78 research outputs found
STUDY OF FEATURES OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION AT WORLD MARKETS OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL RAW MATERIALS IN THE CONTEXT OF FOOD SAFETY PROVISION
Changes that take place in Đ„Đ„Đ century in the European economy cause not only the decrease of the topicality of problems of food safety provision, but condition their global and large-scale character. The question of people provision with food products, overcoming of poverty, economic competition at world markets of food and agricultural raw materials is for today priority for the whole international community. This problematic has different aspects and manifestation forms in different countries, regions, territories. The geography of products provision has an ambiguous character: a loss of products and their high quality is observed in certain regions, whereas other regions suffer from malnutrition and low-quality food products. The important role is plaid there by losses of society from waste of food products and low-quality competition, caused by different socio-political and socio-economic interests of countries and desire to influence the internal life of other countries through influence mechanisms on their food market functioning. In general food resources are enough throughout the world for providing satisfactory nutrition of the whole mankind. But food production it is not always provided where it is needed. Starvation and malnutrition, impoverishment of almost 1/5 of the population of the planet is the main social content of the food crisis. The economic competition at world food and agricultural raw materials markets plays no less important role. World tendencies of the value conjuncture, insufficient attention of state leaders to accumulation of sufficient resources for providing parity in the global economic competition create threats in providing food safety of many countries
The consumption of coffee and black tea and the risk of lung cancer
Purpose
Coffee and black tea are among the most consumed beverages worldwide. While their potential
role in lung cancer occurrence has been investigated in several studies, results have been
inconclusive. We investigated the associations between intake of coffee and black tea with lung
cancer in a population-based case-control study in Montreal, Canada.
Methods
These analyses included 1,130 cases and 1,483 controls. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were
estimated between four metrics of coffee and black tea consumption (frequency, average
daily amount, duration, and cumulative amount) and lung cancer, using unconditional logistic
regression.
Results
The adjusted ORs (95% confidence intervals) for lung cancer comparing daily to never
consumers were 0.73 (0.49-1.10) for coffee and 1.05 (0.85-1.31) for black tea. Analyses of other
metrics did not reveal any clear patterns of increasing or decreasing risk with increasing amounts
or duration of consumption. There was no strong evidence of OR modification by sex or smoking
level. The OR estimates did not materially differ by histological subtype for either of the
beverages.
Conclusion
Our results do not provide strong support for associations between consumption of coffee and
black tea and lung cancer
Asthma exacerbation trajectories and their predictors in children with incident asthma.
BACKGROUND: Asthma exacerbation trajectories in children after incident asthma diagnosis are understudied.
OBJECTIVE: To identify trajectories of asthma exacerbation and predictors of these trajectories in children with incident asthma.
METHODS: Children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, Canada, with incident asthma were followed-up for up to 12 years during childhood. Latent class growth modeling was used to identify distinct asthma exacerbation trajectory groups. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of trajectory group membership.
RESULTS: The mean age at asthma diagnosis among 403 children was 5.9 years. Three distinct trajectories were identified: low increasing (21.3% of children), medium decreasing (45.8% of children), and high decreasing (32.8% of children). Asthma attack probability increased gradually after diagnosis in low increasing group, decreased from moderate level after diagnosis to almost zero probability at the end of follow-up in the medium decreasing group, and decreased after diagnosis but remained higher in the high decreasing group than the other 2 groups at 12 years after diagnosis. Children having more siblings at home were more likely to belong to the medium decreasing and high decreasing trajectory groups, whereas children older at asthma diagnosis were less likely to belong to the medium decreasing and high decreasing trajectory groups than the low increasing trajectory group.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that children with incident asthma follow 3 distinct trajectories of asthma exacerbations after asthma diagnosis. The trajectory group with initial moderate exacerbation probability has better long-term prognosis
Detection of Fusobacterium nucleatum in feces and colorectal mucosa as a risk factor for colorectal cancer : a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Accumulating evidence
suggests a potentially important role of colorectal infection with Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) in
colorectal carcinogenesis. We conducted a systematic review, including both a qualitative synthesis and a metaanalysis, to synthesize the evidence from the epidemiological literature on the association between F. nucleatum
detection in the colon/rectum and CRC.
Methods: A systematic literature search of Ovid MEDLINE(R), Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, EBM
ReviewsâCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and CINAHL Plus with Full Text was conducted using earliest
inclusive dates up to 4 October 2020. Eligible studies were original, comparative observational studies that reported
results on colorectal F. nucleatum detection and CRC. Two independent reviewers extracted the relevant
information. Odds ratio (OR) estimates were pooled across studies using the random effects model. NewcastleOttawa scale was used to critically appraise study quality.
Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic review, of which 12 were included in the metaanalysis. Studies investigated F. nucleatum in feces, colorectal tissue samples, or both. In most studies included in
the systematic review, the load of F. nucleatum was higher, on average, in specimens from CRC patients than in
those from CRC-free controls. Meta-analysis showed a positive association between F. nucleatum detection in
colorectal specimens and CRC (OR = 8.3; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5.2 to 13.0).
Conclusions: The results of this systematic review suggest that F. nucleatum in the colon/rectum is associated
with CRC
Association entre les affections buccodentaires et le cancer colorectal : une revue et synthÚse de la littérature
Position du problĂšme: La parodontite chronique et lâĂ©dentement sont des affections buccodentaires chroniques qui, depuis quelques dĂ©cennies, sont incriminĂ©es dans la survenue de diffĂ©rents types de cancers. Cette revue de littĂ©rature avait pour but dâexaminer lâassociation entre le cancer colorectal et ces affections buccodentaires.
RĂ©sultats: Les Ă©tudes Ă©pidĂ©miologiques Ă©valuant une association potentielle entre la parodontite, lâĂ©dentement et le cancer colorectal sont peu nombreuses. Cependant, plusieurs mĂ©canismes plaident en faveur de cette association, notamment lâinflammation, la nutrition et possiblement lâinfection par certains pathogĂšnes, comme le suggĂšre cette revue de la littĂ©rature.Background: Chronic periodontitis and tooth loss are chronic oral conditions that, in recent decades, have been implicated in the occurence of certain types of cancer. In this review, we address the question of whether colorectal cancer is associated with these oral conditions.
Results: Epidemiological studies evaluating a potential association between periodontitis, tooth loss and colorectal cancer are scarce. However, several mechanisms argue in favor of this association, notably inflammation, nutrition and possibly infection by specific bacteria, as suggested by this literature review
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and risk of bleeding and acute ischemic events in non-hypertensive Alzheimerâs patients
Introduction: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are commonly used to treat
mild to moderate cases of Alzheimer disease (AD). To the best of our knowledge, there
has been no study estimating the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular events in patients
with non-hypertensive AD. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the association
between AChEIs and the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular ischemic events in patients
with non-hypertensive AD.
Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted to estimate the risk of bleeding
and ischemic events (angina, myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke) in patients with
AD. This study was conducted using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink and
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) databases. The study cohort consisted of AD patients
â„65 years of age. The case groups included all AD subjects in the database who had
a bleeding or ischemic event during the cohort follow-up. Four controls were selected
for each case. Patients were classified as current users or past users based on a 60-day
threshold of consuming the drug. Simple and multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio for bleeding events and
cardiovascular events.
Results: We identified 507 cases and selected 2028 controls for the bleeding event
cohort and 555 cases and 2220 controls for the ischemic event cohort. The adjusted
odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the association of AChEI use was 0.93
(0.75 to 1.16) for bleeding events, 2.58 (1.01 to 6.59) for angina, and 1.89 (1.07 to 3.33)
for MI. Past users of AChEIs were also at increased risk of stroke (1.51 [1.00 to 2.27]).
Discussion: This is the first study assessing the risk of bleeding and cardiovascular
events in patients with non-hypertensive AD. Our findings could be of great interest
for clinicians and researchers working on AD
Genetic variants and early cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence phenotypes in adolescents
Background: While the heritability of cigarette smoking and nicotine dependence
(ND) is well-documented, the contribution of specific genetic variants to specific
phenotypes has not been closely examined. The objectives of this study were to
test the associations between 321 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs) that capture common genetic variation in 24 genes, and early smoking and
ND phenotypes in novice adolescent smokers, and to assess if genetic predictors
differ across these phenotypes.
Methods: In a prospective study of 1294 adolescents aged 12â13 years recruited
from ten Montreal-area secondary schools, 544 participants who had smoked at
least once during the 7â8 year follow-up provided DNA. 321 single-nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) in 24 candidate genes were tested for an association with
number of cigarettes smoked in the past 3 months, and with five ND phenotypes (a
modified version of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire, the ICD-10 and three
clusters of ND symptoms representing withdrawal symptoms, use of nicotine for
self-medication, and a general ND/craving symptom indicator).
Results: The pattern of SNP-gene associations differed across phenotypes.
Sixteen SNPs in seven genes (ANKK1, CHRNA7, DDC, DRD2, COMT, OPRM1,
SLC6A3 (also known as DAT1)) were associated with at least one phenotype with a
p-value ,0.01 using linear mixed models. After permutation and FDR adjustment, none of the associations remained statistically significant, although the p-values for
the association between rs557748 in OPRM1 and the ND/craving and selfmedication phenotypes were both 0.076.
Conclusions: Because the genetic predictors differ, specific cigarette smoking and
ND phenotypes should be distinguished in genetic studies in adolescents. Fifteen
of the 16 top-ranked SNPs identified in this study were from loci involved in
dopaminergic pathways (ANKK1/DRD2, DDC, COMT, OPRM1, and SLC6A3).
Impact: Dopaminergic pathways may be salient during early smoking and the
development of ND
A prognostic tool to identify adolescents at high risk of becoming daily smokers
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates that pediatricians should be involved in tobacco counseling and has developed guidelines for counseling. We present a prognostic tool for use by health care practitioners in both clinical and non-clinical settings, to identify adolescents at risk of becoming daily smokers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were drawn from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) Study, a prospective investigation of 1293 adolescents, initially aged 12-13 years, recruited in 10 secondary schools in Montreal, Canada in 1999. Questionnaires were administered every three months for five years. The prognostic tool was developed using estimated coefficients from multivariable logistic models. Model overfitting was corrected using bootstrap cross-validation. Goodness-of-fit and predictive ability of the models were assessed by R<sup>2</sup>, the c-statistic, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The 1-year and 2-year probability of initiating daily smoking was a joint function of seven individual characteristics: age; ever smoked; ever felt like you needed a cigarette; parent(s) smoke; sibling(s) smoke; friend(s) smoke; and ever drank alcohol. The models were characterized by reasonably good fit and predictive ability. They were transformed into user-friendly tables such that the risk of daily smoking can be easily computed by summing points for responses to each item. The prognostic tool is also available on-line at <url>http://episerve.chumontreal.qc.ca/calculation_risk/daily-risk/daily_smokingadd.php</url>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prognostic tool to identify youth at high risk of daily smoking may eventually be an important component of a comprehensive tobacco control system.</p
The National Center for Biotechnology Information's Protein Clusters Database
Rapid increases in DNA sequencing capabilities have led to a vast increase in the data generated from prokaryotic genomic studies, which has been a boon to scientists studying micro-organism evolution and to those who wish to understand the biological underpinnings of microbial systems. The NCBI Protein Clusters Database (ProtClustDB) has been created to efficiently maintain and keep the deluge of data up to date. ProtClustDB contains both curated and uncurated clusters of proteins grouped by sequence similarity. The May 2008 release contains a total of 285 386 clusters derived from over 1.7 million proteins encoded by 3806 nt sequences from the RefSeq collection of complete chromosomes and plasmids from four major groups: prokaryotes, bacteriophages and the mitochondrial and chloroplast organelles. There are 7180 clusters containing 376 513 proteins with curated gene and protein functional annotation. PubMed identifiers and external cross references are collected for all clusters and provide additional information resources. A suite of web tools is available to explore more detailed information, such as multiple alignments, phylogenetic trees and genomic neighborhoods. ProtClustDB provides an efficient method to aggregate gene and protein annotation for researchers and is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=proteinclusters
Relations between lipoprotein(a) concentrations, LPA genetic variants, and the risk of mortality in patients with established coronary heart disease: a molecular and genetic association study
Background:
Lipoprotein(a) concentrations in plasma are associated with cardiovascular risk in the general population. Whether lipoprotein(a) concentrations or LPA genetic variants predict long-term mortality in patients with established coronary heart disease remains less clear.
Methods:
We obtained data from 3313 patients with established coronary heart disease in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study. We tested associations of tertiles of lipoprotein(a) concentration in plasma and two LPA single-nucleotide polymorphisms ([SNPs] rs10455872 and rs3798220) with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality by Cox regression analysis and with severity of disease by generalised linear modelling, with and without adjustment for age, sex, diabetes diagnosis, systolic blood pressure, BMI, smoking status, estimated glomerular filtration rate, LDL-cholesterol concentration, and use of lipid-lowering therapy. Results for plasma lipoprotein(a) concentrations were validated in five independent studies involving 10â195 patients with established coronary heart disease. Results for genetic associations were replicated through large-scale collaborative analysis in the GENIUS-CHD consortium, comprising 106â353 patients with established coronary heart disease and 19â332 deaths in 22 studies or cohorts.
Findings:
The median follow-up was 9·9 years. Increased severity of coronary heart disease was associated with lipoprotein(a) concentrations in plasma in the highest tertile (adjusted hazard radio [HR] 1·44, 95% CI 1·14â1·83) and the presence of either LPA SNP (1·88, 1·40â2·53). No associations were found in LURIC with all-cause mortality (highest tertile of lipoprotein(a) concentration in plasma 0·95, 0·81â1·11 and either LPA SNP 1·10, 0·92â1·31) or cardiovascular mortality (0·99, 0·81â1·2 and 1·13, 0·90â1·40, respectively) or in the validation studies.
Interpretation:
In patients with prevalent coronary heart disease, lipoprotein(a) concentrations and genetic variants showed no associations with mortality. We conclude that these variables are not useful risk factors to measure to predict progression to death after coronary heart disease is established.
Funding:
Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technical Development (AtheroRemo and RiskyCAD), INTERREG IV Oberrhein Programme, Deutsche Nierenstiftung, Else-Kroener Fresenius Foundation, Deutsche Stiftung fĂŒr Herzforschung, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Saarland University, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Willy Robert Pitzer Foundation, and Waldburg-Zeil Clinics Isny
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