazard ratio to 0.27

Telomerase activity as an adjunct to high-risk human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 and cytology screening in cervical cancer

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein comprising an RNA template, the telomerase-associated protein and its catalytic subunit, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Telomerase activation is a critical step in cellular immortalisation and development of cancer. Enhanced telomerase activity has been demonstrated in cervical cancer. In the present study telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression were evaluated and correlated with the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cytological changes in the cervical lesions. Telomerase activity was assayed by telomeric repeat amplification protocol, hTERT mRNA expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and presence of high risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection by polymerase chain reaction. Out of 154 cervical samples of different cytology, 90 (58.44%) were positive for HR-HPV types 16/18, while among 55 normal cervical scrapes, 10 (18.18%) were HPV DNA positive. All 59 invasive cancer samples showed a very high telomerase activity. Among dysplasia, seven (63.6%) mild dysplasia, 18 (100%) of moderate, 20 (100%) of severe dysplasia and 6 (100%) carcinoma in situ (CIS) samples were positive with mild to moderate to high to very high telomerase activity respectively. Seven (12.7%) samples of apparently normal cervical scrapes were weakly positive for telomerase activity. We observed a good correlation (P<0.001) between telomerase activity and HR-HPV 16/18 positivity with a sensitivity of 88.1% for HPV and 100% for telomerase activity. It is suggested that telomerase activity may be used as an adjunct to cytology and HPV DNA testing in triaging women with cervical lesions

Biased Gene Fractionation and Dominant Gene Expression among the Subgenomes of Brassica rapa

Polyploidization, both ancient and recent, is frequent among plants. A “two-step theory" was proposed to explain the meso-triplication of the Brassica “A" genome: Brassica rapa. By accurately partitioning of this genome, we observed that genes in the less fractioned subgenome (LF) were dominantly expressed over the genes in more fractioned subgenomes (MFs: MF1 and MF2), while the genes in MF1 were slightly dominantly expressed over the genes in MF2. The results indicated that the dominantly expressed genes tended to be resistant against gene fractionation. By re-sequencing two B. rapa accessions: a vegetable turnip (VT117) and a Rapid Cycling line (L144), we found that genes in LF had less non-synonymous or frameshift mutations than genes in MFs; however mutation rates were not significantly different between MF1 and MF2. The differences in gene expression patterns and on-going gene death among the three subgenomes suggest that “two-step" genome triplication and differential subgenome methylation played important roles in the genome evolution of B. rapa

Photodynamic therapy in the therapy for recurrent/persistent nasopharyngeal cancer

To determine the efficacy of Photodynamic therapy of patients with recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma we reviewed all available literature