Body size and the risk of biliary tract cancer: a population-based study in China

Though obesity is an established risk factor for gall bladder cancer, its role in cancers of the extrahepatic bile ducts and ampulla of Vater is less clear, as also is the role of abdominal obesity. In a population-based case–control study of biliary tract cancer in Shanghai, China, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for biliary tract cancer in relation to anthropometric measures, including body mass index (BMI) at various ages and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), adjusting for age, sex, and education. The study included 627 patients with biliary tract cancer (368 gall bladder, 191 bile duct, 68 ampulla of Vater) and 959 healthy subjects randomly selected from the population. A higher BMI at all ages, including early adulthood (ages 20–29 years), and a greater WHR were associated with an increased risk of gall bladder cancer. A high usual adult BMI (⩾25) was associated with a 1.6-fold risk of gall bladder cancer (95% CI 1.2–2.1, P for trend <0.001). Among subjects without gallstones, BMI was also positively associated with gall bladder cancer risk. Regardless of BMI levels, increasing WHR was associated with an excess risk of gall bladder cancer risk, with those having a high BMI (⩾25) and a high WHR (>0.90) having the highest risk of gall bladder cancer (OR=12.6, 95% CI 4.8–33.2), relative to those with a low BMI and WHR. We found no clear risk patterns for cancers of the bile duct and ampulla of Vater. These results suggest that both overall and abdominal obesity, including obesity in early adulthood, are associated with an increased risk of gall bladder cancer. The increasing prevalence of obesity and cholesterol stones in Shanghai seems at least partly responsible for the rising incidence of gall bladder cancer in Shanghai

Multi-omics approaches explain the growth-promoting effect of the apocarotenoid growth regulator zaxinone in rice

Wang et al. report zaxinone as a global regulator of the transcriptome and metabolome, as well as of hormonal and cellular composition of rice roots. This study shows that zaxinone promotes rice growth by enhancing root sugar uptake and metabolism and modulation of cytokinin content, indicating the potential application of this compound in increasing rice performance

Transcriptomes of the Anther Sporophyte: Availability and Uses

An anther includes sporophytic tissues of three outer cell layers and an innermost layer, the tapetum, which encloses a locule where the gametophytic microspores mature to become pollen. The sporophytic tissues also comprise some vascular cells and specialized cells of the stomium aligning the long anther axis for anther dehiscence. Studies of the anther sporophytic cells, especially the tapetum, have recently expanded from the use of microscopy to molecular biology and transcriptomes. The available sequencing technologies, plus the use of laser microdissection and in silico subtraction, have produced high-quality anther sporophyte transcriptomes of rice, Arabidopsis and maize. These transcriptomes have been used for research discoveries and have potential for future discoveries in diverse areas, including developmental gene activity networking and changes in enzyme and metabolic domains, prediction of protein functions by quantity, secretion, antisense transcript regulation, small RNAs and promoters for generating male sterility. We anticipate that these studies with rice and other transcriptomes will expand to encompass other plants, whose genomes will be sequenced soon, with ever-advancing sequencing technologies. In comprehensive gene activity profiling of the anther sporophyte, studies involving transcriptomes will spearhead investigation of the downstream gene activity with proteomics and metabolomics

Closer vein spacing by ectopic expression of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat proteins in rice leaves

Key message Elevated expression of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat proteins led to closer vein spacing and higher vein density in rice leaves. Abstract To feed the growing global population and mitigate the negative effects of climate change, there is a need to improve the photosynthetic capacity and efficiency of major crops such as rice to enhance grain yield potential. Alterations in internal leaf morphology and cellular architecture are needed to underpin some of these improvements. One of the targets is to generate a “Kranz-like” anatomy in leaves that includes decreased interveinal spacing close to that in C4 plant species. As C4 photosynthesis has evolved from C3 photosynthesis independently in multiple lineages, the genes required to facilitate C4 may already be present in the rice genome. The Taiwan Rice Insertional Mutants (TRIM) population offers the advantage of gain-of-function phenotype trapping, which accelerates the identification of rice gene function. In the present study, we screened the TRIM population to determine the extent to which genetic plasticity can alter vein density (VD) in rice. Close vein spacing mutant 1 (CVS1), identified from a VD screening of approximately 17,000 TRIM lines, conferred heritable high leaf VD. Increased vein number in CVS1 was confirmed to be associated with activated expression of two nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) proteins. Overexpression of the two NB-LRR genes individually in rice recapitulates the high VD phenotype, due mainly to reduced interveinal mesophyll cell (M cell) number, length, bulliform cell size and thus interveinal distance. Our studies demonstrate that the trait of high VD in rice can be achieved by elevated expression of NB-LRR proteins limited to no yield penalty

Characterization of Two Soybean (Glycine max L.) LEA IV Proteins by Circular Dichroism and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry

Late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins, accumulating to a high level during the late stages of seed development, may play a role as osmoprotectants. However, the functions and mechanisms of LEA proteins remained to be elucidated. Five major groups of LEA proteins have been described. In the present study, we report on the characterization of two members of soybean LEA IV proteins, basic GmPM1 and acidic GmPM28, by circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The spectra of both proteins revealed limited defined secondary structures in the fully hydrated state. Thus, the soybean LEA IV proteins are members of ‘natively unfolded proteins’. GmPM1 or GmPM28 proteins showed a conformational change under hydrophobic or dry conditions. After fast or slow drying, the two proteins showed slightly increased proportions of defined secondary structures (α-helix and β-sheet), from 30 to 49% and from 34 to 42% for GmPM1 and GmPm28, respectively. In the dehydrated state, GmPM1 and GmPM28 interact with non-reducing sugars to improve the transition temperature of cellular glass, with poly-l-lysine to prevent dehydration-induced aggregation and with phospholipids to maintain the liquid crystal phase over a wide temperature range. Our work suggests that soybean LEA IV proteins are functional in the dry state. They are one of the important components in cellular glasses and may stabilize desiccation-sensitive proteins and plasma membranes during dehydration

The incidence of experimental smoking in school children: an 8-year follow-up of the child and adolescent behaviors in long-term evolution (CABLE) study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies have established that most regular adult smokers become addicted in their adolescent years. We investigated the incidence of and risk factors associated with initial experimental smoking among a group of school children who were followed for 8 years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used cohort data collected as part of the Child and Adolescent Behaviors in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) study, which selected nine elementary schools each from an urban area (Taipei City) and a rural area (Hsingchu county) in northern Taiwan. From 2002 to 2008, children were asked annually whether they had smoked in the previous year. An accelerated lifetime model with Weibull distribution was used to examine the factors associated with experimental smoking.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 2001, 2686 4^th-graders participated in the study. For each year from 2002 to 2008, their incidences of trial smoking were 3.1%, 4.0%, 2.8%, 6.0%, 5.3%, 5.0% and 6.0%, respectively. There was an increase from 7^thto 8^thgrade (6.0%). Children who were males, lived in rural areas, came from single-parent families, had parents who smoked, and had peers who smoked were more likely to try smoking earlier. The influence of parents and peers on experimental smoking demonstrated gradient effects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study used a cohort to examine incidence and multiple influences, including individual factors, familial factors, and community factors, on experimental smoking in adolescents. The findings fit the social ecological model, highlighting the influences of family and friends. School and community attachment were associated with experimental smoking in teenagers.</p

Biomechanical comparison of a new stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion cage with established fixation techniques – a three-dimensional finite element analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Initial promise of a stand-alone interbody fusion cage to treat chronic back pain and restore disc height has not been realized. In some instances, a posterior spinal fixation has been used to enhance stability and increase fusion rate. In this manuscript, a new stand-alone cage is compared with conventional fixation methods based on the finite element analysis, with a focus on investigating cage-bone interface mechanics and stress distribution on the adjacent tissues.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three trapezoid 8° interbody fusion cage models (dual paralleled cages, a single large cage, or a two-part cage consisting of a trapezoid box and threaded cylinder) were created with or without pedicle screws fixation to investigate the relative importance of the screws on the spinal segmental response. The contact stress on the facet joint, slip displacement of the cage on the endplate, and rotational angle of the upper vertebra were measured under different loading conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Simulation results demonstrated less facet stress and slip displacement with the maximal contact on the cage-bone interface. A stand-alone two-part cage had good slip behavior under compression, flexion, extension, lateral bending and torsion, as compared with the other two interbody cages, even with the additional posterior fixation. However, the two-part cage had the lowest rotational angles under flexion and torsion, but had no differences under extension and lateral bending.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The biomechanical benefit of a stand-alone two-part fusion cage can be justified. This device provided the stability required for interbody fusion, which supports clinical trials of the cage as an alternative to circumferential fixations.</p

Traffic-Related Air Pollution and DNA Damage: A Longitudinal Study in Taiwanese Traffic Conductors

BACKGROUND: There is accumulating epidemiologic evidence that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) and polyaromatic hydro carbons (PAHs), plays a role in etiology and prognosis of a large scale of illnesses, although the role of specific causal agents and underlying mechanisms for different health outcomes remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our general objective was to assess the relations between personal exposure to traffic exhausts, in particular ambient PM(2.5) and PAHs, and the occurrence of DNA strand breaks by applying personal monitoring of PM and biomarkers of exposure (urinary 1-hydroxypyrene-glucuronide, 1-OHPG) and effect (urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG and DNA strand breaks). METHODS: We recruited 91 traffic conductors and 53 indoor office workers between May 2009 and June 2011 in Taipei City, Taiwan. We used PM(2.5) personal samplers to collect breathing-zone particulate PAHs samples. Spot urine and blood samples after work shift of 2 consecutive days were analyzed for 1-OHPG, 8-OHdG and DNA strand breaks, respectively. Statistical methods included linear regression and mixed models. RESULTS: Urinary 8-OHdG levels and the occurrence of DNA strand breaks in traffic conductors significantly exceeded those in indoor office workers in mixed models. Particulate PAHs levels showed a positive association with urinary 1-OHPG in the regression model (β = 0.056, p = 0.01). Urinary 1-OHPG levels were significantly associated with urinary 8-OHdG levels in the mixed model (β = 0.101, p = 0.023). Our results provide evidence that exposure to fine particulates causes DNA damage. Further, particulate PAHs could be biologically active constituents of PM(2.5) with reference to the induction of oxidative DNA damages