Betel nut and tobacco chewing; potential risk factors of cancer of oesophagus in Assam, India

Cancer of the oesophagus is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in Assam, in north-eastern India, and ranks second for females. The chewing of betel nut, with or without tobacco and prepared in various ways, is a common practice in the region and a case–control study has been designed to study the pattern of risk associated with different ways of preparing and chewing the nuts. 358 newly diagnosed male patients and 144 female have been interviewed together with 2 control subjects for each case chosen at random from among the attendants who accompanied patients to hospital. There were significant trends in risk ratios associated with the frequency of chewing each day, with the duration of chewing in years and with the age at which the habit was started that were apparent for both males and females and which remained significant after allowance was made for other known risk factors, notably tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. The adjusted ratios, in comparison with non-chewers, were 13.3 M and 5.7 F for chewing more than 20 times a day, 10.6 M and 7.2 F for persons who had chewed for more than 20 years and 10.3 M and 5.3 F for those who had started before the age of 20. Among the different combinations of ingredients that were chewed the adjusted odds ratios were highest for those who had been using fermented betel nut with any form of tobacco (7.1 M and 3.6 F). The risk associated with tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, which are high in some parts of the world, were less in Assam than those associated with the chewing of betel nut. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Increased signalling of EGFR and IGF1R, and deregulation of PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway are related with trastuzumab resistance in HER2 breast carcinomas

Trastuzumab resistance hampers its well-known efficacy to control HER2-positive breast cancer. The involvement of PI3K/Akt pathway in this mechanism is still not definitively confirmed. We selected 155 patients treated with trastuzumab after development of metastasis or as adjuvant/neoadjuvant therapy. We performed immunohistochemistry for HER2, ER/PR, epidermal growth factor 1-receptor (EGFR), α -insulin-like growth factor 1-receptor (IGF1R), phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), p110 α, pAkt, pBad, pmTOR, pMAPK, MUC1, Ki67, p53 and p27; mutational analysis of PIK3CA and PTEN, and PTEN promoter hypermethylation. We found 46% ER/PR-positive tumours, overexpression of EGFR (15%), α -IGF1R (25%), p110 α (19%), pAkt (28%), pBad (22%), pmTOR (23%), pMAPK (24%), MUC1 (80%), PTEN loss (20%), and PTEN promoter hypermethylation (20%). PIK3CA and PTEN mutations were detected in 17% and 26% tumours, respectively. Patients receiving adjuvant trastuzumab with α -IGF1R or pBad overexpressing tumours presented shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (all P ⩽0.043). Also, p110 α and mTOR overexpression, liver and brain relapses implied poor overall survival (OS) (all P ⩽0.041). In patients with metastatic disease, decreased PFS correlated with p110 α expression (P =0.024), whereas for OS were the presence of vascular invasion and EGFR expression (P ⩽0.019; Cox analysis). Our results support that trastuzumab resistance mechanisms are related with deregulation of PTEN/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, and/or EGFR and IGF1R overexpression in a subset of HER2-positive breast carcinomas

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Not AvailableAbstract: Rheological and nutritional properties of corn based extrudates incorporated with selected dehulled legumes (black gram, green gram, lentil and peas) made using low cost collet extruder at 5%, 10% and 15% levels were studied. There was a decreasing trend of all viscosity properties and degree of gelatinization with increase in legumes incorporation level. With increase in legumes incorporation, protein content showed an increasing trend and fat, fiber, ash content and sensory score remain almost same. Thus, dehulled legumes (up to 15%) incorporated corn extrudates have showed a promising trend for the production of low cost expanded snacks and instant flour.Not Availabl

Harmonizing the collection of clinical data on genetic testing requisition forms to enhance variant interpretation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM): a study from the ClinGen Cardiomyopathy Variant Curation Expert Panel

Diagnostic laboratories gather phenotypic data through requisition forms, but there is no consensus as to which data are essential for variant interpretation. The ClinGen Cardiomyopathy Variant Curation Expert Panel defined a phenotypic data set for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) variant interpretation, with the goal of standardizing requisition forms. Phenotypic data elements listed on requisition forms from nine leading cardiomyopathy testing laboratories were compiled to assess divergence in data collection. A pilot of 50 HCM cases was implemented to determine the feasibility of harmonizing data collection. Laboratory directors were surveyed to gauge potential for adoption of a minimal data set. Wide divergence was observed in the phenotypic data fields in requisition forms. The 50-case pilot showed that although demographics and assertion of a clinical diagnosis of HCM had 86% to 98% completion, specific phenotypic features, such as degree of left ventricular hypertrophy, ejection fraction, and suspected syndromic disease, were completed only 24% to 44% of the time. Nine data elements were deemed essential for variant classification by the expert panel. Participating laboratories unanimously expressed a willingness to adopt these data elements in their requisition forms. This study demonstrates the value of comparing and sharing best practices through an expert group, such as the ClinGen Program, to enhance variant interpretation, providing a foundation for leveraging cumulative case-level data in public databases and ultimately improving patient care